collages sold!

"in our image"

mixed media collage

gregory a. milinovich

"and love again"

mixed media collage

gregory a. milinovich

thanks to those of you who checked out my etsy site yesterday.  i sold these two collages, and am always happy when i know that some of my collages are finding a good home.  there are still 50 collages available at my shop, so if you haven't already, take a moment to check them out. 

***

in other news, we are having a big yard sale on saturday, so feel free to stop by and say hello.  if you are in need of an antique pepsi bottle, a laptop lock or a vinyl copy of petra's "captured in time and space" then this is the yard sale for you.  disclaimer: if you stop by and find something that you bought us is for sale, it is shannon's fault.  sorry.

***

hope you find a way to enjoy this incredibly gorgeous weekend. 

collage sale!

"enmity"                                                                                        "real-o-matic"

mixed media assemblage                                                               mixed media collage

gregory a. milinovich                                                                     gregory a. milinovich

"e.l.m.l."                                                                                             "boy in tree"
paper collage                                                                                      mixed media collage
gregory a. milinovich                                                                           gregory a. milinovich


so, as you know by now, we will be moving in a couple of months, and we have already begun the preparations.  part of those preparations are saving our money since we are going to be responsible to pay for a significant portion of the moving expenses as well as buy new furniture for the parsonage (since the new conference has different parsonage procedures for providing furniture).  so, in expecation of these increased cost, i am reminding you that i have an online store where you can purchase my art with a check or paypal account.  is this a shameless plug?  yeppers.  is it for a good cause?  you bet.

so just head over to agentorangerecords.etsy.com or click here and take a look at some of my work.  i just added more than 15 collages yesterday, and they range in price from $15 all the way up to over $100.  i slashed the price on some of the collages, but i know times are tight for everyone, so no pressure at all.  but if you've been thinking about buying one of my collages for awhile but have just been putting it off, now would be a great time to get that collage and help us out in the process.  if you see something you like, but would like to know more about it, or see more pics of it, please let me know.  also, if you see something you like but simply cannot afford it, i can always sell you an affordable print of it.  happy shopping!

finding my religion

you know, religion gets a bad rep these days.  i've said it countless times in my own ministry: following Jesus isn't about religion, it's about relationship.  we know that Jesus often railed against the religious leaders of his day.  and we have all learned that terrible - terrible - things have been done by "religious" people in the name of their religion.  many of us have hummed along with r.e.m. as they so poignantly defined the mood of a whole generation: "that's me in the corner, losing my religion..."  our culture has generally dismissed religion as a product of powerful organiztions, one that often tries to control and use others for the benefit of the few.  and this may not often be far from the truth.  so, the poor reputation isn't necessarily undeserved. 

and yet, there is something to be said for being religious, at least in the pure sense of the word.  i'm very religious.  about some things, that is.  take coffee, for example.  every morning of my life, i find a way to stumble to the kitchen, perform the necessary grindings and measurings and pourings in order to brew a pot of coffee.  it is all part of a ritual which involves planning and precision, dedication and commitment, money and time.  it is not something that i am mildly interested in, or even loosely attached to.  it is something that i religiously do every single day.  if something happens which disables me from having coffee, i am irritable, frustrated, and disoriented.  if i am in a new place where i can't go to my own kitchen and make my own coffee, i make it a point to find out where i can go to get some coffee.  it is quite simply a priority.  and a daily commitment.  it is, in the purest sense of the word, a religion to me. 

if only i was so religious about, well, my religion.  if only i was as dedicated and unswerving in my commitment to spend time studying Scripture and praying for others and serving others as i am in my commitment to a cup (or five) of joe every morning.  if only it was as important to me.  that's the kind of religion that is beautiful and valuable and full of integrity: the kind that you live out, not because you are trying to earn or prove something, but because you love it. 

so ask yourself...what are you religious about?  if not your relationship with God, then what?  do you need to reevaluate your priorities?  is american idol or dancing with the stars more important than the One who made the stars and told us to worship no idols?  are we as religious about our relationship with God as we are about our entertainment, our full bellies, or our caffeine fix? 

happy birthday, casey kasem

happy birthday, casey kasem.  you were born on this day in 1932, and the world just wouldn't be the same without you.  i mean, whole generations of kids would have grown up without the perfect voice for shaggy rogers from scooby doo.  without shaggy's pre-gen x apathy, where would we be?  but more importantly, where would any of us be without america's top 40?  i mean, the sweet vocal stylings of casey kasem saying, "we're counting down to the number one song in america," is something that can't really be described by mere language.  i spent many a sunday night in the mid-90's, next to my boombox, with my index finger poised on the pause button, ready to record "ice ice baby" on cassette, as soon as casey introduced in his signature way.  so happy birthday, casey kasem.  thanks for the memories.  keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars. 

cade's third birthday

so yesterday was cade's birthday and we celebrated on saturday with a small batman-themed party.  he has been on a batman kick for quite some time now, so i busted out the old batman/superman cake kit that my mom made me when i was a kid (it's from 1977, the year after i was born, so basically it is really old):

i had never made one of these before, but i thought it turned out ok for a first time.  that's right: i made the cake this time.  i know you all realize that shannon is the master cake-maker in our family, but i took the reins this time and knocked a pretty tasty and sweet-looking batman cake.  as you can see from my cake above, it sort of looks like batman has a growth on the left side of his abdomen, or an enlarged heart or something, so i'm hoping its not serious.  the good news is that almost every night before bed, cade says a prayer for batman and robin, so that should help. 

in any case we had a nice party, and Cade's favorite part, of course was opening his presents and then watching all the adults in the room struggle to remove the toys from the packaging. 

my parents were in town so they got to celebrate the little guy's third birthday with us, and that was fun, so we all had a good time.  he got pancakes for his birthday meal, since he seems to love pancakes and waffles, as much as anything, although it's hard to tell what his favorite is since he eats basically everything.  thanks for all the birthday wishes yesterday.  he is a blessed boy, and is a blessing beyond.

happy third birthday, caedmon

today is my little man's third birthday.  THIRD!!   i can't believe how quickly three years can go.  but i don't simply want to mourn how quickly the time has gone.  i really want to celebrate how wonderful those years have been.  life with cade is such an adventure, and such a joy.  so today we celebrate you, caedmon.  with your bright blue eyes, your love of batman, your propensity to hug, and your easy going nature.  if i could open up  the top of your head and make sure that there is one thing that is firmly seeded there, it would be this: that you know that your mother and i adore you and love you with a wild and unstoppable love.  you are our joy.  happy birthday, little boy.

why i celebrate earth day

this last thursday we celebrated earth day. 

every year at this time i pause long enough to consider my own assumptions about this planet, and about how my own behavior does or does not match my beliefs.  it seems to make sense to me, but each year i am also amazed at how some Christians get so upset about earth day.  i would explain here to you, in case you aren't aware of the diversity of Christian responses to this day, but to be honest with you, i don't really get it.  i know that the throngs of Christians get their "facts" from fox news, which has a deeply rooted political agenda, and therefore spins the truth to suit that agenda.  and people listen.  i also know that when it comes to the environment there is a deep fear in people - fear that things might have to change, or fear that a terrible disaster will happen, or that the government is going to take control of everything - and fear leads people to do, think and believe some crazy things.  and i also know that there are many Christians who just outright deny the idea that we should be worrying about the earth at all, because God will make a "new heaven and a new earth," so we should just let this one run its course. 

i had to face some of this righteous anger (fear?) the other day via the internet, even as i was getting the kids dressed to head to an earth day party.  the irony of it was striking to me.  i am a Christian leader, answering God's call on my life, trying to feed God's sheep, trying to lead us and move each of us towards being disciples of Jesus, and part of that means teaching my children to be good stewards of our resources.  but there are some (many?) Christians who don't see earth day as a way to do that.  they see it as a politically charged day of propaganda.  i guess i'm simple, but here's what i think.

God created the earth, and as a Divine Artist, God designed it carefully, adding a dash of color here and a bit of zest there.  God built all kinds of surprises into it, like the platypus, and the venus fly trap.  God played at it, making something so infinitely beautuiful until God finally stopped and called it all 'very good.' 

God says that the earth is "very good." 

what do i do with that, besides take care of this good thing that the Great Artist has created? 

but there's more than that.  Jesus, who i believe was God's own son, told us that the greatest things we could do would be to love God and love others.  as simple as that sounds, it manifests itself in a million different ways, and one of the ways has to do with the environment in which we live.  if I love God, i can show it by respecting the "very good" thing God has made.  and if i love my neighbor, i can show it by doing my part to make sure that they have clean air to breath, and clean water to drink. 

a concrete example: i love my wife.  and part of loving her means that i help provide a safe and good place for us to live.  together we make this happen.  we plant flowers and prune trees and sweep the floor.  when the garage gets full of leaves, i clean it out.  when the toilet gets...well, you get the idea.  we take care of our space, of our resources.  it's one way we show love to one another.  if we didn't keep it clean, or make it beautiful, it would send a different message, that we don't think one another (or ourselves) are worth taking care of, or making things beautiful for.  and that's the message we send to our neighbors in china when we send all of our electronic waste to be dumped there.  and that's the message we send to our children when we indiscriminately use electricity and batteries and power like it has no effects on anyone else.  when we are more thoughtful about our decisions; when we think about how our actions reflect love of God and neighbor, we may have to make more difficult and uncomfortable decisions, but we will make decisions that show love, which is what Jesus said was THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. 

so, there may be any number of political issues behind the facade of earth day.  but there are also all sorts of fears behind the Chrstian rejection of it.  and i believe that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.  we must face our own violent and insatiable consumerism and learn to tame it with a commitment to love God and love others with all our choices.  at least that's what i'm trying to do. 

the countdown is over

many of you realize that my almost perfect 2009 sports year didn't end with a good flavor.  while i got to enjoy the gators win a national championship, the steelers win the superbowl, the pens win the stanley cup, and the yankees win the world series, the steelers finished the year by falling into a terrible slump and sliding right out of a playoff spot.  at that time i wrote this post to talk about hwo bummed i was and to start a countdown to the 2010 nfl draft.  well, that moment arrived last night, and despite an awful offseason full of bad behavior, moral grandstanding, poor reporting, and rumor mongering, we have officially put an end to the 2009 season and are moving forward now. 

with the 18th pick in the first round, the steelers drafted maurkice pouncey,

a center from the university of florida who almost certainly be able to step in soon and improve our offensive line.  this is not a sexy pick by the steelers, but a very good one, in my opinion.  and as a steelers fan during this chapter of the franchise's history, i'll celebrate any good news i possibly can.  for example, i'm pretty sure big ben went to the sheetz station to get a few sandwiches and didn't assault anyone, or get charged for it, anyway.  so, that's the best news i've heard in awhile. 

anyway,  it's good to be a sports fan right now.  we got the yankees starting strong, the penguins in the playoffs, and the steelers making draft picks trying to recover from their turd of a year last year.  good times.

possible

"possible"

mixed media collage on canvas board

gregory a. milinovich

here is a collage i made a while back called "possible."  just a little visual reminder - at least to me - that each day is a canvas laden with possibility, with opportunity, and with potential. 

what will you make with your day? 

what will you do today? 

where will you go? 

who will you love, and how will you do it? 

how will your turn the darkness into light? 

how will you give thanks today, for most this amazing day? 

the possibilities are endless. 

i pray that, in whatever way is given to you,

you find a way to fly in this day. 

it is

possible.

a seed-sized bit

i'm pretty sure i must have at least ten posts on this blog dedicated to this very idea, but after the weekend i just had, i feel the need to remind anyone who is reading this of one of the fundamental truths of my faith:

that God is deeply, wildly, uncontrollably, and recklessly in love with you. 

i don't mean that God has to love you just because of the way the universe is set up or something.  i don't mean that God loves you with some distant cosmic love. 

i mean, quite literally, that God adores you.  i mean that God chooses you.  i mean that God looks at you and rejoices in you.  that God's heart beats faster at the sight of you.  that God can't stop thinking about you.  i mean that God loves you with the kind of love that cannot be stopped by distance or by time or by death or by anything else.  from the moment that God began carefully designing you, until this very moment, God has been passionately pursuing you, calling you closer and closer.  this love is not tame.  it is not normal.  it is not manageable.  it is not trite.  it is not forced.  it is not routine. 

it is crazy.  it is relentless.  it is religious, in the best sense of the word.  it is full and wide and tall and enormous and yet focused directly on you, and every little thing about you.  it is just about unspeakable and pretty much unbelievable. 

but if we can believe it at all, even just a little bit, like a tiny seed-sized bit, it can change our whole lives, moving any obstacles in our lives, and transforming us. 

two months from today i will be preaching my final sermon at clinton united methodist church, a place where i have been preaching for nearly four years.  i have already been thinking about what my final words will be.  what will i say that will be a worthy bookend to my ministry here?  what words will encapsulate the truth i've been proclaiming for four years?  what is the fundamental truth that i believe people desperately need to hear and that i desperately need to tell? 

it's simple: God loves you.  with a love that is deeper than you can ever dream or imagine or understand, God loves you.  i pray you would come to know it, even in just a seed-sized way. 

were not our hearts burning within us?

well, i'm back from my walk to emmaus.  if you've never been on a walk to emmaus retreat, i HIGHLY recommend it.  seriously.  i have been on one before, and this time i was serving as a volunteer, but it was still an incredible experience.  however, i am exhausted this morning.  i got home from the retreat last evening, ready to eat some dinner, and then realized that i was having blood work done this morning, so i had to fast.  so, i haven't eaten in a while, and i'm groggy, and my stomach hurts from laughing so much.  it's been a great weekend.  check back tomorrow for a more regular agent orange post.  i'm just too wiped today. 

away message

just letting you know that you won't be hearing from me from thursday through sunday.  have a blessed weekend. 

easter egg hunt, 2010

we had our annual easter egg hunt this year, and it netted a few digital memories for posting in scrapbooks, but it is hard to capture on camera the furious joy of children just released on a mission to find small plastic eggs.  if i told them that baseball-sized diamonds had been hidden throughout the yard, they would not have been nearly as excited.  i guess, it's a matter of perspective.  if you told me that we were going to have an "easter steelers-memoribilia hunt" i suppose i would be the one running around like a bunny on amphetamines. 

israel recap: the windows of the holy land

after my trip to the holy land, i promised you that i would write one final post to sort of wrap up my whole experience there, and although it has taken awhile, i am finally delivering on that promise. 

while our time there was a whirlwind of activity and a bullrush of information, i spent enough time looking through windows into the past, windows into my own assumptions, and windows into the bible that some light certainly made its way through.  beyond simply having a good time and experiencing a different part of the world, i was both blessed and challenged in deeper ways. 

one of the great blessings was experiencing what many have called "the fifth gospel," referring to the incredible visual-ness of being there.  it is one thing to read that Jesus was baptized in the jordan river; it is quite another thing to actually reach down and touch its water.  it is something amazing to read that Jesus turned water into wine, it is something altogether different to spend an hour in the town where it happened.  i felt simiilar experiences every day: in bethlehem, in jerusalem, on the sea of galilee, in the wilderness, on the mount of olives, and so forth.  one of the great blessings of this trip is that the bible leaps to life, as if brought from black and white to full screen high defintion technicolor.  like i am dorothy and i have just landed in oz, opened the doors and discovered that the bible is full of colors i had never imagined!  it is a kind of biblical awakening that all Christians would be blessed to experience, i think. 

another of the blessings/challenges of the trip was the learning i was able to do in regards to the relationship between palestine and the nation of israel.  while i have heard this stuff on the news, i regret to admit that i was largely ignorant of the real issues at stake.  being there, meeting both israelis and palestinians, seeing the complicated issues that define the conflicts, i became acutely aware of the problems they are facing there, and how they are often misrepresented and misinterpreted by the media here in the states.  i learned a great deal about the need not only for peace, but also for justice.  i was reminded of the blatant hypocrisy of praying for peace without doing anything to actually live for justice.  for the oppressed and the oppressor. 

finally, i got to go to the holy land and meet Jesus again.  walking down the mount of olives where Jesus once rode a donkey, it was nearly impossible not to see with new eyes the loaded significance of that moment.  i got to ride across the sea of galilee and see the land (and water!) Jesus walked.  i got to go to nazareth and see the land of his youth.  i got to go to the wilderness and see the land of his retreat.  i got to go to jerusalem and see the maze where his ministry made him a criminal.  i got to go to a place where i was able to stand up on my tippy-toes and look through windows which revealed a different side of Jesus: a political Jesus who wasn't ignoring rome, but was choosing non-violent ways of challenging their oppression.  here is a savior who not only prayed for peace, but sought justice without violence.  he healed instead of breaking.  he taught love, not hand to hand combat.  he wanted righteousness, not religious bravado.  he wanted real Truth to set people free, not another rebellion to replace one oppressive government with another one.  he taught us about a new kind of kingdom.  one where weakness turns out to be strength.  one where death turns out to be life.  one where hope never fails us because death doesn't have the final word.  for now, paul reminds us, we see it dimly, like looking through a thick and smudged window, but one day we shall see this kingdom clearly, and it will all make sense: it is a kingdom of love. 

for now, though, we look through whatever windows we can find, hoping to catch a glimpse of this kingdom, and the One who founded it.  thanks for taking the time to look with me.  and someday, when i go back to the holy land, i hope you'll come with me, so we can look even more closely together. 

grace|peace,
greg.

not heroes.

amidst the cardboard chaos that we call home these days (we're packing, and there are boxes everywhere), my body has decided that it is a good time to get sick.  i don't feel as bad as death, let's say, but i don't feel good either.  and i don't' have much of a voice.  mostly i can just sort of bark like a seasick seal.  it's not pretty. 

but in the middle of all of this, i took some time to reflect on what the heck is going on with my beloved pittsburgh steelers, and just wanted to note that here on my blog today (even though i know most of you detest these sports posts and would rather see adorable pictures of my kids). 

first of all, i woke up yesterday morning with the anticipation of waiting to hear from a district attorney in georgia about the case against our franchise quarterback, ben roethlisberger.  i knew that the announcement was supposed to come sometime yesterday about whether or not they would be pursuing criminal charges against him for sexual assualt/rape.  but before i even had a change to find out what time the presser was scheduled for, i received a text which told me that one of our star recievers, the mvp of superbowl XLIII had been traded to the jets, and all we got for him was a fifth round pick. 

so i spent the morning trying to not sound like a trapped wildebeast, working to make sense of the santonio holmes trade, and waiting for news on big ben.  at two o'clock the district attorney from georgia got on TV and, altough you could tell he wanted nothing more than to prosecute ben's butt, he told the world that he did not have enough hard evidence and that "we do not prosecute morals, we prosecute crimes."  the outcome was great for ben, but the message was clear: ben roethlisberger did something bad, and he is only walking away from this because there wasn't enough evidence to prove it. 

later in the day the ownership issued a statement that essentially said that ben will still have a price to pay, whether that gets levied by the league or by the team, and that he has a great deal of work to do to earn back the trust of the organization, his teammates, and the fan base.  and then ben, looking like a total creeper, also issued a statement,

saying that he wants to make things right and earn back people's trust. 

all of this, together with other recent stories, like those about tiger woods, cause me to remember that these guys are not heroes; they are just guys.  some of them are great guys.  some of them are not so great guys.  some of them make great choices.  some of them make good choices most of the time.  and some of them have made some really terrible choices.  like me. 

that's right.  i've made some pretty bad choices in my life.  but i've been fortunate because i've never had those choices broadcast on national tv and scrolling across the news ticker in times square.  i've never had to get up in front of cameras, facing my shame, and committing to changing my ways.  i don't approve of ben roethlisberger's lifestyle right now.  in fact, i'm disgusted by what he has done and who he has become.  but i also feel bad for him.  it's one thing to face the consequences of your actions.  it's another thing to do it in front of so many people. 

and one more thing: i truly hope that he can get his life changed.  i hope that this very public brokenness leads to some real serious change in his life.  not for the steelers' sake.  but for his sake. 

as a fan of the steelers, i will still root for ben to do well on the field.  but as a human, i will be rooting for ben to do well off the field.  which, in the end, is way more important. 

saturday song: spring

well, with my soul still rejoicing every time i wake up and discover that it isn't 29 degrees and snowing, i thought i would share a song with you today about spring.  unfortunately, i can't find any videos of it on youtube, and i don't have the time to make one.  however, if you click here, it will take you to a webpage where you can just hit play on the little gray media bar right under the name of the song. 

the song is called spring, and it is by a folk singer named richard shindell, whom i have had the pleasure to see in concert.  this song has a decidedly irish tint to it, as it celebrates the rebirth of the world out of the brokenness of winter.  great song.  here are the lyrics:

Spring

from Somewhere Near Paterson

The day will begin like any other
Another sunrise in the east
It will reach across and touch you like a lover
It will tease you from a dream

And opening your eyes you will surrender
To the light that fills the room
And the hope that you have carried since September
You will offer up to June

Maybe will be certain
You can take it as a vow
Winters just the curtain
Spring will take the bow

Looking out your window you will wonder
At the blooming in your yard
And evry opening flower will be a mirror
Of the quickening in your heart

The day will begin like any other
Another sunrise in the east
It will reach across and touch you like a lover
It will tease you from a dream

Maybe will be certain

You can take it as a vow
Winters just the curtain
Spring will take the bow

it's all a matter of perspective

wow.  that's amazing.  how is that guy holding the sun? 

of course this is a ridiculous question because as you look at this picture your brain is able to do the necessary calculations to determine that what you are seeing here is actually physically impossible, but is instead a visual trick based on the position of the sun, the man, and you.

it's all a matter of perspective. 

and it really is.  my dad used to say this line all the time when we were growing up.  i would be fiercely trying to defend my black and white, categorized version of the world and dad would sometimes simply shrug and say, "it's all a matter of perspective." 

i hated that, but as i have gotten older, i have...well....changed my perspective on that.  i think he's right.  things can look very different depending on where you are standing.  take a look at this, for example.  how comfortable would you be using this bathroom?

i mean, who wants to use a toilet with glass walls in the middle of the city?  no way you drop your pants here (if so, you have other issues you probably need to sort out).  but what if you look at it the whole thing from another angle.  here's a picture from outside the bathroom. 

that's right.  it is made of mirrors.  one way mirrors, to be exact.  what looked to be see-through from the inside is actually impossible to see through from the outside.  just a silly example, but the world is full of situations that seem to look one way from where you are standing, but might look entirely different if you

would only move a bit.  it's all a matter of perspective. 

tonight at our reel life: discussions on film and faith program we'll be viewing the film vantage point, which is the story of an assassanation attempt as seen through the eyes of several different witnesses.  each time we see the events played out from a different perspective we get more and different information.  fascinatingly, no one really has the complete story.  it is only by combining all the different perspectives that we get a full version of the story. 

all of this is really interesting when i look at it through a safely objective lens, but what happens if i aim that lens at me?  what if i move from discussing a truth to asking myself the difficult question about how it is true for me?  what happens if i ask myself the question: how does my own perspective affect the way i understand and treat others?  do i adequately leave room for the way others may be viewing things from their perspectives? 

so think about a particularly difficult or annoying situation/person in your life right now.  have you stopped to consider where you're standing?  what's your vantage point?  what about another character in the story?  have you tried standing where they are?  how does that change the outlook?  i recommend you do this before forming impassioned and "objectively true" opinions that you treat as gospel.  walk around the situation first.  get a different look at it.  and remember, as dad always used to say, "it's all a matter of perspective." 

another random wednesday

hey there...it's a random wednesday!  some of you have told me that these random "stream of conciousness" posts are your favorite, so who am i to stop now?  i'll keep them coming when i can!

first of all, the yankees evened out their record to 1-1 after a 6-4 win over the red sox lasts night.  i must say that with baseball being back, and the weather in new jersey weighing in at about 85 degrees, it feels like summer.  and that is okay with me.  i have missed you, baseball.  welcome back. 

this year for lent i taught a class at church called "chocolate for lent," which used the movie chocolat to explore several lenten themes like sacrfice, hospitality, change and spiritual growth.  i had nearly 20 regulars who took the course, and i really enjoyed the weekly dialogue as we grew together as a group.  last night we ended the course with a chocolate themed dinner, complete with a chocolate fountain, and a couple of entrees made with chocolate (chicken mole and a balsamic beef with semi-sweet chocolate).  yum.  it was a great night of yumminess, as well as a good way to finish our journey through lent with a focus on how God wants us to change.

what does it mean to "get a leg up?"

currently listening to: the avett brothers "four thieves gone"

this friday at our reel life: discussions on film and faith we will be watching vantage point and discussing how our perspective can make such a difference in how we interpret events and relationships and even scripture.  should be an interesting conversation.  if you're in the clinton area, come and join us at 12 halstead street in clinton at 6pm

if someone came to my son cade and offered that he could become batman if only he would sell his soul, i'm pretty sure he would take that deal in a heartbeat.  here is a picture of him from last weekend out in public. 

we've been attacked the last week or so by a battalion of what appears to be an infinite number of tiny ants.  i'm not talking about the big fat juicy ants that crunch when you step on them, or even the mid-sized, better-gas-mileage brown and red ants that you see in your garden.  i'm talking about ants the size of grains of sand, and just as numerous.  they're very entertaining for the kids, who like to look for them and squish them with their little fingers, but these ants emit a foul odor when you crush them.  we've set ant traps and sprayed all over the house, but so far we haven't had much luck.  any ideas on how to get rid of the world's largest army of sand ants?  help!

if you're a sigur ros fan, you might want to check out lead singer jonsi's new album "go" which came out yesterday.  it is $7 at amazon.  good stuff.

we are currently beginning the stressful stuff of moving.  this week we are meeting with three different moving companies who will be giving us estimates.  since we are moving out of conference this time, we will have to pay for a third of the move.  plus, the two conferences have different rules for what churches are supposed to provide as far as furniture is concerned, so we will be moving to a house that has no furniture.  this means that we need a dining room table and chairs, and a whole living room suit as well.  so, needless to say, we are searching craig's list pretty hard.  the whole prospect of packing and buying furniture and making decisions about what to keep/get rid of is overwhelming me right now.  it just feels too big.  we did get started, though, packing a few boxes.  and so it begins. 

so if you've got some extra boxes, or a nice couch that you'd like to sell, let us know.  we're in the market.  we are also looking for indentured servants.  : )

have a great - and focused - wednesday,

greg.

my easter boys: lookin' good

here are a few pictures from easter morning around our house.  of course we had family visiting so above you see jack and cade with a couple of their cousins.  everyone looked sharp and enjoyed the amazing weather and the joy of the day.  i can't believe how old my boys are looking!  yikes...

lent collages 2010: go tell peter

"lent 2010: go tell peter"

7/7

mixed media collage on hardcover book panel

gregory a. milinovich

well, this final collage wraps up my series of 7 lenten collages.  as you may remember, this was my exercise for lent this year: rather than giving something up i committed to making one collage for each week of lent which specifically dealt with the text we were dealing with in worship that week.  for this final week we looked at mark 16:1-8 in which the women discover the empty tomb and the angel tells them that Jesus is risen and that they should go tell the disciples and peter. 

strange, in a way, that the gospel writers would include peter's name specifically.  but when you consider that the last time we saw peter he was denying Jesus, it may not be all that difficult to understand.  this emphasis on peter is expressing the truth that the great power of the cross is forgiveness.  God wants peter to know that even though he failed, that is not the end of the story.  even though Jesus was dead, that was not the end of the story.  the story doesn't end with sin.  it continues with forgiveness. 

but it doesn't end there, either.  even if we've experienced the almost unbelievable forgiveness that Christ offers us, that's not the end.  i am struck by the fact that we may also be given the charge to "go tell peter," that there may be several people in our own lives who are desperately in need of some good news of forgiveness.  we need to hurry from the grace places in our lives and start living this message of forgiveness in a way that others can experience it, too.  we need to go tell peter. 

i hope and pray you've enjoyed these collages through lent.  i've enjoyed making and sharing them, and it's been a really life-giving part of my own spiritual journey over these 6 weeks.  i trust you had a blessed easter, and that you won't forget about it like a discarded egg shell.  hold on to your hope.  live an easter life. 

our hope

life bursts forth in every nook and cranny of this broken world,

like a broken savior,

barely contained by a cold dark tomb.

life - love - always wins. 

happy easter.

unimaginable words

very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. but God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  -romans 5:8

my prayer is that as you move about whatever activities you have planned for this friday, that you would at least take a moment to let those unimaginable words sink into your soul in a new way.  this day is not just another friday.  it is not just a holy day from a bygone era.  and it is not just an excuse to use images of brutal violence for evangelistic purposes.  this day, this good friday, is a day to recognize that God with skin on did not cling to his God-ness, but sacrificed it, and not only that, but sacrficed even his human life, revealing a love wider and higher and deeper and broader and wilder than we can possibly imagine.  it is unimaginable.  and it is for me, the chief of sinners.  and it is for you, too.  as unimaginable as that seems, i pray you will take the time today to consider it...to be thankful for it...to wonder at it...and to ponder how your life might be a response to such an unbelievable love. 

muscle man

happy april fool's day!