Thank you to Steve Otto for all his hard work.  I had so much fun working on this with you!

If you’d like to watch the tour in HD, you can click here. Enjoy!

“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” -Jesus of Nazareth

I think about this mantra of Jesus quite frequently.  How do I love my enemies?  I think the first step is identifying who our enemies are.

For me, I never really feel like I have enemies.  Is it an extremist-Muslim?  Is it the gay community?  Is it the liberal media?  Is it MTV?  Is it Hulu? (PS - It’s only Hulu if they go to a subscription-based model instead of ad-based. Then they are definitely the enemy).

Or on an individual level.  Is it the co-worker who constantly talks about themselves?  Is it the person in church who treated you wrong a long time ago and the very thought of them makes you well-up with anger?  Or your boss who you know is lazier than you?  Or the person who is always stirring up drama, but “hates all the drama at work”?

Who knows.  I don’t always even know who my enemies are.  But I think it’s important to stop for a minute and think about who our enemies could be.  That way, we could at least try to show these people love.  And not just a half-hearted hello, but making that person feel loved.

I believe this is the most difficult command in all the land, but also one of the most important ways reconciliation can take place.

So, what would it look like for you to love your enemy?  Would you treat anyone differently?  Who are your “enemies”?

Picture Courtesy

Sarah and I are getting married in less than 3 weeks now.  To say I’m excited is a bit of an understatement and is a direct result of why I’ve been neglecting the ole blogosphere.  I was asked these questions by a bridesmaid friend to be read at our Rochester shower, which will provide you more insight into Sarah and I’s lives/relationship.  And some laughs too.

We also have one of those “The Knot” websites - and I tried to do it up pretty good, so you can check out some videos there.

Enjoy.

13 Engagement Questions:

1. When when and where was your and Sarah’s first kiss (with one another)?

Well the first kiss was actually when I asked Sarah to date me, which was on the cheek, but she denied me on that one.  This took place in October, and she said we had to wait until Christmas to kiss.  Then, Christmas came, and I did not kiss her.  When it came to New Years Eve, and we were driving home 6 hours in what was the worst blizzard I’ve ever been in, Sarah asked me why I hadn’t kissed her yet.  I kind of deflected the question and tried to get out of it, as I had already planned to kiss her later that night.  I did end up doing that, but the story also shows how open and honest our communication has been throughout our relationship.  I also got some sort of weird enjoyment out of having her hanging for that week in between Christmas and New Years, wondering when I would finally kiss her.

2. Describe that kiss in one word.

Faaaaaaannnnnnntastic!

3. If Sarah were a flower, which one would she be? Why?

She would be a rose, because roses are my favorite.  And they’re beautiful too.

4. After you and Sarah are married, what is the first thing of yours that she will get rid of?

Probably what she labels “my junk”.  Which would not be one or two things.  I am a pack rat and love my old trinkets.  I suspect one day to come home and be missing a significant portion of my childhood and to be very upset.  If there was one thing though, it would probably be my old clothes, making room for hers.

5. What is the first thing of hers that you will get rid of?

Her uncomfortable love seat.  It shouldn’t even be labeled a love seat, because it is uncomfortable and impossible to take a nap on.

6. When will you have children and how many? (Don’t worry, we won’t hold you to it. Accidents happen )

We will have 2 children and we will wait a few years (probably 3).  No whoopsie-babies, Lord willing. :)  Sarah wants 3, but that is just because she grew up in a house with like 14 kids.

7. What is Sarah’s favorite flavor of ice cream?

Sarah does not like ice cream, as it upsets her stomach.  But she is a big sucker for frozen yogurt.  Her favorite flavor is chocolate chip cookie dough.  She recently bought peanut butter, and it’s been in there for weeks.  Bad choice.  Back to chocolate chip cookie dough we go.

8. Coke or Pepsi?

Water. She’s a health nut.

9. How many cups of coffee does Sarah drink in one day (currently)?

Well I have been trying to get Sarah to ween off of her ridiculously high coffee intake for a long time now.  Luckily (in a weird sort of way), she recently got sick and could not drink coffee for a week.  Now, she is drinking about 3 cups a day, rather than 10.

10. What is a petname/nickname that you have for Sarah?

We don’t really do pet names, but I call her “babe” or “Sar” a good bit.  This question makes me want to come up with one though.  I’m open to suggestions.

11. What is your favorite physical feature of Sarah’s? What is her favorite physical feature of you?

My favorite feature of Sarah’s is her big eyes and her cute face (I guess that’s two). Her favorite feature of me is either my abnormally large biceps or my eyes (lame).

12. What first attracted you to Sarah?

What first attracted me to Sarah was her personality and the way she communicated with people.  When we were at Sarah and John Cleghorn’s wedding, I observed her from a distance and how she interacted with others.  By the second day of the weekend, I was asking questions about her to John Cleghorn and Andy Allen, not worried at all about covering up my intrigue of this woman.

13. Now something gooshey to keep the old ladies happy: What about Sarah do you find most attractive/loveable/enjoyable/etc/?

The thing I love most about Sarah is her love of people.  She cares deeply about others and makes many sacrifices for those around her.  Her love of God shines through in this area of her life.  This also spills into her love for me.  She forgives me when I do something (or say something) stupid and cares for me when I have a bad day.  She is also a phenomenal listener, who is insightful at discerning when to simply lend a ear and when to speak up and re-direct the situation towards a solution.  She accepts those that are different from her and people feel loved after spending time with her.  She’s a keeper.

My captions:

“You wouldn’t believe how long my wife can shop in there.”

“I got out of the house and away from the kids to take a nap here.”

“I’m exhausted from people making fun of me in my pink shirt.”

PS - You never know who is taking pictures of you at the mall.

Andy Stanley said it best in a tweet:

The Book Of Eli. A new standard for faith based films.

You’ve gotta see it.  I’m giving it the much anticipated “Siggy’s Top Movie of 2010″ (no I didn’t see Toy Story 3 yet).

If you’ve already seen The Book of Eli, what did you think of the film?  What lessons or thoughts did you take away from it?

PS - Those who haven’t seen it, be careful reading the comments once they come in. It could spoil it.

What’s Youth Sunday without a music video?

Or even better, a blooper reel?

I’d be deceiving you if I didn’t share my bias for Talain Rayne.  Talain and I are friends.  Last year, we met up in Lancaster, we drank some delicious chai, and he asked me if I would be his manager.  Unfortunately, I was not taking any artists in my lineup, as I was moving to New York.  Otherwise, I would have signed Talain in a second!  So, my only bias is that we are friends from the same school. Beyond that, all that you need to know is that Talain is making fantastic music and giving away his debut album for free.  If I were to write a review, it would say,

Talain’s music makes you want to get up and dance, yet there is incredible depth behind his lyrics. The sounds are infectious and should be featured on the next iPod commercial.

or…

If Coldplay went indie instead of mainstream, this is what it would sound like.

That is, if they are still making iPod commercials.  They meaning Steve Jobs.

Anyways, you can hear my favorite song (”Dear Sister, Your Brother”) from Attic Lights below, or you can download the ENTIRE album for free.  Yup. 11 tracks. Free.  Just enter your email and postal code in the second widget below (and don’t worry, you aren’t going to get a bunch of “come to my concert” spam). No catch.

Enjoy my friends.

To read more, head over to Relevant Magazine. I’d love to get your thoughts there.

Also, this was my first time being featured by a magazine, and it happens to be my favorite, so I was pretty excited! Thanks to everyone who read and gave me feedback. I’m always looking to move forward in my faith.

Check this guy out…

Nice find MPT & Justin.

The list below was compiled by Youth Specialties.  These thinkers and practitioners have been huge in my personal growth and understanding of what it means to be an effective leader for young people.  Check it out!

2010 Rank / Blogger Name / Blog address
1 / Youth Specialties Blog / http://youthspecialties.com/blog
2 / Mark Oestreicher / http://whyismarko.com
3 / Tim Schmoyer / http://studentministry.org
4 / Josh Griffin / http://www.morethandodgeball.com/
5 / Adam McLane / http://adammclane.com
6 / Adam Walker Cleaveland / http://pomomusings.com/
7 / Orange Leaders / http://www.orangeleaders.com/
8 / Chris Folmsbee / http://www.anewkindofyouthministry.com/
9 / Ian MacDonald / http://www.youthblog.org
10 / Walt Mueller / http://learningmylines.blogspot.com/
11 / Jeremy Zach / http://www.reyouthpastor.com
12 / Jonathan McKee / http://blog.thesource4ym.com/
13 / Fuller Youth Institute / http://fulleryouthinstitute.org/blog/
14 / Mark Riddle / http://www.theriddlegroup.com/blog/index.htm
15 / Mike King / http://king.typepad.com/mike_king/
16 / Tash McGill / http://tashmcgill.blogspot.com/
17 / Gavin Richardson / http://www.gavoweb.com/
18 / Matt Cleaver / http://mattcleaver.com/
19 / Kurt Johnston / http://simplykurt.com/
20 / Stevan Sheets / http://www.stevansheets.com/