lifeasmission
exploring the mystery of life and mission as one and the same
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Archive of "Amy" Category
Sweater Deal
It’s not often I post about stuff like this — even less often that I am inclined to even think much of it, but I got a killer deal on a couple of sweaters that I really like yesterday.
And truth be told, the real credit goes to Amy and her twin attributes of 1) an ability to spot a deal and 2) simply being in the right place at the right time.
So, we’re walking into the store and knowing my wife’s insatiable desire to check EVERYTHING out, I cover her eyes with my hands and lead her, undistracted, through the store so that we can accomplish our one and only task, return an item.
What I didn’t count on was that with her eyes covered, her superhuman powers were redirected to her ears and she made out an announcement over the PA about a free giveaway going on upstairs. This announcement was barely audible to the human ear and nearly unintelligable on top of that. How she noticed and discerned the message is beyond me.
She left me to the return and as she sauntered away, shouted back over her shoulder, “Hey, you should check out those sweaters over there.” I swear we walked by them when she had her eyes covered. I hadn’t even seen the sweaters. I finished quick and she was still upstairs, so I walked over to look at the sweaters. $55 bucks! “Yeah right,” I thought. But then I looked closer. They were marked down to $10 – more than 80% off.
Now listen, I’m not one of those who’s fooled into believing that I could get a sweater that is really worth $55 for $10. But $10 still seemed like a pretty good deal for how well the sweater fit and looked. So I got 2! But the story’s not over, oh no!
We get to the register to check out and they have an offer for a Sears card where you can get $15 off your purchase. So, between the 80% off sale, the small credit from the return, and the Sears card offer, I walked out of the store with 2 “$55″ sweaters for under 2 bucks. Oh, and besides the sweaters, Amy came home with a couple kitchen tools that she got for free just for walking upstairs. I think I’m gonna like shopping with Amy!
A Life Narrated by Love
The life I live is one narrated by Love.
The other day I was looking for something and when I couldn’t find it where it should have been, I was forced to consult “the box.”You know “the box” right? It’s where you have stashed your odds and ends for years upon years. You have no real idea what all is in there, but you also know equally well that there is no chance you would ever throw that box away!
As I worked through the contents of the box, I was moved to tears. I found collections of letters, notes, cards, and pictures that I had all but forgotten.
A soccer ball that all my players signed for me when I coached.
A scrap of paper with simple words of encouragement that a good friend tucked in my bag right before I boarded a plane to embark on one of the hardest journeys of my life.
Letters from students with words of love and affirmation from my days as a student pastor.
Today is my 31st birthday – the first that I celebrate with the woman who vowed to love me for the rest of my life. And if the last 8 months are any kind of gauge, the rest of my life is looking pretty great!
As I stop to think about how I have been loved for the last 30 years, how I am loved now, and how I may yet be loved in the future by people (and, Lord willing, children) that I don’t even know yet, I am overwhelmed with inexpressible joy and gratitude.
May I have the courage to love others as I have been loved – to help narrate the lives of others with the sort of Love that has characterized mine.
Rozko Update | Feb., 2010
Amy and I are both networkers through and through. Each of us has enjoyed cultivating networks and communities of friends in the various places we have lived across the US and abroad. These are people who have helped, encouraged, shaped, and loved us. Because we want to do what we can to stay in touch with these people (you?), we’ve decided to compile a 1-page letter about every other month that highlights what’s been going on, what’s coming up, matters in which we hope you will rejoice with us, and others in which we hope you will support us in prayer.
We got our first one out in the last few days. If you didn’t receive it, there are 2 possible reasons.
1) We had no idea you might be interested in receiving it.
2) We tried to send it to you, but must have had the wrong email address.
In either case, if you didn’t receive our letter and would like to, leave a comment or drop us an email via the contact page and we will add you to the list of folks that we email these letters to.
Thanks for continuing to allow us to share our lives with our – nothing means more. We’re also hopeful that this might be a pathway to more of you sharing what is going on in your lives as well.
Click the image below to download our first letter.
Missional Learning Commons
This afternoon Amy and I are joining about a dozen others from our church community as attenders at a Missional Learning Commons in Ft. Wayne, IN.
At the invitation of Dave Fitch (who has blogged about this gathering here), I attended my first one of these in December of 2007 before Amy was in Chicago. Last year Amy attended without me as I was in Kenya. So, especially since we have committed as a couple to helping cultivate a new missional community in the next year, I am really excited for us to get to participate in one of these together.
Here’s what I love about this event.
A) It’s free. And that’s not because it sucks. It’s because the “business” of Christian resourcing needs to die.
B) It’s local. The people who attend these every year have a real chance to stay meaningfully connected.
C) It’s not about personalities. Those who speak, are more like conversation starters. There is much more time given to dialogue than monologue.
D) There’s no hype. No book sales, no t-shirts, no vendors.
It’s just a band of brothers and sisters who are trying get on the same page about the implications of a missional ecclesiolgy as Christendom continues to crumble here in the midwest. It’s a living example of what I meant when I blogged about “The Power and Promise of Regional Gatherings for the Equipping of Missional Churches.”
Looking forward to a great weekend of connecting, discussing, dreaming, and praying.
Boston Bound: Lookin for Tips
I have had something like a 15 year love affair with Boston, which is strange for someone who has never actually been there, but that’s about to change. Amy and I are currently planning a long weekend in Boston and various excursions from there around New England.
So, who’s got the 411 on Boston and the surrounding area? What and where do we need to make sure to check out? What’s our best bet for scenic, yet affordable accommodations? Looking for any advice anyone wants to throw our way, thanks.
The Ride for Refugees
Amy and I had a great time this past Saturday participating in the inaugural (for the US anyway) Ride for Refugees. We were joined by about 200 other riders in Geneva, IL who, together with the rest of the riders in the US, helped to raise over $100,000. Here’s us on our way.
We wanted to say a HUGE thanks to those of you who sponsored us, to Stephanie and the Olson’s who let us borrow their bikes, and to the Tebbe’s for their bike rack and helmet!
We raised $700 of our goal of $1000! Not bad for just beginning to get sponsors 5 days before the race.
If you were still interested in contributing to the assistance of refugees by sponsoring our team, you can do so here until the end of the month. Maybe we’ll meet that goal yet!!
It was a cool morning and the expected rain managed to hold off until close to the end of the race for those who were doing 60 miles.
I got caught up helping with traffic and parking duty and missed the 30-mile wave of riders, but rode with Amy for the 15-mile wave. When we got back, we switched bikes, and I went and did the 15-mile circuit again.
My cousin Gwen and her husband Rob joined our team at the last minute. They showed up later in the morning and each did the 15-mile ride as well.
Here’s a few pictures from the ride.
Hi There…
Hey, I'm JR - welcome to the blog.
I'm just an average guy trying to shape his identity around God's dream for the world and his place in it. This blog is a place for me (and you!) to reflect on and discuss all that might mean. Looking for a bit more on me? Check out the about me. Peace.
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