a dose of humility...

I like surprises! Jeanine, not so much. This is one case in which I think the tables were turned. Jeanine's parents were here for Thanksgiving. Unexpected to both of us they came toting a late birthday/early Christmas present for Jeanine from her mom, dad, and brothers Tony and Dustin. It was a Nintendo Wii... Crazy unexpected gift, SO AWESOME, and Jeanine has been dreaming of one for weeks (ain't no way we could buy one - Thank you to Anne, Steve, Tony and Dustin!) The one game she wanted for it was the Wii Fit.

Of course, right then and there it had to come out of the box and we had to try it out (little kids and their toys, ya know). I some how got nominated and voted to go first...little did I know what was about to come. You have to hop up on this little platform (as seen in the picture), it senses your motion and allows for truly cool interactive games...but! Before you get to play the games you have to go through the setup of your charcter. That same cool motion sensing platform reads your center of balance, your BMI, your posture and your weight...That's right, all right in front of the in-law audience.

I'm guessing I needed to be humbled, but did it really have to say "ouch" when I stepped on, and flash the word "obese" when it measured my BMI... Oh yeah and my ideal weight = 157 = my 6th grade weight. Hate to think what it might say after a big 'ol Thanksgiving FEAST. I've been humbled, now the fit is in for fight! Let's go Wii :)

Direction of Hope

On this All Saints Day I can't help but consider the hope that has pierced the hearts of men and women through the ages. The hope is that which has changed lives by bringing freedom to captives, a voice to voiceless people, sight to blind eyes, and second chances to death bound wanderers. The hearts of men and women filled with this hope have been given over to something much greater, much higher than themselves.

The past few weeks I've attended political rallies, heard endorsement speeches, enjoyed a politically motivated concert, and talked politics with people, one on one...through each of these things I've found the word "hope" to be associated with a particular campaign and a particular agenda (if you don't know which one I'm referring to, please stay under your rock for a few more days :). Obviously, people put their hope in many different things, but over the past few months, for some people, the sight or hearing of the word "hope" immediately brings to mind a presidential candidate and the coming election. While I could have a field day here discussing the genius of branding and marketing, I fear that "hope" as a word has lost a bit of its power.

While hope for political change is not at all a bad thing, seeing it as an ultimate goal is significantly missing the mark of where hope best impacts and changes lives. Hope, when it is found in the enemy-loving, self-giving, self-sacrificing, person of Jesus, can not only impact a life for eternity, it can bring about real life-altering change, today. It is that hope that is the hope of the Saints which we celebrate today...the Saints who have decided to give their lives to the good news of Jesus. In the coming week I hope we will consider where we put our hope. Is hope changing lives...literally? ...mine? ...yours?