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This trip was wonderful.  It was a great time away from the hustle and and bustle of life in Tucson.  Although it is good to spend the night in your own bed and also to have Riley in his room, not just feet away from you.

As we drove back I was able to read:

The Next Generation Leader, by Andy Stanley 

This is a great read.  It is not about the “postmodern” or “forward thinking” area of church.  In my eyes it was a solid book on biblical leadership.  It was insight into how he has done it with practical things which could be applied in any leadership arena.  It is a book that could be handed to those who work in or out of the church and I believe they would benefit from it.  It is written by a man who is leading an up and coming generation (30 year olds).  He has wonderful insight into leadership in this next generation.

In Sumary:

This was a wonderful time.  It was a time to spend with my family also with Jenn’s family.  I would have to say that I am the luckiest man alive to have such an awesome wife, kids, in-laws and brother-in-law and sister-in-law.  It was wonderful to spend time with them daily.  Just interacting with them though out the day.

Thank you Jesus!

Heading home.

We started the day packing up the hotel and getting things packed into the RV to begin our trip home to Tucson.  We went over to the McSpadden’s home for breakfast with all the wedding party and all the new family.  It was good food for sure.  And you know me and food!

We left from the McSpadden home after try to make some repairs on the RV.  We have not running lights in the rear along with no speedometer or dash lights, which made driving at night really interesting!

All 8 of us stayed the night in the RV at Santa Rosa, New Mexico.  Yes, you heard me correctly, all EIGHT of us.  Have you ever seen a package of sardines?

My parents, I mean my wifes parents, were on the queen size bed in the back.  No I am not bitter at all that they were all spread out on a nice comfortable bed with sheets, pillows, comforter, not bitter at all!  Jenn and I were on the couch that is like the size of a full bed, my daughter was on a make shift bed of a wooden board bridging the gap of two chairs turned facing each other, my boy was in a pack n’ play with two more sleeping on the cold floor of the RV.  Wow, it was fun!

I really enjoy the fact that our family gets along so well.  We really do.  The only time there is really stress in the whole thing is when I am in, “one of those moods”.  I really love them though, they really have accepted me as their family.  We have known each other for over 9 years.  I started out at “ear ring boy” now I have graduated to, “the father of Madison and Riley.”  No really, I feel that I have graduated to one of the sons in the family.

I was able to read a book that I wasn’t expecting to read on this trip.  It is titled:

Sex God, by Rob Bell 

Rob Bell uses his crazy ability of connecting the Old Testament scriptures to current teachings.  Rob does an outstanding job of reviling the root behind the original text and then teaching it in such a way that is understood.  the first book I read of his was called, Velvet Elvis, and that was  a good read opening my eyes to different ways to look at the world.  This book is really about that.  There is this play on words throughout the pages.  Is “this really about that”.  That there is always another meaning about something.  There is a root of things.  Rob in my view does an outstanding job talking about sexuality and marriage in this book.  I would recommend this book to couples getting married for sure.  It has a chapter about the male and female rolls in marriage.  The book also talks a lot about self worth and even how we look at others.  Do we lust or do we love?  He even takes current topics like the war in Iraq and our current interrogation techniques as a country and peers into these events though the lenses of scripture.

Getting home tomorrow!

CONGRATS MR. and MRS. BRIAN MCSPADDEN!

The wedding was wonderful.  The bride looked great.  She was calm collected and really had faith in the people helping her. She also went way out of her way make the flower girl feel very important and loved.  The flower girl was really pretty too.  Oh yeah in case you didn’t know the flower girl was my daughter.

Wedding are wonderful times…  during the cermony Madison did a great job at walking down the isle just before the bride tossing just the right amount of pedals out of the delicate basket.  Then standing next to the brides maid in perfect order.  All was well until the bride finished walking down the isle.  Madison wanted to be sure to wave HUGE waves to all the people she knew.  Then not only wave once but NOT STOP waving.  This went on for a few minutes.  Then once we were able to get that under control she started flinging the pedal basket in every which direction hitting herself in the head and legs, even wearing the basket as a hat.  All while looking directly at me standing in the back of the church with a stern look of pure disapproval.  Although deep inside I was ecstatic thinking “that’s my girl!”.  But, Brian and Bri were married and it was a wonderful shin dig of a celebration afterwards.

I was able to dance with my bride of 6 years and also seem little Madison TEAR up the dance floor.

There is something about weddings that are so spiritual  .

Ok, this is really Kansas day.

Getting up early is such a treat.  You see I used to not be much of a morning person at all.  I enjoyed staying up really, really late and watching SportsCenter over and over along with MASH reruns on the Halmark channel.  Then almost a year and a half ago I got a job working for a great landscape company in the Tucson area.  This job required me to be up pretty early.

I started to enjoy it.  Being up before the sun is up and getting a cup of coffee along with reading a chapter or so in a good book is extremely enjoyable.  This morning I read some more out of a book titled, A Theology as Big as the City, Ray Bakke.

I have been enjoying this book and taking a little longer than normal to read it because here is some wonderful stuff to learn from it.  Again, I would say that the enjoyable part of the read is the tremendous amount of scripture used to communicate Bakke’s points.   This book has really opened my eyes in a lot of areas.

I know for most of you this is a pointless point, but it is something new for me.  God has been working on me for the past two years trying to shed some light into and onto His Word.  I know there are big words to explain what I am about to say here.  Although if you are reading this you are bound to know that I am a very SIMPLE creature.  All, I really need is Jesus, food, sex and ESPN.  And I would even venture to say in that order too.

My thought is this.  Just reading scripture and taking it in does very little.  I cannot say that it does nothing because I have seen first hand the life change which has taken place because of the simple messages read in the pages of the Holy Bible.  But, I think for greater life change and even the change in a community scripture needs to be dissected in a few way.  This is not a complete list… 1) the culture within which the scripture was recorded.  Both to whom it was written and by whom wrote it.  2) the meaning and uses of the word.  For example the Hebrew dictionary has something like 7,000 words in it.  Compare that to the English dictionary which has over 27,000 words.  This makes it known that for the English translations to work we much choose to use some words that “best fit”.  It makes me want to become a Greek/Hebrew scholar.

So, we are in Winfield Kansas getting ready for the wedding.  Madison is nervous about being a flower girl in the wedding tomorrow.  It is awesome to be with family.  This wedding is a time were all of Jennifer’s mom’s family gets together.  It is an outstanding time.  I really enjoy being with them.  When I was growing up my mom’s side of the family would get together a few times a year and it was always a riot.  Lots a people.  Time with cousins and catching up with all the people that you only talk to on the phone or write letters to.  So, when all of my new “extended” family gets together something inside of me remembers being a child again just having fun with the people you love and love you.

Man, Gods word is coming alive to me in the OT like nothing else.

Kristen arrives!

John and I travel to the Oklahoma City Airport today to pick up Kristen as she flew in from Tucson, Az. It was rather chilly with snow flurries here and there.

Great trip thus far.  And some great eating!

Another day in Oklahoma. The day AFTER Christmas.  It was a good day.  IT SNOWED!!!!

Snow to me is a rare treat, which I enjoy VERY much.  Madison, Uncle Alvin and myself make a small snowman in the front yard.  That was a total blast.

This day held a full day of afternoon shopping.  I really enjoy shopping with my family.  Jennifer is the queen of shopping.  She looks for the best deals and will look though every item of every store before she moves on.  Myself on the other hand…  I just walk into a store and am out in about 45 seconds unless something catches my eye.  And I will NOT try something on just to see if it looks good.  I will only try something on if I know I am getting it and need to double check the fit.

But, time with Jennifer as she slowly treads though the sea of clothing on sale at the shops in the mall is one of my favorite things in the world.

On the reading path for today I was able to sneak away to Starbucks for a few hours before the sun came up.  I started reading A Theology as Big as the City, Bakke.  It has been an excellent read.  What drew me to this book besides Sean Benesh talking about it was the title.

You see I live in an urban setting on the east side of Tucson.  Within a 5 mile radius of my home there are about 129,000 people.  My home is a little over 30 years old.  There are plenty of apartment buildings within my area.  I tell you this to let you know what I view as an important ingredient into contextualizing the gospel into the Tucson, Arizona setting.

Today was a great day.  I drove the RV out of New Mexico into Texas.  This is a very exciting thing in my book.  You see anytime we travel in the RV there is always a problem and it ALWAYS happens in New Mexico.  So, as I was driving across the NM/Texas state line I was rejoicing.  I looked all around to celebrate with someone and EVERYONE was sleeping.   I was listening to my iPod.  And if you must know I was listening to Mark Driscoll’s sermon in his series of Philippians.

Today I alway finished my first book, Radical Reformission.  It was an entertaining read really.  It had some tidbits of theological information.  And a lot of rants.  Both which I would expect from Driscoll.  The read was intriguing to me because of the subtitle.  “Reaching out without selling out”.  I wanted to explore with Driscoll the thoughts of what it takes to reach people in your city with the gospel message while not selling the gospel out to cultural relevance.

I am up late with my oldest, my wife and brother-in-law watching Deal or No Deal.  Ahhhhh…. Christmas time and family vacations….   I love them!

And by the way!  MERRY CHRISTMAS!

-Jake

EastPointe really cool today. We did things a bit different. There was no preschool or children’s church today as we were all together in the Magee Middle School Cafeatorum. David had his guitar and we sung some Christmas songs and read the story of Jesus’ birth togehter. It was capped off with everyone lighting candles and the children opening presents provided by EastPointe.

As we left church this morning Jennifer and I rushed home packed out bags and waited in the driveway for the big RV to roll up. And roll up it did! All 35+ feet up of her and a jeep in tow. He all jumped in an off we went.

We are curzing on the good ol I-10 as I write you this bit of summary. Everyone except myself, David and Madion are asleep. And Maddie just put her lipstick from Mema on the sleeping Riley. She is so proud that she just pranked her little brother. And to be quite honest I am pretty proud of her too!

On this trip I hope to better connect with my family. Not just the Rasmussen’s but the Houchins as well. You see I don’t have the normal relationship that the majority of son-in-laws have with their wifes parents. We actually really do love and enjoy each other. I deeply enjoy spending time with David and Glenda. They treat me just like one of their own children, I look at them like my own parents.

On this trip I hope to read a lot, work on the Epic Church website, connect with my family and relax.

Here are the books I brought:

Avoiding Parental Landminds - Kyle Dodd

A Theology as Big as the City - Ray Bakke

Finding Them, Keeping Them - Gary McIntosh & Glen Martin

Radical Reformission - Mark Driscoll

I was in Starbucks Coffee today and I met a wonderful middle aged woman this late afternoon.

Let me preface this by saying that I am not trying to toot my own horn but rather share with you you something I learned today.

I was in line at my Starbucks and doing what I normally do.  Chat it up with those around me.  I noticed the woman behind me standing waiting to order.  I asker her was she was going to have and she told me.  So, I motioned to the barista to get the drink working.  I paid for her drink and went over to wait for my drink.  As she approached the counter to pay for her beverage the barista informed her that her drink was paid for.

Long story short…. she burst into tears.  It caught me totally off guard.  I walked over after the people behind the counter told her who bought her stuff.  I gave her a hug.

She started telling me that she was a single mom working two jobs and was between the morning job headed to the evening job.  And she didn’t have much money but was needed to take a moment for herself so was going to splurge to take a short “break”.

The cool thing that I thought about was in connection with the book, AKA Lost.  I just wonder if that “counted” as sharing the gospel with her this afternoon.

What do you think?