Reminder. Your Kids Are Watching.

Last night we went to an open house for my two boys at their school.  The more I grow up and mature and watch my boys, the more I am reminded about how much they enjoy the time we spend together and that time we spend together is what influences them the most.  I wrote a post on "Everyone Makes Disciples" and I was reminded just how much this is true last night.  


My 8 year old had to do a "September Project" and he decided he wanted to do a project on how much he likes baking with his mom.  It was awesome.  I wish I had pictures for you, but it was a great example of our boy telling us with his actions how much we influence him.  


Then, as we entered his classroom, it was filled with the reminders of our times together and another reminder of how much food is central to our family and our society.  


Check out these different things my boy wrote and drew about that were in his classroom.  Just be reminded...you are discipling your children, and those around you...whether you know or like it. 

Foodie Friday: Recipe for Korean Steak and Taqueria Steak Tacos

So this past Tuesday night, I made some tacos...some real.good.tacos.  Figured I'd share the recipe here. 

Korean Steak Tacos

Marinade

3/4 cup soy sauce

3/4 cup water

3 tablespoons white vinegar

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1/4 cup minced garlic 

1/2 white onioin minced

3 lbs of short ribs or Korean cut ribs.  Both will work...you can use this recipe with rib eye.   If you buy short ribs or rib eye, make sure you cut it to the thickness of an actual rib, so the flavors soak into the meat.  

Here is the easy part.  Just combine all that crap above in a non reactive bowl, throw the meat in and then marinate for at least 8 hours. 

Why I Believe in God. The Basics

I am, by no means, a highly intelligent individual, but these reasons have given me a deeper understanding of why I believe in God.  If you want to read some dudes that are far smarter than I am who can give deeper explanations...check these out: 


The Francis Schaeffer Trilogy: The God Who is There; Escape From Reason; He is There and He is Not Silent

Apologetics to the Glory of God: An Introduction by John Frame


The Reason for God by Timothy Keller


Here are my basic reasons: 


1. We are Most Like God, Not Some Impersonal Matter


Metaphysics, which I am no way a professional in this area, tells us that when something is brought into the world, it comes from something that is like them.  So, a tree that drops seeds from its branches will bring forth another tree, not a horse.  When a horse has a baby, it doesn't birth a 7-11.  My wife is due to give birth to our daughter in 4 days, not an iPod. 

To My Daughter

On Monday, October 10th, 2011, my little daughter Madelynn will be born to my wife, my two sons and I.  We are really excited to meet her and I figured I'd write her a letter to inform her of a few things. 


Dear Madelynn. 


Your mom, your two brothers and I are very excited to see your face.  We have been talking about it for months and were stoked when we saw on the video screen during the ultrasound that you were missing the key ingredient of being a boy.   As an aside, if you are a Benjamin and not a Madelynn, you will probably beat everyone in hide-and-seek.   As you prepared to come into this world, I figured I'd give you some things that you'll need to know in preparation. 

God's Recipe

Forgive me up front for this being cornier than a knock knock joke from a Christian radio DJ.  But, I had to give this perspective of God and desire for our joy, not our demise.  


I have been reading a couple of books.  One is "A Meal with Jesus" by Tim Chester and the other being "Kitchen Confidential" by Anthony Bourdain.  Both are a really good read and the first one will give anyone insight to why I believe meals and food are to be central in my life as I desire to bless my community.  


Anyways.  


Yesterday I was following a couple of recipes to make Korean steak tacos and also just some regular marinated steak Mexican tacos.  This got me thinking. 


Never once did I think, "Man...this person who gave me this recipe is a jerk for making me follow all these rules of the recipe.  Why can't I add peanut butter and popcorn seeds to this recipe?" 

Everyone Makes Disciples

I know I have people who follow Jesus and those that don't that read my blog, so when one hears me use the term "disciple" it might be a loaded word.  What do I mean when I say "disciple"? 


The term merely means one who follows another in their ways or teachings.  It can also mean a "learner" of someone or something.   


The problem is that most of us don't think we are being discipled nor do we believe that we are discipling someone else.   We believe that we are living our life how we deem best and we don't want to bother others with what we believe or think.  The issue is, in fact, we are all being discipled and we are all discipling others.  This really isn't the question.  The question is: To whom or what am I discipling others to? 

Foodie Friday: It's All About the Rodeo

Tomorrow myself and a few friends will be heading to the Seattle Mobile Food Truck Rodeo.   There have been a couple of very helpful articles written by the Rodeo and also SeattleFoodTruck.com.  I wanted to put them up here to make it easier to find all the links and then give my top picks for the Rodeo that I am going to make sure and get a taste of.  


Helpful Tips For Newbies to Mobile Food Truck Festivals


This article is a great starter for those of us who have never been to one of these.  Because I am coming with 6 families, I am hoping we can divide and conquer.  The real test for the organizers for the Rodeo will be making sure there is just the right amount of entertainment to aid standing in line, without being overly entertaining, taking away from the food.  


After reading that article, you'll want to take a look at the great articles from SeattleFoodTruck.com that goes into a small description of each truck that will be at the Rodeo.   I've listed them below with my top places I'm going to make sure I visit while at the Rodeo.   I'll also link to each truck at the bottom if they have a webpage. 

The Flipped Classroom: Education a Different Way

I like where this is going, but I still believe that we need to consider that learning in a community of peers is very helpful on many different levels. If they incorporated this learning with peers from different walks of life and different cultures, this would be taken to the next level. We just can't dismiss the long term affects of being a shut in when we learn new ideas in all walks of life.

Created by Knewton and Column Five Media

Inviting My Neighbors/Friends to Church?: Conclusion

Hopefully through this short series (post 1, 2, 3) you can see some differences in how the Bible defines church and the people of God verses what you and I have been taught for generations.  Church isnt' a place or a building but a people.  This church should represent who Jesus is in the way they speak and act in the community.  They aren't perfect, and that's the point, they point to Jesus, who is perfect, not to themselves.   As they gather together on a Sunday (or other days) this is why they celebrate.  They celebrate this very fact that they aren't perfect and Jesus is and he is the depth of their joy and desires. 


So, with all this said...do I desire for my neighbors/friends to come to a church gathering with me on a Sunday? Will I ever invite a neighbor to church?


This is actually a yes and no answer.  The first I will give is the "no" answer. 

Inviting My Neighbors/Friends to Church?: Part 3

So far we've discussed what church is and isn't, and also some of the issues we've created in putting up a dichotomy of sacred and secular, now I want to end what happens at a church's gathering.   The reason I want to end with this is simply: for years this has been the end all for a Christian.  If we could just get people to go to church on a Sunday it was like we caught the leprechaun at the end of the rainbow.   But, this has never been the point for those who follow Jesus and merely want to point to the works of Jesus through word and deed.  The reason, which we've covered in the past posts is because what happens on a Sunday is not the end all for the follower of Jesus, but merely another expression of the church gathered.  


So, what happens on a Sunday? 


Depending on the church family, Sunday can be focused on many things.  It can be focused on a great performance from the band on stage, from the dude speaking or the events for the kids.  It can look anywhere from a mini Christian Disneyland, to a funeral and everywhere between.  I am not going to try and break all this down, but want to focus on why my church gathers on a Sunday.  


We see Sundays as a celebration.  We see it as a bunch of people sent by God coming together glorifying what he has done, is doing and will do in our lives.  One of my pastors put it, "It's like a mini missionary conference."  When you come to our gathering we have people coming from all over South King County to sing to Jesus, talk about Jesus and tell how Jesus is informing us to build community in where we work and live.   We understand that the only reason we are given the ability to build community and show off who he is, is because of what he has done in our lives.    We hear the bible preached, or proclaimed to us, with the good news of what Jesus has done for us and is continuing to do and how Jesus is the answer to our greatest needs and desires. 


After the bible is preached, we then take communion, which Jesus told us to do to remember him and what he did for us.  The bread represents his body which was broken and represents his life that he lived on our behalf while he was on the earth.  The wine or grape juice represents his blood that he shed for the forgiveness of our sins.  We take this with those in our community, with our families and thank him for all he has done for us and continues to do for us.   It is a time to remember Jesus. 


We try to do everything well, because we want represent God even as we celebrate.  But, we aren't overly flashy.  For example: we don't dress up, but dress in what we'd wear throughout the week.  The reason for this is because Jesus wore what was common in the culture and when "dressing up" is mentioned in the New Testament when the church gathered, it was spoken, at best, in a negative fashion (James 2:1-7).   So, when you enter our gathering you'll notice everyone wearing what you'd expect if you saw them on a Friday night hanging out at a BBQ.  


Our gathering is pretty simplistic.  We don't want to cause stress on people to put together some huge spectacle on a Sunday as that would take time away from them to be in their community showing off Jesus.   Those churches that put together large gatherings with lots of production takes a ton of time and money, and although that might what they believe God is calling them to, it's just not what we feel God is calling us to on a Sunday.   


What we want anyone to realize as they enter our gatherings on a Sunday is that there is truly one agenda: praise and worship God alone, because of Jesus, through the Holy Spirit. 


We want anyone to feel welcome.  We want them to see that this has nothing to do with who we are, but everything about who God is.  We don't want it to be some sort of club one enters into and feels as though they are going to get a sales pitch about our church.   We just want people to be comfortable to explore and celebrate who Jesus is.   Sometimes we do this well, sometimes we do it very poorly.   The one thing we always promise is that we as God's people will always do it imperfectly, so we ask for your forgiveness ahead of time. 


We don't believe we have it "figured out" but what we do desire is for Sunday to be an extension of what the church is already doing throughout the week.  We don't want Sundays to be an "end all" for the church.   Sometimes we are packed on a Sunday, sometimes we are not.  The reason is that when our people feel as though a neighbor needs help or that they can bless their community in another way on a Sunday morning, they are released to do so instead of feeling this burden to "go to church" on a Sunday.  When one realizes that they are the sent one of God to show off what he is like, Sunday becomes a celebration with other sent ones, not a time to "get your fix of holiness" or some place that we just want to get our neighbors and friends into so that we can make them like us.  


The next logical thing to ask is this: Do I desire for my neighbors and friends to go to my church gathering? This is a yes & no answer...which we'll leave for next time.   But, my motivation for loving our neighborhood is NOT to get them to a church gathering or even become religious...my motivation is all about what God has done for me and I just want people to at least see what he is like.   


Again...what if our neighbors and friends knew that we were building community and friendships without some hidden agenda to "get them into church" but merely were doing it because of what Jesus did for us and how he told us to live?  What if we were honest with them and they knew we weren't perfect and we didn't pretend to be?  What if we were honest with them and told them we don't have all the answers? What if we just started to be good humans?  What if we loved neighbor like we love ourselves? 


Maybe then Gandhi's words would be reversed: 


I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians, they are so unlike your Christ. 


Maybe. 

Seattle Mobile Food Truck Rodeo

If you are wondering where I'll be on the 17th to celebrate my birthday...this is where.  Ticket information: click here.  Mobile Food Truck Rodeo Website: Click Here

From their website:

Welcome the Mobile Food Rodeo 2011!

Thousands participate in the LA Street Food Fest Annually.

The Mobile Food Rodeo is slated to be the premier showcase for mobile cuisine in the Pacific Northwest. On the heels of recent legislation passed in Seattle that will allow mobile food vendors to operate easier and more effectively, we’re excited to celebrate this wonderful culture with the largest street festival.

Following the success of current popular mobile food festivals such as the LA Street Food Fest and Portland’s Eat Mobile, we round up some of the best street food wagons in the Seattle and Portland city limits; giving the public the opportunity to sample some of the most unique international flavors from some of today’s top mobile food trucks in the  Northwest.

In the past three years, the mobile food renaissance has led the way to next wave of top chefs; helping to open Seattle’s hottest new restaurants like Skillet Diner and Marination Station in the past year. The festival will offer your audience the chance to sample over 20 food trucks with some of the Northwest’s most refreshing menus, and help them experience the next wave of chefs and culinary prospects.  It’s sure to be Seattle’s next big thing for foodies everywhere.

The Mobile Food Rodeo offers an audience a deliciously fun “one-stop-shop” that will continue to grow year after year from two of the nation’s emerging mobile food.  The Mobile Food Rodeo aims to offer micro-businesses the support to find their audience, by bringing thousands of people into Seattle neighborhoods that support local businesses 365 days a year.

See you at the rodeo!

Ryan Reiter and Jon Hegeman

Chief Food Wranglers

Mobile Food Rodeo

Foodie Friday: The Bistro Box vs Cilantro Cocina Mexicana

This past Friday, my boys and I went out to stop by two food trucks so we could compare and judge the food from the two.   We went to the two closest to us: The Bistro Box in Renton, WA and Cilantro Cocina Mexicana (CCM) in Bellevue.  


First we stopped by CCM.  The truck was clean, the service was great and they even had a seating area with come pretty comfy outdoor furniture.  This was really nice to have, especially with Mexican food. This was the first time we had visited the truck so I asked them for their specialty.  We ordered their tacos, which was the simple tacos on corn tortillas, with pico de gallo, cilantro with pork, chicken and beef.   My oldest son, Caleb, decided on ordering their bean and cheese soft taco.   

What Determines The Price Of Gas?

Home Solar Power Discounts - One Block Off the Grid

With the start of the NFL tonight, and the great past time of fantasy football...figured I'd republish an article on the history of fantasy football.  Enjoy: 

Fantasy Football History

At its most basic, fantasy football is a game in which football fans use their knowledge of the sport to compete against each other in formats that relate to the actual performance of professional football teams. The goal of the fantasy football player is to select which athletes or teams will have the most impressive performances during a given week. In order to be successful at fantasy football, a fantasy player must follow the weekly happenings of the NFL and make better choices than his opponent makes.

Modern fantasy football can be traced back to the late Wilfred "Bill" Winkenbach, an Oakland area businessman and a limited partner in the Oakland Raiders. In a New York hotel room during a 1962 Raiders eastern cross-country trip, Winkenbach, along with Raiders Public Relations man Bill Tunnel and Tribune reporter Scotty Starling, developed a system of organization and a rulebook, which would eventually be the basis of modern fantasy football.

ocusing on AFL offensive skill players, Winkenbach's blueprint laid the groundwork for what would come to be known as the GOPPPL (Greater Oakland Professional Pigskin Procrastinators League). Upon his return to Oakland, Winkenbach organized the inaugural eight teams, which consisted of individuals who met one of the following qualifications:

1. An administrative affiliate of the AFL
2. A journalist with direct relation to pro football
3. Someone who has purchased or sold 10 season tickets for the Raiders' 1963 season

As stated in the original rules, the purpose of the league was "to bring together some of Oakland's finest Saturday morning gridiron forecasters to pit their respective brains (and cash) against each other" in the hope that it would lead to "closer coverage of daily happenings in professional football" [ref]. The original rulebook stated that there were to be two league officials: a secretary who would keep scores, verify rosters, maintain records, and handle all monies and a commissioner who would preside over all league meetings, appoint any necessary committees, and mediate any league disputes. As the owner of a small business, Winkenbach had all the necessary tools (phone lines, typewriters, a mimeograph machine) to become the first fantasy football league commissioner. Following the assembly of the original eight teams in 1963, Winkenbach invited all of the team owners to the basement of his home to participate in an inaugural GOPPPL "draft."

Great Infographic Sources

If you like infographics as much as I do, you'll love these two suppliers of the sweet goodness.  In the age of visual learning and the patience of 2 year olds, infographics feed our lust of the next thing and giving us just enough information to sound like we know what we are talking about when debating the drunk guy during half time of Monday night football.  With that said:   


First is a website: Cool Infographics


Second is an app: Infographics   

Inviting My Neighbors/Friends to Church?: Part 2

What is Sacred vs Secular? 


This is kind of an odd thing to bring to bear in this discussion, but I believe it adds to the understanding of what this understanding of "church" has brought to the religion of Christianity.  


Now, before we get started, I have started to rethink this understanding of calling myself a Christian for a myriad of reasons, the main one being the fact that Christian stands for a large organization that is not easily definable, yet has many definitions.  Some think of the term to mean American politics, some say it is the Catholic religion, some say it is conservatism, specifically Republican, some say it is a religion that has ruined cultures around the world and some say it is a people who are unloving, picketing anything they disagree with and hateful.  What you'll notice is that most would not equate a Christian with the Jesus that they read in the Bible.  The term literally means, "follower of Jesus" so I would consider myself a follower or disciple of Jesus, but to say that I am part of the "Christian" religion, I'd have to ask you, "What do you mean by that?" I might be part of what you are asking, I might not be.   I don't want to completely separate myself from those who currently or historically call themselves "Christian" but I definitely think the term needs more clarification than any other time in history.  


</end of soapbox>

Article on Community & Neighborhoods

I took this from a couple of different interviews (here & here) with Peter Lovenhiem on his book: In the Neighborhood: The Search for Community on an American Street One Sleep Over at a Time. 

Peter Lovenhiem—In the Neighborhood:The Search for Community on an American Street One Sleep Over at a Time. 

In the year 2000, in a suburban New York neighborhood there was a tragedy that changed Peter Lovenheims view on community in his neighborhood.  A married couple of physicians seemed to be the perfect family.  Husband, wife, boy, girl and all was well. One night the father came home, shot his wife, shot himself, and the children went running into the darkness.

Macklemore Rapping on The Church and His Disdain For It

After posting my thoughts on the church this morning, I thought this was a great follow up.  Macklemore is not a follower of Jesus, but has a lot to say about the church & God.  I found his thoughts interesting on the subject and figured it might help those in the church hear what others are saying about it.   Disclaimer: The lyrics have some words that might offend some listeners.  


It's better to be offended than not care at all.

Inviting My Neighbors/Friends to Church?: Part 1

I was on twitter yesterday, when one of my buddies tweeted that we should all be inviting our neighbors to our corporate church gatherings...some would simply say, "you should be inviting your neighbors to church." I found that pretty interesting.  I started to think...really? After asking for clarification on this, I am not sure I heard what he was saying...but it still convinced me that I needed to write something about this subject.  


Now, back in the day, I would totally agree that I should inviting anyone and everyone to church, but as I have grown in my understanding of what it means to follow Jesus, I can't agree that my purpose in my neighborhood is to get my neighbors to a church gathering.   I am going to show through a few posts: 

What is Church?

What is the secular vs sacred?

What Happens at a Church Gathering on Sunday?
Why Would My Neighbors/Friends Want to Go to That?

What is Church?

If you ask most people what church is, most would say it is the thing that you have to wake up early for on a Sunday and then go to.  Church is a thing you go to.  Most people might ask, "Do you go to church?" Church has become a 2 to 3 hour event one attends to make amends with God.   People have many views on how this Sunday should go down, some call it mass, some call it a service and how one goes about those two hours have separated people for centuries.  But, is this really what church is? Is it an event on a Sunday? 

Who Owns all the Beer in the U.S.?

This is a pretty cool infographic that shows all who owns the beer in the United States...reminds me of what car companies used to look like back in the day. You can zoom in and out to see all the details. The full article can be found here that demonstrates the trends of what is happening in the beer industry. Concentration In the U.S. Beer Industry

Macklemore Rapping On Our Identity

This is a great vid. The best line of the song is:

We are what we wear, we wear what we are
But see I look inside the mirror and think Phil Knight tricked us all
Will I stand for change, or stay in my box
These Nikes help me define me, but I’m trying to take mine, off

Musical Plates Food Tour

This is pretty sweet from my buddy at the White Moustache Urban Adventure Tour.  Bryce is legit and a lot of fun to hang out with and now you get to hang out with a band as well on the tour.  To buy tickets, click here. Here are the details: 

ABOUT SUNDAY MUSICAL PLATES

Join White Moustache for a once-a-month series of music-themed eating tours. Each month we invite a local Seattle band and ask them what their favorite foods are. We then create an epic food tour showcasing Seattle's best rendition of their favorite food. At each restaurant stop, the band will perform an intimate acoustic set.

These special events feature live music in an intimate atmosphere, a 3-hour tour of Seattle, generous amounts of food and a seat in a chauffeured charter bus. 

ABOUT WHITE MOUSTACHE (whitemoustache.com)

White Moustache Urban Adventure Co. was founded on the idea that life is better spent when eating with others. Like Epicurus, we too believe friendship tastes better, especially when eating. We are ever on the hunt to find someone to eat with before we even decide what to eat. After all, it’s not just about the food. The most famous meals in history were never solo endeavors. Think Jesus AND the twelve disciples enjoying the Last Supper. Who can forget the Corleone family and their shared love of veal and cannolis?

We don’t believe anyone should ever eat alone. And we built a business on it.

ABOUT GOLDFINCH (goldfinchlovesme.com)

Goldfinch is Aaron Stevens (vocals, guitar), Paul Hirschl (drums), Steve Norman (trumpet, slide guitar), Emily Ann Peterson (vocals, cello), Luke Stevens (guitar, keyboard, vocals) & Mike Bergstrom (bass).

The Rise of the Social Food Truck

I found this infographic pretty interesting.  My boys and I have been watching "The Great Food Truck Race 2" and have started to delve into the food truck world.  Today, we are visiting Cilantro Cocina Mexicana in Bellevue for lunch and have also really enjoyed the food over at The Bistro Box in Renton.

Foodie Fridays: BBQ Sauce Recipe

Every Friday, I'm going to put up a recipe, a review of food or something to do with food. I'll also be taking any suggestions and/or write ups from readers or vendors who would like to submit something.


Today, it's my recipe for my BBQ sauce. I put this on everything when I make it. The measurements are approximates and ones you'll want to adjust to your palate.


Ingredients:


2 TBS vegetable oil
1/2 yellow onion (chopped)
3-4 scoops of minced garlic
2 TSP chili powder
2 TSP dry mustard
1 TSP sweet paprika
1/4 TSP cayenne pepper
1 cup bottled chili sauce
1 cup of tomato ketchup
1 cup of beer (Amber Ales work really well, I prefer Rogue)(you can also substitute ginger ale)
1/4 cup of molasses
3 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
3 TBS cider vinegar
Approx 3 TBS honey
Approx 6 drips of ghost pepper hot sauce

The Power of Words

This video is moneyball.

How To Smoke A Pipe

Hey Christian, Your Neighbors Aren't Projects to Convert

I believe it is interesting in today's societies to see Christians run around trying to do anything and everything to get the entire world to convert to their way of thinking. Specifically, I see it happening with the Western Christian. Whether it is debates, books, picketing, handing out tracts, inviting people to church or yelling at them through a megaphone on a crowded street corner. But, is this why Christians exist? To get other people to convert to their ways of thinking? Not only that, but which ways are the right ways? How much of their ways are good enough before you are on "their side"? What do you have to do to prove to them you think like they do? Do you have to dress like them? Listen to their music? Go to their churches? Vote like they do? The questions continue to press the more you press an individual Christian. But, what if they were missing the point?


My main concern is simply this: I don't believe that most people have denied Jesus in the West, I believe most people have denied religion. The religion of Western Christianity. The reason? People are being shown religion, not Jesus.


Why is this a concern? The concern is for all the reasons above. When can someone be considered on my team and wear my uniform? Is there a checklist I can give them so I can be sure they are on my side now? Maybe the bigger question is this...is that even the point of someone who says that they follow Jesus? Am I supposed to win people like I'm at a carnival hoping one of my balls of religion knocks them over so I can hear the carny yell, "winner!"