Archive for February, 2009
What we’re up to
In January, 2008, Breathe hosted its first “worship” experience at The Anchor. We met once, and due to some unfortunate location issues, we didn’t meet again until March.
In March, 2008, Breathe hosted its second “worship” experience at Imbiss Grill. We met once, and due to some unfortunate logistical issues, we didn’t meet again until June.
In June, 2008, Breathe hosted its third “worship” experience at Club Sensations. We met four (five?) times, and due to incessant second-guessing and unfortunate budget issues we didn’t meet again until February, 2009.
I look back over our history and part of me is discouraged. It seems that the history of Breathe is defined by “failure.” We couldn’t keep anything going for any significant amount of time at all. It’s humbling, but it’s also a little embarassing. On one hand.
On the other, it’s exhilarating. We’re experimenting. Trying things. Falling on our face. Then, picking ourselves up, dusting ourselves off and looking to our Father, we’re taking our next steps. It’s a little cliche, but every time we fall and every time we get back up, we learn a little more. We uncover God’s will for our little group a little more. And, most importantly, we renew our passion to move.
The next step we’re taking is “30 minutes.” It’s not fancy. It’s not entertaining. It’s not edgy. It’s not “relevant.”
It’s simply 30 minutes of worship.
It’s easy to look at our group and be skeptical of us. Honestly, I’m a little skeptical. But I hope that you can lay your skepticism aside and join us Sunday night. It’s the start of something. Again.
30 Minutes
Sunday Nights
6:30 — 7:00 p.m. (You will be out the door at 7:01.)
9003 E. Harry #108
Questions? Email me.
I sincerely hope to see you there.
Weekend World Change
What better way to spend the weekend than helping make the world a better place? I’m going to start a new weekend blog tradition (along the vein of Positive Post Tuesday and Watercooler Wednesday) where I’ll post one simple, practical way to make a difference in the world, and then you can do the same on your blog.
This weekend’s world-changer is the Berkeley Darfur ultra high-efficiency cook stove.
For $20, you can purchase a high-efficiency stove for refugees in Darfur. The stove:
- Can be built in Sudan by locals, enabling them to earn extra income and become part of the solution
- Is suited to local high-temperature and high-wind outdoor cooking methods
- Emits less smoke than other stoves, minimizing smoke inhalation
- Uses up to 75% less fuel, enabling women to minimize the dangerous 7-hour treks outside the camps to gather wood
- Helps the denuded environment recover from severe overharvesting
Check it out.
If you’ve got a better, catchier name for these posts, I’d love to hear it.
The other Todd
I’ve got nothing against Todd Cochrane. I’ll bet he’s a nice guy. I’ll bet we’d even enjoy each other’s company. We’re both interested in social media. He lives in Hawaii, which is awesome. I know he’s been blogging longer than me.
But he has my domain.
Don’t get me wrong, ToddBlog.net has served me well. But if I’m going to take over the Internet, I’m going to need to all the ToddBlogs I can get my hands on. Well, at least all of them that have “.com” at the end.
The only problem? The other Todd doesn’t want to give it up.
So, I’m turning to you, my faithful readers. What do you think I should do? Do you think I should just let it go? Or should I fight for the coveted .com?
I need your creativity and strategery.
Say what?
If you allow American Apparel to come in, you’re going to have a much harder time saying no to the Gap.”
–Stephen Elliott, founder of the “Stop American Apparel” website and leader of the movement to keep AA out of his neighborhood.
People are crazy.
You gotta mean it
Over the past few weeks, I’ve started praying the office at the suggestion of Paul Hill. He recommended this to help me begin developing a sacred rhythm.
I wasn’t sure how I would feel about praying a written prayer. After all, these weren’t my words, so how could I mean it?
But what does it mean to “mean it?” Do I need to screw my face up the right way when I’m saying it? Does my voice need to go into a raspy, quiet, contemplative tone? Do I need to feel something, well, meaningful while I’m talking with God? Do the words need to be original, not some practiced speech or memorized rite?
I don’t think any of those accurately describe “meaning it.”
For me, “meaning it” equates to understanding, agreeing with and appreciating what is being said.
By repeating the same words day after day, week after week, the meaning of what I’m saying has become more significant. As I’ve grown more familiar with the prayer, I’ve encountered greater beauty in what I’m praying. And, praying someone else’s words has certainly improved my “creative” prayer life, in that organic, spontaneous prayer has become a more frequent occurrence during my day.
I strongly recommend praying the office. Developing a sacred rhythm – despite the fact it’s only been three weeks – has already been a wonderful experience for me. I mean it.
Do you participate in any daily prayer ritual? If so, what does it look like? And how do you keep meaning it?
Photo by Jeff The Trojan.
In support of The Fair Tax
I’m a fan of The Fair Tax. It’s the fairest tax of which I’m aware. Which makes its name so perfect.
For those that aren’t familiar with the tax plan, the basics are:
- No more federal income tax.
- A sales or consumption tax replaces income taxes. There is no sales tax on essential goods such as food or medicine.
- No more personal filing of tax returns. April 15 would be a holiday!
- No more IRS. Sorry tax accountants.
The reasons for this tax plan’s awesomeness are many, but in short, those with the most money pay the most taxes because they buy the most stuff. And, because taxes are based on purchases, illegal immigrants, tourists and drug dealers would all be paying taxes.
This tax plan just hasn’t caught much traction, as there are some pretty powerful lobbies opposed to its implementation. And, unsurprisingly, a majority of Democrat politicians.
But, if The Fair Tax were implemented, Obama’s three problem cabinet appointees wouldn’t have had any tax issues to interfere with their appointments and two of them would be serving today.
Seriously, if you’re unfamiliar with the Fair Tax, I recommend checking out their website and picking up a copy of Neil Boortz and John Linder’s books The Fair Tax Book and Fair Tax: The Truth.
If you are familiar, what do you think about it?