a generous orthodoxy

the small group that i meet with every wednesday (composed of 8 people) began reading a book this week. a book- how boring is that right? imean, every small group reads a book, does a study, talks about things that normally don't really show the inner thoughts and desires, hopes of the person reading the book. normally book studies are polite, easy, PR, correct and boring. every one agrees, nods politely, may go home and think, "so n so was so out in left field tonight, they are weird" or they may go home and not think about it at all. they showed up to a study, isn't that enough?

for many years now i have deeply desired a study/group that would open my heart, speak to my deepest desires, and bring forth that love and joy of life that i so desperately long for. but in this quest, i have basically forgotten my mind. what about the fundamental issues that make me a christian, or not one? how is my mind developing over the past years? what about the mental connection to christianity?

the book : a Generous orthodoxy by Brian McLaren. i've only read the first chapter and i am deeply and mentally involved. the cover of the book heralds the following chapters to explain, "why i am a missional, evangelical, post/protestant, liberal/conservative, mystical/poetic, biblical, charismatic/contemplative, fundamentalist/calvinist, anabaptist/anglican, methodist, catholic, green, incarnational, depressed-yet-hopeful, emergent, unfinished christian".

this is intriguing enough. i feel that i am finally getting down to the bones of my religion. ami a fundamentalist? am i liberal? can i be both? am i conservative? i certainly was raised mostly so. yet, what gives me the biggest picture of christ? and modern daychristians- what about them. what are they exactly? am i one of them? do i actutally live out my religion? or is it just nice. hmmm.

somewhere in chapter one McLaren talks about an old friend telling him this, "Scratch the paint of a liberal, and you'll find an alienated fundamentalist underneath". perhaps this is what i identify with most.

you know how everyonce in a while ch ristians will get around to talking about why modern day miracles don't happen? here is McLaren's view point on that. i agree.
"while i believe that actual miralces ca and do happen(though i notice they sometimes create nearly as many problems as they solve, and so i see why they aren't given "on demand"), i am sympathetic wqith those who blieve otherwise, and i applaud their desire to live out the meaning of the miracle stories even when they don't believe the stories really happened as written. (i find it harder to be sympathetic with those who take pride in believing the miracles really happened but dont' seek to live out their meaning)."

i fall into that latter category- i believe these miracles literally took place, yet do not live my life as though their meaning was real.

needless to say, i am very excited about this book, about the food for thought it has already given me,a nd to see what else this man has to say. he is just a man, htis book is only his thoughts, not even exactly scrpture based. as with all chrsitian books you must look back to the source to fully examine your heart and mind- the bible. i would recommend ths book to anyone however- it will make you at the very least think about the way you live and why.

10 Uses of the Thumb

1. blow drying your hair
2. typing
3. cutting chicken for dinner
4. peeling a kiwi
5. holding your dog's leash
6. opening doors
7. brushing your teeth
8. pushing buttons on your cell phone
9. lighting a candle
10. holding a dad gum ski pole


so why the 10 uses of a thumb? b/c my thumb is currently sprained, andyou'd never know how much you use a thumb until you don't have one! i was so excited this weekend to start using my new christmas telemark skis. telemark skiing is where your heel is free, kinda like cross country skiing but you are going downhill. it takes a special kind of turn down the hill, gives your quad muscles a burn you never even got on 16,000 steps of the stair master, and is super duper fun! eric has been tele skiing since last year when i attempted snowboarding. i never truly enjoyed snowboarding, but did it b/c my knees are so bad (a tightened IT band and tight patellar-femoral tendon). i figured out some Physical ntherapy exercises to do to help my bknees, took a free tele lesson, and got hooked for life! i used some christmas money bto purchase boots and skis and got out this weekend. it was such a blast. but i had to give my quads a rest every5 turns or so b/c they were getting such a work out. it's like doing leg presses down the hill! anyway, i took a lousy little fall and forgot all about poles (snowboarderrs don't use poles!) and the pole pushed my bthumb all the wayb ack, now the entire right side of myb right hand is swollen and myb thumb is taped with a popsicle stick and tape, which also hits the 'b' key every btime i reach for a letter on the top row. so please disregard the 'b's in front of other letters. it hurts like a mother too! i never knew sprains could hurt so badly! i am kinda bummed b/c this means no climbing and no yoga and probably no skiing for a little while. i don't know how long these things take to heal, i'll have to ask one of the ortho residents i work with tomorrow. writing is a challenge though, as is typing. however, skiing is still way more fun than snowboarding! i am so excited to own skis. i can't believe i own skis. i mean, i feel like i actually live here now!!! :)

pilsner is doing great- last night he slept all night until 8:30 am!! how great is that? it's been freezing, no colder than that, here. the low in park cityb (where we ski) last night as -14. yep, NEGATIVE 14!! the high on the ski mountain yesterday was 6.buuurrrrrr!! i was pretty cold! but in salt lake the highs have been around 15 too, so pilsner doesn't like to go outside. he peed on the mat right outside the door the other night so he wouldn't have to step on the snow. that's kinda annoying. puppies are hard work! they have so much energy, and take constant watching. he knows now that he is supposed to pee when we take him out, but he doesn't knwo that he isn't supposed to pee inside. it'll come. he's 12 weeks this wednesday. i am becoming attached, he's so darn cute!

we've been trying a new church down in salt lake (instead of park city) our friends tyler and alyssa go to this church, called Capital- church in the city. it's got a satruday bevening jazz service we've gone to twice, kinda a coffee bar/jazz worship with a message thing. it was great. plus, it's saturday bnight which means sundayb feels like a whole another day bto the weekend and it's laid back. i am excited about this service. in the s ummer it will be very nice to go to church in slat lake instaead of driving up the hill to park city. it's been reallyb hard finding a church in salt lake. combing from the grove in fayetteville which we really liked almost everything about- it's hard to find a church and not compare. i htink we've finally stopped comparing churches to the grove and are trying to just find soenmthing that fits for us now. capital seems like a good one to give a try. we've meet the pastor and associate pastor. i think it's impressive when a pastor of a church will come and meet you personally bb/c he's noticed a new face int eh crowd. that means a lot to us, after having gone to so many churches and not met anyone. having the pastor connect with you and have a chat means you are that much more liekly bto come back b/c yo've met someone. it's a good idea.

Artists recently added to my iPod

Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah
Devotchka
Gillian Welch
Mason Jennings
Patty Griffin
Sufjan Stevens
The Wailin' Jennys

New Years Events 2007

Katie and Alex (Alyssa's Baby boy), Alyssa, Me, and Liz at New Year's Sushi Party

Bridget and i enjoying that sushi!

Katie and i are at the top of Summit Park in Park city

Garrett and Mark rolling the sushi at our new years party

Lacy, Annie and Sahale, Bridget and me at new years

Our friends Tyler and Alyssa and i touring up Summit Park New years Eve

Eric and i in Summit park New years eve



The past few days have gone by very quickly with the advent of pilsner, seeing friends, touring in the backcountry, and trying to sleep somewhere in there. I had the best new years i've ever had with a bunch of well loved and enjoyed friends here in Salt lake. What a difference a year can make! New years eve we spent with our good friends Tyler and Alyssa touring in Summit Park near Park City. They recently had a baby (6 wks!) and Alyssa was already out pushing herself up the hillside. New Years Eve was spent at our house rolling Sushi. Just about everyone dear to me in Salt Lake was there which made for a very wonderful evening. Today (new years) Lacy and i are touring up Little cottonwood canyon- hopefully it will become a tradition! I've had plenty of time to be out in the snow and powder of utah, however i am still learning how to keep my snowboard above the powder. it is much more like surfing than it is skiing or anything else. i usually fall a lot and it takes a lot of effort to get out of the 3 foot powder hole i create by falling. i am learning however. this will hopefully be the last season i am snowboarding though as i want to buy a telemark set up. i've never truly enjoyed snowboarding, it was just easiest on my knees. but next year i am going for the ultimate backcountry set up by using a telemark (free heel) ski. eric already skis this way, and i am looking forward to it.

i hope you all have a wonderful New Year- it's a new beginning!