An update on the tree cutting. I ended up cutting four trees down--the original tree I found, another tree I found to use as the vertical part of the cross, and two more trees that prevented the first two trees from falling to the ground.

The target tree down...
And the additional tree with some future firewood (since I already had the chainsaw crankin')...

So, I'm tree shopping...but not for a Christmas tree...a crucifixion tree. Something that's pretty straight, not too big but not too small. Something with great texture. Something more on the dead and colorless side as opposed to new and colorful. Since spring really hasn't sprung yet in Iowa, the harvest is plentiful...and the church just happens to own property with a lot of trees.

We have a winner...
Texture is PERFECT.
Check out the branch of this tree. If I was to viciously slay someone on a tree, this one fits the bill. (Yikes, that makes me feel so violent...It was my sin that held Him there until it was accomplished...)
Now to find a chainsaw (yep, I'm definitely violent)...

Inside the Fargo Dome.
Outside the Fargo Dome.

Wow...I am blown away with the proportion of rising flood waters near Fargo, ND. Areas surrounding the Red River are desperately scrambling to fight off flood waters that, between yesterday and today, rose five feet--FIVE FEET--which could set a new all-time record. Flood stage at that river is 18.5 feet, and it's expected to crest as high as 41.5 feet.

Sand-bagging efforts have led to an interlocking erosion control wall made of heavy steel frames then filled with sand--a method that was used during last year's floods here in Iowa. Last I read, 70% of their sandbag needs have been fulfilled with the National Guard as well as college students, whose classes were canceled, coming onto the scene to help. The goal is to fill two million sandbags.

We're nearing the one-year mark of our major flood from 2008. Seeing this event unfold has been quite foreboding.

My bracket definitely took a shot this past weekend, but it's still alive. Both Arizona teams have been a pleasant surprise, although AZ State was ousted yesterday. Villanova has been playing as strong as any one-seeded team. I underestimated Kansas to really make a bid for defending their championship from last year as well as Syracuse because of their poor play in the paint. I overestimated West Virginia, UCLA and Wake Forest thinking they'd squeak into the Sixteen. Still, my Sweet Sixteen predictions are 12-4. We'll see how my Final Four predictions lay out later this week (UNC, Louisville, Memphis, Pitt).

Here's a sketch of what I'm envisioning for our Good Friday services.

The biggest hurdle we have is that we're holding Good Friday AND Easter services in the same room this year, so that means a potentially large turnaround getting set for Easter once GF is finished. What's more...we have a dress rehearsal for Easter at 9am the morning after GF, so the turnaround will need to be pretty fluid.

That in mind, I went with a more Halloween-esque look with the black cyc and drape suspended from ceiling trussing. This material would cover most of the Easter setup, so we'd only need to turn around one-half of the stage for the next morning. I'd like to prop some boxes under the material on the stage floor for candles and other small props.

The central element is a pending-construction cross (go fig). It's kind of a Two-Face Harvey approach with one side being the rugged, railroad tie wood texture; the other side being very clean, finished birch wood look. The idea is the rugged side would face the room for GF then be turned around to the restored look for Easter.

Some isolated par cans located along the proscenium would accent the texture of the fabric. Uplights at the base of the cross would accent the wood texture.

This video was shared in our Communications meeting today. Pretty staggering statistics.

"What does it all mean?"

1. It means that alien technology was recovered from Roswell in 1947 and has been harvested toward our own technological advances, and...
2. The Wachowski brothers were right...we are headed toward the dawn of a technological revolution.

Okay, okay...enough propoganda.

Seriously, though, I think recent technology has been the best and worst thing to happen to us. We may very well live and die by it. And, if we're pining for more of it all the time, soon, we'll be consumed by it (if we aren't already). This poses a MASSIVE obstacle for the Church. I believe the Church will either continue to struggle keeping up with technology to stay mainstream, or it will dismiss all (or most) of its technological endeavors and assume a New Testament structure in order to maintain its values and traditions. The Church may never again be the sanctum it once was a couple hundred years ago.

I like to make things new. Quick visual project for this weekend's message.

BEFORE


AFTER

I love this. Obama made his bracket picks.

Multiple projects have been started around the house, and, unfortunately, all of them are occurring simultaneously. It only seemed appropriate to be working on our GREEN house on St. Patty's Day.


We're remodeling our downstairs bathroom. Originally a 3/4 bath, we'd like to make it a full bath, which means removing the cheapo standup shower and the wall with the supply lines. Once that is out, I'll pull the shell-style vanity (seriously, it's UGLY), then the toilet. Lay down a tile floor, all new bath units, some new lighting and fresh paint.


Outside, I'm framing in a new steel door that accesses the garage. The original door is probably the original door, and it's warped so much and isn't very safe with the window glass just a smash away. New lock 'n key knob 'n bolt for some added security to the house.


I'm also working on some landscaping aspects. The bed around the house was lined with 8x8s, and our yard is so moist that they've been rotting away over the years. So, I'm removing them and replacing the wall (hopefully) with retaining wall cement blocks. The corner going around the house (pictured above) will be a challenge.


The retaining wall will also be part of a window well that will be dug to install an egress window for the basement bedroom (the window for the room is picture above). Since there is no other egress than the stairs going to the main floor of the house, we can't claim that bedroom as an official bedroom, but an egress window would allow for that. The clincher is that we'd be sawing a hole in our foundation. Messy stuff.


But, at the end of the day, we got to try out our new fire pit. This is shot is from this morning...the embers all fizzled out...just like the end to my mini-vacation working at home.

UNC wins it. No Cinderellum, but some good upsets (N Dakota State over Kansas, MSU over U-Dub, USC eeks a win over BC, Zona over da Utes, Temple over ASU)

Even though I don't mention Grace Bible College very often, I gotta brag a little bit for my alma mater. The Men's B-Ball team just won the NCCAA Division 2 National Championship! Way to go, Tigers!

I just read news that a rare copy of Action Comics #1, which features the first appearance of Superman, was recently auctioned for the final bidding price of $317,200.

Originally released in 1938 and sold for 10 cents, this comic was sold by a guy who, himself, bought the comic at age 9 from a second-hand store for 35 cents in the early 1950's. There are only about 100 copies of the comic still known to exist.

I was a comic collector when I was younger (and I still have a few boxes of items). My grandma would tell me the story of my late grandpa, who once had a copy of that very same comic when he was young. But his mother thought comics were rubbish and trashed that and his other comics.

And, suddenly, I'm feeling nauseous......

We've geared up for Easter and are starting to cement programming ideas. Now, onto artistic endeavors to make those ideas happen. These images were from last year. I borrowed the original image from somewhere on the Web (hey...what's an artistic if he doesn't have someone to create from, right?) Thanks to whomever created it!

The "Sunday" tomb image was created exactly from the "Friday" cookie-cutter pieces from image of Jesus (except the eyes and blood drips). Add in a light flare for dramatic effect. Pretty fun.

Tonight in our small group, we watched Rob Bell's "Luggage" NOOMA. Watch it below...The issue of personal baggage evolved into forgiveness, and our discussion took off. Many ideas arose. The thought that stuck with me the most comes from the truth that I would not be able to forgive if I didn't know what it's like to be forgiven previously by someone else. Forgiveness cannot be taught. GOD forgave me for an insurmountable number of things, so I know what ultimate forgiveness is.

What boggles my mind is that GOD had a forgiveness plan for me before He came to earth. So, when the Son actually did come, His perspective wasn't of wrath and judgment--"fire and brimstone", "all of you are sinners and going to hell...too bad"; His perspective and His message from a forgiven standpoint. His coming to earth was to finalize that forgiveness and redeem us.

Can you imagine Jesus laying the smack down on everyone He encountered? What if Jesus' coming was Old Testament-style where GOD showed His mighty judgment on the wicked...the great Flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, Nineveh.

And yet it wasn't. The mercy of the Old Testament combined with Grace in the New Testament with Jesus' arrival...because we're forgiven...and because He loved the world SO much.

Parkview Church has voted, resulting in the affirmation of this congregation to purchase land off of Forevergreen Road. The land straddles the Coralville/North Liberty lines and is located two miles north of Coralridge Mall in Coralville.


Here's more detail on the land layout.


This vote comes after the church endured the Flood of 2008, during which 4-1/2 feet of floodwater stood in our building. University of Iowa researchers theorize the chances of another major flood are 20% within the next five years...and higher chances in latter years.

We're not taking those chances...Lord willing.

Okay...someone help me out here. I understand the gist of Twitter, and I'm considering dusting off the hay and actually hopping onto the bandwagon.

But, seriously, doesn't Twittering make you a TWIT???

Oh, and the Twitter font makes me think of the classic Dr. Mario.

The rainy day (or, maybe, I should say rainy weekend) reminded me of a Ben Arment blog post I read recently wherein he describes a conversation with Larry Brey, Connections Pastor with Elevation Church:

"[Larry] told [Ben] that he loved rainy/snowy [Sundays]: 'People's expectations are low on days like this. We have the chance to exceed them.' And they did. I've never seen so many happy, wet people."

I wonder what church would look like if church staff approached Sunday gatherings with a sense of expectation--expectation that GOD was going to be present and that He would make sure people knew of His presence...but also exceeding the expectation that people might bring to corporate worship that is mundane and monotonous week after week. When people don't know what is going to happen in a church service, there's a sense of anticipation in the unknown mixed with the astonishment of worshipping a GOD who is incomparably awesome and, at the same time, unconditionally loving.

What if corporate worship could be full of anticipation of GOD and the expectation of no one else's agenda?

What if peoples' engaging had nothing at all to do with the weather?

I think the church walls wouldn't stand anymore.

I think peoples' walls would come crashing down.

Matt Morgan, pastor of Reston Community Church in Virginia, developed a list of really great all-angle questions to help determine his church's fit in the community. Some really good insight in just these ten questions (okay, technically TWELVE questions)...

1. What kind of people want to come to our church?
2. What ministries are thriving with very little effort?
3. What kind of people serve the most?
4. Who is most invested in our church right now?
5. What kind of people do our hearts beat for?
6. Who is NOT coming to our church? Why?
7. What kind of people have come to Christ at our church?
8. Who are we uniquely positioned to reach?
9. Who is not being reached by other churches in our area?
10. Who are the "connectors" in our church? Who can they reach?