Message of Hope (Guest Post by Cale David Magnuson) Part 2 of 2

Cale David Magnuson is one of the most awesome people I have ever met. Former collage mascot, walk on football player at the University of Central Missouri, juggler (not juggalo, it is a very important distinction)(on a side note, my computer just changed "Juggalo" to "Conjugal". Akward.), world traveler, and all around ruggedly handsome man beast. This year he produced a thought, so profound that we had to have it on here. Enjoy!
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(If you haven't read Part 1 of 2 yet, you can find it HERE.

Ladies, Cale is currently single...

Anyway, the central message from the conference was simply that God loves us so incredibly much, and as our Father he couldn’t possibly be more proud of us!  I really believe this.  And how in the world is that nothing but a positive message??  This world is a pretty messed up place.  Around every corner is some tragedy or heartbreak.  Of course the world doesn’t want to hear about Church and Christianity, because they’ve become a joke.  All people see in them (and unfortunately all many of them have become) is a place where you plaster on a smile, sing some songs, do some praying, listen to a message, and go back to the messed up world none the wiser.  I don’t want any of that just as much as the next guy because it’s so full of negativity.  But because of all that, man I could sure use a positive message; a message of hope, and that’s exactly what the message of Jesus is.  And it’s exactly what the message of true Christianity is.  When we were all at rock bottom, there was a message of hope.  When I was at rock bottom, there was a message of hope.  For whatever reason, which I still have zero way of comprehending, the Father loves me so dearly and is so incredibly proud of me.  In my head I absolutely cannot understand why in the world this would ever be the case, but to my heart it is such a message of hope and life!!  If there’s ever anything any of us (and especially I) needed, it is such a positive message, such a message of hope!

And that’s how I would describe this conference.  People can think I’m a weirdo or a goober, but really they can say nothing against the message because it is only positive!  Because the nature of God is only positive!  Don’t mix that message up with all the clutter and baggage of “church” and “Christianity” because frankly, God doesn’t care about that stuff, at least not in the way that we understand it in our minds, with it’s negativity.  When we hear this message we so frequently marry it with “oh I guess that means I should go to church more and read my Bible more and yada yada yada”.  Again, none of that stuff matters!  None of it’s the point!  The only point is Jesus.  And all Jesus was was Love.  It’s just as silly as trying to understand how a man and woman behave when they are in love with each other if you take the whole love thing out of it.  Man they would look ridiculous.  Same thing with Jesus, all this extra junk that we throw on top of it is just religious clutter, and makes absolutely zero sense when you don’t understand how much Jesus loves us and that that’s the core of who He is.  In fact, if there’s something in you that clicks with this good news that Jesus loves us and is beyond enthralled with us, but you are hesitant because of all this extra stuff, just throw all the extra stuff away.  Take this positive message and receive it and don’t even worry about what all “implications” you think that stuff may bring.  At this point, God doesn’t care about it—all He cares about is you—so you shouldn’t care about it either.  Maybe sometime later you’ll want to pray or to sing, but don’t ever, ever, do those because it’s just part of the package, because there’s some pressure to do that.  God is not a god of pressure; it’s not his nature.  His nature is love, and that’s exactly what we need in this broken world, not more pressure.

Don’t take my word for any of this.  I could just be smoking peyote for all you know.  Ask God himself, he’s dying to talk with you ya know.  Ask him if all of this is BS, or if maybe there is a hope-filled message, one that is only positive, one where He soooo loves us.  I’m just some guy rambling, so none of this has any power coming from me.  The only thing that has power is if God speaks it to you Himself.  And don’t let all the junk that has grown around the centerpiece keep you from seeing the real message.  After all, it’s hard to see any bad in a message that is so good.   

And that’s why I loved the conference.  Because I was able to see that the good news, the message of the gospel, is a positive message of hope, such a good and wonderful message, and one that is nothing more and nothing less than one of ultimate Love.  And that’s exactly what this jaded “Christian” needed.
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Find Cale on Facebook HERE! 

If you enjoyed having Cale on the Blog, let him know in the comments below so we can get him to guest post again in the future!

Message of Hope (Guest Post by Cale David Magnuson) Part 1 of 2

Cale David Magnuson is one of the most awesome people I have ever met. Former collage mascot, walk on football player at the University of Central Missouri, juggler (not juggalo, it is a very important distinction)(on a side note, my computer just changed "Juggalo" to "Conjugal". Akward.), world traveler, and all around ruggedly handsome man beast. This year he produced a thought, so profound that we had to have it on here. Enjoy!

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Ruggedly handsome man beast: Cale Magnuson

I went to a conference this weekend sponsored by the church I’ve been quasi-attending lately.  I say “quasi-attending” because ever since I was in college I have always felt more comfortable on the peripheries of church.  This has been fun to explain to countless mentors and pastors, as a common theme among them is the importance of fully investing in a church, or, more specifically, the “body of Christ”.  I can certainly see their argument, but for a variety of reasons I am pretty reluctant to make that leap.  I think the same things come to my mind as come to your mind when it comes to church and Christianity...there seem to be a lot of goobers out there and if there was some hobby/activity/environment that I would want to make a significant part of my life, well, I can think many other things that would simply be more, well, fun.

All that to say I was a little surprised that not only was I attending this conference, but also that I was somewhat looking forward to it.  After the first night, I remember wondering how in the world I would explain my Friday night to someone who didn’t see the world through the same perspective without being looked at funny.  I think this was a legitimate concern.  However, as I continued to think of the nature of the conference, I came up with what I think is a pretty effective answer.

Certainly we all have a plethora of images that come to mind when we think of church.  Perhaps the more significant ones involve singing, praying, smiling and shaking hands, and listening to a man (or woman) detail a passage of the Bible.  But even though these may come to mind, for many of us they are all tied together with an undercurrent of pain, anger, bitterness, and judgment.  I know I definitely fall in this category.  Maybe this is why people are so unsuccessful when inviting their friends to church, or when they tell them about Jesus, or when they share with them that there’s a better life out there waiting for them, in the form of Christianity.  Unfortunately, I think for the majority of folks out there, the aforementioned things are what come to mind when these conversations take place and they consider whether they could ever call themselves a “Christian”.  And frankly, I’m the same way, and couldn’t blame anyone for being extremely gun shy at the prospect.  The message of Jesus has been veiled in all kinds of negativity because of people who have done such a poor job of representing the true message of Him.  (And I am just as guilty as the next guy.)

But none of this was at the core of the conference.  Certainly, there was singing, praying, smiling and shaking hands, and listening to a speaker bring us the Word, but none of those were really what the conference was all about.  It certainly wasn’t what brought me there nor was it what stuck in my mind.  See, the entire point of the conference was found in what the speaker kept alluding to...the simple fact that Jesus loves us and thinks we’re awesome.  According to the speaker, Jesus even has a picture of me in his wallet.  Now this is extremely easy to skim over, especially for those of us who have spent significant amounts of time around the Church and in Christianity, but you really should have been there to hear him say it with such conviction and certainty.  Stop and take a moment to consider this...

Jesus loves us and thinks we are amazing!  How great the Father’s love for us.  As infinite as God is (He’s pretty big if he could create the entire oceans.  He’s pretty big if he could chisel out all the mountains.  He’s pretty big if he could suspend the planet in perfect orbit within the solar system.  He’s pretty big if he could think up an aardvark.  He’s pretty big if he could design a man and a woman.  He’s pretty big if he could give us a curiosity to learn and discover.  He’s pretty big if he could create one man and one woman in such a way that they desire and love each other.), so his nature cannot be tempered by anything.  All that...infiniteness...is the fuel for His love for us.  How could such an infinite God only love a little bit?   How could such an infinite God not know us as people or care about what’s going on in our lives??  If I am all too aware of every hope, dream, and desire within me, and know that it came from somewhere, then how could God be so small that He only has a mediocre love for me???  I remember in the darkest times of my life I told God that I needed him to be everything that my heart needed him to be.  I was all too aware of how big I needed God to be for me, and I’m beginning to think that He is not just that big, but infinitely more so!  How great the Father’s love for us!  It’s silly that I’m trying to convince you of this in an argument disseminated through words.  There is no way to know of the Father’s love without experiencing it ourselves, just between us and Him.  And since when did Love ever make any sense?  Love is probably the weirdest thing out there, of which I have zero understanding, probably because I try and understand it intellectually.  But Love wasn’t meant to be understood, it was meant to be experienced.
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Find Cale on Facebook HERE!
Part 2 of 2 will be posted later in the week!

3 Things I've Learn About Disagreements

I'm sitting here listening to some pretty well known people talk about throwing rocks at each other and I am realizing a few things. For starters, stop throwing punches at people like Benny Leonard in the 20's and have a conversation! Now here are the 3 things I have learned:

1: People fight over ambiguity

1920's Ghetto Wizzard - Benny Leonard

Have you ever noticed that you get angry and tense often because of discussions that you have never had? Is it possible that many relationships suffer simply because we have never talked about what is bothering us? Let me answer that for you. Yes. It is not just possible. It is true. Stop assuming that people are out to get you, or that they are wrong, and make a legit effort to talk to them about the issue. You will more than likely be surprised by what you find.

2: Don't be defined by what you are against.
When you are defined by what you are against, you are left living a very negative life.  Think of people that have helped change the world. Jesus was not known for being AGAINST sin, he was known for being FOR redemption. MLK was not known for being against segregation as much as he was known for being FOR togetherness and equality. You can keep going with this, but the point is that you need to focus on what you are FOR and put what you are against on the back burner.

3: Be civil
Whether you agree or disagree with another person, for the love of the flavor of bacon, BE CIVIL! If Christ taught us anything, it was that we are to love other people. Next to loving God, it was the second greatest commandment that he gave. So whether you agree or disagree, just love them. Lets stop throwing rocks and start giving hugs. Lets quit punching our friends and teammates and start making a change.


Bottom line is this: Don't be a pantywaisted pansy and sidestep your disagreements. Address the issue in love, grace, civility, and with the main goal to be greater understanding and not to make a point. Take the high road and love your enemies and do good to those that hurt you.

Year One (Guest Post:Tricia Erickson)

At this point in the history of this blog, we have had 3 guest posts. Today, we get our 4th and boy oh boy is the author a sexy beast! Tricia Erickson is my longtime friend, my wife, my best buddy, and the coolest person I have ever met. She studied journalism at Southwest Baptist University, is the Communication Coordinator for an amazing Non Profit called Clinic In A Can, and does lots of work with Audacity Church. I'm honored to have her on my blog finally! 

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One year. One year ago today, I started an amazing adventure with my best friend.  It’s so crazy. In some ways I feel like Josh and I have been married for ever, but then at the same time I can hardly believe it’s been a whole year.  

I’ve been reflecting a lot this week over our first year of marriage. This entire year has been a complete change and transition for me. We got married, moved to a new city, made a new home, made new friends, got new jobs, started a new church (Audacity Church in Wichita, KS), began new traditions…and that’s only a few things! 

More times than not, all these new things were quite overwhelming. But in spite of all the craziness of a new life, I always had one constant with me – my best friend, my husband. 

Just getting to be with my best friend has been the most amazing part of year one of marriage.  I know it seems like a pretty obvious part of a first year of marriage, getting to be together, but it’s something that I learned to never ever EVER take for granted.  You see, this year was incredibly special for us because we were finally together. The year before our marriage was the hardest year of my life because we spent it living in different parts of the world.  Josh was deployed with the army and I was finishing up my last year of college. That year is still sometimes hard to think about because of the emotional damaged I experienced.

But what I didn’t realize was that while I was going through the hardest year of my life, God was setting me up for the best year of my life.  For every tear that I cried in loneliness last year, I had a laugh with my best friend this year.  For every day I said “I miss you” last year, I got to say “good morning love” this year. For every date we didn’t get to go on last year, we got to go on an awesome adventure together this year. 

I’ve learned a lot this year…A LOT. But what I’ve learned the most is God is faithful and truly does have my best interest at heart. I think of it kind of like the story of Job. Now I’m not saying that I suffered nearly to the extent that he did – but I often found myself asking God “why?!” and unfortunately while I was going through it I didn’t have the faith like Job. But at the end of Job’s story, God gave him everything he lost and so much more. God overwhelmed Job with his blessing.  That’s what I feel like this year. For the year of terrible heart ache and separation, God blessed us over and over with an amazing first year of marriage together. I never thought I could ever get to the point where I thanked God for the seemingly awful year of deployment. Yet here I am on my 1 year anniversary realizing how gracious God is because without that year – I would be taking a simple thing like getting to be with my husband for granted. God has truly overwhelmed me with his blessing.  

I am so thankful for the amazing first year of marriage God gave us. It hasn’t been a perfect year – we’ve had our hard times, our selfish times, our hurt times – but despite all the imperfections God has begun weaving our lives together into an intricate tapestry of beauty.  I will always cherish this first year, but I am excited for what challenges God brings us this next year!

Green Couch (Of the Ninja Variety)

Hey there my blogisto's and blogista's! I have a few thoughts I want to blog about, but can't seem to put them into words very well. I thought you would enjoy this though. I bought a couch on Craigslist 4 years ago for $20 and decided to sell it, on Craigslist, for the same amount I purchased it for 4 years ago. I succeed. Proving once and for all that my green pleather couch is recession proof. No depreciation on this one!

Here is the actual post that I put up. I'm still waiting on my "Best of Craigslist" Nomination. I'm sure it's on it's way.
PS: I sold it in 24 hours. BOOM!
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Green Couch (Of the Ninja Variety) - $20

This couch is a green, pleather, swanky, highly Ninja friendly couch that is also hypo-allergenic. This couch has seen some of the fiercest Ninja Warriors on the planet in it's day. How would I know that you ask? Uh, because I myself am a class 4 Ninja Warrior. "WHAT?!" You might exclaim while wondering aloud how this could be possible. I am sure like many other mere mortals, you probably believe the lie that Ninja Warriors can only achieve a class 3. Well, you are mistaken my moistened bottomed applejon. I know this, because I stated, I am a class 4 Ninja Warrior.

So, this couch. I know you already want it. It's awesome. It will sexy up your pad by at least 57%. Plus, if you play your cards right, I will even throw in a can of corn for you to consume as you sit on this majestic warrior throne. "Why would you willingly part with such an epic piece of Ninja lore?" You ask. Well, this Ninja just got married and as it turns out, my NON-Ninja wife very much prefers her Ninja Thrones to be in the color of blue. So I bought a blue one that looks just like it.

To be totally real, you will probably show up and demand to give me $25 because of it's stunning beauty and delectable nature. I however will refuse such an offer. Probably. Then I will change my mind and accept to keep you on your toes.

In review: The Couch has a few dings and nicks. It's not perfect, as it is very comfortable (Ninja speak for worn in) and is a tiny bit damaged in one corner. I have provided photos of the damaged areas but lets be honest here. The couch is $20 and it's on the first floor right by my front door. Easy to buy. Easy to move. Not easy to find another Ninja Warrior Throne.

My name is Josh. Email me and I'll get right back to you. Promise.

A Christmas Tradition for the Whole Family

My wife and I realized that since we have been married (we have been married almost one year) we have been living with the traditions of our families. As a small family, we don't have our own traditions. So we decided to make our own tradition. We believe that traditions should be awesome and not awful. So, we created a new tradition that is awesome enough that future generations of Erickson will be excited about for years to come. Sooooo we built a Gingerbread House and on Christmas afternoon, we destroyed it, filmed it, and put it on the interwebs. Yeah, that is a tradition that we can all get behind.

Gingerbread House

Feel free to make your own video and share it in the comments!

How to Pick a Lock

This is a re-post of a blog written by Jason Fitzpatrick on Lifehacker.com . I read it today and it was AWESOME. The way they pick the lock on the Combination Lock is super cool. Yeah, super cool. If you like what you read here, go ahead and check out their website. They have some really neat stuff.
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Learn to Pick Locks for Fun and an Increased Understanding of Security

By Jason Fitzpatrick

Oct 25, 2010 12:00 PM

Learning to pick locks is a fun exercise in learning about locking mechanisms, honing a useful skill, and getting a better understanding of how locks work and protect—or fail to protect—you and your stuff.
Photo by Lanchongzi.

If you've never picked a lock before, you're missing out. It's fun, for the most part it's a strictly analog/mechanical pursuit (a therapeutic break from electronic gadgets), and unlike say, learning to juggle, when you end up locked out of your house you can actually put your skill to use.
The best place to get started with lock picking is to look up a local chapter of Locksport International. Not only does it add in a social element to the hobby but in meeting up with other more seasoned lock picking enthusiasts you'll get a chance to see and try out all sorts of tools and practice lock sets that would cost a bundle to buy when you're just getting started. Download the previously mentioned Locksport International Guide to lockpicking here.
If you're really interested in learning about locks and lock picking don't bookmark the guide and hope to get around to it later. It's an excellent visual primer and extremely accessible, go grab the PDF and read it. While it's downloading, enjoy the video below which demonstrates, thanks to a clear lock casing, exactly what is happening inside when you pick a lock.
In addition to highlighting the Locksport International guide, we've covered some pretty neat techniques over the years for dealing with locks and doors.

Pick a Lock with a Bump Key

Two years ago bump key lock picking was all over the internet—though it certainly wasn't new to criminals or locksmiths. People couldn't believe how easy it was pick many simple locks using little more than a key blank and a screw driver. (original story)

Build Your Own Vibrating Lock Pic

As you get more into lock picking you'll be tempted to buy some of the cool toys out there. Skip the $100+ vibrating lock pick sets and build your own from around $10 worth of parts—principally an Oral-B vibrating tooth brush. (original story)

Unlock a Sliding Chain Lock with a Rubber Band

While not technically lock picking, it's a very simple and clever method for opening a chain lock using nothing more than a rubber band. If you've picked a lock and found a security chain behind it, you just need a rubber band and a deft hand. (original story)


Crack a Master Combination Lock

Got a Master combination lock you want to get open but you don't want to destroy the lock or what it's attached to? Follow the link above to download a flowchart to guide you through cracking the combination without damaging the lock. Don't have time to diddle your way through testing combinations and following a flowchart? Open it with a beer can:

While the above videos showcase some pretty flashy techniques, we'd again direct you back to the previously mentioned Locksport International Guide to Lockpicking. It's a rock-solid beginners guide to picking locks, taking them apart, tinkering with them, and learning quite a bit about lock history and mechanics in the process.

If you're a lock picking hobbyist, sound off in the comments with your favorite resources, tools, or tricks and help your fellow readers get started with the hobby.