Don’t be so negative!

I believe most people define Christianity negatively. By that I mean they define religion by what they have to give up. No drinking, no cursing, no fun. I don’t think that is the way Christ looks at it though. I believe the gospel clearly shows that if you are filled with the Holy Spirit you will naturally move toward more Godly behavior. It’s a positive not a negative. For example in Galatians 5:16 Paul says,”But I say to you, walk in the Spirit and you will deny the desires of the flesh.” The order of that sentence is very important. He did not say deny worldly things and you will be filled with the Spirit. He said walk in the Spirit first. Be filled with the Spirit and what is important to the world will not be important to you.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! Yea 2009!

Where did she get those curls from?

Me!

Larry Update

I realized the other day that I was remiss in letting my vast blog audience know how my brother Larry is doing. He was at my house for Thanksgiving and I’m happy to report he is doing really well. The highlight of his visit was sitting in my backyard under my Christmas lights and smoking a couple of cigars he bought us. It was good to see him up and about.

Given the extent of his injuries it is remarkable that he is already by and large self sufficient. The next step will be to get him back to work. I think that will be well after New Year’s due to the physical nature of his work. Thankfully he has an awesome job and is getting full pay while he is recovering.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers!

Odd Things I Saw Today

A man washing a pear in the bathroom sink at my office.

The Sleeping Giant

"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve."

- Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamo

The giant sleeps
The alarm blares
The giant rolls over
and goes back to sleep

- bill

Breathe

Stand before your fear and breathe God into that still quiet moment

Gravity

By being a Christian am I damning all unbelievers to hell? Let’s say we are on the very highest story of the Shanghai World Financial Center (the highest space able to be occupied in the world). For some strange reason you have no concept of gravity. You decide to break out a window and walk outside. If you do it after I explain gravity to you is it my fault you fall?

I am blessed

The other day I took Mack to a park - Wooten - very close to our neighborhood attached to a school. There were groups of parents sitting at several picnic tables watching kids run around on a playscape. Are area of town has a very large Mexican population. The first thing I noticed when we walked on the playground was we were the only white folk. Everyone sitting watching the kids was obviously Mexican. As we played and wandered around I noticed something else. I was the only man. All of the husband/father’s were at work. They have to work all day. They probably see their kids for a couple hours before they go to bed.

Sometimes I get frustrated with my life. I have practically no time for myself between working and watching Mack. Sometimes I forget how blessed I am to be spending those couple hours in the afternoon with my daughter.

Beer Beer Everywhere and Not a Drop to Drink!

I’ve added several beers to my list while I was been away from blogging. Thought I’d give a quick synopsis just to bring things up to present.

Over a couple weeks I tried Live Oak Big Bark Amber, Samuel Adam’s Boston Lager, and Trader Joe’s Vienna Style Lager. All three are Vienna Style Lagers. The taste reminded me of Fort Worth and my original attempt at 200 beers. It’s hard for me to distinguish between them but they all get a great rating. Good beer.

What can I say about Shiner Bock? I’m sure all totaled I have drunk in excess of 200 different beers in my life. When confronted with a choice between Shiner and any one of them most times I will go with Shiner. It is just a really good beer.

As it is getting cooler here in Austin – sort of – I’ve turned to darker thicker beers. I had two of the best, Murphy’s Irish Red and Young’s Oatmeal Stout. All reds, including Murphy’s, have a bit of a bite. I certainly wouldn’t suggest it for someone that is not really into the taste of beer. I like that bite though. I rated it good. Young’s Oatmeal Stout is like Guinness but better in my opinion. I gave it a great.

The next time I was at the Saucer I tried Boulevard Lunar Ale. It’s a wheat beer and I was looking for something like the oatmeal stout above. It was not good. I actually rated it bad - which is rare for me. Wheat beer is kind of particular so I’ll probably give it another chance later. In case I just wasn’t in the mood for wheat beer.

Happy Drinking!

3 Bible Bill

If you go to biblegateway.com you will see that there is just a ton of different translations of the bible. While reading Sacred Parenting I found a reference to Micah 6:8. The author was focused on the phrase “love grace” in that passage. My main Bible, English Standard Version, says “love kindness.”

Whenever I run into this or I’m having a hard time understanding something in the Bible I’ll pick up the Message. It’s a modern “translation” of the bible by a pastor named Eugene Peterson. I put quotes around translation because Peterson tries more to get the message across than an actual word for word translation. The Message says,” be compassionate and loyal in your love.”

Feeling befuddled I went to the King James Version. The old red bible Steve gave me. Obviously it was the translation the author of Sacred Parenting was reading.

This blog started out as just a funny post about the fact that I’m carrying three bibles around with me now. When I was with Larry last week I had them all with me. I’m often sitting up in bed as Kay and I are going to sleep referring to all three of them. I just find it really funny that I was an atheist Buddhist and now I have three bibles stacked beside my bed.

As I write this though I feel a non-Christian will be asking why there are so many differences between translations. During my devout atheist days I was all about the apparent mistakes in the Bible. God creates light on the first day and the sun on the third day. How does that work? All I can say is that when I read the Bible through I found its message amazingly consistent. CS Lewis viewed the Bible as a blueprint for humanities relationship with God. A blueprint is a representation of a building. It is not the building. As an Architect I can tell you that the best set of drawings will never be a perfect representation of a building.

I invite everyone to read the Bible through. I’d suggest the Victory Reading Plan and the NIV or English Standard versions of the Bible. If you do not believe after that at least you can say you read the thing. That’s why I did it.

My Little Picasso

Larry Update

My Mom came to stay with Larry Wednesday night, and I came back to Austin. I talked to her today and Larry is doing well. He's off the morphine drip and switching to pain pills. He was able to sit on the edge of the bed briefly. Still has a chest tube draining blood off. So, we have no thoughts on when he will be able to go home.

I missed two fractures in my recount of injuries yesterday - sternum and elbow. Although today Mom said they might have mistaken an old surgery on his elbow for a new injury. So, hopefully nothing is wrong with the elbow.

Before I left Dallas yesterday we got the police report. A pick-up truck turned in front of him on a two lane road. The driver was cited for failure to yield. So, his insurance should cover everything. This is very good news since Larry only has liability on the bike.

Please keep praying for us as I believe some tough times are ahead. Larry is not one to sit still and this recovery is going to be hard on him...

Larry

As I write this I’m sitting next to a hospital bed where my bother Larry is sleeping. He wrecked his motorcycle on Monday. He doesn’t remember what happened at all. The last thing he remembers is coming up on a semi-truck that was moving kind of slow. Next thing he’s being put on a helicopter to be flown here.

He has a few broken ribs, a broken collar bone, two fractured/crushed vertebrae, and a fractured shoulder blade. Please pray from him. While surgery will not be required I believe it is going to be a tough haul to full recovery.

Survey Says!

I’m working on a blog titled Abundant Misconceptions. It focuses on how my pre-Christian perceptions of Christianity were almost completely wrong. There is a depth to Christianity that I never understood. This all became very clear to me when I actually read the Bible through and immersed myself in Jesus’ teaching. I tell you our brainwashing program really works. Just kidding.

It’s been so long since I changed my perceptions I’m afraid I’m missing some. I’m asking for perceptions of Christianity. Right or wrong. Just what does everyone perceive? Mostly looking for negatives that I can use for my blog, but all comments are welcome. Please post here or email me. Thanks, bp!

Dustin Off the Old Blog

I believe life is cyclical. I’m not saying I believe in reincarnation or anything. I will take this opportunity to quote my favorite Ray Wylie Hubbard line though, “It’s not any stranger to be born twice than it is to be born once.”

What I’m talking about is more like the seasons of the year. During the Winter things hibernate. Spring is the season of birth and growth. Summer is the time for exploration and movement. As Fall progresses things return to stillness. I think some, if not all, humans are tied to this cycle. Some are even deeply affected on a daily basis by a cycle. Some people are very productive in the morning and useless as evening approaches. I probably haven’t done a good job of getting what I’m saying across, but if the thought interests you I’d recommend listening to this little sermon/ lecture.
http://www.plumblineministries.com/three_kinds_of_time

All this is too explain my large periods of dead air on the blog. My life is very cyclical. I’ll get a burst of energy and move in every direction and do a thousand things. Then there will be nothing. So far in my life there has been far more nothing than productivity. When the pulse comes it is briefly sustained at best. As I study myself I hope to recognize these periods of time and draw on them more effectively.

Am I in one of those periods of time now? I don’t know. I wrote the first part of this a week ago and I can feel the energy waning already. So there may not be a glut of blogs coming, but maybe there will be. Stay tuned to find out…

Rock of the Lord

I have set my foundation on the solid rock of God
Dug the footings down to stone
Let the tempest come
I stand with the Lord at my side
Strong and courageous
Knowing my salvation rests in Him

Surrender to His will

"I declare the season of plenty is over," says the Lord.
Bow down before the Lord,
and know He is God.
Only He can lead you through the forest of darkness.

bailout?

"The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools.

- Herbert Spencer

Inspiration

Inspiration is like a flash in the pan. To actually accomplish something you must put your roots into it like a tree digging deep for water.

The Pinnacle of Our Vacuous Culture

Kay sent me the following article today.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/08/26/o.divorce.dreams/index.html

The picture Ellen Tien paints is one of wretched meaninglessness. As I am about to post this to my blog I ask myself why? Why pass this along? Why spread something I would categorize as evil around? Why expose my friends to this mental dribble? Certainly one of my reasons is to illustrate just how far we have fallen into selfish decadence. That isn’t reason enough though. As a Christian I should present an opposing picture.

That picture is one of ever increasing joy. I can honestly say that each day my life is filled with more joy than the last. Is it the paxil talking? Is the fact that I have finally achieved the life I always dreamed of? Married to a wonderful woman with an awesome little girl? I certainly cannot deny either of those factors, but there is more to it than that. Every day I am trying to bring my will more into line with God’s will. I can feel myself putting off the old me that railed against my circumstances and dreamed of some far off better days. I can feel God’s peace.

Is this easy for me to say? Am I at some kind of plateau of peacefulness in my life? Not really. I have more work, and more stress at the office than during either of my breakdowns. I had to borrow money from my brother so we wouldn’t bounce checks this month. We’re about to try to have another child which of course brings up all kinds of stressful questions. Can we get pregnant? Can we afford it? Will Kay’s back hold out long enough? Through all of this I’m keeping my humor and I feel so good. Again is it the paxil or circumstances? Perhaps, but I tell you this - I believe I have a peace within me that goes well beyond anything a drug could provide and it is not dependent on circumstance.

Ms. Tien my prayers will be with you for some time to come.

Evolution

There is much debate regarding creationism and evolution these days. There are think tanks dedicated to the study of each. Ben Stein recently came out with a pro-creationism movie. Several states have introduced laws to teach creationism in public school science classes. It is one of the biggest sticking points between non-believers and believers. Keith and I were actually discussing it the other morning. He made some good points and it clarified my position on evolution.

This is a delicate matter. If I say I don’t believe in evolution then the non-believers that read my blog will write me off as non thinking idiot. If I say I believe in evolution then the Christians that read my blog might write me off because I have belittled the power of God. However, I feel it is an important topic that I need to weigh in on. So now I will let you all know my opinion on evolution.

Don’t care.

That’s right I just don’t think the answer to this question matters. It’s an interesting topic to discuss and debate, but ultimately it doesn’t matter. The only question in life that really matters is if there is a God. That single question drives your whole philosophy on life and therefore your experience in it. Then if you believe God does exist you have to decide what your relationship with Him is. For me this all leads to the other big question in life. Is Jesus Christ who He said He was.

Tuesday Morning Thoughts

There is no formula for being a disciple of Jesus.
There are as many walks with God as there are people.
I walk with the Lord as only I would.
Just being bill.

and now a word from our sponsor

While writing my latest beer of the week blog I decided to try to post my beer list to the blog. It worked as you can see to the right. Anyway, this led me to remove the top 10 Coffee Shops in Austin. I'm just not getting to coffee shops right now. That feature and blogs may return, but for now I'm really enjoying beer. Probably has something to do with the 100+ degrees it is here every day.

Thanks for reading! bp

Two Beers Are Better Than One

A couple of weekend ago I went to the Saucer two nights in a row. The first was my usual - planned usual as twice doesn’t make it a usual thing I suppose - Friday stop by after work with Mack. The next night Kay and I dropped Mack off for babysitting co-op, and stopped by the Saucer with Michael and Angie for a beer before we went on our respective date nights.

Both nights a lovely young lady named Laura was my waitress. She was fun and knew a lot about beer. My kind of girl!

The first night I had Sol (Beer 2 of 200). There is nothing like a good Mexican beer with lime in the middle of an Austin summer. At home I’ve been drinking Tecate which is one of my favorite. The Saucer oddly does not have it so I went with Sol. I remembered it as another good Mexican beer. Perhaps I was expecting too much because it was disappointingly bland. It’s a light beer like Corona but it lacked any bite like Corona or Tecate.

Saturday night I had Boddington’s Pub Ale (3 of 200). Another good beer I remember. Sadly I was disappointed by this one as well, but I had a second one just to make sure. The second one was better. Boddington’s is a very hoppy beer and I think I just had to get my palette used to it. Despite the over abundance of hops it goes down smooth. It is definitely in my top 34.

Vacation Blog - Day 8

We’re home now. We got up early yesterday and went over to my parents for breakfast. Mom makes an awesome pancake, and I have to have some every time I’m in town.

The most interesting thing about being in Merkel was staying in town at the Scottish Inns hotel. Typically we stay in Abilene at a La Quinta, but it’s so far to go to check on the dogs. Since we were only staying one night we thought we’d try it out. Make future trips easier. It wasn’t the most awesome motel. Our non-smoking room smelled an awful lot like smoke. I can honestly say though that I’ve stayed in worse Motel 6s.

Well Vaca is over. Thanks for reading along with us.

btw if anyone wants to see all the good pictures from the trip go to…
(for some reason this link only works the second time you click it. so, if you have problems hit it again and see if that works)
Wal-Mart Photo Center

Vacation Blog - Day 7

Little did we know Santa Rosa was such an interesting place. After breakfast we checked out Blue Hole. It’s a spring fed pool 80 feet deep and 60 feet in diameter. It flows at 3,000 gallons per hour and exchanges all the water every six hours. We didn’t spend much time there because Mackenzie just loves water and we wouldn’t let her get in. Looks like it’s time for some swimming lessons.

Santa Rosa is also home to a portion of old Route 66. We saw a pre 1937 billboard that was carved right out of the rock that was beside the road. Very cool except some people took it upon themselves to add to the history by spray painting it. I found it very sad.

Knots In Your Rope

Every time I take a vacation a line from City Slickers comes to mind. Curly (Jack Palance) is talking to Mitch (Billy Crystal) and says you urban types "spend about 50 weeks a year getting knots in your rope, and you figure two weeks up here'll untie 'em for you.” Curly’s point of course is that it won’t. If you live your life as a stressed up buddle of nerves a couple weeks of vacation is not going to help you all that much. This is good advice.

Since Mack was born I’ve bled my work and home life together in an effort to get it all done. It’s just the nature of the beast. Tack the amount of work and the pace M6 moves at on top of my bizarro schedule and you have a recipe for working all the time. This is exactly what I do. I work on weekends, nights, early mornings, while I’m watching Mackenzie. I’m always on the job. To a certain degree that is never going to change. I can’t expect not to get calls and emails while I’m “off” work when I leave the office every day at two. This is the main reason it doesn’t bother me when I have to do an email or phone call for work while I’m on vaca. I don’t imagine I’ll be able to take five consecutive days off without at least making a phone call until 2013. That’s when the ADA work is supposed to be complete.

The question is how do I avoid getting burned out when I’m always running at such a fast pace. How do I avoid getting knots in my rope? I must admit before this vacation I was getting a little run down. The pace is killer. For me I think the answer is get my rest, eat well, exercise a little, and when I’m working work and when I’m off be off. Human beings were not designed to go at it 24/7/365. No one can hold that pace forever. Well maybe Stu can…

Durango: Day 6

We spent the morning hanging out with Kelly and doing a little more shopping. Then early afternoon said goodbye and headed out for home. With Mack we are taking our sweet time about it.

Our first stop was Santa Rosa, NM. It took us a lot longer to get there than I planned for, but we arrived safe and sound with Kay’s excellent driving once again.

Along the way we stopped at Trader Joe’s in Albuquerque. It’s a very well known national grocery store apparently. Insanely cheap prices, and really good quality stuff. Since being home I’ve tried their three buck chuck wine and loved it. Good place. Wish one was in Austin.

Durango: Day 5

Wednesday was another highlight day for me. There were two things I wanted to do while we were in Durango. See Mesa Verde and drive up to Silverton. Of course the big thing is the train from Durango to Silverton, but we’ll have to do that next time. We just couldn’t see spending $75 each with our tight budget.

The drive to Silverton was great, and probably even better than I imagined it. The road winds its way up three different mountain passes with majestic views of even bigger mountains along the way. The day was not all peace and scenic beauty though. Half way up the first pass an engine light came on. I just figured the climbs were a little steep, but we’d make it okay if we just went slowly. Kay was a little more worried though. So, we got out the manual and learned to use the autostick. Kind of a standard for dummies kind of thing the Pacifica is outfitted with. The manual said it was best to use the autostick when climbing so it’s a good thing Kay insisted.

Of course the whole trip I was imagining riding my bike. A few days prior Kelly told me about the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic http://www.ironhorsebicycleclassic.com/ which races the train from Durango to Silverton. It’s 47 miles with 5,700 feet of climbing. I don’t know when, but someday I will do it.

In Silverton we had lunch at High Noon Hamburgers and looked around the shops. The train was there while we were so we took some pictures. It’s a great little town.

That evening we had dinner with Kelly at a nice Italian place, and heading back to our campsite for a fire and S’mores. Unfortunately, it was late when we got back and I got the fire going. Mackenzie was ready for bed. So, while Kay put Mack down I had a beer and watched the fire die.

Durango: Day 4

Tuesday was not a picture friendly day. In the morning the girls shopped in downtown Durango while I did some random surfing at a coffee shop. I ended up doing more work than surfing. I expect that with my job though so no big deal. I seriously doubt I’ll be able to take five consecutive days off without answering a least some phone calls until 2013. That’s when the ADA work for Motel 6 is scheduled to be complete.

That evening Kelly took us to Pagosa Springs. It’s a natural hot springs about an hour east of Durango. It was awesome. We spent about an hour and a half there soaking in water over 100 degrees. If you’re ever in the area I highly recommend it.

Durango: Day 3

Today was very cool for me. We started with a pancake breakfast at Kelly’s. She makes an awesome pancake btw. Then we headed off for Mesa Verde.

I’ve always been fascinated by the cliff dwellings and the disappearance of the people that lived in them. Turns out it didn’t happen as quickly as I thought, but it did happen fairly fast. Over a generation or two they just left all of these elaborate villages they built in the cliffs. Theories for their disappearance range from draught to ritualistic cannibalism decimating the population. We’ll never know as they left no written records, but it is fun to speculate and create stories based on it.

After that we went to an awesome honey store called Honeywell. Very cool shop with all kinds of flavored honeys. We got a bottle of honey wine which I’d never heard of before and a couple bottles of honey.

Killing time before going to supper we took Blla for a little walk and went to a local drive through ecoffee shop called Durango Joe’s.

Last thing of the day we had supper with Kelly and her boyfriend Steve. Gave him the once and he seems to be a really nice guy. Bit of a smart ass which means he fits in perfectly with all of us.

Tomorrow we’re going to explore downtown Durango. Thanks for reading!

Colorado Day Two

We didn’t drive over any mountains, but it took us about eleven hours to get to Durango today. Kay drove the whole way. I shouldn’t have let her do it, but I just hate driving. I won’t let her do that on the way back. That’s just too much for one person.

Today wasn’t that eventful. We drove through lots of very flat country. We did eat at the Jenk’s Café in honor of our friends Marc and Anna.

And of course we did get to Durango and had supper with Kelly!

Vacation Blog - Day 1

We’re on the road to Durango, CO to see our friend Kelly and take a much needed vaca. This is our first vacation since we started our new life without credit cards. I mention this because the cheapest hotel in Durango Kay could find was ninety dollars a night. We thought about camping a few nights to offset the cost and in researching Kay found that KOA has little cabins for only ten dollars more than camping. So, we’re staying at the KOA each night. This cut our lodging costs more than in half!








Today we drove to Lubbock. Seemed like a good half way point. We’ll see if my logic holds up tomorrow. I’m concerned that driving in the mountains might be slower than driving in the flats of west Texas. I’ll tell you all someday about the time


we drove through Maine from upstate New






York. Let me just say if you’re driving in Maine double your time estimates.




Our first adventure was in the front yard. Mackenzie decided today was a good day to see what cactus felt like. Needless to say it did not go well. She got three quills in her hand. After pulling them out and much kissing them better we got on the road.

The next adventure was Bella discovering she could open the cooler. After a couple pieces of ice I convinced her to leave it closed.

Since we were going right by we stopped in Merkel to see my parents for a little bit.



We were doing so well on time I decided we could slide by Tahoka to take some pictures with Mack. She was not nearly as excited as her Daddy about being in Tahoka. The significance of Tahoka is that when we were eighteen my best friend Marc and I were on the way to New Mexico with his Mom when we drove past a sign that said Tahoka. Thinking it was a hilarious name we ran with it. We did this bit all through college. Every email ended with some kind of Tahoka reference. Holy Tahoka Batman. Kiss my white Tahoka. Merry Tahoka! My personnel favorite was one of Marc’s. Ta ho ho ho ka around Christmas time one year.

There will be more from the road tomorrow. The KOA has wif-fi!

Broken

On Tuesday mornings I try to go to a spiritual formation group led by my pastor Keith. Yesterday we were discussing how God speaks to us and I brought up the most powerful time God spoke when He told me to take my current job. It was 2004 I had just gotten married and I was struggling with the decision to accept Alderman’s job offer. I had worked with friends before and it hadn’t gone really well. I needed a job though and was leaning toward taking it. I was extremely hesitant. While driving on Bee Caves God spoke into my heart and said, “Take the job.” It was clear. No questions asked. I tell this back story because I wanted to share something I wrote after church yesterday, but I wanted it to have some context. To make the context complete you should know the decision to take the job with Alderman Architect led directly to my two nervous breakdowns - which led directly to God and my becoming a Christian.

I have been broken by life. Rejoice for today my heart is mended. Not with stitches as if by man. Inadequate sutures holding the two broken halves imperfectly together. The crack still cutting across the pristine surface. It is not the things of man that have healed me. My heart has been made whole by the power of God!

Thanks for reading!

ありがとう (thank you)

Much thanks to my friend Krissie for giving me the great chopsticks pictured above from Japan!

Beer of the Week

When I lived in Arlington some of us from my office would go to the Flying Saucer every Wednesday night for pint night. Drink a beer. Keep the glass. We had a lot of fun, and I got a few wild stories to tell out of it.

At some point I decided to get on the Saucer’s Ring of Honor. Basically it’s a con to get you to drink lots of beer at their establishment. I was just starting to drink beer, and it sounded like a good way to find out what kind of beer I liked. I joined the UFO Club and drank three beers a week until I was in the 170 range. 200 was the magic number to get a plate on the wall with your name on it. Then I moved to Austin which had no Saucer at the time. So, I gave up on the whole thing. No big loss. My stint in the UFO club accomplished what I was looking for. I had tried a lot of beer and found a lot that I liked. I moved on with my life in a clean hygienic manner.

They have a Flying Saucer here in Austin now, and it is maybe ten minutes from my house. I’ve been toying with the idea of getting that plate after all these years. So, last Friday Mack and I went to the Saucer and I joined the UFO club again. I thought about trying to convince them to count my first 170 beers, but my taste has changed so much over the years I thought it would be fun to drink them all again. So, I’m at one beer now.

My first beer was Red Stripe. It’s a pretty ubiquitous lager style beer, but one of my favorites. It’s brewed by Desnoes & Geddes Limited in Kingston, Jamaica. It’s a light beer, but not as light as a pilsner. I’d say Red Stripe doesn’t fit neatly into any of the styles of beer actually. It’s pretty unique, and I can’t really compare it to any other beer. I rate it a great beer, and it is definitely in my top 34 beers. I’m doing a top 34 because ten just isn’t enough and I didn’t think I could really rate all 200. Honestly, most of them just blend together into a sea of foamy brownness. The 34 came from my age. Now, go have a Red Stripe!

Do Less?

Is if just me or is everyone crazy busy these days? Kay and I are busy all the time, and we don’t even do that much! My friends are busy. Everyone at work is busy. Even my Doctor is crazy busy. I was telling her during a visit how Kay looked so skinny in some pictures now, and I emailed her one of the pictures in question the next day. She emailed me back a couple weeks later to thank me, and said she was sorry to take so long to get back to me but things had been chaos. It sounded so much like something I would say. I thought here is a doctor with a successful practice, no children and still she is inundated in business like all of us.

How can we possibly keep up with the pace of modern America? We can be and do everything right? We can have an active social life while holding down a career and raising a family. Don’t forget to volunteer to help your community. Stay in shape. Answer all your emails. Keep up your myspace page. Blog. Do more. Be more. Go. Go. Go. More. More. More. I don’t want to go all minimalist or nihilist or anything, but Thoreau’s “Simplify. Simplify. Simplify,” makes a lot of sense when faced with modern America.

Why does it have to be that way though? What if we chose to do less? What would that look like? What would I give up? Cycling? Writing blogs? Can’t quit my job. Have to take care of Mack. There’s got to be a way to simplify life. I’d love to hear some opinions on this one. Am I off base? Is modern life not really a hectic crazy hundred mile an hour experience? Is it just my misguided perception? Also, what are some ways to tame it if it is a crazy ride?

The Two Faces of Mackenzie Grace

Just thought this was a interesting contrast of pictures. According to the date taken time stamp these two pics were taken within a minute of each other...

The Spider House

To me the Spider House is the ultimate coffee shop. Its one big negative is the best part is the outside, and in Austin there are only two weeks in the spring and fall where it is actually nice to go there. That is unless you are a night owl. So while I love the place I don’t actually go there that much. However, all other coffee shops will always be judged against it. Instead of dryly going on about its virtues I think I will tell the story of how we found the Spider House.

It was just weeks after I moved to Austin in March of 2001. I was living with Monte in a house in north Austin off 183 and Anderson Mill. The reasons I moved to Austin were many, but certainly at the top was Austin’s funky eclectic atmosphere. I was always just drawn to it. So, when Marc wanted to go to a place called The Spider House I was a little taken aback by the name but went anyway.

We didn’t find it easily. The entrance is actually kind of hidden unless you know what you’re looking for. I remember driving around in Monte’s car with Marc pointing from the back seat to turn this way and that.

We climbed up the steep stairs into the dimly lit interior and ordered our lattes. Mine most likely with a shot of vanilla. I’ve since given them up as they are very high in (weight watchers) points. If I tried one now the combination of sugar and espresso would probably keep me up for a day and a half. The inside of the Spider House has never been that appealing to me so we headed out the door we came in and around the house along a covered deck. We walked down three steps into an open piazza of eclectic weirdness. Old rusted metal tables and chairs rested uneasily on uneven pavers. Knowing the Spider House the tables were probably littered with a cornucopia of odd people. Bald headed women with multiple piercings, and men with mohawks that added feet to their height. Christmas lights hanging from the gigantic twisting live oak in no discernable pattern lit the night sky. I was in heaven.

I don’t remember what we talked about or how long we stayed, but because Marc found that place my move to Austin started off in exactly the direction I wanted it to. I have been back countless times with all kinds of people and made many great memories. I think I’ll do a part two of the Spider House and tell ya’ll about some of the times I went there with Kay.

Book Report: The Wonderful Spirit Filled Life by Charles Stanley

When my mother-in-law left this book with us I was intrigued by the title. I picked it up and just kept reading. Finished it in three weeks, which is really fast for me these days. I can’t say it is the best book I ever read or its stunning prose brought forth a veritable cornucopia of revelations about my inner being and the very nature of God. It was a good read though, and I’d recommend it to anyone trying to deepen their walk with Jesus. I was actually quite happy to find a source outside my church that taught the same concepts about Christianity that I’ve been learning over the last three years.

At first look the cover, title and image of the author on the back made me gag. It looks like everything I thought I hated before I believed. A holier than thou preacher telling me how he thought I should live my life. Actually the book is a gentle push toward a vision of a better life that is available to all of us through Jesus. The trinity is not a concept that I can explain but it is reality. God is three in one: God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit the Counselor. The book deals with how the Holy Spirit indwells Christians from the very first moment we believe. It is up to us to learn how to listen to the Spirit, and surrender to God’s will for our lives.

There was lots of good stuff in the book but the thing that really stood out to me was the fact that the Bible refers to the Holy Spirit in the masculine. He shall come. He will guide you. That kind of thing. I must admit that before I read this book I thought of the Holy Spirit as more of a force like Star Wars or following my eastern roots the Tao. The fact that the Holy Spirit has a personality, emotions and loves changes the whole dynamic for me. Now I see Him as a tangible link to God that is always with me.

Being Bill

Some of you out there are probably thinking the title of this blog should be Being Jesus not being bill. You’re probably right. Not that I sit around reverently meditating upon the divine nature of God every minute of every day, but it’s definitely one of my favorite subjects. I’d rather talk about God, Jesus, Buddhism or any other spiritual practice than pretty much anything. Funny thing is I was the same way when I was an atheist too.

Anyway, I’ve decided to branch out a little bit. You can still expect lots of Christophizing, but there’s going to be a weekly (at least) picture of Mackenzie on here. I’m also going to share some of my other favorite things with ya’ll.

You’ll notice to the right there is a list of coffee shops. It says top ten, but it’s really not in a particular order. Just the first ten I could think of in the order I thought of them. I’m going to start doing reviews of coffee shops here in Austin and really compile my top ten. I can’t really say why I love coffee shops I just do. Maybe I’ll discover why as I write reviews of them.

There is also a music playlist on the blog now. Discovering new music has got to be one of my favorite things to do. I love music. I love rock music, weird music, pop music, world music. I love it all, except jazz. I want to like jazz, but I just don’t. Whenever I hear a new song I really like I add it to my imeem playlist called “Now”. At the moment I’m getting most of my new songs from “Morning Becomes Eclectic” hosted by Nic Harcourt on KCRW out of LA. I imagine you could figure out some kind of connection between all the songs, but I don’t see it other than I like them.

Thanks for reading.

i take requests!

My friend Kryssie wanted me to post some pictures of Mack playing her husband's drums. So here they are!

Mackenzie Grace Picture of the Week

This was just too awesome a pic not to post it. We were at our friend's Krissie and Jonathon's for a memorial day bar-b-q when I snapped this shot. Typical Bill from the hip picture taking sometimes gets great photos...

Muddy Buddy '08

Marc and I once again did the Muddy Buddy here in Austin. As always it rocked. The following video was shot by my brother Steve. Good dirty fun.

Today’s Definition of Grace

Grace is not opposed to effort. It is opposed to earning. Effort is action. Earning is an attitude.

Old Bible

Life has been pretty hectic lately and I haven’t had a chance to finish up several blogs I’ve been working on. First my Mom was in town to help get ready for my Aunt, Cousin and her kiddos visit to Austin. Then there was the visit. Just wanted to let everyone know I’m still out there, and I’ll be posting what I hope to be some interesting content in the next week or so.

Also, I changed my header image. It is a picture of the cool old Bible my brother bought me for a buck at Half Price Books.

Which is the sin?

I have two examples of sin in my life during the last week. One I personally don’t think is sin, but many people do. The other many people might not think is sin, but to me it is very much sin.

The other day Marc (my best friend for like forever) and I went to lunch and afterwards bought some cigars and bourbon for my upcoming guy’s night poker playing birthday party. As this was a bourbon I had not had before I decided to try it before the party. I poured myself a glass and sat on the back porch and lit a cigar. It was a wonderful combination, and the bourbon was so smooth I could drink it on the rocks. Nice. Is this sin?

Chris, a friend of mine from work, failed one of his Architecture license exams recently. Not that uncommon actually. It’s a nine-part test. Most people fail a section or two at least once. Some twice. Was my thought, “Oh my poor friend I feel bad for him?” No. My thought was hey cool maybe if I get off my butt I can still beat him to licensure. Is this sin?

In my last blog I wrote, “Sin isn’t just a matter of what actions you take, but a matter of the heart.” I think the above two examples illustrate this perfectly.

Book Report: The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

I’ve enjoyed every book by C.S. Lewis I’ve read so far. Not a humongous total at three plus, but they have all be powerful reads. I say three plus because I’ve read most of the Narnia series, but don’t remember how many. The best was Mere Christianity. Not counting the work of God Himself, reading Lewis’ Mere Christianity is probably the single biggest thing that convinced me that Christ was real and that I should deal with that very real situation. If you haven’t read that book, Christian or not, I highly recommend it.

The Great Divorce was a little book I picked up from my boss Stu via my other boss Brian. It is a completely fictional account of purgatory and heaven. Lewis even states in the forward that he’s not trying to depict actual reality. Mostly he is using allegory to illustrate the types of sin that keep us away from God. One very cool aspect of the book was his depiction of heaven’s reality being more solid than ours. For instance it actually hurt the feet of the narrative character to walk on the grass.

The most interesting thing for me was that the book as a whole felt familiar. It seems to have been written from the worldview that I have been immersing myself in for the past four years. Christ is love and salvation. Sin isn’t just a matter of what actions you take, but a matter of the heart. It was comforting to me to find a source other than my church and Dallas Willard that talked like this. I sometimes worry that I’ve branched off from Christianity and what they call consumer Christianity is the true teaching. For instance I stumbled on several websites the other day that said that Willard and the other folks that are teaching spiritual formation are very off base and integrating modern and Eastern thought into Christianity.

Quite the contrary. I think spiritual formation is the heart of the matter. It seems to me that modern Christianity has branched off and focused on a few very important key points, but is missing the meat. The transformation of our inner selves into the image of Christ. Becoming Disciples of Christ. Reading something from over fifty years ago that was teaching this was further confirmation for me.

Back in the Blogosphere

Four months without an entry. I was going to write a blog a week! As time slipped by it became every two weeks. Now it’s been months. How does this happen? Why am I like this? There is something fundamental about my nature in this. There is something to be learned about being Bill here. I see two things that contribute to this. How I operate in time and my lack of intention.

In America we think of time in one way. Marching forward at a predictable beat. Sixty seconds become one minute. Sixty minutes becomes an hour and so on. This leads to a bureaucratic or as my counselor said plodding concept of time. To complete a task you do a little each day until it is done. Ever moving forward. For years I have tried to make myself into a plodder. One thing I am sure of in life is I am not a plodder. I do not operate in linear time.

The other two types of time are cyclical and pulse time. People that are cyclical by nature have pronounced patterns of high and low energy/productivity. Pulse people on the other hand have completely random bursts of productivity. For a while I thought I was pulse, but as I watch myself I think I am cyclical. On a daily basis I work much better in the morning. So now I try to leave labor-intensive tasks until evening, and thinking tasks to morning. I just think better first thing. Lately though I’ve found I am just bursting with energy. I think I may also be on a broader cycle tied to the seasons. I love spring. I particularly like my birthday month March. I’m going to watch myself this year and see if I hit a low spot productivity speaking towards fall and winter. I bet I do.

When I say lack of intention I’m referring to something I’m studying in Willard’s Renovation of the Heart. He explains that the pattern for change in human beings, either spiritual or not, follows the same pattern. Vision, intention, and means. Vision being a goal you have clearly in mind, intention being that you actually truly decide to move toward that goal, and means being ways you use to move toward that goal.

I’ve got more vision than I know what to do with. I have grand ideas for all kinds of things. Ideas for stories, ideas for houses, ideas for cool coffee shops, ideas for a cycling tour company. What have on done with these ideas? Nothing. I mean come on I’m not even a licensed Architect. I am adrift on a sea of everyday needs and emotional whims. Lost in the tide of the great ocean of dreams. I would row for shore but I don’t know which way it is.

This is the part where I say I’m going to change. I’m going to intend to do this or that! The truth is I’m probably not going to change. I hope I do. I pray to God that I fulfill the purpose He put me here for. It takes more than hope and my little will to make this kind of change though. I don’t think I can do it without God. That’s probably the point though. My pastor/friend Keith told me once that people are always asking him what God wants them to do with their lives. Keith’s answer was get wrapped up in the Lord. Have a relationship with the Father through His Son. That’s what God wants from us. He wants an Abba relationship (that’s not the band Steve if you’re reading this). Maybe that’s what I should intend to do.

In Memory...

Today my Grandma Lamica died. Yesterday my friend Renee died. I was not intimately close to either, but nonetheless the loss of these ladies hurts.

I was raised over two thousand miles from my Grandma. Still I have many fond memories of her. The one that comes to mind today happened when I was very young. I was visiting New York with my parents. My mom, Grandma and me were outside of Grandma’s old brick home in Madrid. We were sitting in old red and white metal lawn chairs that bowed precariously back against our weight. I don’t know exactly how it happened, but Grandma decided to give me the porcelain kitty cat that was setting on an antique milk can between the two chairs. That cat with its chipped off tail is setting behind me right now on top of two bricks from her house.


Renee was my pastures wife. I first met her when we went to their home for dinner. We were about to start pre-marriage counseling with Keith. I can’t remember the relationship in time from my wedding until Renee was diagnosed with cancer. All I remember is crying in the parking lot of my office when I found out. My best memory of Renee was right here in our living room. She and Keith had come over for dinner and to bless the house soon after we had bought it. While we were praying she reached out and put both hands on Kay’s stomach and prayed that God would bless her womb and bring a child into our life.

The loss of Grandma is somewhat easier to stomach. She was over eighty years old and had been in failing health for quite some time. She had a good long life. Her children’s children are all grown, and some like myself have children of their own. For Renee I cannot say the same. She leaves behind three teenage children and a husband that loves her dearly. The only solace is that her passing has eased her suffering.

For me there are two reactions to death. You can count your blessing and decide to live life to the fullest chasing your dreams and sucking the very marrow out of life! Or you can rage against God and the injustice of an untimely death and the meaninglessness of our lives. Neither of these hold much draw to me today. I think I have grown past them both. Today I see death as what it is. A doorway…

Grace?

“Grace is God acting in our lives to bring about what we do not deserve and cannot accomplish on our own. But we are not passive in this process.” - Dallas Willard

I originally got that quote from my pastor Keith, but I just found it in this article.

How Does the Disciple Live?

Funny, That Doesn't Look Like Spiritual Growth...

Everyone likes to say they are spiritual, but not religious these days. So what does spiritual actually mean? I’d say to the majority of people out there, including my past self, it means a kind of blissful state experienced as we touch the core of our being. If there is a creator involved at all it’s a benevolent one that only wants to do our will and make us happy.

I absolutely believe that a state of true joy is the end result of walking with God through His son Jesus Christ. However, the whole trip isn’t a big bliss out. As I like to say about parenting it’s not all sunshine and rainbows.

To me spiritual is all the about the relationship with the triune God, and that relationship has to start with the acceptance of God as God. Not God as the buddy that gets me out of jambs. To grow spiritually you have to align your will with God’s, and that is a tough road. To want what He wants instead of simply trying to fulfill our desires.

I think I made some major progress toward this goal a few days ago. While I was at work I was chatting with Kay and she asked how I was doing. I responded that I really didn’t want to be at work in the least today, but I was working anyway.

Anyone that really knows me well can attest I have never been happy in a job ever. I’ve always been looking for the next better job, or career for that matter. This is the first job where I’m actually content. That being said I still think about quitting quite often. Doing Motel 6 accessibility remodels isn’t nearly as glamorous as it sounds.

To say I was working anyway, and being quite productive actually, was a major step for me. I’ve always felt that God wanted me at this job. I took it even though I was concerned about working for friends because God told me to. I went through two breakdowns and stayed because I felt I hadn’t learned whatever it was I was supposed to learn. To finally be content about a job and my life as a whole is major for me.

God wants me right where I am.

And I’m happy being here.