random-rob-thoughts: feb. 27

here are some random thoughts and updates:


:: I did 6100 steps on the elliptical this morning- I was super-sweaty and tired after that. I was glad because my friend gary was there to see me finish! he’s always so encouraging. I counted this morning and I’ve been to the gym 67 times since I resigned up in december. I think its officially a habit! I also got on the scale this morning and saw that I’ve got a LONG way to go. if only I could give up fries and sweet tea-


:: finally finished the pentateuch/ torah/ books of moses- and now I’m on to joshua. 2 thoughts come to mind: 1 is the phrase “strong and courageous.” Joshua is told to be strong and courageous 6 times over the course of deuteronomy and Joshua. moses tells him to be strong and courageous, the people of Israel tell him to be strong and courageous, and God Himself tells him to be strong and courageous. what’s going on here? did he give off a wimpy-vibe? or did everyone see the task in front of him and feel led to encourage him? second thought: I come away with a new respect for moses. here he is the paris hilton of his day- son of pharaoh- young, wealthy and famous- and then his whole life turns upside down. he’s called on to do the impossible: to pull the Israelites from the grip of egypt. he didn’t feel qualified, but he did it anyway. and not just that, he led them through the wilderness for 40 years dealing with food and water shortages, dealing with rebellion, dealing with wars with foreign nations and all the while overseeing the birth of judaism and the worship of yahweh. and yes he was flawed- who isn’t? but God rewarded him by allowing him to meet the Christ who he prophesied would come at the transfiguration. not a bad life!


:: we started this new series in middle school called “jakob-the-wrestler.”





justin and josh have been delivering the messages. they have been walking through jacob’s life and noting his wrestling matches from his match with his brother in the womb to his match with God. all of the graphics have luchadores on them. my favorite is that bruce pops into the room dressed as nacho libre to lead games. to me, that’s worth getting up early for church as it is!


:: yesterday during chapel, vicky niblack came to speak. she always brings a ton of energy and insight. we’ve been talking about bullying all year. she used this illustration where she smashed glass. she talked about how bullying leaves us smashed and it smashed others. we ended with some quiet reflection, and as we dismissed about five girls stayed behind and huddled up tightly. I could hear them sniffling and whispering to each other, “no more smashing, ok?” good job vick!


:: I was over at Walgreens last wednesday morning when I heard, “hi rob!” it was one of my middle school friends from Dartmouth (just down the street from Walgreens). another voice said, “hi rob!” and another! there were dozens of middle schoolers in Walgreens! “what are you all doing here?” I asked. “wednesday is late day- school doesn’t start until 9:00- so we just hang out here and at starbucks.” I started thinking that it would be fun to do a before-school club for all of these kids. but where would we meet? so I decided to call the shopping center and ask them if I could use one of their vacant stores on wednesday mornings. and they didn’t say no! they are currently checking on it. so if you’re a pray-er- pray for that and for the finances and the volunteers to come through for a club like this.


:: reading a book called “generation me” by jean twenge.





and suddenly everything makes sense. if you like generational studies or sociology, pick it up and discover why you’re such a selfish person. (its everyone else’s fault!)


:: jane crawled up into our bed this morning at 6:30. she’s supposed to stay in bed until 7am, but I heard her chatting in her room and I couldn’t wait to talk to her. we had a long and fun conversation about several things, including cheerios, the park, and the letter E; and by 7am, I was already having a great day.


have a good wednesday!
-rob