Gather Round the Mic

Though this blog has been dormant through 2011 thus far, I have been writing. I've posted a couple pieces at a blog collective called "Gather Round the Mic."

• First, for a piece on how my media habits have shifted since becoming a father, some 4.5 years ago, click here.


• For the site's top 10 films of 2010 list, I contributed the synopsis on Toy Story 3, since I had been watching it constantly and repeatedly since its release on DVD. You can read that here.


• And just today, I posted a reflection on the intersection between the film The Invention of Lying and the books Love Wins and The Sacredness of Questioning Everything. Read that here.

I was a bit busy in February and March due to the birth of our third child, our beautiful son, Joel Andrew. Kids are great. We love 'em.

Lingonberries

Swedish-Americans can be annoying in their Swedish pride.  Depending on what part of the USA in which you reside, you may be painfully aware of this fact, or blissfully ignorant.  I know it well, being of this heritage myself.  And though I agree that it can be annoying, I contribute to it.  In fact, this is the coffee mug I drink from at work, inherited from my desperately Swede-centric Uncle Bryce:-)

But I am a black sheep in the Swedish-American community.  Is it because I married a Danish-American?  No.  I like to think the Scandinavian-Americans are past these silly divisions, though I'm probably wrong.

No, I am guilty of something far drastic, something that is personally and morally reprehensible in the eyes of many.  Are you ready for it?  

I don't put lingonberries on my Swedish pancakes.  There.  I said it.  True confession.

Now you may be thinking, "what's the big deal?  The man's entitled to his own taste, right?"

Wrong.

A bit of background: Lingonberries are tiny, red berries, probably most closely related to the cranberry.  When stewed into a jam-like sauce, it is a truly beautiful thing, and a unique contribution from the Scandinavians.  In the minds of most, this berry confection is a perfect complement to a heaping helping of Swedish pancakes, a wonderfully ethnocentric breakfast, hopefully served on a blue and white porcelain plate.

My refusal to put lingonberries on my Swedish pancakes is not because I dislike the magic red sauce.  I love lingonberries.  I repeat:

I love lingonberries.

But, I also love Swedish pancakes.  I mean, I love Swedish pancakes.  It's really not healthy.  I am a ruthless and irrational defender of the goodness of the greatest breakfast food on the planet.  And this is why I cannot bear to cover them in lingonberries.  Lingonberries are wonderful, but they are powerful, and when slathered upon the culinary perfection of a Swedish pancake, they overwhelm its scintillating flavors.  I find a simple coat of butter to draw out the natural goodness of the pancake better than lingonberries.  

Swedish pancakes need no savior, and so I eat them with butter only.  

And I save the lingonberries for those foods which are in need of redemption: whole wheat toast, rye toast, biscuits, and when I'm really in an international mood, an English muffin.  

So if you're ever in Rockford, IL, and find your taste buds craving the sort of salvation that only comes through Scandinavian cuisine, do yourself a favor and stop by the Stockholm Inn.  

And I suppose you can make your own decision about the lingonberries.  

Family of Four

Welcome to our world, Hosea. Welcome to our world.











Our beautiful children, Addison and Hosea.


The new family of four.


That's a good lookin' boy right there.


We are enjoying our new life as a family of four with all its adjustments and compromises and joys. It hasn't been quite as earth-shatteringly different as it was when Addison was born, but there is definitely a new vibe in the Gates house. And I like it.

Tomorrow, Hosea will be three weeks old, and, as they say, "it's already hard to imagine life without him."

HOSEA! (And a "Streaky" Blogger)

First off, the Gates family is now a family of four!  Hosea Daniel Thomas Gates was born at 2:48pm on Monday, July 6.  He was 8 lb. even, and 21 1/2 inches long.  Pictures are forthcoming.  For now, let's just say we love him lots.  And lots.

In baseball, there are a lot of people who are characterized as "streaky" hitters.  They look like MVP's for a few weeks, and look like career minor-leaguers the next.  

In my own blogging, I am very streaky.  As the circumstances of my life change, my blogging frequency ebbs and flows.  Since I've started full-time ministry again, with weekly sermon writing, pastoral visits, and a whole list of other things, I haven't felt the need to blog so much.  

But, as you can tell, I'm blogging today, and I feel like there will be more to come soon.  So be ye forewarned.  Grace and peace, my friends.

I'm a Pastor!

As of about an hour ago, I am officially the Pastor of Bretton Woods Covenant Church in Lansing, MI. My first day in the office will be Monday, February 9 and my first Sunday will be February 15. It's incredible. Marcie and I (and a whole lot of our friends and family) have been praying for this moment for years, and now it's here. It's surreal, it's exciting, and it's sacred. I can't wait to get started. So my days as a stay at home dad are numbered, and I will enjoy them to the best of my ability.

It's truly humbling to be living into this call, a call which I first sensed a little more than 10 years ago and now am able to realize as the pastor of this wonderful little church in Lansing. I'd refer you to the website, but it's not currently functional. I think the pastor should get to fixing that right away.

So thank you to all who pray for us. We sense that God has made this happen, and we know many of you have prayed for just that. We look forward to life in Lansing, and thank God that it's only an hour away from where we live now.

Now it is with great enthusiasm that I now say "Go Lugnuts!" (the single-A baseball team in Lansing), and with slightly less enthusiasm, yet endless respect for Tom Izzo, I say "Go Spartans?!?" I'll have to work on that.

Confessions of a Stay at Home Dad

Mark my words: being a stay at home dad is harder than seminary. It's wonderful to able to spend so much time with Addison. It's an absolute joy. But it is not easy to be constantly in demand. Sure, it's flattering to have a beautiful girl asking me to play with her (cards, toys, blocks, movies, games, fort-building, etc.) all day long, but when I'm trying to clean and cook and run errands and relax all at the same time, it becomes a bit overwhelming. I think I'll settle into a pattern, but I haven't yet.

So here's a huge thank you to all the stay at home parents of this world, and a huge apology to all of you who have been told that you "don't work" because you're a stay at home parent. You work.

I know being a pastor is a high demand position, but it's nothing compared to raising a two-year old.

And it's so rewarding. Crazy rewarding. I love you Addison!

Ends and Beginnings and Celebrations and Et Ceteras

Okay, so I haven't been around the last couple weeks.

I know.

I've missed you too.

I simply had a hard time justifying spending time writing things that were not my last few assignments for seminary. And now they're done. They're all done. What a time of life, right? Marcie and I are going to have another child in July-ish, I'm done with seminary, and I'll be a pastor at a church sometime (hopefully) soon. It's been crazy ,but here are a few things I've been thankful for in the past couple weeks:

• A Very Rosie Christmas Concert - On Friday night, Dec. 5, Marcie and I went to the Rosie Thomas Christmas concert hosted by Calvin College at the Ladies Literary Club in downtown Grand Rapids. It was fun, and one of those shows that both Marcie and I can enjoy in equal measure. Rosie is ridiculous, hilarious, utterly unpretentious, and her singing voice is simply beautiful. Rosie T is a paradox, and I think that's why I like her so much. Also it was most excellent to hang out with the Zabel's.
• Call + Response - The very next night, we went to see Call + Response, a rockumentary about human trafficking and the contemporary slave trade. Cornell West's insight into slave music and The Scrolls' performance of Radiohead's "Exit Music (For a Film)" were highlights of the film for me. Some of it was really hard to hear, but it was well worth the watch. Kudos to Justin Dillon for taking on the project.
• My Seminary Friends - I won't necessarily miss the drive, but I'll miss the people. I'm pretty confident we'll see each other around, but with a lot less regularity.
• My Last Night on Earth (or, rather, in Chicago) - A small gathering of my aforementioned seminary friends went to the Chicago Ale House for dinner on Tuesday night to celebrate my last night in Chicago, my last night on campus as a North Park Seminary student. It was nice to just sit back and enjoy the moment, even though all of us had large assignments and finals looming over our heads. Also, mad props to Tommy for giving us a discount.
• The Corner Landing - There's a little place in Ionia, MI that serves all you can eat prime rib on Thursday nights, and it's called the Corner Landing. Marcie asked if I wanted to meet her parents out there for dinner Thursday night. I still had a paper to finish, so I was hesitant, but the reality is that I will do anything for prime rib. When we got there, I found out that it was a surprise party for me! There was a whole mess of family there, and they had balloons, cards, presents and many congratulations for me. I'm so lucky to have a wife who does those sorts of things for me. Also, my father-in-law gave a toast that brought me to tears. It was good.
• Marcie's birthday - Marcie had a birthday on Friday, and Addison and I had a blast getting ready for it: buying presents, wrapping presents, baking a cake and practicing singing "Happy Birthday" with the guitar. Unfortunately Marcie wasn't feeling very well, so it was pretty "chill." Thankfully, the first trimester is almost over, and with it (hopefully) the nausea.

Over the last month or so, I've been reminded over and over of some words from the (only) hit song by Semisonic, "Closing Time." The lyric is, "Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." It rings true in so many ways in my life right now, as I grieve some ends whilst (yes, whilst) anticipating new beginnings with great joy.

In the meantime, I'm just trying to take it all in.

Three Become Four

We announced it to our families around the table today, so I might as well announce to the world ("the world" being defined as you who read this blog) that Marcie and I are expecting our second child!

Marcie's due on July 6, and in case you're wondering, we won't find out the gender or tell anybody the names we've picked until after the birth. We're just jerks like that.

So needless to say, we're stoked.

But I feel like it would be an injustice to give this joyous proclamation without remembering what happened before. On August 8, 2008, Marcie lost a baby six weeks into the pregnancy. Six weeks is a short time, but it's enough time to get hopes and expectations up, and more importantly, it's enough time to create human life. It's been difficult to deal with miscarriage. It's not something people seem to talk much about, and therefore dealing with it can be a very lonely thing. Dealing with it alone isn't the best thing for us or for the dignity of this child, but it's been hard to navigate just how public we want to be. We are grateful for the loving support of our families and a few close friends throughout the past few months. Losing a child, no matter how far along, is heartbreaking. And thankfully the grace of a loving God comforts us in our grief, loves us in our anger, and heals us in our brokenness.

So we celebrate and give thanks for this healthy child growing inside Marcie, who's 8/9 weeks along already, but we also honor the life of this child we thought we would have in March. We remember our friends and family members who have been lost at any age, but specifically through miscarriage or at infancy. And we pray that God will be with all four of us as we continue on, this time with a little less naivete and a little more gratitude.

It is with overflowingly grateful hearts that we announce that we're going to be parents again. We are grateful for this new life, for our lives, and for all life. And for all of you who will do so, we thank you in advance for your prayers.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

Reflections on Completing Seminary

I will complete my M.Div in less than...

...wait for it...

...keep waiting...

A little longer...

... ...

... ... ...

SIX weeks.

If you skipped to the answer before reading all the ellipses, you're no fun. And probably a communist.

Your political stances aside, I'm not entirely sure what to think or feel about this finishing of seminary. I'm excited, but a bit scared; relieved, but a bit apprehensive.

I've enjoyed the journey. I started in the fall of '04, just before the last election (the release of Bush version 2.0). We lived in Chicago for a year, Indianapolis for two, and now Grand Rapids for nearly a year and a half. Addison was born in Indy, and though it seems weird, she will forever be a Hoosier. I've been a full-time student, a full-time pastor, a full-time chaplain, a part-time student and a part-time pastor, not necessarily in that order.

In the next step, I'll be a full-time pastor. I've had a great experience so far working with the Evangelical Covenant Church to find a church that's the right fit for us and the church. The right fit hasn't come quite yet, but we've learned a lot from each conversation, each interview, each encounter. I've met great people from a few different search committees who demonstrate hearts for Christ and his church.

Early in the journey, I think my call to ministry suffered from a lack of mystery. I felt such a strong call at such a young age (16) that I just dove in headfirst, and honestly, it didn't always require that much faith. I've always felt pretty safe.


But now, being less than six weeks away from the end of seminary, I don't feel as safe. I'm excited for what God has for us, but we've reached a point where we must rely on faith. There's no other way. And no matter how much we prop up our faith with experiences and reason, it's still scary.

'Cause if there's one thing we know for sure about God (or at least Aslan), it's that he's good.

Not always safe.

But good.

He's the King, I tell you.

200mcs: One Down, Two To Go

I haven't retired from blogging, I swear.

I finished my first 200 mile commuting semester (henceforth 200mcs) just under a week ago, and I really enjoyed it. The 200 mile commute thing kind of sucks, but in a weird way, it's been really good. A lot of good thoughts swirled in my head this semester, and a lot of my classes interacted in profound ways so that it was an especially meaningful semester.

I wrote papers on the image of God, the incarnation, resurrection and return of Christ, eschatology, eco-theology, sacraments, the Trinity, gospel communication to indie-hipsters, hospitality and the christological basis for ecological preservation and designed a worship service for the first Sunday of Advent. I read some great books (The Way of Jesus Christ by Jurgen Moltmann, Free of Charge by Miroslav Volf, a book on sacraments by Leonard Vander Zee), a lot of good ones (Jesus the Liberator by Jon Sobrino, a couple books by Robert Webber, Whose Religion is Christianity? by Lamin Sanneh, Eyes Wide Open by William Romanowski, Border Crossings by Rodney Clapp, Mosaic of Christian Beliefs by Roger Olson, Selling Out the Church by Kenneson and Street, White Woman's Christ and Black Woman's Jesus by Jacqueline Grant, Luther, Feminism and the Cross by Thompson along with a collection of African christologies), and the occasional forgettable book (...).

I had some great conversations with old friends and made some new ones. I learned a lot about theology, christology, worship, communication and hospitality, and learned the art of sleeping on a six foot couch. I walked the line between guest and mooch, and when I came home I was able to truly be with my family. I got to see Yo La Tengo, Rosie Thomas and Over the Rhine all thanks to my wife's place of employment, Calvin College. Addison got bigger and smarter and more beatiful every day, and I have come to appreciate Marcie more than ever. It's sufficient to say that I don't deserve her and that's a fact.

I didn't blog much because I kept painting myself into a corner, promising to post about something specific, but never feeling inspired to fulfill those promises. From henceforth no more promises will be made on this blog.

You have my word.

And you have my love.

In An Attempt...

...to be more disciplined in other areas of my life (running, housecleaning, parenting, husbanding, personal hygiene, etc.), I have neglected blogging. Yet blogging is something I love, so I will hopefully be returning to the discipline sometime soon. For now, I'll just let you know what I plan on blogging sometime in the near future.

I have quite a few distinct thoughts rolling around in my brain on the topic of Eco-Theology. I've been doing some Eco-Theology in various forms lately. I have some of the thoughts down already in the form of a theology paper, but it wouldn't make a very good blog as is. I did some Eco-theologizing when I set up recycling bins at our house and posted some scripture texts in our garage from Psalms and Revelation as a reminder why I/we recycle.

In other news, I'm an uncle for the first time. Carter Charles Fedewa was born very early Sunday morning. It's amazing to see a little baby now that Addison's so big (almost 14 months). It really does go stinkin' fast. It's not all just gross exaggeration. I've been off all week for fall break, which has been great, and tomorrow morning we head to Rockford to see my family. It's been awhile and I miss them.

I am blessed by Marcie and Addie all the time. Despite our awkward travel/living situation, life is really good. Praise to the Father, Son and Spirit who love and sustain us in each moment and throughout each season of this messy but beautiful life.

Happy Birthday, Darlin'

It's Addison's first birthday today. It's hard to believe that it has been a year already, but it has been a great year. I can't imagine the past year without her. She went from being our new baby that we didn't really know what to do with to being a wonderful, exciting member of our family. Our lives have been enriched in new ways that we would have never known but through Addie's presence. Here are a few of my favorite pics from Addie's first year.




This picture is from the first day of her life. Shortly after her birth, they washed her off and wrapped her up, and this is what she looked like. It looks like she's already smiling, and she hasn't stopped since. She's a lot like her mom in that way.


I love this picture. Every once in a while, she seems to be engaged in some really deep thought, and we captured it perfectly in this pic. She was only a few months old at the time. What a beatuy.


On the day of the Super Bowl, we did our part to cheer on Da mighty Bears. Though the outcome was less than ideal, it was still great to see the Bears most beautiful cheerleader in action.


We went out to the east coast over the 7/7/07 weekend for Jake and Karen's wedding, and one of our outings was a trip to Manhattan with the Gustines. We thought of going to the Empire State Building, but thought it was too touristy, so we went to Times Square (that's a joke from The Office, in case you missed it). Addie liked all the people and flashing lights and million inch tv screens everywhere.




Here we are on our last day in Indy (8/5/07). Right after church, we got our pic taken all gussied up in our Sunday best. Almost all of her first year of life was spent in Indy, and our Hope church family really embraced our little one. She was loved there, and surely misses playing with all the Hope kids (big and small, old and young).



And now she's one. Switching from formula to milk, facing forward in her carseat, moving up in the world. Everyone was right. It does go stinking fast. But we've been blessed to not have missed much. Marcie and I both have gotten to spend a lot of time with Addie this year, and I pray that we continue this trend, even as our situation will be quite a bit different this year.



Her middle name is Grace, for she is truly a gift from God. Thank you, Father, for entrusting us to raise your daughter. Continue to stand by her and touch her life with your Holy Spirit. May we love her as you have loved us, and by doing so, show her a glimpse of your kingom here on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.

Re-Entry

Ok, so when I got back from vacation, I felt like I needed to post about the vacation, but I thought it would be awfully dull without pictures, so I waited. Well, I still don't have the pictures on my computer, and we've been back from vacation for 9 days now, so I'm just moving on.

My wife's recap of our vacation is pretty good, so read her posts here and here. (Sorry to those of you who don't have xanga, as you will likely not be able to view the pages).

We saw fireworks at Plymouth (it seemed quite historical), spent a wonderful day in Boston walking the Freedom Trail, took in the beauty of Cape Cod, celebrated Jake and Karen's beautiful rehearsal dinner, wedding and reception, enjoyed New York City with the Gustines, rode on an Amish buggy in Pennsylvania and got to visit Chocolate World in Hershey, PA. Addison was great throughout the trip, traveling well, and even sleeping in a tent through the rain. She's a trooper, just like her mommy. It was a wonderful first vacation for the three of us.

Since coming back, I've been settling into the fact that my time left here is so short. Just over two weeks left now, and each day goes faster than the last. Marcie has begun her job at Calvin College in G-Rap, so I've been home alone all week, and will be for the next two weeks as well...thank God for weekends. Her first day on the job, Marcie found out about a house that was recently made available for rental, owned by Calvin. She took a look at it on Tuesday, took some pictures, and it looks like we're going to be signing a lease on it soon.

It amazes me. When I juxtapose the events of my life with some of the events occurring around me, I feel simultaneously blessed, confused, overjoyed, embarrassed and pissed.

In the last two days, at least four people have either called or visited the church seeking assistance. Help with bills, groceries, finding a job, etc. One woman was 52 years old and had a masters degree (in music), but couldn't even find a job as a receptionist in the area. She wondered if she could sing a solo at our church or do some secretarial work in exchange for payment.

I drove downtown with a couple guys from the youth group yesterday to bring some groceries to a man in need. I wasn't sure what to think about this man who seemed so desperate over the phone (but that's how you'd want to sound, right?), but when he opened the door to his apartment and I looked into his eyes, I knew that we had done the right thing. This man was truly in need. Would this food change the course of his life? No, but it might just interject a little nutrition and a bit of hope into his situation.

In the midst of all this, I look at our life. Marcie got the first job she applied for up in Michigan. It is an ideal fit for her, and exactly within her college major emphases. On the first day of said job, she finds out about this amazing housing opportunity which we couldn't have even imagined.

I sat there looking at the resume of the 52 year old woman who came to the church door, and I felt so weird. As I mentioned earlier, I felt blessed, but embarassed that things seem to be coming so easy to us right now. I certainly am grateful to God for all this, but I want it to come to these other people as well. I became angry about how difficult it is for so many to get from one day to the next while I'm enjoying a charmed life. I don't want to be that guy - the charmed one to whom everything comes easy.

So I consider my role in all this. I start to realize that there might be some truth to the fact that I am blessed in order to bless others. It's not much, but I give a man in need a Kroger gift card. I give my neighbors a ride whenever possible.

And yet others I let walk away with nothing more than a prayer.

It sucks.

Dorothy Day would often say that "Love in practice is a harsh and dreadful thing compared to love in dreams."

When the rubber meets the road, am I truly able to love in the harsh and dreadful way that changes the world, or do I let it remain in my dreams, parked comfortably next to my ideals?

I don't have an answer to that question right now, but God's giving me plenty of opportunities to find out.

The End of Blogger's Block

I've had some blogger's block. Not because I don't have anything to write about, but I have just had this unexplainable hesitation to click the little "New Weblog Entry" button on my blog. It's as if I haven't given myself permission to blog. Too many important things to do and all that. I think I'm over that now.

On Saturday, May 12, I ran the Fifth Third River Bank Run 5K in downtown Grand Rapids. In '06, I ran it in 29:19, much to my disappointment. This year, my time was 27:39. It still wasn't great, but much improvement, and I had a lot left at the end. I got really excited to run a 5 miler on June 2 here in Indy. I took a couple days off, and hit the training hard again.

On Saturday, May 19, I ran 5.9 miles in 57 minutes. It was hard, but awesome. The longest I've run since the fall of '99. Wow.

On Sunday, May 20, Addison was officially dedicated to the Lord in a ceremony at church. We promised to raise her the best we can as a disciple for the Kingdom, and the church promised to support us and her in that very adventure. We had tons of family in town who love her and love us. We all were reminded of just how blessed we are. A supportive family is something I think I take for granted most days, caught up in my own little world of busy tasks and self-importance.

The week of May 21, I tried to run a couple times, but I had some serious anterior shin soreness. I just read about how when Jeff Tweedy got into running, he got stress fractures in both legs (his explanation: once an addict, always an addict). I decided that I didn't want those, so I stopped running for an indefinite period of time, icing my leg periodically with some frozen peas from the freezer. This week, Addison began to become a much more confident crawler. Still content to stay in a three foot radius most of the time, but showing signs of increased mobility.

On Sunday, May 27, I had the privilege of preaching for our congregation from John 17. It's always interesting to preach on the day of the Indy 500 in Indianapolis. I did it last year as well...you never know what to expect. This year, attendance was actually pretty good. There was a lot of rain at the race track. The whole worship experience was really encouraging to me, and I even snuck a small clip from The Office season finale ("Hmm, why don't we call it Secret Assistant to the Regional Manager"). After church we ate at Famous Dave's. Yum. Then we headed north, to Merrillville, IN (just a bit southeast of Chicago). We found a hotel with a pool and free breakfast en route to Covenant Harbor in Lake Geneva, WI.

From Monday, May 28 til Wednesday, May 30, we got to experience a totally FREE youth pastor's retreat at Covenant Harbor. It was free. The food was free. It was Covenant Harbor. Needless to say, I thought an awful lot about RyJo. Anyway, it was a really relaxing time. Marcie and I felt like we truly experienced Sabbath for the first time in awhile. Jeff Mazzariello spoke truth to us throughout the week, and it was invigorating. We also got to reconnect with Tim and Heidi Eaton, who we haven't seen for awhile, as well as meeting most of the youth pastor's in the Central Conference for the first time. It was nice to not have any programming responsibilities for a retreat. We even got some free time to saunter into Lake Geneva to enjoy the sights and partake in some delicious birthday treats.

On Tuesday, May 29, I turned a quarter-century old. The big 2-5, as it were. It doesn't seem like that bit a deal, but it's a bit more exciting than 24 was, anyway. My most exciting present this year? Definitely the turntable Marcie got for me, and all the records I got along with it, including the record of all records, Chicago V, complete with "Saturday in the Park." I'm much older and wiser now at 25, as is evidenced by the fact that I'm listening to records now along with my standard cd's and iTunes.

On the evening of Wednesday, May 31, we got back to Indy. I worked for a day.

On the morning of Friday, June 1, we headed up to Michigan for Chad's graduation open house (Marcie's cousin, and the one member of Marcie's family that I've actually known longer than I've known her). It was good. I ate way too much pizza and got to catch up with some of the cousins and aunts and uncles and sisters-from-other-misters up there.

On the morning of Saturday, June 2, we headed back to Indy so I could get dressed and ready to speak and play music at Will's graduation. Will is the only grad from my youth group, and he was homeschooled, so we put on a service for him at the church. It was a touching ceremony, and it was capped off by a celebration involving eating large amounts of Squealers pulled pork. We went to Nathan's graduation party as well, which celebrated his graduation from his 5 year plumbing apprenticeship, and we ate lots of lumpia.

Since then, things have been pretty much back to normal. Sunday, I started running again, and I feel great. Taking a week and a half off doesn't seem to have hurt me too much, and my leg feels much better. I'm listening to Wilco's Sky Blue Sky and Neutral Milk Hotel's In The Aeroplane Over the Sea as much as I can, and I'm reading Slaughterhouse-Five, finally. So it goes.

Grace and peace to you all.

Shenanigans and Goings On

Some snippets of what's going on:

• I've been suffering from lame duck syndrome since making the decision to move to G-Rap. Overall, it's not too bad, but during lulls, I start to lose motivation.
• Blake's performance on American Idol this week was the most impressive I've ever seen. I generally consider AI a waste of my time, but for the first time, I was actually impressed by the artistry of one of the contestants. Sure, people with pretty great voices have been on the show, but this actually impressed me from an artistic standpoint. You may disagree, but I liked it, and I decided that I'm not too much of a hipster-snob to shout it from the rooftops.
• I've been reading Randy Frazee's The Connecting Church, and wish it was titled something more accurate, like Is True Community Possible in Suburbia? or something to that effect. That would have made me want to read it much earlier. As it stands, the title is sort of sterile sounding, and doesn't do justice to this excellent book. Very challenging to the suburban church paradigm, and an excellent, no compromise plan for Biblical community.
• Addison is at an unbelievably entertaining stage of her development. She is beautiful, social, happy, strong, loving, and more a joy than I could have imagined on my own.
• Training for the 5k is going pretty well, but I've had a bit of abnormal soreness in my left leg for the last couple days that has thrown off my training a bit. The race is in 8 days. Training for it gives me a goal to strive for and an added sense of purpose. It seems silly, but it's true.
• I've been listening to some great music acquired from the library: Neko Case, Over the Rhine, more Yo La Tengo, Wilco and Billy Bragg, Iron & Wine/Calexico, old Sigur Ros, Joanna Newsom, and some new permanent acquisitions from the Violent Femmes, TV on the Radio and Vigilantes of Love.
• I'm pumped about the Wilco show on June 15.
• Last weekend was incredible. Congrats to Ush and Steph. The community of 104 (college friends) coming together is truly a beautiful thing, and we are extremely blessed each time we come together. The way Addison lit up around our dear friends brought more joy to my heart than I can describe. You are truly family.
• It was great to see my family for my dad's birthday as well. Stockholm Inn is always amazing (you don't know what you got 'til it's gone), and it was wonderful to get to see everyone. I love you...you are also truly family (duh!).
• Go Bulls.
• Golden State? Amazing.
• Prior's season ending "exploratory" shoulder surgery? Big surprise, right?

To borrow an apropos sign off from my dear friend, Vis...you have my love.

We're Moving...

...from the birthplace of the late Kurt Vonnegut to the birthplace of the late President Gerald Ford. You can read my wife's terrific description here. What follows is a modified version of the letter we sent out to our friends here at Hope Covenant Church. We appreciate the prayers of many of you who knew of our quandry before today. This was a tough decision, but we definitely sense God's peace about it now. Some adjustments to this letter were made for the protection of the innocent.


Beloved friends,

When we moved here to Indianapolis on July 28, 2005, we thought we would be here for a one year internship, an integral piece of my studies at North Park Theological Seminary. Thankfully, we had the joyous opportunity to extend our time here another year, affording us the privilege of building stronger friendships with many of you and getting involved in more areas of ministry than we would have dreamed.
After weeks of wrestling through our options for August 2007 and beyond, we have determined that in order to continue my seminary education we will no longer be able to serve at Hope Covenant Church.
I must for a variety of reasons go back to seminary full-time this fall. North Park has graciously allowed us to stay here for two years, but at this point, a move is inevitable for us.
In considering our options, we tried to figure out a way to stay here and go back to seminary full-time, but nothing we came up with seemed like a healthy option for us or for the church. As a full-time student, commuting to Chicago three days a week, half-time pastor here and full-time husband and father, I would not be able to give my best to all three. In fact, in trying to give myself to all three, I would have to fail in one area, and that is not something I am willing to do. Being a full-time student and investing in my family are non-negotiables, and in order to do those things well, we were forced to move in another direction.
After our final Sunday at Hope on August 5, we will be moving to the Grand Rapids, Michigan area. As some of you know, this is where Marcie is from, and basically her entire immediate and extended family lives in the area. This will allow Marcie to go back to work full-time, while having the support system to place Addison into trusted and reliable care during the days that I am in Chicago at school. Though the commute to Chicago is almost as far as from Indy, this option will free me from having to work, giving me the ability to focus entirely on schoolwork and family.
We cannot overstate how difficult this decision has been to make. Every time we look at your faces we see dear friends who have journeyed with us through these past two vital years. We have felt loved and supported amid joyful and difficult times. We have received encouraging words and have felt free to be ourselves in ministering to you and your children. The ministry experience I have received here is truly rare, and I thank you for your patience in letting me try new things and figure out how to do ministry. Looking back, Addison may not remember a lot about the first year of her life, but we will with joy be able to tell her stories of the great people who wrapped their arms around her and us…you.
God has been continually faithful to Hope Covenant Church for over 25 years, and will continue to be faithful after our departure. Though it is hard for us to leave, we know that He is in control and will provide for all your needs. We are humbled to have made any impact on your lives, and we pray for God to continue to guide you into his love, truth, justice and grace.

Blessings,

Andrew, Marcie and Addison Gates

The Skinny, The Wager, or Perhaps More Appropriately, Requiem to a Beard

On January 3, 2007, I stepped on a scale. I sensed that I was larger than ever before, and I though that I was perhaps 235, a very high number for me. When the scale looked back at me with that ugly three-digit atrocity, 250, I was shocked.

So we decided to get healthy. Since January, Marcie and I have been eating much healthier than ever before, and we're seeing results!

Marcie admitted to me that she didn't like my beard anymore, and especially the adjoining mustache. I told her that if I made it down to 225 again, I would shave the beard.

So with great mourning, last week, I began the four stage process of shaving my beard. It was simultaneously bitter and sweet, binding and liberating (loosing). Here is the photographical chronicle of the dying breaths of my beard.

This was stage one. To bring joy to the heart of my bride, I shaved the mustache, leaving the traditional Amish, or Abraham Lincoln beard. I kept the Lincoln for 24 hours.

Next, I decided that it would be rather easy for me to shave the rest of a traditional goatee out of my remaining beard, leaving a tee-goa. I explained that a reverse mohawk is a hawk-mo, so a reverse goatee is a tee-goa. Gross. I kept the tee-goa for 24 hours, even wearing it out in public...wow.





Next, I went for the chops and neck patch. It was so gross. I did keep it for approximately 12 hours, even sporting it at my favorite local dining establishment, Squealers. Want a better view?

Nice. After I was done with the neck patch, I decided to go wild and check out the stripes. I kept these for all of 30 seconds.

And finally I settled on the mutton chops. I've never had good chops before, so I'm actually happy with them. I'm sure the beard will rise again one day, but until that day, consider this your requiem, beard. I shall remember you fondly.

By the way, I had Addison watch at each stage of the beard shaving so that she would still recognize me after it was gone. She misses being able to grab my chin hairs, but overall, I think she still likes me.

Quick Update

A dear friend visited us this weekend. It was great to catch up, philosophize, theologize, randomize, etc. Next time, maybe we'll get to see both Bookers.

I preached again this Sunday. I'll post my sermon manuscript/outline again if there are requests, but it takes up too much space if nobody's going to read it. I'm almost finished with They Like Jesus, But Not the Church, and would recommend it to anyone like me, with a heart for people, yet feeling bottled in a Christians-only world against your will.

Marcie had the flu (or food poisoning?) yesterday and is recovering today. Thankfully, it seems that Addison and I have avoided the bug. It pains me to see Marcie in agony. What an amazing family I have been given. I am truly undeserving.

The new Arcade Fire album is great. I am really glad I chose it (out of the many discs I had in my hand at one point or another during my audio purchase quest).