Tsunami Disaster

67,000 people dead in Asia ... and those who search and rescue and not even close to being done. The count is sure to rise. I cannot even wrap my mind around something as devastating as that.

It's so easy to be indifferent because this tragedy affects people on the other side of the world. Until a couple of days ago I would have butchered the definition of tsunami on a multiple choice test.

I was watching CNN a on Monday and they had a clip of a dad carrying his young son who had died in the tragedy. All I could do was hug my daughter ...

Coffee in a car … literally.

Last week I stopped at Starbucks on the way home from Houston. I really enjoy good strong coffee and for reasons not relevant to this post, on that day I hadn’t had my normal caffeine consumption quota. So I was really looking forward to a strong cup of Christmas blend.

It kinda ticks me off that during the holidays, all Starbucks brews for “coffee of the day” is Christmas blend. At least during the other 10 ½ months there is a variety. Sumatra is my all time favorite “coffee of the day” and it is the least often served. I should quit whining and buy myself a pound of Sumatra and just brew it at home.

But on this day I braved the traffic in Pearland and made it to the Starbucks on 518. It was super crowded with holiday shoppers and after standing in line for a while listening to people order half caf non-fat frapawhippedcreame non-coffee dessert drinks; I ordered a cup of Christmas Blend and a oatmeal cranberry mountain bar for me and ordered a Chai Latte to take home to Andrea. The coffee smelled really good and I couldn’t wait to get on the road and take a drink. I was having one of those massive cravings that intensified the closer I got to moving beyond the smell and onto the consummation of tasting the strong coffee.

I pulled out of the shopping center and got behind a lady at the red light who was in her convertible with the top down screaming at the top of her lungs at every driver who was, in her estimation, an idiot for being in her way. She was one of those “as a matter of fact I do own the road” kinds of people. I thought it was funny enough to watch for a while. I was holding my cup of coffee in my free hand and due to the distraction hadn’t taken a drink. I decided I should set it down until I could get on the highway so that it wouldn’t be such a distraction. As I set my cup down I was watching the lady who was still screaming at people using words a discipleship pastor cannot type into his blog, and I missed the cup holder by a mere fraction of an inch and dumped the whole cup of black coffee all over the front seat of my car and my blue jeans and a book I had on the floorboard and on a business card notebook – it was everywhere.

I was not a happy camper. I was already behind schedule and out of pocket change. I was in traffic and was not about to go back and brave the line at Starbucks. All I could do was drive home and eat my oatmeal cranberry mountain bar and sniff the smell of heaven in a cup … well … not in a cup anymore. Now it was heaven all over my floorboard.

Sometimes what I want the most seems in my grasp, but my clumsiness and fascination with the irrelevant details around me puts it out of reach. Maybe I didn’t need that cup of coffee anyway. Some parts of some days stink, even when they smell like coffee. At least Andrea enjoyed the Chai.

20 miles

I ran 20 miles yesterday morning. It was cold, it was ugly, it was brutal, but I made it. Hopefully at the end of the day on January 16, 2005 I will be able to say the last three words of that sentence.

The 20 miler was the longest run on this marathon training program. One of my goals for marathon training was to at least make it to the starting line and barring some freak accident I'll make it, so I am happy. Now all that is left is a three week taper, and to run and finish the race. I have no other goal. No time goal, no one to try to beat except my mind.

Snow?

Snow in Lake Jackson Texas on Christmas morning ... how strange is that?

This will be a Christmas my kids will never forget.

I'll be back ...

Someone emailed me yesterday and asked "have you quit blogging?" Which surprised me that they noticed. But no I haven't retired from blogging forever. It's just that blogging has been a low priority in the list of priorities and there hasn't been much in my head worth blogging about anyway (not that there ever is).

Like Arnold though, "I'll be back." (Read with an Austrian accent)

The Lost Art of Living

the cross neither jewelry nor icon nor charm
the cross held a lover who died in my arms
under the weight of the hammer I held
the space between heaven and everything
spanned
and the lost art of living was found again
when the cross became loving and Christ became friend

- ben pasley

Sports?

The sports world has gone crazy. The dramas are overshadowing the games and it makes all of it almost unwatchable - from fights with the fans to steroid use.

I’m amazed. Mainly I’m amazed that people are surprised at the recent news that confirms some athletes have used steroids. I usually give people the benefit of the doubt, but it takes a lot to surprise or shock me anymore. Haven’t we all had this sneaking suspicion that the sports records that are broken lately are broken with the help of chemicals?

Check out this article about the Balco founder --> Link

Well it’s off to a minor league hockey game.... Go Aeros!

Teaching Big and Teaching Small

I’ve thought quite a bit lately about what it means to be a teacher. I have always enjoyed teaching, but most of my teaching experience is in a small group setting. It hasn’t been until recently that I have taught in front of a large group of people with a more formal delivery style. What I do in on Sunday mornings is very different than what I do in a Home Team (small group) at Brazos Pointe Fellowship. In a small group I am more a part of the learning experience rather than driving the learning experience – I am just a participant in the conversation.

Maggi Dawn is an Anglican priest and Chaplin at King’s College Cambridge in England and she teaches in the college context. Here’s what she says about teaching in a large group setting:

“In a lecture you stand six feet above contradiction (or down in the safety of the auditorium stage); you are in control of the material, you prepare beforehand, you say what you have to say and no-one gets to ask you anything.”

Sometimes that’s what Sunday morning feels like … “six feet above contradiction”. And that is why I like teaching in a small group setting as much as a large group and sometimes more. Listen again to Maggie Dawn this time about the small group setting:

“…you talk for a while, and then other people pile in. They discuss … They ask questions that range far and wide; great questions that would take twenty minutes to address properly, or sometimes aggressive questions based on an adverse reaction to a text. In a class(small group), the teacher is just as likely (perhaps more likely even) to learn something new than the students.”

To be in a small group is to engage with fellow travelers in this journey of life as a follower of Jesus; it's to understand others and be understood. It's to engage other Christians so that you can more readily engage the world around you.

Teaching teaches me and that’s why I like to teach. But my hope for those of you who listen is that you would engage as a fellow learner, and if you ever think “I don’t know if I agree with Tommy”, then nail me with it. I may not come around to your way of thinking but I would love to have the conversation.

Again from Maggie Dawn’s blog; she quotes someone named Joseph Joubert:

"To teach is to learn twice."

“Those who never retract their opinions love themselves more than they love the truth.”

For more from Maggie Dawn click here -> link

Oh, Christmas Tree

We went as a family and picked out a skinny Christmas tree tonight. It was an all time record short time. Jakeb grabbed a tree and said “How about this one?” And we all said, “looks good”. The Stunz family agreed on something, quickly, from the beginning (a first).

Then we got home and things changed. Tori and Jakeb got into an argument about the lights on the tree. Tori thought the tree should have all white lights, Jakeb thought the lights should be colorful. His position was that colorful lights are better for when you wake up in the morning and turn them on (Jakeb still has a sense of wonder and awe at Christmas). Tori thought all white lights would be “cool”. So we had a family vote. Jakeb rallied the troops and he, Anna and I formed an alliance and voted Tori off of the island…. Okay not really, she’s still on the island but the Christmas tree has colorful lights on it.

Have a Heart

Caution: running post ahead. If you are sick of reading about my running you can skip this next post.

At the beginning of last year I read John “the penguin” Bingham and Jenny Hadfield’s book Marathoning for Mortals. In it they said that most people, given the correct training, have the physical ability to run a marathon (26.2 miles). The reason most people don’t run one is because they don’t have the heart for it.



This morning I was perfectly physically capable of running the eight miles my training schedule called for but my heart wasn’t into it. I got out anyway and when I was finished I was glad I ran.

I’ve sung this same tune here before, but today it got me to thinking about choices in life in general. Running is such a mental pursuit, just like life. If I could just make up my mind that I will do the hard thing and make the best choice rather than taking the easy way out and choosing the thing that will destroy me.

"Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, that you and your descendants might live!”
Deuteronomy 30:19

I have the capacity to make the right choice; sometimes I don’t have the heart for it.

How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb

I have a hard time spending money. Some would even call me a tight-wad. I agonize over most of my purchases before I buy. The only exclusion to that would possibly be books; when I buy a book I usually know exactly what I want and go get it. And then if it stunk after I read it I regret having spent the money on it. Andrea is sometimes frustrated by having to shop with me. This Christmas already we’ve stood staring at a Christmas present for someone in our family while I wondered whether we really should buy it or not. That is another story for another day.



Today, after agonizing for a while over whether I should; I spent some of my money on U2’s newest How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. After the first couple of listens I dig it. I really like music that has a soul and this does. I haven’t been completely enthralled by anything U2 since The Joshua Tree or maybe Rattle and Hum so I hope this one grows on me even more.

So … how do you dismantle an atomic bomb? Bono says “with love.”

Learning

This has been a great week. It started with spending time alone with Andrea; and at Thanksgiving our whole family was able to spend time with my parents, brother, his wife and her family; then this morning I ran. Tomorrow I get to finish the week by doing something I love as well … preaching at Brazos Pointe.

God made me a teacher and I really enjoy it. But before He made me a teacher He made me a learner. One of the main reasons I like to teach is the prep. I learn way more than I am able to give away. And then I think I like it because I get to make people think and ask questions about God’s place in their life and what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

During this time of year when everyone is thinking about what they are thankful for, I am thankful that God made me a learner and I am thankful that He has given me a place to pass what I learned along to others.

Travel, Detours and Adventure

Monday morning Andrea and I left for a couple of days away in New Braunfels. The timing was perfect and the kids were with my mom so it was sure to be a good trip. We were going to stay in some friend’s house (because of their incredible generosity) on the Guadalupe River in New Braunfels.

We left Lake Jackson and it was warm and muggy. By the time we got to Wharton it was raining a little bit. It had already rained enough for there to be road closures. But being the pioneers that we are we pressed on.

As we continued along we got to the turn-off to go toward Garwood (a favorite route of ours taught to us by my dad) and the road was closed due to high water in the Colorado River. So we went through the town of Eagle Lake instead. By the time we got to I-10 in Columbus it was raining so hard it was hard to see and driving was s-l-o-w …

When we got to Sequin we pulled off of the highway to eat at Los Cucos (one of our favorite Mexican food restaurants) and there was deep water flowing over the road. We thought about it for a second or two and then plowed through the water (anything for Mexican food).

After leaving the restaurant with our stomachs extremely full we exited I-10 on 46 to New Braunfels and got a couple of miles down the road and found that the road was closed due to high water. Now we’re kind of worried. Are we going to be able to make it to the house on a river that is probably flooded as well?

Being the pioneers that we still are … we pressed on and took a detour through San Antonio, seeing our trip as yet another adventure in the Stunz marriage. We finally made it to New Braunfels and headed down River Road towards the house. Barely ¼ of a mile down the road there was water flowing over the road enough to keep us from going on. So … we started looking for an alternate route and found one through the town of Gruene (pronounced “green”). As we headed down river road there were places where the water had come off of the hills and washed the road out but our mighty SUV made it through every time.

We made it over the river crossings without and problem even though the Guadalupe was up very high and got to the house. The upstairs of the house is level with the road and the downstairs of the house is level with the river. We went inside and from above there is a balcony and an excellent view of the swollen Guadalupe, which is normally 25 to 50 yards away but is now right out of the back door but receding.

We decided to take a look downstairs and as we walked down the steps there was a weird reflection at the bottom of the stairs. Andrea flipped the light switch on and we saw that the weird reflection was water. After checking to make sure I wouldn’t get electrocuted I stepped into the water which was about calf deep. I went to the back door and opened it and the water rushed out. The good part is that the downstairs of the house has concrete floors and cinderblock walls. The water wasn’t deep enough to get to the mattresses on the beds so really there was not much damage. Andrea and I spent the evening wet-vacing the water out and we had a blast working together. We have always enjoyed working together.

We crashed that evening after a long day of travel, detours and adventure. That pretty much sums up our marriage – travel, detours and adventure. In 16 years we’ve come a long way through some fun stuff and through some hard stuff. And in all of it we have tried to see how good it is.

Tuesday and Wednesday were relaxing days. We sat by the river that went back into its banks, ate at the Grist Mill in Gruene (again by the generosity of others) and Chipotle and spent some time at Starbucks. All of those are favorites of ours.

The three days were great and today on Thanksgiving Day I am grateful. I am grateful for the generosity of others. I am grateful for a wife who is willing to go through the adventure of life with me. I am grateful for so many other things … the list is long.

BTW – If you’d like to rent an excellent house on the Guadalupe this summer, I may be able to hook you up.

Leaving town

Yesterday was a long exhausting day. It started early and ended late. At the end of the day Andrea and I just fell into bed. It was a good tired though because in all of our work some good things happened.

So today we are hitting the road to get away, leave town and rest (and celebrate our previously mentioned anniversary). We are both looking forward to it. I think I will take an electronic fast and not blog again until we get back.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday of the year)!

My son, my dad, and working on cars

Today Jakeb and I replaced the brake calipers, balanced and rotated the tires, and changed the oil in my Explorer. It reminded me of being a kid again. My dad is a mechanic and I grew up around a gas station.

Smells trigger memories and when I smell brake cleaner, brake fluid, old oil, or tire rubber I think of growing up around my dad. Mom has a picture of me when I was six or seven with dad teaching me how to weld. I changed my first water pump in a car when I was in seventh grade. Before I could drive in high school I was changing clutches in manual transmissions and rebuilding engines.

My dad taught me more than how to work on a car while I was learning to work on cars. He taught me what it means to have a strong work ethic, how to treat people with respect and about honesty in business. I learned how mean people can be when they think you are their servant and I learn how to stand your ground while treating others fairly.

I hope Jakeb learns how to work on cars, but I hope he doesn’t leave the more important things undone either.

Our marriage could drive ...

Tomorrow Andrea and I will celebrate our 16th wedding anniversary. If our marriage was a kid it could start driving.

I stare at that first sentence and it’s hard to believe. I know everyone says this but it doesn’t seem like it’s been 16 years, and yet I can’t remember what life was like without Andrea. I read a book … (that’s how a lot of my sentences start) … anyway, I read a book called The Alchemist where the hero of the book meets the woman he was to spend the rest of his life with and he said to her “I loved you before I even knew you existed.”

I think that’s why I can’t imagine life without Andrea… because I have never lived life without her. My parents always taught me there was someone out there for me and I loved her before I knew who she was.

Happy Anniversary Andrea! I love you!

Crockerdile Blogger

A couple of months ago I told you about my friend Danny who is starting a church in Tomball called The Way Fellowship Church. It will be a church kind of like ours (but different). Brazos Pointe Fellowship is a sponsor church for The Way.

I tell you all of that because Danny’s wife Lizanne has started blogging. I hope she posts more than her husband has. One thing I can guarantee about Lizanne is that the post and the discussion will be interesting – in a good way – because Lizanne is the kind of person who makes you think.

You can read it here ---> Link

Sleep well

Life has been insanely busy and will continue to be that way for the next couple of days so posting on this blog has not been a top priority. But as I get ready to crash I think about a cool verse I read on Michael Main's blog:

I will lie down in peace and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe. Psalm 4:8

Tall grass and green trees

The weather was a bit cooler this morning. As I ran I noticed that most of the trees are still green. A few of them are losing their leaves but for the most part Oyster Creek Drive looks pretty much like it does in May.

And then I got home and mowed my yard. It’s November and I mowed my yard. It is no secret that I like hot weather a whole lot more than I care for cold weather. But don’t I eventually get a break from having to mow the yard?

Texas weather … I love it.

Yasser Arafat's Burial

I watched this morning as Yasser Arafat was being buried at Ramallah. For some reason all I could think about is the stark contrast between the ways the Palestinians bury a leader as opposed to how American’s bury theirs.

Ronald Reagan’s funeral and memorials were full of reverence, pomp and circumstance. It was “stately”. Yasser Arafat’s burial on the other hand looked like the mosh pit at a rock concert as people emptied the clips of their weapons into the air. Then everyone left to finish the observance of one of their most holy times of the year.

I’m not saying one way was better than the other to bury a leader. Each in its own unique way honored the one being buried. What intrigues me the most is the differences in cultures.