the drum|rob fairbanks

Grace to the "Humbled"

embarrass [em-bar-uh s]: to cause confusion and shame to; make uncomfortably self-conscious; disconcert; abash

Awesome!

That is the only word I can come up with for it. Last night while teaching at Whitworth a couple of my students snickered to each other to which I asked, “Is there something I should know?” Well, there was something I should know, indeed! Apparently I had left my house for class with my shirt inside out. WHAT?!?! One of the students, attempting to swallow her laughter, gladly informed me of my oversight.

Now know this; my class this semester is populated by only young women. Seriously, are there any guys at Whitworth that love God? A room full of 20-year-old women…and me. In a younger, more vulnerable life, I would’ve fallen over in embarrassment. In my current season, I just looked up and went, “Oh, thanks,” trying hard not to look nonplussed, “…now turn in your text to…” At the break, I dashed to the bathroom and switched it right side out. As I was standing in front of the mirror, I honestly broke out in a belly laugh, feeling a wee self-conscious, yet still amused. To be honest, I realized I was playing out the all too familiar role of the unkept, absent-minded professor.

What is that Bible verse? “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Maybe it should say, “…gives grace to the Humbled.” Check!

R

2013 Family Christmas Video

Just for fun...check it out.

Christmas thingie from Rob Fairbanks on Vimeo.

 Rob

Starbucks Boycott - Here's How

I thought this was poignant (if you were a Seattle Supersonics fan) and hilarious.

green straw project from Mr Ben Weber on Vimeo.

r

 

 

 

From the Lighter Side

I got this from CA's staffer, Rich Sander from Santa Barbara,

A preacher was driving home from a conference when a policeman noticed him swerving all around the road. The cop pulled him over and said "Sir, have you been drinking tonight?" "No officer, only this bottle of water" "Sir, that's clearly a bottle of wine." The preacher looked down and said "Good Lord, He's done it again!"

Ba dum ching  "Thank you, I'll be here all week, you're beautful people!"

Fasting from Words

I don’t know if you can remember your dreams or not.  I usually cannot.  However, lately I’ve been both dreaming and remembering them in stark detail.  If you are a dream interpreter, get ahold of me.  I would like to know what is lurking around inside my bald dome.  Ok, maybe not!  Anyway, I have had two in the last week that were both elongated and stunning in detail.  They were not the kind where you are being chased by a bear down a beach naked.  I hate those!  These were different: One was about playing basketball with President Obama (quite a happy dream of me teaching Barack how to talk trash in Spanish - I even showed him a sweet In and out move) and another about Fasting from words.  Here is the second one.

In the dream I was blogging and the title of the blog was “Fasting from Words.”  The blog came off vivdly like this:

Fasting from Words

I have decided to fast from “insider” words from my discipline.  I choose not to use words like “missional” and “contextual" and “embedding” and “exegesis” and “incarnational.”

Also, since I am deeply involved in leadership of a non-profit I will also fast from the following words: “Sweet spot” and “wheelhouse” “hierarchical” and “point of the spear.”

And since my wife is now a counselor I will fast from using “insider” words related to her profession like: “enmeshed” and “differentiated” and "projection" and "empathic" and “attachment.”

Now, for the rest of the blog…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you!

Seriously, that was my dream!  Once I dimissed all the pet words, I had no language at all.  I must admit that I woke up smiling at my subconscious sense of humor. 

Now, for the interpretation!?!?!  Got any ideas?

New Rules for the NBA!

 I just had to put this up before the NBA season ended.

Onion SportsDome

Thank You God for Making Me an Atheist

This is both ironic and hilarious.  I guess this guy took some heat for his hosting of the Golden Globes, but I found him quite even handed in his humor - he slammed everyone. :)

 

The Problem with Walking and Texting

I thought I would lighten things up a wee here on "The Drum."  A little too much important missional stuff. This is hilarious.  She falls in, gets out and walks on like nothing happened.  HT - from Eric Blauer.

 

In my Home Town - Awesomeness in the Big Time

 

How to Plant a Church

via www.youtube.com

This is both funny and terrifyingly close to what happens in most new church plants - where the missio Dei gets talked about and maybe even included in the name of the church but rarely lived out. It is enough to draw a crowd of already socialized Christians...right?