random posts about stuff that few will read, but I'm okay with that...
Friday, May 30, 2008
great party tonight for Sadie
I wish that all our plans turned out as nice. Kim and Lilly made mini-quiches, the mickey mouse pancakes were a hit, and no one got hurt rock-climbing at the Y! Sadie and her 3 friends had a blast. We saved the cake and ice cream until after the climbing, but they were so excited to open presents and play together that no one ate the cake!
Normally, Sadie would want to stay at the rock wall until closing time, but she knew that she had gifts waiting at home...
Kim said those words at least 3 times in 3 minutes tonight.
She was right, I suppose. After all, I spread about 1/2 ton of compost from the sewage treatment facility into our garden, and another in the the neighbor's yard today.
So basically, I shoveled a ton of poop today!
Kim closed all the windows as I was working, but the smell is pretty much everywhere, and it's a nice cool evening, perfect for sleeping with the windows open.
I don't know how long the smell will stay with us, but I guess there are days that I can be glad that my nose doesn't work that well.
Dumb Little Man had a good post on gardening a while back. You might enjoy reading this.
My little girl is turning 7! It's hard to believe how quickly time passes.
For her birthday celebration, we're having a few of her classmates over for mickey mouse-shaped pancakes, mini-quiches, and a trip to the YMCA for an evening of rock climbing! That's my girl!
This evening as we were waiting for supper, Sadie kept saying, "I wish it was tomorrow already!" She's an awesome little girl.
Kim and I got to visit her at school today. Each Spring the local elementary schools have a picnic on school grounds for all the families, followed by a book fair. We got to eat together on a blanket under a cloudless sky, and it was Buy One, Get One Free at the book fair!
For years, my day off has been Monday. There are some short-comings for a day off being Monday, especially when the kids are all in school. Another not-so-obvious bummer is the fact that many holidays are observed on Mondays. That means my day of is a holiday. I've always been told that I can take another day off during the week, but the rest of the week is usually so packed that another day off simply doesn't work.
But today, I took my day off to work on getting the garden ready. I cannot believe how much work is going in to getting ready to garden. I cut sod, moved sod, planted sod, moved and re-moved railroad ties (pinched my thumb between 2 of 'em in the process--yikes) and shoveled/wheelbarrowed a truckload of top soil. And there's still more work to be done before we're ready to plant.
I am bushed. It feels good to be tired from work, though. It's a good tired. But it's still a "tired" tired.
Yep, we figured it was about time to do our part to help the environment. It's all part of the Sublett plan to go off the grid, go green, go back to our roots...
Kim's family always had a big garden. Her dad has a Ph.D. in horticulture, so it stands to reason. My folks have a whopper of a veggie patch, too.
It's a lot of work just getting started. I bought railroad ties (dad-gum heavy, by the way) to mark off the garden plot, cut out the sod to use in a grassless place that the dog has destroyed, and borrowed a rototiller from the neighbors. Another set of neighbors came over to chat and snagged some of the sod for their yard, too.
Tomorrow it's top soil, leaf mold, fertilizer, pulverized limestone, and planting.
So what are the benefits of all this labor?
good interaction with the neighbors
excellent time outside with the kids
learning about how things grow
teachable moments about weeding, waiting, and harvesting
quality fresh veggies for the summer
no gym fees--working in the garden can be a great work out
saving money on the grocery bill
getting in touch with our hunter-gatherer roots
Now, if I can just get the hang of eating tomatoes, beets, and peppers...
It started with an early morning run--the Boalsburg Memorial Day Run. I ran the Boalsburg Memorial Day Run in 2000. It was my first race, and I finished in 26:01--35th place overall. I had been running for a couple of weeks! Fast forward to a knee surgery, add 8 years, and today I finished in 25:57, 43rd place out of 437 runners. I was pleased with my time, and the run was fun.
After I got home and cut the grass, we headed to Bedford to visit Kim's grandfather, who has been in the hospital this week with some heart trouble. We grilled out with Kim's folks, and had a great time visiting. Pap is getting better, and can come home once they get some infection taken care of.
My girls asked me what Memorial Day means tonight as I tucked them into bed. Sadie knew the story of the ladies placing flowers on the graves of fallen soldiers in a Boalsburg cemetery. We prayed together, thanking God for the freedoms that we have in America, and those who have given their lives to secure and defend those freedoms.
Memorial Day is a special day for me. I am the son of an Air Force man, and most of the Subletts have served in the armed forces at one time or another. I would have been in the Air Force myself. I had an appointment to the Air Force Academy coming out of high school. But God stepped in, and they disqualified me due to allergies. For whatever reason, they weren't accepting people with allergies that year. I am thankful, though, because I love the life that God has given me!
Tragic news from the family of Steven Curtis Chapman. Their youngest daughter, Maria, was struck by a vehicle driven by one of her brothers Wednesday night. She passed away at Vanderbilt Hospital.
This touches me and Kim deeply. We're deep in the process of adopting a baby girl from China (though it's taking a long time.) We have been touched and encouraged by the Chapmans' story, and our hearts are hurting for them.
I don't know why this kind of thing happens. Sometimes the answers are difficult to find, and all I have is silence.
Surely God has more important things to do than monitor the MLB standings. But there has to be some divine intervention for the Pirates and the Yankees to have the same won/loss record. In any other year, that would mean that the Pirates are playing way above their heads. But this year it simply means that the Yankees stink, too.
WIBO, or the Whiteboard Sessions...a one day conference, with 8 top church leaders, each given 30 minutes to share. All the presenters were good. Perry Noble was the one that I enjoyed the most, probably because I listen to him every week (podcast) and like his style of communication.
But the highlight for me was the time I got to spend in the car with Dan. Good conversation, a chance to hang together, and an opportunity for me to learn. It took us 3.5 hours to get there, and 6 to get home. Gotta love that DC traffic, and an overlong stop at the Cracker Barrel.
My prediction of the American Idol winner couldn't have been more off. David Cook won the whole shebang, by 12 million votes.
Wow.
What difference will this make in the lives of the participants? Some of the previous winners haven't been heard from by mainstream America (or at least the part that our family moves in) since their season. Will we be hearing these AI folks on our radio anytime soon, or a year from now?
Kim, the girls, and I watched American Idol tonight. Well, actually, I slept on the couch while the girls watched. It was the final performance night, and David Cook squared off against David Archuleta. I heard David Archuleta's last song, and he totally nailed John Lennon's Imagine. The judges all loved David A. Simon said that he scored tonight's performance as a knockout. (I guess there was some boxing theme tonight--I must have missed that part.)
I was rooting for David Cook, but to be honest, I thought Carly Smithson was the best overall talent in this year's competition. I guess that shows what I know.
I'd be surprised if Archie doesn't walk away with the title, but this year's lineup was one of the strongest. My guess is that many of the top 8 will land contracts.
Levi announced his intention to audition for AI (or whatever takes its place) when he is old enough. You just never know...
I started reading unChristian today. I've been meaning to get to it for quite some time. I've heard good things, disturbing things about it. It's the project of David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons. 3 years in development, it's the latest research from the Barna Group, and should inform and form how the church relates to the unchurched, especially those in the 16-29 age bracket.
Christians are supposed to represent Christ to the world. But according to the latest report card, something has gone terribly wrong. Using descriptions like “hypocritical,” “insensitive,” and “judgmental,” young Americans share an impression of Christians that’s nothing short of . . . unChristian.
Check out the website for some other great resources--podcasts, video, and an excerpt from the book.
Levi had his first rehearsal for The Sound of Music tonight. When I picked him up, he started talking about one of his friends in the show, and how the guy plays guitar. Levi said that the guy likes Led Zeppelin and other classic rock. Levi noted that it was funny how many of his friends (6th grade guys) are into classic rock.
I stated that Led Zep is ok, but not my favorite. Levi then tells me that his favorite is Van Halen, followed closely by the Beatles. "Of course," he says, "I grew up on Van Halen, so it all makes sense..."
Pretty funny stuff. But it points out to me that my son is always watching, always observing. I hope that he sees the real, truly important things in me...
I used to listen to AM radio just to hear Paul Harvey's news and comments. He always has a spot where he says, "and now you know the rest of the story."
Well, to tell you the rest of the shoes dilemma, I decided to take the shoes back to store #3. There was a brief moment in which I thought
what are they going to think if I tell them why I'm returning the shoes?
what if store #1 doesn't have the other shoes in their storehouse now?
But right is right, so I went back to the mall.
No problems with the return. They gave me cash, and I headed off to store #1 (Finish Line) to see if my salesguy (Jeff) was on the floor. He was. He remembered me from yesterday--even the shoe model and the size I wanted.
I took a breath, and told him the story. It was kind of fun to talk about making some corrections to my behavior based on my convictions, and Jeff looked a little surprised.
He checked the computer for the shoes, and made a face. Between yesterday and today, the size that I need disappeared. Then Jeff dropped a blessing on me.
He sold me a pair of the new model--the ones that are not on sale--for the sale price.
I told Jeff that I am a youth pastor, and that if he ever needed a youth pastor, I am his man. He laughed!
And now you know...the rest of the story.
I don't know if there's a part three to the story, but I feel good about the course correction, and God blessed me with a new pair of shoes for the price of last year's model.
If you think about it, pray for Jeff today. Ask God to bless Jeff, and to make Himself known to Jeff.
Customer service is important to me. I try to learn something from every interaction that I have with businesses--how do they treat people, what's the atmosphere like, how do I feel while in their place...
Today I went to the mall to hear our kids sing. They were great, btw. While there, I decided to shop for some new running shoes. I'm past due for a pair, and my legs are starting to feel the effect of the worn out shoes. I knew exactly what I was looking for--last year's model of the Asics shoes that work for me.
Store #1-Not in stock, but they could order the shoes, offer me a sale price, and have them delivered to my house for free. The salesman was energetic, upbeat, helpful, and friendly. I told him I wanted to see what the other stores had in stock.
Store #2-nada. Dan Saxton was my sales guy, and he said he'd go back to store #1 and have them ship the shoes.
Store #3-Shoes in stock! But not on sale. I had to wait for a salesperson to break away from her conversation with the other person behind the counter to ask about the shoes. I got short/one-word answers. No smile, no enthusiasm. When asked about the possibility of the shoe being on sale (since it's last year's model) she simply said, "Nope." I told her about the other store's offer to find and ship the shoe to me at a discounted price, and she said she would match the price.
Even though I value energy, positivity, and friendliness I caved. I bought the shoes from the salesperson who was the least helpful.
Now, after thinking about the whole process, I'm feeling uneasy about it.
I think I'm headed back to the mall tomorrow to take the shoes back. I want to go talk to the guy who was helpful, give him my business.
Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw have written a book aimed at provoking the political imagination of Jesus followers in the empire known as the United States of America. It's titled Jesus For President, and the website is pretty sweet.
I'm sure that I need to read and process through this, cause it's making me squirmy. I like to let things that are that much bigger than me roll off. But maybe God's trying to get my attention. I know that every time I start reading/listening to Shane, God speaks something to my heart about simplicity and spending my life well.
If you have a few minutes, and want to catch a glimpse of what could be, watch the video.
We value the differences between our kids, even those that distance them from who we thought they'd be.
I played baseball through college. Levi decided that this year he's not playing baseball. OK, not that big of a deal, really. I love the sport, but he doesn't have to! He's landed a role in a pretty cool musical (The Sound Of Music) done by a top-notch local theater. He is learning to play guitar, and he totally destroys me at Madden.
Kim's a Mary Kay Sales Director, former sorority girl, and a self-proclaimed "floofy girl." Lilly couldn't be happier than when she's saving worms from getting stepped on when they end up on the porch, or when she's saving a slug who crawled out on the road..."Hey, I think he peed on me!" she says with a smile...
I wish that I had taken pictures of Sadie last Friday night. She'd been asking to go rock climbing for a couple of months. We grabbed some gear and headed to the Y for a first attempt for her. She loved it. She never complained of the height, never said, "I can't..." never got tired of trying. She climbed every moment that I wasn't trying, and even a couple of times when Pete would belay her. As the night went on, she got more confident, stronger, and more adept at the nuances of climbing.
Mother's Day, family time, preaching and worship with people I love, and a ton of rain...and a good time was had by all.
Kim and I took the kids (and Kim D) to Bedford for the weekend. Kim's dad invited me to preach at their campground/church for Mother's Day, and Kim D went with us to help lead worship. I could listen to that lady sing all day long. Such a sweet/powerful voice, such a sweet spirit...
It was Pentecost Sunday, and I spoke about the effect of the the descent of the Holy Spirit on the ragtag group of Jesus' followers. We took a whirlwind tour of the early church through the first 8 chapters of the Book of Acts. It's amazing to see how the church grew, and there are some remarkable truths that I think we're on the verge of capturing for our local expression of the body of Christ.
I believe that the thing that I want to grasp--the low-hanging fruit--is that Good Deeds open the door for Good News. When we are aggressively engaged in meeting the needs of the people around us, we earn the opportunity to share the life-changing, life-giving message of Jesus. People are drawn to love in action, and that's one of the primary messages of Jesus. That's part of what it means to live on mission with Jesus in our community.
On top of all that, we had a great Mother's Day with Kim's family.
Tonight we honored some of our friends with a night out at the Lube.
Almost every morning of the week, at least one of our small groups finds their way to the Waffle Shop for a breakfast before school. The staff at the Waffle Shop always treats us great, and we wanted to say "Thank You" in a special way. So we invited them out to eat at the Lube with us. Our leaders and students wrote notes detailing the thing we love most about the WS, which our 9th grade ladies turned into favors for each place setting.
Some of the folks were hesitant to join us. I guess they were afraid that we'd preach at them or try to get them to join our church. But there was no hidden agenda. There was no program or talk. We simply wanted to say thanks and buy them a meal.
We believe that we are blessed to be a blessing to others, and this was a small way for us to show our appreciation. We had a great night talking with our friends over wings and pulled pork.
Our church has some ties with orphanages in the Dominican Republic and Myanmar. Unless you've been hiding under a rock (or studying for finals), you've heard the news about the cyclone that has brought destruction to Myanmar. Yahoo has a bunch of pics. I just read that the death toll could top 100,000. 1 million people are homeless.
Tonight, while browsing Boatertalk (a kayaking web forum), I learned that a volcano in Futaleufu, Chile has erupted for the first time in 9000 years, shooting volcanic ash, steam, smoke, and gas more than 19 miles into the sky. Everyone within 50 miles of Chaiten is being evacuated. All the livestock and farms will be lost. The land will be infertile for as many as 20 years, and life as they knew it will cease to exist for those who lived near that volcano.
I don't know about you, but it makes me stop and think about all the things that I find myself grumbling about. It's time for a little perspective, a reality check...
Kim mentioned to me that she watched the demise of a baby bunny at the hands of the neighborhood cats the other day. Have you ever seen a cat with a small animal in its mouth? They play with the poor animal like a toy. But eventually, the game ends.
Well, late that night Sunny (the orange boy cat we have) kept nosing around under the baseboard heater in the kitchen. I shooed him off; he went back. I grabbed him and moved him off; he went back. I remembered another time when we had a chipmunk in the kitchen, and thought, "Maybe there's a reason he keeps digging around in there." So I let him go at it.
A few minutes later, he was at the front door, waiting to be let out. I noticed that there was something else at the door, so I turned on the light--baby bunny. So I opened the door and let the circle of life run its course.
I debated about telling Kim the story, and decided to let her know about the hunting prowess of our little Sunny. She wasn't too grossed out.
I don't normally post over the weekend, but I had to share a little good news:
The Prodigal has come home!
We've been missing our eldest cat for about 8 days. We'd pretty much given up hope for his safe return. Last week we got a call from a neighbor asking if we had a black cat--she'd found one dead on the road below our neighborhood. I went down to check it out, only to find that it wasn't Percy. It was, however, one of our neighbor's cats.
But tonight, right after House Party ended Kim got a call from our daughter Lilly with the good news. He was covered in mud, stinky, and skinny. Kim gave him a pretty good bath, and he ate a bunch.
I'm not really a cat fan, but what breaks the hearts of my kids also breaks mine.
We won't be killing the fattened calf, but we're celebrating just the same!
I'm up late again, getting ready for a seminar that I'm teaching at Calvary tomorrow night--er, tonight, I guess. I think I'm about ready to go. The seminar is part of our WoW life series--Without Walls living. My topic is Telling Good News, and, as you can guess, it's about sharing the gospel with others.
One of the coolest parts of my week has been hearing the stories from students who took part in our CityServe last weekend. We canceled the weekend worship services and mobilized close to 600 people, sending them out into the community to serve. Our students had a great experience doing good deeds. It's our hope and dream that we can re-shape the way people think about being the church. We want our good deeds to open the door for the Good News about Jesus and God's reconciliation plan throughout our neighborhoods.
My family took some time Sunday morning to head down to the creek that runs through our neighborhood. We walked through the creek pulling out the garbage that had accumulated from the winter's melt-off. Well, the kids and I walked in the creek, while Kim stayed out of the water! It was coooooold water, and we gathered 2 big garbage bags full of trash.
It felt good to serve our neighborhood. We're going to start prayerwalking our little 2 street neighborhood, too.
