moved again!

Hi few-but-beloved blog readers!  I have moved once again, but hopefully for the last time.  Please follow my randomness at himikepark.wordpress.com.  Thanks!

random thoughts

- I think I am a geek.  I’ve been trying to fight this truth off, but there is no getting around it.  I get way too excited and know too many things about pretty geeky topics.  Wikipedia is my best friend when it comes to Star Trek, background info on comic book superheroes, and various bits of pop culture.  Apologies to Matt K. for mocking Trekkies.  I’m not there as far as Star Trek goes, but very much so in other genres of geekdom.  Also, I like trivia.  Mostly sports and history.  Pretty geeky.  I can just play back and forth trivia with someone for a long time.  How do I know?  I’ve done it.  A lot.

- I was thinking today about how we take for granted little things, like having clean water.  I remembered a list of stats from a curriculum on social justice and here are some facts:

According to a 2005 United Nations report, obtaining access to clean water and basic sanitation for the world’s poor would cost $7 billion a year over the next decade.
About $8 billion a year is spent in the United States on elective cosmetic surgery.
About $7 billion annually is spent on perfume in Europe.
The amount that the world’s richest countries spend in a year on HIV/AIDS, a human security threat that claims three million lives a year, represents three days’ spending on military hardware.
Just $4 billion is needed to finance basic health interventions that could prevent the deaths of three million infants a year.
Every year, $17 billion is spent on pet food in the United States and Europe.

Something to think about.

not enough words…

I found out earlier today that a good man passed away this morning.  He had been sick with cancer for several months, diagnosed not too long after the last time I saw him.  He was already along in years and a proud grandfather when I met him, but no one ever imagined there would be a time when Mr. P wouldn’t be around.  I wasn’t around to see him get really sick.  I heard that it hit him hard, and those around him even harder.  It hit me hard, too.  I wish I got a chance to tell Mr. P how much I appreciated him, how a simple pat on the back from him and an encouragement meant so much.  I get to remember the gentle, smiling, down-to-earth man that put everyone at ease, and the way he handled everything with grace and common sense.  I get to remember how he encouraged the girls when they planned flag football, and how he loved hanging out with his granddaughters.  I get to remember how he kept on serving and giving his time to the church, even when everyone didn’t get along and everything didn’t go right.  But I wish I got to say goodbye and thank you.

We used to run into each other in the parking lot a lot.  No one really knew how much time he gave to the church, and how much he did the things that no one else wanted to do.  Seriously, I don’t know how he did it.  So we’d talk for a little bit about the headache-of-an-issue he was dealing with that day, and he would give me some good-natured fatherly advice on what to do if I ever ran a church one day.  I always listened because he said it with such gentleness and a kind of respect that I probably hadn’t earned yet.  And usually he was right on the money.  I’d usually say something about how I could never be able to lead a church.  And he’d look at me and say in a confident voice and with a smile, “Yes, you can.  Maybe not now, but someday you will.”

I didn’t get to know Wayne Perrin as well as I would have wanted.  But the man that I knew took care of the people around him.  You knew it.  You could count on it.  He gave you that vibe the moment you met him.  I can’t recall ever having a conversation with him about Scripture or theology, but Mr. P taught me a whole lot about being a Christian leader because he taught me about character.  Treat people well and know who you are and who you’re not.  You’re not saved by good works, but try to be a good man.

Faith in Jesus means we get to grieve and rejoice at moments like this.  I’m incredibly sad you’re gone, Mr. P.  But I know you’re enjoying the eternal peace and joy of heaven.  We’ll miss you, Mr. P.  Thanks for being there for all of us.

today’s oz

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? —Romans 8:35

“Shall tribulation . . . ?” Tribulation is never a grand, highly welcomed event; but whatever it may be— whether exhausting, irritating, or simply causing some weakness— it is not able to “separate us from the love of Christ.” Never allow tribulations or the “cares of this world” to separate you from remembering that God loves you.

“Shall . . . distress . . . ?” Can God’s love continue to hold fast, even when everyone and everything around us seems to be saying that His love is a lie, and that there is no such thing as justice?

“Shall . . . famine . . . ?” Can we not only believe in the love of God but also be “more than conquerors,” even while we are being starved?

Either Jesus Christ is a deceiver, having deceived even Paul, or else some extraordinary thing happens to someone who holds on to the love of God when the odds are totally against him. Logic is silenced in the face of each of these things which come against him. Only one thing can account for it— the love of God in Christ Jesus. “Out of the wreck I rise” every time.

I’ve been reading My Utmost For His Highest since I was in college.  It’s a devotional I’ve always gone back to, and though I don’t always agree with Oswald Chambers’ take, I am always challenged and encouraged to set my eyes on God alone and live this life in radical obedience.  It’s funny how we can so easily ignore those things that are meant to help us and turn our attention to Jesus.  I’ve had the online version (http://www.rbc.org/utmost/index.php) as my start page for some time now, but usually I click ahead to facebook or ESPN or something seemingly more urgent in the moment.  But the whole point of using this as my start page was to avoid that and slow down to seek God first.  So today’s devotional gripped me – nothing in this world can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.  In all these things we are more than conquerors because we rely not on our own strength or personality, but on the love God has for us.

my, my, my, my corolla

New York is a different world to me now.  It’s no longer just a constellation of subway lines and bus routes.  My New York experience now also consists of parkways, expressways, streets in Queens that go every which way, streets in Manhattan that take 30 min to go half a mile, and wildly impatient drivers.  Last week I bought a silver 2006 Corolla, keeping in tact my streak of driving Toyota cars.  There was the brief moments when I drove the Mercury Mountaineer, but I always considered that the family car and more of a loaner.  So in honor of my new used car, I thought I’d run down the cars of my past and present.

1994 Toyota Camry SE, black, 2-door (1996-2004):
My first car and my first love.  I got it right before my senior year of high school and drove it to my senior prom, high school graduation, college graduation, first day of seminary, and so many high and low moments of my young life.  It was used and had almost 50k miles on it, but it ran great for so many years.  It had a cassette player and a CD player, and yes, I still remember playing the slow jams mix tapes in the car that made you think of that certain someone – Boyz II Men, Brian Mcknight, Shai, Mariah, and more.  Those slow jams mix tapes and rap CDs eventually turned to Steven Curtis Chapman, Kirk Franklin, and praise and worship.  The Camry took me everywhere I needed to go – music playing, sunroof open, and good friends in the car.  Good times.

2005 Toyota Tacoma PreRunner Sport, white, 4-door (2005-2008):
I think I enjoyed everyday that I drove my truck.  It was my first new car, straight from the dealership.  I’ll admit it, I felt a little bit too cool for school driving it, but overall it was a super comfortable ride with great advantages for going to the beach or a retreat.  The day I decided to sell it I was very sad.  The day that I sold it I was very happy because I got a good price, but also still sad.  It’s out there now, hopefully making that guy happy.  He better be taking care of it.

2006 Toyota Corolla LE, silver, 4-door (last week – present):
My newest ride was safe and risky at the same time.  Safe because it’s a great performing car with good mileage and low maintenance cost.  Risky because I bought it off Craigslist.  Overall, I think I got a decent deal.  But there’s always a fear that something will go wrong when you buy your car that way.  Aside from some minor issues, I’m happy with my latest traveling companion.  It’s not as cool as the Tacoma or as sentimental as the Camry, but I think the Corolla will last me a while and get me around the mean streets of NYC.  She has a few bumps and scratches and will probably get a few more.  But it’s in good shape, and I feel blessed to have a car to get around in.  I know it’s really a gift from God.

I’ve been trying to upload a picture, but wordpress is not cooperating.  So just imagine a simple silver corolla.  Nothing too flashy.  Nothing too special.  But she’s mine.  So what should I call her?

a series of new beginnings

I have a renewed vision to make my presence known in cyberspace.  Hence, the new look to my blog and the new interest in twitter.  A good friend encouraged me to “show some skin” in this blog.  Don’t worry, there won’t be any illicit photos.  But the suggestion to be more personal and share ramblings about my life is well taken.  So here we go with Attempt At Regular Blogging #34.  And yes, I made that number up.

What with all the changes to the look of my blog, I was considering changing my blog title today but decided to stick with it.  At first, it was just a catchy title that reflected my love for football.  The more I think about it though, it fits.  There’s always something new happening, a fresh set of downs with new challenges and possibilities ahead.  There is a goal in sight, but we are constantly starting over to get there.  So here I am again, in a lot of ways at first and ten.  Deep, right?  Football players are really philosophers with pads on.

thoughts on the emerging

The emerging church movement has gotten a lot of press in various church circles, usually in the seminary/church leader crowd in the greater evangelical church.  Some care deeply about it, some don’t care at all.  Some see it as a great critique and teacher for the church, and others see it as repackaged liberal theology and misguided mysticism.  I’ve probably approached the stuff on emerging churches with a fair but critical perspective.  My knowledge or research is very limited, but a good book I read recently gives some good insight on the subject, Emerging Churches by Eddie Gibbs and Ryan Bolger (both Fuller professors).  They give 9 principles that emerging churches generally rally around:

1.    Identify with the life of Jesus
2.    Transform the secular realm
3.    Live highly communal lives
4.    Welcome the stranger
5.    Serve with generosity
6.    Participate as producers
7.    Create as created beings
8.    Lead as a body
9.    Merge ancient and modern spiritual practices

today matters

I still feel like I just got here.  I don’t get lost on the subway quite as often anymore, and New York doesn’t feel as foreign.  New Life feels more and more like home (literally!), and I feel like I’m building great relationships.  But it still feels like I just got here.  And I can’t believe that part of me is already thinking about what I’ll do when I leave.  Some might say that’s the normal, even responsible, thing to do.  Plan ahead.  Make sure to be efficient and productive.  Don’t waste time.  These are the mantras that have been engraved into me for most of my life.  I want to enjoy the internship and the time I have now, but isn’t tomorrow more important than today?

advent and other thoughts

The last few weeks have been a flurry of activity – traveling to Boston for Thanksgiving, Advent service, Open Mic Night, Urban Sun concert with the famous Abbey Hoffman, good times with new friends, good times with old friends, and on and on.  There are many blog posts that could be birthed out of all that activity, and a few drafts that were started but never completed.  So I thought I’d highlight some thoughts:

quantum of cool

Two interesting things for me from last night.