tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40551262011-12-31T21:41:09.693-06:00A postmodern journey of faith...Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.comBlogger881100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-23185672217897997992009-04-29T15:03:00.001-05:002009-04-29T15:03:20.538-05:00

This piece is the devotion I was privileged to share yesterday at our church staff meeting. I had a lousy day yesterday…I mean, a REALLY bad day. It ended up OK, but the majority of it was pretty rotten. I don’t need to get into details…but it was one of those days that puts marriages and families on the rocks. I’m thankful that our marriage is built on THE Rock and has the foundation to stand

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-91660015371535664022009-04-29T14:59:00.001-05:002009-04-29T14:59:12.752-05:00

Ok, so we’ve got our website and shop up and running for Scraps & Jewels! I’m pretty excited…just put up 3 pieces in our online shop…go take a look! And posted a lil blurb on our website…which you should also look at b’cuz you’re my friend. 8P Let me know what you think…I’m planning to have at least one more piece done before the end of the week. And no, this wasn’t the “intelligent” post

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-21584765831119109362009-04-26T01:13:00.001-05:002009-04-26T01:13:51.497-05:00

Hi, it’s me. We have a lot of catching up to do. I’m not posting on the other blog…I decided to let it go, largely for technical reasons. Honestly, Blogger is just a whole lot easier to work with. I’m in Nebraska now, on to the next chapter. Looking to get back in to ministry, somehow. Taking care of mom-in-law. Trying to focus on being a dad and a husband, pretty much. And a child of God…that’s

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-52007381309603406202007-11-22T03:03:00.001-06:002007-11-22T03:03:50.360-06:00

Hey, I'll make this quick and not waste your time. Some time ago, I tried to start a weblog called "Re:thinking." What I was trying to do with "The Gateway" is long past...so I'm trying to restart "Re:thinking." I'd love it if you'd join me. There's not much there yet, but I'm trying to discipline myself to be a good blogger and actually get some content on there. I'll probably move some of my

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-51388013095787795522007-08-03T03:19:00.000-05:002007-08-03T03:21:11.186-05:00

So, I'm going to try for a kind of a stream-of-consciousness thing here. It's extremely late, and I'm very tired and in desperate need of sleep (I have to work tomorrow), yet I feel compelled to write. Perhaps it's the discipline of the thing. Perhaps I'm a glutton for punishment.It's probably the latter.Regardless, I'm here. The time is insane. And I'm writing.I don't even know what I should

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-45068737605556022482007-06-20T13:53:00.000-05:002007-06-20T13:53:39.845-05:00

I like this...I think I might start using it. Like, "I severiously want my kids to behave!"Read more here:jkOnTheRun: Coffee break- overheard in Starbucks

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-20012873540652806242007-05-19T09:18:00.000-05:002007-05-19T09:31:41.934-05:00

"In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence." Hebrews 5:7, ESVReverence. It seems like a lost art these days. Really, there are two extremes. The first is that God is so revered and holy that we forget that He actually wants to be our friend. The second

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-83883368990944908052007-02-08T23:41:00.000-06:002007-02-08T01:58:03.638-06:00

Americans hate accountability. It's a fact. Point-in-case: tonight at work, I began to implement a new system designed to give accountability to the kids on our crew to be sure they do their work. Our goal is to raise our standard of customer service and help people do their jobs better. As things stand now, there is really no way to put the spotlight on those who work poorly, because everything

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-71676775952647246102007-02-08T01:57:00.000-06:002007-01-21T22:05:29.853-06:00

I'm sitting here, up again. I should be sleeping.A few updates are in order. A few weeks ago, I struggled with knowing how we were going to make it...money looked too tight. So, I "threw it up" and hoped for the best. I guess if I were being honest, I'd have to say that I really didn't expect any results.I'm really glad that God doesn't cater to our expectations, aren't you?So, about a week later

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-72040291598123217742007-01-21T22:03:00.000-06:002007-01-21T22:05:30.336-06:00

I'm on a bit of a crusade against Windows Vista. One of the many issues has to do with Trusted Computing...yet another form of DRM. Basically, between DRM and Trusted Computing, you--as the user and owner of content--lose the right to decide what you want to do with it.Watch this for more:

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-87051305903030522007-01-12T09:39:00.000-06:002007-01-12T09:48:41.555-06:00

I got a lengthy email today from my good friend, Matt Morrison, whom I left back in South Dakota. Matt is a great guy, a fellow emergent-type-church-person, and the worship leader at Mercy Church in Sioux Falls. Anyway, he wrote me this great, encouraging email--probably one of the nicest letters I've ever received. He has been/is where we are now, in terms of feeling led somewhere but not

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-13679907251658769562007-01-11T21:07:00.000-06:002007-01-11T21:11:00.859-06:00

I mentioned earlier that my wife is in very bad shape right now. As I think about Jesus in the Gospels, and the way He intended for us to be - naturally supernatural - I struggle a bit with my wife's illness. This disease is, according to the earthly doctors, chronic and incurable. I know that's not the final word...but here we are. Struggling. It doesn't seem fair that a beautiful, 30-year-old

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-71126424206119701942007-01-11T10:47:00.000-06:002007-01-11T10:50:36.514-06:00

It's been awhile since I've blogged, so I figure it's time to get back into the habit again. A lot has happened since I last wrote.We've moved again. This time into permanent housing. We are living in Bloomington now (Normal's sister city...it's inevitable that we couldn't stay in "Normal" for long...).We have a church. We are a part of the Bloomington Vineyard (www.vcfbn.org). The pastor and I

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1165588875820409702006-12-08T08:41:00.000-06:002006-12-08T08:41:15.856-06:00

I once aspired to be a writer. It's true. I had these grandiose visions of writing the Great American Novel...or something like that. It probably wouldn't have been a novel. But that begs the question: why write? I mean, I used to think I had something to say. Typically, I wrote when I had an axe to grind. News flash: nobody wants to read that stuff. On the other hand, what else do I have to say?

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1163221155141946802006-11-10T22:59:00.000-06:002006-11-10T22:59:15.213-06:00

....post via Blogmailr. :)

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1159609538169838532006-09-30T04:24:00.000-05:002006-09-30T04:45:38.186-05:00

I just realized that my last post is horribly out-of-date. I apologize--life has been rather.... oh, wait.... that was supposed to get better here, wasn't it? My bad...Jobs: I am officially employed full-time-plus (probably 55-60 hours per week). I'm not thrilled about this (the "plus" part), but we'll need the money for start-up. I am a shift manager at Godfather's Pizza in Normal, and a Tech

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1156074988471408162006-08-20T06:55:00.000-05:002006-08-20T06:56:28.503-05:00

"Today you have been given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, an opportunity that few receive. Don't waste it."That was what I felt the Lord speak to me yesterday.Hey, at least I felt the Lord speak to me again. We're gaining.We are in Normal.Today we will attend Clear View Church, which is not the church we originally intended to join. For a number of reasons, none of which are against the Urbana

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1153601416334161892006-07-13T04:42:00.000-05:002006-07-22T15:53:41.723-05:00

You know, I'm really not that scared anymore. Maybe part of it is that I realize the inevitability of our relocation and new life. The wheels are set in motion, and it's really too late to stop them now. Not that I really want to stop them, mind you. Change is never easy, and change for the sake of change is just plain dumb.But this isn't that.For me, this move is more about starting my family. "

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1153601332889700862006-07-13T02:56:00.000-05:002006-07-22T15:48:52.900-05:00

I've long harbored sick fantasies of becoming an OS/2 user...like for about 12 years now. Yeah, that's pretty warped...no pun intended. (If you don't get it, you don't need to.) Well, a few days ago I came across a copy and thought, "Finally, here's my chance!"As the story goes, OS/2 was designed to be the successor to the original DOS. It started out with Microsoft in bed with IBM to make it

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1152444698400961522006-07-09T06:29:00.000-05:002006-07-09T06:31:38.416-05:00

It's about 6 AM on Sunday morning. And I haven't had a wink of sleep since 10:45 last night. I'd go get some now, but I'm afraid it would make things worse. You know how it is sometimes when it's better that you don't sleep at all? Still, I'm sitting here struggling with IBS cramps, having just finished my work for this morning. Why didn't I sleep? Well, I started out just not being able to, but

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1149844032706772632006-06-09T03:29:00.000-05:002006-06-09T04:15:58.196-05:00

too much...waaaay too much....too much...waaaay too much....I've just spent the last hour or so watching Christian TV. Yeah. Good stuff... TCT.tv, Jim Bakker (he's baaack), and some guy named Kerney Thomas who likes to scream and speak in "tongues."Ok, so I speak in tongues too...but not like that. And not to you. The Bible says that a few intelligible words are more valuable than 10,000 in

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1149146574412613052006-06-01T01:29:00.000-05:002006-06-01T02:22:54.536-05:00

We're moving to Urbana!I'm probably the most tired I've been for awhile...but I'm exhilarated. I'm hurting a little too bad to sleep, so I thought I'd blog while the Aleve kicks in.Nevermind. Can't find Aleve.We attended our first service at The Vineyard Church in Urbana, IL on Sunday. We knew as soon as we walked in that we were home. It is church as I've always dreamed that church could be. I'm

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1148817604648908382006-05-28T06:59:00.000-05:002006-05-28T07:00:04.663-05:00

Ok, it's a funny pun.We're here: Normal, Illinois. The start of something new. We're very excited. We had a great trip and arrived last night. This morning is our first contact with The Vineyard, officially. We were told, "everything is in place for you," so it's cool that they worked so hard to pull stuff together for us.It's a bad pun, but today really is the first day of the rest of our lives.

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1148398360705845052006-05-23T10:29:00.000-05:002006-05-23T10:44:48.916-05:00

"See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, 'Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.' This phrase, "Yet once more," indicates the removal of things that are

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1147840720003123652006-05-17T01:33:00.000-05:002006-05-16T23:38:40.046-05:00

It's time to start blogging again. I'll write more later, but major changes are afoot. In fact, after a couple of months, I may actually be able to keep this blog updated.I'll sum it up this way. It looks as though a long-time dream of mine may be coming to pass. I'm scared as can be, as the whole situation is...well...uncomfortable. But I believe that God is in it. My wife agrees. That means

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1123763772911827672005-08-11T07:19:00.000-05:002005-08-11T07:38:57.780-05:00

I've not kept things up here very well...but about 2.5 years ago, we took a position at a small home missions church in Menno, SD. It's a very nice little church (referring to the people...the facility is, well, sad). We had a few initial bumps in the road, but things smoothed out considerably.I only alluded to it, for reasons unbeknownst to me, but about 5.5 months ago, we had our fourth child,

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1123677312280500912005-08-10T07:30:00.000-05:002005-08-10T07:35:12.286-05:00

As the a parent of 4, this absolutely broke my heart:http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/08/09/choking.game/index.htmlIt would be so horrible to find your child dead because of pursuing some "thrill." Really, the destructive effects of this are not so different from drugs. If you've not made the jump yet, the choking game is where kids will temporarily cut off the oxygen to their brain for a short

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1123596440552563732005-08-09T09:04:00.000-05:002005-08-09T09:07:20.556-05:00

When Apple gets things right, it's spectacular (think iPod), but when the company messes up, it's a hoot. The first popular pen-based PDA, the Apple Newton, was big, expensive, and too smart for its britches. Early models tried to interpret handwriting with often amusing results, making words out of users' scrawls that often combined into surreal "Newton Poetry." We miss the Newton because what

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1123212372909358972005-08-04T22:25:00.000-05:002005-08-04T22:26:12.913-05:00

This looks good...ever wonder why men have nipples? Apparently these guys have an answer for you:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8798141/

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1123187040484049542005-08-04T15:19:00.000-05:002005-08-04T15:25:24.303-05:00

I'm learning a tremendous amount these days about how I view church, with some surprises along the way. I just took a survey to determine what model or function I perceive church fulfilling. The results, while not surprising, were certainly interesting. Here's what I came up with:You scored as Servant Model. Your model of the church is Servant. The mission of the church is to serve others, to

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1122781927471603682005-07-30T22:49:00.000-05:002005-07-30T22:52:42.256-05:00

Just a quick post this evening. As part of my renewed commitment to blogging seriously, I've moved my personal weblog back to Blogger. Why? Becuase it's just NICE. That, and I'll be focusing the Squarespace site on open source software for Windows. I'm learning more and more that an all-inclusive blog only works for a few people. The rest of us need FOCUS.Of course, focus is something I've

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1122781221005340822005-05-16T15:55:00.000-05:002005-07-30T22:40:21.006-05:00

So, I've been thinking about birth control, or rather the morality thererof.It's an interesting topic. But let's get something straight out front. There's no question about birth control outside of marriage. It's wrong. Why? Because you shouldn't need it. Intercourse outside of the bounds of marriage is wrong--the Bible calls it fornication.But what about the use of birth control inside of

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1122781154983578932005-04-07T10:09:00.000-05:002005-07-30T22:39:14.983-05:00

The pope died on Saturday. It might seem like that shouldn't matter to a protestant like me, but it does. Regardless of whether you're protestant or catholic, the Pope sets the spiritual temperature of Christendom. Perhaps it's time for that to change. But the reality of it is certainly still there, regardless of whether we like it.In many ways, the church is at a turning point. Catholicism has

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1122781037241526072005-03-22T12:22:00.000-06:002005-07-30T22:37:17.243-05:00

If you've not seen www.terrisfight.org, you need to. Go to the multimedia page, and view the videos. If you can see those and still believe that she's a vegetable, then leave a comment and explain why.I can't understand this culture of death USAmerica today. I guess it doesn't take a genius to speculate what Michael Schiavo's motive would be. I can't say for sure; this is only my opinion. Still,

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1122780945261124232005-03-15T20:50:00.000-06:002005-07-30T22:36:08.553-05:00

The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated. *g*Seriously, I'm still alive. One child plus, and still alive. We had our daughter, Noelle Elizabeth, on February 19th at about 7pm. We're thrilled...mom and baby are doing well.Other than that, I've been doing a lot of thinking and praying, hopefully not in that order.And I've discovered some things.I've slipped a bit.I've tried to hard

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1122780843483101752005-01-24T14:05:00.000-06:002005-07-30T22:34:03.483-05:00

There's a fantastic post over on Paul Fromont's blog about spiritual formation. "Spiritual wha...?" you ask. Spritual formation. You may not have heard of it. But the jist of it is that it's that thing that happens to move the average pew-sitter past the "Feed ME!" stage and into actually *living* a life of faith.Yah...there's a difference. Just think about it. Our spiritual parenting

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1122780647074396102005-01-13T23:44:00.000-06:002005-07-30T22:30:47.076-05:00

"This quote from Thomas Merton raised a question a little while back. I thought maybe I'd try to expound on the concept a bit more. Here's the quote......sometimes when we have no feeling of peace or of God's presence He is more truly present to us than He has ever been before.This idea is very foreign to most of us, especially to those who are used to hearing and talking about the notion of '

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1122780469723478292005-01-13T23:31:00.000-06:002005-07-30T22:27:49.723-05:00

"Rest is the ultimate humiliation because in order to rest, we must admit we are not necessary, that the world can get along without us, that God's work does not depend on us." - Mike Yaconelli

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1122780352019229482005-01-06T00:46:00.000-06:002005-07-30T22:25:52.020-05:00

...at ThinkSecret's expense.http://news.com.com/Apple+suit+foreshadows+coming+products/2100-1047_3-5513582.html?tag=st.prevYou know, at first I was going to comment on Steve Jobs' insecurity. It's well known that he has a pretty good ego, and that insecurity usually follows a pretty good ego...but then I got to thinking. This is genius! I mean, how many people have already changed their PC

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1122780113573143042005-01-04T12:56:00.000-06:002005-07-30T22:26:44.510-05:00

Winter is finally here! School just closed, and I'd be really surprised if there's school tomorrow! Here's the view out my window:Update on Wednesday, January 5, 2005 at 11:56PM by Tory LarsonJust a follow-up...there wasn't school today. And I wouldn't be surprised if we start late tomorrow, too!

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1122779923350161192005-01-01T23:48:00.000-06:002005-07-30T22:18:55.710-05:00

Happy New Year!I've decided to keep on trucking with this blog. The site will primarily be a blog and link repository...and that's OK.I'm no longer running Linux. I think it's ready for prime-time...but not for me. It's a great utility OS for people who aren't "into" keeping their computers on the cutting edge with a minimum of effort.Maybe I just need to run as root. :)Anyway....I just

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1122779804698221962004-12-06T15:20:00.000-06:002005-07-30T22:16:44.696-05:00

Alan Creech from VBCC has a great post about taking God for granted. I think he may be on to something here...you know, how we tend to work and work to achieve things and to attain stature with God. We don't want to take salvation for granted. On the other hand, isn't that the point of salvation by grace?Read all about it.

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1122779719763519182004-10-23T23:11:00.000-05:002005-07-30T22:15:19.763-05:00

Hidey-ho. I'm just sitting here in front of my "new-to-me" Thinkpad T23 (nice machine), thinking that I should do a quick update. First off, I'm sorry I haven't kept this site moving. My bad. I'm still paying for it, so I've not given up yet. You never know what can happen. Second, the last month has been insane for me, shedule-wise, hence the silence. We made a flying trip to Pennsylvania

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1122779573751557632004-09-28T12:35:00.000-05:002005-07-30T22:13:43.766-05:00

Matthew 9:35-38Jesus traveled through all the cities and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And wherever he went, he healed people of every sort of disease and illness. He felt great pity for the crowds that came, because their problems were so great and they didn't know where to go for help. They were like sheep without a shepherd.

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1122779479383056752004-09-22T05:41:00.000-05:002005-07-30T22:11:19.383-05:00

"Jesus now called the Twelve and gave them authority and power to deal with all the demons and cure diseases. He commissioned them to preach the news of God's kingdom and heal the sick. He said, "Don't load yourselves up with equipment. Keep it simple; you are the equipment." (Luke 9:1-4a, The Message)Wow. That really resonates with me today. In ministry, so often we hide behind stuff and

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1122779418261969932004-09-21T15:03:00.000-05:002005-07-30T22:10:18.263-05:00

When is the last time you read something that really challenged you? I mean, seriously challenged you?We tend to read things that resonate with us, don't we? We tend to appreciate input that backs up our own point of view. But when was the last time you read something--by choice--that wasn't like that? When was the last time you took in something that left you feeling sick in the pit of your

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1122779328318180522004-09-21T04:45:00.000-05:002005-07-30T22:08:48.320-05:00

I meant to make this entry last night. But I got distracted. Pehaps that's the story of my life...My beautiful daughter was one of the crownbearers at our local homecoming last night. I have to tell you, she's gorgeous. I think she's one of the most beautiful little girls around...of course, I'm very unbiased.But I realized something. Too often I get focused on my kids' behavior, and not who

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1122779249942362972004-09-19T14:57:00.000-05:002005-07-30T22:07:29.946-05:00

When I was 14 or so, I marched into my youth pastor's office and told him, "God has called me to be a pastor!"He replied, "Really? That's good. But you've gotta go with your gifts." He knew I was a computer geek.There was a comment posted for my "Mission Drift" entry (except it ended up under "People are jerks"--both before I migrated back to blogger) where I had the following thought posed to

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1122778976822616062004-09-18T19:42:00.000-05:002005-07-30T22:04:30.973-05:00

You know, I think there is hope.My thanks go out to Geoff Elliott and Eric Mack for their compassion and concern for me. These are great guys. Geoff's blog isn't much unless you're a geek (like me), but Eric's blog is a great all-purpose read. He's kind of like me, except more...gathered. ;)Speaking of being a geek, I'm sitting here trying to convert b0se's Codename: Opus 3.0 visual style to a

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1122778649747077682004-08-17T17:52:00.000-05:002005-07-30T21:57:29.750-05:00

I want to quit. No, I mean it. I really rather suck at life right now.I guess it must've started a year or so ago...oh, maybe even 2 years ago. I began to experience mission drift.I must explain something...I'm as passionate about the Gospel as ever. Perhaps not so passionate about traditional evangelism...but certainly about the Gospel. I have a heart desire to impact my world with the

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1122778589818530302004-07-30T17:52:00.000-05:002005-07-30T21:56:29.816-05:00

Matthew 13:54-55It is the nature of people to be inconsistent jerks. Expect no less. And don't be one yourself.

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1122778524703106892004-07-26T21:31:00.000-05:002005-07-30T21:58:12.406-05:00

My youngest son is incredibly spunky. This week, he decided that it was time for him to transition from training wheels to a "two-wheeler." He pestered me a few times about removing the training wheels, but my tools always seemed to be in the back of Mom's van when he asked. Finally, the little twirp took matters into his own hands. I found him out in the lawn, plastic wrench and toy drill in

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1122778439273074032004-06-26T08:29:00.000-05:002005-07-30T21:53:59.273-05:00

I received this text from a friend of mine. The insight is great...I think it's worth some serious consideration:The reality (in my opinion) is that we need both. We need to combine the mystic Christianity and the objective Christianity together in equal parts. It is much the same with our persons. All my life I've been preached at, to run away from myself..."run away from that damned natural

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1122778268617827562004-06-04T11:58:00.000-05:002005-07-30T21:51:08.616-05:00

Alan Creech wrote a great post concerning being an individual in the context of a faith community--much of it is quotes (attributed) from Thomas Merton. Specifically, I think he has some good thoughts on how to regard others in the community context--to not "get excited about the things that people eat and drink, wear on their bodies, or hang on the walls of their houses." Good stuff...I

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1122778129517965262004-05-25T14:36:00.000-05:002005-07-30T21:49:08.286-05:00

In yet another adventure in missing the point, 74-year-old Bob Frasca declared in the national media, "I feel like we've been betrayed. I will not give another dime to the archdiocese," upon hearing of the closing of St. Susanna Parish in Dedham, MA after attending faithfully during the 42 years the church has been open.The Archdiocese of Boston has announced that it will close 65 of its 357

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1122777869900800132004-05-17T19:05:00.000-05:002005-07-30T21:46:09.710-05:00

Today we went to Sioux Falls for the day. We spent way too much money with the kids at Chuck E. Cheese's and had a blast playing games. (I suck at skeeball.) Then we had lunch and headed to Falls Park. It is absolutely a beautiful sight...so much glory and majesty. We worked our way up to the top of the falls, and at the top I made some observations which got me thinking.It's a well-understood

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1122777671000530182004-05-15T13:52:00.000-05:002005-07-30T21:41:11.000-05:00

Well, here we are. 1500 miles, a crashed Palm Pilot, a dog, and a depressed mother later. We're back in South Dakota. A little the worse for wear, yes, but we're home. I had a few great blog entries written, but lost them when my Palm decided to say goodnight on the first day we were in Montana. I suppose it was the Lord's way of ensuring that I took some much-needed time off and stayed

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1084245022527548672004-05-10T22:10:00.000-05:002004-05-10T22:10:22.526-05:00

I'm still here...more coming.

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1122770634685605842004-05-10T20:50:00.000-05:002005-07-30T21:40:13.390-05:00

Well, this day went down the crapper right quickly. It was really turning out to be a good day. I got my keyboard. I finally fixed the lawn mower and mowed the lawn. I INSTALLED A NEW STARTER ON MY VAN...how cool is that?And then, Mom called. Al, my stepdad, died. Heart attack. Happened while he was out cutting trees. Right about the time my wife and I were rejoicing over the fact that I'd

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1122770534083100622004-05-10T10:41:00.000-05:002005-07-30T19:42:14.083-05:00

YAY!!! I finally received my functional Belkin PDA keyboard. I suppose you've probably missed this ongoing saga...mainly since I haven't shared about it yet here. But I got a heck of a deal on a Belkin G700 PDA keyboard for my Zire71 on eBay. It was like $31 with shipping. I had to make an emergency trip to Montana to see my Grandparents right when it was to arrive, so I had it express

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1122770284631557282004-05-09T00:21:00.000-05:002005-07-30T19:38:04.633-05:00

NOISE, NOISE, NOISE! It's the noise that's the problem!Today my kids drove me nuts. They wouldn't be quiet...not for a minute. And then tonight Sacred Space began talking about freedom...from the noise which separates us from God...which got me thinking (always a dangerous thing).I have allowed what they do to distract me from who they are, and Who God is in them. And that's just a shame...a

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1122770205928939702004-05-07T21:03:00.000-05:002005-07-30T19:36:45.926-05:00

Submission is the key. I've spent so much time talking about this semi-metaphysical stuff...the idea that life is far more than we see. But there has always seemed to be a piece missing. This is it: our way of "hacking into the Matrix" is by allowing God to mold us into who He would have us to be. In this way, then, He can trust us with the control we are given in the spiritual realm. Without

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1071153039294843282003-12-11T08:30:00.000-06:002003-12-11T08:37:05.263-06:00

It's been awhile. I'll catch up later when I have more time. Hopefully I can make a hole in my life by which I can keep this updated now.There are very few people who realise what God would make of them if they abandoned themselves into his hands, and let themselves be formed by his grace. (St Ignatius)What would God have me to be, if not for my will? I wonder what would become of me...how my

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1067001042117372862003-10-24T08:10:00.000-05:002003-10-24T08:10:43.496-05:00

"Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened."--Mikey's Funnies

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1066961939673653162003-10-23T21:18:00.000-05:002003-10-23T21:18:59.680-05:00

I'm alive...not much time to post today. Went to Job Service today...I think I left more depressed than when I went there. My career assessment says that I'm qualified for some great jobs...but none of them are in Yankton. Yay. Have a wunnerful day...

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1066831062037982502003-10-22T09:39:00.000-05:002003-10-22T09:39:41.413-05:00

Well, I survived another day. It was a little rough at work--it's been like that lately. Things aren't going well for the business, and I think that weighs on me fairly heavily. Other than that, I've been thinking a lot about where to go in life from this point forward. I'm not entirely sure where I'm headed. The no-brainer option seems to be in computers, so I've been spending my life with

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1066747351749885872003-10-21T09:42:00.000-05:002003-10-21T09:42:31.390-05:00

I'm apprehensive. I'm broke. And I yelled at the kids the morning. The first two are related. The third thing is not. Why do I have so little faith. I mean, deep down inside, I'm worried about this. I have $80 in the checking account. I should be able to handle this. I've had less. We have plenty of food here. The lights are on. The bills are paid. Why am I worried? Because I am,

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1066706187842194282003-10-20T22:16:00.000-05:002003-10-20T22:16:27.913-05:00

Quick update before I go to beddy-bye... Today has been a good day. I'm pleased. Grace did abound today--and my stress was minimal. I'm thankful that God is there for me, faithfully. Today, He is my peace, Who has broken down every wall.

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1066660547039094882003-10-20T09:35:00.000-05:002003-10-20T09:51:58.880-05:00

"Grace will abound. All is well." That's my Word for today. How can I be formed by God's grace? Grace means that my need to perform is gone. I don't have to "prove" myself. True humility is defined in this simple principle: "nothing to prove, nothing to lose" (thanks, Chuck Swindoll). I must live by this today. True freedom is found in letting God form you with life---to submit to his

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1066608892484267712003-10-19T19:14:00.000-05:002003-10-19T19:14:52.546-05:00

Oh, and I just found out that our townhouses have a pet policy...it's not in the lease. Goodbye, Paco.

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1066608503605348042003-10-19T19:08:00.000-05:002003-10-19T19:08:23.740-05:00

Well, here's the low-down. Service went well. It seems as though everyone really appreciated it...at least the few who were there. We had, like, 50% of the people this week who were there last week. I suppose God arranges it that way for us sometimes. I'm a little glum tonight. Just got word through the grapevine that someone may be leaving our church--this saddens me a great deal. I've

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1066569608451177432003-10-19T08:20:00.000-05:002003-10-19T08:20:08.343-05:00

Ok...off to church in a few minutes. Pray for me...if you read this. This could be an interesting morning. I'll try to post a follow-up sometime this afternoon or evening.

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1066534645560285742003-10-18T22:37:00.000-05:002003-10-18T22:37:25.340-05:00

By the way, today....God is my father, my provider. And don't even think, "Oh, Jehovah Jireh!" "Jehovah" isn't a word. But that's another story.

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1066534472445515142003-10-18T22:34:00.000-05:002003-10-18T22:34:32.246-05:00

Ok, today I did something wierd. Actually, two somethings. First, I decided not to preach tomorrow. Instead, we're going to have an exploratory service based on Lectio Divina. Don't know what Lectio is? If you need something to energize your time with God and his word--and you'd like to learn how to really BE with him, I'd recommend it. Check here and here for more information.

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1066498830556659052003-10-18T12:40:00.000-05:002003-10-18T12:41:42.873-05:00

I've been sitting here struggling with this week's sermon for Menno. Last week was a real barn-burner--I've been struggling with it all week long. It's not every day I find my own sermons convicting me--I'm sure that's a good thing. That's how I know it's a word from God. ;-) At any rate, I just feel a hesitance about doing the next section in James this week...can't figure out why. Maybe

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1064293991727521032003-09-23T00:13:00.000-05:002003-09-23T00:15:38.233-05:00

Ok, I'm lame. I didn't keep up. Go figure. That's me for you... Read this today...so should you...Meet Your Maker by Johann Christoph Arnold. It talks about how we should never make our children pray, among other things. It's really the other things that got me thinking. I've been suffering through a major guilt trip lately about my failure to be an "adequate" priest to my home, whatever

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1059148655553222822003-07-25T10:57:00.000-05:002003-07-25T10:59:12.700-05:00

I'm not sure if I'm going to continue doing this, but I'll give it a shot today. I like to spend time over at Sacred Space doing my meditation online. I can get it on my Handspring, as well, so I can do it wherever I go. This is my personal meditation on today's text. I probably won't do this daily... Matthew 20:20-28 James and John were very human. You can't blame them...they wanted to be

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1059072237750882972003-07-24T13:43:00.000-05:002003-07-24T13:43:57.713-05:00

This afternoon I ran into some potential parishioners for the "new church." What new church? Well, that is a problem isn't it? I get frustrated trying to explain to people what we are...and aren't. I get even more frustrated trying to explain why nothing is happening. It's apparent to me that there's a real need here...but more and more every day I'm learning that I'm NOT the Messiah. Jesus

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-1058903608885715982003-07-22T14:53:00.000-05:002003-07-22T15:30:49.713-05:00

Well, this is my first post using my Handspring. Hopefully the portability of this setup will help ensure that I update this blog a little more often. That, and with some hopefully shifting priorities, this will become a primary outlet for me. We'll see. My foray into the emerging church movement hasn't stopped...but it seems to have changed. I've been pastoring a small church about 35 miles

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-936575782003-05-02T11:10:00.000-05:002003-05-02T11:10:49.000-05:00

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me." - John 14:1 That's not my problem. Or maybe it is... You know, it's easy to discern the voice of God when one has parameters--a box--to work within. In a circumstance like that, God only can work certain ways. If it's not inside the box, it's not God. That's simple. But what if the box gets taken away? What if the will

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-926106382003-04-14T17:33:00.000-05:002003-04-14T17:33:35.293-05:00

Easter is coming...you need to read this: Merry Easter? by Frederica Mathewes-Green

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-925939842003-04-14T12:29:00.000-05:002003-04-14T12:29:37.420-05:00

I have a dilemma. I read the weblog of one of my pomo church "heroes" a couple of days ago, and it really troubled me. He spoke of a going-away party for one of the members of their community. That's not the bad thing. The thing that bothers me is this: they had a bar-b-que, chanted the evening psalms, and then all went out to a gay bar, danced, and drank like the best of them. He made the

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-919887552003-04-04T10:15:00.000-06:002003-04-04T10:15:23.686-06:00

AAAARGH! LIFE IS FRUSTRATING! (Do I hear an "amen"?) If I could add about 16 hours to each day, I think I would do well. Between frustrations with kids, adapting to my "new" life, and frustration over our lack of movement on The Gateway, I'm about ready to explode. And add to this that my sister had her baby last night, so today I have our two youngest and her youngest--a toddler who's never

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-914051592003-03-26T05:27:00.000-06:002003-03-26T05:27:08.513-06:00

It's been awhile since I've posted here...got to get back into the habit, especially now. So much has happened since I last published an update. We're in the midst of formulating how this faith community is going to look--how it's going to work. Last night, we defined our team a bit, as well as our mission and purpose. My heart is to be sure we're all God is calling us to be, but not leave

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-867037442002-12-30T11:27:00.000-06:002003-04-14T17:35:05.000-05:00

I'm doing this the morning after, for what it's worth. I should be working on continuing ed. stuff, but this is good therapy, I think. We went to The Crossing last night. It was a good experience...very relaxed and somewhat relational. I didn't feel especially well-connected, but part of that could have to do with the fact that it was obvious I wasn't from Sioux Falls. Still, it was more

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-866542832002-12-29T03:25:00.000-06:002002-12-29T03:25:32.516-06:00

OK, better day today. Discouragement only nibbled for part of the evening...it didn't eat me alive. Actually, I'm getting really excited about certain elements of this church! Postmodernity is wierd, in that the same things that scare the crap out of you also excite you intensely. So I'm thinking of water...Len Sweet talks about orienting on the North Star--Jesus Christ--in AquaChurch.

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-866190692002-12-28T02:21:00.000-06:002003-04-14T11:42:16.000-05:00

Great article here about The Landing Place in Cincinattio, OH. It's not a house church. And it's not Gen-X, okay? Click to read it @ The Ooze.

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055126.post-866188562002-12-28T02:12:00.000-06:002002-12-28T02:12:15.540-06:00

Scared spitless. People ask me how I'm doing nowadays...and that's the best answer I can give them. Scared spitless. Let's go down the list...I'm getting married in 7 days. I'm jobless 2 days before that. I'm starting a faith venture without a clue where in the world I'm going--except that I'm trying to be relevant...whatever that is. Oh yes, and I'm going to be a daddy 3-times over in a

Toryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10561952182534940703noreply@blogger.com0