Where Do You Belong?

Isn't it interesting to see people's affiliations? To see which semi-secret orders, fraternities or special interest groups they give time, money and bumper space to? To see a blog that you thought was dead contain new content?

Where do you belong? And why? These are mine at the moment:

New Life Community Church I came to New Life in the fall of '99. Earlier that year, I'd begun commuting into Chicago from the suburbs to be involved in a New Life small group. Not long after that, I felt called to move into the city. When I did, I made New Life my church home and became a member. I appreciated the solid, biblical teaching and the passionate worship. Even more than that, though, I felt an immediate sense of family and had found a place where I could be used. This latter aspect--finding a place you can be used--is something that's often neglected in "church shoppping."

Feminists for Life I wish I could hear the questions popping into your mind. If you've never heard of FFL, you should look into them. They're one of the most innovative pro-life organizations I've run across, and I can't help but support them. Their tagline "Women Deserve Better" sums up their approach. They're active on college campuses and advocate for legislation and even school and employer policies that make keeping an unexpected child more doable. While I don't support every stance that they take, I think their overall approach is refreshing and effective. And, let's face it, it's amusing to be a male member of a women's organization. Don't worry, though, I'll leave Women's Workout World to the ladies.

National Rifle Association I love to shoot. I think the 2nd Amendment is important and still applicable, and the NRA is one of the few organization with the leverage to actually impact legislation. I don't wear their tacky promotional caps nor do I have an NRA bumper sticker on my car, but I am a member...somewhere between Ted Nugent and Michael Moore.

Mensa I'm not sure there's much to say about this one. It is what it is. Intelligence is only as valuable as the good done with it. I do knuckleheaded things daily for which I should have my membership revoked. For the record, Mensa's not as exclusive as it's made out to be. Statistically speaking, there are 120 million people alive today who should qualify.

I should also note a couple of important previous affiliations, namely the Quality Paperback Book Club, which I repeatedly joined and canceled for several years to take advantage of their introductory offer, and the Anti-Blue Angels Club, a protest group opposed to my younger sister's club, the Blue Angels. Most notable among ABAC's exploits was a covert op where I secured secret documents from my sister's room and fed them to the goat down the street. True story.

Wow, self-disclosure. It's...itchy.

New Year, New Job, New Look

This is technically not the first post of the year, but Happy New Year anyway!

This Friday, January 19th, I'll be leaving my job of 5 1/2 years and making a complete career change. This is a huge blessing and an exciting opportunity. As of January 22nd, I will be Media Outreach Specialist for New Life Community Church here in Chicago. I've been a part of this church since 1999 and have been involved in various ministries, but I'm really looking forward to coming on staff and being a part of this special team in an even greater capacity. Many are saying it, and I sense it too--God has some big things in store for this church and this city in 2007.

In the spirit of change, I've given the blog(s) a new look and will be doing some more creative things here this year. It should be fun and hopefully edifying.