When I first decided to attend the conference it was merely a way to get out of the office, a chance to grow closer to the cores of my small group, and to attend a FREE conference!

Something different happened while I was there. In the span of 3 days my attendance at Willow Creek Conferences became more of a personal and spiritual journey. It was as if God's purpose for me in those three days was to open my soul up to yearn for a deeper community with God and brothers and sisters in Christ. I didn't realize it but deep inside I long for that intimacy.

A co-worker asked me when I got back from Chicago what I did there. Really I didn't know where to start. I told him it's a Christian conference. But it was much much more than that. It's about reaching out to a community, whatever that community may be. Survival within a community. The ups and down of life is "better in community." It's about growing up and facing our fears and flaws, to be honest about ourselves, to learn what it means to be...human. It's about grace revealed and hope restored that comes from the small group community...our small group community...MY small group community.

It's moments like these that I wish I have one of those photographic memories and can recall all the details of the 4 days I spent in the quiet suburbs of Schaumburg to the thriving lights of Chicago. I'll leave this short post with images captured albeit with my digitally extended "eyes". Enjoy.

No promises but I will try my best to "clear my brain". Just give me some time.

So it has come up in the GRX community that the Indescribable Tour in Palo Alto has been sold out due to the huge response. People I know are looking for ticket(s).

Here are the results of a recent wanted search for "chris tomlin" over at Craigslist:

On one such listing someone wrote this: “I'll pay you more than what you paid!”

I have to admit that there were times where our vision statement tried to capture way too many ideas for our small group. On top of that it was suggested that our vision statement sounded—well—too fobby. So we went back to work.

And a lot of work we did. Laughters, crazy conversations, crawling on all fours, taking naps, hot gun glueing, more crazy conversations...we all became designers, copy editors, and resourceful arts & crafts artists. The project took on a life of its own after the initial drawing, which evolved into something more elaborate and grand.

Winding winding heart is beating
He thinks, "The sky is great why not a run?"
Exhilarating slowly don't push too hard
Hold the pace greet the nice man
He says, "Hi!"
Curving beating melodic footsteps
God I can hear you
This is true running imploding into
His thoughts...HIS thoughts are higher THAN your thoughts.
Mind wandering black hawk gliding
The easy green of freshly cut grass
Competing thoughts competing visages overly wrought
Jangling keys jumbled thoughts
Overlapping steps
Melodic like the beating of my heart

I went for a lunch run from a friend's place to Shoreline parking lot and back. Never before have I run at this pace (13 min mile). Weird how at a much slower pace how people share a gentle smile and enthusiastic wave, urging you on...only much slower than what I'm used to running at before. However a humbling experience. What a beautiful day for a run. Thank you God.

I took a morning walk with my dad today. It's been what more than a month since we took our regular morning walks. And when I got in the rental cars (dad's car is in the shop) to drive to the local park K-LOVE 91.9 FM was playing on the radio. Two thoughts came to mind: did I drove this car and set the radio station to 91.9 FM? Did my dad knowing that I like this station purposely set it to 91.9 FM before our drive to the park?

Sitting here this quiet morning in my office and thinking about this morning I thank God for that. I also for the few times that I remembered thinking about heaven and how nice it would be that my dad is in heaven with me. Perhaps this morning is my dad's way of letting me know that he's been thinking about my faith. Perhaps God is hearing my prayers and planting seeds in my dad.

In any case the songs that are played on K-LOVE are much nicer and easier also for my dad to understand say compared to K-101 or KOIT. And if he runs errands or goes to visit my sister just imagine the opportunities that one of those songs will touch my dad's heart and allow him the chance to ask me about Christ. That would be something.

Receiving the "baton" from reading Ryu2.mind here are my list.

Pet peeves

1. Leaving my cell phone on vibration and not being able to locate it.
2. Doors that say "PULL" on the handle when you're exiting.
3. In a crowded theater sitting behind someone blocking my line of sight to the screen, especially during any climatic scenes.
4. Dead iPod in the middle of a long run.
5. Taking forever to leave a parking space while others are obviously waiting for it.

It's time for an update on the past Labor Day weekend.

Dance (It Beats Watching TV)

This past Sat. night I went clubbing at Element Lounge with some friends. Prior to this spontaneous decision, I was over at a friend's housewarming BBQ lollapalooza. I guess in between watching SF 2004 Hip Hop DanceFest Competition and Hitch on DVD, I was inspired to try out some of those new moves. No I didn't in fact try the "do the Q-tip! Q-tip! Now throw it away! Now what am I doing? I'm makin a pizza" move. I've got my own "running" dance moves thank you. Indeed it was great times seeing so many GrXers outside of church—GrXers could jiggy with it!

This song Intervention by Madonna was playing on my iPod™ today, repeatedly for awhile now. And when I opened my Bible after returning from my lunch swim, God showed me this passage.

"³¹ And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." (Acts 16:31 KJV. NIV vers here.)

Sometimes I can get affected watching moving images or listening to a meaningful song. The images of the hurricane victims felt so surreal, thus removed from my daily experience. I felt disconnected from various news feed and coverages on TV. But somehow listening to Intervention brought some sense of relevance back, made the plights of the people in New Orleans more immediate and here.

In the blink of an eye everything
could change

And I know that love
Will change us forever
And I know that love
Will keep us together
And I know, I know
There is nothing to fear
And I know that love
Will take us away from here

Receiving the "baton" from reading Wuboy, I'm passing it onto: whomever.