ATTENTION MY MIAMI STUDENT READERS and/or OXFORD TOWNIES....

I read about or hear you talk often about why it sucks to live in Oxford and why it is or has been hard to make the relational connections you need. For some, it may not be as bad all the time or even any of the time.....regardless, I welcome your commentary.

This is something about you I care for deeply and I want to learn more as to why it is like this for you. So consider this an exercise in learning for me. Lay it on me. I want this to be an open and honest forum for you to even vent if you need to so konw that no one will rail against you for your feelings.

These ?'s are for starters.....feel free to comment on the topic as you wish.

STUDENTS: Why has it been hard for you to make significant relationships? What is it about Oxford that hinders this? What should faith communities do to enable relationship building that is not solely entertainment-based and superficial? What are you learning about yourself in your current struggles with relationships?

TOWNIES: So what's the official definition of an Oxford townie......living here 5+ years? Maybe you've been a student at Miami or grew up here, but now you find yourself still here, trying to make a living. Where is the city failing you? What is the best and worst thing about living here? Why do you think so many young adult townies long for better things elsewhere? Is this place really God-forsaken if you have nothing to do with the university? Where can a faith community make a difference?

Quite an amazing time praying for Palmer and Amy Saturday. If ever there was a time when a gathering was "pregnant" with the possibility and hope of God, it was that night. (Check Chris Marshall's blog for a good recap).

Confronting the evils of dire physical sickness calls us to face mysterious, coexisting realities. Christ has indeed secured victory in its fulness by His death, burial and resurrection. We are more than conquerors and if He has everything under foot, what part of "everything" has not been included? When the enemy rears from the flanks, perhaps his greatest ploy is to tinker with our perception of the Christus Victor and lure us into thinking we are fighting him as if he were an equal or somewhere near that. By definition, you can only engage in a battle with an opponent who is worthy, if not equal to the task. The enemy is formidable, but is no longer an equal foe. We ought to continue to storm his encampment and proclaim our victory and become a fool and believe God. Does Jesus not have the keys to that realm from which the chaos of sickness originates and do we not have the name and authority to not only come against it, but to preside over it? Think of the ramifications upon all of the created order in our time and space (and any others). There is NOTHING that can prevail against the Christ, within or without the body.

Yet the fight Palmer faces may indeed feel like a battle. On the cellular level, there is indeed warfare. We still must be compelled somehow into living in this tension of the Kingdom reality in prolepsis.....come but not yet. Rest assured.....the Kingdom of the living God has "come enough" into this world to garner the healing freedom of Palmer's body. Watch and see.

I dunno if anyone noticed or not, but my conversion to this Man of Sorrows is still ongoing. My self-efforts will always be a balancing act over the pit of extremism. I am still a man not shocked enough by my capacity for evil/selfishness.

I remain increasingly convinced that there need be a revolution to refire in my heart because I cannot transcend myself. Maybe I pitched a tent and the revolution moved on over the horizon. I can still see the smoke.

As many of my readers already know, our friend and brother Mark Palmer is facing cancer. This is an open letter of encouragement to Mark and his family. As you read, be reminded to pray unceasingly for Mark, Amy and Micah.

Please leave a note of encouragement to him here or on his blog to let him know you are praying.

Mark you have been a source of joy and inspiration to us. Words fail to fully show that.

Mark, Veritas is regularly keeping you before our God in prayer. We have alerted our network of prayer partners to join us in this effort. We may not be able to fully enter this garden with you, but we are and will be awake at the gate. We will keep watch and stand with you and for you all in this. As you know Mark, let us know how- in any way- we can show you our love in this time.

Father, unfold your healing mercy upon Mark. Bind him together with Amy and Micah as you release the deep hope of the coming fulness of your Kingdom realized in Mark's body. Surprise them with the freeing joy of each new day and punctuate the living moments with the reality of your abiding presence. Unload the storehouse of strength, pour out the unceasing reserves of resources needed and surround Mark and Amy with advisors infused with the wisdom of God as they make the medical decisions necessary for healing. Our hearts shall evermore be gladdened by our trust in the One Who is more than able to ascend above and beyond our cries here.

Awritey......who's up for another late-nite drunk run?

.....why am I the only one raising my hand?

Please, please PUH-LEEEEZ no puke-a-zoids.

Just had a lovely dinner with my wife at Buffalo Wild Wings in Hamilton.

Only that this BW3 is now being patrolled by a policeman. Seems management wants to curb teen raucousness and maintain a family atmosphere. Twas interesting to pack away a chicken sandwich under armed guard.

.....cuz heaven help to know where to start.

I did not give up anything for Lent.

Doggone diggity freekin' sweetness in all of it's flippitude......Dave FINALLY be bloggin!!!

I made it through my next-to-last drunk run Saturday with one last one in the wings this weekend. I got through w/o anyone hurling so I was a happy driver. I hope for so much this next time around.

I'm pretty sure people don't understand pastor/planter-types. They have no idea that the most miniscule of complaints levied toward us, even though no ill-will was intended, contains a pesky barb of hurt. Granted, their issues carry the weight of their own sentiments but they assume they can simply release them your way in a kind of fire-and-forget mode. They forget that what they verbally assail is inextricably linked to the whole of your: calling, vocation, locale, economic and social status, home, relational availability and future aspirations that are fundamentally for the betterment of them and others outside of yourself.

I don't know if it's a challenge for you, but I find how I receive critiques (baseless or worthy) has the potential to reveal a blind side to my character, so I'm willing to lissin nonetheless to them and to what my defensiveness says about me. And I go from there.

I've thought about it for as long as I been a pastor so I'm just regurgitating......it still ain't easy, no matter what ecclesial structure you're in.

Well, it is official....I am ready for the spring severe weather season, being that I just had my first tornado dream of the year last night. It was pure, unadulterated tornadic sweetness with multiple funnels gettin' it on here in Oxford and myself actually documenting on video. Cars hurling, buildings splintering, tornadogenesis with me being right there for it. Our local access channel was even running my video non-stop and people were asking me all about what was going on and of course, I was filling them in.

Now, I don't wish the above on anyone in the real tornado-less world in which I abide. It's just in lah-lah land I can have all I've ever wanted to see and no one gets hurt.

Now- (a la Saint Alantious Creechosporous the Lexingtonian)- here's 4.7 things about me and meteorology you did not know....

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• I Have Over 30 Weather-Related Videos
  
• I Was Going To Go To Florida State University To Get My Meteorology Degree & Then Do A Master's In Severe Thunderstorm Morphology
  
• I Have A Digital Weather Station and I Do My Own Forecasting
  
• Cathy and I Are Trained National Weather Service Severe Weather Spotters (Wherein We Are Provided A NWS Private Line To Report Severe Weather)
  
• I Got Ridiculed In 8th Grade For My Interest In Weather
  

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