Wishing for the Wave

Have you ever watched bikers when they pass each other on the road? They almost always exchange a wave. There are several variations to the wave. The most prominant that I have seen is down low (like you were signalling a left turn or something). While there may be some tough biker types who fail to wave at other bikers (or certain bikers), it seems that many do. It's created a motorcycle community feel to share that wave. Even You Tube has a video(s) about the motorcycle wave.




I'm jealous.

I drive a 1999 Ford Escort. When another Ford Escort passes me on the road, no one waves at me. Where is the community, the fraternity, the family of Escort drivers. I mean, there is even an identical blue 1999 Escort in Milford. They never wave. Wouldn't our world be a better place if we had more of a community feel?

• The other day, I saw a guy on a Harley wave to someone on a scooter in front of me. Come on! It was a scooter, not a hog!


• Even School Bus drivers get in on the action with a friendly wave to each other.


• Owners of Jeeps know that the rest of us just would understand because it's a Jeep Thing. Now that's brotherhood.

So, for the sake of community- to make this world a better place; I am proposing that all owners of crappy cars begin saluting each other so that others can be envious of our community. The wave should look like this:

Monday Morning Update: August 25, 2008

the weekend that was: It was a so-so weekend. Friday night, we went over to a friends house and had a great dinner. Saturday we hung out and went down to the outlets and out to dinner. Sunday we were at home most of the day. It was good to be home, but nothing spectacular.

Church Review: What does a response to God in worship look like? Can you stand with your hands in your pockets and truly respond to God? Well, you can. Do 250 people respond in the same way? I doubt it, but that is what happened Sunday. I thought the music was good, the message was to the point about living our lives as a worship response...and then, hands in pockets as we close. I am really feeling that we need to get to October to do our series on worship and what it is.

On another note, we began a new service Sunday with 35 people. It was nice being in the more intimate group. It will get larger when Sunday School kicks in. But as far as first weeks go, it was alright.

where i am at the moment: Just finished staff meeting and sitting in my office.

On to-do list this week: I have to schedule some of our leadership for our worship gatherings and prepare a sermon. A little lighter week this week than last week.

What Abbie is up to: Abbie is silly. Andrea got a musical birthday card with Cindi Lauper's Girls Just Want to Have Fun on it. Abbie opens it up, the music plays, and Abbie dances around the living room. We really need to have a video camera out when she does this.

book i’m in the midst of: I have not made much progress on the two I mentioned last week. They were Suprised By Hope by N.T. Wright, and Reasons to Believe by John Marks.

music that seemed to catch my attention this past week: I got Family Force 5's new CD, Dance of Die, from Best Buy the other day. There are a few really good songs (Fever is at the top of the list). And while the disc certainly fits who FF5 is, there are less guitars and more beeps. There is a 80's New Wave sound in the midst of it. While I would give their freshman CD five stars, their sophomore disc would only get 3. Not bad, but not great.

how i’m feeling about this week: Hopeful that it will be a great week. No meetings on Monday or Tuesday, which means more time with the family.

The CD Is In The Mail

Finally! The CD that our worship team recorded is in the mail to have the cover work designed and the duplication/packaging done! It has been a long process (Started in February). Still, I listened to it for the first time in a while the other day and really enjoyed it. It won't win any awards, but it is fun.

Here are a few shots from the photo shoot for the CD.

Guitars and Violin. The four of us (and 2 drummers) recorded most of the music for the CD.

I really like Steve C.'s (on the right) mischevious grin/smirk. He knows something you don't...that track #4 is absolutely smoking!

Um, how did I get in here?

Here's the entire team. Yeah, there are 10 of us.

The Wedding Crashers

I am preaching this week on Matthew 22:1-14, a passage where Jesus is using a parable to describe the Kingdom of Heaven...We have to remember that the Kingdom of Heaven that Jesus is talking about is now/but not yet...we participate in the Kingdom now and yet the Kingdom will one day be fully revealed when God restores creation.

Back to the parable...It's the story of a King who is throwing a wedding banquet for his son. Weddings back then were week long affairs. When you are invited to a Royal Wedding, you did not refuse the invitation. Yet this is what is happening in verse 3 of chapter 22. Not only do the invitees refuse, but when the King sents out his servants to let the prospective guest know the feast was ready, many said they couldn't come because they had to tend to the farm or take care of other business (this may be the Biblical equivilent to washing one's hair when asked out on a date). Some go even further by killing the king's servant. Those who refuse the king's invitation faced judgement.

So what does the king do? He invites "anyone you find". The servants gather anyone they could; the "bad with the good." The wedding hall was full.

One of the things that a King would do for his wedding guest would be to provide the proper clothes. Since many of these people couldn't afford respectable/clean/proper clothes for the banquet, the King would make sure they were properly outfitted. Yet in the scripture account (vs. 11), we find that one does not have the proper clothes on. This man also faces judgement for refusing the kings grace.

This parable about the Kingdom of Heaven highlights our response to God. The final line of the passage says, "For many are invited, but few are chosen."

-The invitees at the beginning of the account are those who outright refuse God's invitation of grace, mercy, and love.

-The man with the improper clothing is someone, like Judas, who responded initially, yet failed to fully get on-board with the revolution that Christ was bringing. These are people who live a life of cheap-grace (as Bonhoeffer wrote), or fail to honor God.

So the ones who crash the party, who are apart of the Kingdom of Heaven are the sinners, the sick, the lowly who respond realizing our helplessness and clinging onto the grace that God invites us to experience. How are you responding to God today?

Mom, I'm Going to The Disco!

Last night, Andrea and I stopped in at the department store, Kohl's to do a little fall shopping before school starts. We usually split up in stores like this because it takes too long to go around together. While I was cruising the men's section, I was able to very easily hear some discussion between a mom and her late teen son. At first, the mom was asking if her son needed Bermuda shorts for band camp. The son, and myself, were quite confused on what Bermuda shorts were. This led me to get a little closer to see what she was talking about.

The kicker came later. I was up and down the section when I got close enough to hear them again when I heard the mom trying to convince her son about a certain style of shirt. This is the brief conversation that took place.

Mom: You're going to be going to Washington D.C., you'll need something nice.

Son: I already have some nice clothes.

Mom: You're going to be in Washington, what if you go to a disco.

Son: I don't go to discos.

Yep, 30 years after Saturday Night Fever, mom is still talking about discos. I wondered if the mom was European or something, but she was not...so there was no excuse for disco. The funny thing was is that she continued to try and convince her son to get the shirt saying:

Mom: "Come here and feel this. This is quality. This is a quality shirt."

This has led me to a couple of observations.

1. Mom's should not pick out clothes for their late-teen sons: I don't know how it works for mothers and daughters...but mom's and son's are pretty far apart on this. I can remember some battles with my mom over styles of shirts, jeans, etc. ("Mom, acid wash jeans are so 10 years ago!)
2. Disco should be banned from our vocabulary: Yes, I panic when I hear the word disco. It brings up so many bad images of a brief time where leisure suits were accepted and everyone wanted to dance like John Travolta. Disco, as a music, should only be played for people coming out of a 30 year coma who need to be slowly reintroduced into the modern world of music.

For anyone interested, here is a daily dose of disco to save you from the genre.

Picture of the Day

Normally, I find these pictures somewhere on the internet, but this picture comes from good old Milford. We saw this as we were leaving for rafting. Everyone in the van thought the same thing...Is Jesus really a special guest at a church? Like a guest speaker, is Jesus present one day and gone the next? While I am pretty sure I know what the church is trying to get across, I don't think that message is as clear as they hoped it would be.

Monday Morning Update

the weekend that was: The weekend went by pretty quick, but it was a good one. On Friday, we took 8 young adults camping and whitewater rafting. It was a blast to be together. The rapids weren't as big as I had hoped, but it was still great to spend that much time together outdoors. On Sunday, I spent 13 consecutive hours at church. After 3 worship services, we had an Eagle Scout ceremony for one of our students, a surprise birthday party for another, and youth pastor interview. Then we met with our college students until 12:30 a.m. Essentially, I worked a 17 hour day on Sunday.

Church Review: Several thoughts about worship. First, I preached yesterday. I was happy with the sermon content...it was on the life of Joseph and how he extended mercy to his brothers/family when they came seeking help during the famine, and how as Christians we are to extend mercy to those around us. I had some positive feedback....not in the "nice sermon" way, but that some people were challenged by the message to strive to show mercy in their family or work situations.

Also, Erin and Becky picked out the music and Rock n Roll church returned. It is hard to believe that they are leaving for college. They have been apart of the worship gathering for 5 years and have each volunteered over 1000 hours during that time. It will be a big hole to fill.

where i am at the moment: I am home in my pj's, really needing to get ready for work.

On to-do list this week: This week is my study week, which means I will be at various locales working on getting through my list of books I wanted to finish this summer. I will also be doing sermon planning for the entire fall. Also on my list is prep our fellowship hall for the launch of our new worship service on Sunday.

What Abbie is up to: Abbie really missed her mommy and daddy while we were rafting. I still think she is teething. She is honestly never cranky (if she has slept well, which she almost always does.), and she has been cranky this weekend. Again, no physical evidence, but I think they are in the works.

book i’m in the midst of: I have not made much progress on the two I mentioned last week. They were Suprised By Hope by N.T. Wright, and Reasons to Believe by John Marks.

music that seemed to catch my attention this past week: I have not listened to much music this week. I have listened to Delirious' Kingdom of Comfort CD. I feel perpetually let down by Delirious. I saw them in concert at Ichthus several years ago, and it ranks as one of the most moving shows I have ever seen. They have the talent and the ability to be an amazing rock band...yet, to me, they seem to stop short of doing that. I wasn't overly impressed with the new release.

how i’m feeling about this week: relieved that last week is over.

Dolphin or Human?

So far in the Bejing Olympics, it has been the Michael Phelps show. It has been incredible to watch him win so many gold medals...and really, how many times can a world record be beaten? I believe since he began swimming internationally, one of the breaststroke times has been reduced by 4 seconds. That's huge. Phelps is the real deal and has one more gold medals than any other athlete.

But what are the other stories of the Olympics? There have got to be some stories that will capture the hearts and imaginations of the United States (and the World). It seems as if NBC continually runs Phelps stories to make the sponsors happy. While I think what he has done is simply amazing, I want to hear the other stories.

Of the sports I've watched on the Olympics...

1. Misty May and Carrie Walsh are simply machines in beach volleyball. I can't imagine that they'll lose the gold medal.
2. The US woman's polo team was fun to watch..even if they were 'upset' in a tie in pool play before the medal rounds. They'll still advance (I think).
3. Softball and Gymnastics have been on too late for me to watch, but I wish I could. (Each night, I hear Andrea complain about women's gymnastics being on too late.) While I understand that they are showing some of the sports live, NBC executive should be given a 13 month old and see when the programming ought to start, even if it is taped.
4. Are there no good stories coming out of the rifle competition or some other strange sport that is somehow in the Olympics?

The Olympics have had their share of other interesting stories....

1. Age Issues: China's women gymnast sure look small...and varying reports from their own media over the last year supposedly puts some of the girls as too young to compete by Olympic rules. If some of these girls are 14, what does it do to their mental makeup to have this much pressure on them...to know that the hopes of the country ride on their very slender shoulders?
2. Gender Testing: I think this says enough.

One week is done, and we'll watch the second week to see what new stories take place.

I Don't Think I'm Going to Burger King

While many people will read this title and agree with it, for the most part, I have always been a Burger King fan. BK ranked higher than McDonald's for me. I even worked at the BK for a semester in college, and after a brief hiatus, was able to eat their burgers again. I was even able to withstand the creepiest fast food mascot of them all. But this may be the last straw...a BK employee was filmed taking a bath in the sinks that wash all the dishes.

Read the story here. Use the comments and let me know if you'll continue eating at Burger King.

Video Of The Day

Here's a video from a television crew doing a live broadcast from a state fair when a snake slithers into the reporter's pants. (Yes, you are free to insert your own joke here.)

View the video by clicking here.

Monday Morning Update

It's Monday. Nothing helps a Monday out like routine to help one settle into the week to come. So I am introducing a Monday blog that I will hopefully use each Monday to look back on the weekend and look towards the week ahead. Marko at ysmarko.com uses this, and I am going to shamelessly steal it.

the weekend that was: I actually wrote about this yesterday, but the Pirates-Phillies game plus golf = a pretty good weekend.

Church Review: Worship at Avenue was pretty good yesterday. Pastor Phyllis spoke and there was a nice response as people came to the altar and were prayed with. We may have threw some people off with the worship team flipping sides. I felt different leading worship from the left side of the stage. Strange.

where i am at the moment: I am sitting at my office computer at the church.

on my to-do list this week: I have a busy week ahead. I am prepping a sermon for Sunday and working on some capital campaign stuff for September. We begin interviewing candidates for our Youth Pastor vacancy. The family is going to Cape May on Thursday for a get away day. Andrea and I are taking 8 college students white water rafting on Friday/Saturday. And tonight (Monday) is date night with Andrea. *Whew*

What Abbie is up to: Right now, Abbie is showing considerably more clingy-ness than she has in the past month or two. She is a very independant girl, so this is a little suprising. It's tough to clean the house or cook a meal when she just wants to be held, near one us. We have a suspicsion that a new tooth could be in the works. (but we've thought that for several weeks now)

book i’m in the midst of: Suprised By Hope by N.T. Wright, and Reasons to Believe by John Marks.

music that seemed to catch my attention this past week: I have been listening to The Classic Crime's new CD, The Silver Cord. I also downloaded Brooke Fraser's song Shadowfeet this week. She is a member of Hillsong United's worship team and authored the powerful worship song Hosanna. On her own, she is a rising star down under and has a new CD out.

how i’m feeling about this week: Busy

Another Weekend Wrap-Up

The LaMotte weekend really consited of two days. The first, on Friday, I watched Abbie during the day. We had a good daddy-daughter day. We went to the park and played. Just two months ago, she cried when she got near the playground equipment, now she is having so much fun playing on it.

That night, we went to the Pirates vs. Phillies in Philadelphia with Andrea's family. I wore my new Pirates shirt and hat, fully prepared to be verbally abused and harassed by the Philly fans. I was wrong. Not one single rude or derogatory comment. Why am I disappointed about this? In some way, the fans of Philadelphia let me down. On the other hand, I root for the Pirates. They suck, and no one else really cares about them.

The game was great. Abbie made it until the middle of the 10th inning. The Pirates ended up winning in 12 innings. I wish I could have seen the ending, but it was fun to be at the game as a family.

On Saturday, I went golfing with Andrea's dad. I played my normal game, which is a 110. That is not good at all. I really need to golf more so I can get better.

The really funny thing about golf is the male desire to impress the people around them. Twice I heard someone say something to the affect of how long there were going to hit the ball (really long), and then shank the ball really badly. I tend to stay really quiet on the course and let me play (no matter how bad) do the talking.

Vacation Recap

The LaMotte family just returned from our annual summer trip to Western Pennsylvania to visit the, uh, LaMotte Family. The summer/fall months are, in my opinion, the best time to visit Western Pennsylvania because the weather can be fantastic, which is was during our time out there. So here is the recap.





Travel: This is a long trip. Andrea and I have made it in around seven hours, only stopping once for gas and the bathroom. Our worst trip took over 12 hours, no thanks to Thanksgiving weekend traffic. Now, with a 13 month child, this trip is even longer. But it wasn't bad. We made the trip in around 9 hours or so. This included a one hour meal each way so Abbie could stretch her legs and play. Our travel was uneventful, although we endured a dreadful children's video called Wonder Pets. If you are a parent, or will be a parent, avoid Wonder Pets at all cost. Watching Barney would have been better than Wonder Pets.

If you are in for some dreadfulness, here is a You Tube clip of the Wonder Pets.

Friends: We always try to see several friends during our trips home. We met Jason, Ron and Joni at the world famous Quaker Steak and Lube on Sunday afternoon for wings. The Lube is well known for having some of the best wings in the country. We are always sure to stop there when we are home. On Sunday night, we visited with Jessica and her son Louden. He is full of energy and going to be a future farmer. Monday, Andrea went to Ohio to see her friend Wendy while I headed north to see Ashley and Dustin.



On an awkward note, the Great Sheakleyville Fair was going on, and we went in one evening to grab dinner. I saw a few people I graduated with that I have not seen or spoken to since graduating from high school 12 years ago. It's not that I don't like them, life has just taken us different places. It's somewhat strange talking to someone who you used to hang out with everyday when you haven't seen them in 12 years.



Family: This visit home is always about family. It was great to see my parents, sister, brother-in-law, and neice. This was one of the more relaxed family gatherings I can remember in a while. The highlight was going to Pymatuning State Park where we went swimming on a Western PA Beach (the lake). We went to Cherry Run Campmeeting on night to see some relatives on my mom's side of the family. We visited my grandparents on another day.



In all, this was a great trip home. While I wished it could have been longer, it was really nice to get home and be in our own house. Now, I just have to catch up on a week's worth of work!