Birthday Party

We had my birthday party yesterday. The girls were very excited about the party, probably more than I was. They couldn't believe that we were thinking of having a party without playing "Pass the Parcel". We explained that this was a grown-up party, to which Jodie responded that it sounded like a very boring party, and she wondered how people would have fun if we didn't play games.We decided to do Pass the Parcel, and it ended up being lots of fun. We had a few friends over; and Somer and Kathy made sushi and little toasts. Instead of a cake, Somer made cupcakes. When it was all over, we took some extras across the street to the bartenders at Fifty-Five.

I'm On TV

I was having lunch with my team leader and a friend at a local Indian restaurant. The place had undergone major rennovations and just recently re-opened. While we were waiting for our food, I saw throught the kitchen door that a camera crew was filming the restaurant. The manager asked us if we'd be willing to let them film us while we ate. Always hungry for attention, we agreed.
It felt a little strange to have people filming our discussion about research in Camden and what a future church will look like. But then came the real fun: They asked to interview me. I have absolutely no idea what they were filming for...the questions surrounded my experience with the restaurant, the service and food, that type of thing. They told me to call back and they'd tell me when it was going to air. Doubtful anyone outside the UK will be able to see it, and even if you do live here, it could be showing on some tiny public-access cable station for all I know. But I'll let you know if I find out.

Finder of Cool

How'd you like that for a job title? I'm a "Cool Finder", thank you very much. "Stand back everyone, I've found some cool." "No officer, I do not know how fast I was going, I was too busy finding the cool in this Porche." Sounds like the best job ever.
Well, I met a real live cool finder yesterday. At least, that's what he said he was. Then he explained that he works in fashion. He finds the latest "cool" here in London, and takes it to Spain, where he's from. So not quite as 'cool' as it sounded at first...but maybe.
Anyway, I met the cool finder at the climbing wall at my gym. It's been a great place to meet new people in Camden. It's very interesting how in certain circumstances I'm willing to put my life in the hands of a complete stranger. I climbed to the top of the wall on my first go yesterday, and all I knew was the cool finder's name. That's it. Didn't even know he mined London for the latest and greatest fashions until after he lowered me down. I'm sure there's some profound truth to be gleaned from that...
And on the flip-side, today I took the person I trust most in life for a taster session at the wall while the girls were in school. Somer did really well...she climbed to the top on her first two attempts, and didn't fall at all. She also did a great job belaying me, though I think that wore her arms out more than the climbing did.

Climbing Kiwis

Just returned from a great climbing session at Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre. Tuesday and Thursday evenings are open club nights...anyone can come, get paired up with someone, and climb away. Tonight I climbed with a New Zealander and a couple of his buddies - great guys. They invited me to climb with them tomorrow night somewhere else in London...I've gotta chat with Somer and see if it'll work.

London Wind

Wind gusts of 77 mph have been reported this afternoon at Heathrow airport in London. The BBC reports that Lords Cricket Ground, which is not too far from us, has lost its roof.
I had lunch this afternoon with my friend David from the market. On the way back I was planning to walk through the market and visit a few friends. However, due to the wind, most of the market was closed off to prevent people being injured by falling debris. Most of the market is a make-shift structure, with corrugated plastic roofing and recycled timbers.
On my way home, I saw the roof of another building being blown off, and realized that I stood in the path of the debris if I didn't move. So I moved to the top of the bridge over the canal and felt the wind as it wipped up spray from the canal 15 feet below.

Sad Update: A toddler was killed during the storm when the wind blew a brick wall over. I rode past the spot this morning on the bus on my way to a prayer meeting - a large section of wall had fallen, and police had roped off the area. It happened just a mile or two from our house...very sad.

Colts are goin' down!

That's right, it's time for Baltimore to exact a little revenge for the sneaky departure of the Colts to Indianapolis nearly two decades ago. Now, the fact that I was very young and have no recollection of that even is irrelevent. I heard my parents talk about it enough over the years that I remember it (even though I don't).
So anyway, Saturday night Baltimore plays Indianapolis, and I can't wait. I'm heading down to a sports bar in central London to watch the game. If any of my London-based readers (and I know there are two or three of you) want to join me, drop me a line and I'll give you the details.

Back to normal

Life is finally returning back to normal after the holidays. Some of it's good, but not all of it. Tuesday we said good-bye to Somer's sister, who had been here with us since Christmas day. We really enjoyed having her here, and we miss her now. We both got into Lost while she was here, though I missed an evening of viewing and fell helplessly behind...she was most of the way through season 2 when she left, and I was only wrapping up season 1.
Other marks of normality are the return of people we know. Things really empty out at Christmas, and so we're in the process of getting reconnected with friends. One of the guys I know at the market was in Turkey for a week, another went up to Wales, and a third was out in the country near Oxford. I'm hoping to see that last guy tonight...he's been holed up working on a new album with one of his bands, and is taking a few days off to come up for air.
Oh, and the other normal thing? After a couple days of sunshine, we're back to low-hanging cloud.

Updates

Thanks for the comments, Matt & Tim. The sermon at Freedom House went well. I spoke on John the Baptist, which is what they are focusing on this month. My favorite part was that John's message of baptism of repentance lays everyone low. He prepared the way for the coming of Jesus the king by putting everyone on the same level - religious, non-religious - everyone had to acknowledge their failings. And that repentance is made possible because forgiveness is freely offered. Jesus' came to make God's forgiveness a reality for all people, and John prepares the way by getting people ready to receive that forgiveness. So that was the heart of the message.

On another front, I've told the cold weather shelter guys that I'd be willing to help (along with the rest of my team) with coordinating starter packs for people who move off the streets into housing. I'm waiting for them to get back to me with details...but it looks like we could start working on it sometime next week. Will keep you posted.

Freedom House

I've been asked to preach on Sunday at Freedom House, a new church in Camden. The guy who normally preaches has just had a new addition to his family, so he's up to his elbows in diapers and night-feedings and all that other stuff that makes early parenting so great. A couple of my friends who don't normally go to church have said they'd like to come along (they promised to sit in the back and heckle me, which is always welcome). I'll try to post sermon content here before Sunday...I'm finding out what he wants me to preach on later today.

Cold Weather Shelter

I just returned from the breakfast shift at the Camden cold weather shelter. The shelter rotates between seven different sites in the borough, one each day of the week, and runs through March. We had a nice breakfast together with the shelter guests and chatted with them for about an hour.
One of the things I like about this shelter is that there is a person dedicated to helping guests sort out housing/job/healthcare needs. The idea is that guests will not use the shelter for more that 28 straight days, but will have found accomodation either in a council flat or in private accomodation shared with friends. It looks like I might be helping to coordinate welcome packs for people moving into more permanent accomodation. Once people move into their new home off the streets, they need things like a pot, a couple of plates, some forks, etc. I think I'll enjoy helping pull that together.