agnosticallyposi+ive

AXiS Backstory Pt. 2

2009-01-22T08:03:00.001-08:00

After a year with the Bryan College Worldview Team, God uprooted Kim and I by suddenly offering me a position at the Focus on the Family Institute as the Associate Director of Admissions. So, in June of 2005 we began a totally different journey. I wasn't teaching worldview to students, but was instead encouraging college student leaders to attend FFI to spend a semester learning from faculty members that knew a lot more about the topic of worldview than I did. I saw this as much more of a support role, but realized that I was still making a difference in people's lives by encouraging them to invest in their lives through a semester at FFI. God taught me so much during this time. I was humbled. I was challenged. I was given the opportunity to lead in a different way than I had led before. I was able to lead as a big brother while rock climbing, hiking, camping, studying the Bible, hanging out and just being there for students.

In the middle of my 3 1/2 years at FFI I had an idea and met a dude. I realized the need for a worldview ministry that would speak to high school and college students in the west (Bryan's team primarily targets the southeast). I knew I could not get this started on my own especially with a full-time job at FFI. God gave me a sign that he wanted me to start this thing, even though I didn't have the time to make it happen, when He introduced me to David Eaton, who is now a great friend.

It all started at a lunch at Chick-Fil-A (I could eat the #1 meal every day if I had to), when David was a student at FFI. I dropped the what-was-yet-to-be-known-as-AXiS bomb on him. You need to know this about David... He just graduated with a degree in engineering from LeTourneau University and this is the first time we ever did lunch together. When David heard about this idea, he was stunned. He then told me that he had been feeling lead by the Holy Spirit to do something like this instead of going on to get an engineering related job (which he could have done quite easily and made a nice starting salary right out of college)¹ . David then proceeded to show me some journal notes that he had written recently that confirmed to both of us that this conversation was not a mistake, but is what one might call a divine appointment. God is good!

It is now almost three years since that providential meeting at Chickfila and the idea we talked about at that time is now a full-fledged 501(c)3 non-profit called AXiS. AXiS has spoken to more than 10,000 people since the team started traveling in August of 2007.

It is January 2009 and God has once again taken me and changed my life by moving me on to another new adventure. I knew that I would one day probably be working for AXiS full time, but did not envision that happening for at least another year. God had other ideas. I was very sad and could have been quite discouraged when I lost my job at Focus. For some reason, though, I have felt at peace since losing my job. I take this as a good sign that this is what the Lord wants me to be doing. I don't know how He will provide for the Callihan fam as AXiS currently doesn't have any money to pay a salary for me. I know that it is what I am supposed to be doing, and am excited to see what the Lord is going to do. The cool thing is that Kim was more about me taking this leap of faith than I was. So, we are in this together and watching to see God change us through this move of faith. Stay tuned...

Notes

David in the last two years has made 5k and 18k respectively. He has sacrificed a ton, but has made a huge impact in the process. Back^

AXiS Backstory Pt. 1

2009-01-21T21:01:00.001-08:00

I'm gonna do it! I'm finally going to tell everyone about AXiS! Go visit AXiS' website. Ok, there you go. That is all you need to know.

But seriously, you will know a lot about AXiS by visiting the website. I'm gonna share with you the history and motivation for the creation of AXiS...

I consider myself to have been a pretty apathetic teenager. Yes, I was involved in the teen leadership team in my church youth group, and I always had a job. But, all I really cared about when I was between the ages of 14 and 18 was basketball, having fun, and finding a girlfriend. I found a girlfriend (whom I eventually married), finished my basketball career and had a lot of fun in the process of progressing from 14 to 18 years of age.

My life drastically changed the summer that my parents made me and paid for me to attend Summit Ministries @ Bryan College right after I turned 18. At Summit I learned that I had not effectively thought about my faith and why I believed what I believed. I learned that I didn't know much, and I learned that there were a lot of intelligent Christians (my age and older) doing a lot of cool things out there. I always believed in Jesus, but was never really motivated to live like He existed. My first time attending Summit began the process that is still continuing to this day of learning to love Christ and make a difference for him in this world.

I attended Summit in Manitou Springs again the following summer when I was 19. I then went on staff every consecutive summer afterwards through 2004 at the Summit @ Bryan College. In the middle of these summer stints as a staff member at Summit I attended the Focus on the Family Institute as a 21 year old college junior. By this time, learning to understand how to have a consistent Biblical Christian worldview became a real part of my life. Being able to hear from amazing Christian leaders speak on the topic of worldview in relation to all of life became a regular part of my summers. Then by attending the Focus Institute in the fall of 2002, I was able to spend a full semester of intensive training to solidify my faith. I was able to integrate my worldview knowledge with how I would effectively raise a family and practically be a Godly leader.

With these tools in my belt, I was a month from graduating college in 2004 prepared to go to law school. God had a different idea for me. I was always interested in the idea of the Bryan College Worldview Team, and then I found out that they were hiring a new Associate Director for the team. After much prayer, I made the decision to completely change the trajectory of my life and apply to teach worldviews to high school students instead of getting a degree in law. That is what I did for the next year of my life. During this year with the Worldview Team I learned that I thoroughly enjoy the topic of worldview and I also love encouraging students to think and love God with their actions.

TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW...

Read Scripture w/ Me!

2009-01-11T08:43:00.001-08:00

I have had a Scripture reading calendar that I have made for myself for the past 3 years. I have been privileged to read Scripture together with a small group of dudes every semester at FFI. I have found a one year Bible reading calendar @ http://www.YouVersion.com/1yearbible. YouVersion is a tool of lifechurch.tv.

This is how I will be reading Scripture for the next year. In the past I made my own Excel document manually. This is much easier and better because I will be able to read on the same schedule as thousands of other people every day. Please join me in reading on this calendar. If you don't have a quiet-time option. Consider doing this with me. One more recommendation is to set up a daily journal while you read. Write down questions you have, praises, prayers, doubts, etc... It will really help strengthen you in your faith. Reading Scripture is the foundation for how you can move from apathy to action. So, make it happen!

Happy Sunday!

AXiS and the New Challenge!

2009-01-07T18:30:00.000-08:00

More than a month ago I promised I would tell you all about AXiS. I know you are all just so excited to hear about it. Being the rude person that I am, I will make you wait until the last half of this blog to let you know more about it.

First off, I have an announcement. Bankroll please (drums are overrated)...

My position of Associate Director of Admissions was eliminated as of Monday 1/5/09¹. I gotta admit, it was pretty surprising, but at the same time I was not surprised. I want to talk about a few things:

1. The place that I have worked for the last 3 1/2 years - the Focus on the Family Institute has had such an amazing impact on my life. I was a student back in the fall of 2002 where I learned so much about how to be a leader, how to love my family and how to understand more about the foundations of the Christian faith. The relationships I built while a student with my fellow students and the staff members has impacted me to this day.

While on staff for the last 3+ years, I was able to meet and hang out with 11 classes of amazing young Christian leaders from around the world. Some of these students I now call close friends. I believe I was ministered to by these students more than I could have possibly ministered to them. I feel so priviledged to have been able to "recruit" many of these students to such an amazing program for the last three years. Wow!

Finally, I will never forget the relationships that I have built with my co-workers. We have been through a lot together in the last 3 1/2 years. I really believe that we have been like a family and hope it stays that way, even after I leave. We have supported eachother through sickness, hurt, and even deaths of those that we have loved. Plus we have had a ton of fun together. I am so thankful to have known all the amazing people that have worked at FFI for the time that I have been here.

2. You might think from reading the last paragraph that this news has been easy to take and that I am so excited! Well, that is not completely true. I am pretty scared to expiration (I didn't want to talk about death here, oh wait...). I was not really expecting this at this time and so have been thrown for a little loop. I feel like I am still having a quasi bad dream since I heard the news, but I know that God has been orchestrating stuff. There are a lot of little things that have already happened that show me and Kim that He is going to take care of us. I'm excited to look back and see what God is going to do by the end of 2009. My feeling is that it is good. Finally, being laid off is not the worst thing in the world. God promises to take care of us. I know that many people are going through a lot worse right now and my prayers go out to them².

3. Now you are wondering, "what the junk is Jeremiah going to do next and can I have his job."

Let me me address the latter thought first, my job got eliminated people, that means you can't apply for it. It was a sweet job while it lasted. And don't ask me why Focus elminated that position, cause I have NO idea (please hear me saying that in a really happy tone).

On to the former, Kim and I have a plan. First of all, I did get a severance package, so that's a bonus. That will be enough to pay for about 7 meals for Elijah³. Once Elijah eats those 7 meals and we are all out of money, we will need some form of income. Luckily for us, Kim is a nurse, and when there is a 2 trillion dollar bailout of all the bankrupt hospitals in the country, she will have job security. Booyah! Can you say "stay at home dad?" I can't. I need to do everything in my power to make some money, cause I would hate being Mr. Mom. That is code for, "Kim is amazing and God has gifted her with amazing patience and love for all of mankind (even me), so thank you and I love you Kim! Oh, and Neo and Lijey, it's me, not you."

That leads us to AXiS! I will be working full time for AXiS as an "administrative missionary." What that means is that I won't be necessarily on the front lines ministering to students one on one right now, but I will be equipping and building up the ministry for maximum impact. My title is Executive Director of Administration which means I will be taking over a lot of the administrative type tasks from David Eaton, so that he can focus on traveling and speaking. Some of my main roles will involve scheduling AXiS events, marketing, and fundraising. I love to be behind the scenes, but know that God is making a difference through me. Sounds cliche, but I totally mean that. I'm glad HE moved me away from FFI, because I probably would have never left on my own. I'm excited to see what God is going to do with AXiS this year.

Welp, I've now at least mentioned AXiS at the end of this post, but still have not told you anything about it. Guess that will be the next post. Stay tuned...

Notes

Message de-code = I just got laid off. Back^

If you think of it, please lift a gal named Angie and her family up in prayer. She was just in a bad accident as has been in a coma for a few days. She is an Focus Institute alumni and we are all praying for a miracle and God's will to be done. Back^

Last month Elijah ate a double cheeseburger at McDonalds while mom and Neo shared one double cheeseburger - he is only 11 months old. This is very scary! Back^

Things Rick Warren Said...

2008-12-28T07:30:00.000-08:00

I really am having a lot of fun on vacation in NY! Despite how much fun I'm having, I found myself spending yesterday's "wake-up-time," (where I either play a video game or turn on the TV), watching the ever-exciting C-SPAN. I have no idea why the TV got stuck on C-SPAN, because I don't think I have ever watched more than 2 minutes of it at one time, ever.

I haven't read Purpose Driven Life, and I'm kind of neutral about Obama's selection of Rick Warren to pray at the Inauguration. I am, however, a bigger Warren fan after I watched this 30ish minute speech that he gave to the Muslim Public Affairs Committee on December 20th. I know it's a long video, but I think if you give it the time, you will be challenged, encouraged, and maybe learn a little bit more about who might be one of the Christian leaders that could step up and lead the Church for the next 15 to 20 years.

Here's what I thought of the speech:

1) I think it is really cool that Warren got invited to a Muslim event. I think it is cooler that he got a standing ovation at the end of his speech.

2) I really liked how Warren did not back down from his Christian beliefs. I do think he tamed it a little bit, but he was not ashamed to talk about Jesus and the Bible. I am sure that whoever hired Warren to speak at this event told him they wanted an "inter-faith dialogue." What I learned from this speech is that it is important to be yourself. If people already know what you believe, then you should not be ashamed. If people don't know what you believe, you probably should start telling people.

3) I thought it was really cool to hear how Rick tithes 90%+ of his income. He and his wife had tithed an additional 1% a year every year since they got married before they hit it rich with the Purpose Driven Life book(s). I thought he talked about this fact in a very humble way, especially in light of him talking about how a leader needs to have real, not false, humility. This approach definitely challenged me.

4) I really liked when Warren said, "You know what I discovered? When you meet people, you like 'em. It's easy to hate somebody you've never met. It's almost impossible not to like 'em." He said this right after talking about Melissa Etheridge (the famous rocker, who is an outspoken lesbian). Do you think it is a fair statement to say that when you meet people you like them?

What do you all think of this speech? If you don't want to take the time to watch the speech, what do you think of Rick Warren? Do you think he "toes the line" too often or do you think he does a good job of representing what Biblical Christians in the public sphere should be like? Based on this speech alone (since I don't know much else about the guy), I found that I kinda like him.

Happy New Year!

We'll Miss You Grams!

2008-12-26T04:13:00.000-08:00

Many of you might have noticed that I have not been posting on my blog much in the last three weeks. Things have gotten kind of crazy. More than three weeks ago, Gramma (my mom's mom) got sick with a really bad infection. She was 90. Grams passed away a week ago Thursday. Her funeral was last Sunday (December 21). Thanks to all who prayed for her and us.

Because of Gramma's passing, I have been thinking a lot about death and life. It has been really interesting having someone close to me pass away during Christmas time (this is a first for me although I am sure many of you readers have experienced it). It is such a unique juxtaposition celebrating the birth of Christ and the death of someone you love.

Random paragraph: I watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Button last night, which is all about life and death. Watching that movie was a really good chance for me to reflect on both my life and the lives of those that I love and have loved that are not around any more. If you get a chance I highly recommend the movie. The really weird thing about this movie is that the main character was born the same year that my grandmother was born - 1918. Strange coincidence?

Well, I told you that I would be posting more selections from 1000 Inspirational Things. Here is one that I found regarding death. I love philosophy and this is a great observation on death from a unique perspective.

Belief In Immortality

By: Plato

When speaking of divine perfection, we signify that God is just and true and loving, the author of order, not disorder, of good, not evil. We signify that he is justice, that he is truth, that he is love, that he is order, that he is the very progress of which we were speaking; and that wherever these qualities exist, whether in the human soul or in the order of nature, there God exists. We might still see him everywhere, if we had not been mistakenly seeking for him apart from us, instead of in us; away from the laws of nature, instead of in them. And we become united, not by mystical absorption, but by partaking of that truth and justice and love which He himself is.

Therefore the belief in immortality depends finally upon the belief in God. If there exists a good and wise God, then there also exists a progress of mankind towards perfection; and if there be no progress of men towards pefection; then there cannot be a good and wise God. We cannot suppose that God's moral government, the beginnings of which we see in the world and in ourselves, will cease when we leave this life.

p. 186

Although he is bordering on a more spiritualistic perspective than I would subscribe to, his conclusion is a very interesting take on the contingency of death if there is a God. I like the idea of thinking of life and death as "a progress of mankind towards perfection" or as some would call "sanctification." Because I believe God to be good, wise, and real as Plato posited as a possibility, I can think of life as a great opportunity and as one of the main lines in the Benjamin Button movie says, I can "let go" much more easily.

Here is a slideshow that I created on powerpoint and was able to play at Gramma's funeral. I have not been able to figure out how to sync the music, but the transitions are all the same. I know most of you won't be interested in watching this, but hey, it's my blog and I know there are at least 3 people out there who do want to watch it. If I figure out how to attach the music, I will. Happy New Year. We'll miss you in 2009 Grams!

1000 Inspirational Things

2008-12-24T14:15:00.000-08:00

Last week, I stayed at my Aunt Dine's "Tall Furs" Cabin (yes, that is its name). "Tall Furs" is a sweet three year old cabin on Schroon Lake in upstate NY. My childhood is filled with many memories in the Adirondack Mountains. Schroon Lake was one of the places I spent much of my time. Aunt Dine's cabin is new, but it still brings back memories of many smells, sights, and feelings of woodsy winters by the fire with piles of snow outside, the tastes of Gramma's world famous Macaroni and Cheese and Apple Pie, and the sounds of pitch and 14 (northeast card games) playing with siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, and Grams.

This picture is me and my sisters, Bekah (right) and Katie (left), at the famous indoor tree that Shawn (aka - the driftminer and Katie's husband) blogged about a few months ago...

Tall Furs cabin has multiple layers/stories to it (I think four, if you count the drop down living room area, (pictured), the main level, the basement, and the loft (where this picture was taken from).

Aunt Dine and Uncle Phil are all retro in their decorating style for the "Tall Furs." Aunt Dine loves antiques (Especially furniture - see the sweet coffee table? It's old!) while Uncle Phil loves old books (see the shelf of books above?). One particular book that stood out to me while staying at the cabin was:

You might ask yourself why anyone would pick such a book to read, ever!? Exactly! Even if the book didn't have the amazing graphical design on the cover, one should be enthralled by the title, as I was. In between playing Scattegories with Kim and my sisters, I decided to pick up this book. I was pleasantly surprised! Despite the ridiculously desperate title, I found a lot of great stuff in it. Basically, the book is full of inspirational writings (poems, short stories, essays, etc.) by various pre-early 20th Century authors. I will be highlighting a few selections from this wonderfully unassuming book in the next couple of days.

Forgive

By: John Greenleaf Whittier

Forgive, O Lord, our severing ways,

The rival altars that we raise,

The wrangling tongues that mar thy praise!

Thy grace impart! In time to be

Shall one great temple rise to Thee--

Thy Church our broad humanity.

White flowers of love its wall shall climb,

Soft bells of peace shall ring its chime,

Its days shall all be holy time.

A sweeter song shall then be heard,

Confessing, in a world's accord,

The inward Christ, the living Word.

That song shall swell from shore to shore.

One hope, one faith, one love restore

The seamless robe that Jesus wore.

p. 299

Thoughts on the poem anyone?

What's Going Good? - Some Interesting Stuff from Christian Culture...

2008-12-15T20:36:00.001-08:00

So, I have been promising a follow-up to the cultural examples I posted last week. It's about time, huh?

I found this first item about 2 weeks ago and have been wanting to share it ever since. I am sure many of you have heard of it, since their viral marketing campaign seems to be doing really well. The movement is called I Am Second - www.iamsecond.com.

To be honest, it is kind of hard to tell what the strategy behind this campaign is, but the videos are sweet. Many of the videos are testimonies by famous people who have given their lives to Christ. My favorite, because I am a big American Idol fan, is an interview with Jason Castro. He is the guy who did the rendition of the awesome song, "Hallelujah," originally sung by Leonard Cohen (so I just found out - never heard of him:) and I first heard it sung by Jeff Buckley. See what Jason has to say about the importance of Christ in his life. After you check out Jason's video, go look at the I Am Second website and check out some of the other videos on there by people like Joe Gibbs, Brian Head Welch, and others...

The second item I wanted to share with you is an interesting new church I have found. It is a church with a physical geographical location, but it also has a very intentional online focus. It is one of the first virtual/online churches that I have run across.

I became aware of this church when I met a prospective Focus on the Family Institute (FFI) student through Twitter about two weeks ago. After meeting this guy, Suraj (from Canada), I found out that he uses lifechurch.tv as one of his options for church fellowship. The cool thing is that we found out we have a mutual friend, Rod. Rod is from Mississippi and we met a few years ago through through a social networking site. Both of these guys have met online, separated by thousands of miles, but united through a church that has decided to use the internet as it's "local" community. Hopefully both of them will attend FFI someday too:).

I think this is cool and wanted you to all check it out and let me know your thoughts about doing "church" online.

Here's the link (watch the video on the top right corner):

http://www.lifechurch.tv/welcome

I could provide some more commentary. But, I have been literally writing this post for three weeks. So, I am just gonna post it!

Gotta love those airplanes!

2008-12-13T08:22:00.000-08:00

So, I lied about posting yesterday. Merry Christmas!

I will also not be posting the positive follow-ups to Thursday's videos. Will do that soon.

Instead, the Callihan clan is participating in Nehemiah's favorite activity. We are going to the AIRPORT, GOING ON AN ESCELATOR, FLYING IN AN AIRPLANE, and are GOING TO SEE OUR GRANDPARENTS (grams, mimi, grampi, and even some aunts and uncles)!

We are leaving 5 days earlier than anticipated to go to NY to visit my sick gramma.

Nehemiah just said that, "Elijah can sit with Mommy." I then asked him if he will be sitting with daddy. He said, "no, I am sitting with mommy too!" In response I said, "SWEET!"

So, today I ask for prayer for Kim as she will have two boys between the ages of 11 mo. and 2 1/2 years old on her lap while I am reading or napping. Wow, Kim is amazing!

PS - All the stuff about Kim and the boys (except for the quotes) was a lie. Most likely I will have both of them in my lap.

Next post will be from NY. Merry Christmas!

What's Going On? - A Current Reflection on Culture...

2008-12-05T19:35:00.000-08:00

Wow, I haven't posted in a week. Believe me, though, I had every intention to post this last Saturday. Oh how life gets in the way.

For a quick life update... My grandmother is not doing well. Not quite sure how much longer she will be with us. Kim and I and the boys will be flying to NY on Saturday to be with family during this difficult time. This means we will miss the Focus on the Family Institute (where I work) graduation. We'll definitely miss the fall 2008 class. Please pray for all of us. Grams is 90 years old, and has been a "staple" of my family. We all love her very much!

Ok, onto the blog thing... I got a lotta stuff for you. I wanted to highlight four specific items that I have found in the last couple of days.

I initially found the following video on some Christian blogs. It seemed to me that these bloggers posted it as something that they agreed with. I will simply say that I do not agree with the conclusion of this video, but think that it is a very powerful statement that has been and will continue to be getting a lot of attention. It is well done and funny (although might be mildly inappropriate - so, viewer beware). I just wish Christians could do well done and funny as well as these folks...

The next deal is an article highlighting a new tactic by Planned Parenthood. They are giving away holiday gift certificates for any of their services, which includes but is not limited to, abortions. Read for yourself.

http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctpolitics/2008/12/planned_parenth.html

What do you all think of these two recent cultural issues/expressions. Fill out the polls. Post a comment.

My next post (hopefully tomorrow) will be a little more uplifting for me and hopefully for you too.

Sorry for not posting for a week. Thanks for coming back!

To be continued...

Who and What is the Driftminer?

2008-12-05T14:22:00.000-08:00

So, I don't have much to write about.

I could write about Twitter or polling devices like my friends and fellow bloggers, but I don't want to do that.

I considered talking about how amazing the Trans Siberian Orchestra was last night, but my friend Denise has already done that, man I'm too slow!

I feel the need to talk about sickness and death as my grandmother is in the ICU at the hospital, but I don't think I am ready to do that. Please pray for her and my family.

I want to talk about why I appreciate my wife, but want to save that blog post until I have a well-crafted apologetic that will do her amazingness justice. I think of her incredibleness whenever I am home with the kids (like I am now), while she is working as a nurse. She puts up with so much. There is no one I respect more in the world and I hope she knows that! Plus, she is still, to this day, the most beautiful sight I have ever seen!

I promised a post about AXiS, but am gonna save that for another day.

So, with that, I thought I would highlight my amazing brother-in-law's talents. Anyone who likes motion graphics and/or needs help getting some on your sites, check out the below video sample of some of the work he has done recently and if you like it, then check out his website. Shawn Romano is his name and he is the driftminer. Enjoy!

PS - Check out his last blog post about urinals, brilliant and hysterical.

Notes

You can follow me and The Focus on the Family Institute on Twitter.
Back^

Thoughts on Manhood... From an Unlikely Source

2008-12-01T16:59:00.000-08:00

I just watched Lars and the Real Girl (LatRG)¹. It was one of the better movies I have watched recently. I recommend it. LatRG looks at the value of a loving community and how such a community can have an impact on a person in need. I was pleasantly surprised! I know my good friend, Matthew John, has wanted to see LatRG since it was out in the theatres. I don't know if he ever did. If he didn't, it should be the next movie on his list.

I would like to talk about one of the scenes in the LatRG that really stood out to me. It dealt with the question, "What does it mean to be a man?" It implied that this question is the same as, "What does it mean to be an adult." In a simple, yet profound way, I thought this particular clip in LatRG did a great job of showing the reality of what it means to be a man (or an adult), if you will.

I actually found a partial clip from the movie and will intro and outro the embedded clip with some additional dialogue that is important in finishing the thought...

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Lars: I was talking to Bianca [the real girl], and she was saying that in her culture they have these rites of passages and rituals and ceremonies. Just all kinds of things, you know, that when you do them, at least when your done, if you live through them, that you know that you’re an adult. Doesn’t that sound great?

Oliver (Lars’ brother): It does.

Oliver: You know, you should ask Dagmar [Lars’ doctor].

Lars: I did ask Dagmar, and she said that I should ask you.

Oliver: Ok, you know. I can only give you my opinion.

Lars: That’s all I want.

Oliver: Well, its not like you’re all one thing or the other, okay? There’s still a kid inside, but you grow up when you decide to do right, okay? And not what’s right for you, [but] what’s right for everybody. Even when it hurts.

Lars: Okay, like what?

Oliver: Like, you know, like, you don’t jerk people around, you know. And you don’t cheat on your woman. And you take care of your family, you know. You admit when you’re wrong, or you try to, anyways. That’s all I can think of, you know. It sounds like it’s easy and for some reason it’s not.

Lars: I know, because nothing’s easy.

Oliver: It’s like the old man. He didn’t have to take care of two kids alone. He could have given us to an orphanage or something. You know, people do that. But he loved us and he tried to do right even though he didn’t know how, and even though he had a broken heart.

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Many people have a hard time defining the difference between a man and a boy or an adult and a child. Of course there is more to it than what this dialogue shows, but I kinda like leaving it this simple - a man is someone who will...

"Do right."

UPDATE - So, it turns out my good friend, Matthew H. John, hadn't watched LatRG yet, UNTIL last night (thanks to my blog post reminding him that the movie still exists outside of the theatres). He has done the "review" thing and it is quite well said. Check it out here. Also, my other good friend, Barton Stone has some really excellent things to say about LatRG in my comment section, check it out too! - UPDATE DONE!

Notes

If you see the movie or have already seen it, let me know your thoughts Back^

You Can't Have Whatever You Like...(Part 2)

2008-11-30T14:13:00.000-08:00

So, back to what Nehemiah said in the van. As Kim was getting into the car, the radio was on and Nehemiah got kind of excited by the song that was playing. Kim changed the channel and Nehemiah, in classic two year old fashion, started throwing a fit. He said something to the effect of, "Mommy, change it back, that is Daddy's lie song." Nehemiah and I had listened to this song more than a month ago. At the time I told him, "You can't have whatever you like, Nehemiah, that is a LIE." Hearing this story from Kim brought to mind several thoughts including:

1. How in the world did Nehemiah remember a song that he heard once, and in addition remember the conversation we had about the song? Kids are smarter than we think and remember more than we think. Be careful!

2. Despite the fact that I don't even know if Nehemiah understands the concept of a lie, he remembered that Daddy said that what this song says is a lie. Kind of cool, huh?!

3. In realizing the content of this song, I am wondering how careful I need to be about the kind of music I let my children listen to.

In regards to #3, I would love to get some interaction from anyone reading this post.¹ What do you think? I am teetering between two options. Do I listen to music that is not overtly inappropriate (as T.I.'s song contains much inappropriate content, but upon a casual listen, one does not pick that content up), and talk to my children about the incorrect views within the lyric? Or, should I avoid listening to such music with my children altogether? Another way to look at it is, can/should I carefully chose songs that I can appropriately use with my children as teaching tools of what culture teaches? Or, should I avoid letting my children hear this music at all costs?

I would love to hear thoughts of any of you parents out there. Non-parents, you are welcome to chime in as well as you are the future parents of America. Parenting is so much fun, but with so many decisions to be made and a lot of responsibility to consider.

Notes

I would love for this blog to be more of a communal conversation than simply me saying stuff. Back^

You Can't Have Whatever You Like...(Part 1)

2008-11-29T17:02:00.000-08:00

The other day Kim was bringing the boys on one of Nehemiah and Elijah's favorite pastimes - a ride in the van - and then Nehemiah said something...¹

Well, let's back-track a little bit. Because of my involvement in the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization called AXiS (I guess I will need to explain what AXiS is in an upcoming post, huh?), I listen to a lot of music on the radio. I listen to try to hear what the new and popular songs are that contain worldview content. For every song that has worldview content, there are about 100 songs that don't have any content worth speaking of. This is not to say that the songs that do have blatant worldview content in them are edifying and easy to listen to.

One of the popular songs that AXiS has used as we have spoken to high school students around the country this year is called Whatever You Like by T.I. (he's a hip/hop artist that is very popular with the kids and the non-kids, too). Whether you have made an attempt or not, you have probably heard this song on the radio in your car, at a bowling alley, at McDonalds, or maybe even at church. Here are some of the lyrics that are appropriate enough to share:

Stacks on Deck
Patrone on Ice
And we can pop bottles all night
Baby you can have whatever you like (you like)
I said you can have whatever you like (you like)

In addition to talking about a very materialistic ideal, this song is very sexual in nature. This exemplifies a hedonistic kind of naturalism.² With that said, luckily, at first listen, it is very difficult to pick up the sexual tone or lyrics of this song (one good thing about today's hip-hop is that you sometimes have to read the lyrics to actually understand what is being said). Talk about a dark culture...

This post is getting kind of long. If you want to find out what Nehemiah said, check out part 2 of this post.

Notes

This time, Nehemiah did actually say this. Back^
Isn't it amazing how such audio-porn can be so prevalent on the radio for anyone to hear? Back^

Black Friday - Dark Culture?

2008-11-28T10:58:00.000-08:00

Since we were thankful yesterday, does that mean we can start being greedy again today?

I think that I am a participant in the "Dark Culture." For the first time ever, Kim woke up this morning to go and be part of the madness that is called "Black Friday." I supported her in this endeavor by "watching" the boys and attempting to clean the house this morning.

I, by no means, think that buying things and showing up for great sales at 4am in the morning is evil. I do think, however, that we focus too much on our pleasureful consumeristic tendencies during the Christmas season. I know enough about myself to know that I am very comfortable with receiving and giving gifts, which goes along with the spending of hundreds of dollars, yen, pounds, euros or whatever on merchandise every year during this time.

With that I submit this video for your examination.

I don't know much about Advent Conspiracy beyond what I have read on their website. I also know that there are tons of other similar and different-but-just-as-worthy ministries out there. Let's consider how we can limit the amount we spend on stuff and think more about giving our money to those who are in need. More importantly, let us think about how we can focus more on JESUS this season than on ourselves and our American materialism. The Callihans will still be doing presents and such this year, but my hope is that we will make Christmas more of a celebration of Him than we have in the past.

Does anyone have any practical ideas for how to do that? I want to make my family one that actually loves Jesus and not one that simply talks about Him. I would love suggestions! Seriously, write some suggestions on my comment wall!

Update - Check out Walt Mueller's (President of CPYU) blog. He has the same kinds of thoughts about "Black Friday" as well - Update Over.

Can We Fix It? Yes We Can!

2008-11-25T17:01:00.000-08:00

My two year old son, Nehemiah, and I were watching Bob the Builder the other day. Those of you with kids might know all about this show. People without kids will just have to bear with me. As we were watching the show, Nehemiah said to me, "Dad, the Bob the Builder theme song sounds eerily similar to another theme I have heard recently."¹ In doing some research, I found out that he was right. Please check out the below videos.

In all seriousness², I started getting suspicious of this theme about a month ago, and it turns out according to these well documented and researched clips that my suspicions were probably right.

So, I know the campaign is over, but regardless of your political opinion, you have to think this is funny, right?!

11/26/08 - UPDATE - According to my sources, this topic was already addressed by a Christian radio personality named Wally as well as some national late night personalities (not sure which ones specifically). I would like to assure all of my readers that this was an original idea of mine, but apparently I was three weeks late in using first mover advantage. The real story is that Neo has really gotten into Bob the Builder, and the theme song goes "Bob the Builder, can we fix it? Bob the Builder, YES WE CAN!" So, after hearing Obama's speech I naturally got suspicious. Last night (Tues.), I was like, "Hey Kim, I am going to see if there are any youtube videos about this", and there were! Thus, the motivation for last night's blog post. Happy day-before-Thanksgiving everyone! UPDATE OVER - 11/26/08

¹ Nehemiah didn't actually say this, but wouldn't it have been funny if he did?
² Not really in all seriousness

"Go For It" People!

2008-11-23T06:55:00.001-08:00

Are there enough "Go For It" people out there? I was wondering this as I sat amongst a crowd of over 1200 people at New Life Church on Saturday - 11/22/08 ¹. The Wait No More event put on by Focus on the Family and New Life was very powerful. Some of the speakers included Jim Daly - President and CEO of Focus on the Family, Brady Boyd - Senior Pastor of New Life Church, and Dr. Sharen Ford - Manager of Permanency Services for the Colorado Department of Human Services Division of Child Welfare, and breathe.

With the goal being to encourage church members to adopt the over 700 foster children up for adoption in Colorado, there seemed to be some major themes to the event:

1. The 700 children in the foster-care system that are up for adoption are only a percentage of the 2,000-3,000 children that are foster children in the state of Colorado every year. The church doesn't only need to provide folks who are willing to adopt through the foster care system, but also those who are willing to sacrifice by being foster parents who understand that there is no possibility of adopting the children that they care for (since the children have not been legally released to the state by their birth parents).

2. Christians should be very concerned about the foster children that "age out" of the foster system without a family. When a foster child turns 18, they are permitted to go "free" and be responsible for their lives as adults. This means that they are on their own without any family support. Just think how much harder life would be if you truly had NO family. From my extensive research (googling "age(d) out in Colorado" for about an hour;), I have found that anywhere between 300-900 children (can't find consistent/authoritative numbers) "age out" of the Colorado's foster care system every year. How terrible!

3. We heard from parents, siblings, and an adoptee in the foster care system. Some of the other speakers (not mentioned above) at this event helped paint a picture for why and how a family should consider adopting one of these kids. Hearing from Tiffany Beal was the highlight of the event for me. She was adopted by her now family at the age of 11. This was after being abused by her step-father and witnessing her two year old sister die during a drug-laden party that her parents (at the time) were a part of. Her adoptive parents, through patience and love, really helped change Tiffany's life. Tiffany is now in her 20's, loves Jesus, and is finishing up nursing school. I will never forget hearing her story and seeing what God has done in her life because some "Go For It" people decided to adopt her in spite of her being an "unadoptable" child (aka - too old and with two siblings).

4. Adopting a child through the foster care system is time-consuming and difficult, but it is worth it in order to give a family-less child someone to be their mom and dad. Nuff said.

The story of Peter walking on the water was used by two of the speakers (they did not know that one another would be using this as a teaching tool). I think that the example of Peter being a "Go For It" dude is a perfect perspective to highlight. In looking at the crowd of 1,200, I started to wonder, "how many of us are 'Go For It' people?" I was skeptical that there were enough in the crowd to get all these kids adopted. I hope I am wrong! The one thing I know is that Kim and I are determined to be "Go For It" people. We are planning on going through the process of becoming certified foster parents. Apparently this process can take up to a year to complete. Maybe God will make it clear to us that He does not want us to adopt or be foster parents in a year when we are finally certified. Until we hear from Him, we are going to take the steps we can to make a difference. Pray for us!

¹ Saturday was Kim's and my 10 year dating anniversary! 10 years, people!

Wait No More!

2008-11-22T08:00:00.001-08:00

There is a potentially life-changing event in Colorado Springs today. Kim and I are going to be a part of it. Focus on the Family and New Life Church are putting on a conference called Wait No More. Currently, there are 700+ orphans in the Colorado foster care system. Focus on the Family has a ministry called The Orphan Care Initiative, whose goal is to encourage the church to adopt all the orphans around the United States. All Colorado needs is one member in 1/4 of the churches in Colorado to adopt one child from the foster care system and there would not be any more orphans in CO. Hopefully after this conference (which expects to host more than 1000 people), more states and their churches will take on this challenge as well.

I look forward to letting everyone know how the conference goes today. Maybe someone reading this will take the challenge to get this conference to their state sometime soon! One of my fellow Softballers (yes, that is the name of my current community softball team) is heading up The Orphan Care Initiative (icareaboutorphans.org) department at Focus. I would be happy to get you in touch with her if you are interested in making this happen in your state. James 1:27.

The Rules

2008-11-20T15:20:00.000-08:00

1. The rules list can be added to at any time! This means that I will probably lose readership since this list will get so long. Oh well:).

2. Not all rules have to be actual rules (for all you literal people).

3. I LOVE JESUS. I believe JESUS is GOD. I am not agnostic about God. I do believe one can have knowledge about the world. I do question a lot and it has made my faith stronger. I hope to question my readers and myself, so that our discussions can make my faith stronger. Got it?

4. Not all blog postings will be my actual opinion. I like to play "devil's advocate" and am typically "devil's advocate" in my own conversations in my mind (you know - when I talk to myself). As the "agnostically" in my title implies, I would simply like to trigger conversation. I might even throw an uneducated and undecided opinion out there to see what happens. I am most likely not as stupid as most of my postings will make me appear. Give me the benefit of a doubt.

5. You are permitted to be critical of my grammar, thoughts, and other stuff. Please do your best to be critical in love, though.

6. If I ever say something you like, let me know. If I ever say something you don't like, let me know. I like to be real. Those who know me, know that.

7. Here are the topics that I will be attempting to write about, if I can make this blog thing a habit:
Faith, Family, Friends, People, Politics, Pop Culture, Social Issues, Sports, Wacky Ideas, Work

8. I can be really overly redundant. Oh, and I also like to end sentences in prepositions. Those are some of the things that I use my professional editing buddies Denise and Matthew to help me with. They also let me know when I am being stupid, ignorant, or obnoxious (if Kim (my beautiful wife) hasn't already made that clear to me).

9. If you are reading this blog, it is your fault. If you don't like something I say or you think reading it is a waste of time, don't blame me.

Another First...

2008-11-20T14:40:00.001-08:00

Here I am starting my blog. I have so much ignorance to contribute to the world. That's why I am starting this log on the web.

My amazing life-long friends, Matthew John and Denise Morris, formerly of the semi-popular former website, TrueU, will be helping me with my editing and b-logging skills for the whole world to see. That is, of course, if they want to remain my life long friends. I need you guys! HELP?!

My first several posts will be to let you all know my philosophy on logging with a b.

Next post, I will explain the first of several rules that I have about my blog. Get bloggin' stoked (Yes, I just used "bloggin'" as an adjective. Get used to it, people)! The world-wide-web will never be the same!