Terry Esau

Family

Terry@TerryEsau.com (Terry Esau) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 15:42:00 +0000

Yesterday we celebrated my dad's 89th birthday and mom and dad's 61st wedding anniversary. (The actually date is Halloween...that's right my dad was born on Halloween and they got married on Halloween. His less than endearing joke is "I married a witch on Halloween and she's been Gobblin up my money ever since." He's 89, cut him some slack.) It was a pretty cool day.
This morning I wrote an email to my family. Here are those thoughts.
Hey family,
Just wanted to say how much I (we) enjoyed being with you all yesterday. Like I told Dianne in an email this morning, we may have a quirky family, but it's a darned good one. There was something that felt durable yesterday--I could sense the history as mom and dad told (at length) the story of their first meeting, and then seeing little Sam running around with his odd dancing/prancing run oblivious to what was going on--just being, in the safety of our family.

I love that our family is a safe place to be. (Well, it was safe for most everyone but Ryan. Dude, when the first political ball gets lobbed into the air, you need to run for cover. Three or four generations from now, with the dilution of the gene pool, your great grandchildren might be able to sit around a table and talk politics without fear of bodily harm, but that time hasn't come yet.)

Actually, I saw something that really warmed my heart. After one of the particularly forceful barrages, Ryan got up to dab his bloodied nose and was standing by the kitchen door. I then saw DeVon get up and go over there and put his arm around Ryan. That spoke loudly...a father and son who strongly disagree on 'red and blue,' and yet it doesn't affect their relationship, it doesn't hold any power to diminish their love for each other. That was a cool picture of why I think our family is durable--disagreements are distantly peripheral to our love and commitment to one another.)

The commitment of mom and dad to each other for 61 years of marriage! The commitment of dad, who at 89 years old still prays for each of us by name every day. That's a bull horn that reminds me to live a life of humble love.

So, I just wanted to say that I'm proud to be blood with you all. Proud to call you my family.
Terry

Horsies, fishies, and stogies

Terry@TerryEsau.com (Terry Esau) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:02:00 +0000

Last weekend I was part of a men's retreat in Jackson Hole, Wyoming...man camp. It was a variety of outdoor adventures surrounded by great discussion and spiritual digging. Our first day we went fly fishing, floating down the Snake river in Grand Teton National Park. I caught four or five fish. Check out this trout.

Oh, I thought you might enjoy a self-portrait...kinda vacuous, huh?

The second day we went horseback riding up in the mountains...way cool. Here's me and my ride, Gillian.

Here's our horses...weirdest thing, as soon as I pulled out the camera they turned their backs to me. Notice Oscar, with his tail in the air...not sure what he was trying to tell me.

Here's Steve and Pat. We all determined they pulled of the cowboy thing better than the rest of us.

We wrapped up our evenings by doing something a bit odd...we'd fire up our stogies and go lie down in the middle of the paved road and stare at the stars. (Traffic is pretty sparse, only one vehicle came by in the two nights we did this. Of course, I think that driver was pretty curious about why a bunch of grown men were, uh, reclining on the pavement at midnight.) I've got to tell you, I've never seen so many stars. Shooting stars! It was like God was showing off. (I wrote a chapter about this in my last book, check it out.)

The last day we hiked up into the Tetons. Breathtaking! Feet got a bit sore.

We came across this mountain lake with a huge boulder along the shore. We climbed about thirty feet up, stripped to our boxers and jumped. Well, technically, Pat appears to be in 'tighty-whities.' Here we are posing. That water was ridiculously cold!

We wrapped up our last night with a prayer time and communion at this cool log-cabin church in the foothills. The front wall of the chapel was a glass wall with a cross looking up at the Tetons. It was almost as if you could feel God walking about, enjoying it all.

Our trip ended Blazing Saddles style, with beans around the campfire. Okay, actually it ended with a buffalo steak at the Cowboy Bar downtown Jackson Hole. Real cowboys? Uh, no.

President Jesus?

Terry@TerryEsau.com (Terry Esau) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 20:06:00 +0000

A local radio station asked me to be part of a discussion today on Christians and politics. I couldn't do the show, but I wrote something for them to read. Check it out.

Here are a few of my thoughts on this election…for what they’re worth.

I love this country. I love our system of government. And I try to love the people who run our government, (admittedly with sporadic success) including the ones I disagree with.

But something is desperately broken.

Somehow we've stopped being a people who dream, and have become a people who control, and manipulate, and spin, and blame, and posture. Candidates don't campaign for election anymore, they petition for the demise of their opponent. They say, "I'd like your vote, but more importantly here are 5 reasons why we need to bring down Senator Know-Nothing.”
“Of the people, by the people, and for the people” has become “Patronize the people, target-market the people, and harvest the voting-blocks of people.”

But we can’t lay all the blame on the politicians. Our blindfolds are self-constructed and self-applied.

We know what we're against more than what we're for. We fall for prime-time personalities when we should be seeking out humble, authentic altruism. We opt for slick personas rather than passionate character. We rarely listen to and deliberate contrary opinions. Intellectual arrogance is epidemic, and it most often finds it’s greatest patriotism in the company of ignorance.

Both parties seem to share equally in this subterfuge. It even appears, for the most part, that Christ-followers fare little better when it comes to campaign integrity.

Still, I can’t help but wonder, how would Jesus run a campaign? (Assuming he would actually ‘run’ for office)
It seems to me he would:
Talk straight without talking down
Disagree without belittling
Contradict without slandering
Own his words, not spin them
Serve people, not segment them
Demonstrate a hope deeper than simply lowering taxes
Demonstrate a currency of love that dwarfs handouts and bailouts
Demonstrate a charity that feeds children—all of them
Institute an economy of grace void of ledgers
Wash the feet of detractors, not wash his hands of responsibility

I wonder if he would get distracted by children, and ask them what they needed, what they wanted? I wonder if he’d forego speeches to sit with the homeless and brainstorm with the entrepreneurs?

I wonder if he might run on a platform he laid out years ago…”Love God, Love people.” Period.

I wonder what it would be like if America ran on the fuel of love—if our politicians chose to be the greatest champions of that fuel?

I suspect we would once again be the nation of great hope for the world…or better yet, we could legitimately point to the Source of that hope. Maybe we could even say, “In God we trust.”

Props from my friend Sooz

Terry@TerryEsau.com (Terry Esau) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 21:51:00 +0000

My friend and fellow author, Susan Meissner, just wrote a very nice blurb about my latest book on her blog. (Hmmm, I've been blurbed on a blog. That's gonna leave a mark.) Check it out.

http://susanmeissner.blogspot.com

And then check out her brand spanking new book, The Shape of Mercy. I just 'one-clicked' it on Amazon.

Breathing Lessons-Conversation Starter #1

Terry@TerryEsau.com (Terry Esau) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 16:20:00 +0000

Hey Breathing Lessons Class (and anyone else who drops in),
Here's our first mid-week conversation starter. After reading it, bop the comment button and throw some ideas at it. Let's see where this goes. (If you arrived here and don't know what this Breathing Lessons class is all about, check it out in my Events Calendar and come join us every Sunday, 10:45 AM at the Gleason Lake Elementary School cafeteria on Hwy 101 just north of Hwy 12 in Wayzata.)
Here's the article. Enjoy. See you all on Sunday morning.
Terry
"Compartmentalization"

Everything in the Kingdom of God Building

Compartmentalization
Def. - Dividing something into separate areas or categories.

I came across a story that fits into what we’ve been talking about in class. It talks about how we become ingrown and consumed by an "our own kind" mentality. It's from a book by John Fisher titled, "True Believer's (Don't) Ask Why."

Everything-in-the-Kingdom-of-God Building

there was a man named joe. he had pretty much come to the end of his rope. he had lost all hope. there was no purpose. no meaning. he was completely disenchanted with all that life had to offer him. basically, the music had died!
so he went walking. not going anywhere in particular, just aimlessly wandering through the countryside hoping that maybe, just maybe, he'd find a glimpse of something that might give him a reason to live again. after walking for days, or maybe weeks, he was coming to the top of a hill and he thought he heard music. "couldn't be," he thought. the music had died! but when he reached the top of the hill the music was even stronger and it seemed to be coming from a huge barn down the road. as he got closer the barn turned out to be this gigantic building, a campus of sorts, all under one roof with a hundreds of rooms.
now he could hear the music clearly. it was soothing, peaceful. the lyrics were hopeful and talked about a dream. as joe approached the front door of the building he noticed a sign over the door that read, "welcome to the everything-in-the-kingdom-of-god building."
"oh no," thought joe. this is just what i need. he knew he was vulnerable. and he didn't want to turn to "religion" like a rebound from a former lover. but...he couldn't deny the appeal. a whole group of people from the building saw him outside the door and they welcomed him like he was their long-lost friend. they were so friendly. he felt very welcome and wanted.
well...joe bit. his needy, thirsty soul drank up every drop of living water he could get into his cup...and he was ushered into the huge building in a state of complete spiritual euphoria. in short, joe fell in love with jesus.
for several years he moved from room to room in this huge building finding out more and more about the wonders of the kingdom of god.
but that was twenty years ago now, and once again, joe is restless. in twenty years, he's been through so many rooms in the "everthing-in-the-kingdom-of-god building that he wonders if there is more. each time he had moved from one room to another he had been surprised to find the building grow.
there had been the "born again" room where he was baptised and educated in the elementary doctrines of the faith. he spent most of his time in this room. 7 years. and he had some of his fondest memories of this room.
but after 7 years the room had started to get crowded, and joe wanted to move on in his christian life. that's when someone introduced him to the "second-blessing room." here he learned there was more to being a christian than just being saved. he learned to praise god like he never had before. coupled with this room was the "rapture room." it had a big rapture clock on the wall and daily seminars on the latest scholarly updates concerning the return of christ.
after all those seminars on prophecy, however, joe noticed he was hungry for the word. he realized there was so much he didn't know. fortunately he found the "discipleship room." here he immersed himself in biblical truth. there were seminars, notebooks, textbooks, lectures, small group discussions, weekend retreats; and joe soaked up everything he could get.
the next room was the biggest surprise. joe had no idea such a room could exist in the kingdom of god. maybe he had o.d.'d on spiritual truth...whatever, he landed squarely in the "apathy room"...in the basement. even though it wasn't a great experience he did find out that even there god was with him.
the next room was great...and joe was ready. this was to be the most exciting time since the "born again" room. the "renewal room." he loved the planning and the preparation that went into going back out on the streets to spread the news of the kingdom. they talked renewal; they talked about exploding evangelism; they talked about taking it to the streets. joe couldn't wait to get going,...but...then, something terrible happened. after all their training and preparation, they never made it to the streets. it seemed they had come so far into the building that no one knew how to get out.
now joe reached his lowest point in 20 years. he was bored to death drinking "christian" non-alchoholic beer in the "christian culture room." unable to find their way back to the world, all the christians have decided to create their own version of the world where they can be christians and still enjoy as much as they possibly can of the world. to joe, this is like one big decaffeinated experience. there are tv monitors with three christian networks playing at once. christian aerobics are being held continuously in one corner. there are christian music listening stations everywhere, and christian theater playing in another corner. the place is swarming with chiropractors, nutritionists, body builders, fashion experts, color consultants, psychologists, lawyers, doctors, and professional people of every kind....all operating strictly for christians in the kingdom of god.
joe sits on the floor, leaning against an old red and white banner that resembles a coca cola ad. only this one reads: "jesus is the real thing." he thinks back to that day twenty years ago when the music died. sadly he listens to all the music blaring in this room and realizes that it sounds almost as dead as the old music. in fact the old music actually seems better in his memory, for at least it was honest. it was about a dream that failed, but it was a real hope. this music is about a dream that he knows has come true, but the way it expresses that hope fails to convince him.
his spirit cries out from within him, "god, is this it? is this all there is in your kingdom?"
unable to help himself, joe picks up his guitar and starts singing one of those old songs that seem strangely appropriate: "bye, bye, miss american pie."
suddenly...joe stops. he feels a draft on the floor behind him from underneath the jesus is the real thing banner. what can this be, he wonders. crouching low to see under the banner, he discovers what looks like a crack made by the bottom of a door. squeezing behind the banner, he finds not only a door, but an unlocked door...something he hasn't found in twenty years in this building. all the other doors have doorkeepers.
joe quietly slips into the next room and discovers a musty old back room full of theater props, podiums, choir robes, broken pinball machines...most of the stuff no longer in service. there is no light on in the room; he can see, but barely. he searches to find the source of light and discovers, to his amazement, that it's coming from under two big double doors in the opposite wall.
joe recognizes it immediately as sunlight. these doors go outside!!! trembling, he gently pushes the long handle and the doors swing open, bathing him in blinding sunshine. it's been 20 years since he's seen the outside world.
slowly, as his eyes adjust to the light, he begins to make out the ridge of a hill opening into a wide valley. a stream runs through the middle of the valley, glistening in the sun. and beyond the stream, through a hazy sky, he can see the faint outline of a city. it all looks so good to him...even the smog. he wants to open his heart, to shout, to sing; ... but suddenly his mind grips down on this freedom, holding it hard and throwing it to the ground before him.
"how can i feel this way? my heart belongs to the lord, yet it's leaping at seeing the world outside." he stands frozen in the doorway. he thinks of his old friends...all the people he's lost touch with. he wonders how god could allow his heart to long for something his mind tells him is wrong.
he looks up and cries, "god, speak to me! what are you trying to say? why do i feel so torn? how can i go back inside when i feel as if you're calling me out? but how could you call me out of your kingdom? whose voice is this, god? speak to me. speak to me."
his eyes open from his prayer and immediately fall on something he didn't see before in the faint light of the room...there, over the door. it's a sign like all the other signs over all the other doors in this building. these double doors to the outside have been labeled. joe can make out a few letters but with all the dust and cobwebs, the whole title is unintelligible.
quickly he piles up a couple of wooden crates, finds a broom, and scrambling up, begins brushing off the sign over this unused exit.
what he uncovers brings unspeakable joy and resolve to his torn heart. in an instant, god has answered his prayer.
the sign simply reads:
EVERYTHING ELSE IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD!

----------------------------------------------------------------

Now all the choices are ours. Do I want to continue to integrate my spiritual beliefs with my everyday life, or do I segregate them…live in a compartmentalized way?

1 Corinthians 10:31b “…so whatever you do, do it ALL for the glory of God.”

Conclusions:
You are who you are…all the time. There is no such thing as the EKG Building!!
Don’t talk more ‘religious’ when you’re in church. Talk at the level of faith you own.
Don’t talk less ‘Christian’ when you’re with your non-Christian friends, that’s not being true to what you believe.

if we know god—have a growing intimate relationship with him, we'll be unable to live within the confines of a "building." like joe, we'll want to see the sunlight and the smog! we'll be dying to rub shoulders with the sinners of the world...who, incidentally, look a lot like us! we should be more spiritually excited to leave church than to come!! the game is out there. this is just practice.

Story about me in local newspaper

Terry@TerryEsau.com (Terry Esau) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 14:37:00 +0000

One of the local newspapers did a story on me this past week. Check it out at...
http://www.weeklynews.com/main.asp?SectionID=10&SubSectionID=10&ArticleID=5099
(BTW, she quotes me as saying I was "grazed in gratitude." What I actually said was I was "glazed in gratitude." Subtle, but different.
If you're local and want to be part of this Breathing Lessons class every Sunday, check out the events section of my website for details. (www.terryesau.com) I'd love to see you there.

Who stole summer?

Terry@TerryEsau.com (Terry Esau) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 14:16:00 +0000

Yesterday I noticed the shadows in our front yard are getting really long. Check it out.

That means that this is a couple of weeks away.

Which means that this is just a couple of months away.

Just call me Debby Downer.

Rock 'N Roll Prodigy

Terry@TerryEsau.com (Terry Esau) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:25:00 +0000

Sunday night my punk nephew won third place in the state fair talent contest. Connor is amazing. Here's a picture of him with his trophy striking a pose he learned from Jack Black. (Admit it, you've done that in front of a mirror too.) If you want to watch a video of him from the fair, search 'Holy Orders at the fair' on YouTube. Rock on.

Learning to Breathe

Terry@TerryEsau.com (Terry Esau) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:18:00 +0000

Starting this Sunday, September 7th, 10:45 AM, I will be teaching a weekly, four-month-long class for Wayzata Evangelical Free Church. I'm calling it Breathing Lessons. Every Sunday, now through December, I will be teaching on this concept and telling stories from my last two books as well as bringing in guests to tell their stories of a real, live, breathing faith in action. We're going to get hands-on too...exhaling God's love in some surprising/fun ways. For those of you who are local, come join us! I'm convinced this is going to be a hoot.
(FYI, our class will be meeting two blocks away from the church in the cafeteria of Gleason Lake Elementary School. Here's the website for Wayzata Free Church for more info and directions: http://www.wayzatafree.org)

Bacon Bits

Terry@TerryEsau.com (Terry Esau) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:54:00 +0000

Yesterday Mary and I went to the state fair. I had a live radio interview to do there so we decided to make a day of it.
The interview went well, the food was great...but the highlight? ---we saw a bunch of piglets being born. That mother spit out twelve squealing little ham dinners faster than you could say, "Mmmmm, bacon." (BTW, the newest food on a stick this year--chocolate covered bacon. Nope, didn't try it.)
At one point during the birth, my wife Mary snidely said, "Those piglets couldn't have been more than two pounds each. Big deal. I don't know what that mother was whining about." She's got a point. Plus their heads were MUCH smaller.'
Anyhow, here is a three part sequence of the second little oinker getting pulled out. (The first one came out fine, but the vet had to 'go in after' the second one. Spelunking at it's worst. Yikes.) Notice the vet holding up the piglet in the third pic.
And I thought my proctologist had a crappy job.

Okoboji stories

Terry@TerryEsau.com (Terry Esau) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:52:00 +0000

I had a great time speaking at the Okoboji Lakes Conference this month...just thought I'd share a couple of stories from that week.

I told you the story of Doris and her 'brownies,' (see earlier entry) but this woman was full of stories. Did I mention that when she goes on vacation she takes her house keys and drops them off at church, and then instructs the staff that anyone...anyone who needs a place to stay while she's away has free usage of her home. She said someone asked, "What about those really expensive red goblets you have--aren't you worried someone will break them?" Doris said, "If that was going to stop me, I would haul them out to my driveway right now and smash 'em all and be done with it." You gotta like Doris.

Another woman--I'll call her Susan--told our whole class on Monday about being abused as a child. She told of moving 42 times to stay ahead of her abusers, protecting not only herself, but later her children. She talked about the poverty she has endured. She told us how she wanted to 'surprise' her daughter after all this 'talk of Surprise Me and Be the Surprise,' so on Wednesday she handed her 13 year old daughter a twenty dollar bill...twenty dollars she really couldn't afford to part with. She told her daughter, "This is yours to spend any way you like. I wish I could do this for you more often, but I can't. Go, have fun." She assumed her daughter would run out and buy a new top or something. A bit later her daughter came and asked if Susan would go with her to the book store. Book store? Sure.

When she got there her daughter picked out a teen Bible she said she wanted to buy, but never had the money. She bought it.
Susan said, 'That was the last thing in the world I thought she would choose to buy. I'm so glad I got 'nudged' to give her the $20.'

Also, on Monday, Susan said that because of her past, she allows no one to touch her and she touches no one. Jokingly I said, "On Thursday I'm going to shake your hand, and if that goes well, on Friday I'm going to give you a hug." She laughed at me as if to say, "Over my dead body." Thursday came and went and I didn't shake her hand. At the very end of our last session on Friday I walked up to Susan and asked if she would stand up. As she did I reach my arms out to her and she stepped in and received a hug...something that may seem trivial to us, but to her it was a giant leap. She stayed in my arms for a while with tears running down her face.

Others hugged her after class. In fact one guy, who had just come for the first time on Friday, pulled a hundred-dollar-bill out of his pocket and handed it to Susan. He said, "Your story about your daughter touched me and I just wanted to help." Then the coolest thing happened--she hugged HIM. She initiated contact.

The love of God, on display through humans, was a fun thing to watch blossom last week!

Fat?

Terry@TerryEsau.com (Terry Esau) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 19:18:00 +0000

Do you ever sit down in front of the computer and scan blogs? I do. Not often, but every once in a while I give my eyes a chance to flip through the scratchings of Internet authors raging, ranting, and rambling about what life is like to be them. Cheap entertainment. A while back one caught my eye. Here’s an excerpt from that blog.

The other night, I asked The Suitor the question no man likes to answer: “Do I look fat?” Instead of rolling his eyes, he replied, “You really want me to answer that?” I nodded a yes. “Fine, then I really need to get a good look.” . . .
“Hmm,” he said with his finger on his chin. “Fat? Huh?” I held my breath, terrified he might say, “Yeah, you could stand to lose a good 15.” Instead, he replied, “Stephanie, you are so hot. Don’t you realize, I don’t see you as fat or skinny? You are the love of my life. I see you as absolutely beautiful. You have to remember I don’t see you like you see you. Do you really want me to look at you as just fat or skinny?”
“No,” I said in a small voice. Cause I already know I can stand to lose a good 15.
“Good, because you’d be doing us both a disservice. Just let me love you.”

When I was reading this blog, here’s what I heard:

The other night I asked God the question he hates to answer: “Do I look, uh, good?” Instead of rolling his eyes, he replied, “You really want me to answer that?” I nodded. “Fine, but then I really need to get a good look.”
“Hmm,” he said with his finger on his chin, “Good? Huh?” I held my breath, terrified he might say, “Yeah, you could stand to clean your act up a good 15%.” Instead, he replied, “You are so loved. Don’t you realize I don’t see you as good or bad? You are the love of my life. I see you as absolutely beautiful. You have to remember I don’t see you like you see yourself. Do you really want me to look at you as simply good or bad?”
“No,” I said in a small voice. Cause I already know I’m messed up.
“Good, because you’d be doing us both a disservice. Just let me love you.”

When this is our picture of God, trust isn’t such a reach. This picture of God makes me want to fold my life and plans and the moments of my days into his. It’s easy for me to believe that such a God will not only surprise me with what’s best and with what I need, but that he will place me in situations to Be the Surprise for others in ways that I can only dream about.
When this is our picture of God, we won’t obsess about whether each move we make will make us look good. We know we already look good to God.
When this is our picture of God, we won’t need to strive, prove, measure, gauge, compete, compare, or perpetually wonder if we are enough.
“Just let me love you.”

320 Miles...Done

Terry@TerryEsau.com (Terry Esau) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:30:00 +0000

Minneapolis to Ely by bicycle, 320 miles. The buns got a tad tender, but otherwise it was a dream trip. What a great ride! The first day was about 125 miles, the next two about 100 each. Here we are at the lift bridge in Duluth.

When we arrived in Ely, our first stop was the Chocolate Moose for pie. We hit this place twice during our stay. Killer rhubarb pie!

Saturday night we went to the Burntside Lodge for dinner, one of the top 1000 places to visit before you die...seriously. As we were leaving that night, we walked by the bar just as Michael Phelps was locking in his 8th gold medal. USA! USA! USA!

Ruthie, Pat's wife, made us some amazing food that we got to eat overlooking the lake from the deck of their cabin. Then we polished off each evening with stories by the fire.

Bike ride to Ely

Terry@TerryEsau.com (Terry Esau) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:53:00 +0000

I've been wanting to do this ride for years. Every August a few friends hop on their carbon fiber bicycles and ride about 300 miles north to Wolfman's cabin. We're doing about 100 miles a day. Hope the sun stays out and no rain...that would get nasty. Here's a pic of some of my riding buddies...I'm the guy on the left.

I counted last night that I have spoken 12 times in the last 8 days. That's enough. I need a few days off to reset my short-circuiting synapses.
I love riding my bike and I love hanging with Gary and Pat. Don't really know the route, don't care, but we go through Duluth on the way up. I'll let you know how the ride goes.

Veggie dude

Terry@TerryEsau.com (Terry Esau) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:07:00 +0000

I was speaking at a conference in Iowa last week--Phil Vischer, creator of Veggie Tales, was also a guest speaker. One night after speaking we met down at the Nutty Bar stand in Arnolds Park. (KIller ice cream treats, btw.) Anyhow, I snapped a photo with my cell of Phil (left), his sister Christy, and brother Rob. Can you tell from the pic that these people are serious fun!
Come to think of it, I ate way too much good stuff last week. Ham balls. Ever heard of them? Me either, but it seems to be a specialty down there. We're gonna import that and Nutty Bars to Mpls.

Those 'Special' brownies

Terry@TerryEsau.com (Terry Esau) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:27:00 +0000

So, I was teaching this week-long class on 'Being the Surprise' in Okoboji Iowa when a lady told this story...
Doris, in her 70s, told of going to church and seeing three men sitting in the front row, sans shirts, kinda grungy. After the service she walked up to them and invited them to her house for lunch. They were shocked, but accepted.
As they were eating they told her that they were addicted to various drugs, but were trying to kick the habit. Then Doris pulled out her poppy seed dessert which made the men laugh..."You heard us say we were drug addicts, right?" She didn't get it. Then they asked her to consider baking a batch of marijuana brownies.
Doris went on to tell how those three men turned their lives around and the amazing transformation--she's still in contact with them today. Love works...the love of God.
Then, the next day Doris showed up at my class with a pan of brownies. Pretty funny. A few people were a tad afraid to bite in. It was a great day...but I don't think the brownies get the credit.

Breathing Lessons

Terry@TerryEsau.com (Terry Esau) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 17:44:00 +0000

When I was a kid I used to see how long I could hold my breath. I think I got up to two minutes and something, but I was always plenty happy to blow out that bad air and suck in some good. Sometimes we Christians seem like we’re playing the same game—we’re spiritual ‘breath-holders.’ We take in and take in, holding onto it as…long…as… we…possibly…can. But by midweek life has sufficiently battered us to the point where the spiritual oxygen in our lungs has been depleted—all the love gets used up—turning into spiritual CO2. So we blow out that stale air, and run back to church to gulp in some more sanctified air.
Not only is this exhausting for us, but we leave our culture turning away from us, as if we have bad breath…spiritual halitosis. Spiritual air that has been held for too long loses it’s love, it’s grace, it’s mercy. It smells of judgmentalism, legalism, and self-righteousness. It’s hard to ‘love our neighbors as ourselves’ when years of shallow breathing have left us in spiritual oxygen debt.
The Surprise Me God Experiment was my attempt to consciously place myself in his presence daily, to intentionally experience that organic relationship throughout all the moments of my days, to breath in Jesus through the spigot of each moment—whether in church or not. And it was good, maybe even better than church air! In fact, it was so good, that I no longer wanted to hold it in. I wanted to blow it out immediately so I could breathe it in again, and again…
Now, I found myself compelled to exhale that same love on others. I didn’t have to blow them over with it because I hadn’t ‘held it’ for months, I wasn’t ‘short of spiritual breath.’ Now, I exhaled that same life-giving love and forgiveness that I had inhaled, minus the agenda-driven, performance-based works. Just as God had Surprised Me, now I got to surprise others. I got to be his love. I got to Be the Surprise.
Once we have been surprised, we are now ready to become the surprise. And when we have received that love, we no longer love out of obligation or duty. Now we love…because. We love because he first loved us. We love naturally—as naturally as breathing.
When we learn to breath spiritually, everything changes. Everything. It leads to freedom, peace, and authenticity—to genuine relationships where love is comfortably received and given—inhaled and exhaled.