Vacation Update, Day 2

No cool ambient header today as we are on the road currently in San Francisco.  Yesterday we started out at 6:20am and ended up in Santa Cruz by around 5:00ish just in time for dinner.  I always have fond memories of that town as I spent the summer of 2002 working at camp there.  However, I was quickly reminded of the traffic.  With the many hills and land an highly coveted commodity, traffic is terrible along the Monterrey Bay coastline with roughly a few hundred thousand people spread across it.

After a stop by the O’Neill Surf Shop and a quick dinner at Pizza My Heart, we grabbed a coffee from Peet’s before heading to Mt. Cross.  Our friend Ellie works at the camp year-round and it was great to see her.  She was gracious enough to let us stay with her and it was truly a blessing to be there.  It was a tremendous trip down memory lane to walk around the camp that I still remember all the floor plans and layouts.  It was exciting to see the progress that had been made in the last 6 years and I was blessed with the opportunity to share God’s Word during first word this morning before leaving camp.

After breakfast, we went down to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk and Natural Bridges beach.  With more incredible memories invigorated, we started on our way to SFO to pick up my parents for our week together in San Francisco and wine country.  After wading through more traffic (the staple of the Bay Area), we finally made it to the airport and headed to The Chancellor Hotel in Union Square.  After a great lunch with some some cheeses, bread, and wine at Ferry Station, we visited all the neighborhoods we usually do when in San Francisco (Fisherman’s Wharf, Ghiradelli Square, Chinatown, North Beach, etc.) and headed back to the hotel for rest.

This evening we are going to eat at Kuleto’s for some good Italian this evening.  This is truly a great time with family and has already been an extremely relaxing vacation.  It’s good to know that we don’t go back till Monday!

“Originals” Prevail

This past week I spent some time in Las Vegas with my wife and her parents.  We had a tremendous time walking the strip, seeing award winning shows, and eating divine culinary delights.  As the weekend drew to a close, we had one final meal to partake in and I knew just the place.  When we visited Las Vegas a few years ago, we learned that at the Red Rock Resort and Casino there was a location of one of my favorite restaurants of all time, The Salt Lick.

My affinity for this Texas barbeque destination began in my childhood as my family traveled throughout central Texas and more often than not ended up at this smokehouse with picnic tables and a BYOB policy in Driftwood, Texas.  Every time I find myself in central Texas, I make sure that I allocate enough time for an excursion to this small, sleepy town where the entering and leaving lines stand within sight of each other.  The brisket and sausage are legendary in central Texas and the place is packed every weekend with people from all walks of life who come together in the name of good food and triple the population of Driftwood.

In the past years, they have extended their reign by opening a few additional locations in Austin (all of which I have made a point of checking out).  More recently they opened up the location in Las Vegas, which gave me great joy to know that they brisket and sausage that I held so dear was only 4 and half hours away.

So as we sat down to our lunch on Saturday afternoon with great anticipation of what I have come to know as some of the finest smoked meat on the planet, I realized we were set up for failure.  The restaurant was entirely too clean and lacked the smokey smell that infiltrates the other locations.  When our food arrived, the salivation quickened until I took my first bite and realized this was simply good, not great.

As I realized my memories didn’t coincide with my current experience, I couldn’t help but think how much better the original smokehouse in Driftwood was in comparison with a neon city that never sleeps.  This isn’t the first time this has happened to me.  Other entities that find themselves in this categorization are music I listened to as a young teen that isn’t nearly as good now (think U2, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains), my youth sports prowess (I remember every big play I’ve ever made, even if it was only the 2nd inning), and the 1994 and 1995 Rockets NBA Champions teams (they are the best).  As I get older, I think my music, youth sports experiences, and championship teams of my childhood are far greater than any of their modern contemporaries.  None of it is as good as the “original”.

Originality and our first experiences are paramount in any avenue of our life.  Our parents’ marriage largely deems our own marital outlook.  Michael Jordan showed us what it means to be the best athlete on the planet.  And when it comes to varieties of staple foods such as pizza and hot dogs, our preference is often rooted in our original childhood experiences. 

Even our Christian faith and spirituality are impacted by the phenomenon of origin.  My Lutheran church experiences have molded my worship style to be more contemplative and intellectual and less energetic and interactive.  What about the Bible passages we have memorized?  Why does everyone seem to know John 3:16 and perhaps the more pertinent question is how does that shape and construct our theology?  Because of Ephesians 2:8-9 I know I am saved by grace through faith given, not earned by the Holy Spirit.

Our origin in our faith is actually something that Paul seemed to comprehend as he penned Colossians 2:6-7 exhorting his readers to often and consistently go back to the where their faith started.  Remember the passages you first learned that taught you the basic teachings of Jesus Christ.  And even though he encouraged his readers to continue to grow in depth unceasingly, he was quick to remind them that such digging was only worthwhile if it started at the same location.

So what are those points of origin you keep coming back to?  For me I go to Psalm 143 on bad days.  I look at Job 38 to be reminded of my feeble humanity in light of God.  Romans 7 reminds me that God can use my sinful soul despite wicked desires.  Acts 17 encourages me to be diligent in my study of the Bible.  Luke 11 exposes the Pharisee within.  2 Corinthians 5 is there when I need to hear forgiveness and more focused on reconciling relationships and that there’s more important things in this life than being right.  Romans 12:1-2 makes me aware of what I’m putting in my system and challenges my choices of consumption.  And on the worst of days I get about 5 words into Matthew 26:38 and following before I remember Jesus blazed the trail I walk.

Many honors and glories will be lauded upon the newest, latest, and greatest.  They will provide hours of entertainment and intrigue, but they will never fill the spots in my life and soul formed by my “originals”.

Being “Authentic”

Last fall I was watching TV one evening and came across a show on Travel Channel called No Reservations featuring an older gentlemen (Anthony Bourdain) that simply went to different corners of the globe, ate interesting food, and drank like a coed on spring break while sharing his life narrative.  Fast forward 6 months and I often find myself perusing the TV guide hoping for an episode in the coming hours.  I love watching as he explores cities in ways that normal travel periodicals ignore.  But the real star of the show is the host himself.  His happy-go-lucky, tell-it-like-it-is attitude is always in plain view.  Best of all, he talks to the camera like it’s a good friend enjoying another round of drinks and reminiscing on old memories.

The authenticity and “real”ness that Bourdain brings to No Reservations is the same that is desired in youth ministers.  Everybody wants someone who is like-able, relevant, “cool”, honest, genuine, real, and authentic.  After serving in youth ministry positions for almost 4 years, I’m not fully convinced that authenticity is really as desired as much as liked for the way it reads on a job description.

Authenticity means telling the truth and being who I am.  This is in no way acceptable in the church as I have discovered when it comes staffing.  If it did, my resume would include the following:

• Loves Jesus
• Eats unhealthy
• Loves sports
• Drinks beer
• Enjoys cigars
• Occasionally lazy
• Can be quite critical
• At times selfish
• Loves most people with the exception of Christians who are always “great and happy”

If I actually put included this information on my resume, I would probably wouldn’t have to worry about a second interview.  But in the “Church, Inc.” culture that exists in many of our congregations, being anything less of Jesus makes you unqualified. 

The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (of which I am a member) has a wonderful system for connecting church workers with congregations.  It is dubbed “the call process” and is exactly what it sounds like.  We believe that God calls individual church workers to a specific place for a specific time to do what they were created for in that time.  In many days past before transportation was so efficient, interviews were rarely conducted.  The search team would simply pray over the list of names they had been given by the governing church body and issue a call to ministry for the person as they were led by the Holy Spirit.  That’s it!  They prayed, listened, and followed God.

I sometimes wonder if we have become so interconnected and overloaded with information that we are no longer sensitive to the nudgings of the Holy Spirit in our calling of church workers.  In the search for the “right person” for the job, many search committees ask too much of candidate and too little of God.  And the same is true for many church workers.  In the search for the “right job” we ask too many questions about buildings, budgets, and bodies and too little of our God.  Too often both congregations and church workers are seeking something that has relatively nothing to do with God.

There’s a great saying in the LCMS that “the person does not seek the call, the call seeks the person”.  There is great beauty to this statement that suggests that we are to be authentically about God above all things.  In the discussion of interviewing I often hear comments like “they sound like a great candidate” or “they have great references”.  I can’t wait for someone to say “they don’t sound like they walk with God” or “I didn’t sense the presence of the Holy Spirit in their life”!  Not that those should become the new interview buzz-phrases, but that we would be at the very least authentic to the heart of God that judges the heart rather than appearance.

From church workers, we need to be honest about our own lives.  We aren’t perfect and are fools to try and convince anyone otherwise.  Most of us can’t stand when people gesture and position themselves to appear “great” and “happy” when we are looking.  Why should we expect a different response of anyone else?  Above any of this, we need to seek God’s desire and call for our life.

Churches need to stop looking for the perfect fit or skill set in their workers.  They need to seek the counsel of the Lord.  They need to stop exhausting themselves trying to offer every program that might appeal to everyone without taking into account who is in their midst.  Churches need to understand who they are and what God has called them to do (here’s a hint: it’s not everything the big church down the street is doing).

I think we can learn some things from Mr. Bourdain (other than how to chain-smoke and do jager bombs).  This show successfully appeals to a specific audience because it understands its identity and keeps it at the forefront of production.  We (church workers and churches) are about Christ the risen savior and we are at our best when He remains our focus.

10 Best Meals Ever

One of my favorite things to do in my free time is cook, which in turn means I also enjoy eating that some may describe me as a connoisseur.  Here are the 10 best meals I have ever eaten with explanation.

1. Napa Rose (Anaheim, CA)- Located in the Grand Californian Hotel at Disneyland, it doesn’t seem like the abode of fine dining.  Meredith and I enjoyed a quiet meal here over our vacation last summer.  The service was perfectly timed and granted our every request.  The lamb was succulent and equisitely matched with a pinot noir the waiter recommended.  Not only was it a memorable experience, but unknowns to us my parents had called ahead and treated us to the meal as a birthday gift.
2. Brennan’s (Houston, TX)- Over the Christmas break a few years ago, Meredith and I went with my parents to this incredible restaurant.  Everything was immaculate and the service was delightful.  Excellent food combined with an extensive wine list topped off with a table-side cooked bananas foster (quite possibly the best classic dessert in Creole cooking).
3. Rissa’s (Houston, TX) – This place isn’t in business anymore, but it was the setting of a celebration of our engagement with my family.  The filet’s were cooked to perfection and everyone left happy about multiple things that evening (one being the food).
4. Bouchon (Las Vegas, NV)- We had a great meal here on vacation a few years ago.  The Thomas Keller owned restaurant rests on his trademark French Napa Valley-infused cuisine.  Perhaps the most memorable part of this feast was our appetizer of a cured salmon tar tar…simply divine.
5. 1111 Mississippi (St. Louis, MO)- Located in the historical Lafayette Park section of town, this place is at the epicenter of the revitalization of the area.  More great wine country cuisine.  The atmosphere is laid back, yet distinguished.  I had a great seafood risotto dish accompanied by a nice chardonnay.
6. Roppongi (La Jolla, CA) – We ate here a few months ago when we ventured to San Diego for a weekend.  Excellent food with great service.  Our main courses were good, but our favorite part of the evening was the Polynesian Crab Stack that served as our appetizer. 
7. The Salt Lick (Driftwood, TX) – It’s all about grills and meat at this Texas landmark.  Along with my family, Meredith and I journeyed 30 minutes outside of Austin with a cooler packed with beer.  They have no liquor license so it is BYOB in this smokehouse filled with picnic tables.  Few things are better in life than a plate of brisket, sausage, and ribs washed down with a cold beer…and at the Salt Lick, it’s just a little better.
8. Los Cucos (Houston, TX)- I’ve eaten here at least a dozen times over the years and have never had a bad meal.  The menu is gargantuan, but the stars are the fajitas.  They also make a fine margarita.  Favorite Mexican place in Houston.  Unfortunately, they are building new locations throughout Texas and I’m not sure if the quality has been maintained.
9. RA Sushi (Tempe, AZ) – There are many different locations for this chain of sushi bars, but this is my favorite.  With rock music pumping through the sound system and unique design, this is a one-of-a-kind sushi experience.  They are always busy so the fish is very fresh and the staff is always kind.  They also have an incredible happy hour menu that extends till 7:00pm Monday – Friday.
10. The Fish Market (San Diego, CA) – Great seafood in a casual environment.  They have a new menu everyday reflecting the morning catch by local fisherman.  The quality of food is only matched by the view of the sun setting over San Diego harbor.

My Bucket List

I arrived home last night to a nice dinner cooked by Meredith.  The smell of dill, lemons, sate, and white wine infused my senses the minute I walked in the door.  I couldn’t wait to try the fish that she had prepared.  After taking a few bites, we realized that even delectable seasoning couldn’t overcome the fact that the store had sold us bad fish.

Now we were left hungry and befuddled.  So we headed over to Carla Renee, which is a nice, quiet neighborhood restaurant serving delicious cuisine.  Meredith had the crab-cakes and I munched on the Kobe beef sliders…yum (sorry Alaina).  The light is low and the service is some of the best in town…it’s one of the few places in town that considers the impact environment has on an eating experience.

Then we walked down the street to the theatres to see The Bucket List.  I enjoyed it and Meredith cried, because she’s a softie.  I love movies that deal with the problem of death and pain.  In such vulnerable moments of life, the desires for a metaphysical existence are piqued and the reference points of what matters find new alignment.

This got me thinking about how I will handle my own impending death if I am to die in such a way.  What would I do?  Where would I go?  Who would I see?  So here is the beginning of my list to do when death is imminent:

1. Don’t die in a hospital.
2. Explore the national parks.
3. Experience Asia.
4. Be joyful.
5. Go with my wife to one of our “sacred” places.
6. Be completely unashamed of the gospel.
7. Make plans for the kegger in celebration of my entering the eternal.
8. Enjoy an ancient glass of scotch with a fine cigar.
9. Play more golf.
10. Turn off my cell phone and throw away the TV.
11. Hold my wife just because.