There are three types of love that play into every relationship:

Eros- The physical attraction.  The passion. The heat. The spark. The magic.  This kind of love is based upon a chemical reaction in the brain and how it reacts to specific stimuli.  Mainly when someone of the opposite gender is found to be pleasing to the eye.

Phileo- The companionship kind of love.  The brotherly love that ties two soul mates together.  The bond that is not easily broken.

Agape- The love that is unconditional that goes beyond our comprehension.  The love that is undeserved and unmerited.

All three of these loves are vital in a relationship.  It is like a triangle with each love taking up a side.  As the love grows, the triangle grows.  However, my question is, is it ok to have a triangle that does not have equal sides?  Or is the perfect kind of love in a relationship supposed to have equal sides no matter what and grow at the same rate?

Oh, the mystery of love!

Yes, you read correctly. There was rain today in southern California! Absolutely insane! It is the beginning of June, but this is “June gloom” to the extreme. There were even thunderclaps heard! Must be “global warming.”

Just wondering if you have your eyes open to those in need. The disciples of Jesus were arguing not about who was the greatest among them (which is the question they ask Jesus), but they were really wondering who was the least among them. It was the duty of the least to wash the feet of all the others. They were wondering who was the foot washer among them!!!

Have you ever wondered why someone gets paid so much money to run around on a court or field in order to win a game. I played years of little league as well as high school football for the love of the game and competition sake. When did the world decide that people shoudl be paid to play games?

So, this morning I am teaching on the Parable of the Good Samaritan. I thought that the idea of being a neighbor is central to this passage and thought about Mr. Rogers’ neighborhood. My childhood memories flooded back to me as I watched an episode. I wanted to be his neighbor, but at the same time my adult cynicism overwhelmed me and I thought how Mr. Rogers’ could be viewed as a creepy neighbor preying on young kids. What a crazy world we live in, where the world’s most lovable neighbor can be viewed in a bad light!

So, I started jogging on trails this week with my friend, Justin. He and I got up 3 mornings this week and went to the Los Robles trails. Wednesday morning we actually took a wrong turn and ran way up into the hills. Luckily we made it back. Now, Justin is very used to running trails and held back form me until I told him to go ahead. It was so tough, but I realized how good it was having someone else around, especially ahead of me. As he ran ahead, I felt the overwhelming need to catch up and keep pace with him. It was not easy and there were times where he got up ahead and around the turn in the path, but I kept at it. Having someone ahead kept pushing me to go farther.
I wonder if our spiritual lives should be like that. Having someone further ahead that is keeping a great pace for us to keep our eyes on and strive to chase. Who is in your life that is further ahead on the trail than you?

So, in just over a month we have this thing called a Presidential Election!  I have watched the recaps of the different debates and I am still undecided.  

On one side, Obama seems to be saying all of the right things- a better life for the middle class.  On the other, the Maverick seems to want to clean up Washington for the little guy.  They have different ways of going about it, but all in all they both seem to be addressing issues that I care about.  I really don’t see a real leader in either of them, someone that will represent me.  I see two politicians that are saying whatever it will take to get the job as president.  When will we get a candidate that is consistent, speaks from the heart, and wants what is best for America and not what is best for those that are paying for their campaigns?  I have also been reading how much these two have been earning in fundraising and I am appalled.  The amount of money that they are raising and spending on their campaigns is ridiculous.  The amount of good that they could do with that money instead of wasting it on ads that tell the American people why we should vote for them.  

I’m thinking about running for President.  Anyone want to vote for me?

So today I decided to check out the amazing ebay and see how much a mini fridge would be for the youth room at church.  The first one on the list seemed like a reasonable price and I click on it and read this:

This is the DORMOPONIC GROWER!

This is a mini fridge on the outside but a marijuana grower on the inside.  It is crazy to think that our society has gotten so bad that people need to conceal their illegal activity while keeping it in plain view of everyone in the dorm room.  Man, imagine the first person going to the fridge to grab a soda!

Last week I heard Pastor Mat Garcia give a message on the difference between success and significance.  He used the analogy of having times when your kids are young and how fast the time goes until you look back and realize how fast your kids have grown up.  I really want to treasure the times I have with my daughter and cherish each moment.  I understand that there are diapers to change right now and temper tantrums that go unended, but even through those frustrations I want to spend as much time with her as possible before she is too old to hang out with dad.  Here is a shot of the two of us hanging out at home.  Both with crazy hair.

I am reading a book entitled, “This Beautiful Mess.”  It describes the idea that most Christians live with this idea that the kingdom of God is something to be looked forward to and not something that exists in the present.  But, when you look at scripture you see Christ’s words about the kingdom and realize that he was talking about something that is HERE and NOW.  This is not something far off and distant, but something that is close and tangible.  I love wrestling with these types of ideas and I hope that God would stir your heart as well.