top se7en moments of oh-se7en

|seven: blazers, niners, and giants...oh my!|

oh-se7en marked the first time that i've seen all three of my favorite sports teams play in the same year! living in czech makes it tough to watch sports at all, so to be able to attend these games was such a blessing.  it was extra special considering i got to see barry bonds' final game as a giant (and maybe ever) with my dad.

|six: concerts|

oh-se7en also marked the year of the concert for me.  without sports in czech, music and photography have become that much more important to me.  czech also isn't a hub for the type of music that i like, so i had to travel (chicago, portland, and london respectively) to see some concerts, but it was well worth it.  the new pornographers (name taken from a jimmy swaggart comment: rock and roll is the new pornography) are fabulous live.  it was also great to see some up and coming british bands at nme's indie rock fest as well as new band, grand archives, in portland.

|five: tat|

it means, 'i have redeemed you' in hebrew.  i've wanted to get the word redeemed on my wrist for over two years, so it was quite a great experience to finally get it.  and it totally didn't hurt as bad as everyone said it would...

|four: weddings and engagements|

it is amazing that despite of how i look people continue to ask me to be in their weddings! it was awesome to be the best man in jared, one of my old disciples, and jordan's wedding as well as being second best (!) man in daddio's wedding.

also, a few weeks ago, my best friend proposed to tereza.  joe and i have walked through a lot of life together and have spent endless hours discussing girls.  i am so thrilled for them and am excited to see how God uses them to advance His Kingdom!!

|three: inner city chicago|

one of the highlights of my time to the states was being able to spend two hours at an inner-city christian school in chicago.  i got the opportunity to speak to third-sixth graders about life as a missionary.  it was so much fun to share with them, hear their questions, as well as play games.  one of the kids even rapped for me!

as i drove away praying, i realized what a significant impact my time there could've had. kristen, the teacher, told me before hand that these kids have very few male role models and most of them have no concept of education past high school.  for me to be there and to have fun with them, share about my life could've had a serious impact on the lives of these young boys and girls.  to think that God could've used my time there to inspire some of these kids to go to college or even if God were to use me to get these kids thinking about missions is truly humbling.

|two: passion07|

i opened the new year in hotlanta for passion07.  i had always heard great things and loved the music, but my time there was exceptional.  from hanging out with ondra, representing jv in the mission mobilization area, meeting young men and women passionate about serving Christ, worshipping with 20,000 people, talks from john piper and francis chan, and just participating in the entire global awareness area.

it was a brilliant way to start the year!

|one: 50!|

before the summer started i felt that God was calling me to pray that fifty students would come to know Christ this summer.  that number may not sound like a lot in american terms, but considering we had twelve the summer before, it was a huge step of faith to pray for that big of number.  i guess i knew God could do it, but as camp after camp went by and more and more students began to begin relationships with the living God, i began to realize that it really was possible.

now, upon final count (which is always a difficult task), we had 48 students who we could count.  i really believe that God was calling me to pray for 50, so i am choosing to believe that somewhere in the counting we missed 2 students!

top se7en picture of oh-se7en

|seven|

location: providence, ri

subject: jyll ethier-mullen

|six|

location: somewhere, czech republic

subject: lucka zagorova

|five|

location: orlicke hory, czech republic

|four|

location: prague, czech republic

subject: aubrey peth

|three|

location: katowice, poland

subject: billy van kirk

|two|

location: cesky krumlov, czech republic

subject: jessica red

|one|

location: pribor, czech republic

|honorable mentions|

location: lisbon, portugal

subjects: jozka, lucka, er bear, em, and me

location: portland, oregon

location: lisbon, portugal

subject: banana

location: prague, czech republic

subjects: matt peterson and jen solstad

location: austrian alps

subjects: johnny stevens and david bordner

top se7en verses of oh se7en

|seven|

beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven_matthew 6.1

_you'll see through some of these verses that God has worked big time this year on areas of pride and seeking glory.  i've been studying matthew this fall and this is one of the verses that has really impacted me as i've struggled with striving after receiving glory and praise from man.

|six|

for the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life_galatians 6.8

_in pursuing holiness, and failing often, this verse opened my eyes to the fact that where we sow (ie what we watch, think about, care for, etc) will be played out in our lives in the fruit that we bear.  we can't just expect to cut off bad fruit and expect good fruit to grow if the fertilizer that we are using for our tree is made of bad things.  the only way to produce good fruit is to sow to the Spirit and let the Spirit reap things eternal.

|five|

for am i now seeking the approval of man, or of God? or am i trying to please man? if i were still trying to please man, i would not be a servant of Christ_galatians 1.10

_galatians was my place of study in the spring, so hence the back-to-back references.  again, this verse harkens back to my struggle with pride and striving after the praise and approval of men.  i desire to be like paul who was a servant of Christ foremost, not a man seeking the approval of man.

|four|

He must increase, but i must decrease_john 3.30

_once again, another verse about living a life that would bring glory and honor to Christ and not to myself.

|three|

fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand_isaiah 41.10

_every year at our new year's service at church everyone chooses a bookmark that has been prayed over and on that bookmark is a verse for the year.  since i was in the states last year i had lucka's dad get one for me.  this was the verse.  i wasn't sure what to make of the "casting of lots" style of obtaining a verse for the year, but this verse was a huge help during the prep for the summer and the subsequent pulling off of the summer.  there were nights were i couldn't sleep because my mind was spinning trying to solve problems for the summer.  i often found myself resting in this truth.  there is something comforting about know that my work here is because of and for God and ultimately it is His work.  there is no reason to fear for it is He who holds me up.

|two|

charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised _proverbs 31.30

_i find it odd that traditionally it is women who study proverbs 31 so thoroughly, when it is actually a passage written to a young man.  it is a shame that more of us men don't study this passage often.  i speak that from experience, because i always viewed it as "the woman's passage" and glossed over it my study of proverbs.

i am completely messed up when it comes to women.  i have these outrageous and unfulfillable expectations of what i want in a wife.  they are absurd.  seriously.  oh, she's too tall.  oh, she's not wearing vans.  oh, she doesn't have dark hair.  oh, she likes the dodgers.  oh... oh... oh...

this year, i finally realize that the things that i have held in highest value are charm and beauty. i didn't call them that, but that is what they were.  of course, she needs to love God.  and of course, she has to want to do missions.  but what was primary wasn't these attributes, it was is she cute and fun?

so, this fall, i've found myself reading and praying through proverbs 31.  i still feel like i am a long ways from corrected in my thinking, but i think God is changing me.  it is 29 years of jacked up thinking.  i just hope it doesn't take another 29 to get me desiring what He desires.

|one|

...and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus _ephesians 2.6

_this verse, more than any other, has radically changed my life.

my struggle with pride is well documented in this posting and i want to catch you up on how i got to this place of realizing what a grip it had on my life.

while at our spring conference, dave patty-president of jv-was speaking on personal transformation.  he was paralleling the lives of david and saul and talking about why david was called a man after God's own heart and while saul's life ended so poorly.  one of his main points was regarding repentance.  as we talked through this he asked us to pray and ask for God to show us an area of our life that isn't transformed and to ask us to have God show us something about it.  i am a visual person and so as i was praying i saw myself standing in the isaiah 6 throne room of God.  the room was filled with the glory of the Lord and His robes filled the room.  i was given a glimpse from God's perspective and what i saw was myself, very small, dressed like a thief with a pair of scissors.  i was creeping through the throne room thinking i wasn't being seen, but in the white-holiness of God my black-clad body was apparent.  i was creeping around snipping off pieces of God's robe and trying to cover myself in His glory.

this vision was instantaneous and powerful.

it was the first time in my life that i realized how prideful i am and how much i am trying to gain glory...stealing it from God even.

fast forward to our intern training...

dave spoke again, this time on ephesians.  since the spring conference a few months earlier i really felt God make me more aware of my pride and begin giving me victory over it.  but, one problem is that i still had this vision in my mind of me in the throne room stealing from God and didn't really have something new and true to replace it with.

during the study dave shared about ephesians 2.6.  for me this verse has always been lost in the race to read ephesians 2.8-9.  as dave shared the truth that our position in Christ is with Him in the heavenlies! i knew i had my answer.

we know that Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

so if we are seated with Christ in the heavenlies...

than

we are seated with Christ at the right hand of God.

i now had my new picture.  i do not need to walk around stealing from God's glory, because i am seated with Christ at the Father's right hand.  God's glory is my glory, through Christ.  He has clothed me with His robes and i don't need to steal small pieces from Him!

top se7en places of oh se7en

|seven|

chicago: i am a west coaster through and through, but if i were to live anywhere east of colorado it would be chicago.

company: moody students, beth and dan, martel, bronston

|six|

austrian alps: snow wasn't great, but the weather was unbelievable!

company: jv men!

|five|

providence: i love visiting new places and providence may be the portland of the east...city with a small town flavor.

company: mullens and bergers

|four|

at&t ballpark: bonds' final game as a giant (maybe ever), the city by the bay, the best stadium in mlb, and my dad: priceless

company: dad

|three|

puerto vallarta: just a beautiful location.  i don't know if it was the place as much as the fact that i did nothing but read and chill with my parents.

company: mom and dad

|two|

portland: my time there just reconfirmed the fact that if i ever move back to the states it will be to portland.  great art and music scene.  city with a small town feel.  great neighborhoods with privately owned coffee shops, restaurants, and breweries.

company: josh, pete, and aubree

|one|

portugal: a fabulous vacation spot.  if it wasn't so far away i'd go there every summer for vacation. great food, inexpensive, good surf, breathtaking sunsets, majestic cliffs.

company: jozka, em, lucka, and er bear.

top se7en movies of oh se7en

*once again, the movie didn't have to be released in oh se7en, just watched by me in oh se7en.

|seven|

gosh, all my childhood dreams came true upon the release of this movie...only g.i. joe could be better.

amazing battle scenes, flawless transformations, and a bit of humor to boot.

|six|

oh, leo.  i can't believe how far you've come.  my dislike for you was as big as the titanic (which in my opinion is the most overrated movie in cinematic history).  everything changed with the aviator and you've only continued to impress.

heartfelt and stirring.  father-son movies always bring tears to my eyes and watching the lengths Solomon goes to save his son proved it true again.

|five|

a musical in every sense of the word.  the plot is simple and really designed around the music, which is brilliant and heartfelt.  finally a love story that looks and feels like real life and where the characters don't just give in to impulse.

plus it has a czech in it, so that always raises the value of things!

|four|
as stated in my post on the top books, i love road trips and stories of travelers.  that is exactly what this one is.  the movie parallels the travel of Christopher McCandless and the people he meets with his time in the alaskan wilderness alone.

while the idea of embarking on a journey to live alone in the alaskan wilderness is sexy, it is obvious watching the movie that we are built for community, as the best parts of the movie are when he interacts with the people he meets on his travels.

the vince vaughn cameo is also entertaining!

|three|
absolutely ridiculous in every way.  rodriguez and tarantino do a brilliant job of creating the feel of old 70s style b-movies, with their poor production, over the top gore and cheesy humor.

death proof is classic tarantino with heavy dialogue and one of the most insane car accidents i've ever seen.

planet terror is the most entertaining movie i saw all year.  zombies dying in grotesque ways and a girl with a machine gun/rocket-launcher/blowtorch attached to her leg...brilliant!

|two|

entire psychology classes could be taught around the themes in this movie.  heart-wrenching and powerful.  don cheadle and adam sandler play well together and liv tyler and jada pinkett smith are great compliments.

along side of spanglish, adam sandler is proving to be more than just billy madison (which is a personal fav).

|one|
it would've been pure robbery if this movie didn't win an oscar.  it had everything: scorsese, dicaprio (two times in this top se7en!), damon, nicholson, sheen, and even marky mark (i heard that he'll beat the crap out of anyone who calls him that still...hopefully he doesn't read my blog).

i loved every part of this movie...the intrigue, the double crossing, the acting...just brilliant!

top se7en books of oh-se7en

|seven|

fascinating story of a father and son fighting to live in post-apocalyptic america.  dark, yet moments of hope.  from the same author who wrote no country for old men.

|six|

the similarities between pan and i are endless! to see why read this previous post.  much darker and much better than what we all grew up watching!

|five|
rob bell is my sensei...well, actually jesus is, but rob bell speaks to me. this is a great book on human sexuality and how it relates to our relationship with God.  chapters sexy on the inside and under the chuppah are brilliantly insightful.  

for the singles out there i'd encourage you to download bell's sexy on the inside sermon.  it is one of the best sermons i've heard on our value "even though we aren't married". please insert as much sarcasm as possible within the quote marks!

|four|
history fascinates me.  especially the hippie era.  there was so much happening politically, socially, and musically.  this is probably the best book i've read on the era.  kurlansky dives into everything that was happening in the world at the time giving sufficient pre-history to understand the full weight of the events of '68.

for those who love czech, obviously, this is the year of prague spring and he does a fabulous job covering it, even devoting multiple chapters.

|three|

i love road trips.  there is something about starting out on an adventure to somewhere new, not knowing what you're going to experience.  because of that i love stories of travelers.  this is an amazing story of a man (and his dog) seeking answers to life and giving america one last chance and finding that america is all about the people.

|two|

warning: do not read this if you like living your life the way you have been.

this book rocked (and is currently still rocking) my world.  shane's heart for the poor and marginalized is convicting and inspiring and probably not too far off of jesus'.

|one|

here comes the history again...

mlk jr. may have been the most important person of the 60s if not the second half of the 20th century.  the lengths he went to inspire an entire race (and some of the nation) to enact the laws set forth after the civil war is amazing.  his love for his people and his faith in Christ were his why and ghandi's example of non-violent resistance was his how.

i was surprised to see how much his faith influenced why he did what he did.

honorable mention:

the fall_camus

the great divorce_lewis

slaughterhouse five_vonnegut

don quiote_cervantes