gift catalog

Kate has been very busy the past few months dividing her time between web development work with Motorola, building a business plan for a project she's been dreaming up for years (she'll write about that sometime because it's a super cool idea), and doing work for aone:eight.org.

One of the projects we're creating is a winter catalog, enabling people to invest in tangible products such as a brick for $5 to help build an orphanage in Uganda, or books for high school equivalency courses for former sex trade workers in Thailand.

Her job for Motorola is a tremendous blessing because it gives her the freedom to participate in projects through the Church or individuals (check out Around the World with Annie, some of the recipes are killer). We're launching the catalog this weekend along with a revised version of aone:eight.org.

guests of honor

Had our 3rd annual thanksgiving day dinner for the homeless community here in DC. LOVE IT! Every year, we have to turn away volunteers for this event. Everyone dresses up in their finest attire, and we prepare a 5-star dinner for many of the homeless that we've built relationship with over the years.

The vision of the dinner is to treat them like the guests of honor.

It's not just a one-off thing, NCC has a great in-service ministry to the homeless and over 100 attend NCC at Union every week.

There is no greater calling than to love those who least expect it.

missing the larger calling

Why do so many of us tend to miss the larger calling and settle for so little?

It's a question I keep asking myself over and over again. I think the three reasons we've come up with really shape the vision of aone:eight at NCC.

First is ignorance. Western Christians simply do not get what desperate disaster is taking place 24/7 around the world. They have no vivid picture of what life is like. They are oblivious to the need.

Second is despair. I would argue many fall into this category. We know too much. The problem is, despite greater access to information than ever before, we have less direction and clarity on what to do with all this need.

Third is fear. For many, taking the actual step to GO is more difficult than anything else. Perhaps finances, work, family, routine, you name it....there are just too many things that prevent us from acting.

So our vision is simple.

Know.

Go.

Take Action.

There must be an informing phase, a space to learn and grow in knowledge of the particular issues affecting the lives of so many. A part of that is learning the issues such as aids, human trafficking, etc. For others, it's building a biblical lens for why we're called to respond to injustice, serve the poor, love the orphans and the widows.

People must be challenged to GO. That's where 10 trips comes in. That's where dreaming up a Dream Center comes in. We've got to push people to GO.

Finally, and probably the most important step is providing simple, tangible steps for people to respond to the need. In the midst of the clutter, the Church needs to provide a clarifying voice to the practical ways we can engage with the needs of this world.

december 7

There is nothing more powerful than stories that speak of redemption, change, renewal, and beating the odds. The story of the women at The Well speak of just that. Follow through photography and film the story of women coming out of the sex trade.

Most of you aren't in DC, but if you are, get the word out. Excited about putting this night together. Jimi Allen is a phenomenal photographer, and we're going to invest in The Well by building a mobile gallery that will be used throughout the country. We'll put it up in several Universities in the DC area, including Georgetown and GW.

the tao of warren buffet

Spent some time reading some books I normally wouldn't pick up. Trying to cross-pollinate some of my reading material to spark some new ideas for this next year.

Came across a book on Warren Buffet.

The guy is a multi-billionaire and for years, he drove his old VW. His reason was that a $20k car with compound interest over 20 years is worth $260k. "I can't afford to buy a car that expensive." Talk about a guy with precision focus.

Couple of great quotes from him:

"It takes 20 years to build a reputation, and five minutes to lose it. If you think about that, you will do things differently."

"The chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken."

"It's not necessary to do extraordinary things to get extraordinary results."

"Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago."

"If you hit a hole in one on every hole, you wouldn't play golf very long."

"Never ask a barber if you need a haircut."

tensions and problems

We've got to be aware of the struggle between problems we have to solve, and tensions we have to manage.

Been thinking about this statement a lot today.

not missing out

One of the reasons for moving to DC and partnering with NCC was this sense that we didn't want to miss out on what's happening here.

For the past two days, we did an annual staff planning retreat on the harbor in Baltimore. It's a chance for the staff to get away and do some personal and corporate planning for the next year. Really got a sense of how this staff vision-casts and translates that into practical steps towards success.

This year, NCC is looking at launching another coffeehouse in DC (this past year the coffeehouse had a net profit of 100k, which went directly into missions!), launching a fifth campus location in northern virginia, launching an online church, and launching a "dream center"! I love what Mark said: we've got greater influence than ever before, but we're playing it safer than we've ever done before.

This retreat wasn't cosmetic surgery, it was open-heart surgery; really questioning everything we do in order to make sure everything is in line with vision and purpose for the coming year.

We're not missing out on what's to come this year!

redskins game was suite

Pun intended, a friend offered a last-minute ticket to the Skins/Cowboys game. He said the seats were good, but didn't anticipate a suite!

I've never been more full after a sporting event, I stuffed myself the entire game with food and drinks.

Completely ruined me though cause that was my first NFL game. Can only go down hill from here.

great wedding, great couple

Shot my 67th wedding yesterday. This wedding turned out to be one of my favorites for a few reasons:

As a wedding photographer, you really do get a unique view into one of the most special days in a married couples life. You get to share in their day more than anyone else. In this wedding, the groom's father passed away just 12 days ago. Can't imagine the emotions of the day. I couldn't have been more impressed by this couple though, really seemed firm in their faith, and had so much fun with one another.

Also, I thrive on getting creative in the moment. I try not to plan too much before I arrive. It establishes this creative anticipation everytime so I'm always in experimental mode. I want each wedding I shoot to be unique to who that couple is.
This wedding ended up with some dramatic locations, so had so much fun photographing at night overlooking the capitol, or shooting at Union Station, or on the street with fall colors. It had it all.

Check some of them out: You can see more on my website.

Presidential history

inauguration comes with a price tag

Tickets to inaugurations are free, given out by members of congress to their constituents. It's illegal to sell them. Perhaps this year the reward outweighs the fine. Some tickets are going for thousands of dollars online.

Of course every hotel is booked from here to Baltimore. People are letting out their places on Capitol Hill for $1000/night. I saw one for $15,000 in Georgetown. Definitely a wild time to be in DC.

I think I'm going to be able to pull off a press pass to do some photography.

volage (voltage)

Ross and Jo are in town from Aberdeen, Scotland. They're over to travel around, doing acoustic sets at University's on the east coast. We met them in the first year in Scotland, they were both involved in Radiate in Aberdeen.

When I sat down, the accent and hilarious bickering brought back a flood of thick memories. I miss these guys.

It's been great to hear about local news in Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

Ahhh, miss the Scottish people.

girl.

Holding an event on December 7 here at Ebs to focus on the issue of the sex trade and what this small organization in Bangkok, Thailand is doing to make a big difference in girl's lives.

The event is going to be titled: "girl."

We're building a sweet gallery that will be used throughout the year to host photo exhibit's at Ebs. Like our experience in Edinburgh, really have a heart for creating greater space for the arts at church. What better place than at a cafe?

just not our checkbook

We love to give away our money. We've learned this through a combination of things: parents, scripture, but more importantly, through experience. When we got married, we decided early on that we would live to give, that included our finances.

In a session at Catalyst, Andy Stanley gave such a simple, yet powerful phrase for our finances:

"give, save, live on the rest."

When the economy is bad, giving is the first thing to get sacrificed. Budgets have to be tightened. However, an article in Newsweek noted that despite the economic meltdown, alcohol and cigarette sales have never been higher. I think that's both shocking and not surprising at the same time.

Could the way we use our money be an indicator of the level of our faith?

In his book, Your Money Counts, Howard Dayton shares a story about the paid mercenaries who fought in the Crusades. Because they were fighting a holy war, the church wanted all of the crusaders to be baptized. When the mercenaries were baptized, they would hold their swords out of the water to symbolize that they were not surrendering that part of their life to Christ. Many of us do the same with our finances. We give our lives to Christ with the exception of our checkbook.

We cannot allow giving to go in our lives. Now, more than ever, should we give first, save second, and live on the rest.

"give, save, live on the rest."

flipped a switch

Lost my computer bag with my diary, bible and a bunch of important papers. Was physically distraught these past few days beginning to assume it was lost for good.

I traced my steps over again (you know how that goes) to the point of madness. I went to the restaurant my brother and I had dined a few nights ago with no luck. I then called the restaurant that evening....no luck.

Just now, decided to walk to the restaurant again to give them my number in case it randomly appeared. Funny how things work: it reappeared. Someone had brought it back.

I had to laugh because I was picturing this person who had stolen it anticipating what contents could be inside only to find a bible and a diary.

I was also imagining the guilt that came over this person who had stolen something that turned out to be a bible. Praying that flipped a switch for that person.

our place

Good to begin the settling process at our new home in DC. We're 6 blocks from NCC, and only a 15 minute walk to the Capital.
With the market being in dire shape, we were able to get a great deal on our row-house flat. Lovin' the wood floors, fireplace and exposed brick. Looking forward to the arrival of some prints, especially the one's of Edinburgh. Miss that place!No longer at the epicenter of activity, which we do miss at times, it's nice to have a quiet street and place that feels like a getaway in an active city.

election highlight

BBC has a great short highlight video on the election.

Check it out!

bigger than ourselves

Whether you are satisfied or dissatisfied with the outcome, last night felt epic.

It was certainly a phenomenal moment, can’t quite explain the power of it. I've never seen, certainly in my lifetime, that amount of joy and celebration over a presidential election. It was a feeling of being a part of something larger than ourselves. Nationalism, pride, patriotism; however it can be described was exhibited in an incredible way last night.

Reminds me of why I continue to discover and be a part of Christ and his call if not command to be a part of something far greater than ourselves.

"You are the light of the world, like a city on a hill that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket. Instead, they put it on the stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your deeds and praise your father in heaven." (Matt 5:14-16)

According to Jesus, we are it. You are it. The world is a dark and hurting place and the Creator has one plan to bring light to it - through Christ, we are the plan. To seek justice, love the poor and serve those unable to achieve for themselves through the love of Christ.

There is nothing more inspiring than being a part of something bigger than ourselves.

vote

7 months free

Put this together for a weekend service last week. We're aiming to organize an evening next month that features a "photo sermon", sharing about the story of transformation in women at The Well through images, scripture and story. Pretty excited with some ideas we're tossing around right now.

This video is higher resolution, so may take some time to upload......

nesting

Haven't felt "settled" here quite yet. Feel like I haven't had much time to sit and

r e l a x .

Despite a productive past few months, haven't had much time to unpack and nest. I always used that term to describe what kate needed when moving into a new place, but I have to admit that guys need it too. Let me revise, I guess guys like me need it too.

Put up pictures, washed some clothes, read a great new book, ordered firewood, grilled brats and organized the office.

It's amazing what a little nesting will do to your anxiety level. Feel better already.