There's Snow Place Like Home

If you were in Portland last night, you would know that we had the sneaker wave of a snow storm hit us. We were running our route midfield, the quarterback was looking for us, we caught the ball, but just didn't see the defender. Needless to say we spent the night on our back at the mercy of this little snow storm.

I-5 saw the worst traffic jam in the last 30 years of Portland.

I was in it. (Honor). And while I was in the middle of my three hour standstill on I-5 last night, I saw an interesting portrait of humanity.

A woman, no older than 30, got out of her car and walked to the middle barrier of the freeway. It was here that she began to squat, and in turn, urinate next to the barrier between Southbound and Northbound traffic. Humans, in the end, are horrifically simple animals.

I Thought He'd Have Bigger Biceps...

Conversation Written Between Two People On One Desk

This was found in the Portland State University Library, on a desk I was working on:

HE: "In God we trust,"WHY?
SHE: Why not?
HE: Because he ain't real
SHE: Have you ever tried?

FEEL BETTER

I feel like we're all in a bad mood today. Well, that is, all of us who are doing the right thing during this economic downturn, which is GOING TO SCHOOL.

We're all in finals. I've talked to a lot of people today between my roommate, people at coffee shops, and people at school and I can tell you this: We're grumpy. Grump city. Bunch of Forest Grumps. Grumps like a truck. Grump, Grump is Up. Taking big Grumps.

I thought I should post this to make you all feel better, relax, and get excited about BABIES!!!!!!

This is therapeutic for me too, guys. I need a break from writing about 18th century urbanization in America and it's effects on AHHHH SHUT UP!!

Be calm. Loose the grumps. For now.

I'm Upset That You'll Be Missing Nothing

I had already planned on being late to my twelve o'clock class. I guess I should give you a reason, but I could also just say that the class is called, "Women's History: The Woman of American (1600-1900)." I rarely pay attention in this class, and I successfully passed my mid-term with flying colors by just Googling the terms on the study guide. I'm horrifically bored through most of it, and my "Ph.D" teacher has the vocabulary of my refrigerator.

Beyond the advantage of being able to miss class and still pass, my professor does not know anyone's names and needs to hear it at least 11 times to actually get it. I'm pretty sure she knows one girl's name. She says she has a problem with her memory because she "had kids" and "they sucked [her] brains right out." (Her words, not mine). So if she doesn't know my name to my face, then as long as I write well and ace the tests...well, things will be a-okay for Mr. Nye.

Today was the last class of the term and I knew that I had to be there to get that study guide. It was my life. As long as I obtained the study guide, this class would be passed, no problem. As I approached the building, I began to think that maybe I should just skip most of it, and try to just walk in at the break.

So I sat outside the classroom and read some newspapers, exchanged some emails, and put some finishing touches on a paper I was handing in soon, when women began spilling out of the room.

This is my chance.

Go in, get the study guide, AND GET THE FRACK OUT.

I cut through the sea of women to the class which was no consisting of people standing to stretch. You know, that stretch where you basically make your body a standing star, yawning greatly, and looking tremendously unattractive? There were some students asking the professor some questions, so I stood around looking for the study guide.

"She hasn't handed it out yet," my friend told me.

I have to ask her. This may be harder than I thought. Should I stay and just hang in here for the last half of the class for this study guide? I can't stand another minute. I'm going to ask.

"Hi," I said.

Blank stare.

"Ok, well I was hoping to get the study guide, I kind of have to go..."

Blank stare.

"...wondering if you had that uh...study guide..."

"I do?" she questioned.

I made a face.

"I do!" she said excitedly. She sort of trotted over to get it. "And I will give you the study guide, that's what I'll do," she said again. I swear this woman is SO WEIRD. As she hands me the study guide she says regally, "The study guide. To you." She nods.

"Thank y-"

She busts in with, "Well then, good, I'm sorry you have to go," and she starts to sound sort of stern and angry. "I guess you'll just have to miss...you'll be missing..."

And she trails off and just looks at me with empty eyes for what seems like an eternity.

I'm about to fill in the gap with a cough when she says, "Other things. You'll be missing other things that we do."

"Oh, what a tragedy," I say quickly.

I think she was saying something to me as I walked out, but I couldn't tell you what.

Rearguard Pushed to Double Issue in January

So after much deliberation, the paper decided that a December issue would be POINTLESS. And it would be. The plan was to put out this month's issue this week, perhaps around today. But then the staff thought, hmmm, everyone is in final's mode and after that everyone leaves. So why do we work so hard to release a paper that many people will not read one word of? If the paper comes out this week, it will be neglected and the PSU community will come back in January to an old Rearguard sitting there like a wet towel in the corner of the bathroom. Nobody likes you, wet towel, you make the room tense.

OR

We wait and push a double issue complete with a "Year in Review" insert and have it hit the stands right when everyone's back in school and doing absolutely nothing but shoving syllabi after syllabi in their messenger bag (no backpacks in Portland) when, OH LOOK REARGUARD. YAY! I'll read that! Then they fall in love with our paper and our writing and massive amounts of attention and cash come flooding into the basement of the Smith Building, where our office sits.

What do we choose?

I think you can guess. Look for January. Focus on school and buying useless things for people you don't care to much for (Christmas).

Conquered Words: November

So I mentioned in a previous post that I wanted to start chronicling what I've read over the month to pass on good books, keep my own personal log of every book I've conquered, and keep myself accountable to read at least one book a month. Also, it's the Monday after Thanksgiving and while I have to write somewhere between 16-22 pages by Thursday, I thought a little warm-up exercise such as this would help.

This has been by far the craziest month of my year. Between moving my brother, me, AND my mom (all FROM different places TO different places) and putting too much on my plate for school and the fact that I work in ministry which is, to say the least, demanding...I'm a little spent. There was a moment where I thought I would have nothing to give but I reclined last night and read for a while, finishing a couple of books. That's what sports announcers call, "clutch."

Here's what I read this month:

1) The Evolution of God by Robert Wright (Little, Brown; 568 pages) - This one got me thinking. At almost 600 words, Wright took up most of my time in November. And because it took up most of my time, I will certainly post a longer response to it when I have more time. I took about 6 pages of notes during my reading and have tons of thoughts. The book essentially argues that people create religions based off of other broad and ancient conceptions of God and adapt/specify their view of him based on the social/political happenings of the time in which they live. He explores the three basic monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) and critiques each with this lens, arguing that there is enough in common and enough unoriginality or accuracy for any of them to be completely true. But he doesn't rule out an existence of a "god," but rather takes a sort of agnostic approach that we're really at the tip of the iceberg. His "Afterward" is most interesting to me, as you see a man struggling in the tension of philosophy and science. While I cannot comment greatly on his critique of Islam/Judaism, I can extensively speak to his Christian criticism of which, I will do later. The book was illuminating and I'm very glad I read it. Wright is cogent and succinct. I'm excited to write more about it.

2) Eat This Book by Eugene Peterson (Eerdmans; 186 pages)- Graduate of Seattle Pacific University, translator of the WHOLE FREAKING BIBLE, and all around stud, Eugene Peterson is a guy who I'm beginning to discover. His knowledge of God is biblical and not surprising, but his articulation is incredible. This is perhaps his most famous book and is a look at what he calls "spiritual reading." His argument, which is valid, is that you can't read scripture like you read anything else. And in fact, you can't read one genre like you read another. He believes that words are dangerous, and that the reader must be very careful as to how he/she takes them in, ingesting as much truth as possible. He tackles scripture, and does a great job with it. I'm even more inspired to be a Christian and excited to read more Peterson.

Look forward to a December edition that will be PACKED OUT. I read a lot in December and have about 10 hours of flying ahead of me. We'll see what happens. Off to write about things I could care less about!

Driver Escaped with Minor Injuries

Also, this is fake.

BUT WHO CARES?

Sometimes, I Think This is Fake

The Portland bus rider's etiquette is not unlike that of a man's urinal etiquette: upon entering, exist as far away from another person. I have no idea why we do this, but we just do. So when I got on the 10 in Ladd's Addition to go downtown, I saw the seat that was most alone, and I went for it, just as I would in any public restroom.

My ride is short so I never open a book or anything, I just sit and watch Portland. This is calming and centering. I pray sometimes, or I'll just think and think and think.

Until somebody messes with my brain parts. Like her.

"You will not treat me like a steak! You will not treat me like a steak!" she said it as if her odd simile needed to be heard twice (which I'm pretty sure it did).

The whole bus turned around to see if she was a real person. She was.

"I ain't no piece of meat, Dwayne!" she was yelling quite loudly now. It is about now when I either start to stifle my laughter or sweat. This time, both happened. I stifle laughter because it's freaking hilarious, but I sweat because I despise tension. What do I do? I'm a problem solver so I began running scenarios when she spoke up again.

"Dwayne, I'm not another one of your hos. I am your lady! You tell me that every day, but it ain't true! It ain't true!"

Plausible problem solving scenarios:

I scream, "FIRE!!!" and demand the bus lets everyone off
In order to take the attention off of her and to me, I just dance (very well).
Run to the back of the bus, sit next to her and pat her back saying, "C'mon
now, there there."

None of these seem to play out well in the end for me or for my dear sister. During this time, she's not taking anything from Dwayne, nor should she from as much as I can understand.

"No-no-no. NO. NO! Listen to me: NO!"

The ragged man in front of me begins to fall asleep. At a time like this, you fall asleep? How?

Then suddenly, the drama ends when she restates her claim: "Dwayne, I will tell you again, I AM NO STEAK!"

Silence.

And it's as if nothing happened. More accurately, it's as if nothing had been going on. As if a large black woman had not been screaming at Dwayne over her cellular. This is how staunch the Tri Met riders are. And if we bring this full circle, it's as if the man all the way down the urinal line just began using the floor for his target and for me to say NOTHING.

O, what isolation we live in.

Good Question

The Sarah Palin Faithful!

Oxford's 2009 Word of the Year

Hey guys! Totally!

As if Oxford could be bigger sell outs they go for "unfriend" to be 2009's Word of the Year. What were the runner ups? No, not any real English words...why would they do that? The runner ups were "sexting" and "hashtag." I don't have the energy to comment.

BTW my blog is on a font-size revolt and it's GETTING AWKWARD. IT WON'T GET SMALLER!!

Pinker on Gladwell

I wish I was as articulate as Harvard professors sometimes. But I'm OK with my lack of clarity if it means I don't have to be pretentious.

Still, I couldn't agree more with Steven Pinker's criticism of Malcolm Gladwell in today's New York Times Book Review:

The reasoning in “Outliers,” which consists of cherry-picked anecdotes, post-hoc sophistry and false dichotomies, had me gnawing on my Kindle. Fortunately for “What the Dog Saw,” the essay format is a better showcase for Gladwell’s talents, because the constraints of length and editors yield a higher ratio of fact to fancy. Readers have much to learn from Gladwell the journalist and essayist. But when it comes to Gladwell the social scientist, they should watch out for those igon values.

I've always said that Gladwell's books are weak due to the obvious conclusions he derives off of some great generalizations. His new book, What the Dog Saw, which Pinker reviewed in today's Times is the type of work I think he should stick to. I love his essays and articles, especially the work he does for The New Yorker. He needs to most rigorous fact checkers and academics editing his work, not just a publishing company quick to make the next Gladwell dollar.

This Should Break It Up a Bit

In reviewing my past couple of blog posts, I realize I've been incredibly introspective and serious.

Let's end that.

I HAVE A FREAKING ANNOUNCEMENT TO MAKE.

The other week, me and the boys were talking about what we could do to celebrate our parting ways. John and I are moving out of Alex's house because Alex's dad (the owner of the house) wants to move back in, plus our lease has run out. So it's time for the great year to come to an end. Upon our reflections and plans for how to end this all, we weren't coming up with the greatest idea.

Until John and Alex remembered an old dream we all had: record an album on the landing of our upstairs. So we did it. Thursday morning, in one hour, we put together a mostly cover album that should debut on the web very soon.

I am posting here the liner notes as an incentive for you to keep checking up. This was the best way to say goodbye to the year we all had together.

The Landing Sessions - The Nandertys

"Two of Us" (Lennon/McCartney, c1970)
Chris Nye, ag
John Finnerty, vox, kz
Alex Landers, vox, dr

"Don't Let Go" (Cuomo, c2001)
Chris Nye, vox, ag
John Finnerty, vox, kz
Alex Landers, dr

"Where Did Our Love Go?" (Holland/Dozier/Holland, c1964)
Chris Nye, vox, ag
John Finnerty, vox, kz
Alex Landers, dr

"Victoria" (Davies, c1969)
Chris Nye, ag
John Finnerty, vox
Alex Landers, dr

"Another Saturday Night" (Cooke, c1963)
Alex Landers, vox, ag
John Finnerty, vox, kz
Chris Nye, vox, dr

"Harvest Moon" (Young, c1992)
John Finnerty, vox
Chris Nye, ag
Alex Landers, vox, viola

"Doxology" (traditional, by Thomas Ken, 1674)
John Finnerty, vox
Chris Nye, vox
Alex Landers, vox

"Super Bowl" (Nye/Landers/Finnerty, c2009)
Chris Nye, vox, ag
John Finnerty, vox, kz
Alex Landers, perc, vox

The Murderers

If you have been paying any attention to Portland area news, and even national news, you're familiar with what happened in Tualatin on Tuesday. Robert Beiser entered a hospital office in Tualatin and shot and killed his wife, Teresa, along with himself.

These stories are always sad and for the most part disturbing when you get in to the core of it. Not only did Beiser kill his wife, but he injured multiple people and created quite the scare in a normally somewhat safe neighborhood. The shooting happened not more than a mile away from my work and home church, Rolling Hills Community Church. Many of the area schools were shut down, and in my talks with the people in the community over this last week, it seems as though people have been shaken up quite a bit.

This shooting had a motive, there's no doubt. Beiser's friends and neighbors described him as a "Jekyll and Hyde" who kept to himself sometimes but lashed out when the couple started their legal separation. He was on edge, and in seemingly unearthly hurt. Abuse began at the separation and Teresa explained to friends that she felt trapped. He even told her he was going to buy and gun and kill her. The ultimate tragedy became a reality on Tuesday morning right before noon.

But as a minister to that community, I think about the root issues of the events in the community. Whether it is a new shopping mall that storms in, or a horrific shooting, I am constantly looking past the physicality of everything that happens. It is something you learn as you hear from your people.

The fact that a guy can get a gun is not that big of a deal, but his mental and in my opinion, spiritual state, is what concerns me deeply.

I couldn't stop thinking about it.

This man was existing, hurting, and living in our own community. I would say that about once every other month, I get this experience. I realize who is really in our community, who is really walking through our doors. As a large church, we get plenty of church shoppers and visitors who just drop in and drop out. It is a sobering reminder of the seriousness of our work.

I have such strong faith in Jesus Christ, such assurance in His power, that I am certain that this city can see violence and abuse disintegrate by the furthering of the transforming gospel of Jesus Christ.

I don't want you to think about if your children are safe or not, or about gun control laws, I want you to think about Robert Beiser. This is a rare case where one of these gunmen showed signs of hostility. Last week, when a 39-year-old Army psychiatrist opened fire in Fort Hood, Texas, his neighbors hailed him as one of the nicest men you would ever meet. Caring and loving, they said. Beiser, before the separation with his wife, was just a quiet guy, and was said to just be "gliding along."

These people are real, created in the image of God to be renewed by Christ for the glory of the Creator. 1 Thessalonians tells us that humanity was not made for wrath, but for salvation. However, this doesn't happen for everyone due to the war that wages in your heart that you yourself feel.

Countless times, I fail to realize the gravity that God places in my life. Far too often, people become background characters to my story. I, personally, fail and have failed in massive ways regarding this very topic.

I'm not naive enough to say we could have prevented anything. Stuff happens. Bad things happen. But you have to wonder. When things like this happen you have to stop and think about your own life and those in it. Or maybe I just do. I know I need this.

I think that a huge failure amongst Christians is to let serious things like this just pass them by. They happen, and we just continue on in our Bible study, keep praying for us instead of those who knew Beiser and those affected by the shooting. We don't discuss the theological implications or what the Bible would say about this type of thing. It's easier to just buy something and forget about it.

God help us.

A Great Debate

While he may get a good amount of hate mail...or I guess it's hate-tweets now, but Matt Davis posted a bold blog over at the Mercury about the future of Journalism in Portland and the weekly papers. He's an ace and has a great pulse on the city. Not sure exactly how I feel about all of it, but certainly worth reading if you live the weekly papers and the journalism that's coming out of Portland. I haven't read the Jaquiss article he critiques, but plan to tomorrow morning. I'm a tad busy moving.

Ultimately though, with all the huff and puff over journalism in the future, I'm excited to be in Portland specifically during this time. I'm not sure why, but I just like what's happening in this city right now between the transportation issues, population growth, and the ever-exciting music scene which seems to always be in "the good times."

Rose City 'till I die.

And Then It Hit Me

I start every Tuesday morning at 6:30am. I normally do not stop working on one thing or another until about 9:30 that night. It tends to be a very long day. And at the center of that extended day is a class called, "Postmodern Thought," which is technically an English class but primarily deals with philosophy and culture studies. This class meets in the basement of one of Portland State's older buildings. There is no cell phone service and no windows. Every week, our lanky old professor plays movies or clips of television shows to point to an aspect of postmodernism. Needless to say, there are some days where it is too hard to keep my eyes open.

But yesterday we watched a very interesting clip that made my brain and eyes open a little bit.

It was a debate that was filmed in the 1980s between the makers of the Monty Python film, The Life of Brian, and some Christian clergymen/teachers. The Christian clergymen were older and the Monty Python guys were younger. The debate was essentially focused on the very concept of the MP film. Was this film worth while? It is good? Will it last? Is it blasphemy?

During the debate, one of the old Christian men said, "You've taken the most sacred life any human has lived and made a joke of it. That is unthinkable and blasphemous to the most essential thing we know of."

But there is a problem here, and it gets to the heart of postmodernism. When I heard him say this I realized that this man was not defending Jesus, nor was he even defending his faith in Christ. What he was defending was the image and picture we have created of Christ. He was defending our sign or symbol for Jesus and not Jesus himself. If he really knew Christ, I think he would realize that he doesn't need defending.

The image we have made of Christ (long haired and bearded white man in a gentle, white robe) has been defended since its inception. So people began to (and still do now) care more about Christ's representation than the real, living, Christ himself.

AND THEN it hit me that what I'm really talking about is fundamentalism.

See, postmodern thought has everything to do with signs or symbols. The postmodernist loves to take a sign we have ascribed meaning to, and put it in a context totally separate from the signs original place. They will play with the sign and look for a reaction from the audience. Postmodernists test the limits of our cultural signs.

"South Park" is the best example of this. Jesus lives in the town South Park, speaks simple English, and occasionally does things far outside of the Christ we read about in the Bible, have seen in movies, etc. This upsets many Christians.

But why does it upset Christians? And why did that old man get so upset with Monty Python? These postmodern artists, filmmakers, and writers are not really using Jesus, because Jesus is not a white man in a robe, but rather they're using the symbol and sign we have used for Jesus and putting it in a different context to see the audience react.

Therefore, when Christians and the old man defend Jesus, they're really practicing fundamentalism, as they are not defending Christ and the essence of the gospel, but they're really defending the sign we have used for Jesus.

Fundamentalism appeared in full force right when postmodern thought made its first steps. Where there is postmodernism, there is fundamentalism.

So then, since I am a Christian minister, I'll end with a question for you to think about if you claim to know God: Are you defending Christ (as if he needed it) or are you defending the image we have made for Christ? God does not need you to protect him. He didn't ask you to be a defendant for his reputation, he asked you to be a witness to his reality. Jesus is not a local rabbi with good carpentry skills. That's who he was while he was with us on this earth. And sadly, that's a lot of who people think he is.

Now, on the contrary, He's King of the earth. He is supreme, with all authority on heaven and earth. The thing he desires for you to do, is to get others off of the image and in to the essence.

Yes, It's My Birthday, but There are More Important Things

Like, you know, stuff.

Ever since last year when I began reading Nick Hornby's "What I've Been Reading" column from The Believer, I have wanted to keep track for myself. I think I've mentioned here and there what I've been reading on this blog, but I'd like to try it more formally.

So, it's been done, I've put a little reminder in my phone at the end of every month to post what I've been reading to the blog. It's sort of an accountability thing for me, to make sure I'm reading, but also to let you know of some stuff you should read.

I'll tell you quickly what I read in October, because I read some great stuff.

1) Zeitoun by Dave Eggers. Simply great. I'm not sure if I connected with solely because of my passion and connection to New Orleans, or just because of the studly journalism that went in to the last section of the book...I dunno. This is the true story of one man. Just a man. But his personal narrative, as told by Eggers, is worth reading if you're a human. If you don't know anything about the events that followed the Katrina disaster, it's best to either speak with residents of New Orleans who were there during the catastrophe, or to read an all-encompassing account of the Katrina events. This book, however, is yet another eye opening look at one of the greatest tragedies our nation has seen.

2) Forgotten God by Francis Chan. I read this in one night. Very easy to read, and very accessible to tons of types of people. It's a book about the Holy Spirit, and Chan brings some great things to the table. I'll say it: better than Crazy Love. Truth.

3) Overqualified by Joey Comeau. Just freaking funny. A small book of cover letters that Comeau actually sent to real job openings. He got tired of writing the same stuff, and decided to get creative. What comes out of it, is pure comic genius. Watch out for the Canadians, because I think they're beginning to take over.

4) The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer. This book is tiny. TINY. It took me two months to really read it. Tozer places every word right where it needs to go, and it takes a normal person a very long time to actually comprehend and take in. If you think you know God, or if you want to know God, or if you know nothing about God, read Tozer. He knows Him and he'll be able to articulate as much as he can. He admits he can't write about everything, but he comes pretty dang close I would say.

Other than that it was all stuff from school. (Curse you school for slowing me down!)

Hey! This will be fun! yay! Fun! Hurray!

A Method to the Madness

This is an old picture (click on it for the full view) from Time magazine of Al Gore in his home office. I saw it years ago and then rediscovered it when I was looking around at his blog, which is called (in all creativity) "Al's Journal." I'd like to think I'm more organized, but then again, who really cares when you win a Nobel? Do what you like.

Just the Tweet and Potatoes

Got my own twitter account. It's already helping me generate some ideas for articles (medical marijuana bars in Portland? Thanks Twitter!) follow me @chrisnye if you like.

If you want to read my last 3 tweets, they're over on the right of this page under "The 140," or click on "Follow" to get to my profile.

from my Palm.

Hey, Look Alive!

Right before my dad would throw something really heavy at me, he would always yell, "Look alive!" really quickly. Often it would be a large tool like a wrench or a hammer, but other times it would be a surprising object of large size and/or volume like a gallon of milk or a computer monitor.

I now say this to you because I'm throwing this at you:

www.therearguard.org
That'll link you to the monthly alternative paper that is produced independently but on the campus of Portland State University. Just a couple of weeks ago I landed a job as a staff writer, about two or three articles a month. They publish online, but it would be better if you are on campus to pick up a hard copy and feel that newspaper in your hand while it lasts.

Needless to say, I'm excited to finally be getting published in some format, but more so, am excited to be on a staff that forces me to be involved with what they heck's happening in Portland and around the world. The people are awesome.

Be looking forward to my first two articles: one of my experience in China, and a feature regarding teen homelessness in the Portland area.

I'll still be blogging, but maybe less. I won't post any articles here, but maybe just links to the Rearguard site when my pieces are up.

Look alive!

Proverb

For a person with a barbed-wire tattoo, it's often better to skip the question, "When did you get that tattoo?" and just ask, "When did you regret getting that tattoo?"

from my Palm.

Perception, Beauty, and Greatness

This is a wonderful insight into the human being.

After you read that (it's short), consider these questions:

Do we really know beauty, or are we revealed/told what it is?
Is human greatness actually not that special?
Are beauty and context interdependent?
What else are we calling normal or ugly just because of the context in which we experience it?

Someone else had something to say about perception...
"Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand."

We spend way too much time seeing and don't realize what vehicle we are using to see. More simply put, there are things that we as 21st century humans will simply not know or understand. History will teach us that exceptionalism is a very bad idea, especially in humans.

The Church of Atheism

I'm working on an article to submit to some papers on campus regarding some contradictions of New Atheism and just some interesting facets of their worldview. As you can see, I'm very early in the process and need to do some narrowing down. But c'mon, throw me a bone here.

I'm doing this because I've realized that over the past year I've been inadvertently researching the New Atheist movement and have a solid amount of sources to write a pretty informed article. But I didn't really get off my rear until I saw this New York Times blog entry, which set me over the edge. I now must write.

I know there's more of this going on in Europe, and I have seen things online, but the New York mass transit is brilliant.

The quote that threw me for a loop was this: "Jane Everhart, a spokeswoman for the New York City Atheists, said that campaign was highly successful and brought in many new members."

They're proselytizing.

Beyond this, in my speaking with Atheists and my involvement in the PSU atheist/agnostic group, I've found that they're not just proselytizing and creating fellowships - they're worshipping.

More to come.

Before I Head Out...

Can I just command you to see "Where the Wild Things Are"? GO. NOW.

I'll be away this weekend speaking and experiencing what God does at the 2009 Men's Retreat at Cascades Camp, just outside of Yelm, WA. If you pray to Him, pray for changed lives for all of us. We need to be more like Jesus.

See you Sunday.

News I Get To Break (I Think)

Last night I got to hear and meet Michael Chabon, who is one of America's greatest living writers. He read from his new book and first work of non-fiction, Manhood for Amateurs. I was all set to go it alone since I really have no friends who like to read as much as I do, but right when I was getting there, I saw an old professor of mine that I greatly admire. She was alone as well. It was great seeing her there because she actually did the footnotes for Chabon's celebrated book, The Yiddish Policemen's Union, and knows him personally from graduate school. This means that I got to sit front row in a PACKED and HOT Pearl Room at Powell's. But let me get to what I really wanted to talk about.

At the reading last night, Chabon announced that the Coen brothers are going to be making his book, The Yiddish Policemen's Union, into a movie.

(!!!)

He said it's in the very early stages, but it's the Coen bros and Michael Chabon. I can hardly contain myself. I envision this combination working out very well for all parties. The Coen brothers do really cool things, and they're some of the best when it comes to adaptations of books. Plus, Chabon's stories are close to flawless.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about and these names seem both meaningless and drab, please do yourself a favor and see a movie made by the Coen brothers and read a book by Michael Chabon.

Anyways, thought I should let you know that this project is really set up for total success. Keep your specs peeled.

What I'll Be Working On

I have this rule that I'll speak wherever and whenever I am asked as long as I don't have a prior engagement. I set up this statute because my mentor, Joel, once told me that the only way to learn how to teach and speak in front of people is to do it over and over and fail as many times as possible. Over the past three years, I've found that to be totally true. Books on public speaking can help you to some degree, but there's no experience like getting up in front of hundreds of people and going for it.

Needless to say, sometimes this cute little rule of mine really gets ahead of me. Typically, the fall season and the spring are busy. But I like it. Teaching is what I love to do and something I plan on doing for the rest of my life in some capacity. Here's what's on the docket, and what a lot of my time will be put towards:

Oct. 11: "Hope for the Mortal" @ Rolling Hills Community Church Sunday morning sermon
Oct. 16-18: "The Deniers of Jesus: Peter and Judas (and how to be Peter)" @ Rolling Hills Men's Retreat at Cascades
Oct. 30: "Two Things" @ Fellowship of Christian Athletes Regional Meeting
Nov. 7: "Reaching and Retaining the Graduate" @ BRIDGES 2009 Youth Leaders Conference

This doesn't include my weekly Bible study or the 16 credits I'm taking at PSU...so I have a great month ahead. If you want me to speak somewhere, I'll take free food as a payment.

Advice to the busy: the only way you'll relieve stress is by listing out priorities and starting your day by reading/praying David's Psalms. It's true. Best stress reliever out there.

Well, That's One Way to Start Things Off...

Here's the opening line to A.W. Tozer's The Knowledge of the Holy:

"What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us."

Home

After almost three weeks in Asia, it's safe to say that I'm glad to be home.

I'm Done With Clarity

Every story about Mother Teresa is epic. Her life was one of those rare examples of someone who is so much like Jesus, it becomes synonymous with the gospel. I suggest you not only read about her life (the Wikipedia entry is enough to convert the hardest heart), but you also read the words she has written.

There goes this story in which an American man was feeling called to the area which Mother Teresa was ministering to. However, he was not sure where exactly and therefore was hesitant to begin work anywhere. The man had the opportunity to speak with Mother Teresa about his conundrum.

“I know God is calling me to serve him and to give my whole life, but I’m so clueless as to where he wants me to go,” he told her.

The man humbly and honestly asked Mother Teresa if she could pray for him, that God would grant him clarity in this situation.

“I admire your closeness to God and the clarity he has given you for this ministry you have. I would love to have what you have. Please pray for me,” he begged.

But Mother Teresa’s response astonished the young Westerner: “I have never once had clarity, laddie, I have only had courage.”

After I heard this, I realized I need to start praying differently. So often I pray that God would change my circumstances and make it clearer as to where I need to go. But my Bible reads differently (The Lord's Prayer has no petition for clarity). Instead of praying for God to change things around me, we should pray that God change us.

We have it backwards. We should not be asking for our circumstances to change in order for clarity, rather we should be asking for God to change us so that our circumstances and world around us then changes because we are new people.

Scripture is full of this. When Samuel anoints Saul with oil and prays a blessing over Saul, he commissions Saul to journey out toward Gilbeath-elohim (the hill of God). He tells him to look for certain people along the way, to prophesy and preach God to people as he goes, and, “...the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with those there and be turned into another man. Now when these signs meet you, do what your hand finds to do, for God is with you” (1 Samuel 10:6-7).

Samuel simply tells him, “let God change you as his Spirit fills you, and do whatever you think is right.” You see, we do God’s will (or what God wants us to do) when we live in and through Him and by His Word. That is His will. It is not a certain job, a certain place to live, or a certain school.

You don’t do God’s will because you’re in a certain place, you do God’s will because you’re a certain person. You stop living by your standards, and you begin to live by His.

You’re Spirit filled. You are loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled (Galatians 5:22). You’ll be generous (2 Cor. 9), unstained from the world (James 1:27, 2 Timothy 2:22-23), passionate about the least of these (Matt. 25, James 1:27), and pretty much everything else Jesus was because you’ll begin being conformed to his image, not yours (2 Cor. 3:16-18).

Stop asking God to change your circumstances, and begin asking him to change you so that you can change your own circumstances.

Think about it: your circumstances are different and will always change; the only thing consistent in them is you. So, the only way to change those things that are thrown at you and around you is if you change.

Your Life at the End of Your Life

"But there were a few newer tombstones, the marble bright and fresh. Some of them had solemn dun-and-beige pictures of the deceased, below which there were their names and dates: Oleksandr Pronek 1967-2002; Oksana Mykolchuk 1928-1995. The whole life a dash between the two arbitrary numbers..."

- Aleksandar Hemon, The Lazarus Project, pp. 105.

Worst Worship. Ever.

These are the times I think about moving very far away...

This One's For Free

If you know me at all, I often say that I don't know where I would be without C.S. Lewis. He, for some reason, can articulate the ways of God to me better than pretty much any body, and he points me to Christ constantly. I haven't read everything of his, but I plan on it. I was going through one of his works for a second look as I'm preparing a certain sermon, and came across this, which I believe is of prime importance.

"The problem of reconciling human suffering with the existence of a God who loves, is only insoluble so long as we attach a trivial meaning to the word, 'love,' and look on things as if man were the center of them. Man is not the center. God does not exist for the sake of man. Man does not exist for his own sake. 'Thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.' We were made not primarily that we may love God (though we were made for that too) but that God may love us, that we may become objects in which the Divine love may rest well pleased."

-C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, pp. 40-41.

This world was not made for you or me. Nor was is your life about fulfilling what you believe makes you happy. Google "Hubble Telescope" and you'll see what I mean.

This Man Died Three Weeks After He Said This

His name was Rich Mullins, and this pretty much sums up what I try to articulate often and the way I train to live my own life.

A Reminder That Jesus Lives

This is an email I got to write to my whole staff at Rolling Hills. A lot of my life is watching God work, this time it was obvious. Enjoy...

Got to witness a miracle in the life of a member of our church, Mike Hargett. Here’s the skinny.

Big Mike was recovering from surgery this past week when some combination of medicines was not working. He became very nauseous and weak Sunday morning and his Mom (LouAnne) had to call 911 for her son.

I met them at the ER and things were not looking good for a little bit. I prayed multiple times but things were getting worse. He ended up staying over night at the hospital Sunday and Monday night. I went in on Monday and things were down but he was stabilized.

On Tuesday, I was in a meeting when Lou Anne called me saying things were getting worse. His liver was showing signs of failure. The doc’s were puzzled and began trying tons more options.

I rushed over and brought my buddy and brother in the Lord Alex Landers.

We prayed over his bed for a while, asking God for healing.

I just got a call from Mike himself who wanted you all to know that the doctors can’t explain why, but his whole body is at 100% functionality and he can go home to continue to recover from his surgery. He was in high spirits and thanking God.

Mike is a new believer, and I’ve witnessed his growth in faith through discipleship and community. This was huge and I just thought I should share that with you guys in order to spur you on in the Spirit, and for you to know the grave is still empty and God answers prayer.

I love you all, keep praying.

Chris Nye

MEN.SUCK.

I remember when my dad left a couple of years ago, I was really messed up by it, and my roommate John and I were sitting on the grass in Wallace Park just talking about all that was going on and he said to me, "It really is crazy how much power we as men have to totally screw stuff up."

That has really stuck with me. While women can really screw things up too, it seems that because men have so much more of a dominating social and political presence, we can really screw stuff up on a bigger level.

This last Sunday, our young adult group was thin because most were off being counselors at our Jr. High Camp in Washington. So I decided to take a lil' field trip to Medical Teams International's exhibit called REAL.LIFE. As I was reading about a dictator who charged every woman in his country to have 5 babies in order to feed his army, or the countless men who ditch their large families in poor countries, or the men who force children to fight in their armies and kill their families as initiation, that concept came back to me.

I was reading one particular story from Africa when John leaned in and said, "This exhibit could easily be called Men, period, Suck, period." I told him I was thinking the same thing.

I can't tell you how many stories I hear about men ditching their kids, wives, families, just in order to feel a little bit more powerful. It's pathetic. And mostly these men operate this way because they didn't get enough attention from their father.

Fatherlessness is a crisis in America for sure. But it has been a crisis for a long time all over the world. This is why I appreciate The Mentoring Project, which you should find out more about. These guys are working to change things.

Anyways.

Go to REAL.LIFE. Find out about it, donate to Medical Teams, sell something you don't need and give your money to the poor.

And men?

Be a man. No, that doesn't mean getting the most girls, or making the most money, or having a ton of power just so you can stroke your insignificant, tiny ego.

Being a man means taking responsibility for what you've been given. You have a mind, a heart, a soul, and you have a lot of strength that you may not even think you have.

You have deeper things, more to give than you could possibly imagine. It is better to give than receive. So instead of receiving a bunch of pleasure from sex and money and power that will eventually wreck your heart, soul, mind and strength, do what was meant to be done.

Surrender.

Give all that you have. Of course, I need to tell you to give it first all to God. But for His sake give to your family, your wife, your friends, and your community and neighborhood. If you don't give and just receive, you may get the entire world. Seriously, you can spend your whole life and work in order to recieve the whole world. Everything can be yours here, it really can. But I gurentee your soul will be lost in the process. You'll be embarrased.

This is the way the Bible charts it out. Give to God and you won't regret it. Don't think I'm not aware of all the Christian men that have screwed things up in the name of God. Believe me, I'm more aware of that than what pagans have done. To me, it's even worse to claim to be of God and act like a boy.

It takes much more of a man to give his life to something than to treat his life like a sponge that absorbs anything he sees as "good."

I'll encourage you, that if you're a Christian guy, seriously think about your future. You have a lot on your sholders and I think we've all figured out that your tiny little life is no game. Stop praying that God will change your circumstances (your relationships, your finances, your career, your school, etc) and start praying and begging him to change YOU.

If you don't know God, get to know him. I've never met a perfect dad. I don't think I'll ever find one here. But when I read the Bible I'm so confused at His perfection.

All you can do at that point is give Him what you know and have and pray to be more and more like Him.

Parable: That Most Glorious Party or, It Is Never Enough

In my ministry, I speak mostly to younger people. Much of them have been soaking in Christian culture for most of their lives. Because of this, they often drift into daydreams when the Bible is read, claiming they've "heard it all before." One morning, when I was looking at the way Jesus taught his young disciples (they weren't older than 17) who grew up in a culture soaked in Scripture, I changed my ways. Instead of preaching with tons of texts, I read and studied much but took what I learned and put it all into stories, as Jesus did, paraphrasing certain scriptures and stories in order to illuminate biblical truth. Jesus called these short fiction stories parables. Then, at the end, he would often, but not always quote a small piece of Scripture that would tie it all together. In my attempt to do this, I've written several parables to illuminate the gospel to young people who seem bored with Scripture. Here's one of them...

There was a rich man who lived in the hills outside of the city. He had a house like an ancient castle. The large house sat gloriously within a neighborhood that was surrounded by gates.

Every year, the gated neighborhood would hold their annual party. There would be dancing, singing, and the best foods. Many people who did not live in the neighborhood knew about it, however most also knew that they themselves could not get in.

One year, a poor man was walking by the gated neighborhood and saw someone entering the neighborhood during the party. Confused, the poor man decided to work the whole year and save in order to purchase nice clothes and fine meats so he could enter in.

That whole year he worked and worked, and when the day of the yearly party came, he bought the nicest clothes he could buy. He came to the gate and presented himself clean and in his new clothing. Smiling, the poor man said, "I have worked very hard all year and am here to join your party for those who work hard." The rich man looked at the poor man dressed in his finest and said, "I'm sorry, but you are not allowed in."

The poor man went away sad, but decided that next year he would work even harder in order to get in to that most glorious party.

He worked that whole year, harder than the last. On the day of the party, he bought even nicer clothes and also bought an expensive bottle of wine. He cleaned himself and combed his hair nicely.

He walked confidently to the gates and met the rich man at the edge of the gated neighborhood. Smiling, the poor man said, "I have worked very hard all year and am here to join your party for those who work hard." But again, the rich man looked at the poor man who was dressed nicely and holding a bottle of wine and said unto him, "I'm sorry, but you are not allowed in."

The poor man went away said, again, but decided that over the next year he would work even harder in order to get in to that most glorious party.

That next year, he worked even harder than any year before. He brought in more money and became what he thought to be a rich man. Buying the best clothes and bringing now a whole meal he approached the gates of the gated neighborhood on the day of the annual party.

He walked most confidently to the gates and met the rich man at the edge of the neighborhood. Smiling, the poor man said, "I have worked very hard all year and am here to join your party for those who work hard." But once again, the rich man looked at the poor man who dressed nicely and holding a bottle of wine and said unto him, "I'm sorry, but you are not allowed in."

In anguish, the poor man could no longer take the rejection. He fell to his knees, tore his clothing and cried aloud, "What must I do to enter this party? I was born a poor beggar, with nothing but my addictions and sins. I did all I could to make as much as I could out of what I had! I worked and worked year after year in order to look and give my best just to enjoy what looks to be the greatest neighborhood one could dream of, but alas you have rejected me again! And I suppose for good reason, for I am just what I am, poor and faulted." He threw the meal he had brought to the ground and wept at the feet of the rich man, who stood still on the other side of the gate.

At this, the gates opened and the rich man helped the poor man up to his feet. The rich man took the poor man's torn clothing and threw it out and adorned him in much finer clothes, and he left the poor man's meal on the ground outside the neighborhood and gave to him the most perfect meat and a deep glass of red wine. In all his working and buying, he had never even seen what the rich man was putting on him, nor had he ever smelled anything like the food the rich man gave him.

The poor man entered the party and looked around seeing that everyone was wearing the same thing; they were all wearing the rich man's clothes.

You Got Three Hours of Sleep Because You Saw the New Harry Potter Movie; I Got Three Hours of Sleep Because I Met Dave Chappelle.

You decide if it was worth it.

Here are some videos of my little experience of hunting down Dave Chappelle. It was definitely one of the stranger nights I've ever had seeing as I arrived to the square at 11:15, didn't SEE Dave until 1 and didn't HEAR him at all until we caught up with him at the Heatheman Hotel at about 2:15am. Throw in some of Portland's regular shenanigans and you've got my Tuesday night. And also seeing as in all of that time I saw some things that this blog should not repeat (Keep Portland Weird AM I RIGHT?!).

This OregonLive! video does the night justice I think....too bad Dave thought he was a loser.

Dave Chappelle in Portland

Dave Chappelle at Pioneer Square

Something You Should Know

A lot of people who read this blog have no idea what I do. I'm sure there are plenty of assumptions, both true and false. And while some aspects of my work as a pastor are tough and not exactly "fun," my job is truly a blessing and I love it.

I think I love it so much because I have a lot of freedom at Rolling Hills and I do take advantage of that. I would like for you to take a look at this video, because it'll give you a picture of what I'm involved in on the ground level (instead of all that pie in the sky spirituality that I often blog about). The people in this video are people I both know very well and care deeply for, they are people who work along side me in trying to find God's Kingdom on earth. The video is worth your time.



Transitional Youth in a not-for-profit organization which works to help the street youth of Portland, who are not just lacking food as I have found out, but lacking true, deep relationships. If this video stirs you in any way, definitely leave me a comment or send me an email about getting involved.

chris.nye@rollinghills.org
www.transitionalyouth.org

EPIC

Parable: The Child in Winter's First Snow

In my ministry, I speak mostly to younger people. Much of them have been soaking in Christian culture for most of their lives. Because of this, they often drift into daydreams when the Bible is read, claiming they've "heard it all before." One morning, when I was looking at the way Jesus taught his young disciples (they weren't older than 17) who grew up in a culture soaked in Scripture, I changed my ways. Instead of preaching with tons of texts, I read and studied much but took what I learned and put it all into stories, as Jesus did. Jesus called these short fiction stories parables, and mostly told them to illuminate eternal truth. Then, at the end, he would often quote a small piece of Scripture that would tie it all together. In my attempt to do this, I've written several parables to illuminate the gospel to young people who seem bored with Scripture. Here's one of them...

The Gospel of Jesus is like a small child out to play in winter's first snow. The little one begs his father for the permission to play in the front yard, but his father says, "No, my son, it is still winter's first snow and the ground is wet and muddy, you will be too filthy to come back in to my house. It would not be for your best." The boy asks again and again but the father declines his ernest request each time saying, "It would not be for your best."

After a number of tries, the small child simply breaks from his father's reach, runs out the door, and falls on his back attempting to make winter's first snow angel. But the ground had not yet frozen, and most of the snow was melting after hitting the ground. The child stands up to look at his work, but he quickly realize he has not made winter's first snow angel, but earth's all too often mud angel.

The small child is now covered in the dirt his father warned him about. He stands in a kind of awe or surprise that his father was right in telling him to stay in His house.

But he can solve this problem, he thinks to himself - it's just a little mud, who needs dad for just a little mud? He lifts his right arm to his left and begins trying to clear the mud off of his arms, but it's no use. The small child then tries to wipe off his legs, but it's just getting worse. With every attempt to make himself clean of the dirt he got himself into, he just gets dirtier - more and more filthy he becomes.

After realizing his mistake of disobeying his most trusted father and his inability to clean himself off, the boy does what only boys know how to do in this particular situation: he cries for his father. He sees him through the window, clean and warm in the house, and yells for his Father. He longs for that warmth and cleanliness right now, something he took for granted when he was standing by his father but one minute ago. The boy becomes cold, and is unable to figure out how to wash himself clean.

Seeing his cry, the father is already on his way out of the house, towels in hand, approaching the filthy child.

"I'm sorry," the little child says as his clean and strong father wipes away the mud off his brow. He puts his hand softly on his child's head.

"Allow me," says the Father.

The father's cleanliness allows the dirt of the child to become cleaned again. The boy runs inside clean, as the father follows, carrying the clothes and mud that once adorned his child. Only clean things can cleanse the dirty things.

No wonder the Scripture put us as the passive agent saying, "you were washed, you were sanctified in the name of Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit."

When I Heard Michael Jackson Had Died

Fresh Pot coffee on N Mississippi, Portland, OR at 3:12pm.

A large black woman, ragged and seemingly disturbed, jaunts in through the main entrance, stops to look around, and boisterously states,

"Michael Jackson's deead."

Everyone looked her way.

"He dead," she reemphasized.

A small "oh my god" is released from the corner and the barista lets out a, "no way, google it." I look over to discover that the barista is commanding me to hit that google. I do, and it is confirmed that he is in the hospital, but nothing else. I report my findings immediately to the coffeehouse. No confirmation that he is dead.

"Bull snakes!" the woman yells, "he dead."

After poking around a little more on the internet I find that this is all true. The cardiac arrest, the hospital, and the death is a reality. The coffee shop sits in an awkward silence for a few seconds, except for the large black woman, who is outside stopping strangers on the street and saying, "Michael Jackson's dead...he dead."

A barista behind the counter simply moves down the bar toward the end, by the computer. She clicks once or twice and the room is hit with the intro to "Thriller." The room goes back to work, satisfied, and the woman slowly walks out nodding her head.

"He dead now," she says.

All I Wanted To Do Was Check My Email

It was a simple morning.

I had to be at Mitch's house by 10am and I was just dropping off Ali at work around 8:30am. So after she got to work, I went to a coffee shop to check/answer email that had collected over the night.

It was after I had read the first couple of emails that I heard the woman next to me begin yelling on her cell phone. Okay, she wasn't yelling, but her voice was way louder than it should have been. Kind of like a child, you know? Children have no idea how inappropriate their volume is. The only difference between a child and this woman is the fact that she is not a child. But, you wouldn't know it because she was acting like a child. I guess you had to be there.

Or not. Because after some babbling that I didn't hear, I did hear this:

"I think I'm just gonna shove those little brownies down her throat and tell her goodnight."

How do you type after that?

That's all.

A Warning to the Children, So That They May Lead Awful Lives

(Click on the image to view the whole thing, HT: Peter Rollins)

You're Welcome?

Just let a guy borrow my pencil for a final. He returned it littered with bite marks. I would've told him to keep it, but then he would have won.

from my Palm

Whatever Works, I Guess

Guy next to me is whispering 'Come on think' and random curse words under his breath as he tries to type a paper. Interesting study habit.

from my Palm.

Slow Motion Sneezing

This is something I need to show to millions because it connects us as humans. I also laughed alone, really hard, in my office when I first watched it. Enjoy...

All in One Class

Dude next to me snoring. LOUD.

Fake tans = noticeable.

This is my favorite essay I've read in a long time. And I read it during class...so ha.

from my Palm.

Salesky!

Just saw Dave Salesky standing on a corner, before I could yell his name some woman behind him fell and got his attention first. Dang.

Gravity is the Earth's Heavyweight Champion of the World

Last Thursday, I posted from my phone that I saw a guy get his tie stuck in his car door (see below). Not 10 minutes later, whilst on the streetcar (correct usage of "whilst"), I saw this woman leaning against the door of the streetcar. Just so you know, the streetcar door opens like an elevator: two glass pieces separate to allow riders in and out of the car. Well, this genius was LEANING AGAINST IT. I kept looking at her in total bewilderment. Really? Doesn't she know that the streetcar door shows no mercy? There's no way she doesn't know, she'll move for su-

And then it happened. All so fast, before I could warn her or even think about warning her. The doors opened and the woman, her purse, and book fell to the dominating and consistent force of gravity. The two glass pieces separated and she fell backwards out of the streetcar and on to street. As the doors opened she realized her mistake, but it was far too late. Her fall was as you might expect; she took about three steps backwards, but couldn't keep up with Mother Nature's Magnet and fell on her back flailing her arms in the air.

As people rushed to her aid all I could hear her say was, "That was so stupid, I am so stupid," and all I could think was, I totally agree.

Caught

Just saw a guy get his tied stuck in his car door. He tried to walk away. Failed. As he looked around to see if anyone saw his blunder, he spotted me. I just tipped my sunglasses down and winked at him.

from my Palm.

Who You Need to Know: Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Sister Rosetta Tharpe - "Up Above My Head" from 1958. She predates some of the guys and gals who fused gospel and blues and I never knew about her until today. 21 years and NOW I find out about her?! What?! Anyways, go to YouTube and take a couple of minutes to listen to what greatness sounds/looks like.

Points

I just found out that my History of Rock prof wrote a scholarly paper just on the drum part of 'Dock of the Bay' by Otis Redding. New respect.

from my Palm

On Why God is Good, Oldies are Timeless, and Hope is Not Lost

I'm waiting for my car to get done at the auto shop and I forgot my Jewish Literature anthology at home, which I have about a hundred pages to shoot down by this afternoon. So, of course I decided to waste time until Art at Hawthorne auto calls me and tells me my Honda is good to go.

It's not all that bad for many reasons:

First, the coffee shop I am in is playing a ridiculously great oldies mix which has included "Run Around Sue" and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling." Have we all recognized the bridge to that last tune? There's no way Neil Diamond is not influenced by that. Thank you Phil Spector and the Righteous Brothers.

That's immediately on my mind. Secondly, and way more importantly, on Friday I had the extreme joy of asking my best friend and love, Ali Dugger, to marry me. And wouldn't you know it she said, "yes." So, we're now officially going for it and can officially talk about life together forever. She is simply remarkable. I could talk to her about anything for hours - maybe years - listen to her for longer. She lives a life I want to be a part of and through God's grace, a life I could compliment in some way. My future is all the more exciting.

I am incredibly thankful, and in praying and thinking about proposing to her, God has taught me amazing things that maybe I should share because it may be of help to you.

1) God redeems: Ali and I both come from what newspapers would call "broken" families. In other words, divorce has plagued both sides of our families as well as our immediate family. This, sadly, is a very common thing in the western world. You would think that we would have a scarred and perhaps bitter vision of marriage, but on the contrary, over the past years, God has redeemed marriage in our minds and by his grace and through prayer we are gaining the excitement for honoring him and each other by dedicating our WHOLE lives to him together and taking the vows seriously: This is for life, and it will be a joy.

2) God is serious about saving you: He'll do anything to save you from what you make ultimate. We all have something at number 1 in our priorities. God promises that if we put him there, we will have a life of joy. That doesn't mean we are without suffering, pain, loss, heartache, struggle, but rather that in those things (when they arrive...and they will) we have identity and belonging. We do not suffer in a vacuum.

But God wants this for you badly, and he will call to you constantly to drop whatever you put above him. You have to ditch your idols. Career? Your vision of a "good life?" Money? Marriage? If you want any of these things or anything else above Christ, you will not find life. "Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desire of your heart." You do not know desire until you delight in God and God alone.

I put down many idols before and will be continually battling against them, but I know this is true: God is real, and he saves if you surrender.

3) God pulls through: This is difficult to stomach, because too many of use believe all we've done is suffer. But "the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." Claim that, don't just wish it will happen one day, but claim it.

I just realized I could go on and on. Please ask me about these thing, for they are objective truths that lead back to the Truth himself, Christ. I'd love to talk to you about how I learned this and am learning this.

"Sweet Little Sixteen" just came on and not "Surfin' USA," this guy knows what he's playing.

Half of Your Life is a Long Time

For those of you who do not know, my awesome Senior Pastor, Dale Ebel, is stepping down from the Senior Pastor position after 31 years of service to the church he planted. As with any major transition, there's a lot of gossip going around. Here's the email I wrote to my volunteers and ministry to clear to the air:

Hello all,

I have a lot to say, all of it is important, so please read.

If you did not already know, our Senior Pastor, Dale Ebel, has decided to move on from his role as Senior Pastor and into a new ministry outside of Rolling Hills that he will begin soon. This decision may seem immediate, but it is something he has been processing for a long time. We, as a staff, are very excited for his new season and we're looking forward to what God has for Rolling Hills as Dale moves on.

Dale is 62 and has served Rolling Hills for half of his life. He planted the church and now believes that in order to preserve the health of the body and his family, he must move on. I'm attaching a letter he personally sent out to all members and attenders.

I had the privilege of attending a very emotional and uplifting staff meeting on Tuesday where Dale spoke honestly about his time at Rolling Hills and his plans for the future. I can tell you in all with certainty that this is the best thing for everyone, and Dale is stepping down out of his own decision and discernment in the calling of God through the Holy Spirit. I trust Dale and am excited for the future.

I will say that you will hear rumors about why Dale stepped down. Please disregard gossip and slanderous talk. This is Dale's move, not a ploy to usurp power. Dale himself said this over and over and to say anything outside of this would be to label your pastor as a liar.

When something this shocking and emotional happens, people tend to freak out and say things that aren't true at all. Some say these things out of a good intention, but then use the worst method. Be watchful for people trying to create dissension among you and be in prayer.

Finally, know this is a good thing for our church. Our staff meeting today was incredible. Awesome prayers, confessions of personal sin, and repentance all happened. This is a defining moment for our staff and church but also a time of testing. The staff has been in more honest and deep prayer than I have ever seen. This is a good thing.

If you have any questions, the best thing to do is to email me.

I encourage you to attend this Sunday's service at 9am or 11am. Also, please read the letter to the congregation from Dale and the chairman of the elder board, Don Carter.

I love you all and I'll see you Sunday.

Be in prayer!

Pastor Chris Nye

Just in the Nick of Swine

"Ok, break," my professor said. That was a long lecture and there's probably another hour or so. I need to find the cookies. There are cookies somewhere that I need for a boost.

The girl sitting in front of me turns around before I could even move my legs after my brain thought of cookies.

"Would you mind emailing me the homework she assigns at the end of class?" she said as she slid her email address over my desk. Before I could even wonder why she would leave she told me, "I'm not feeling that well..." she said this line with much more drama than her previous. I decided to replace my skepticism with a joke to relieve both of us.

"Ah, swine flue huh?" I said with a little smirk.

Her face turned white with worry that had a tone that seemed to say, "That is a total possibility." Instead she said:

"You think?"

There was a pause and then I made a little noise before letting out, "No, gosh, sorry, joke," which really wasn't a sentence but I think I got my point across.

She looked at her shoes for a while and squinted as if to think about her symptoms. Instead of waiting for her to ask another question I would stammer at, I just told her I would email her.

She turned from me and walked away. It was right then when I thought, that was the worst joke I could have made, it should have went like this.

"Would you mind emailing me the homework she assigns at the end of class? I'm not feeling well..."

"Totally, but just make sure you swine your name on the swine-up sheet before you leave."

Wink.

HOLY WOW

YOU GUYS

I just had 15 minutes free before my next meeting and I check my blog homepage and saw this new option and I was like whoa what and so I totally clicked it and it was like do you wanna send text messages to update your blog and i was like whoa yea so I totally sent a text message and said testing and look down below it totally showed up all because I freaking sent a little text message wow technology LOLz

Testing

Easter

Easter is our biggest day as Christians. It's sort of like a family reunion. I go to church and see everyone I haven't seen in a year or so. I see some of them at our Christmas reunion, but Easter is the big one.

I just wanted to write two things regarding Easter:

1) Never assume the Gospel. You've always heard that if you assume you make an "ass" out of "u" and "me." That's a tired joke, but it's totally true. I've been thinking about this for about two years, and I believe that this is the number one problem in Evangelicalism. No body knows the gospel. I mean, I don't even think most Christians can roughly tell you what it is or explain it to you. We assume the gospel, and move on to things like evolution vs. creationism, predestination, and gay marriage. If you get the gospel wrong, you get it all wrong. The coming of God in flesh and the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the absolute centerpiece of the Christian faith. Paul puts it this way in 1 Corinthians 15:

¹Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, ²and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you— unless you believed in vain. ³For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures...

I'm so disturbed with the amount of Christian people I meet who cannot tell me what the gospel is and how it affects the world. When you get to a place where you just "know that you know" what the gospel is, I'm afraid you're in tough waters. Jump out of that swamp by not just reading God's word, but studying it, because his Bible is full of the good news.

2) With that problem, it's so crucial that the gospel is clear to people. I think a common emerging practice in Evangelicalism is to try and talk about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus with new language and complex metaphors. The early church never did this. They preached from Scripture and told people Jesus raised from the dead and prayed their tales off. Christians (especially our pastors) should pay close attention to the rhetoric they use. I think another new practice is to tell people to not worry about their words they use and let the actions do the talking. I think that's true, we must be people of action, believe me my ministry is rooted in active faith. But the gospel is news, good news, and as Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones said, it must be communicated like news. It is not instruction, or song, it is news. You instruct somebody how to tie a tie, because it involves something you must do. The gospel is already done for you, it is a historical event, and all you have to do is report the news: Christ has come, now believe. It is a headline, breaking news, an announcement for humanity, not a new way to live or an adjustment to your habits.

Take time this weekend to be reminded that the gospel is real and has already occurred, but in the same way, still has the power through the Holy Spirit to change you and every person you know. This is where joy lies. Christianity is not a club of people who are morally superior, but rather a group of people who admit their flaw and surrender to a King who is in the business of total redemption.

BEST DAY EVER

Yesterday, I needed to head to Mike's Auto Parts on 52nd and Woodstock in order to purchase a new headlight for my sleek 1995 Honda Accord. Ali was with me, and because we were heading to 52nd and Woodstock around noon, I thought it would be a sin if we didn't stop by Otto's Sausage Kitchen and Meat Market for a hot dog, pepperoni stick, or some other delicious meat treat. Because of my passion for meat, and my ties to the place, we pulled off the side of the road and walked up to the barbeque where some wiener cookin' was happening.

I ordered, grabbed a bag of chips, and reached for my wallet.

The man cooking the wieners spoke a foreign language to me.

"I'm sorry?" I said with hesitation. I could have sworn he said something in English, but I kept trying to roll it around in my head and I couldn't get anything.

He spoke again, but I couldn't understand.

"I'm sorry, but come again?" I said for an embarrassing second time.

"This meal is on the house. The Food Network is here, so if you could just sit inside and smile, that will be of great help to us." After he said this he looked back at the wieners and focused.

I, obviously, stood in total shock.

Here's a little background, so as you can somewhat understand the state of shock I entered upon his statement: I worked for Otto's Sausage Kitchen and Meat Market for an entire year of my life, which gave me enough life material to write a useless book, but nonetheless a book. In my entire time as an employee there, it was made very clear to me that my free lunch, which I received every 8-hour + shift, was the greatest gift one could receive from the Otto legacy. I was told to appreciate it, and to never take this gift of free sausage for granted. Furthermore, during my time employed, I never (NEVER) once witnessed a customer getting anything for free. You dropped your wiener on the ground? Too bad, buy another one. Your pepperoni too dry? That's how it comes, you ungrateful punk. Is the smoked salmon too spicy? There was no such thing as smoked salmon when I was your age, you thoughtless tool.

These were the philosophies of Otto's. As you might imagine, I grew to appreciate, take care of, and love my free meals at the Meat Market.

Flash forward years later as I stand with Ali at the barbeque and I hear a foreign language, nay, a distant tongue, ancient of days!

"This one's on the house," he said as he held a floppy wiener in front of my face. The ancient dialect entered my brain and a flourish of feelings of gold rushed through my deluded mind. This. is. it.

Calmly, I took the wiener, grabbed my chips, and walked inside the shop to eat.

I sat down across from my beautiful lady, collected myself, and looked at her saying, "Best day ever." She smiled in agreement.

A Note About the English Major's Quality of Writing

I would just like to share why I believe English majors graduate being such great writers. I acknowledge that some will graduate and still be sloppy, inefficient writers, but it must be known that for the most part, we English majors can write, you know, okay.

I believe we end up writing so well because American English professors muster up the driest, most boring literature they can find and then ask you to write passionately about it. This makes one both question his/her will to live, but also brings one to realize that if one does not write passionately about this, then perhaps they will not graduate and thus fall into the deepest depression their soul can find.

You see, English majors spend years writing about things that do no interest them, and they get good at it. Then, when the real world hits after graduation, they can get a job anywhere simply because they have been trained to write about anything, even what they despise. So an English major who loves news writing and journalism could graduate and get a job as a cooking magazine columnist and sound cogent, articulate, and passionate.

When I think about this, I'm not sure I look forward to my life.

Oh, Hello There

About once every three or four months, I neglect this blog in order to do more important things with my life. But every so often, I get that pang of procrastination and decide to dedicate my time back to completely wasting it.

SO, hello.

I stepped out for a month because stuff at church has not slowed down, and I'm incredibly excited. I know this blog takes many different forms and you end up suffering through things I think are important. But, on the other hand, I get awkward comments from people who tell me I should keep this bad boy running. And sometimes, you just gotta let a thoroughbred run.

Since this is devoted to things I think are important, I want to give you these updates from my view of the earth, and hope that the both of us don't come out on the other end of this a little older and with less purpose. OK.

1) My greatest excitement and celebration is in the power of Jesus Christ. I've been eating a feast of his Word morning by morning, learning who he is, how great he is, and the joy that comes through the good news.
2) I hate Spotty, the "cat" who loiters in my house.
3) I joined the Atheist club at Portland State. I'm sort of incognito, but my true identity will be revealed to all soon. So far, there's some excellent discussion and I'm learning a lot. God help me, I love 'em.
4) Go Blazers. Sat in section 212 last night. We won by two. Go Blazers.
5) I have too many words for the things happening in our ministry. We're on the mountain top and praying hard. Every week I'm hearing about new life, solidified faiths, and repentance. Furthermore, relationships with kids from all over the city of Portland are being formed, and God is changing everyone in the process.
6) I get to network with great people next week from around the world and it's all because some awesome people love me and believe in me...and got me in for free.
7) I got business cards.
8) Loving a girl as much as I do makes me a bit different, but I also couldn't give less of a crap about that.
9) Heart of Darkness is the greatest novella ever written.
10) Without C.S. Lewis, my faith would be a lot harder.
11) I'm praying for my family every day because without Christ I think we would not understand why a lot of suffering is happening in our lives.

I have a class in five minutes, so eleven is enough. I will end with saying that I've never been more positive in my life that the Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich will never be dethroned as king of lunch sandwiches. It's cost-effective and healthy like none other. I think I may research the PB&J instead of listening to a lecture.

God is at work, see you soon.

Poetry

“Poetry is sane because it floats easily in an infinite sea; reason seeks to cross the infinite sea, and so make it finite.”

-G.K. Chesterton

Rick Warren Opens for Aretha Franklin in Once In a Lifetime Show

You have to have a heart of stone to not be excited about this time in America. So much lies on the shoulders of Barack Obama, yet earlier today he gracefully and tactfully addressed the nation he now leads.

All but one of my teachers cancelled class today in order to pay respect to the moment. With this gift of time, I decided to wake up at 7am and drive over to a coffee shop I found while going to Bible college in SE Portland. It's called the Bipartisan Cafe, and I hope you can guess the theme. I don't know where they got some of the decorations, but the place is littered with old presidential memorabilia. You just have to go there, it's awesome.

Anyway, I knew there would be a crowd there because they have a flat screen and it's just known for hosting political events. All of the debates were there and yada yada. So I went thinking there would be a good sized crowd, therefore arrived at about 7:45 and IT WAS FRICKIN' PACKED. Quite the scene. I loved every minute of it. I grabbed some "Obama Blend" coffee that Bipartisan threw together and stood sandwiched in between an agnostic and a young dad of twins. It's SE Portland, so everyone is a Democrat, and while normally Pre-Coffee Democrats act a lot like Post-Whiskey Republicans, today was a different day. Everyone offered one another chairs, and got out of people's ways, people constantly apologizing...it was lovely.

We were talking for a while about the year and the campaigns and Bush, but when the ceremony began the whole place just shut up. I mean, not a word was spoken. Eyes glued to the television. We stood like ice in the arctic and listened to a new era beginning.

I've been over his speech a thousand times. I had to write a rhetorical analysis of it for one of my classes and I have to say that Obama is a brilliant writer. If this whole "leader of the free world" thing never worked out, I think he'd have an easy time finding a writing job. But he stumbled into this gig so we'll see how it goes huh? I will say, that if I were to say all of that to his face, he would most likely credit this guy, his 27 year-old speechwriting director who says he "channels" the voice of Obama. The guy carries around Dreams From My Father like a Bible. He rarely sleeps and wrote the speech that turned Iowa to Obama in the summer of 2008. What a punk. Yeah, this generation knows nothing about anything. He's 27. 27 means he's got three more years until he's 30.

I have more to say, but there's another paper to write. I just felt like I had to write all of this to validate its reality.

I'll post some pictures soon.

History

Even though I memorized this speech when I was in the seventh grade, and have heard it numerous times since, I still believe that this is one of the most important speeches in the history of humanity. It is true that King had many personal faults, but what prophet didn't?