e r i c . s p a n g l e r

One of My Buddies...

A special friend named Karl . . .

Happy Mother's Day!

A GREAT mom and her four kids...

Who Took That Picture?

I've had a couple of nice rest days with my girls; all four of them.  Sarah was off work on Thursday too, so we all jumped into the Outback and drove as far as we could up Mt. Pilchuck road (which was not far because of snow and the road closure . . . ).  Bekah took this shot; she had to set the timer and run back so it looked like she was walking with us!  :)

Promises, Promises

From the "toot your own horn" department:

I'm NOT endorsing a party, nor am I endorsing a candidate.  Let's get that straight before you read on.  At this point, I'm VERY undecided as to who I'll vote for in November.  Maybe I'll write in "Mahatma Gandhi" or something.  So, this post is NOT an endorsement NOR is it a SLAM against any particular candidate.  I'm just amazed at the audacity of the political system and the promises that candidates make, like this one by Senator Clinton just after she lost the primary in Guam this weekend:

"Clinton issued a statement Saturday night promising, 'I will continue to champion the issues facing the people of Guam, and when I'm president I will ensure that hard-working families of Guam have the resources and the opportunity to succeed.' Obama's campaign had no immediate reaction to the results."  Link Here.

How in the world could ANYONE ensure everyone that they will have the resources and opportunity to succeed?  Will any one candidate really champion the issues of every person (all 300 million of us)?  Yes, I realize they were expressions of commitment and generalizations, but unrealistic overstatements don't build confidence in me that leadership will be authentic, transparent and effective.

Note to self:  underpromse and overdeliver.

A Great Life!

SO thankful and GLAD to be married to Virginia!

This was taken on the Edmonds-Kingston ferry today.  :)

Ever Dream of Falling?

This may make you dizzy.   All I can say is "NO WAY." 

The website where it was posted, says:

"Originally built in 1901, this walkway now serves as an approach to makinodromo, the famous climbing sector of El Chorro."

Apparently, I'm Not Very Good At Sarcasm

Hey . . . I TOTALLY knew that the e-mail from Yao was a scam.  It was very funny to me that several of you thought I fell for it... thanks for being so kind and concerned for me.  lol

Like many of you, I get what feels like a zillion of those e-mails promising money, fame, etc.  I just thought that one was particularly funny because he both sent the message to "undisclosed recipients" and not just "me," and also said at the end "This is real."

Making an application... Just because you say something doesn't make it so, right?  That's the point.  When it comes to truth, claiming to follow Jesus, etc, just because you say "This is REAL" doesn't mean that it is.

Matt. 7:21-23 . . .

This Is For Real

I received an e-mail from someone I don't know that wants to give me a large sum of money.  He says this is for real:

From:     hahnyao@exportbank.com.ph
    Subject:     Interested???
    Date:     April 20, 2008 10:56:18 AM PDT
    To:     undisclosed-recipients:;
    Reply-To:     (hidden in case you try to sneak this from me)

CONFIDENTIAL
I am a straight forward person and this is the same way I Would like for
you to respond to this email, should you be interested in it's content or
not.

I know that this message will come to you as surprise as we do not know
each other. I am MR. HAHN YAO, an accountant of Export and Industry bank.
(Philippines) There is an account opened in this bank in 1999 with a huge
sum and since 2001 nobody has operated on this account again.
Investigations revealed the owner is dead without a beneficiary. I am
contacting you so the funds can be transferred to your name as a
foreigner.. Contact me via my email: hahnyao@somename.com so I can give you
the details.

I look forward to your reply
N/b i do not need your help with legal bills so you do not have to worry
about sending me money. this is for real.
MR. HAHN YAO

Now, I'm not saying that I don't believe Mr. Yao, I'm just not sure why he sent this to undisclosed recipients instead of just me.  And I wish he'd just mail me the money in cash rather than e-mailing me and asking me if I would be in any way interested in legitimate free money.

"This is for real," he says.

What is real?  How do you know what you believe is really real?  :)  That's a real hard question.  Really.

Snow!?!

Snow?  Yes!  No WAY!  We've had it off and on all day today!!!

Link: Local News | Foot of spring snow forecast in Cascades | Seattle Times Newspaper

.

R U On Facebook?

I'm on Facebook.  Are you?  If not, please join, and become my 'friend.'  It's a fun, fairly easy, not necessarily time intensive social networking site.  There's even a group on Facebook that I've created for FM Pastors.  I'd love to create a group for Lakesiders . . . (just click the photo to go to Facebook)

Lakeside Podcast

Here's a link to Lakeside's free podcast on iTunes:

Coffee Humor

Found these on a coffee site while browsing:

Proof of Reincarnation?

Did you see the story that broke from India this week about the baby born in India with two functioning faces? She is being worshiped as the return of the Hindu goddess Durga. There in rural India an anomaly like this must give incredible support to Hindu mythology.

Link: Baby with 2 faces born in north India.

Bekah's Sweet 16th!

We love our Bekah!

Born in Freeport, Illinois, she's all FUN!

Happy Birthday!  We love you!

 

My SuperStar!

Here she is!  Kohl's (of Marysville, WA) Super Star of the month of April! 

That means Sarah was voted by all the other employees to be the employee of the month!  We're SO proud of her!

Also means a little bonus on the paycheck... be sure to give her a pat on the back!

Easter Problem?

From PastorHacks. Check out THIS LINK for original post.  I'm resonating . . .

The Dangers of Easter

There are some dangers for the soul of a community surrounding Easter time.
And the soul of a pastor, I think.

I want us to be careful of how we think, talk and act around times like this weekend.

Remember, Little Pastor- Easter is not a marketing opportunity. The resurrection of the Son of God is not an opportunity to pimp our programs or build our flock, even under the guise of "concern for lost". And it's not about me. (Please wait a minute while I repeat that a few times to myself... ) Heaven forbid we should ever do community in such a way that our main avenue for people coming to Christ is hearing the Gospel preached from the mouth of one person, rather than hearing the Gospel preached from the mouths (and lives) of the whole community. If, in your community, more people are becoming Christians on Sunday than during the rest of the week, I think you may have a problem. . .more here

. . .I would much rather we both explicitly and implicitly communicate a model that looks more like befriending people, enfolding them into the rhythms of our lives, sharing the highs/lows and how our faith informs those with them, integrating them into home groups and movie nights and the big and small events of our lives... and how natural would it be after all that love and enfolding that they become a part of our community, even before they believe? And then... that they believe, having seen it lived and tested and the reality of a life of faith, as opposed to simply a special Sunday morning where the band rocks extra hard and the pastor has a few more funny stories than normal? . . .more here

. . . It doesn't take mailers, banners, and Cirque Du Soleil every week. Just a bunch of loving, welcoming Christ followers. People who genuinely care. People who are seeking relationships with other people, and sharing life with them. A competent all-community gathering where things work well so as not to be a distraction from what God wants to do that morning, sure... but less of a focus on Sunday mornings as the center of community and more of a focus on the community and its revolving around Jesus Himself. (if this got you thinking, you need to read the whole post HERE.)

I Gotta Bad Stomach Ache. . .

Thanks to Lifehacker for listing the top meals in the US to avoid:

• Worst Fast Food Meal: McDonald's Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips with creamy ranch sauce. Chicken sounds healthy, but not at 870 calories.
  
• Worst Drink: Jamba Juice Chocolate Moo'd Power Smoothie. With 166 grams of sugar, you could have had eight servings of Ben & Jerry's.
  
• Worst Supermarket Meal: Pepperidge Farm Roasted Chicken Pot Pie. One pie packs 64 grams of fat.
  
• Worst "Healthy" Burger: Ruby Tuesday Bella Turkey Burger. With 1,145 calories, not a very healthy choice.
  
• Worst Airport Snack: Cinnabon Classic Cinnamon Roll. Packed with 813 hot gooey calories and 5 grams of trans fats.
  
• Worst Kids' Meal: Macaroni Grill Double Macaroni 'n Cheese. With 62 fat grams, it's the equivalent of 1.5 full boxes of Kraft Mac 'n Cheese.
  
• Worst Salad: On the Border Grande Taco Salad with Taco Beef. A salad with 102 grams of fat and 2,410 mg of sodium.
  
• Worst Dessert: Chili's Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream. At 1,600 calories, it's like eating the caloric equivalent of three Big Macs.

Original article at NYT from a book by one of their editors

Determination: Don't Give Up!

Thanks to my friend Kevin, I've discovered Sara Groves, a singer that's been around a bit but that I've somehow missed.  Her lyrics echo the melody of my own heart.  The song below, "When the Saints" can be found on iTunes, off of her "Tell Me What You Know" Album.

When The Saints (by Sara Groves)

Lord I have a heavy burden of all I've seen and know
It's more than I can handle
But your word is burning like a fire shut up in my bones
and I cannot let it go

And when I'm weary and overwrought
with so many battles left unfought

I think of Paul and Silas in the prison yard
I hear their song of freedom rising to the stars
And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them

Lord it's all that I can't carry and cannot leave behind
it often overwhelms me
but when I think of all who've gone before and lived the faithful life
their courage compells me
And when I'm weary and overwrought
with so many battles left unfought

I think of Paul and Silas in the prison yard
I hear their song of freedom rising to the stars

I see the shepherd Moses in the Pharohs court
I hear his call for freedom for the people of the Lord

And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them
And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them

I see the long quiet walk along the Underground Railroad
I see the slave awakening to the value of her soul

I see the young missionary and the angry spear
I see his family returning with no trace of fear

I see the long hard shadows of Calcutta nights
I see the sisters standing by the dying man's side

I see the young girl huddled on the brothel floor
I see the man with a passion come and kicking down the door

I see the man of sorrows and his long troubled road
I see the world on his shoulders and my easy load

And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them
and when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them
I want to be one of them
I want to be one of them
I want to be one of them

----------

"Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!"  - Heb. 12:1-3 (The Message)

Take Off . . . Just4Fun

Taking off from Anchorage this past week . . .

Easter In Thailand

Some photos and greetings from Pastor Kevin in Thailand:

Kristos Anestey! . . . .  Pra Jesus Song Bpen khun laeo!  . . . . Christ is Risen!

Great day here today - helped baptize 9. . . When I led worship at the International Church it was awesome.  God is good. . . Thinking of you!

Thought you would like to see these. . . The ones with the flowers in front in the last pic are the ones newly baptized. . .