Cleaning, Cleaning, Cleaning

I've never seen my wife happier! We are cleaning all weekend. The girls have gone to Grandma's and we have less than 48 hours to make this house ready for Baby Boy. (No, we have not agreed on a name yet. :) See my wife's blog for the latest on that.

Seriously though, a whole weekend dedicated to cleaning...on the happiness scale, this is up there with our wedding day. No joke. She's like giddy the whole time... "and what if we do this?" "Do you think we should move this here?" "We should put some shelves there."

We'll have some pics soon...because this my friends, is a memorable weekend. It's pre-baby nesting at its best!

Death By Suburb

As a staff, we are all reading different books about the suburbs. When we go to staff meeting today, we will each give a synopsis of what we read in our book and then we'll enter into discussion about our current suburban context. We started this last week and it was a very enlightening conversation. Our Connections Pastor Brandon Baca started doing some great research on our area and brought it to our meeting. It was amazing to hear some of the statistics he shared.

So my reading is from a book called Death By Suburb. Just seeing the cover intrigued me and I was really drawn to dive into it!

So far, I would equate it to a "light" version of the Celebration of Discipline by Foster. It's basically an exploration of how to engage in the spiritual disciplines while living in suburbia.

However, this guy really starts to shine a bright light on the veneer of suburbia. He has no problem calling a spade a spade and including himself in the mix. In fact, he sort of tells on himself the first 3 chapters. He's refreshingly vulnerable.

Here's a great quote from the book. "The suburbs tend to produce inverse spiritual cripples. Suburbia is a flat world, in which the edges are clearly defined and the mysterious ocean is rarely explored. Every decision gets planned out, like the practice of registering at retail stores for one's wedding gifts. Only tragedy truly surprises."

How true is that last statement! We're so prone to predictability in our lives. We're prone to worship safety and accomplishment. We covet the neighbor's house and cars. We compete with each other through the accomplishments of our children. It's only when tragedy comes knocking on the door that we're awakened from our slumber. I like that Goetz is trying to give some avenues for living what he calls "The Thicker Life" in our suburban context.

Chores After Kids

Not that I've ever been that great around the house in the first place...

But man, I really stink now that we have kids. I'll preface this one by saying I am not a night person at all. Truth be told, I could crash every night at 8:30 if this world allowed me too. :) However, I live in reality and it's a rare night that Mel and I go to sleep before 10:00.

That being said...there are many things that are piling up around the house that only I can do. Like, take the kid clothes stuffed, highly wife-organized Rubbermaid bins to the attic so they don't obstruct the walkway in our master bedroom. Or attempt to annihilate the growing weed population in my backyard. Put safety covers on all the outlets that have plugs (this is a big one cause I have to turn off the power to each outlet, then unscrew the current fixture, screw the new one on...etc). I need to clean the garage and add shelving to the laundry room. This is just the short list.

Needless to say, most of these are best achieved when the girls are sleeping. That means it either happens after 8:00 at night (the dead zone for me) or early in the morning before they wake. I used to have no problem waking early, but for some reason, I do now. Major sleep deprivation is my excuse.

So...at 5:00 a.m. this morning, I was removing caulk from our shower. I hate caulk. And it's like this mad sprint to get it done before the girls wake up.

Mel and I are so different...she will stay up to till 2:00 a.m. cleaning (like last night). I just look at her in sheer amazement, while I crawl into bed.

Overall, I'm still trying to learn how to fit all my house duties into my schedule now that the kids are here. They don't do well around weed eaters.

New Transform Website

An organization called Transform Ministries that I'm a part of with my friend Casey Cease has launched their new website! Check it out when you get a chance...click the image below

Designer Replacement

Ok...so a while back our church lost our graphic designer. He's pretty incredible and is now working at a great place that lets him drink beer while he works. Hilarious. But since he's been gone, I've become his shoddy replacement.

Anyhow, 98% of our graphic design has fallen into my court these days. That includes the big jobs that you want to look good...stuff that actually represents your church. So, Phil has now become my 24 hour Adobe Support (via Ichat) and Aaron is my inspirataion for photography and shots like this.

But even with these great mentors at my disposal, there are some things I just can't achieve in the time frame necessary, without the proper tools. So...I have invested in my first Wacom Intuos Pad. (Notice it says for the "serious photographer and designer," that's me...very serious. Serious doesn't equate good though!)


I wish I had this tool a little earlier so this current series graphic wouldn't have taken me so long!

So...we have a new series with Crossbridge coming up soon. When Chuck and I discussed where we wanted to go with the logo, I knew I couldn't make it happen without the Wacom Pad. Once I get it done, I'll try and post it! Aaron, keep posting pictures so I can bite off your work. Phil, don't ever close out Ichat.

Pancakes and Princesses

So last night I got to have pancakes with my 3 Princesses. Soon, we will have one little warrior to add to the mix, but for now, it was a very "pretty" evening. My wife heard that IHOP was having National Pancake Night yesterday. We all got a free stack of pancakes...it was a glorious thing. Truly, one of my favorite foods in the world...and it was free. The service was terrible, but have you ever had good service at IHOP? Anyhow, it was good to be out with my girls...and good to have it for free. You should try it next year!

Don't Judge Too Quickly

A friend of mine sent me some of the new Ameriquest Videos. These are classic...it's been a while since I've seen some good commercials. Superbowl kinda let me down this year.

Double Dipping

What do you do at 1:30 a.m. when you're up with your sick 3 year old? You blog while you hope the cool bath brings her fever down.

I'll be attending a Super Bowl party on Sunday with some friends of mine. Now thanks to this article, this is all I'll be thinking about.

On Sunday, millions of Americans will be plopped in front of big-screen TVs watching the Super Bowl — and, yes — stuffing their faces with chips, dip and anything else they can get their hands on.

So, this brings up the question: Is double dipping really that bad?

A new study by Clemson University set out to answer that exact question.

According to The New York Times, the study was inspired by an episode of "Seinfeld" in which the character George Costanza is confronted at a funeral reception after dipping the same chip twice.

Clemson University food microbiologist Paul Dawson said he proposed the study to get undergraduate students involved in scientific research. A team of nine students had volunteers bite a wheat cracker and dip the cracker for three seconds into a tablespoon of dip, it was reported.

They repeated the process with new crackers, for a total of either three or six double dips per dip sample. The team then analyzed the remaining dip and counted the number of aerobic bacteria in it. The students found that on average, three to six double dips transferred about 10,000 bacteria from the eater’s mouth to the remaining dip, the Times reported.

"The way I would put it is, before you have some dip at a party, look around and ask yourself, 'would I be willing to kiss everyone here?' Because you don’t know who might be double-dipping, and those who do are sharing their saliva with you," Dawson told the Times.

The study is set to be published later this year in the Journal of Food Safety.

Wow...

How they find my blog...someone Googled: "unintentional love bite" and ended up here. Don't know what that says about my blog, but thanks for visiting. :)

Here's what they found - Love Bites

Worship and the Arts

So, one thing I'm stoked about with our new building at Crossbridge is that we will be able to incorporate other artistic expressions in worship. We have tried over the years to bring stuff such as painting, photography and drama into our services, but they always seem to fall short because our cafeteria lacks any sort of creative vibe. It's like one big blank room with windows and cinder block walls.

I plan on assembling some teams of artists within our church to help bring the arts to a more prominent place in our worship environments. Music has obviously always had a place; it's a part of the Bible Belt worship culture. However, some of my more moving worship experiences have been void of music and full of other artistic expressions. Not to negate music, it's still one of my favs!

I do believe this will only serve to help expand our people's view of worship as well. I love to hear the stories of worship behind paintings and photographs. I love to hear how people prepare themselves to read scripture...they actually ask me in advance for the reading so they can practice! I want to pour gas on the fires and passions that burn within these artists...I just need an avenue to do so. And that is coming soon...

Finally...the wait will soon be over!

www.nkotb.com

Can You Lend Me Your Kidney?

This dude goes to my church...amazing story and an amazing man! Check it out!

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/sixel/5480871.html

First Video IChat

Had my first Video IChat today. Pretty amazing. I think I may never leave my office now...but then I could only Pastor people that have Macs...that might not be such a bad idea. :) Funny thing was, I chatted with my friend Pablo as he was sitting right next to me...then we got his brother-in-law Ernie in on the action. It took some coercing because he was in class at U of H. But yes, in the middle of lecture, there was Ernie on IChat Video. We proceeded to try as hard as we could to get him to laugh out loud. It was classic.

The whole time, I couldn't stop thinking about the days I spent working at Office Depot in High School and my first year of college. I remember there was this revolutionary new phone that allowed you to see each other via camera. The video quality was beautifully choppy and fuzzy; the machine was as big as an Apple IIE. We kept it in a big plastic case up front to keep people from damaging the state of the art piece. It was priced well over a $1000, you had to sign up for a specific phone plan, and the other person had to have the same machine. Keep in mind, it was just a telephone with a screen and camera. No computer. Definitely not portable. I wonder what those people that bought it for over $1000 think now?

Know What You're Doing...

Side note for all you bloggers...if you decide to play with your blog template, know what you're doing. :) I was trying to make a tweak on my blog (not knowing HTML very well) and I lost my entire template! Hopefully I'll get everything back I lost. I wanted to punch my screen...but my computer is only a couple days old...and that's another blog entry I would not like to elaborate on right now. I'll give you a hint though...I spent 3 hours of my life last week having the passenger side window on my Jeep replaced. (Which included the removal of about 3 lbs. of Duct Tape).

Worship Through the Eyes of an Unbeliever

I often wonder what unbelievers might think of our worship gatherings on Sunday mornings. I think the longer we are Christians, the harder it is for us to remember what it was like when we were far from Christ.

Our worship environment is pretty open to people's individual response to what God is doing in their heart. It's not uncommon to see people raising their hands, kneeling, or crying throughout entire songs. At the same time, there can be someone on the next row with his hands in his pockets looking very uncomfortable.

And we're supposed to somehow craft a worship gathering that encompasses these two polar opposites. Sometimes I see how the "seeker" route became so attractive for churches during the late 90's. Simply cater to one group on Sundays and another group midweek. Eliminate the dilemma of making unbelievers feel "uncomfortable" and believers feel spoon fed.

So what do unbelievers, non-convinced people think when they are in an environment like ours? We just kind of go after God and hope that He shows Himself to them. I do talk to the "newcomers" and try to let them know what to expect. Our Pastor speaks directly to both groups of people and does so effectively. But do they look at us with our hands in the air or sobbing in on the second row and think: "What a bunch of Freaks!"

I don't know. It's messy...but it's good. Have you guys ever asked someone that's not a believer how they experience our worship gatherings? What kind of responses have you heard?

Worship and Suburbia

Our church staff has been in deep discussions for a while now about how to approach ministry within our context. We all have this love hate relationship with Suburbia. Everyone loves the perks of Suburbia, but everyone hates what Suburbia produces in us and the people we lead.

I’ve recently had a few conversations regarding worship in our context. For the purpose of this post, we’ll use the word worship to refer to our Sunday morning gatherings. Though I know that’s a mentality we’re trying to battle…that "worship is just what we do on Sunday mornings, " it will help for me not to have clarify every sentence I write here. ☺

Anywhere that I have led worship, my foremost thought after “What does God want to do here?” is “Who and Where am I leading?” This question helps me immediately put up a filter by which to make decisions about our worship gatherings.

I must say that this question permeates our thinking as a staff on a regular basis. We whole-heartedly seek God’s direction for where we’re going. Then we immediately consider our context. Do we claim to be experts on our culture…no, but we do think we have a pretty good tap on it.

So what do our worship gatherings look like in Suburbia? What is our aim on any given Sunday morning? Are we out to put on a “show,” or are we trying to lead people to God? Seems if you do anything that smells of production…you’re putting on a show. Try to create an environment that is creative and conducive to reflection…you’re manipulating people and not allowing God to show how He can work even in a sterile environment. Try to buy a building that will allow you a place to “ground” your ministry and people say, “can’t we just go worship in a field?”

The context of Suburbia must be considered when planning. Scripture confirms that (1 Cor 9:22). A balance must be found between letting it rule your thoughts and letting it be a factor that you consider in your planning. It’s easy to replace God with what we think is best for our culture. It’s easy to do what other churches do in Suburbia and miss how God wants you to reach Suburbia.

Church culture drives me crazy at times. What’s Fellowship, Lifechurch.Tv, MarsHill, Willowcreek, or Northpoint doing? “That must be where it’s at!”…Those are great churches and they are having an incredible impact reaching Suburbia in the way God is leading them . But honestly…I can’t sing U2. It would be rather humorous to listen to. But yet I’m called to a similar people as those in Grapevine, TX. I’ve been refreshed lately by watching some other churches and well respected leaders not cave to the system.

I don’t have all the answers, but I do have a heart for reaching my community…in Suburbia. In one of the safest cities in America. ☺

8 Weeks Away

Well, we're 8 weeks away from the due date...and the support is growing for Cash. Many people are already calling the baby by that name. Loving it. And pictures of baby clothes. This is really fun. :) Thanks Erin C.

Princess Waffle Night

Mommy is out at her MomTime group tonight. So it's me and the girls...and Princess Waffle Night! The girls are excited, Polar Express is on and the waffle iron is hot. Will let you know how it goes!

So, here are the pics from our Princess Waffle Night! What a blast...the girls were stoked about having breakfast at night time. Grandma Carolyn gave the girls this Waffle Maker that makes a picture of a princess and a prince on your waffle.

Big girl kept telling me... "Papi, be careful, don't cut the King!" As you can see below, she liked it so much she kept giving it kisses! Good times!

Christmas at the Barosh House

Christmas was a blast at our house this year. I loved every minute of it. My wife took the kiddos through some great Biblical stories using the Jesse Tree to help keep us focused on Jesus throughout the season. Christmas morning was really fun as the kids got three gifts, just like Jesus did. This year was the year of the bike. It was hilarious and still is. Here are a few pics of the girls.

Me and Ross King (Part 2)

So, I know it’s been a while since I’ve blogged. If you want to know the truth, the time that Mel and I usually blog has been consumed with watching season six of 24! Soon as the girls go down, we’re in bed and Jack Bauer is doing his thing. During the actual TV season, my wife and I don’t have the patience to wait for commercials, let alone an entire week between episodes. So, we watch 24 Marathon-style when it comes out on DVD. 2 more episodes tonight and we’re done. It’s bittersweet!


On New Years Day, my wife and I got a much needed night out! We actually went to a house concert that Ross King was doing here in the area. Just Ross and a percussion player. Though there was not one “worship” song in the evening, it was one of the more worshipful times I’ve experienced in a long time. Thanks to Pablo and Iris for the invite!

I got to chat with Ross a bit after the concert. The dude is about as real as they come and you can tell he walks with God. There are people that quote scripture when they talk – “Well you know…it says in Colossians 3 that…” Then there are people that scripture is just a part of their life. They can’t have a conversation without it somehow oozing into their vocabulary. There’s a humility in the way that they talk about scripture. This was my encounter with Ross.

We covered the entire spectrum from worship culture to multi-site churches. From our weaknesses as worship pastors to rock star worship leaders. It was good and honest conversation.

On a side note, I bought 15 of his newest CD “Perhaps I’ve Said to Much” because I want to give them away to some people. He’s addressing so many things that our church deals with and I want people to sit, listen, and think. I want the words to stir their hearts like they have mine. Like they did for Mel as I looked over in the middle of the concert and she’s in tears during the song Non-Religious Me.

Thanks Ross for a great night of worship through song and reflection.