Ravens Game

Oli stopped by today on his way home from Camden Market. He was buying this:
Hope you're ok with me posting this bro, it's too cool a pic to leave it to rot on my hard drive. The girls convinced him to stay for dinner (and play Go Fish).
Tomorrow we're watching the Ravens game (week 2 - no spoilers, please) and I'm inviting a guy from our building to join us. It's nice to have this little Sunday afternoon American ritual to make us feel a little bit like we're at home.

Bring Back the Bomb

Went to see a new friend of mine play at a pub last night. The show was called Bring Back the Bomb, and you can read more about it here. It was basically a memorial concert in honor of several members of a band who were killed in a car crash a few years ago. The bands that played were all somehow connected to the band that died. My friend Jon plays bass in two of the bands that played last night. They were both really good - a little heavier and more frantic than I normally like - but quality stuff. I don't know the right musical terms (help me out here, Tim) but I liked the way the bass drove the rythm of their songs, and was at times a stronger element than the lead guitar.
And I'm not just saying that so Jon won't be mad at me for this next statement: My favorite band of the evening (Jon, if you read this: sorry mate) was The Bicycle Thieves. I met them before they played and discovered two members of the band are Americans (or at least decended from Americans) and we chatted for a while about life in London. Their style was a little more chilled out than the other bands, which is why I liked it so much. Had a hint of Arcade Fire, if you know those guys. Their myspace is here.

Tour of Camden

Last week I met a Canadian actor who's been living in Camden for the past couple of years. He knows lots of people in the area, and has a good sense of what's happening. Today we met up for a couple hours and he took me around and showed me some of his favorite places. He introduced me to a friend of his who runs an internet cafe with a gaming room. Not only can you rent a computer for internet use, for £1/hr you can also rent time on an Xbox! How great is that? He said it hasn't really taken off yet...hmmm...maybe I'll have to give him some business.
Yesterday, my friend was an extra in a scene for the sequal to 28 Days Later - and they liked him so much they gave him a minor speaking part. Click here for Google's satelite hybrid map of Camden Town. Mostly we walked south down Camden High Street, which was great, because I've spent most of my time exploring the area north of there.

Mouse

So last year at our house in Ilford (affectionately termed "The Rock House" by the girls) we caught a total of 8 mice. Today we caught our first mouse in our new home. Thanks to Adam for showing me how to remove the floor board under the cabinets and for setting the trap - I couldn't get it positioned without setting it off. I thought about posting a picture, but then realized that it's just gross, so I thought I'd spare you.

The Spread Eagle

Met some really cool people at the Spread Eagle last night. There was a debate about whether Manchester United or Arsenal are a better footbal club (since I haven't decided which Premiership team to support, I listened with interest), and I was asked to explain why American football teams change cities and names so frequently. Hoping to go see one of the guys from there in concert next week. There was a camera there (not mine), I'll see if I can track down a picture or two.

Door

Met a guy in the Camden Market who sells old doors from Mumbai, India. He said they're about 200 years old, and they literally yank them out of the plaster walls that surround them. Then they age them in the desert before selling them off. The doors are beautiful, but they were selling for something like £1,000. Then I saw that he had some pieces of the doors just kind of lying around. One of the doors had broken during shipment, and he wanted to get rid of the remaining pieces cheap. We agreed to a price, and a few days later he brought the door pieces to our apartment. Now, you might be thinking, "What does Dan need with a door?"
Well, after several hours and a good bit of aggrevation, we now have a dining table. I still need to get a sheet of glass to cover the top, but my friend in the market has someone that can get me one.

Welcome to the Jungle, Baby

We received a note in our mailbox on Friday from one of our neighbors. It had a cryptic message about rock stars and a party on Saturday night. From what I gathered, the building was invited to a "fancy dress" party (that's a costume party) with a "dress like a rock star" theme.

Well, in one of those moments that we look back on and wonder what we were thinking, I decided to go as Slash from Guns-n-Roses. [update: my friend Oli said I had to put this second image up...thanks man]

I'm not saying I pulled it off well, but it was fun just the same. There were several Ozzy Osbournes and a Gene Simmons. I had a great time, especially when people asked me what I do and I told them I am helping start Jesus-centered communities. I guess I don't look like a typical vicar. I wonder what kind of church Slash would feel welcome in.

First week highlights

The people who helped us: Jeremy, who picked us up at the airport and drove us around the next day to get all our luggage and boxes we had left in storage here in London; and David, who heard we didn't have anything to sit on in the apartment, and brought us a few chairs to borrow.

The new experiences: The girls starting school and loving it so much, they were disappointed on Saturday that they had to wait until Monday to go again. Watching three different European football matches simultaneously in a jam-packed pub down the street from our place. Going shopping each day for food for meals, because our refrigerator (believe it or not) is smaller than the one we had last year when we were here.

The hard stuff: missing family and friends, eating cereal with a fork (spoons are coming, but it'll be a while), and sleeping through the noise of traffic and late night revellers.

Update: Somer's Birthday

Thanks for the ideas on making Somer's birthday special. In the end, I couldn't do much elaborate. I liked the idea of getting her lots of little presents or writing notes or things, but I had about 15 minutes of spare time in which to plan and execute her gift, so in the end, we only got her one present. But we did keep it as a surprise and gave it to her mid-flight. It was a sort of memoir written by a food critic. She loved it, and was left wanting more when she finished it. The book was Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise

Welcome to the real world

It feels like we've been living a disconnected life these last two weeks. We finally got broadband internet on Friday (only to have it go down Friday night and all day Saturday). But we're connected now. Feels good - like I can breathe again.

Saying Goodbye

We left Philadelphia for Baltimore on Wednesday - it was sad to say goodbye to our friends we've been living with since we returned to the States in January. Monday we leave for the UK, so this weekend we're seeing family and saying goodbye. I don't think I'm very good at saying goodbye. It's kind of how I feel about saying "thank you" - I want what I say to be genuine, and not the sappy cliches you get in movies. Problem is that in the moment, I can only think of the cliches, you know? I guess there's more to leaving well than words, though.
Monday is also Somer's birthday, and since we'll be spending the day traveling I'm working on a creative way to make her birthday special. Well, I'm actually not working on it yet, 'cuz I don't have any ideas. Any help out there?

Prayed Into a Home

We've been in London for the past week, hanging with a group of young people from Texas and Philly. They came to pray for Camden Town. We came to be with them, and to look for a house while they prayed.
And did they pray! Or more accurately: Did God respond!
Both Somer and I and our team leaders John and Kathy signed leases on apartments this week. We found places that are about 4 blocks from each other (a mere 8 min, 15 sec walk at a leisurely pace - thanks Jason for timing that!). Our flat has an interesting layout - only one 'normal' bedroom with a door - the other bedroom is a studio style - with a dividing wall separating it from the rest of the living area. But it has tons of windows that face southwest for that all-important winter sunshine, and a decent kitchen. Plus, as soon as I saw the living space, I envisioned it filled with friends having a good time and experiencing the welcome of Jesus. It's very close to the Camden markets, and on the same street as a primary school (don't know yet, but it's possible that it could be Andi's school - we'll find out in September). May manage to get up a few pics when we return home.

Prayer for Dummies

I'm preaching at River's Edge Community Church on Sunday morning. Looking at Jesus' words to his disciples about prayer in Luke 11. I'm working from some notes for a sermon I gave last year at City of Peace in London, though I think I have a slightly different perspective this time around. In the middle of support raising, I'm finding it very difficult to pray, even as I have a great need to be connecting to God in prayer. I'm also feeling a bit like the shameless guy who bangs on his neighbor's door in the middle of the night...I've become rather shameless in my requests to God these days. Also feeling like I need to hear the truth that God is not in the business of giving his children scorpions and rocks; he gives good things like his Spirit to be with us.
So yeah, Prayer for Dummies...that's where I'm at.

The Empire Strikes Back

I promise, this will be the last post about Settlers for a while. But I felt compelled to share that the setback suffered at Mark's hands last week was merely temorary. I returned to top conquering form on Thursday evening, soundly defeating our friends Dave and Erika, who are both seasoned players. That's it, I promise...on to something else.

A setback in the empire

Yes, it's true, last night I was defeated by my brother Mark at Settlers. The string of 6 consecutive wins has been broken.

Settlement

I just won Settlers of Catan for the fifth time in a row. Settlers is our favorite game, by far. You normally need 3-6 people to play, but in London we played with our imaginary friend Joe (that shows how much we love the game, not how insane we are). Sometimes Joe won.
But for the past two weeks, I've been on a role. My friend Tim can't touch me...Somer just sits and knits between turns, and my brother Mark had a bad case of malaria strike his settlements.

Crabbing on the Wye

Visited some long-time family friends who live on the Eastern Shore of Maryland on Saturday. The crabbing exploits of Wye River Web are legendary, so my brothers and I thought we'd try our hand at it and see if his skills would rub off on us.

Here I am on the dock, helping the Legend himself load the boat for our final run of the day. As we pulled in the last traps, we were caught in a heavy downpour. As the rain splashed on the surface of the river, the sun came out and caused a rainbow to appear on top of the water. It was beautiful, and almost the perfect ending to the day.


The perfect ending came a few minutes later, once we had arrived back on shore, put some dry clothes on, and started to steam the crabs. They were huge! Somer bravely holds this example - unfortunately the camera angle fails to show how close the crab is to me! The Legend had indeed come through for us.


The girls also got in on the boating action. Here we are flying back to shore. My brother Andrew is piloting the boat.





Somer also has a couple good pictures, including a nice close-up of a crab, over on dailyofferings .

Fort-Worth

Hangin' out here in Fort Worth, snaging the wi-fi at Trinity Bible Church. The Lord is in this trip, it would appear. After only two hours here, I had decided to extend my stay for two more days in order to meet with another church on Tuesday evening. Then I called a friend of a friend to see if we could connect while I was here - and wouldn't you know it? I was sitting at the Borders not 200 yards from his house!! He popped over and we had a good long talk, with lots of stories of God's power on display.
So far, I love this place.

The gospel in the emerging world

So went the title of the missions conference at River's Edge this past weekend. I had lots of fun showing how the culture emerging in the West looks very different from what came before. Used clips from Star Trek, Seinfeld, and a song from Pedro the Lion to stir people's thoughts about how their assumptions about the world might not match up with the assumptions that are becoming prevalent in my generation.
In one memorable moment, I had compared George Bush to Captain Kirk, intending to show why he was so disliked, but several people thought I was trying to compliment to Bush.

Sunday morning was great - I was exhausted, and yet seemed to have lots of energy for the sermon. I think the Holy Spirit showed up. Focused mostly on God's love showered upon "the wrong people".
Thanks River's Edge - I love being with you guys and look forward to being back there in a couple weeks to worship with you again.

The Gospel in a Far Away Land

I'm preaching on Luke 15 at River's Edge on Sunday. Actually, I'm speaking at their mini-missions conference on Saturday night too. Luke 15 is where Jesus tells three stories about lost things - a shepherd with a lost sheep, a woman with a lost coin, and a father with a lost son.
I've got a couple ideas bouncing around in my head at this point on the passage. In no particular order, they are:
The passion of the shepherd/woman/father to find what was lost.
The rejoicing is over finding the lost thing, not what was never lost.
The identity of the lost/not lost things - the sheep, the coins, the brothers - they are the same except in their relation to the shepherd/woman/father.
The dissimilarity of the father as compared to the shepherd/woman - the father waits...he doesn't go into the far away land to find his son.

Any of these strike you as particularly powerful? Any aspect of these stories that I didn't mention that really catches your attention?