I wear plaid. I'm a blogger.

Now there's a catchy title. Allow me to explain. Last night I had a dream that I was getting ready to lead worship but I wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing. Usually I have this kind of dream when I feel unprepared for something (a baseball game without my uniform, reciting lines for a play that I have never heard of, playing a song that I have never practiced, etc.), but this time there was a different twist. I remember recalling quite specifically in my dream that it wasn't I who was in the wrong, but rather people who were wearing clothes. I was being natural (perhaps even naturale ) and they were the ones who were being unnatural. In my dream I recalled Adam and Eve who were created to be naked and it was only after they sinned that they felt the need to cover their nakedness. They were ashamed only in their sinful nature--only when they were trying to hide something about themselves. As of Genesis 2:25 they were naked and without shame but come Genesis 3:7 they...

In order to be classified as a musical instrument, an instrument must be tuned. While an instrument could be tuned in a number of varying ways, the typical tuning for, oh, the world is what we call equal temperament , which divides an octave into 12 equal parts. Standard tuning will put the A below middle C (on a piano) at 440 vibrations per second. Each instrument then uses this pitch to determine whether or not it is in tune, and each player of the instrument makes adjustments correspondingly. It is imperative that all other instruments use this same tuning in order to sound harmonious when making music together. Fact: you can own the greatest instrument in all the world (be it a Steinway piano or Stradivarius violin) but if it is not in tune it will sound like crap. You see, an instrument is only worth value to a player if it is able to hold its tuning during a performance. If the instrument keeps letting the tuning slip then the player will get quite fed up with the instrume...

Yesterday I had a couple homeless people help me paint my shed. It was a unique experience at best. They came by the church Thursday evening asking for money and I told them I would gladly give them cash for labor if they came by my house the next day. I gave them my number and anticipated no phone call. The next morning I got a call bright and early. They were looking to catch a ride with friends and would be on their way. It turns out they didn't have any friends who were headed this way so they started to leg it. Probably 7 miles or so from their house to mine and they completed their quest just after lunchtime. Katie and I offered them some sandwiches and drinks and after a brief rest, we got to work on the shed. It definitely saved me a bunch of time to have 3 people all working together instead of just me by myself, but their skill sets were not awesome (then again, we're talking about painting a shed--how good does it need to look by the end of the day?) but it certa...

A terrible thing has happened. In disbelief, shock, and rage, I feel my body tensing to a boiling point. Ever ounce of muscle draws tight like a bow string ready to snap. Something has to give. I tie on my running shoes and grab my phone, kiss Katie and it's out the door. Running. Running faster than I have ever trained for. Running away from the city lights, away from the traffic of the street, away from people, towards the park in the valley. Yes, there. There are no street lights there, no electronics to hum or buzz, no people since the park has closed at dusk. There will be nothing to welcome me there but the blackness of night and the hum of the tree frogs calling out the night hours as they pass by. There I will be safe to flee from the horrors of reality.  I run past the last of the street lights, past the last turn off, down the hill rushing towards the darkness. Faster, faster, I keep my eyes on the horizon of nothingness, straining to see what lies ahead and welcome...