ok... sorry rachel, I forgot here is a picture that includes that hole into my new "projection room" sorry, i posted the wrong one previously.

the famous Paisley Couch... lots of memories, we had a TV show called "the Paisley Couch" and then later, I took the name for my recording projects "Paisley Couch Studios." But alas, the duct tape, and years have overtaken this old lady. The legs are sort of loose underneath. Typically you don't make special connections with a piece of furniture, but this piece has history... and some funny stories attached.

An old girlfriend picked up this couch at an old yard sale around 1990 - her dad bought it for her I think for $30 in Lynchburg, VA. It sat nicely in her apartment for a while... When I moved back home in 1991 the girlfriend and the couch moved with... so we started this TV show and named it after the couch. And the couch found a new home at ACTV. The TV show was a Christian Artsy Fartsy Alternative show... very cool for the early 90s.

For the opening to the show, we strapped this couch to the roof of my little hatchback, and videotaped it driving all around the countryside... including clips of Julie (the hostess) relaxing on the couch, on the roof, while driving. mmm to be a young and crazy again... lol

So the relationship with the girlfriend ended, and she knew the value that we now had invested in this couch, with our logo, the name of the show, set design based on the couch, opening to the show etc... so she took advantage of the situation and demanded that I pay $100 for the couch. It seemed like a lot of money at the time, but I did buy it. And have owned the couch ever since.
So anyway, we need to get rid of this and get something new. Its all just turning to shreds - and we use blankets to sort of cover it all up - sort of improvised slip covers.

ALSO in the picture... notice a little black square in the wall... this is the new home of our video projector... in the closet - which shines through the small hole in the wall onto the screen. Its nice to not have the fan noise and the heat in the same room. It also gets the ghetto setup that we had before, with an old speaker box sitting up on the couch to project the image on the wall.

Cutting a hole in the wall made me a little nervous, but it worked out great, and putting a shelf up in another room, and running the cables and stuff... Its a project I have wanted to complete for several years.. finally got it done this week.

this is our fridge... we recently of course pulled a bunch of old photos off cuz it was just way too full and overflowing... anyway, I try to pray for these people on a somewhat regular basis, as I think about it. If you feel left out... well then you just need to send us a photo of yourself.

Tonight is a congregational meeting at Zion to discuss whether or not to bring me on staff part time. It has been an interesting journey to this point – I believe God revealed to me last April that the next year would be a journey and that I would just have to walk through it to see where He would lead me. Its not always about the destination, but many times it is about the journey – and are we willing to trust Him in it.

Ok, so that’s where I’m at… trusting.

The cool thing is that I can really say that I am confident that God will continue to lead, no matter the outcome of tonight’s meeting. I am clear minded, and have a peace, and an openness that is hard to describe. If you think about life as a book, I realize that the next chapter is still completely blank – and that’s cool with me. I know that I will not falter, or flounder, but that God will be writing something new – and so that’s what gives me peace.

Clark (at ACTV) last night asked me about what I was doing with my life… when I explained about the meeting, he asked if I was excited. The question caught me by surprise and I had to think about it. I suppose I am “cautiously optimistic.” I know that finances are an issue at Zion… If they did hire me, the starting salary would be small I am sure, but it is still more staff than Zion is used to having. Since I sit on Church council, I know the finances – and we aren’t struggling, but we aren’t poised for expansion necessarily either. Being “cautiously optimistic” means that I am ready to go, but ready to change gears if needed. It means flexibility with a smile. It means I will be happy no matter the outcome, and Zion should do what is best for Zion, and not necessarily what is best for me.

All that said, I really do love the congregation, the young people and young adults that I have the privilege to know. I’ve been part of Zion for 19 years, and in youth ministry there for 13. It is not a cookie cutter church, it is distinctively family, it is diverse – especially between city folk and country folk, rich and poor, young and old. It’s very balanced. I’ve seen lots of great churches in my years, but none quite like Zion… so it would be difficult If God called us elsewhere.

I decided that if I was hired, I would be excited – about new things, about new structures, about new challenges, and new vision. I would be excited about what God wants to do through me as a servant of His…. So I guess I am excited about the future whatever it holds.

At the same time, this year God has been teaching me about myself, about my shortcomings, about my lack of self discipline, about my selfishness. That part is ugly. Its what I am working on. I continue to see myself the way God sees me. As imperfect, but redeemed… He looks at me with a measure of pride, and still recognizes my immaturity sometimes. In any case, I wanted to get some of this out there – cuz its what’s is going on in my head, and it will be interesting to look back in a year or so and reflect.

I used picasa a couple years ago... then got away from it... then about 6 months ago, I downloaded version 2.0 amazing! possibly the best piece of freeware on the planet right now. Anyway, I posted some pictures into a web album. - which is free too. And so freakin easy.



Danricc took the pictures of the reunion,



and I took a couple of silly pictures at youth group tonight... we had a small group, so after worship and teaching, we took a road trip to goof around at walmart etc. Oh... the running pictures are a silly game we played - that jeremiah sort of made up, which involved ductaping someone and then chasing them around trying to blow qtips through a straw and getting them to stick etc... yeah, I did mention its sillyness didnt I? It was fun, but as a game needs some refinement.

heres the pics

 
 
 

i thought I would post a couple pictures of the girls I took today with my new canon digital rebel xt... got it for $430 on ebay - its an open box, but it is pretty much brand new. It was a Christmas present - even thought I shopped for it. Its a two year old model I think... the new ones are 10mp and this one is 8mp. This way I can take youth group pictures and blow them up.

I'm still learning how to use it for sure, cuz it has quite a lot of buttons and features. Yes I am a users manual reader... of course I like to play too, but I need to know what the original creator intended for how it is to be used. And I need to know what each and every button does, and how it all works.

I waited until digital photography was affordable till I made a purchase... my trusty 35mm camera, I might still shoot with occasionally, but we will have to do a side by side comparison some day.

my old (free) ghetto digital camera was held together for the past year with a paper clip and holes that I drilled into the camera - to hold the battery door shut.
you will see more pictures... promise!