The Dean's List

Joanna’s first 6 weeks

behrens — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:50:31 +0000

Here are some pics for my Nashville friend and everyone else.

Looking Out

behrens — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:36:22 +0000

People often ask me if I can discern aspects of Joanna’s personality yet. I usually shoot them down, claiming that it’s really still too early. However, it has caused me to look harder. I have a theory about her personality. I think she likes to “look out.” My month old baby girl, if she’s awake, never wants to be cradled on her back. If her eyes are open she wants to sit up, even though she is unable to accomplish the task on her own at this point. She’ll generally fuss until the holder props her up. Even then, she prefers not to face you. As much as I like to stare at her and see her stare back, she prefers to “look out.” Sitting up with her back against my stomach is her favorite position. I think that Joanna likes to see what’s happening in the world.
I believe that this is a quality that has been passed down paternally from my father to me, then to my baby girl. As long as I can remember my dad was the watch dog of my neighborhood. If there is a strange noise outside, or he sees something out of the ordinary day or night, he gets up to investigate. He loves being a part of the action and is poised to be a hero if necessity compels. I’ve seen him confront strangers and direct traffic in a emergencies.
I share the quality, and am proud to have it. My friends and wife tease me for, when choosing a seat in a restaurant, choose based on being able to see the greatest portion of the room. The best environment to foster this value was in the blue house in college that was conveniently located between the bars and the rest of the neighborhood. I can’t count the number of times that during a phone call with my then long distance girlfriend, I would pause our conversation to run outside to investigate a girly shriek or robust shouting. I have stories of being a part of confrontations that I feel lucky to have played a role in (i.e. – escorting home VERY drunk abusive boyfriends, etc).
You better believe that if there is a window nearby, we Behrens’ are looking out. So beware. Before YOU do something sketchy, think twice. Greg, Dean, and Joanna just might be watching.

good case of the monday’s

behrens — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:24:17 +0000

I woke up yesterday morning thinking that it was going to be a good day. I didn’t really know why. There didn’t seem to be any reason to look forward to it. After all… it’s Monday. However, there have been several little things that have made today a good day.
-This morning I listened to Arch Bishop of Rwanda Emmanuel Kolini talk about his life and journey in faith. He is an amazing man, having survived the genocide, spent years in prison and refugee camps, and gone on to lead millions of people around the world.

-Discussed with some co-workers some cool potential future things happening at church that excite me and encourage me.

-Got Foo’s Custard after lunch.

-My friend Paul gave me his old portable disc golf basket. I can’t wait to practice at home now.

-I installed the latest version of Firefox thus eliminating my very pesky bookmark problem that I’ve been experiencing.

What I’ve been doing on my paternity leave

behrens — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 23:18:16 +0000

(Sara Shellenberger style)

I’ve had 2 weeks off for having a baby. It’s been busy, but I’ve found myself with brief interrupted time slots that I’ve managed to do some other things with. Here they are…

Removed a large stump and replaced with one of these.

Started cleaning the basement. Realized we need to have one of these.

Memorized the countries in Central and South America and Africa. You can take the quizes here and here to see how you do. (Motivation – A Norwegian friend once told me that Americans are a global laughingstock not only because they are arrogant and lazy but geographically ignorant)

Read several magazines all the way through, namely this, these, and these.

Went on a few of these.

Finished reading New Testament (accomplished one month goal). Passage hitting me right now is this.

Watched old and new movies like this and this.

Watched several episodes of this and this.

Bright Eyes Song Titles

behrens — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 20:30:04 +0000

Alright. So I saw this thing on facebook. I wanted to do it with my favorite artist, but was too embarrassed to post it on FB. If you want, you can copy and paste and do yours, ie Bruce Springsteen or Bob Dylan or Pearl Jam or whatever.

Pick Your Artist:
Bright Eyes

Describe yourself:
I Must Belong Somewhere

How do you feel:
Something Vague

Describe where you currently live:
We are Nowhere, and It’s Now

If you could go anywhere, where would you go:
Center of the World

Your favorite form of transportation:
Four Winds

Your best friend is:
At the Bottom of Everything

Your favorite color is:
Bowl of Oranges

What is the weather like:
Hot Knives

Favorite time of day:
Sunrise, Sunset

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called:
The Joy in Discovery

What is life to you:
Road to Joy

Your relationships:
Oh, You Are The Roots That Sleep Beneath My Feet And Hold The Earth In Place

Your fear:
Poison Oak

What is the best advice you have to give:
No Lies, Just Love

If you could change your name, you would change it to:
Lua

Thought for the Day:
Nothing Gets Crossed Out

How I would like to die:
Going for the Gold

My soul’s present condition:
No One Would Riot for Less

My motto:
Don’t Know When but a Day’s Gonna Come

2009… the year of discipline

behrens — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:33:15 +0000

Maybe it’s ambitious, as it is only Jan 7, but a friend and I are attempting to discipline ourselves in a new way every month. So in January we drink no soda.
Here are some of the ideas we have for upcoming months -
no alcohol
no eating out
no television
no internet (save work related necessities)
no purchasing anything new
no dessert or eating after 8pm.
exercising 5 times a week
no music
getting up an hour early for work everyday

We’d love the company if you’d like to join us. We also welcome other suggestions.

Denying my body the things that it desires helps me to rule my body with my will rather than the other way around. I believe that God created us to rule our bodies with our will. I look forward to the possibility of change in myself and in my friend.

Last Time I Cried…

behrens — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 21:05:15 +0000

Someone asked me that the other day. My answer was the last time I saw this video. I originally saw it on Oprah (so sue me). It’s about a baby born with trisomy 18. When was the last time you cried?

The Behrens’ in USA Today

behrens — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 17:46:05 +0000

In case you missed it, Jenny and I were in the USA Today (as well as many other national newspapers) on Christmas Eve. We made an appearance in the background (Jenny is there on the couch, and that is my back, with our friend Glenn) of this photo that was used to tell the story of a congregation that dressed like Jesus to provoke the culture. See the article here. I’ve actually been to that church once. In high school me and a buddy went there to see a former professional wrestler (Million Dollar Man, Ted DiBiase) give his testimony about how he came to Christ. It was unforgettable, in a hilarious sort of way. Apparently spectacle is something the church values.

My Own Personal Hell

behrens — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 15:20:33 +0000

Every morning as I eat my breakfast and get ready for work, Jenny and I watch the Today Show. This morning they debuted this new, week-long segment.

Business Model of Church

behrens — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:13:37 +0000

So a couple of weeks ago I finished reading this. I couldn’t put it down, not because I was loving every word, but because I found Hybel’s perspective very interesting. I was able to pull out a handful of good stuff, but I disagreed with the vast majority of it. The main idea was that leaders of churches are responsible for becoming the best leaders that they can, and that the best way to do that is to learn from the best CEO’s that we find. Here’s an excerpt from Publisher Weekly’s review of the book “While not theologically deep or biblically rigorous, it is full of wise principles, useful lists and practical leadership tips.” Yuck, this is not what I’m interested in. For more on the church as a business, check out my friend’s thougths here.