Community through the eyes of a bearded filipino....

It's giving up the biggest world cup soccer game so you can help your brothers in need, along with a little dose of manly stupidity of jumping over raging fires.

It's the attempt of trying to cook your mom's filipino recipe of Chicken Adobo so your house mates can get a small glimpse into your culture and the amazingness you grew up with.

It's people asking simple questions along with things like: "What do you really want to do with your life? What encyclopedia would I find you in? What's your addictions? Where's your heart at?" instead of just questions like "Did you see who got drafted #1 in the NFL draft?"

It's dominating a class full of "competitve by society" INDIVIDUALS in a game of balloon popping with your fellow Lake Housians, and then particially being prophetic in the fact that we didn't completely abliged to the rules of the game, standing together in unison and shouting within the soundproof walls of our mind, "Forget you Brian, and your freaking rules, one winner?! how about 3! (POP)

It's sharing your struggles and short comings with somebody only to be encouraged and find out your not the most messed up, JK!

It's having someone grab the towel off your shoulder to dry dishes when the Mountain of plates that needs washing only seems to get bigger every time you grab a new one to wash.

It's knowing that your being prayed for and feeling the presence of those prayers when you make known something thats of urgency on your heart.

It's an understanding that life is to be shared and not defended.

A little of what I see community to be so far..............

Κάθαρσις

With a fierceness that rivals the titan grasp
Of the Ocean upon the Tide,
Who knows naught but his home in the chill embrace
Where this current must sole reside,

With a fear that has kept such a Tide as this
Bound to darkness of depths unknown,
“For where else” pleads the Sea, “could you ebb and flow
If not staying where you’ve been shown?”

So have we held our hearts in familiar ways
To the pattern of things less divine
Than the breadth and the height that are manifest
In our Maker’s unchanged design.

What would Tide come to be if he broke away
From the waxing and waning that give
The appearance of movement while moving not?
He remembers not how else to live.

If he lift from the sea, would he come undone?
No more Tide would he be, but now Wind:
Very image of Spirit that moves unafraid,
Unbeholden, unbound and unpinned.

So do we, half inspired, half doubting the call,
Take on life unfamiliar and bold,
Free as truly to be as we have been made,
And unmaking our graven mold.

Now take heart, for your heart is the host within
Of a Kingdom, a Love and a Fire
That consumes what is false, ’til we find ourselves faced
With the face of our heart’s true desire.

a few of the things that "THEY TRIED"

Love you robby. (-;

The Madness that is this lovely neighborhood

Over the past week we have watched as an oak tree systematically fell apart into ours and our neighbors yard, ending last night with an injury free fall into our neighbors porch. Always eventful and always somewhere to help.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/jun/16/tree-falls-tampa-house/c_3/#comments

The Divine Artist

Over the past few months we at the Lake House have grown as a community and I myself have developed a deeper understanding of what a relationship with God looks like. Throughout my life I have prayed for my life to BE worship to God. Worship is too often used as a verb, that one may "worship God" but to be a life of worship, to live life in the noun sense is dramatically harder. It requires more of us. We must give our lives over to God that he may develop us into worship beings. We have to let Him hold the paintbrush of our lives, because God is the artist!

I have heard that God is the Divine Architect, the Divine Engineer of creation that set the rules in place, and developed the physics of the universe. I hate that metaphor! It is too cold and inaccurate. I have met many engineers and architects throughout my profession, and they are too often cold and calculating. They are ALWAYS law enforcing....you must stick to the rules or try again. This is not the God I see. I see an artist that paints creation with brush strokes, and sculptures the Earth with His mind (Adam was molded out of clay, Eve chiseled out of bone). His mind is not bound with limits of physics, physics is merely the canvas He chose to paint upon. Our lives are within that canvas, our heart a a piece of the fabric that God paints upon. We always want to control the sculpture, and choose where the chisel is hammered. He will allow us, we have the right to choose our path and say no to the divine artist, just as an man can choose a toddler to paint his portrait over Rembrandt.

It is difficult to choose God to paint our lives. He will point out our imperfections, show us where we stumble. But as any great sculpture, He will smooth out the edges of our lives at the appropriate time. I pray that He may paint the masterpiece of our lives, that He may give us the strength to let go and allow the master to work. It gives me peace to know He holds the colors and we are the canvas of His work.