Author Brian Aaby

Got 39 minutes?

Brian Aaby Leave a comment

Okay, so I just found something funny online… it is my first recorded sermon…

I believe it is only my second or third sermon ever to big people (I believe I had preached once or twice at my church, but they weren’t recording sermons yet).

So, if you have 39 minutes to hear me as a 22 year-old college senior speaking at Chapel, have at it.  In my own opinion, it’s not bad, certainly not great, but overall, decent.

Here it is.

The MP3 was taken off a tape… so it has a bit of a “Chipmunk” sound too it (I talk a little higher and faster than I really sound).

Grace,
Brian

New Things This Weekend

Brian Aaby 3 Comments

This weekend I get to experience (or already have experienced) a few new things that have me pretty pumped.

They are:

1. I plan to start reading Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of The Holy Spirit by Francis Chan.  Thouroughly enjoyed Crazy Love by Francis (his first book) so I am super excited for this one.

2. I experienced my first “Men’s Breakfast” at our new church.  Aaron and Kevin did a fantastic job inspiring the men to get beyond the one-upsmanship which exists in much of the church (and manhood).  I really liked it because I sat at a table where I only knew one person, and got to know a few guys.

3. I just purchased the new (to me) Hillsong United album.  Playing it right now, really like it already. Great inspiration as I continue the writing of Story: The Mission Prep Workbook (my new book… continuing with the “new” theme).

Three cheers for new things!

Grace,
Brian


Awkward.

Brian Aaby 4 Comments

What do you do with this?

Background statement:  Most guys are great about this, however, you do see the occasional sicko stand and do his business at the urinal, flush, zip and walk out into the general public (while of course grabbing the door handle) without having washed his hands.  Gross.  I want to confront these people and shower not just his hands but his entire body with hand sanitizer.

Todays dilemma and getting back to the original question of “what do you do with this.”

Man stands and the urinal, does his business, flushes, zips and goes immediately to the auto air-hand dryer, dries hands and leaves.

Hmmmm… not sure what I want to do to this man.

Grace,
Brian

Last Lunch!

Brian Aaby 1 Comment

The Preview lunches for the 2010 YMV’s are now complete!  Today, I was down at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Portland with about 35 Youth Leaders from SW Washington and NW Oregon.  We were very pleased with the turn out!

Aaron, Brian and Kirk at the OSF in PortlandAaron Bauer, a returning YMV Youth Pastor (and great friend) took the train down to join us (I was at a Conference in Vancouver the night before) simply because he believes in Youthmark training that much!  I’m thankful he joined us (and made for a great ride home together).  Kirk Petersen, the Regional Director of Youthmark in Oregon and SW Washington and I teamed for the presentation (along with Aaron sharing his testimony of last years trip).

Pray for much fruit.  We challenged the Youth Leaders toward missionship… rather than seeing mission trips what if we were to see our lives as a full-time mission life.  The specific challenge is to us adults to start modeling our own peer-to-peer witness and not just asking students to bring their non-Christian friends to Youth Group so we can share with them.

Now it’s time to put the finishing touches on the books for this year and then follow up with all the folk who came to our Preview meals!  We pray many will connect with Youthmark!

Grace,
Brian

Top Five Tuesday: Chips

Brian Aaby 8 Comments

It’s been a busy day… Started way too early with a 6:30 meeting in Bellevue (did you know that there was a 6:30 besides the evening one?).  Then off to Lynwood for another meeting, only to get back home for a skype meeting with someone from Colorado (only we ended up doing the call on phones instead).  All this to say, it is 3:00 and I haven’t eaten lunch or posted my top 5 yet.

Well, as I found myself compromising and grabbing for the chips in the pantry, I thought to myself, “Hey, let’s kill two birds with one stone and eat a bad lunch and do my top 5.”  So, the subject today, Top five types of Chips!

Criteria: Common or at least known Chip types.

Without further ado, the list:

Five: Flaming Hot Cheetos. Ever want your mouth, tongue and fingertips to turn some sort of nuclear powered red-orange? FH Cheetos are the answer!  The perfect blend of the original little cheesy snack mixed with what I imagine dynamite would taste like if you could put it in a hot spice flavor!  Yum.  You like ’em?  I do!

Four: Fritos.  Really?  Yeah, this one surprised me too.  But, in recent years my taste buds have advanced and I find myself liking some new stuff!  For instance, I now like Chili.  Fritos+Chili= BFF.  Throw these bad boys on a taco salad and you have that extra little crunch you’ve been craving.  To me, it’s like the next best thing to #3 on my list… oh wait, it is the next best thing to #3 on the list. Speaking of #3…

Three: Nacho Cheese Doritos. The downfall to my diet.  There have been a couple times in my life where I have tried to lose some poundage by eating right.  For whatever reason my craving for these little triangles grew with each lb. lost.  Have you ever tried these dipped in a spicy mustard?  Awesome to say the least.  The nacho-bliss mixed with the spice of the mustard makes for a delectable morsel of goodness.

Two: Spicier Nacho Cheese Doritos. Read the above, now add “wow, even better, they added more spice.”

One: Baked Cheddar and Sour Cream Ruffles.  Ahh, the bag I just finished for my bad lunch!  Good stuff.  You get the impression you’re eating something healthy because they are baked!  Ha.  I’m not that deceived, though they are far more healthy than French Fries, so at least I have that going for me.  The one down side to these chips… finger shrapnel.  My keyboard could have easily become orange stained from the chemical-cheese substance that adheres to your fingers better than a band-aid.  But mmmm they taste good.

So, what do you think?  Agree with any of my choices? Adamantly opposed to any selection?  I want to hear about it!

Grace,
Brian

Quick Monday Thoughts…

Brian Aaby Leave a comment

Very sad about the incident yesterday in Lakewood…

In light of that news I am very motivated to get the Good News out about Jesus, because the world is a crazy place and you never know when something like this will happen.  What an opportunity for Christians to come alongside others and lovingly embrace the lost and share the One hope we have in this world!

Very thankful for a good four day break where I spent way more time with family than I did behind the keyboard.

Was able to get several other tasks taken care of as well at home during the break (office is 90% done–this used to be the homeschool room, which used to be the dining room which used to be…), raked a great number of leaves, took the family out to get our Christmas tree and even got in a bike-ride on my soggy path!

Very much appreciative of the prayer coverage for the writing, I believe the Lord is answering through some of the creative thoughts I have had recently.  Pray now that they translate to paper (or keyboard at least).

After three or four straight meals with Turkey and the fixins, I was craving Mexican food… that craving was cured in the form of Chicken Fajitas, yummm!

Looking forward to the week ahead, have a lunch in Portland on Thursday and several other appointments with Youth Leaders to talk about YMV’s for 2010.

Had a great meal with the Bauers yesterday after church.  They are a great family.

My wife is having iPhone issues… that’s not fun, hope to get that fixed ASAP.

Excited to hang with students tonight at an all-area Young Life Club.

Looking forward to the season finale of The Amazing Race on Sunday… it’s been a great season.

That’s about it for my Monday thoughts.

Oh, loved the WAIT contest, scroll down to see all the comments and the winner!

Grace,
Brian

CONTEST: W.A.I.T. @ The Light

Brian Aaby 17 Comments

I do a little contest series called “What Am I Thinking?”  Essentially, it is a photo caption contest.

Well, I’d like to know what you’d be thinking if you encountered this scenario.

Here’s the scoop, best caption gets the prize.  I’ll list those “in the running” after a day or so and crown the winner after a few days.  Have fun, enter as often as you’d like.  If your comment doesn’t show up right away, be patient, some of them I need to approve first (if you haven’t even commented, or if it has been awhile).  Found this little photo on a friends blog…

So, what are you thinking?

What Are You Thinking (if you came upon this)?

Winner gets a stocking stuffer (pretty sweet little gift, I promise)!

Grace,

Brian

********** In The Running **********

No, No, No. The other left. ~ wes henry

Oh, I see Obama and the House Democrats got a hold of our traffic signals too. ~ the wifey

Must be a pretty big stocking stuffer if that’s the tree! ~ Jan A.

… Then go left or right at the corner of undecided and agnostic… ~Joe Monto

Mapquest said take a left… ~ Aaron Gowin

Wait til you see the stop light cameras! ~Aaron Gowin

Traffic control by committee. ~ unowho

Who’s idea was it to put this light right next to the DOL? ~Aaron Gowin

Greg Nichols last act as Mayor. ~Aaron Gowin

*************AND THE WINNER IS….****************

Congrats to Aaron Gowin with his great comment: “Mapquest said take a left…”

I loved this one, because after a few years of using Mapquest I have completely abandoned them for Google Maps (and most recently my iPhone GPS).  Mapquest had me take one too many bad lefts!  There were several great ones (many from Aaron as well).  To be honest he had two or three others that could have been in the running, just got tired of copying and pasting!  Ha.   Aaron, shoot me a fb message with your address and you get your stocking stuffer (or let me know when you’re up near Fairwood and we can grab a coffee and I’ll hand it to you).

Great work folks!

What’s New in Thanks?

Brian Aaby 2 Comments

Very thankful for this gang!

The question that we are all answering today: “what are you thankful for?” is a great question to ask.  I hope it is one each of is giving much thought and also responding in praise and in actually giving thanks.  Of course my relationship with Jesus and my ever growing affection and love for my family always top the list!

I thought I’d throw a little twist to the question for my blog today… so take the time to comment if you’d like as I will below.

What are you thankful for this year that was not on your radar screen last year?

This question caused me to think even more… the question, worded differently could read, “what’s new in your life this year that you are thankful for?”  Or perhaps, “what are you now thankful for that you were not in the past?”  You see, I can think of several things for each of these different questions… such as new life, trials, etc.

2009 YMV's gave me much experience!

As for my answer... I’m very thankful for is the new knowledge I have and the learning curve I experienced in the last year withYouthmark.  It has been a wonderful, but trying year.  When James says, “consider it pure joy when you face various trials” I often want to mock that statement.  It is a very hard thing to do!  However, I am thankful for all the trials of 2009 (as well as all the great things). However, many of the trials are what have brought me newfound wisdom and experience.  I am thankful for these experiences that I think will make 2010 an even better year!

 

What about you?  What wasn’t on your radar screen last year that you are now thankful for today?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Grace,
Brian

How Much Do You Love the Feast?

Brian Aaby 2 Comments

Every year I look forward to the Holiday Feast that is Thanksgiving.  To be honest it is one of, if not the, favorite meal for me each year.  One of the reasons I like it the best probably has to do with the fact that I only have it once a year (though spread out over a 3-4 day stretch including leftovers).  I guess there is the chance I may order the Turkey Dinner at a restaurant, but for the most part, it is a one-time-per-year meal.

So, keeping with another tradition, I also like asking difficult “would you rather” questions.  So, today, we are going to see what part of the Thanksgiving Feast you could handle not just once a year, but everyday for a year!

Today I am thankful that I don’t actually have to do this and it is just a silly question I got to answer!

Happy Thanksgiving!  I look forward to several of you coming by tonight/tomorrow (and possibly Friday) to do another Thanksgiving participation blog!

Grace,
Brian

Top Five Tuesday: Thanksgiving

Brian Aaby 1 Comment

Somewhat predictable, yes, but c’mon, I knew you needed something to get past the mid-week doldrums (today is officially “midweek” because of the impending 4-day weekend).

Today I have the opportunity to rate the top five things about Thanksgiving.  The criteria for this one was pretty tough to come up with actually… questions like, do I include the Thanksgiving weekend or just the day? Do I allow something I did in the past to be in my current top five? etc.

Well, you’ll just have to wait and see the answers to those questions and more… without further ado, the list.

Five: The Leftovers. Ahh, Turkey will show up all weekend!  I love it! Of course the leftovers start with fixing a plate that looks very similar to what you had for your main meal, but by the time you are finishing your leftovers (for some of you this is in early December) you find Turkey showing up in soups, casseroles and pot-pies.

 

Some of us will resemble this this weekend!

Four: Sports on TV. Seeing as how we are a media-flooded society it seems there is ALWAYS some sporting event being shown live on TV.  However, I don’t pay attention to most of it.  On Thanksgiving Day and the weekend, I do.  C’mon, who, besides my friend Nathan, cares about the Detroit Lions?  Well, on Turkey Day I will.  I am not a Dallas Cowboy fan, but on Thanksgiving I’ll faithfully tune in and watch.  Beyond the football there are always great hoops games (college and NBA), college football games (including the toilet-bowl, otherwise known as “The Apple Cup”) and of course gymnastics!  Okay, not-s0-much on the last one… though Halle and Audrey would dig!

 

Three: Advent Time With The Family. A few years ago Elisabeth and I started a new family tradition by doing our own candlelight Advent time on the Sunday nights thru Advent.  So, this Sunday will kick that off.  I’m looking forward to seeing how Will reacts to the candle, the quiet and hearing the Christmas story.  Last year, one of the students I discipled through High School was hanging out with us and said that it was one of his best memories now!

 

What some malls look like in early October!

Two: The Kick-off to the Season.  I believe that Thanksgiving day marks the beginning of “The Holidays.”  I love Christmas music, Christmas lights, decorations and even peppermint-mochas, etc.  However, these things are meant to be celebrated, served, displayed/played and consumed (you figure out which noun goes with each verb) only from Thanksgiving to New Years Day.  Part of the purity of the season, to me, is the specific parameters of the season.  None of this Shopping Mall mentality of September 15 begins the season because one retailer starts selling Stocking ideas… let’s preserve the season by celebrating it only during the season (the one exception:  let’s celebrate Jesus at all times!)!

 

So, on Thanksgiving morning you’ll find me with a coffee beverage (probably with peppermint flavoring) in hand, swaying back and to the Christmas music blaring through our house as I begin the search for all of our Christmas decorations.  Welcome to the season!

One: The Meal.  If I were rating “complete meals” I would have to rate this one at the tops; though I love steak, I don’t know if the Turkey feast can be beat.  So, as I anticipate the day of thanks, I am certainly thankful for all of the above, but man-o-man, the Bird and the fixins certainly are something for which my glass is tipped in thanks.  Of course, there are a few exceptions to the rule of “the fixins” being the best.  I am not a “yam” guy and to be honest I can go without the cranberry sauce (okay, those of you who just cussed at me, repent, that was not necessary).  So yes, I love the meal, and the beauty of the 2009 meal, I am feeling great in terms of my health and weight, so I am not going to hold back, knowing that the bike-ride of Wednesday and of Friday will more than make up for the feast of Thursday!

What are some of your favorite things about this Holiday?

Come back tomorrow (Wednesday) for my special “Thanksgiving Blog Survey!”

And on Thursday I am dedicating the blog to “I am thankful” quotes… come back and participate!

Grace,
Brian