New song...

Destiny has a new song called "Feelings" up at http://www.myspace.com/dblauer

You got to see the BAAAAAAYBEEEEEEE!

Jax & Spencer had their beautiful baby boy last night!
His name is Keenan (not sure on the spelling).
He looks so cute and I am so thrilled for both of them. This was the first baby that Micah said he wanted to go see...as you can tell, he was excited and he even held the baby.
We are so grateful for this wonderful little family. :)

A day off....together.

LeeElla finally had a Friday off, that means, no kids until 3pm.
So...it was breakfast at the Kalico, a beautiful sun soaked walk to see the roaring Spokane Falls, a little shopping which included some girls stores and guys stores, relaxing and dinner was steaks grilled on the BBQ and the evening ended with some Man vs. Wild...ah the good life.

Destiny's Upcoming Show June 6th

Comb-Over Christianity....

I've been reading the book "Planting Missional Churches" by Ed Stetzer and in that book, he shares some alarming statistics about the state of the American Church:

-In 1900, there were 28 churches for every 10,000 Americans.
-In 1950, there were 17 churches for every 10,000 Americans.
-In 2000, there were 12 churches for every 10,000 Americans.
-In 2004, the latest year available, there are 11 churches for every 10,000 Americans.

As I look around our community and see the hundreds of people, literally thousands of people who are not in a relationship with Jesus...as a church planter and pastor, in my spirit, I am agonized with how to reach them. The lackadazical concern expressed by most Christians to these kind of stats is troublesome and symptomatic of a serious spiritual problems. Our contentment at our increasing decline as it relates to impact and reach of the lost in our communities, must break the heart of God. If the love of God resides within us, if the passion of Christ was the cost to redeem, where is the zeal to see the Lord worshipped by thousands.

How can we be content for a few hundred people? How can we truly be empowered by the some Holy Spirit that fell on the church and yet...the same fruit seems to be absent from our new testament churches?

I am reminded of Rachel's deep maternal cry: "Give me children, or else I die!" (Genesis 30:1)

The church has to face the cold, hard facts....we are losing ground. Like the desperate man who combs over his last retreating hairs...our attempts at making ourselves feel better about our lack of true conversions is starting to just look embarrassing.

I find the trend of smaller is bigger, sounding and looking like a comb-over; if it's really just an attempt to convince ourselves that just relationally spooning with a small group somehow fulfills the great commission

Simple church can be a comb-over if it's really just difficult, rebellious, critical, nit-picky people who can't coexist with a group larger than 50.

Lifestyle evangelism is often a comb-over for cowardly people who are distracted by the pursuit of the American dream instead of the salvation of their neighbors.

Marriage centric life can be a comb-over, if it means that the call of God, the damnation of potentially lost souls and the kingdom of God is left cooling on the back burner; while meeting all the carnal desires of some self focused, earthly minded spouse trumps everything eternal.

Family can become an idol in American life. It becomes a hollow comb-over when children are taught that the mission of God and the people of God are second to pleasure, food, lawns and work; instead of rooting in them a deep passion for the things that will endure beyond this life.

5-minute Devotions, scheduled through the bible check lists, programs for every personal niche in the overly marketed American life can be embarrassing comb-overs; that painfully attempt to hide an inner life that isn’t nourished from bubbling up springs of living water.

Many of our religious comb-overs are attempts to hide the fact that we are spiritually poor, blind, miserable and naked as churches and individual Christians. No matter how well we may think we are hiding the truth...it’s obvious to most people around us. Maybe it is simply time to shave our heads and humble ourselves before God and man and accept the truth of who we are and where we are? Then maybe God will be able to do something in us and through us that isn't a comb-over but a over-coming work of grace, worthy of the death of His son.

simply amazing....

I think he Can Dance - Watch more free videos

The Raging Spokane Falls

I took the boys downtown to see the Spokane River raging like a beast from all the spring runoff.

If you live around here...you must go down and see the falls both upper by the YMCA and the lower under Monroe St. bridge, it's worth it, trust me.

Pork & Beans...

This is great....you will understand if you are a youtube junkie...

Testosterone boy...

Austin, my 11 year old son was watching the American Idol show the other night and Carrrie Underwood did a special number. Out of nowhere he says "Now there's a Barbie doll I would like to play with!" God have mercy...puberty is on the loose.

Karen Church with an English service...

I think we now have officially switched ethnic scales at Jacob's Well. I am sure there must have been almost more than a hundred Karen at the Karen Service last night. So I think that would now mean that officially we are a Karen church with a couple english speaking services for the Americans. With 69 refugees coming to Spokane this month...we are going to have to think about how to expand or enlarge or move at some time I think...because the growth will not stop...which means changes of some sort might be forced upon all of us. It's been so rich having the ability to combine, share and mingle two different cultures and ways of being church. The Karen have so many things going for them when it comes to being church. They leave us in the dust as far as community goes. These pictures were from their Mother's Day celebration. A whole service of music, special numbers, testimony, preaching, gifts for the mothers and a whole lot of food.
I am so grateful for the chance to discover God in this community of people.

Make you more human movies...

"We require, it seems stories that are rooted in our everyday lives, that are conveyed to us and dramatized for us in American vernacular speech, but that nonetheless help us know what it is to be truly human, for better or worse.
-Out At The Edges by Russell BanksI've had the privilage of watching a couple excellent movies/tv shows that have embodied the above quote. One was a Jane Austin-ish tv series called "Cranford". My wife and daughter have been watching a bunch of these period type shows on PBS and BBC. Usually I pass but I got hooked and 4 plus hours later, I was extremely grateful that I had taken the time to step out of my usual genres and view this series. It was so well done with fantastic performances. It was very funny, moving and tragic and had some very important messages to tell. I highly recommend it...and for the men out there...its got a broken arm scene that rivals the butt pucker factor of any war movie I've seen.
The other surprise movie that I reluctantly watched on tv the other week was Shadowlands This movie based ont he life and romance of CS Lewis was powerful and I dont use that word flippantly. I truly think the message of the movie, the acting and the emotional impact of the story was phenomenal. I must confess I wept way too much for a man through out this film...thank God I was alone. This film is now in my top 10 drama movie list. I am sure the content and surrounding aesthetics of the movie and time period were part of it for me...the focus of philosophy, theology, books, teaching, a great dusty, smokey pub for men to converse, pipe smoking, Anthony Hopkins and a outstanding performance by Debra Winger made this movie so good. I recommend it but prepare to have your heart sucker punched. This movie made me think about how to be a better husband and father...and thats the one of the best recommendations I think a film could get.

Excalibur Show....

My Son (on lead vocals) and his band Excalibur played their first show last night...oh...I just wish I had hair to bang my head with. Fantastic show.

Banned in Burma

Warning: Video is graphic

Apocalyptica does Metallica...

You got to watch the ending of "One" the first video...its thrashing brilliant....

What do we lack....?

In response to my friend Mikes question...

What do we lack....?
Well...

-Plush, cool looking seating that will attract people looking to sit comfortably.

-80's rock star lights and stage that will wow them and help God woo people with style and pizzazz.

-A glass pulpit that towers above the peeps and will impress newcomers with our untraditional just pass the early 90’s modernism or a space age piano that says we are so the 2000’s chicka.

-Charisma and good hair for the pastor because being a part of the body of Christ is all about having a leader who has: image, style, trendy clothes, articulate speech, ability to inspire and never perspire (those stains are so not cool), tantalize, theologize, contextualize; and always touch us, challenge us (just not to often), smile at us, remember us, thank us continually, blow sunshine, smell good, don’t spit when you talk, shave your neck hair, drive something we can be proud of and yet...buy it cheap, work anytime-everywhere-with everyone,-for anything and do it with a smile and a skip in your step, bear everyones crap, endure anyones criticism, love all, serve all and is always there for us.

-Always convenient, multiple prayer times...for prayer changes things! But really we mean pray for all of us before God like a good priest should, because we wont really end up coming, because prayer may be important but it just isn’t important to us. But...we want to be a part of a church that prays because thats what brings ‘em in and moves the digits of God.

-Oh...use words like “digits” because that means our church is culturally relevant and that’s important because look how good and life changing culture is. We want a atmosphere that is part Extreme Home makeover, part Oprah, part Dr. Phil, part Walmart, a slice of Chucky Cheese, a smidgeon of the marines, a little like a holy mall, a small amount of hollywood, no cheese, comfortable like a grandmas hug but hip like the newest American Idol.

-a new building with state of the art sound...because God must be heard in digital, dolby, podcasted glory...not on Sunday at a specific place with a chosen people with faces but 24-7 on trendy cd’s with sharp looking, marketable cases and please digitize it fast and furious into formats that can be accessed and downloaded anytime by anyone who chooses to sleep in on Sunday inorder to hit the lake, the green or the movies...because hey, its all about the message right and why go if I can download?

-A ministry for everyone...droolers & poopers, kneebiters & figiters, the weeners & tweeners club, Teens both the good ones and the bad ones but just keep them away from each other and if you don’t it’s ok....we got a teen parent ministry or an adoption group...don’t forget the divorced, the second, third, fourth or never married ministry, then there’s the addicts who oogle & google, the drinkers, smokers, the snorters and mainliners, the gamers and gag & pukers or starve myself group, the abusers and abused...the blind, the crippled, the starving aids patients in Zimbabwe, the prisoners, the homeless, the uneducated and unemployed, a ministry for all languages and don’t for get the elderly, the nursing homes, the laundry mats, the hotel rooms that need bibles, the abortion clinics that need picketed, the schools that are teaching our kids to become homosexual atheists who wont learn anything because they were never home schooled by urban-rural organic eating, bike riding, eco-friendly, buying local, smoke free-ddt free-fat free-oil free parents who need like-minded people to judge and be judged by regularly at some early morning mom’s group that is for the perfectly eye brow plucked, tight butted, no tummy I work out for 6 hours a day before anyone gets up, collagen enhanced, crossover driving, latte sipping mommies group that will pray for the kids that need prayer put back into school but wont volunteer for anything they are too busy to serve group.


-Leader's who will give it all, including family, money and health. Because remember its better to burn out than fade out.

-A staff that will do everything and be everyone for all and who will do it for free.

-The best, the latest, the hottest, the edgyist, the most fresh, the prettiest, the most talented, the whatever is on the cutting edge of whatever is perceived as what God is doing stuff.

-Lots of young ladies to choose to marry or date chronically until we all feel like an inbred, broken and used “christian” hillbilly clan.

-Tons of eligible young men to flirt with, tease, pressure to become men, psychologically belittle as carnal, unspiritual knuckle draggers with crotches that are on fire, that must marry or live with the demon of desire in their weak minds.

-We lack real godly mothers who will sacrifice all they are on the altar of motherhood, ministry, wifehood, “extra-income-second or third job helpmate”, women who will be treated like spiritual mules who do all the work but get none of the glory. We need ladies who will do it all and make the men look good. Gals who will cook for us, clean for us, bed us, make us more money, take care of themselves for us, follow us, serve us and submit to us, never challenge us, don’t talk to much in church to us, sexy babes who nobody else notices, bible trophy wives with Proverbs 31 tattooed right under their still perky after 6 children, 41 year old christian mother boobs.

In the end thats some of the stuff we need to become those churches that TAKE OUR CITIES FOR GOOOOOOODAH!!!

You just wouldn’t let me be the hero...

I am not sure what exactly drew me to you
I know what it wasn’t...the smell, your teeth, your unwashed clothes.

I remember seeing you in the gym,
the way you would not work out,
your meandering path through the machines,
your lack of work out attire etiquette.

We were from two different sides of humanity’s moon,
mine had more light, yours seemed to be full of shadows.

You always seemed like the kid on the far corner of the playground.
The one at the empty table....like one person on the seesaw.

Was it fate that made us neighbors?
Destiny, purpose or plan?
Or was it simply a cosmic serendipity?

Whatever the case...somehow I became your pastor.
Not in the typical way people claim a person as theirs,
but in an off handed, distant way...
Kind of like a young boy nurses a crush on the star cheerleader.
We simply lived in the same streets, walked the same sidewalk,
breathed the same exhaust, shared the same songs,
heard the same words and watched the bus come and go.

I reached out to you like a kid tries to rescue a soaked cat;
more scratches than purring...
pulling on the tail in some delirium of compassion,
Your indifference didn’t fit my ideal of salvation.
Maybe you didn’t need me...

You wouldn’t let me be a hero.
I couldn’t play my messiah card,
None of my evangelistic spells seemed to work on you.
No Jedi mind tricks...sometimes you’d just walk away mid-sentance.

Your house scarred me, like someone vomiting;
I didn’t want any of it on me, but I didn’t want you sick either.
You caught me in my own squeamishness and quirkiness,
It’s hard to be a surgeon if it involves being that close.

I knew you were dying...what is someone to do with someone who doesn’t want to live?
How do you save someone who doesn’t want to be saved?
How can you be a knight in shining armor, when the damsel gives you the finger?

You just wouldn’t let me be the hero.

I saw the trucks coming, the lights shining, the sirens announcing your departure.
I reluctantly came to watch them carry you out...naked, dirty and broken.
They ignored me...just like you did.

In the end, I couldn’t help you the way I thought I was supposed too.
I just watched them as they tried not to look at you.
Covering you with a flimsy blue paper blanket,
hauled off to nowhere, nobody to call and say you were leaving...
Nobody crying...just paid employees following you to the hospital.

I went back to mowing the weeds, picking up the garbage;
and in the end...in the mass of refuse...wondering it any of it really mattered to anyone else.

But in the conclusion of it all...I am glad the crabgrass is smaller;
the discarded carts are aligned neatly in a row and the trash is a little less littered. But most of all I am hopeful that at least one old dead man, knows that I remember his name.

-Eric Blauer 5.20.08

Thursday Show

Warning: this is a small venue with hardcore, loud music. Also, understand that this isn't a churchy thing, its a music thing. That means there will be all kinds of people with all kinds of ideas about life, God and truth. Expect the content to be reflective of all of that. I encourage my son to play music, speak about life, live out his faith in the world in a way that reflects who he really is and just let God be glorified in the excellence, the honesty and the music. There are challenges and opportunities on this path....but that's real life. I am proud of his hard work, commitment to skill through hours and hours of practice; and his faithfulness in trying to be light that shines, but doesn't blind. For those about to rock...I salute you!

Diamond Lake family getaway

This is a camera shot of me and Austin and Micah at evening light at the cabin on Diamond Lake. Such a beautiful place to relax and enjoy each other. Here is a short video of the evening.

We were able to enjoy 3 days of boating, fishing, hiking and relaxing at a good friends cabin on Diamond Lake this last weekend.
The kids enjoyed catching critters and watching others get away. The amount of wildlife around the cabin is fantastic. We saw turtles, Blue heron, Osprey diving in the lake for fish, bullfrogs, bats at night, ducks and Canadian geese and Destiny and Austin got chased by a ferocious dog while they were biking.
Micah about had a melt down of giddiness at the thought of taking one of these turtles home. But we have done that before and learned that they don't make good pets...this is the life for them, in the lake, getting a tan.

We always go to this old store when we stay at the cabin. It's in Newport and has great ice cream or root beer floats in a old time wooden floored store.

This is the great cabin we stay in...its just right for us, with a great view of the lake. A real blessing for this tired pastor and family.

The purpose of prosperity....

LeeElla, my wife, made a short video in response to viewing recent revival reports from various parts of the United States and after viewing some pictures sent to us from the devastation in Burma by the recent cyclone.

You can view that video HERE

The issue has been churning in my heart and mind for a few days. The passage below captures what I have been feeling in my gut. Now Amos has more edge in his words than I am feeling, mine is more sadness than anger. I find myself grieved over the waste of time, resources and gifts that I see and hear about. I feel less and less interested in American Christianity, whatever the current hobby horse is. I am deeply longing to be more and more involved in the authentic work of Jesus. And I am more hungry to truly walk in the spirit of Jesus, in the way of Christ and with the heart and mind of God. Everything else just seems so shallow, earthly and a waste of time.

At God's coming we face hard reality, not fantasy,
a black cloud with no silver lining.
"I can't stand your religious meetings.
I'm fed up with your conferences and conventions.
I want nothing to do with your religion projects,
your pretentious slogans and goals.
I'm sick of your fund-raising schemes,
your public relations and image making.
I've had all I can take of your noisy ego-music.
When was the last time you sang to me?
Do you know what I want?
I want justice - oceans of it.
I want fairness - rivers of it.
That's what I want. That's all I want.
-Amos 5:20-24
(The Message Bible)

Let's do a little dance...a party with you

“Smokin', snortin', shootin', suckin', tokin', poppin', droppin'. Let's do a little dance...party with you" -Mike (Chris Farley) in Black Sheep

With the recent Florida Outpouring revival news and various other in your face examples of Toronto-Brownsville-Vineyardish manifestations being claimed as a work of God, I desire to share a few things. I have been down this road in the past both personally and as part of a house church network I was connected with in the 90's. I have seen and experienced the gifts of the real Holy Spirit and the authentic move of God and also the questionable and the down right un-holy spirit.

It's a tough world to swim within and discerning what is really God and isn’t, is often a real challenge. But more than anything I learned during those seasons of renewal, revival? and wild services, was that ignoring “red flags’ in my gut...was not spiritual. Looking back I see that the Lord spoke to my heart through the scriptures and the warnings of the Spirit more times than I was willing to trust.

We experienced great movings of God in a season of visitation that both refreshed, renewed, revealed and unveiled and exposed. As a result we saw God, flesh, satan and human frailty, insecurity and dysfunction in those visitations. In the end some people grew up, some got divorced, others left the church or the dream of real church life. Some got jaded, others pressed through and became a little wiser. When people pray for a visitation from God, they really have no clue what they are asking for...its like lighting a stick of dynamite...things will change, some for the good and some for the bad. Below is an example of the at least irresponsible and probably heretical presentation of the Holy Spirit and or the very counterfeit work of the enemy.


I see the same stirrings again...here are some of the red flags I see swirling around in the conversation, reports and publications via the web or print.

There are now post-denominational, neo-Pentecostal, half-modern in a post-modern suit, "new charismatics"; with their "new" wine & new wine skin-post-church or post-something mantras leading churches, meetings and movements. There are unaccountable, unhinged, loose cannon emerging "from something, but falling into something else" prophets and apostles out of the woods now.

The messengers and the messages must be dealt with. Here is some “signs” of the version of a gospel they are spreading:

-Overt and public displaying of power, that grand stands, is pompish and popeish, pushy, aggressive and always seems to be loud, shouting and grips your forehead with conquering force.  

-An ooey-gooey, pubescent like, syrupy, jesus is my lover, romance novelish, pseudo-spiritual-sexual intimacy focus.

-The odd, overcoming, drunken, sloshed, off in a distance stare, teenie bopperish giggling, jerking-tweeking-lurching and now whacked drug-like induced trances and supposed anointing'.

-The generally unsubstantiated, un-recorded, easily faked, supposed miracles; always seem like the elusive big-foot and alien appearance videos...always claiming and never quite proving the events.

-Their unquestioned, never challenged, hard to argue with always private and personal God-Spirit-Angel voices, and the over the top, super spiritual, God told me, God said...24-7 God talk.

-The out right strange, above and beyond, non or slightly biblical visitations.

-A host of other oddities are sweeping some parts of the church....Angel feathers, gems from heaven, gold dust, spirit fog, bread/manna showing up, spiritual oil dripping from hands, a heavenly dentist appearing and filling or capping teeth with gold, people dropping pounds in a service and on and on it goes...the only things I have not seen or heard of yet, is snake handling and drinking poison, but I am sure we will get some new and improved version soon.

More later...

Burma’s Generals: Blending Nazi-like Thought, Astrology, Brutality and Greed

Here is a short overview of this brutal regime that is allowing it's people to continue to suffer and die while aid is right at the country's door waiting to enter and help. They continue to wage a military offensive against the Karen, Karenni, and Shan ethnic groups in eastern Burma. Read more here.

Wrestling with reality....

It takes 510 pounds of corn to make 13 gallons of ethanol—that amount could "feed a child in Zambia or Mexico for a year," while it fuels your car only for a week!
-Recent report from United Nations Special Investigator Jean Ziegler.

This is a piece of the misinformation that fuels the eco vs oil debate. I am sure if the issues surrounding "farming subsidies" were fully expounded, we would see a waste of not only corn and other goods but horrendous amounts of money. The inequality of the rich vs the poor is an issue that once you start pulling on the threads...you personally end up naked. Ignorance becomes safer, because if we dare see the truth, we all are going to be held accountable to the truth. The truth that millions of people died on our watch in the world. 

We have become the people of James 5:1-6:

“Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabbath. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.”

These verses are frightening in their prophetic accuracy. But most of us will not truly wrestle with how to repent after reading them. What really will we do? In the end we most often turn the page, overwhelmed by the amount of suffering in the world and our prosperity. We live in guilt or callousness. The digital age has made us too aware and in our awareness we find ourselves lame and paralyzed. We see in the mirror of God’s words and our world...a chronically, unsatisfied consumer. We are living luxuriously and wantonly, compared to the majority of the world....but “so what” we say.

We brush our teeth and leave the water running....water that some would kill for.
We scrape away whole portions of unused food....that could save lives.
We flush urine...that some people are forced to drink.
We wear clothes...made through the sweat of unjust labor practices.
We have closets full of unworn clothes....while others walk naked.
We are fat in our over-indulgences....while others are trying to hide their protruding bony bodies.
We sit in comfortable homes....while most are too cold, too hot, dangerously exposed or in hiding.

In the end....what will we say?

I really do not know.

Maybe that is why I hope so desperately on grace, because I know that I’m a pudgy, diamond-studded collar wearing, caviar nibbling, rust colored....goat, ready for slaughter.

(Photo by Christopher Martin, lifted from my dad's site)

Completely outrageous!!!!

The Burma military is killing its own people by refusing to allow aid into the country. Read it here

Burma Cyclone Crisis....

Send a message to the UN now by going here and adding your name to this email Help BurmaIf link is invisible, just roll your mouse over it and you will see it.

Gina Loring...

Beyond Baroque

You move me

I wept deep under the knife of these words...simply amazing, I am stunned by this poet.

If you didn’t have the time...?

Would you sleep a little longer?
buy that dress you saw in the window?
touch his face, comb his hair, fluff the pillow?

Would you forget the nagging vacuum?
leave the dirty glasses in their place?
toss the bills to the corner of the counter?
eat one more piece, drink one more glass?

If you didn’t have the time...?

Would you make love one more time,
go to that store you wish you’d gone to before.
Would you really care what they think,
or try to unclog that slow draining sink?

If you didn’t have the time...?

Would you care about the cellulite on your thighs?
Or the wrinkles gathering at the corners of your eye?
Would you smoke that last cigarette?
spend more tears or words on what you regret?

If you didn’t have the time...?

What would you spend that dollar on?
What would be left in that bank account?
Who would answer on the other end of the line?
What letter would you finally sign?

If you didn’t have the time...?

If tomorrow a storm did come,
steal your future with out a chance to protest?
Who would you be on the edge of the end?

If you didn’t have the time...?

(eric blauer 5.7.08)

This is a poetical reflection on the thousands of people in Burma that have died in the cyclone.
Life is but a quickly fading wisp of smoke...blown out in a tragic randomness that seems so frivolous.

This is funny

in your face...simple.

You can see more here

Theology in Prime-Time...

The Souls of Cylons

My birthday is August 28th...

Batman vs Ironman

Burma Cyclone...

The numbers keep rising, some projecting 50,000 people may have died in the storm that ripped through the Irrawaddy delta in south of Burma. Most of our refugee friends from Burma are from the Northern region of Burma. I do know a woman named Omar who is here from Rangoon, Burma and I know she has family there. I will be contacting her to see if she has heard anything from her family. The tragedy is immense and hard to come to grips with such a number who in one day are gone. The pain, suffering and horror can't be comprehended from the warm, sunny, cafe in our church that I write from. The hypocrisy of these soldiers who hand out aid to the suffering but shoot others in cold blood in the North is mind boggling to me. This world makes absolutely no sense. All I can pray is "come Lord Jesus, come quickly". You can send help here.

Church van...

Here is the newly donated Jacob's Well Church Van. It was a gift from a man who is on a limited income but felt compelled to help us with the refugee needs we have. Our church hosts three services on Sunday and in the refugee service at 6:30PM there are now around 75 people. Many of those need transportation back home after the service because the buses stop running by then. We currently have 10 volunteers providing rides after church. I had to take two trips Sunday night with my 8 passenger suburban. This van will be helpful for assisting in that work.

Ask and you shall receive is so true but the fact that a man on a fixed income paid $600 of his own income breaks my heart. I plan on taking up an offering to give back to him, this ministry won't be built on the backs of the poor. The poor will be part of it because they are part of the church body but those who have the means should pony up to meet the needs. This man showed up at the church, dropped off his little car, took the bus to the other side of town, bought the van, and drove it here. I am humbled by the gift and grateful to Jesus to be able to know such godly, humble, self sacrificing saints. God has surely chosen the weak things of this world to shame the strong.

Jimmy...

Chug, chug, chug...goes the groan from the hood.
Lurching forward, forehead to seat...
Clunk, goes the head to the side window...
Boing, boing, boing, top of the noggin to the roof.

Swirling cotton white wisps of morning burn, slip out of the window crack. Sweet fragrance, ashy, dirty, dark and mysterious are those left overs, all falling out of their metal bed, like crumpled soldiers, no longer standing to attention in their paper carriage. Held strangely, greedily...lovingly to the mouth with ease and satisfaction.

Belching plumes of earth trail us down the mountain,
evidence that we are near, we are coming or we have gone...

Winding, serpentine path up or down, off the side of the road to who knows where, goes the...gravel, fine dust, rock littered road. Rushing by driveways that lead to houses that never seem to house people. Mysterious trails that lead to mansions, retreats, haunted houses, axe murderers, crazy people...or, beautiful girls.

Yellow like a vagrants nicotine stained mustache...chipped like teeth, smooth and tough, big and homey, just like the old man behind the wheel.

Yellow like the coming dawn...yearning, I would sit by the window, waiting for a glimmer of Jimmy’s skin bouncing up the road. Only visible through the far off trees that stand as gates at the end of the spaghetti long road. The road that forever will and always did, stop right at the feet of grandpa and grandma’s house.

Jimmy...my childhood chariot, noble steed...that carried me to the castle of the King and Queen of the mountain.

(Eric Blauer, 5.5.08)

Son of Jonah...

Son of Jonah,
Turn your eyes to the sea
Bend your ear to the call of voices,
murmuring their prayers on incoming breeze,
Step onto the ships as they hoist their sails,
Let Me unfurl your heart, open your mind,
This good news isn’t just for thee,
Be thrown into the hungry waters,
Abandon yourself to providence,
Die, so that your may be born again.

Son of Jonah,
Descend into the depths of this watery grave,
Ride the waves down, down, down into the abyss,
Journey to the beginning, to the hidden roots of the earth,
In the very bowels of hell, be entangled in the cords of death...of life.
Let Me cut you away from the dark womb,
Arise, ascend, resurrect again.
Be born out of the waters and let Me visit the cities again...through you.

Son of Jonah
Bow in prayer, rise to the journey,
Extend your hand and touch the dead,
Eat the birds and consume the beasts,
Embrace the descending harvest,
rise, son of Jonah, rise and eat.

(Eric Blauer, 5.4.08)

Excalibur Show May 22

My oldest son Christian, has his first gig for his metal band "Excalibur" at the Empyrean, May 22. It's been crazy with all the metal militia around here....who would of thought that our church would be ground zero for head bangers rising.

A Red Letter Catastrophe

My 13 year old daughter, Destiny, has her first live gig coming up in June. We are so proud of her.

Still life...

Memories...the past in the present carried into the future.
Reflection bound up in an object
Pieces of a whole..alone incomplete but together they explain

Still life...

Good, bad...ugly, all wrapped up in the shadowy art of disclosure
Travels, battles, scents, hopes and dreams all jumbled together
Strange neighbors...pigs, pipes, pictures and berserkers.
Lights and vapors swirlling around the motionless symphony of being

Still life...

A snapshot, a polaroid, a presentation.
Life never stops but prophets will see, poets pen and painters color,
Time held still for a second, capturing thoughts like dream nets in the window.

Still life...

(Eric Blauer 5.2.08)

We are all...missing something, someone...

The salty french fry....slain by a doctors pen.

A child’s soft fingers, touching the cheek....as if touching the moon.

Lover’s breath...warming the side of ones face....so close you can hear thoughts.

The crunch of snow...when ones legs didn’t seem as brittle as the weak crust of earth.


We are all...missing someone, something...


Laughter, that crinkles noses and sparkles in the eyes like rain drops caught on branches.

Withering but strong hands and the way she brushed her hair back from her face.

How the wind carries the scent of pine off the mountain...rushing over you gently.

The waters, the ripples, the feel of rock on the palm of your hand...the silver glisten.

Some miss clatter, chatter and fussing....others, the quiet, the cricket and the tick tock.

Some miss their breasts, some their teeth, others, miss faces lost in growing dusk.


We are all missing something, someone....


Some miss the toilet, erections and orgasms, the smell of baby powder....or sleep.

The aroma of morning resounding with coffee spoons tinkling white cups and saucers.

The pant of a dog, the tap dancing of four feet....the purr of contentment or the stretch of careless ease by a sunny window pane.

Some miss lips, others their once slimmer hips and some miss all the good tips.

Walking, running or the chance to go up...stairs, ladders and hillsides...are what some miss.

Combs, brushes, hair spray....no need for belts, or wigs, or making up excuses for the reason they are not there anymore....I guess some might not miss.

Some miss families...bedrooms, porches and swings....doors, couches and a place called home.

All of us are missing....someone, something...

-Eric Blauer 5.1.08