Captain's log... to boldly go ...

Tomorrow Tiffy moves to New Zealand for three months. I don't know her that well, but I do think that I will miss her. She is a wonderful poet and daughter of God. She will be doing a leadership training school in New Zealand put on by Stieger ministries, so pray for her over these next few months that she may be molded and wooed by our most Holy LORD. To find out more, I think that she'll have a blog going on in her myspace.

mac, cheese, pigs in a blanket

Here's Jackie:

I live with Jackie and she got me some filtered water and butter today. She works at a salon and has many interesting tattoo's. In this picture I asked if I could take her picture, she held back a smile and tolerated me.



I'm really new here in the Steiger community, but today was the first day that Lorraine and I made community meal. I made the suggestion that we make mac and cheese with Pigs in a blanket. We did and it was great. There weren't as many people as I was hoping for since we made nine pounds of macaroni with four pounds of cheese! I was pretty excited though that I got to use one and a half pounds of butter in the sauce. Here is a picture from last weeks community meal. On a side note, has anyone ever played: magnificent corpse? I played that last night with some new friends and I haven't laughed so hard in a long time, thanks Angela! It felt so good to laugh again.

Call Me!!

This is a very interesting thing that Google has done, not really new but it's Google. I love google!
It's called GrandCentral.

Ian returns soon!!

At Kopplin's Coffee, we have a special place in our hearts for the person that drinks the "straight shot", someone who loves espresso and doesn't defile it by adding sugar and/or sometimes milk ( although macchiato's and cappuccino's are fine). There is a certain someone, that all the barista's at Kopplin's know, who only drinks espresso straight and he's been gone for the past six weeks. It's been weird not having him around, but just yesterday Andrew got a poem from him via email and this is how it reads:

I am returning soon
my darling, my island
my refuge in this busy world-
my little cafe,
(mon petit cafe,
tu es comme pour les anges un coin,
l'on qui donne les belles boissons)
from this wasted,
cold and snowy, rural land,
which at least fools me,
that at times I have thought
my rough coffee appropriate.
Soon I shall resume my walks
to read in your couched store front,
at the table with the little lamp,
or tucked away, back in the rear,
soon to sit and enjoy,
again my time in demitasse.
I shall not stay absent too much longer,
from where the baristas seek tongues
to pull flavors from cups,
as they themselves
pull flavors from beans,
from where my tongue becomes sponge,
and I needn't swallow a drop
(gross habit of frogs,
eaters of flies, drinkers of muck,
unaccustomed to allowing
the lingering of taste).
I am returning soon
my dear, my heart
(mon cher, mon coeur),
my long lost after but a short while,
my little cafe.

Ian

Found Pic from Christmas

This is a fun picture from Kopplin's Coffee's Christmas party back in december, we went to TanPopo.

Two weeks

Being in community is such an awesome experience but it can also be very challenging. A long time ago I was in a community with about nine other people in the far off country of Alaska. I learned a ton there, and already I'm learning a lot here. I feel like the past few years I've been stirring and tossing my insides so all the crap and silt are sloshing about, many people can attest to this, so to say the least I was not the kind of person that God had made me to be, or wants me to be. I've only been in this community for about two weeks now but it has settled my mind and spirit long enough to hear God more clearly. Church has been wonderfully filled with love and redemption, hope and friends. Please pray that I can hear God more clearly and be still with Him and not some crazed kitty, tearing the room apart.

A bowl and the Bible, by the river

Community living

I've had a really amazing week here at the Steiger house, it's been a crazy one, but so good as well. Here are a couple pictures of my new friends and the kitchen. Noah and Wendy, this was a calm before the storm, they started to wrestle after the shot was taken. Lisbeth is caring for a clinging Tamarack, and Tiffy was reading what to do if we were abducted by aliens.

God and John McClane?

I am so blessed to be surrounded by such a great cloud of people in my life!! I love to hear what's going on in Liz's life down in Argentina and that Ezra's speaking! And today I got a letter from a dear friend of mine that moved to Rome Italy to join a monastic community, Paul (commonly called "Paul the monk", so I don't confuse him with Libby's Paul). And as I should expect, his letter was very long, with very small tight cursive but very loving as well. Here is an excerpt from his letter:

Fortunately for me, God is infinitely merciful! Not only this, but more! He wants you and I in Heaven with Him more than we do! I heard of a woman, who received messages from God. She asked Him why it was so important to Him. He said because if you choose hell, " I will miss you for all eternity." Nothing stands between us and God except our refusal to repent over and over again

He went on to talk about how amazing community has been for him, he lives with six other brothers. I'm excited for my community life as well! I actually just got back from watching a movie with the house - Live free or Die hard. I think that's why both Paul and I joined community, besides obedience to God, to live free in Christ - ya know, Christ being John McClane and me being the one he drags along learning life's lessons kicking bad guys butt's and saving the day ... I doubt you ever thought of God saying: "Yippee-ki-yay, motherf****r" to satan, but maybe it crossed His mind? I probably just sinned writing that... well, I love God and know that He's won the battle anyway... ok, live free in Christ!