Welcome Friends

I hope you enjoy reading these stories and thoughts. Ryan and I have recently moved to San Marcos as members of a church plant team, to reach out to the campus of Texas State University. We love spending time with family and friends, and we are enjoying the adventure this life is taking us on. We have a lot of fun ideas and enjoy our life together. These are the gems we'd like to share with you.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

The Shrewd Servant

I don't read much. This could cause a problem in my spiritual life, since reading the Bible is so key to having a relationship with God. Some people like to think of it as "letters from God", or reading a manuscript of what he wants to say to me. I don't know if it's because I live in the era of technology, or what, but I am not usually spending my free time reading. I'm usually doing something on the computer if I have free time.

But I absolutely love www.biblegateway.com. Whenever I do read the Bible, it is often from this website. I love how you can easily switch around the different versions of the same passages, and get a more full understanding of what's being said. And to top it all off, they have Audio Bibles. I can't tell you how many hours of NASB I've listened to. This is what I've found to be my surrogate for reading. In fact, it works better for me to hear it instead of reading because I am a visual person. If I am reading, I focus too much on what the words look like on the page, and where they are positioned on the page. Whatever I remember from my reading is most often connected to what I remember of the visual imprint in my mind.

When I listen, though, it allows my mind to imagine the scene, and absorb more of the story because I can "watch" what is happening. Today, I was listening to Luke, and came to chapter 16, the parable of the shrewd servant. I have never fully understood what it was about until this morning. It's about a wealthy man's business manager who is taking advantage and charging things for himself to the boss. So he gets fired, and has to give a full audit. While auditing the accounts, he calls the guys who owe the boss, and reduces their debt so that they will like him and might give him a job. But the boss is impressed that he was able to take care of himself, and praised him.

I feel like I understand this first part of the parable. But then Jesus says some stuff that I didn't get for the longest time. The NASB scripture says (v8 & 9) "for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light. And I say unto you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings." What?

I had to listen to that line a few times. Those words don't make much sense to me. So I switched the version to the Message, Amplified, and then back to NASB. I even looked it up in my lexicon. Finally, the truth was emerging. I think that Jesus was saying is that streetwise people are more able to take care of themselves, win friends, and enjoy life than people who are stuffy, legalistic, and self-righteous. And that we should be cunning like them, and win friends by doing favors and giving them gifts instead of cramming rules and shame down their throats.

I know about rules and shame. I know that it made me depressed. And I know about gifts and favors, too. I don't know how many times I've enjoyed good food at a homegroup time, or gotten a ride when I needed one, or been given a gift, or been forgiven, or been loaned some cash. I am grateful for the goodness in all of those people's hearts. I want to keep this principle in my heart, and be more giving. I feel like I do ok at giving to friends, but I want to do better at giving to strangers, people I don't like, and people who some would say are "bad".

I don't think I want to go as far as witnessing to someone and then giving them a $10 bill. But maybe that kind of extreme surprise would win them over? Mostly, I want to be more willing and able to share the good news, as well as be less stingy about giving money/stuff. I want to be more aware of what it truly valuable.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

The Austin Experience

We've been here in Austin since June 1, and will leave August 13. Altogether, our time here has felt like it's gone by quickly but some days and weeks seem to drag on and on while they are being endured. Ten weeks doesn't sound all that long, but when you say "a whole summer" it seems a bit more substantial.

I like it here. I like the hills, and I like green-ness. I like all the places to eat, and I like all the places where you can do entertaining things. At first, I liked our 10x10 hotel room, but not so much anymore. I'll be ready to get back to the house. 990 square feet may not sound like a big house to you, but after living in a hotel room for 10 weeks, it sounds like a mansion to me.

As long as we are here, I've told Ryan I want the full Austin Experience. I know one summer isn't enough to cover it all, but I feel like we've/I've enjoyed most of the highlights of all this town has to offer. So far,

-we've jogged around Town Lake
-we've been to Barton Springs (but didn't swim)
-we've gone to the Texas History Museum
-we've seen a movie and ate at the Alamo Draft House
-we've seen a band play on 6th street (and saw Leslie selling flowers out there, too)
-we've watched the bats fly out from under the Congress Bridge at dusk
-we've cruised South Congress and the Drag
-we've eaten at the Pizza Garden and at a handful of other local flavors
-we've enjoyed $4 coffee from an $11,000 machine at JP's Java
-we've ridden bikes on the Green-belt
-we've eaten well at Kirby Lane Cafe
-we've hung out at a park
-we've read a few issues of the Onion
-I've hung out at the Spider House cafe
-I've enjoyed Amy's Ice Cream
-I've given a street guy some water

3 years (and two days) ago, on July 26 2006, Ryan proposed to me in Austin. We went to lake Travis that day and went scuba diving, then ate lunch at the Oasis, went to the Capitol building, ate dinner, then saw some live music, and drove home to College Station that night. I feel like I've gotten most of the Austin Experience to date. There are still some other things I'd like to do before leaving. Such as...

- kayaking on Town Lake
- go the the art museums
- spot Owen Wilson and/or Sandra Bullock
- eat a Thundercloud sub
- get a tattoo? (not really)
- anything else fun and cheap

I must say that I wasn't looking forward to living here at first. I miss my friends in Corpus, and I miss our little house, too. But now that it's almost over, I am really appreciating my time here. I will miss being so close to other little towns too, like New Braunfels and San Marcos. I will miss the random thunderstorms that knock out the dish TV. I will miss the breathtaking sunsets. I will miss hanging out with Krista. I will miss free wifi being everywhere. I will miss the earthy culture. I will miss the live music. I will miss the parks. And, maybe, there's a small chance I will even miss this hotel room.

Maybe I won't get the FULL experience of all there is to enjoy in Austin. But I am very pleased with the fullness of memories we've made during our short residence here.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

How to be Poor and Survive a Recession

I've been thinking a lot lately about what we, the Stanley's and we as a nation, need to do to survive during these uncertain and volatile economic times. Over the past few days, I feel like I've stumbled upon some really great guidelines that everyone can follow.

Ryan and I have already implemented a few of them. Some of them don't apply to us. But between Oprah and O'Reily, I've gleaned several tactics that will be useful in part if not in whole, to the vast majority out there. If you're nosey, look for the stars* to see which rules apply to us.

- Dining out is no longer a luxury, it's a lifestyle. The average American eats 1 in 5 meals away from home, or 4-5 meals per week. Solution: Alternate weeks when you are allowed to dine out, and during that week, only allow 1 or 2 meals. On the off week, enjoy every meal at home, or take your lunch with you. Doing this will be most people's greatest challenge.*

- If you go to the movies very often, try to knock it back to only once a month. Get a Netflix account, or go to the dollar show if you feel the urge.* (My parents gave us a 1-year Netflix account for Christmas. You should ask for something like that as a gift if you love movies.)

- Stop/reduce all other expenses on entertainment. You don't really need to go to that concert, or pay to get into that club, or go bowling, or go to the fair, or go to Sea World, or whatever it is that you do that costs money. If you are bored and want something to do, look at the next item.*

- Get out of the house and go for a walk, go for a bike ride, or go to a free live event. The trick is to leave your money at home. I like to go non-shopping, which is just walking around in nice stores like Best Buy or World Market, and just look at stuff. You can also go to a book store to browse and read. But don't take any money, or you just might buy something.*

- Do free stuff, like go to the public lake* or pool. Take your laptop somewhere that has free wi-fi.* Get online and find out when/where bands are doing free shows.* Go hang out at a friend's house and play Catch Phrase.* Start using that exercise gear sitting in the garage.* Play those games that are in the closet. Learn a new language. Make a home video. Play cards. Clean out the fridge.* Volunteer. Play with your dog. Take digital photos and edit them on the computer.

- If it is not life threatening, put it off. If you don't have insurance, then forgo those pricey doctor/dentist visits.* Get a trustworthy friend to tell you if that "Maint Req" light means anything, and drive 5000 miles per oil change.* Wait till next year to go on that expensive vacation.*

- Do it yourself. From weddings to home repairs*, you ARE capable of doing the majority of the work needed. For the rest of what you aren't able to do, you have friends and family.*

- If your stuff breaks or you need something that you don't already have, borrow stuff from friends. This is very difficult for some people, when it comes to vehicles and personal computers.

- If you absolutely have to spend money for something, or for a service, shop around for the best bargain. This means calling around, or actually visiting several places before making a decision.*

- Buy used stuff at a discount, such as tires, other auto parts, cell phones*, computers*, appliances, clothes, toys, etc. (DO NOT buy used shoes or mattresses.) If you are poor, and barely making it, you don't really need that iPhone 3G just because your renewal is coming up.

- Reduce regular bills. Cancel the cable, home phone*, and data plan. Lower your monthly minutes* and quit texting. Try to wear your day clothes more than just once*, take shorter showers, and reuse your bath towel a few times to cut down on laundry*. Only water the lawn half as much. Keep the fridge closed, computers off at night, and the lights off.* Turn your A/C to 85 when you leave the house for the day.*
FREEBIE: Minimize your car insurance to just liability.* Switch over to Bennie Camp (http://www.bencampinsurance.com/) and save on auto, home, health, and life insurance.*

- Quit living off of credit, and try to live on a budget your income can support. Most adults have 4-12 credit cards. This sounds crazy, and beyond all reasonable understanding to me. While it is wise to have one card* on standby for extreme emergencies, it's best not to use credit at all, or only if you can pay it off each month. Try consolidating your debt with balance transfers with 0% interest for 12+ months, and only pay the minimum. Dave Ramsey says "Sell your new car to end those high monthly payments and buy an older used car with cash." *

- If your mortgage or rent is too high, consider getting a roommate. Share your room, or rent out that extra guest room to a friend. Be totally sure everyone else you live with is okay with it.

And the #1 thing you can do to survive if you are poor...

- QUIT BUYING CRAP!* You are poor, and this is probably why. Though we may live in the land of plenty, having everything you want is not a human right. Even if you work hard, and you probably deserve to treat yourself to something nice, that doesn't mean you should. You don't NEED that fancy haircut and highlights. You don't NEED to take your girl on an expensive date every single time. You don't need Another pair of shoes. Not right now, at least. Not while your other 14 pairs of shoes are still fine.

There is no shame in being poor if you are being responsible and truly doing your best. Being broke, on the other hand, is not cool. The goal is to make it through the poor-ness with dignity and grace. There is so much you can do to improve your situation, just by exercising DISCIPLINE and SELF CONTROL. Be proud of who you are, and thankful for what you have. No one owes you anything, and you are the best/sometimes only person who can help you. Don't be unhappy because others may have more or nicer things. (No matter how much you have, there will always be someone with more.) Be glad that you are able to take care of yourself and your family.
- The best thing you can do for yourself, whether you have little or plenty, is to have a spiritual compass.* Everyone has to believe in something greater than themselves, and lives by some set of good standards. Personally, I follow Jesus and the principals set out by God in the Bible. Without any instruction for living and behaving (financially, morally) properly, we are all in a mess. I am thankful to have a go-to for wisdom, direction, correction, and comfort at all times. If you feel like you are unsure about the direction your life is heading, I would love to talk with you about why I have such confidence in the hope I have in Jesus. I don't have it all figured out, and I am far from perfect. But I am certain that my life is much better now than before I knew him. I know I'm going to be just fine, and I know it's because he is taking care of me, offering wisdom and peace.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Bill's no-spin Zone

Ryan: Reanna, why is the economy so baaaaad!?

Reanna: Some bad people took a lot of money from a lot of good people. And the law is not doing what it should do by taking the money back from the bad people and giving it back to the good people. That's what's going on. The end.


The TV is playing Bill O'Reily right now. He calls it the "No Spin Zone", but in fact, he makes my head spin as much as he spins the issues. An expert arguer, and passionate self-defender, Bill is always on the attack and ready to offend. Well Mr. O'Reily, I AM OFFENDED, sir!

I don't like the way he belittles others who feel just as strongly about their own ideals as he feel about his own. I don't like how he cuts people off in interviews, keeping them from making their points. He is a disrespectful man, and an extreme ego-maniac. On his show tonight, he slandered the liberal press for championing leftish ideology, instead of covering the stories as they are.

I would love to see, just once, an entire show where O'-O'-O'-O'Reily* resists the habit of creating uber-conservative-liberal-smearing spins on stories and just presents the news with thoughtful commentary. He might take a lesson from the quiet Anderson Cooper, and actually allow his guests to finish a sentence. Or even just a complete thought.

But for him to emulate Coop in any way would never happen, mostly because Bill is anti-non-gay-haters. Altogether, I would rather endure a grueling episode with Oh, No Mr. Bill!* than watch the Situation Room, hosted by the man with every 8 year-old-boy's dream name: Wolf Blitzer. Perhaps it provides an excuse for missing a daily workout. Or maybe it is self-punishment for over indulging at dinner.

There are a lot of people who Absolutely Love The Factor. Ryan thinks he's entertaining, in a kind-of-a-jerk way. Ryan also thinks I'm also secretly a liberal, because of how I express my opinions on issues. Gosh. If not wanting to identify myself with an angry, over-glorified, news man... then call me Wolf. I must admit, Fox News is a bit more stimulating/less mind numbing than HLN and CNN, and sometimes, O'Reily can even be funny. I will say I like Hannity and Bair.

And I still like Sarah Palin.


*an O'Reilyesque method of making fun of somebody by messing with their names. how do you like that, bill.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Toca la Guitarra

I received a phone call at 10pm a few nights ago. It was the front desk of the hotel we are staying at for the summer. She said someone had called in a noise complaint and wanted me to be quiet. Ryan was working out of town, so I had been playing my guitar for a few hours (as if no one was listening), and didn't realize what time it was.

When I was about 10, my dad wanted to teach me how to play the guitar. Well, probably I wanted him to teach me because I often saw him playing his guitar, and wanted to know how to make music too. My hands were too small and soft to learn guitar at that age, so I started learning how to play the violin. I played in the school orchestra until age 14.

Then at 16, something came over me, and I started learning the guitar again. A friend taught me 3 chords, my dad taught me 3 more, and I was off. The music and rhythm came easy because of those years playing violin. But the skill... took about 4 years to develop.

I started out with my dad's first guitar. His mom got it for him when he was 15, I think. An old, simple Epiphone. After struggling on that for a few years, I asked for a new guitar of my own, and got a nice cut-away Seagull for my 19th birthday. It took a long time to get used to the wide neck and super high action (it's hard to push the strings down), but it was worth it. It is warm, loud, and bassy, and still the guitar I play. I've taken it to Mexico, Orlando, all over Texas, and probably other places. But, almost a decade old, he is starting to show his age.

this is a fancier/new version of what i have: http://www.seagullguitars.com/productartistmosaiccw.htm

I've wanted a Taylor for years now. But they are so expensive, I don't know if it will ever happen. Every now and then, I look at prices online, or go to Guitar Center to pick one up. I recently went over to Guitar Center to see if I could find one in my range - cost-wise and skill-wise. But there was another guy in there (the humidor room) who was playing away pretty well, so I got nervous and just looked around.

this is the kind of Taylor that i'd like: http://www.taylorguitars.com/Guitars/Acoustic-Electric/700/710ce/ or the 510ce.

I was hoping he'd leave, but no. In fact, other guys came in and were trying out their skills on the display guitars. After 30 minutes of this, I had to leave. I wanted to enjoy my dream of playing a Taylor in peace, not in company. I'm more free to be loud and silly or anything I want when no one else is around, like that night in my hotel room. I suppose for now, I'll stick to my own faithful Seagull and play as I want, up until 7pm from now on.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Summertiiiiime, summertime

We heard on the local news last night that there was a heat advisory lasting through the night and all day today. While we were driving home from seeing a movie at 9:45pm, I saw a sign with the temperature reading 94 degrees. It didn't feel that hot, but I can't say that felt anywhere close to cool. The highs this week have been around 104-107ish. It's so great for Ryan that he's working in the office this and next week.


He had last Friday off, for the holiday. So on Thursday night we went down to Corpus to check on the house, and to get the mountain bikes. There are a lot of neat trails out here, and after spending 2 years on flat, sandy terrain in Corpus Christi, it will be nice to get to go mountain biking again. It's good that we checked on the house, as there was a rotten bag of potatoes on the floor. I scrubbed and bleached it, so hopefully, there won't be too bad of damage to the floor. We got to eat with the Bowmans and celebrated their baby girl's 1 year birthday. It's always good to get to spend time with the Bowmans.
Then it was off to Houston on Friday morning. We met up with the Stanley family and went to Lake Houston to go tubing (like skiing, but on a tube). The next day was the 4th, so we enjoyed it at uncle Terry's house. I am glad my parents got to come. It's been exactly a year since they've seen the Stanleys, since last year's 4th of July party. Before leaving town, my parents wanted to have lunch with us at the Red Onion. I HIGHLY RECCOMMEND THE Red Onion.














After the colorful and yummy lunch at the Red Onion, I wanted to try my hand at cooking something colorful and yummy, too. For dessert, we had little ice cream fudge pops. They are the only way to cool down sometimes. I think fudge pops should be a part of every meal during the summer. And they make and excellent night time snack too.
It's going to be a record-breaking hot summer. I think we'll be okay if we keep to mountain biking until after 6pm. And if we keep our freezer stocked with fudge pops.