The Bad Plus

Boys night out on the town... Nathan's treat (thanks bud!)
The Dakota on Nicollet down town Minneapolis to see the The Bad Plus. Top notch jazz trio that sales out two shows in a row all three nights.

Andrea

Pictures from 0utside the Signature Cafe in St. Paul.
December 22nd.
Yes, that is a ring.
A surprise relationship, many commonalities, dreams, a world worth pursuing and sharing together.

Christmas 2006

Merry Christmas

from
Nick & Tanya
Nate & Nancy
Lyle & Murphy

Christmas comes

I can do this... a clean house, a dinner, presents, getting dad here. Not bad for a guy.

In the midst of a war, disease, of homeless, illegal immigrants trying to provide for families, of changing relationships, and lose of people loved, Christmas still comes.

Hear Gloria

http://www.myspace.com/gloria

And if you haven't been over to MySpace to hear Nick's band's latest...

What ya waiting for?????

CD sampler will be released at their show on the 29th of Dec.

From Mom and Dad

(click on picture for full size)
Love, Mom

Things that I pray for you!

• Passion for faith
• Life led by integrity and values
• Respect for others, and yourself
• Organizing priorities, money and time
• Practice and knowledge of health and wellness
• Responsibility as a citizen of neighborhood, community, country and the world
• Love and responsibility for family
• Willingness to work towards and accomplish purposeful, and passionate goals
• Be able to discern, protect and accept that all in life is not fair, equal, or honest. In other words to know enough not to get taken advantage of. And, knowing when to stand up for things that are not just.
• Enjoy life, people, faith, talents and arts.

Love, Dad

Small Details Great Stories

It is almost 50 degrees on December 14, 2006 with a bright sun and a warm wind making for a peaceful afternoon run.I noticed a small nest hanging above the trail, a detail I must have often missed passing underneath. Maybe my mind is always too busy, or I have been watching the more easily noticed geese landing on the lake. It is easy to miss the small details that for some small creatures must have held a great story. Maybe it was in that nest young first peaked out discovering a world of baby strollers, runners, roller bladders, bikers, young boys carrying fishing polls, and romantic couples all passing a few feet below them. The nest hangs on the end branches of a tree that must, in either a breeze or a thunderstorm, gave a continued sense of motion, sway, and sometimes tumult.

It is Nick who I remember always noticing the detail of the world missed by those who tend to only see the macro. We reminisced together the northern Minnesota path that led our family over a small walking bridge to the base of a splendid rushing waterfall. As we all hurried to see it, little Nick stooped on bended knees to witness a small bug making its way across the path. No matter how much we called and pleaded for Nick to come and experience the site of the falls, he remained mesmerized by the smaller fascinating world.

Maybe there are bigger stories in the smaller unnoticed. Maybe understanding life, faith, relationship, and joy doesn’t really come from the hype that calls and pleads for us to rush to the base of the bigger and better commercial promises. Oh come, oh come Emmanuel… the small, the insignificant, the unnoticed. Born this day in the city of David… the unheard of comes the seemingly impossible of a sacred mystery. It is easy to miss the small details that hold the great stories.

Sabbatical Tasks

After finally getting back to running I was able to finish laying the wood for the living room floor. Just the molding to go.

Dad the Artist

Christmas at Ebenezer last night. Santa, great food and the art show. Got to love that smile!

Cold Moon

Not one of my better photographic moments. As the moon came up over downtown St. Paul I pulled over to take a shot of… I guess of the streetlight. But the moon still crept into the lower right of the frame. Okay, not the best shot, but a moon represented by a new star that holds a collage of memorable words.


• The Full Cold Moon; or the Full Long Nights Moon - December During this month the winter cold fastens its grip, and nights are at their longest and darkest. It is also sometimes called the Moon before Yule. The term Long Night Moon is a doubly appropriate name because the midwinter night is indeed long, and because the Moon is above the horizon for a long time. The midwinter full Moon has a high trajectory across the sky because it is opposite a low Sun.

Christmas Tree 2006

Time to hang the tree!
You mean stockings.
No... We hang our tree.
I don't get it.
Well, here it is. Our hung tree.

Christmas Star

My first full day at home in over a month! Christmas started to come out of the boxes and the delicate wooden star went back to the front window. Christmas has begun.

Frozen Pond

Geese situate themselves around the only remaining open water on the pond. There is a bit of surprise as I rediscover that cold weather running feels better than it should. Tomorrow will be the one-year maker for this blog.

to Bemidji to home

Bemidji, MN, the NW Minnesota Synod’s Jr. High Youth Gathering. Over a thousand kids and I get to play speaker. For me, as an educator, the irony of Picking up a microphone to speak I know has the least retention rate for the listeners. Add a hot band, lots of fancy lights, a smoke machine, a bishop, happy high school leaders, and it’s not so bad. I’m really a small group process person. Some how I have learned to intertwine the same techniques that seem to work in the small group to the use of a microphone. Give me a thousand Jr. High kids and we’ll have fun.

Monday morning, dishes in the dishwasher, clothes in the washer, drinking coffee by the fire with two happy cats. I’m home. It’s time to get ready for a run.

Cert School: Day 12 & 13

Dr. Nate takes a break from teaching theology to help load wood.
Such a great expereince, with a great new family.

One person described the expereince as an atmosphere where everything that is taught is also lived and modeled.Goodbye to the Mountains.

Cert School: Day 11

Everyday has its highlights. Dave Jarvis, camp director of Rainbow Trail, worked with us in the morning on outdoor ministry possibilities. The afternoon challenge is called the Dangling Duo. Each rung is a half-foot higher than the last. You can use each other to climb on but cannot touch the cable or the ropes. I made it, but it was Joan who pulled me up. I really didn’t expect to make it, but somehow found myself at the top. In the evening we gave a house blessing to Greg, Audrey and Micah. (We suspect we will hear of an added member of the their family today as they were headed to the hospital last night.) We feel a part of their family after being with them for three weeks.

Colorado Weekend

Andrea and I got to play tourist for a couple of days, Royal Gorge, Manitou Springs, Garden of the Gods and a number of artist shops sprinkled with a little snow made for a nice weekend before returning.

Cert School: Day 9 & 10

My personal favorite instructor, Andrea, passionate and enthusiastically works through family systems, sexuality, and hands-on practical family ministry.

Cert School: Day 8

Linda and gifts based ministry
Food and more food, certainly topping most camp cuisine.
High ropes challenges... but I will be making the airport runs down to Colorado Springs, still half sick I did take in Little Miss Sunshine.

Cert School: Day 7

More with Linda! Adventures in the woods! I'm way behind with a cold that just won't go away.

Oh... #$%^&*(#!

Cert School: Day 6

After a short day and half break we are back at it. Linda Staats joining us to share the foundations of youth and family ministry. Since the moon rises and sunrises seem to be so amazing we got a chance to take a look through the telescope.