slanty eyed boy wonder

faith

2006-02-26T21:59:00.000-05:00

My faith is not an easy thing to describe. I can hardly wrap my mind around it at times let alone dress it up in words. It lives in my heart, a place where mere words meet their match and common expressions go to die. My faith is about experiencing something I could never fully understand, being filled with something I cannot completely contain, feeling something I can never actually touch and knowing something that was never intended to be proven.
I have faith in a God who so loved a world that He gave up the only thing that could have been considered a sacrifice on His part. His Son. His only Son. Who He loved. This greatest love, which came from a Father’s heart, was proven in a Son’s sacrifice and has been found in the lives of many since has become my source of strength, my sense of purpose, my truest hope and my eventual resting place.
I have faith in a God that so desired chosen relationship with us that He gave us free will. He could have created puppets and robots that he could control with strings and commands. But he created humans that could chose to accept His love or reject it.
Living out my faith is almost always defined in terms of the word love. Love God. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Love your enemies. I shudder when others communicate the faith that I embrace in a tone other than love. Even the truth can and must be spoken in love. Jesus told his followers that their identifying mark would be their love for each other.
My faith invades every aspect of my life because it is much more than a creed, a belief, a statement, a worldview, a perspective or even a way of life. It IS life. My prayer is that Jesus would feel more and more at home in my heart. That my desires would truly reflect His, that my thoughts would be nothing more than echoes of His and that my life would be entirely lost so that His could be found living in me.
My faith is neither exclusive nor narrow minded. What could be less narrow minded than believing there is a hope for all? That there is a peace available to any? That there is a love that knows no gender, racial or ethnic boundaries?
I am forgiven of a debt that I could not pay. I am free of a prison that I could not escape. I am full of a hope, a peace and a joy that the world has no claim to.
I have placed my life in the nail-scarred hands of a man I have never seen with my eyes. I have found my hope in a story that can be best described as a mystery. And I have given my love to a God whose love for me is only rivaled by His love for you.

casa???

2006-02-16T22:13:00.000-05:00

erin and i had found a house that we really liked but there were immediately three other offers on it so we were sorta hedging our bets...but we made our best offer and tada - I BOUGHT A HOUSE!!!!!!
crazy...i'm so excited and so poor - i will have you all over soon - and i can safely say that since about 2 people read this blog...

some inside-outies

2006-02-16T22:11:00.000-05:00

once upon a time

2006-02-10T01:18:00.000-05:00

i actually did something sorta handy
here i am painting on a youth event
yay for me
yay for the teens who ended up coated in paint
and who didn't eat for 25 hours
so others could

inside-outies

2006-02-10T01:15:00.000-05:00

i have the opportunity to work with an amazing group of teens and with an dedicated staff...here's a shot of some of them

four weeks

2006-02-10T00:00:00.000-05:00

in 37 minutes it will be four weeks to the day since my uncle jerry suffered a major stroke, bleeding in the brain
he is 57
he is 6 months from retirement
he has a wonderful wife (aunt rosie) who is also months from retiring
he has plans for the upcoming year including a cruise and a trip to italy
he has a heart the size of a mountain
he has a sense of humor that i cherish
he is my favorite uncle
he calls me davoo...no one else does
he was given 1-2 hours hours to live
he's still alive
he's still fighting
he has been on life support for nearly four weeks
in 35 minutes it'll be four weeks

i drove to strong's in rochester the day after the stroke fully expecting to say goodbye to him...
as i walked into his room i could hardly stay composed...my aunt rosie was in there too so i wanted to be strong for her...wanted to be a man...wanted to not cry...not show fear i was full of..the despair that was working its way into my soul...the pain that made me wanna run...

but i couldn't

i cried

and she comforted me

I remember the overwhelming sense of hopelessness that day and the praying and hoping that we would at least get a chance to pray with him and have some reassurance that he was headed Home if we lost him

it was a day or two later that my dad was able to lead him in prayer as he responded by squeezing his hand…he’s made some miraculous progress in the weeks that followed…

but in 26 minutes it’ll be 4 weeks since he’s spoken or opened his eyes

I guess all this time has lured me into a false sense of security…the body doesn’t just bounce back from something this traumatic…it takes time…and sometimes it takes more than time…we’re praying for a miracle…a healing

nearly four weeks ago as sat in the waiting room I reached for things that I could be certain of and here’s what I came up with:

1 – my uncle was severely damaged
2 – my God is all good, all powerful, all wise
3 – i trust in His goodness, I pray to his power and I surrender to his wisdom

many people want to know where God is in these times…as if God causes all pain and suffering and should always interfere with life when it benefits us but keep His hands off when it may not…I know where he was when my uncle’s face began to go numb at the party…

He was with me 100 miles away, preparing my heart for the news
He was with the doctors who would be soon be working to save his life
He was with the ambulance driver who raced through the streets
He was with my uncle

17 minutes…

there’s a song lyric in a death cab for cutie song that goes, ‘love is watching someone die’…I’m not sure what they meant by that but I do know that this family’s love has grown in that waiting room…we’ve provided food for docs/nurses/families of patients…we’ve been able to fill his hospital room with songs of hope and peace and love…and in the midst of our pain, we’ve been able to minister to others

I’ve been able to spend more time with my aunts and uncles and cousins in 4 weeks (almost) than in maybe 4 years…and I know that would make my uncle happy…

there are a tremendous amount of people praying for my uncle and if you are one of those people then THANK YOU…I’ll never pretend to understand everything about prayer and how it works and how our view of it is as limited as a newborn’s view of the world around it but I know that God requires it of us…I know He loves to hear our heart even though he’s known every content of it from before the beginning of time…I know that our persistence and faith can somehow move the very heart of God …I know that I need it much more than He does…

in the past four weeks (well, 4 weeks in 11 minutes) ive been able to be alone with my uncle exactly once because of the outpouring of visitors and love…this past week I was there early in the morning and I sat alone with him

I read the Bible
I wrote in the family journal
I prayed…a lot
I looked at the pictures on the wall (including the one above)
I watched his BP on the screen
I looked at the tubes running into his body
I sat
I waited
I hoped…
…that he would sit up
…that his eyes would open
…that no nurse would come in and make me leave
…that we would talk baseball again soon
…that God would do something to baffle every doctor and nurse
…that I would hear him call me davoo again

…that he would be at my wedding

6 minutes

my favorite book of the Bible is Habakkuk
I love how this prophet was certain that he understood how God worked
I love how God blew his mind
I love how Habakkuk tried to convince God that He has lost His mind
I love how God didn’t crush him after that
I love how God showed that His desire to bring us to our destinies is so great that He’ll risk our affection to do so…

And I love the ending…

Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines, {Though} the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold And there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord GOD is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds' {feet,} And makes me walk on my high places.

3 minutes

somehow God has used this time to remind me of His love…I always come back to his love and I’m really amazed by it…His nearness IS my good…His name IS my hope…

I do trust Him…

30 seconds

even with my favorite uncle

10 seconds

even for four weeks…

josh bowers is a silly boy

2006-02-09T23:22:00.000-05:00

oh yeah

2006-01-25T18:09:00.000-05:00

i guess i havent posted since i got engaged to the GREATEST GIRL in the entire world....
i'm so excited to have a new best friend and to be marrying her :)

long time coming

2006-01-25T18:07:00.000-05:00

wow, it's been a long time since i posted on this...i would say sorry but i'm not sure anyone cares or reads this - i may post more..
first an update:
the next year will undoubtedly be the busiest craziest happiest 12 months of my life...a month by month breakdown:
Jan - winter retreat
Feb- fine arts
March - 3 FHS events (2 retreats)
April - Youth Convention
May - PK/MK retreat/Syracuse Tour
June - high school reunion
July - belfast
August - orlando
September - nothing?
October - wedding - MINE honeymoon - MINE

and in this time i'm buying a house and planning a wedding

i may end up in a corner with my thumb firmly planted in my mouth

more later...

a faith that doesn't vibrate

2005-09-30T10:37:00.000-04:00

cell phones...ah...what did we do before those?

top five reasons cell phones are the greatest technological advance since atari:
5 - you can check sport's scores on them and get sports updates via text messages
4 - they can be hidden in your hand under an office desk
3 - you can download ridiculously cool ringers
2 - you can take spy like pictures and/or use the camera as a memo pad of sorts
1 - you can set the dang thing on VIBRATE (see how i used italics to further convey the concept of vibrate there? how clever and understated...uh, till now)

you might be able to think of five other reasons that you might consider more significant but you would, of course, be wrong...

reason 5 will come in handy in a significant way this weekend...the yankees and the red sox battle for the AL East pennant...who coulda saw this coming? NY and Boston playing meaningful games in late September/early October??? shocker!!! alas (alas is a very underused and helpful word) i will be in rochester tonight celebrating 5 months with erin...right as our entrees are headed toward our table David Wells will be throwing the first pitch of the game (which Jeter will promptly smash for a double of the Green Monster)...now would i like to be watching the game? HECK YES!!!! but i'm learning that somethings in life are more important than sports...like not being single for the REST OF MY LIFE...so i'll gladly be with my baby...and with my cell phone...poor erin has just recently realized that i also like football and she has already spent one sunday afternoon with me on the couch watching football..well, i watched...she made a necklace using some necklace making kit from Target (my nephew's favorite store in the ENTIRE WORLD)...she was sitting next to me at the New Hope banquet tuesday night when i was discreetly checking scores and simultaneously receiving text messages from 4 of my friends about the game (thank GOD for verizon's IN plan) so, she KNOWS that i will be keeping one eye on the phone tonight and she still loves me for it...she even pretends to care about how the Yankees do and is learning their names slowly but surely...she already knew Jeter but what warm blooded american girl doesnt know him? she EVEN knows how to keep score in a scorebook now after sitting and watching about a dozen of my softball games...what a woman! but anyways, after dinner we're going to hear eastman's symphony/orchestra/whatever...so while they're beginning the 2nd movement of some song composed by some guy with an unpronouncable name, the yankees will be smack dab in one of the biggest games of the year...and i will be saying thanks be to God for reason # 5 as the updates pour in...

reason #4 has only come in handy once but boy was it valuable...ever get stuck in a conversation that you KNOW is destined to not end till the rapture? well, i did once at church...the old sneak attack (aka not knocking on the office door, just walking in unannounced)...about 2 light years into this very one-sided conversation i began to pray for either a way out of the chat or way out of life...then reason #4 saved the day...i had my cell phone in my hand below the desk and i had the church phone number on speed dial!!!!!!!! without even looking down i called MYSELF! i excused myself to take the call and then (GOD FORGIVE ME) proceeded to tell the person that i needed to take this call (not a total lie...?) they obliged and the day was saved - literally...for the briefests of seconds i thought - what if phones are NOT meant to be this close together? what if i get some ridiculous feedback noise or my voice is real loud in the cell phone earpiece? but i decided it was worth the risk...

the only drawback to reason #3 is that everyone thinks they deserve their own ringer - even if they only call you once a month...on accident...my favorite on accident calls are when they dial you and don't realize it and they're just walking around or talking to someone else while you're going "hello? hello??? HELLO???..oooh, they must've called me on accident...hmmm, guess i'll listen for TEN MINUTES just to see if they do or say anything incriminating..." -come on! you've done that! the other thing with ringers is that you don't always want everyone in your life hearing your choice of ringer...example: i accidentaly happened upon a song that i could down load called 'if you were gay' - it's a showtune (like i needed to explain THAT) and it's HILARIOUS - the words go 'if you were gay, that'd be ok, i mean cause hey, i'd like you anyways' - but there's no intro music - the first thing the ringer does is "IF YOU WERE GAY"..so i'm in denver with my youth group and we're having group devotionals in my hotel room (this is one of those stories where you ALREADY know how it ends just based on my setup...) anyways right in the middle of robbin's great devo on loving each other my phone (JUST out of my reach) lights up and at SUPER loud level goes, "IF YOU WERE GAY..." needless to say at that point i was not so grateful for reason #3 and wished i had employed reason #1...

reason #2 is sorta twisted i guess - i mean, i've only really taking two spy pictures ever and one was cause a guy in barnes and noble had a rook from a chess set growing off his belly where a bellybutton was supposed to be...it was the greatest spy work i have ever done (second only to the time i dressed up like a ninja at college and snuck into a dorm only to be revealed standing in the middle of the room dressed in black when someone turned the lights on...don't worry...in true ninja fashion i yelled' KOREAN FURY' and ran out the door) - to get the picture of this guys belly i stood in an aisle and pretended to read woodworking for dummys for like 5 minutes..this picture was perfect but it was on my old phone and i no longer have it...the other time involved a remarkably not small lady sitting behind me at a skychiefs' game but erin made me feel bad about that one right away...the other thing i can use my picture phone for is like a memo pad of sorts...the other day i went to SAMS CLUB (AWESOMEST PLACE) to get candy for the candy machine at church - i was about to write down the types of candy when i remembered - i can take a picture of it! so i did...and that's the picture above...yay for me being brilliant

reason #1 is captured most effectively in a rufus wainwright song when he writes, "my phones on vibrate for you but still i never ever feel from you" - he's a clever boy and i'll give you one guess as to which of the downloaded ringers i've talked about so far that i would use for him...anyways, the whole vibrate thing is so great cause it means you don't have to turn your phone off in meeting, theatres, concerts, dinner, church...i think EVERY single older person who has a cell phone should be forced to take a class in simply how to set their phone on vibrate - i mean, it seems like NONE of them know how to do that - seriously, next time a phone goes off in a place it shouldn't take a look at who it is...i have learned that putting a phone on vibrate is not the same as making it silent...a vibrating phone on a surface other than my soft belly can be quite loud...the ONLY thing with vibrate mode is this: i HATE I HATE I HATE it when i misplace my phone and it's on vibrate...if it's on volume i can just call it and find it but when it's on vibrate i'm walking around my house, the church (or in the case of THIS morning - TARGET) cursing the moment i decided to set my phone on vibrate...when i really need it to ring - it can't because i've set it up to accomodate my need to accomodate other people's right to not be bothered by my IF YOU WERE GAY ringer...

the thing is that while i was considering this very thing this morning, God, in his clever and subtle way, reminded me of how my faith in Him is very much like my phone on vibrate...we like to live our lives for God so quietly as to not disturb people around us, we like to fit in to the staus quo, to not rock the boat, to be likable, accepted, approved...and in the process our faith becomes awful quiet (on vibrate?) but the REAL problem is that when we finally NEED our faith to be loud and heard it can't be found...cause we've been so quiet and disengaging with it for so much of the time...i want a faith that doesn't vibrate but that is LOUD and lived out LOUD - not in an annoying obnoxious bullhorn to the mouth sort of way...but in a real true way that has invaded my entire life...living our faith for God is not some superspiritual thing..it's being like Christ...loving the unlovable, accepting the rejected, embracing the down and out...but when we reduce our faith to a list of moral obligations and religious disciplines, we essentially put our faith on vibrate and it can be awful hard to find when we really need it...

5 months!

2005-09-28T12:38:00.000-04:00

this friday erin and i will celebrate our five month anniversary!!! (it's been amazing every day)

i love you babe and here's to five more months...then five MORE months....then five MORE months...then five MORE months....times infinity ;)

stinkfoot?

2005-09-28T12:36:00.000-04:00

a hypothetical question:
can i still be a card carrying youth pastor even if i think that switchfoot's new CD is was lame??

i hope so...

cause i do...

i do like the new david crowder and the latest hillsongs united CD - wow, those two are GOOD

funniest tv shows

2005-09-28T12:32:00.000-04:00

i submit to you (in my humble [and correct] opinion) the three funniest shows on network TV right now:
(i am by NO MEANS vouching for all the materials they cover - i am simply attesting to their ability to make me cry tears of happiness):
in no particular order:

drum roll please...

DRUM ROLL PLEASE......

(very well then)
1 - the office
2 - the family guy
3 - arrested development

abigail grace

2005-09-28T12:29:00.000-04:00

she's such a doll
and i adore her

busy boy

2005-09-28T12:13:00.000-04:00

it's funny how i always think that next month will be the quiet month...i'm always telling friends who want to visit or want me to visit them that this month is really busy but next month seems WIDE open...then the month arrives and i wonder what sort of drugs i was on when i made that nonsense prediction...i knew september would be crazy because it's sorta like the restart of local youth ministry...all the new kids move up (and there is a BUNCH of the bright eyed bushy tailed this year) and everyone settles back into school...PLUS this fall the SAYW (www.syracuseareayouthworkers.com) are attempting to help launch about a dozen Youth Alive clubs on syracuse area high school campuses...this is a major undertaking and we've had a couple events to help get it going but it is also an extended commitment on our end as we 'coach' the campus missionaries...chuck klinger from northside baptist and i are the coaches for liverpool - talk about a HUGE missions field - wow...
september is also the month of many fantastic birthdays now INCLUDING my beautiful new niece abigail grace (pictured above)...also erin's mom is basically in labor now and will probably have their TENTH child, another september bday...and mine was this month too...i'm not that big into celebrating my bday - i mean, i'm no party pooper but i just dont like making a big deal out of it- i must prefer make a big obnoxious deal out of others - i guess i dont shy away from being the center of attention when it is necessary, i.e. leadership, youth group, etc...but i dont like being it just for being it's sake...make sense? ah, whatever
PLUS football begins in september (GO EAGLES!!!!) and baseball is wrapping up (PLEASE WIN YANKEES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
it also seemed like i was in one meeting after another this month all concluding last night at the new hope banquet where i was the giver of the benediction (aka closing prayer)...it was nice night - over 600 people there, rooey stroman sang (did great) and a real powerful speaker who used to work at a hospital that allowed full birth abortions -it was stirring to hear her story and encouraging to know that a law has been passed against that...they asked all the pastors to stand up and i stood up and the two old ladies sitting next to me were so pleased...it's funny, when you say that you're a pastor there is ALWAYS some sort of a response - either positive or negative...well, these ladies were thrilled which came in handy BECAUSE...for dinner there was a salad bowl with cherry tomatos in it...i put one in my mouth and but down - yes, you know what happened next - cherry tomato EVERYWHERE ..on the table on my sleeve ON THE LADY'S HAND ON HER PLATE!!!!!!!! i was horrifically embarrased but she took it in stride - all i could manage to say is: "you allright?" (as if i had poured acid on her) - she said yes and i said (as if she didnt know by then) it was a cherry tomato - to which she replied, "well, nothing you can do about that"...HAHA - NOTHING?!?! how about i eat like a grown adult?!?! actually, cherry tomatos are weird because you can have your lips glued together and they'll still find a way out...sheez -so meetings, meetings, awkward dinners...
and fall is here which i adore -this weather makes me one happy boy...
BUT october was NOT supposed to be this busy - i leave for boston this monday, for the adirondacks next tuesday, pittsburgh the following friday and belfast, northern ireland the wednesday after that..yikes!!! granted i will enjoy thoroughly all those trips it's just gonna be tough being out of the office for half the month especially with the youth group growing a ton and all that needs to be done to prepare for november...
oh well, atleast november will be quiet...er...

mi amigo nuevo de mexico...aaron

2005-08-18T16:48:00.000-04:00

been a while

2005-08-18T16:15:00.000-04:00

(me and jon with the pastors from mexico in a taco stand)

wow, sure has been a long time since i made a real post, eh?
way too much has happened during and since mexico...i broke my tennis racket in an IDIOTIC moment of absurd stupidity...actually, in my defense it sure didn't feel like a choice - more like an uncontrollable reaction (which is probably worse) as i missed an easy shot on a big point and then instinctively fired my tennis racket into the ground only to hear a sickening sounding crack...i find myself pondering more and more the reason why i even play sports anymore...it's nothing but a source of constant frustration...i mean, i'm not great at anything (adequate at best at most) but i WANT to be great - there's the conundrum - what i want to be and what i am - not even close....

ah, a nice segway back to my mexico trip....

i guess if i were to sum up what God showed me in mexico it would be that same thing - what i should be and what i really am - not even close...there's any number of things i could write about when it comes to my time in mexico but really it's obvious to me that God brought me all that way, across many miles and a country border line just to bring me face to face with the faith that i claim to practice being lived out by thousands of teenagers...
to say the least it humbling and if i'm being honest, it was devastating...that week God gave me leaky eyes and weak knees...i spent more time on my face and shedding tears that i have since the yankees lost to the red sox last october (just kidding...sorta) seriously though, i wasn't even sure what i was crying about at the time or why i couldn't stay on my feet but i knew it was God; and i'll never doubt that...He did something in me and while i can explain some of it with words the most significant and ETERNAL work He did i probably will never be able to explain...atleast on this side of eternity...
He didn't remove all my struggles, my flesh, my pride, my laziness...but He did pull all of it out into the light, far away from their familiar hiding places and lame excuses...
He spoke clearly to me that even though i was 'doing the right things, saying the right things and even thinking the right things' it didn't mean that He had my heart or that i really knew His...it was a comfortable habit, a nice place to be and i was a decent person but God reminded me that He's not looking for decent, nice people....Jesus didn't die on a cross to make us a better version of who we used to be - He came so that we would DIE and let Him live through us - it's not us even living anymore, eh? sorta puts us in our place when we wanna talk about our rights and priviledges...decent people are good for nothing...be dangerous..

God really renewed in me a passion to write worship music also - i guess i hesitate to because it seems like everything's been written but it's more about me expressing my heart to Him in a real, intimate way...i'm down with that and i've been hoping to write some...

denver was a different sort of trip but a great time also...we had some great services and jeff deyo did a nice job leading worship...had some GREAT group devo times and a couple of our teens really encountered God in a way that they never had which always is so amazing for me to see...there's no groups quite like teens that can one moment knock the breath out of you with their bad choices and then the next moment stun you with a brief moment of spiritual awareness and brilliant insight - i love watching them work out their faith, as hard as it is sometimes...
our drama teams really did amazing and the places to eat in denver were GREAT...of course i found the local pf chang's AND the cheesecake factory!!! - oh my - we NEED one of those here ASAP...so then i can have another reason for being broke - but 40 kinds of cheesecake!?!?! holy moly...my baby would LIVE there (hehe)

well, we're in our new church building which is SWEEEET - new youth room, new college students room, HUGE gym, kitchen...i love it and can't wait to get all the decor in there...gonna be a real asset to the youth ministries...we're also making a huge push to start campus clubs this fall on the local high school campuses - we've targeted 11 campuses as a network and i can't wait to see what God is gonna do through them...

everything else is well, my sister is gonna have a baby girl (abigail grace) no later than 9/8...family is well...josh off to college soon, lisa and derek's house coming along nicely...our sat morning softball team lost in the playoffs but we didnt really have our team there...our monday night team pulled an upset this past monday in the playoffs beating a team that we had lost to twice already AND we killed them...24-8...so yay...

erin is still amazing to me and i like her more everyday - i'm gonna keep her :)

oh and i found out i'm speaking at a faith heritage chapel this year...more on that later....

home sweet home

2005-08-06T12:34:00.000-04:00

today i come home for GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!
yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i've had two amazing trips but i'm ready to be home and i can't wait to see erin tonight!!!! :)
see ya all sooooooooooooooon -

mile high baby

2005-07-31T17:40:00.000-04:00

off to denver tomorrow morning...so much to say about mexico pero no tengo tiempo...lo siento...
i miss erin AGAIN already...can't wait to be home for gooooooooood..
(probably no posting for the week)

amazing

2005-07-28T10:08:00.000-04:00

what an amazing day of services yesterday...i have much to say but no time...
when i get back to the states ill try to write more...till then bye

an amazing start

2005-07-27T09:50:00.000-04:00

the conference began yesterday and it was great
the teens here really go after God and are intense worshippers...
theres over a thousand teens here...i gave a seminar on worship and it went well
i have lots to say but no time to say it...these days are long with almost no free time...im leaving now to begin another day but ill have plenty to say when i get back to the states
adios

much better

2005-07-25T22:04:00.000-04:00

well the evening practice went much better and after putting another significant amount of tacos en mi estomago i am nearly ready for bed...tomorrow the conference begins and i will be in services basically from nine in the morning till late late at night playing guitar and singing and teaching a seminar on worship so i covet your prayers...
buenas noches...

necesitamos practicar!!!!

2005-07-25T16:32:00.000-04:00

this morning we had our first practice and all i have to say is:
WE NEED MORE PRACTICE...
the musicians are talented but young so they all over play at this point...but it`ll get better i believe

fruit and cheese and chili...oh MY!!!!

2005-07-24T16:38:00.000-04:00

hola hola hola...
things are good in mexico...ive been eating some amazing mexican food and just had pizza from dominoes...tasted the same just less sauce...i had this mexican snakc today called gaspachos...its chopped up fruit served in a cup...sounds good, right? well, it also has grated cheese on it and green chili...so now who wants some? but im all about trying all kinds of food so i ate it...wow, was it weird...it was an explosion of all kinds of flavor in my mouth but my body wasnt comprehending what was going on...it was weird to have a hot taste in your mouth after eating fruit...

anyways, the church service this morning was great...an american spoke with a translator so i understood but im actually understanding a lot of spanish too, which is nice...their worship team is good especially the bass player...wow, hes no joke...tomorrow we have a day long practice for the conference...i look forward to finally moving into the ministry aspect of the trip but i have enjoyed my time so far...jon evans` family had been great to hang with...i just played RISK (which i think is sorta a dumb game) and i was the first one out...just jon and his sister katie left playing as i type...

well, hope youre all doing well and i miss my nephew and neice and of course, my girl....

hasta luego

shopping like a gringo

2005-07-23T21:27:00.000-04:00

well, today i did ALL my shopping...getting gifts for about 40 people is no small effort...i also found out that i look like a mexican when i have my sunglasses on but when i speak my english i hear little kids around me whispering `gringo`...they learn their lessons when i beat them like a piñata...buenas noches amigos

tacos in my belly

2005-07-23T09:18:00.000-04:00

well, im here in mexico...
had a pretty uneventful travelling day, came to the house where im staying, had some GREAT tacos and went to bed and slept like a champ, yes, i put on boxing gloves and a heavy metal belt and went right to sleep...get it? no?
anyways, today is an easy day...gonna get all my shopping for people done...
the weather is way nice here...a lot cooler than it is in syracuse, that`s for sure...
well, thats all for now....
i miss you erin!!!!!!

adios amigos

2005-07-21T10:18:00.000-04:00

i'm off to mexico bright and early tomorrow
i hope to be able to blog from there so check in with me, eh?
i've been practicing only two spanish phrases:
donde esta la comida? and donde esta el bano?
i think i'm ready to go... ;)

this, that and the other...

2005-07-20T13:22:00.000-04:00

today i actually drove by a car that smelled like crap...anyways, had to get that out there
a bunch has happened since my last post - the yanks were actually in first place for one day (they'll be there again when it matters), i saw the strangest shaped man of my life and i went to the funeral of a friend...

to the oddly shaped man first...i went to binghamton sunday night for a 'gig' - i use that term loosely of course - valletta, cheeves and i joined forces with kristi c and rachel g and we were to provide dinner music for a large gathering and then a worship set at the end...come to find out they really did want dinner music in the volume sense so jon was stuck playing with brushes the whole time and we were trying to play these fast rocking tunes at low levels - that's one of the hardest things to do musically - most amateur bands will lose tempo when they lose volume and vice versa - i think we did ok thanks to jon...but anyways, there's something about that town - to be honest, i've always thought of it as the armpit of ny...but there was a guy there whose body shape was so unique - from like just below his neck to just above his legs his body was a steady slope (like a hill) - i mean, not like a big gut - like a perfect line that was at a 45 degree angle - i asked valletta what the heck was going on with that and his answer was perfect - 'i dunno, but that's something you would only see in binghamton'....how true - as far as the 'gig' - it went ok...i don't miss travelling with a band that much primarily cause i'm lazy and the thought of lugging heavy stuff everywhere is so defeating...

monday i played some tennis with my newly strung racket and am so excited about how well i am able to strike the ball now - then we played a softball game that night against what has to be the worst team i've played against - after 3 innings we were up 25-2...yuck, you start to feel bad...i also went to richard stoddard's funeral on monday afternoon - he was an old man that i use to visit on a weekly basis at the retirement home - probably the sweetest man i'll ever meet and such a great story teller - toward the end he was always so tired and couldnt get up to greet me...i remember one day when he was really struggling he looked me in the eye with tears in his and said 'i'm so tired of this, i just wanna go home'...that sticks with me, and he is home, and i do miss him but i'm ecstatic for him...i dont think i'm worried of getting old, i'm not even afraid of dying -it's the getting to the point where you dont even wanna live anymore that scares me...

yesterday i went with erin to the becher's for dinner - mike got a youth pastor jon in ontario, NY and i'm so happy for him and carrie - they've been very obedient to God and sacrificed much - it's awesome to see God reward their obedience - it was refreshing to talk to someone who's just beginning in ministry - it reminds me of what it's all about - i'll be praying for you mike and i hope you know i believe in you...

after that i had a planning meeting for my 10 year high school reunion next summer - TEN FREAKING YEARS!!!!!!!!!!! how old am i? HOW OLD AM I?!?!?!?!?! yuck

like i said, the yanks were in first for one game but now they're back to second - this is gonna be one heck of a finish - go YANKS!!!!!!!!!!!

so this friday i leave for mexico - i'm getting everything ready so i can relax a bit tomorrow and spend some time with erin - i'll be gone for a week to mexico and then back for 2 days before i leave for denver again for a week and i am going to miss that girl something terrible :(...i appreciate all your prayers as i travel and i'll have internet access in mexico so i hope to blog en espanol a little bit while i'm there...so check in for updates on my trip

carlos dimas sent me this great quote that i leave you with: to be a missionary means to learn more than we teach; observe more than we assert; listen more than we speak; let go more than we control; empathize more than we judge; fail more than we succeed; risk more than we hold back; encourage more than we demand and hope more than we doubt...

win one for the gipper-san

2005-07-17T08:52:00.000-04:00

yesterday was a perfect example of how competitive i am...this has always been one area in which i've struggled...now, there's NOTHING wrong with the desire to win and playing hard in order to do so but what i'm talking about is the attitude that is more like a nasty combination of pride and aggression...i have gotten a lot better partly because of the aging process and mostly because of God's grace but it still gets the better of me from time to time...

we had a softball game yesterday morning and it was HOT out and more significantly - HUMID...now i haaate the heat but i haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate the humidity (i just found out there's no AC in mexico where i'll be - i may die or tie myself to a ceiling and beg to be beaten like a pinata) - so being in that weather compounds any frustrations i may already be having...we ended up winning the game - by a LOT - BUT it was very close for the first 5 innings and this team had already beat us once this year...there were a lot of little things that were frustrating about the game but i could sense myself getting worked up - even with my own team!!! (yuck) josh and i began to spat a little bit - the funny thing with josh is that we can exchange some verbal spars on the field but as soon as we walk off we slap hands and all is cool - i think that's for 3 reasons - one, we're guys; two we're brothers; and three we both understand that ultimately our frustations are not with each other but with losing - he is even more competitive than me...and it's a church league so we really try to act like it - the game before us almost ended in a fight! - see what pride does??? i hate it - it's such a tough adversary that requires constant attention...

so by the end of the game i'm ok (it MIGHT have helped that we won) and i get into the nice AC car and unwind...but then i get home and the yanks and sox are on and it starts all over again :)...poor erin - having to listen to me rant and rave during the game about stuff she could care less about and barely understand - she's a trooper...and i'll keep her :)

i'm trying to get better at this, i really am but i always want to win - i mean if it's tennis, softball, puttputt, apples to apples or chutes and ladders - i don't wanna lose...i mean, in the end how can someone NOT want to win? i know people say 'it's not whether you win or lose it's how you play the game' - BUT that's rubbish...everyone wants to win...just not as much as me :)

reeeeeeeeeeeead this

2005-07-15T15:56:00.000-04:00

just for future reference and past clarification:
you may have noticed in my last post that i used the word HAAAAAAATE...
i was lamenting to someone recently about the word love and how lame it is - i mean, i say i love the orangemen, i love my nephew jared (pictured above), i love watching the national spelling bee and i also say i love God...hardly the same feelings toward those four things...
but instead of creating new words i decided that i would express the intensity of the feeling (hate included) by the amount of vowels i use...observe:

i love chinese food but i looove sushi
i loove playing tennis but i loooooooove being king
i looove being alive but i loooooooooove the Yankees
i loooove being cool but i looooooooooooooove being cooler than you

ok, you get it...so now you know...and the limit on the # of vowels??? well, my friend wanted 2 zillion but i think that's overkill - let's say 20 '0's...

turned outward

2005-07-15T15:27:00.000-04:00

last night i got really annoyed - several things happened to contribute to my moodiness and even a spectacular Yankee victory over the hated red sox could help out...i went to bed in a bit of a crappy mood...aaaand then i woke up in the same one....

now let me set the record straight: i HAAAAATE it when people always are talking about their bad days and that is not the purpose of this post - will you read very little venting by me here for two reasons...1) everyone else has enough issues to deal with AND 2) in a much more real sense: you are an adult - no one or nothing can MAKE you have a bad day - YOU HAVE A CHOICE ABOUT YOUR ATTITUDE!!!! (ok i got that off my chest)

anyways, i did wake up in a annoyed mood (by now when i say 'wake up in' you can assume i mean 'i was choosing to not let these things go') so i went off to the office...wait, back up - here's what nearly every weekday morning of my life looks like:

wake up between 7:00-7:15
check my phone (i know that seems odd but 50% of the time i DO already have a message)
go downstairs and grab the sports section of the paper (and the CNY if i'm feeling ambitious)
go to the bathroom and take care of my morning business while i read (i'm very regular)
take a shower and get dressed
drive to the office
pray and do devos
start work

ok, so back to my story...i get into work and go to pray...but i'm still CHOOSING to be upset and it's hard for me to focus...finally, i decide to just give all the situations to God - i remind Him (actually myself) that i trust in Him and that He can handle everything i can't (which happens to be everything)...soon enough i'm feeling at peace and sorta embarassed about the things that bother me or concern me from day to day...as i prayed i was reminded of the things i've seen on missions trips (i leave for mexico in a week)...i thought of the kids in belize who were ecstatic to get one new tshirt (even if didnt fit them) and how they wore it everyday we were there...i remembered the faces of the kids in ecuador who responded to the altar call because they truly understood what it meant to NEED something...i thought of the little girl in the DR with the most beautiful eyes any of us had ever seen; she also was born with AIDS and is probably not alive as i type this...i thought of the pastors in Cuba who give up EVERYTHING and live on NOTHING so that they can accomplish SOMETHING for God - i remember the one room shacks they live in and how gladly they gave us their only good food and drink...then i thought of the teenagers we met in Belfast last summer who live in daily fear of when and where the next bombing will take place...all of a sudden i couldn't think of much to complain about...

this isn't about you -i'm not trying to guilt you into feeling bad for people with less or make your life seem like it's a breeze just because you have 'things' - we all know that doesn't satisfy - i just can't believe how selfish I can be when there's so much need - i guess God reminded me that when we start looking at ourselves and our own situations too much we really need to be turned outward - feeling left out? go reach out to the unlikable...feeling undervalued? go serve someone...feeling unloved? go love someone!

i'm so thankful that God is active in my life and plays a constant (dare i say subtle?) role in keeping me from being a total failure

of course, then i went to my office and my computer didn't work and the WHOLE process started over again....but i'm learning...i hope

you should all know that i am quite fond of this girl:

2005-07-14T16:28:00.000-04:00

erin elizabeth

a slanty view on things

2005-07-14T16:11:00.000-04:00

so it didn't take that long for my blog to stir the masses...

when i chose the name slantyeyedwonderboy i guess i thought that if one part of that name would be debated it would be the wonder boy part....i was wrong...

i've had two very interesting takes on the phrase "slantyeyed"...one of my friends asked me if i thought it might be offensive to the sensitive folk...the thing is that i actually am slantyeyed (or so i thought...more on that later) so i guess i feel i can get away with it...you know how certain races use certain words with each other and it's totally cool but then a white guy walks up to a group of not so white guys and tries to use the same word and well...he ends up slantyeyed too...from the swelling...so i guess i think it's ok for me to say slantyeyed - i have friends that call me chink (by the way, i am NOT chinese), ricepaddy daddy (by the way, i just made that one up) and kimchee breath (by the way, ah nevermind...)

i remember sitting in kabuki's in skaneateles with my pals emma and derik and another korean girl (who power walks in such a way it should be illegal) and emma decides to ask if we (me and the other chink) got made fun of when we were young...now, i don't have a lot of bad memories about it but it did happen...emma then procedes to do this face where she put her thumbs in her mouth and her index fingers under her eyes, squeezed them together and stuck her tongue out and wagged it like a dog's tail while making some crazy noise (you KNOW you're gonna try that!!!)...we just about fell out of our chairs laughing cause it was nothing like the faces people make to mock asians...but she thought it was a perfect rendition...that emma is a priceless pal

anyways, i say all that to say that i guess i'm just not uptight about this sort of thing...and the more i thought about it the more i realized - i don't even HAVE any friends that are overly sensitive...and maybe that's not so coincidental....

so then i have aNOTHER friend who questions the slantyness of my eye! ok, i know i'm not 100% asian but i am 50% asian and that makes my eyes SLANTY! most ignorant americans couldn't tell a 50% korean from a 100% chinese or a 25% taiwanese from a 75% japanese...they see the slight slant and they automatically break into some asinine sing song about "chinese japanese" complete with the hand movements that have eluded emma...a lot of people actually think i'm hawaiian, someone once came up to me at a worship event and asked if i was spanish AND one guy once asked me what tribe i was from (native american)...my friend said that my eyes were 2% slanty....2%!?!?!?!....that would make jackie chan's eyes 379,628% slanty...just because you can't blindfold me with a rubberband doesn't mean that i'm not slantyeyed!!!

so i stand by my name slantyeyed despite the initial backlash...now whatever you do, do NOT question my wonderboy status!!!

mindless moments

2005-07-13T16:38:00.000-04:00

here it is...the long awaited, greatly anticipated, hotly debated and highly demanded blog from the slantyeyedwonderboy...um, yeah...

in reality, i have no clue why i'm doing this blog - i've been running around all day from meeting to meeting and i wanted to do something mind numbing and coma inducing (for the reader, i guess) for an hour or so...and here i am

this may be the last post i ever make or i may post on this thing for the rest of my life - i always liked the idea of journaling - but thoughts in theory have always held much more water for me than practical happenings...so i think i've purchased 6-8 journals in my life just cause they look cool and i think i have thoughts in my brain worth writing down but i've have yet to fill one of them...but blogging (a word??) is easier or should i say lazier...i can type all day long but i get hand cramps when i write more than my street address...anyone else? i think i'll have arthritis someday and that scares me as a guitar player...

so i think i'll use this blog just to write whatever the heck is in my head whenever the heck i feel like it - just random thoughts that have nothing to do with nothing and i'll try not to edit it although i'm am a habitual editor -i hate spelling words wrong and am always looking for ways to say something better...so feel free to drop in from time to time or to never come back again - it won't be your comments (or lack thereof) that keep me going...it'll be the moments like this...