I Miss Ray of Hope.

 

This summer has been kind of sad for me. For the previous four years, I had been working at Ray of Hope – a summer day camp for kids who had been through various forms of physical and emotional abuse, are socially awkward, or just plain forgotten or given up on. I really miss it. My job was to give a summer filled with fun for the kids who otherwise would be stuck at home in not so ideal conditions or in front of a television alone. It was one of the greatest jobs I’ve ever had. I see kids once in a walking past starbucks. That rules. I just really miss having fun with the kids. Giving them a summer was one of the best things I could do.

What’s In A Name?

One of the hardest parts of having a kid is naming them. You want the name to be strong and meaningful. The problem with this is that you start thinking up names that don’t exist or you start going to trendy names. That’s lame. Everybody is naming thier kids such wierd names like that name for food and numbers! Even worse, my last name is Pai (sounds like Pie). Growing up, I’ve heard all the names (apple, pumpkin, blackberry, etc), and so now we have to take even more consideration into normal names.

Case in point, Cynthia and I really liked the name Calvin. It’s not a theological thing or even the other half of Hobbes. We just liked the name. Problem: Cal is short for Calvin. When said fast, Cal Pai sounds like Cow Pie. Do you see our dilemma? I guess we’ll just stick to a Hawaiian name of some kind.

My Blogroll: J (all photographers)

Something that I really admire is photography. I love the art of photography and the idea of the story that a single image can tell. Strangely, all of the J’s in my blogroll are all photographers. Here you go…

James Taylor – James and I are partners at St. Arbucks. James is a photographer. I’ve talked about him before, but you should check out his work again.

Jewels Harrell – Jewels is great. Her pictures tell wonderful stories and capture beautiful moments.

Josh Durias – Josh is another partner that I’ve talked about. He is doing really cool things with his photography. Really rich and deep colors. I am a fan.

Josh Longbrake - Joshua Longbrake is a student at Mars Hill Graduate School in Seattle. His pictures contain a lot of imagination.

Seriously, Check all of these people out. Comment and tell them that the Brown Kid sent you. Maybe they’ll take my picture…hmmm?

The Brown Kid Still Works at Starbucks!

There were a few closures in Washington, but none of the Bellingham Stores were on “The List”. Click here if you want to see what stores were closed. At a quick glance, I think the most starbucks closed were in Texas. Don’t fret though. As far as we know, Uncle Howie takes care of his employees. The workers are supposed to find work at the Starbucks across the street.

Friday MixTape (An Early Edition): What Inspires The Brown Kid These Days

I haven’t put up a mix in a while. I thought that I would do an early one, because I am currently recording a CD of my own and these are the songs and artists that I’ve been digging on while recording. As per usual, if you want a copy, just let me know.

To Be Young (Is to be Sad, Is to Be High) – Ryan Adams

Wheat in the Weeds – David Bazan

We Sing in TIme – The Lonely Forest

The Sound Of Settling – Death Cab For Cutie

I Need You Back - Ben Kweller

A Shot in the Arm – Wilco

Hey Ya - Matt Weddle

Tears Dry on Their Own – Amy Winehouse

House of Cards – Radiohead

Mexico – CAKE

Reading Between the Lines of An Empty Page – Jonathan Inc.

Tinfoil Hats – Rocky Votolato

Skinny Love – Bon Iver

Casimir Pulaski Day – Sufjan Stevens

Volcano – Damien Rice

Leave – Glen Hansard

My Blogroll E-I

a continuation from yesterday.

Eugene Cho – Visionary. Church Planter. Thinker. If you want to find something to think about regarding faith, the church, life, etc, this is the site to visit. I always walk away thinking after visiting this site.

Faces of Bellingham – Living in bellingham, I enjoy this site. I am always looking for people I might know. I know one person on here. One down, a lot to go. (*Edit: I actually know three people. My older sister, Malia, is #1613 and right beneath her is #1612, a former Ray of Hoper named Angelica.)

George Stromboulopolous – This guy is a canadian interview on a show called “The Hour”. It is one of the most culturally, religously, and musically relevant shows on television. I love it.

Greg Boyd – I’ve read three of his books now. He’s a little controversial, but always pushing you to think. Check out “Myth of a Christian Nation” and “Where is God when it hurts”. Those were really good reads.

InWorship – Brent is a Blogger friend. Actually, the first I’ve ever met. He always has an entertaining view on life and faith. I like visiting his site. a lot. You should too.

Something That’s Been Bouncing Around My Head Lately…

Fly me past the moon

Beyond the stars and galaxies

Is this where Your glory is hiding?

 

Take me to the center of the earth

I’ll turn over every rock, and as the dust settles

I hope to find You standing there.

 

I sing songs to and with others about You

These are good songs about what You’ve done and are continuing to do!

Sometimes, though, these songs feel like plastic flowers that I bought at Goodwill: dusty and fake.

 

My insides are dry and my bones cry out

It’s torturous to sing these songs when I don’t always feel this way

Though I profess love to you, my humanity begs to differ.

 

The problem, I have found, is me.

I know that You exist

We have met on many occasions!

 

In fact, we are quite close You and I

So close that I have promised to die for You

…but I’m still living.

 

But it isn’t the living that You have told me about.

I still go back to drink from water that doesn’t satisfy

I still return and consume the things that don’t fill.

 

My darkness takes me and shreds me apart

I’ve seen the light that will save me

But this loneliness feels so good sometimes!

 

But then when I fall, I find it harder to pick myself back up.

If I find victory, the party is just me and nobody else.

This isn’t fun.

 

Not that Your love needs to be fun!

By no means!

Another trap I’ve fallen into.

 

Bring healing to me! Bring Your love!

I need cleansing! I need to know that You are going to rescue me!

I feel Your touch. I see Your light. I am running to You.

My Blogroll A-C

I just wanted to introduce you all to my friends in my blogroll. I hate when I go to blogs and I don’t know who they are. Now you will know some of them. Please visit them and say hello.

Aaron Nelson – Photographer, Phormer Starbucks Partner, and Phriend of mine. I hope he plays the trumpet still. He was good at that.

Alan Hirsch – Have you read “Shaping of Things to Come”? It is pretty interesting. This is his blog. Now you can get in his mind whenever he posts something!

Baron Miller – This is our pastor at Roosevelt Community Church. He posts on his sermons and attempts to draw conversation out of people. Sometimes it works.

Big Skye’s Country – Chess Player, Interesting blogger, Lover of Jesus, and they dress up as a bear. Any questions?

Blending Worship – Mandy Thompson lives out in New England. She is a worship leader. This is her worship blog. I like it. It makes me think.

Brad Hauge – This fool never posts anymore. He put an RSS feed on his site for me, then he never fed into it ever again. he is still my friend. I love him.

Cameron Garcia – The “Man of Many Thoughts”. Cameron discusses his journey in becoming a pastor and the “wonderful” things that come along with it.

CEC Worship – A great worship resource and finder of funny YouTube clips.

CHauncy Handy – Former Youth Kid turned friend. Chauncy has great things to say.

Chris Knox – Friend. Sporadic blogger. The Best. Seriously, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie just named one of their kids after him. Knox, you rule.

…more to come tomorrow

Starting a Church? Involved in Church? Going to Church? This is a Must Read!

My friend Sam’s, also in my links, friend Wade Hodges wrote this:

“A friend of mine celebrated one year of sobriety today. We got to talking about Alcoholics Anonymous and how helpful it has been to him. He said that from a marketing standpoint AA is hopelessly antiquated. The material was written in 40’s. It uses sexist language, outdated illustrations, and awkward syntax. Yet countless people from all walks of life come to AA and are given the tools they need to make a change in their life. Nobody gripes about the way AA does things. As far as my friend knows, there is no feminist agenda within AA to update the masculine pronouns of the Big Book. There are no young people campaigning to make AA more relevant to their generation. At AA those things are not issues. AA is made up of a bunch of alcoholics who have hit rock bottom and have no other place to go. This reality allows them to see past the irrelevance and grab onto what really matters: a plan that works and a group of people who understand and are there for you no matter what. I guess when you’ve got those things, relevance isn’t that big of a deal.

I wonder how much of our effort in churches to stay relevant, to be hip, and act cool is actually a sign of how little we really understand the gospel. If our churches were full of people who have been grabbed by the gospel—what it means to be lost, what it means to be saved from sin, what it means to die someday and give account to our creator for the mess we’ve made of our lives, what it means to join God someday around his banquet table in the new creation—then would they really care how relevant we are? If they could come to our churches and have their lives changed, really changed, would they gripe about the length of our services? If they found in our assemblies people who really cared and welcomed them into the family and loved them into a relationship with Jesus, would they hop from church to church looking for better music? I don’t think so.

Rock bottom alcoholics aren’t looking for a cool program. They’re looking for one that works. Sinners in search of salvation aren’t looking for a cool church. They’re looking for one that can show them the way to salvation.

Until we understand this, everything else is irrelevant.”

Josh Durias and James Taylor

There are some people who are naturally talented at things. My friends (and st. arbucks partners) Josh Durias and James Taylor (not the singer/songwriter) are two of them.

Josh Durias is an amazing photographer. He has a great eye and great ideas. I have him linked in my blogroll. Check him out. Here is a taste of what he does:

 

My friend James Taylor is the same. Check out his link also! He has a great eye and great ideas.  Here is one of my favorites of his:

 

Hire them. Hire them both. I wish I had an ounce of the talent these guys have. If you need portraits of any kind get a hold of James or Josh.