Redeem . . .

So Ive been teaching a college age Sunday School class for about 3 weeks now, and we're going through the book of Malachi. And Ive felt ok about it so far, nothing spectacular or anything, and I honestly havent gotten a lot of feedback from the students, they just sit there and listen and dont say much. So Ive been a little skeptical about it, and wondering if it does happen to grow, if this is the age I want to try to target my energy towards.

Well tonight I had dinner here with the Blums and one of the guys that is in the class, well he's been questioning a lot of what he knows and believes, which is a good thing, to make it his own, so he has been one that I have wanted to connect with. Well tonight at the dinner table, Courtney's younger sister said she was talking to him today and said that he just loves me and wants to be my best friend and hang out with me. Which that makes ya feel good and then someone else said that they were talking to one of the college age girls that hasnt been able to make it yet and has been disappointed cause she really wants to come to my class. So thats good news to hear that maybe Im making a bit of connection with the students and challenging them.

Thats really what Im trying to do with the students, is challenge them and really to challenge myself as well and make them think a little bit and to see that the Bible and the Old Testament here in particular is applicable to us today.

Here is an interesting statement and a question for you that I have . . proposed by Neo in A New Kind of Christian by Brian McLaren, Neo says that "That's why, in my mind, it should be possible to be a Christian and yet be culturally Buddhist, Muslim, or Navajo."

What do you think, is it possible?

"Jesus came not to drive the culture from the people but the sin from the culture. He came not to condemn our culture but to redeem it"

What do you think?

First Day. . .

Well Friday was my first day of my new job. I have to drive across the water to the other side of the peninsula to get to work in downtown Norfolk. Well traffic can be horrible some days getting across the water, so I made sure that I left early enough to get there at 8. So I left the house at 6:30 am, just to make sure I got there. Well I pulled into the parking garage at 7:05 am, and I wasnt supposed to be there until 8 am. Luckly I had brought an old C.S. Lewis book with me to re-read and so I sat there for 45 minutes and read until I was supposed to get into the office.

This weekend is a big weekend in Norfolk, its called Harbor Fest, dont really know what its about but its busy downtown, so we're opening up our 3 garages that we manage and selling parking spots to the public, so we have to be there to "man" the garages so to speak.

So my first day on the job, was a VERY long day. I got there at 7:05, due to no traffic, and I left downtown Norfolk around 10:15 pm. Thats right, around a 15 hour first day on the job, and I get to back into work this afternoon and probably work just as late again tonight. But it was horrible, not something I would say I enjoyed, but it wasnt horrible. But that ranks up there on the list of first days on the job Id have to say.

Parking anyone?

Well friends, the 3 of you that maybe read this, I am no longer a bum, well maybe, but I am no longer unemployed. I accepted a job today with a company call Lanier Parking Systems, they manage parking garages. I will be an Assistant Manager/Manager In Traning with them. Bascially it will be a lot of relational managing. Ill be in contact with the owners of the parking, the tenants of the garage, and all of the other guest parkers, the employees, (cashiers, maintenance crew, etc) and all of the business that rent from us. I will also assistant in the financial side of things and making sure everything matches up and so on. So we'll see how it all goes, for the time, Im excited about the opportunity. My manager is a younger guy as well, maybe 2 or 3 years older than I am, so that will be cool to work with a guy my age. Just a little update for you all out there.

Im reading A New Kind of A Christian, I know its a little older, but anywho, its still good and its a good break for me. I tend to read just information books type of deal, and this one seems to be a little more fictional type of deal. And after this, I really want to try to finish reading Seven Story Mountain by Thomas Merton.

What books are you all reading?

What music are you into right now?