Still Today

The more things change...

12 The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint.13 The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil. He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house.14 He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it.15 Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it.16 Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!17 And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, Deliver me, for you are my god!

18 They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand.19 No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?

Maybe not a block of wood, but a car or a TV or a phone or the paper we use to buy these things...

Upside Down

Who's in charge?
Who is the one who has the final say in my life?
When push comes to shove, am I the one who decides the way to turn?
Is it a mutual decision between my wife and myself?
Do I do what I feel/think is best, regardless?

You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, He did not make me; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, He has no understanding?

Location:Columbia Pkwy,Cincinnati,United States

Desire

What does your soul long for? What is it that you want most in life? What competes for your heart? What do you desire?

So many times we hear this word and think of erotic passion, but it doesn't only have that particular meaning. U2 sings about desire as ambition, addiction, power, riches, love, position or fame:

Lover, I'm off the street
Gonna go where the bright lights and the big city meet
With a red guitar, on fire
Desire

She's a candle burning in my room
Yeah, I'm like the needle, needle and spoon
Over the counter with a shotgun
Pretty soon, everybody got one
And the fever, when I'm beside her
Desire, desire

And the fever getting higher
Desire, desire
Burning, burning

She's the dollars, she's my protection
Yeah, she's a promise in the year of election
Oh sister, I can't let you go
I'm like a preacher stealing hearts at a travelling show
For love or money, money, money...
And the fever, getting higher
Desire, desire
Desire, desire

Your desire might be one of these. Or, it might be something particular for you, something that is uniquely yours, something special. Desire drives us, pushes us, moves us on to bigger and better things.

Or it destroys us.

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. The desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

It all comes down to what you desire.
Are the desires that drive you God's desires, or your desires?
Are you regularly working to bring your desires in line with God's?
Who is helping you?
Who knows your true desires?
Who is holding you accountable?

Location:Columbia Pkwy,Cincinnati,United States

Double Edged

It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

I've spent a lot of time over the last week thinking about and studying fear. Particularly, I've looked at the fear of God as it is described in the Bible. In many instances, this fear is an awe or reverence. We used the phrase "Holy sense of divine WOW" this weekend, and in general that's true. But not always.

There are times when fear of God means shaking in your boots, teeth chattering, sweat breaking out, hairs standing on end fear. Read Hebrews 10:26-31 and try to interpret it any other way. You can't. Crossing God is a dangerous thing to do and we should be afraid to do it in any sense of the word. Just ask the followers of Korah... of wait, you can't - because the earth cracked open, swallowed them and closed again. That's a holy sense of "I'm gonna need some new pants."

When Metaphor and Reality Mix

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at it's swelling.
Selah.

I have never once seen a mountain moved into the heart of the sea. Chances are, I never will.

But, if I ever find myself in that situation, scripture and song have both taught me that I should turn to God in this situation. In the face of mountains sliding in the sea, most people's natural reaction wou,d be to turn to God.

When we are faced with huge, insurmountable situations, God seems like the only possible help. Not many of us have the personal strength or access to resources that can make any difference when confronted by moving mountains. God is our only recourse. What about moving molehills?

Most of the "times of trouble" we face aren't mountainous. They're more molehill like. They are things we feel like we can control on our own, situations we can handle, "I got this".

When faced with death we turn to God. I've got no power when it comes to the afterlife. (Plus, I'll be dead, which tends to cramp my abilities.). But my checkbook, on the other hand, I got that. My job I can handle. I am fully in control of my ____________, no problems there.

It's these small things that cause many more of our times of trouble. Those are the times we need to turn to God. If we turn to him with the small things, we'll be right where we need to be when the big ones come.

Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

Location:Columbia Pkwy,Cincinnati,United States

Blessed

What does it mean to be blessed?

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and given you peace.

- Numbers 6:24-26

Often, we seem to think it means God has given us stuff. You see someone's family photo and exclaim, "You are so blessed." Someone tries to explain away their beautiful house or fortune with, "I've been blessed."
Is that what it means to be blessed by God? He's given you stuff?

Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him; the Lord protects him and keeps him alive; he is called blessed in the land; you do not give him up to the will of his enemies.

-Psalm 41:1-2

When we were growing up, we used to go with my grandmother to get our Easter baskets blessed. We'd pack the baskets with certain foods and then head to the basement of the church building with all the other families. We'd line the tables with our baskets and wait for the priests. I could never understand what he said when he finally arrived and I never knew what was in the censer he shook over our eggs, horseradish, lamb-shaped butter and chocolate cross. But, that was what you were supposed to do and that was how you received the blessing on your Easter basket.

Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie!

-Psalm 40:4

The best picture I've seen of what it means to be blessed came from watching Rocky. In the movie, before his big fight, Rocky goes to the closed church building and wakes up the priest. He begs him for a blessing as the priest hangs out the window in his bedclothes. Rocky doesn't ask for victory, just for protection. He wants to be in God's hands.

Rocky Balboa, theologian.
Who woulda thought?

Location:Columbia Pkwy,Cincinnati,United States

Perspective, Please

Show me, O Lord, my life's end

and the number of my days;

Let me know how fleeting is my life.

You have made my days a mere handbreadth;

the span of my years is as nothing before you.

Each man's life is but a breath.

David begs God to put him in his place. He wants to understand just how insignificant he is. This sounds crazy in our positive self-esteem age. Why would someone possibly think they need to be knocked down a peg?

Maybe he just got finished watching a American Idol audition show and he was afraid he was as deluded as some of those hopefuls. "I don't care what Simon says, I know I can sing good!"

Maybe he was tired of failing on his own and wanted to finally be in a place where he could rely on others for help.

Maybe he was truly a man after God's own heart and knew he needed some help staying there.

Duality

In The Jerk, a Steve Martin classic, there's one scene that regularly pops into my mind. Martin's character has made a fortune in record-setting time. He's also found a wife and things in that department aren't going so well. He boldly declares to his wife that he doesn't need any of the stuff that they've accumulated... well, except for a few things. Also, the character is a moron.

In times of hardship, what are the things we grab onto?

When we look at our lives, what is truly important?

Where do we invest our time and effort?

How much time have we devoted to ashtrays, paddle games and remote controls?

(Watch the clip)

There are really only two things that are important. There are two things that we should spend our time on - two things that we desperately need a connection to, two things that will last.

God and neighbors. And that's it and that's the only thing I need, is this.

Two are better than on, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him -- a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail be to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. - Psalm 27:1-3

*I don't know what's going on with the green lines in the clip. If you know of a better version online, I'd love to swap it.

Utopia

In the middle of Leviticus, that book of seemingly endless rules and regulations, you can find a veritable description of heaven on earth. Imagine if people lived like Leviticus 19:

When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God. - 9-10

You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. - 15

You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. - 18

You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord. - 32

You shall treat the sojourner who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. - 34

You may look at this as a lot of rules, but I think it sounds like a great place to live.

Listening

My wife is a therapist. She spends a good portion of her day listening to children talk about their problems, their feelings and the things that could be better in their lives. Some times this is a joy, sometimes it is torture, but it is always really hard work.

If I look back over my adult life, I bet I've heard 25 sermons that revolve around one common theme. It might be called, "Knowing God's Will for your life" or "Finding your Purpose" or "Who is the Holy Spirit?" or "Hearing God". They all revolve around the disconnect that we feel between us and God.

When we look at the Old Testament, we see God talking directly to Abraham and to Moses. We see angels showing up with messages, we see prophets doing crazy stuff and then proclaiming the word of the Lord. In the New Testament, we get a couple more angels, then God actually shows up in human form and talks to us, then we see people blinded and receiving visions. None of this stuff has ever happened to me.

There have been times when I took this as a personal slight. Where was my message from God? Why don't I get visions or dreams? Am I not important enough? Am I not good enough? Am I too terrible of a sinner?

All those sermons I heard said some combination of a couple different things.

1) God's word as found in the Bible is perfect and that's how he talks to us now. Keep reading.

2) We don't hear God because we're too busy.

3) You don't hear the Holy Spirit because you're not really a Christian.

4) Something else in your life (sin) is blocking you from hearing God.

My life is radically different because of what I've heard from God. Five years ago I completely changed the direction my life was heading. At that time I was sinning, I was terribly busy and I wasn't really reading my Bible all that much. Somehow, God still got his message across to me.

I wish that I could explain what that was like or how anyone can hear a clearly defined message from God. I can't. I just knew what God wanted me to do, and I couldn't not do it.

Recently, I've partnered with a group of people to focus on paying closer attention to what God is saying to us. How? By listening. We meet together each week and start by simply asking the question: "What is God saying to you now?" That's a tough question. It's one you can't make up an answer to. It's one you have to prepare for.

That preparation is constant. It's a 24-7 thing. The last couple weeks, I've found myself more aware of my surroundings, more attuned to my thoughts, to how they change and what they're about. I'm constantly looking for God, listening for Him to speak to me in some way.

It's amazing what you hear when you actually listen.

Good Grief

As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

I wonder if this is what Charlie Brown was talking about.

Mysterious Ways

But in truth I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up for three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Namaan the Syrian.

God loves how God loves. God shows himself how he shows himself. We can't understand why one widow gets overflowing jars and another doesn't. We can point to her faith, but that doesn't mean there wasn't another widow down the block with the same faith. Why was Namaan cleansed when so many others weren't? His faith saved him, but that doesn't mean that someone else's lack of faith condemned him. He moves in mysterious ways - ways we can't understand, can't comprehend - Godly ways.

Straight Talk

Sometimes rules are nice. They are simple and clean-cut. They provide clear direction. Here is John the Baptist laying out some straightforward rules:

And the crowds asked him, "What then shall we do?" And he answered them, "Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none and whoever has food is to do likewise." Tax collectors also came to him and said, "Teacher, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Collect no more than you are authorized to do." Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone with threats or false accusation, and be content with your wages."

To the point and challenging as all get out. Why do we make things so difficult?

If you've got it, share it.

Don't cheat.

Be content.

Pressure Balance

This summer we had the greatest shower on the face of the earth. It might not have been the biggest or fanciest or prettiest or cleanest, but none could compare with the water pressure. IT was glorious. You really didn't even have to use soap because the force of the water would just knock the dirt right off of you. If you stood alongside the stream of spray you could feel the wind it produced. Heaven.

As the weather got colder, we realized that we may have a few flaws. The temperature of the water would begin to decrease after only a few minutes in the shower, so you'd constantly be re-adjusting the hot/cold ratio. We got a new shower curtain and the breeze created by the spray would pull it a little too far into the shower, usually getting it stuck to your legs.

This weekend all of that changed. We did some research into the hot water problem, draining and inspecting our hot water heater. It's a 50 gallon tank, so that shouldn't have been the problem. We drained it and discovered it wasn't full of lime or some other contaminate. We removed the temperature & pressure valve and peaked inside. We thought we saw the problem. We couldn't find the fill tube, the piece of pipe that makes sure the cold water gets to the bottom of the tank and isn't forced out the top along with the hot water. We put it all back together, thinking we knew what we needed to do from there. We were wrong.

After we turned the water back on, the Temperature and Pressure valve blew - spraying water all over the floor. This valve is designed to prevent injuries from occurring if the temperature in the tank goes above 210 degrees or the pressure reaches 150 psi. (Normal house hot water is 120-140 degrees. Normal pressure is 50-60 psi.) We turned off the water, reset the valve and turned the water back on - it blew again. Again. Again. Again. We went to the store and got a new T&P valve and (because of my hunch) a pressure gauge.

We got home and hooked up the pressure gauge to the basement sink. We turn the water on and watched the psi on the gauge. 10 - 30 -50 -80 - 110 - 150! At that point the T&P valve blew. It wasn't broken, it was finally working. Our house had well over 3x the recommended water pressure for a house! No wonder we broke so many faucets. No wonder we had 3 hoses explode this summer. No wonder the toilet tank refills so fast.

One more trip to the hardware store for a new pressure regulator and our house is now "normal." We still have some work to do on the hot water, but our faucets don't leak anymore and the noise of water running through pipes doesn't fill the whole house. And I'm pretty sure our water bill won't be nearly as high as it was before.

Pressure is an fickle thing. The plumbing in your house requires it to work - that's how water that comes into the house downstairs winds up in the sink upstairs. Without pressure, we'd still be using wash basins. But pressure is also dangerous. It can burst hoses and cause faucets to leak.

In Genesis, Judah was Jacob's second oldest son. When the brothers rose up against Joseph, Judah was among them. It was Reuben who said, "Don't kill him... let's just throw him in this pit." Fast forward years and years - when Joseph in disguise has ordered the brothers to bring Benjamin to Egypt - Judah and Reuben both accept the pressure. Reuben says to Jacob that he will put his own sons up as collateral for Benjamin's life. Judah says that his life will be forfeit for Benjamin's. The pressure of being the oldest wasn't enough - they raise the stakes and pile on the pressure by including their own lives and that of Reuben's sons.

It would seem that this was a good thing to do. After all, look at the outcome - the family is reunited and they all live happily ever after. (Well, happily until a new Pharaoh comes around and they all become slaves.) But imagine what is going on in Reuben's mind when Joseph plays the trick with the silver cup. He plants it in Benjamin's bag. We don't hear a thing from Reuben. He's paralyzed with fear and dread. He's failed. He's given up the lives of his sons. Judah is the one who does all the talking. He's the one who stands up to Joseph. A little less pressure - a lot more result.

But neither of these guys is the hero of this story. That's Joseph. What pressure did Joseph have? He never puts his sons up as collateral. He never puts his own life on the line. He's not putting pressure on himself by looking for someone else's approval. He simply follows God and seeks his will. In the pit, in Potipher's house, in prison, in the palace. A whole lot less pressure, a whole lot more result.

Taking a shower at our house isn't so great anymore. We miss the pressure. We got used to it and thought we needed it. But, we still get clean, we don't have faucets breaking and there is a lot less chance of a catastrophe. A lot less pressure is tough to get used to, but that's how things were designed.

I hate Wii Fit

I got my wife a Wii Fit for Christmas. She loves it. I hate it.

Basically it is a jerk. The thing is rude. Maybe it knows how I feel about it, and that is why it treats me the way it does. I don't know. Every time I step on the thing it tells me I'm obese. Now, granted, I know I can lose a couple pounds, but obese? C'mon now. It decides that I'm obese because it thinks that at my height (6' 2") I should weigh 185 lbs. I haven't weighed that much since I was a Jr. in high school. All I wanted to do at that point was gain weight. It doesn't seem to understand that there is more to obesity than your height to weight ratio.

I hate the treadmill too, but not as much. It waits for me in the morning - its little lights glowing green and yellow and orange. It taunts me with all the flashing and blinking, trying to make me believe that it is fun in some way. It isn't. It is the modern day equivalent of the old stretching machine torture device. It pushes my body to its utter limits, trying to break me - but I can watch TV while it happens! At least I get to sweat all over it with reckless abandon.

So, why does the Fit rank above the treadmill on my hate list? It measures the wrong thing. I connect my phone to the treadmill and it records my workouts. When I get home I can upload the workouts to Nike+ and it tells me what I've done. It keeps track of how faithful I've been in my runs. The Fit just tells me if I'm fat or not. It's all about success; according to the Fit I'm a long way from success. (But that doesn't stop it from telling me each time that I've failed.)

Way too often we look at God more like the Fit than the treadmill. (Bet you've never heard that one before.) We think that God wants success, that he wants us to win, to conquer and to triumph. He doesn't. (He's the winner, the conqueror and the triumpher, not us.)

In Matthew 25 we find the parable of the talents. The highest praise the master gives is "Well done my good and faithful servant." He never says, "You've won" or "You succeeded" or "You raised more money than the other guy" or "You could've done better". He says, "You were faithful."

"Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit." So what is that fruit? "But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Notice anything missing? "Success" is not a fruit of the spirit. Yet I try to make it one.

So does the Wii Fit - and that's why I hate it so much.

Immediately

9 times.

From when Jesus shows up in verse 9 until the end of the first chapter of Mark, the word "immediately" is used 9 times. One could argue that the authors (or translators) just got lazy and repetitive and kept using the same adverb to describe the events surrounding Jesus. We could also argue that the whole of Mark 1 happened in about the span of 39 seconds - each event happening right on the heals of the last. Or we could argue that Jesus is just incredible.

When he shows up on the scene, things change. Things do not go according to plan. The natural order is not followed. The timing we get used to in normal life gets turned on its head. The world with Jesus in it is a different place. Immediately.

When Jesus is added to a situation even today, we can expect results immediately. Don't get me wrong, they might not be the results we want, but there will be results.

Sell all you have and give it to the poor. You'll see results immediately.

Love your enemies. Immediate results.

Bless those who curse you. Immediate results.

Love God with all your heart, soul and strength. Immediate results.

Love your neighbor as yourself. Immediate results.

If we take Jesus at his word and truly follow him, our lives will change. Immediately.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

My wife has a decision to make. We discussed it thoroughly last night. We made a Pros and Cons list. We prayed about it. We stressed about it. We think we've come down on one side of the choice. We also think that in the grand scheme of things it doesn't really matter.

She'll still learn and grow no matter what she is faced with. She'll still build relationships and be intentional with them, regardless of who her coworkers are. Her life will still be about following Jesus and discipling others, no matter where she works.

That's the only decision that really matters, the rest is just details.

Like Esther, she was made for a time such as this.

(The place can go either way.)

Mysterious Fear

The (final) season premiere of LOST was last night and true to form, nothing was cleared up and more questions were raised. (Talk about split personalities!) That's the show's modus operandi and that is why people love it. It is a mystery. It keeps people guessing and never makes things completely crystal clear. We love intrigue. We love not knowing. We love to guess and dream.

But only on TV.

In real life, mystery is a whole different matter. Then we want certainty, fact and proof. If geometry class taught us anything it is that we can't just look at two triangles with two like angles and say that they are proportional; we have to write a page-long proof in something resembling a foreign language to make certain.

Mystery in real life means danger. It means we don't know what's going to happen, so we can't take every precaution before it happens. It's no mystery that driving a car into a tree, telephone pole, brick wall or another car will cause the car to stop faster than those riding in the car. We know this, so we can prepare with seat belts, antilock brakes and airbags. Less mystery, less danger, less fear.

I say forget that. No mystery means no excitement means no fun. No mystery means no fear means no faith. Jesus spends all of Matthew 24 confusing his disciples. He tells them the temple is going to come crashing down, that people will claim to be him, that there will be wars and famines and destruction and false prophets and death and destruction and that they will never know when the end is really coming. He fills them with mystery... and with fear.

Fear and mystery aren't the end goal, but they are main ingredients in what Jesus was really preparing. Faith is trusting God in the midst of fear and mystery. Jesus tells them that their futures will have plenty of both, it is up to them to trust him through it all. The same it true of us.

We spend so much time trying to figure God out, when really we should be focused on trusting him when we're scared and unsure.

Tricky, Tricky, Tricky

I try not to be skeptical.

I try to think the best of situations.

I try not to look for the catch.

I'm sitting in Starbucks looking at their new promotional materials. The ask the question, "Can we buy you a drink?" This year they've rebranded their rewards cards in an effort to "serve their customers better". The short of it is this, if you earn enough points to get a Gold Card, you get every 15th drink free. What could be better than free drinks? How about more free drinks?

The Gold Card is a replacement for the black card. Last year you could buy a black card and anytime you used it, you got 10% off any drink. To compare - Gold Card = 15th drink free. Black Card = 10% off. A little math shows the clever little catch. Assuming you had the Black Card, you were actually getting every 10th drink free, you just didn't get it all at once. They've reduced the benefit by 50% and claim its an upgrade. Tricky.

Free Drinks! It sounds good. It sounds good. It sounds like a deal. It's a trick.

Freedom can work the same way. There's an enemy out there that tries to sell us a warped version of freedom. "Do whatever you want." "You're your own boss." "You deserve to be happy." "You've suffered long enough." "Who knows better than you?" "It won't hurt." "What do they know?" "What is right for you is right." "It can all be yours." "Just try it, you'll like it." "Nobody will ever know." "You can make up for it later." "The ends justify the means." "Just this once."

The idea is that freedom is doing whatever you want, whenever you want with whoever you want for whatever reason you want and as often as you want. It boils down to a bristling, "Nobody can tell me what to do." It's a trick.

There is a world out there that wants to imprison us with fear, with guilt, with addiction, with a need for attention, with bonds that we think are just a part of life. This twisted version of "freedom" is a trap to lure us in. It is a bait and switch. We're offered freedom from everything outside, when we really need freedom from ourselves. Tricky.

One Year

One year ago I was working part-time at the mall. (Sure it was for one of the greatest companies on the planet, but still...)

One year ago I was living by myself in an ancient apartment next to the railroad tracks.

One year ago I was completely debt free.

One year ago I was still kind of contemplating ditching everything here and heading back east.

One year ago I was not married.

One year ago Parkside's River Campus didn't exist.

One year ago I turned 30.

I never thought my 30's would be a time of new beginnings. It always seemed to me that the 30's were a time to reap some of the rewards of hard work in your 20's. It was a time to get serious and bear down. It was a time to stop having so much fun and really focus. It was a time to be an adult. Boy, I was wrong and I was right.

Year 30 saw me starting a job, starting a marriage, starting yet another project/house, starting a new car payment and starting a new church campus. I should be starting to feel a little overwhelmed by all the change and flux, but somehow I'm not.

If year 30 was the year for breaking ground, year 31 should be the year for building a firm foundation. Our house is about 106 years old. I've owned houses with slab foundations (229 N. 5th St), poured foundations (9522 Damascus Dr) and block foundations (2647 Ocosta Ave), but this is the first with a stone foundation and it is by far the oldest.

Each stone is unique, they all have their own characteristics, yet they are properly placed and fitted together. They are bonded with mortar that has kept them solid for a century. It is much more work to make a foundation from unique, individual stones. Blocks are all identical, they are designed to fit together perfectly, quickly and easily. Poured foundations and slabs are made in huge chunks by creating a form and then filling with concrete. None of these require the time and attention to detail that a stone foundation does. They are quick and easy.

What kind of foundation am I going to build in year 31?