i moved back. sorry for the confusion.

i got frustrated with blogger and made a rash move to wordpress.

wordpress has some great features and a better variety of themes/templates. unfortunately, wordpress doesn’t allow for javascript or editing of html, and to change anything in the css requires a paid account. not allowing javascript kills most of my widgets, and though they have quite a few to choose from, they didn’t have ones i wanted available on templates i liked. so even though they have a better selection of templates, the ones they have aren’t as flexible as the ones here on blogger, at least not without a paid account (and i don’t want to pay for it).

i’ve spent way too much time over the past few days trying to adjust to wordpress and see if i could make it work for me. so instead of wasting so much time, i’m back to my old blog at user-friendly blogger and will simply hope they keep making more options available.

i’ll delete this blog in a few days to eliminate confusion. 

They Like Jesus but not the Church

i finished reading Dan Kimball’s book They Like Jesus but not the Church the other day.  this was the first time i read Kimball beyond his blog or his comments in others’ blogs, and more than anything i was struck by his passion and compassion for the church and the world. 

this book is geared mostly towards church leaders and others in ministry, while his follow up book I Like Jesus but not the Church (which is due for release in February 2008) is geared towards those who resonate with the title. 

In They Like Jesus, Kimball gives several examples of positive views that our culture and those within it have of Jesus: as a man of deep spirituality, good teachings, and charismatic attractiveness.  he focuses on emerging generations (essentially those in their teens through 30’s) and their criticisms of the church of today.  he gives a lot of weight to those criticisms, explains the reasons for them, and makes suggestions towards correction.  to make his points and create suggestions he interviewed several people both in and outside of the church and quotes them extensively. 

the criticisms of the church that he focuses on (both in this book and the next) are:

• the church is an organized religion with a political agenda
• the church is judgmental and negative
• the church is dominated by males and oppresses females
• the church is homophobic
• the church arrogantly claims all other religions are wrong
• the church is full of fundamentalists who take the whole Bible  literally

in each of his responses he describes why people view the church in these ways, why it’s problematic, and how the church can respond in a positive way (read: change), become welcoming and honest, while not compromising core beliefs or biblical principles. 

i felt that Kimball wrote with integrity, being honest about how the church is seen in this culture, while writing with love and passion for both the church and those who find themselves outside of the church because of those reasons. 

towards the end of the book he has a chapter specifically on what the people he spoke to wish the church were like, emphasizing the importance of listening to those ideas, and making suggestions for implementing them as a way of staying true to the biblical view of the church. 

another thing that impressed me was that he included an appendix responding to the criticisms he received from christians regarding the content of the book, answering questions addressed to him concerned with the idea that listening so intently to those outside the church would dilute the church’s mission and message. 

Kimball’s book is an important one for those who truly want the church to be the community of God on earth and who want to see the church move from being an obstacle in many people’s path to God towards becoming a place of invitation and authenticity. 

i’ve moved

the other night, after i accidentally changed the look of my blog, i went through and made some adjustments to see if i could like a slightly different look. i wasn’t thrilled with the results and didn’t want to make it look just how it used to either.

so last night, i wandered over to wordpress to see what they offered. if you pay attention to blogging platforms at all, you probably know that wordpress certainly offers much more than blogger, though at the loss of some of the user-friendly simplicity, i might add.

i went ahead and created an account to see what i could do with it and how it would look and all that, and so far i’m pretty pleased with it.

i know the font is kind of small, and i’m not too into the orange for the titles, but i liked that i could import an image for the header(and that it doesn’t have the same issues it did in blogger) and i’m still messing around with the widgets and the overall look.

so, unless wordpress drives me crazy or something, i expect this to be my last post on blogger. so come visit me at my new address: http://jpx2.wordpress.com/.

some changes in blog scheme

i was updating my lists of books and the order that the widgets and lists in the sidebar are in, and i decided to take a look at the other templates that blogger offers. well, it was late, and i was tired, and thus i accidentally clicked on a save changes link when i didn’t mean to, thus undoing the entire color scheme and much of the layout of my blog. it was enough to nearly send me running to wordpress or some other blogging program. but as it was late, and as i like the convenience of blogger as another google product, i stayed put and just made a few modifications to a similar template as my old one to personalize it just a little.

i’m not loving it, especially the blue i currently have selected for links. so i’ll make a few more changes soon enough. if there’s anything you love or hate (or that isn’t showing up right in your browser), let me know before i go fiddling around with it again. while i’m at it, is the image at the top stretching the whole way across the box and staying in the frame in your browsers does anyone know how to get the image in the title bar to stretch to the right size for different screens and browsers? i like that blogger now lets you put images up there, but it only seems to upload it as a static image that doesn’t conform to the size of the framegetting it to the right size was quite a challenge (or at least a lot of repeated effort).

and just for fun, if you’re on blogger as well, let me know if there’s another template that you think suits me better than this one.

on my bookshelf

as i was updating the lists of books i’m reading and that i’ve read recently on my sidebar right now, i glanced through them and realized that i have nearly a dozen books that i am somewhere in the process of reading. three more books i ordered from amazon just arrived today and another is still on its way. not only do i have way too many books on my list of what i’m currently reading, most are staying on that list way too long. many of those books have been there for about six months. in the last month or two, i finally finished about five books, but instead of moving through the rest on my list i simply added more. they are all books i’ve begun, but haven’t quite made my way through the end.

in general school has a detrimental effect on my reading. i always get behind in my reading for classes, and in my guilt, i then avoid reading other books for pleasure. this time through though it took me a bit of time to get past the effects of school and back into reading. last summer i read three or four books a week at times, and this year now that it’s august, i’ve just started to read about that many in a month.

hopefully in the next week or two, before classes start back up again, i can post about the ones i’ve recently finished and maybe get through at least three or four more.

random things meme

dr. blaze tagged me again. for this one, i’m supposed to list seven random facts about myself. while dr. blaze went ahead and explained each one of her facts (even gave stories!), i’m going to keep mine brief:

1. i have dual-citizenship.

2. i once had a pet squirrel (she was named andy). and i used to have pet chickens.

3. i’ve driven across the country up and down (a few times) and right to left (once, so far), and have essentially lived within three of the four corners of the country (SE, NE, and NW).

4. i have two phobias, one major and one minor (if they can be categorized as such). the major being cockroaches (even typing that gave me the creeps) and the minor one, which comes and goes, being telephones (my anxiety level rises dramatically when one rings that i might have to answer or when i need to make a call).

5. i like nuts. i love chocolate. just don’t mess with my chocolate by putting nuts in it, i find them far too distracting from the pure pleasure that is chocolate (though peanut butter is fine).

6. i’ve never broken a bone. i cut through one once, and i’ve had a couple of hairline fractures, but after plenty of injuries that should’ve resulted in a break, i’ve never actually broken a bone.

7. i have no rhythm. seriously, none. when people are clapping along to a song, i’m that person you hear who’s nowhere near the beat everyone else is on. this lack of rhythm has kept me from ever learning to successfully play any instrument.

ah, now for the tagging of others. yellowinter, since the last one i tagged you with was a bit much to handle with a baby around, how about giving this one a shot (and i still owe you a phone call, when i get past my current phobia)? and rilina, since we’ve been out of touch for a while and i don’t think i’ve seen you answer this one, wanna give it a shot?

arriving at church

Jak and i started attending a new church a few months ago (right around easter), and in the last few months have made a few decisions and changes regarding church and stuff like that. i won’t go into all the details here, but just the most recent part.

i’ve spent over a decade feeling too catholic for protestants and too protestant for catholics. i think i’ve (hopefully) found a place where i can be just enough of both. a church with catholic liturgy and protestant theology. a church where theology is found through liturgy and prayers instead of dogma. a church that affirms the historic ecumenical creeds (nicene, apostolic, and athanasian) and whose catechism is just skeletal enough to allow for conversation about just about everything beyond the creeds. a church that has a lot of room for lay ministry and doesn’t discriminate by gender.

no, i don’t agree with everything within the church, but it’s a community that’s open enough to have room for people like me who disagree with some stuff.

so this last sunday, i was received into the episcopal church. a church that lets me be anglo-catholic, enjoying catholic liturgy and practices while believing protestant theology.

Leaving Church

it feels strange to post about a book titled Leaving Church (by Barbara Brown Taylor), just when Jak and i are returning to church after a quasi-hiatus (but i’ll post more on that later).

Leaving Church is writing in three parts, or movements if you will: finding, losing, and keeping.

in the first part, finding, Taylor – an episcopal priest – talks about her call to ministry and her move from a church in the city to pastoring one in a rural town in north georgia. ministry, and ministry in that church, are clearly a vocation she loves and feels called to. in part two, losing, she tells of the loss of the call to that ministry and that church, a call to come out of the work she has loved and into a different life altogether. in the final part, keeping, she pulls the previous sections – finding and losing – together as she writes about why she needed to lose what she’d found, how her life has changed, and what she has kept through her learning and experiences.

it’s a beautiful book. i really enjoyed Taylor’s writing, but since i actually finished the book almost two months ago, i’m short on details right now. i’ve had this post hanging out half writing for a more than a month, and figured that since i haven’t posted anything in so long, it’d be better to get this up rather than worry about figuring out the details.

simpsons meme

never been tagged before, and then twice in the same night, i feel honored. . . or something. dr. blaze tagged me again, this time with the mission to make a simpsons avatar. so, here it is:

for this one i won’t tag anyone in particular, but instead just say to make your own simpsons avatar and post them with a link back here so i can see them.

too many questions meme

Dr. Blaze tagged me with this meme. personally, i think 55 questions about myself is an absurd amount, but here goes:

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? sort of. my mom read the name somewhere, and it’s similar to a name in our family.
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? i don’t know, maybe a couple of weeks ago.
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? depends. it’s different virtually every time i write.
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? since i don’t eat ham/pork products or red meat, i’m not left with a lot of options for lunch meats (read: turkey and chicken). i like turkey well enough, but i really prefer cheese.
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? nope.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? i’ve always thought that if two of me were in the same vicinity of each other the world would simply explode or something. so, probably not.
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? not intentionally. people think i’m sarcastic more than i intend to be.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? yes.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? nothing about getting bounced around like that really appeals to me. i’d go sky diving first.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? lucky charms, closely followed by captain crunch with crunchberries (yes, pure junk food).
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? is that what you’re supposed to do with the laces? no. i just kick them off.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? physically or emotionally? physically, not anymore, i’m easily in the worst shape i’ve ever been in. emotionally, too much in certain ways, not enough in others.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? two, both ben & jerry’s: phish food (thanks to Dr. Blaze for introducing me to it many years ago) tied with one sweet world.
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? i don’t know, i don’t think i’ve ever noticed what i noticed, or maybe i don’t want to think about how shallow i can be.
15. RED OR PINK? neither.
16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? my tendency towards depression.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? our niece & nephew.
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? nah, i’ll just hunt them down and read it on their blogs.
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? jeans. always wearing jeans. no shoes, just socks (but usually sneakers).
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? sushi (well, that was dinner. since then i’ve eaten nerds and a cookie, but i was trying to avoid admitting all that junk food).
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? our friend matt’s cd (currently in boston, soon to be joining us in seattle), misplaced americans.
22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? indigo.
23. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE SMELLS? cookies baking. forests.
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? my parents.
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? yes. she’s my oldest (as in amount of time, not age), and one of my dearest friends.
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? ugh. i don’t watch sports. i’d rather play. but if i watched any, it’d be soccer (futbol).
27. HAIR COLOR? these days, bleached blonde.
28. EYE COLOR? blue.
29. ARE YOU: OVERWEIGHT, UNDERWEIGHT, JUST RIGHT, OR NEVER RIGHT? i’d rather not talk about it.
30. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? no, glasses all the time.
31. FAVORITE FOOD? silly question. chocolate. (but since this asks about dessert later, i’ll say that as far as non-sweets, i like sushi)
32. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? depends on my mood, usually scary though.
33. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? apocalypto.
34. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? navy.
35. SUMMER OR WINTER? if it’s snowing, then winter. but really, i love fall and spring.
36. HUGS OR KISSES? kisses, though i guess it depends who i’m getting the hug or kiss from.
37. FAVORITE DESSERT? chocolate.
38. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? book? haha. i’m never only reading one book at a time. so the three i’m most actively reading right now are: a deeper shade of blue by Ruta Nonacs; an emergent manifesto of hope by Doug Paggitt and Tony Jones; they like Jesus but not the church by Dan Kimball.
39. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? laptop, no mouse pad.
40. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T. V. LAST NIGHT? naruto.
41. FAVORITE SOUND? my niece & nephews voices and laughter.
42. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? not really into either.
43. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME/HERE? well, since i grew up in miami, and then lived in boston, and now live in seattle, i guess being in seattle in some ways is the furthest from both of those homes i’ve been.
44. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? i don’t know, but i like making people laugh.
45. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? panama.
46. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE VACATION SPOT? toss up between costa rica and panama.
47. WHAT’S THE ONE THING THAT YOU’VE BEEN DYING TO DO BUT HAVEN’T DONE YET? have kids.
48. WHAT’S THE ONE SIMPLE THING THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY? once again, chocolate.
49. HAVE YOU EVER TRULY BEEN IN LOVE? yes. still am.
50. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BOOK/AUTHOR? anne lamott.
51. WHERE IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO BE? in the mountains.
52. WHAT’S YOUR PERSONAL THEME SONG? can’t say that i have one these days. maybe i should go find one. . .
53. ARE YOU REGISTERED AS A REPUBLICAN, A DEMOCRAT, OR AN INDEPENDENT? independent.
54. WHEN YOU WERE A KID, HOW DID YOU SPEND MOST OF YOUR TIME? daydreaming or playing with g.i. joes.
55. WHAT IS THE AIR-SPEED VELOCITY OF AN UNLADEN SWALLOW? african or european?

and of course, since i got tagged with this, the only right thing to do is to tag a few others, but i’ll keep my list short, so rilina, Becky, and yellowinter, tag, you’re it!