New Local Numbers

Slowly shedding ties to NYC...

My old phone: 347 623 4232
My new phone: 260 415 0408

Hallie's old phone: 347 512 3300
Hallie's new phone: 260 415 1176

Effective immediately.

Frosty, Jr.

A little scrappy, but, hey, it's our first year back!

Piety or Hypocrisy?

I don't mean to offend Muslims, for I'm as prone as anyone to succumb to the temptation of pietistic pride, but this example of it is quite amazing. I mean, if this doesn't strike of Matthew 6:5 and 6:16, then I don't know what does.

“The zebibah is a way to show how important religion is for us,” said Muhammad al-Bikali, a hairstylist in Cairo. “It shows how religious we are. It is a mark from God.”

“The outward appearance is important,” Ms. Guindy said. “It says, ‘I am a good person.’ This is a good thing. On Judgment Day, this sign, the zebibah on their forehead, will shine. It will say, ‘God is great.’”

Wow!

In contrast, of course, Jesus said the truly pious act according to Matthew 6:6 and 6:17-18. Oh God, grant us this kind of piety!

The Business of Being Born

My wife and her sister are starting a new Childbirth Education business here in town called Birth Matters. Though it's not quite up and running yet, they are an LLC working toward non-profit status, have taught a few classes already, and are in the planning stages of opening a downtown Center. Both are certified doulas, Hallie's a certified childbirth educator who taught for years in NYC, and Jordan is currently in training. One of the things they hope to accomplish is to improve the culture of birth in the Fort Wayne and surrounding area.

To that end, they are hosting an advanced screening of the must-see documentary The Business of Being Born at the downtown Library Theater on January 26, 2008 at 4:00PM. Executive Produced by Ricki Lake and Directed by Abby Epstein, this is a must-see documentary for anyone even thinking about having a baby!

The event will also include a wine and cheese reception and a silent auction (more information later on items up for bid). Seating is limited, and will only be shown in Fort Wayne one night, so get your tickets early.

A Christmas Carol at The Firehouse Theater

If your holiday schedule isn't already booked, come see this classic play being performed at the Firehouse Theater. I've posted about the venue before, but now more than ever it's important to support it as the last few months have been particularly financially difficult. There will be six performances, with about 40 actors playing the parts of about 130 characters. That means characters like, say, Bob Cratchit and Belle's Husband and the Undertaker will be played by one actor. In this case... me! Yes, that's right - me.

So come out and support the Theater and enjoy a great night of classic Christmas entertainment in the old city. Or simply come see why I won't be giving up my day job anytime soon. ;-)

PERFORMANCE DATES:

Friday, Dec. 14 @7:00PM
Sunday, Dec. 16 @3:00PM

Friday, Dec. 21 @7:00PM
Sunday, Dec. 23 @3:00PM

Saturday, Dec. 29 @7:00PM
Sunday, Dec. 30 @3:00PM

Santa's Little Helper

Hallie thought this deserved it's own post.

The Grayness of Green

Tonight I attended a benefit for Grassroots Green at Sweetwater Sound. It was very well done, and I (and my family enjoyed it very much. But then I came home and went to their website, eventually clicking on a link to a site that implies that bottled Fiji Water is, when consumed in America at least, terribly "non-green". But then I go to Fiji's site where I find information suggesting just the opposite. Is this a case of "greenwashing", or are the critics being too harsh?

Either way, it's no wonder most of America remains either frustrated with or reticent of going green.

Huckabee Humor

Though I'm not endorsing him (at least not at this point), Huckabee certainly is shaking things up and adding a refreshing twist to the campaign. This video clip, in particular the hilarious joke at the end, is clearly a reason why. That's the kind of joke even Edwards himself should be able to laugh at.

Ice Scraping

YouTube - ice scraping commercial

This is kind of how I felt this morning, being garageless and all in West Central. Thankfully, there one only one gray Dodge Grand Caravan to choose from.

Happy and Blessed... II

About a year-and-a-half ago, we felt particularly happy and blessed. Tonight, we feel so again. Though Alden doesn't quite get it, the other children are smiling because that thing in Jude's hand is a pregnancy test that reads "positive"! Yes, our return trip to NYC (and Anna's apartment [thanks, Anna!!!]) was special in more ways than one. ;-) So, conceived in the Big Apple and born in the Fort. Hmmm... He/she'll be half Hoosier, half New Yorker. Kind of like us! How fitting.

Of course there are still nine months to go, and nothing is ever assured. But for now, we're rejoicing in God's favor and beginning the prayers for Him to bring about the birth of a healthy child. Please rejoice and pray with us.


Psalm 127
Proverbs 31

New Member Receiving Line

So I joined Emmanuel this morning. It was nice. I said "I do" to all the membership vows, and received communion for the first time since attending. Very happy about that! But the most amazing thing about the service was the congregational response to the eight or so new members: during the closing hymn, the pastor called us all up front to accommodate the literally entire church receiving line that occurred immediately after the service. The ENTIRE church walked past, shaking our hands and welcoming us to the church family! Amazing!!! I even had one job offer!

Anyway, thanks to our Village Church family for keeping us safe thus far, and thanks to our new Emmanuel family for agreeing to take over that role in the future.

Becoming a Lutheran

In one sense, it's true; tomorrow I'll be joining Emmanuel Lutheran Church (LCMS). And I'm very excited about that. They are a good church under good leadership, dedicated to worshiping the triune God and preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ to all. And they believe in grace... big time! So for that I'm pleased. But in another sense, I'm not quite becoming Lutheran. Even though I'm joining, I'm not at all giving up on my main man Calvin. (I'm still a seven-pointer, to be sure!) Essentially what has happened is that they've bent a little and I've bent a little. And we're both comfortable with the bending. Of course I wish I could have found in FW an Orthodox Reformed church, committed to the innerant Word, the gospel of Grace, evangelism, cultural engagement, etc., but alas...

So as my mentor Alan continuously reminds me, "Honey, you can't always get what you want, but if you try sometime, yeah, you just might find you get what you need!"

Amen to that. And thank God for ELC.