Watsonopolis

This is by NO MEANS an exhaustive list.  And I'm not going to put the obvious things, but rather some things I really enjoy, and think maybe some of you might enjoy too.

This American Life ~ a friend of mine put me on to this radio show years ago and I've not stopped listening to it yet.  I think it gives a fantastic insight into the paradox of world we live in, touches the heart & mind and the, by far consistently the best story telling I have ever, ever heard.

The Rozell Family Blog ~ Brian & Steph really deserve a blog post all their own.  But let me say out loud (as I've mentioned it on numerous occasions) that Brian is one of the best writers I know.  Even if I didn't know him, I would read his work and buy anything he published.  And on top of that, he's got a fantastic photographer's eye.  He and his dynamo wife live in Fairbanks Alaska working as school teachers and living out an adventurous life. 

Fajita Fiesta; Fresno, Ca ~ In a city dominated by Mexican food, this gets my vote as the best.  There are two locations of this family owned restaurant in Fresno.  For my money, when in town, visit the one at Divisidero and Van Ness.  Sit on the patio and tell Mira that the Watson's say hello.

Mama's Cafe; San Francisco, Ca. ~ I'm not a morning person.  I can think of only two reasons why I'd get up at 5 in the morning.  And the reasons are completely unrelated.  One of those is to head down to North Beach, the northeast corner of Washington Square, past the chinese people doing Tai Chi, is Mama's Cafe.  The line will stretch out the door and up the street, but don't be daunted.  Stand in it and wait.  And bring cash, because Mama doesn't take plastic.  The best breakfast place in the world.

Kings Canyon / Sequoia National Parks ~ These two parks are in the same stretch of mountains as their more popular brother Yosemite.  And though they don't have the same post card vista from the Valley, there's still a ton that I love about these two.  They're gorgeous, accessible and with less traffic and Yosemite.  Lisa and I spent lots of time in these mountains, not as much as we should have or wanted to, but each time we leave excited we came and sad we have to leave.

Anne Lamott ~ From time to time, there are books or authors that I read and then, re-read and re-read.  Anne is that author for me in this season of my life.  I was initially resistant to reading her because I thought, 'she's just a women's author.  I don't want to read about menopause'.  But I couldn't have been more wrong about her.  Her wit and insight is poignant.  She's not for everyone, but she's for me and I can't put her books down.

Cafe con Leche ~ Lisa introduced me to this little cup of heaven on my first trip to Miami.  Basically its cuban coffee and milk and something else that makes it taste out of this world.  I don't know if the Cubans stir the milk & coffee with their fingers or what it is that makes it so awesome, but I can't get enough of it.  In a world increasingly dominated by starbucks, Miami is one place that doesn't seem to be buying it (or drinking it).  There's still cuban coffee stands on every corner.  And that makes me very, very happy.

Lisa's Cuban Cooking ~ I'm not just saying this.  Lisa is a great cook.  Especially when she's whuppin up something from her Abuela's special recipes.  Ropa Vieja, Picadillo, Arroz con Pollo, Flan...She's a great cook.  We enjoy eating out (as you can tell from my other favorite things) but, given a choice, I pick Lisa's cuban cuisine over anything else.  

Flying Fish / Trolley Cars; Memphis, TN ~ Ok, this might be cheating but for the Watsons often this is a package deal.  Flying Fish is a fantastic little catfish joint in downtown Memphis.  Nathan loves going to flying fish.  Its fun, funky and kid friendly which, in my opinion is a pretty good description of the Watson family.  Flying Fish is also a block from the trolley cars which float around downtown Memphis.  So, often we'll take in some catfish then hop a trolley and roll around one of our favorite downtowns.  

So, there you have it.  I though maybe I'd list a top 10, but I'm sticking with 9.  If another comes to mind, I'll add it.  But, give some of these a try.  And share some of your favorite things as well.

I'll be honest, when I think back to the first time I met Greg Jackson I couldn't get a good read on what kind of friend he'd be to me and Lisa nor what kind of youth minister he was.  However, over the past year and a half of knowing him and watching him, it is crystal clear.  He cares deeply for youngsters and he is driven to see them live into God sized visions of passion for Jesus and care for folks who've lost their way and lost their footing in life. 

Greg places the suburban students that make up his flock and the student ministry that's designed to form them spiritually in stretching postures.  He places them in broke down and out of the way places - inner city neighborhoods, African orphanages and refugee communities - then forces the students to serve ALONGSIDE those in the community, and then prompts the students to ask questions of their God and their scriptures.  Greg models the action, reflection process of spiritual formation masterfully.  And the maturity of the students in the youth group are the result.  

Then there's the other stuff that I'm growing to genuinely appreciate about Greg.  His zeal for music.  And he's not zealous in the sense that he has a huge CD or MP3 collection.  Zealous in the purer sense.  The sense that says music, to be truly appreciated, must be appreciated in person.  As one goes to visit friends, or converse with relatives or old timers; that's how Greg approaches music.  His zeal for the creative and innovative.  Greg scours movies, conferences, organizations, businesses and nonprofits in an effort to explore how people with vision move forward in ways uncharted.  

And then there's the generosity.  Greg, a single bachelor, has let this nomadic band of 4 Watsons, invade his tranquil world and up-end it for 2 months.  Not a word of complaint (out loud any ways) or a question of "when are you moving out?".  He's loved our boys and, I think he's enjoyed our company.  

Greg has become a wonderful friend to the family and a complete honor to serve with.  Today, and on many other days, G-Jack is my hero!

A couple of Sundays ago, before I left church to head home, one of the ministers from our children's ministry handed me an envelope and said, "I thought you'd like to see this".  It was an envelope from one of the children.  Inside the envelope was their offering, given to the church.  It was a cute, humbling and encouraging sign of a youngster who, trying to be a good follower of Jesus, was giving a portion of their allowance or whatever cash mom & dad gave them the night before to the church for the work of God.  

However, to be honest, it wasn't what was in the envelope that stood out to me (and to the minister who passed the envelope to me).  It was what was written on the envelope.  "Poor Peepul".  This child, somewhere along the way got the notion that the money given to the church was for the poor.  I believe that to be both good theology and good practice.  I pray that I lead a church who's money, in increasing measure, is money given for the benefit of and care for the poor.

Today, for the first time in our lives, the Watsons became home owners.  I think the full weight of this will hit us when we move in at the end of the month.  In the meantime, raise a glass and celebrate with us friends!

Here are a few pictures that Lisa took during the inspection.  More photos to come.

Tomorrow at 10:00am the Watsons are set to close on our first house.  I am both excited and a bit guarded about this.  You see, this is the 4th house we've taken a swing at and the previous 3 were disappointments.  We've been house hunting, honestly, for about a year.  

For the most part, we've been looking in the midtown area of Memphis.  It's where we have been living since arriving in Memphis and we really enjoy this part of the city.  The previous 3 heart breaks are all within just a few blocks of each other.  (Of course now that I write that, maybe that's been our problem!  Wrong area).  

The first house was owned by some new friends of ours who lived in Memphis for several years but were relocating outside the state.  They wanted the home to go to some community minded folks who would care for the house and and the neighbors.  We were very interested in the house and began saving pretty aggressively for the down payment.  A few months went by, and after a a week away in California Lisa and I returned ready to move forward with the purchase.  We arrived back in Memphis to discover the house had already been sold.  

The second house was and still is a beauty.  We'd been looking at it for several months, walked through it two or three times and really liked it.  Not perfect, but a fantastic house for some first timers like us.  We haggled, made an offer and began dreaming.  We picked out colors for the walls, got some bids to get the popcorn off the ceiling, and wondered how much a kitchen remodel might set us back.  Then, the day of the closing, our lawyer called us to tell us the deal was not going to happen.  The seller had not been paying her mortgage and the sale price we had agreed to would not cover her payoff and furthermore she didn't have the cash to cover the closing costs.  Nevertheless we tried to work with the seller, waiting to see if a short sale would be approved, but to no avail.  As of now, the house has slipped into foreclosure and we've moved on to other pastures.  

The third house was a beauty.  If you have an eye for potential.  It was a little rundown.  Ok, a lot run down, but a cute little victorian styled house, nearly 100 years old on a fantastic double lot with an awesome wrap around porch.  You had to overlook its lack of heating or A/C and not be intimidated by the amount of work required and look at the house a year down the road.  A gem for sure.  We walked through the house with two contractor friends who helped us dream, and helped us put a price tag on the dream.  And then put a time line on the dream.  So, armed with that, we began the negotiation.  A little back and forth, and by the time it was said and done, The seller wanted a little more than we were willing to give.  Its still on the market if anyone is interested.  

Which brings us to house number 4.  And to be honest, I'm a little hesitant to even blog about this in the event that this thing comes crashing down around us tomorrow.  But, undaunted, we have hope!  Dang it!  This is a cute 4 bedroom 2 bath bungalow style house.  Move in ready.  About 90 years old.  Hardwoods throughout, 2 stories.  Great decks in the back.  Coy Pond.  Detached garage with a detached office.  And we're dreaming again.  Colors, decoration and holiday parties.  

Its like Christmas Eve for the Watson's today.  Here's to hoping Santa brings us something good tomorrow.