Living Rarefied

YL club last night was a glimpse of what I have dreamed about for over 4
years now.  Chaos, yet controlled, rambuncious yet attentive…

A buddy of mine Robbie, finally made it to his first YL gathering.  He graduated HS a year ago and is at Gustavus now and dropped in for a bit.

We ate 3 huge CostCo pizzas with the students in record time.

A few kids that have come before, but I haven't seen in awhile came.

Played another few games of sardines where for 20 minutes nobody could find Alexis, she was on top of the refrigerator…

2 freshman girls came by for the first time, we're not sure who invited them, which is a cool part in itself.  They walked into a dark house of 15 kids and 5 leaders running around, some screaming, some laughing.  But nobody noticed they were there for a few minutes.  I met them in the dark, then got to meet them again when the lights were on.  We thanked them for coming and said we'd love to see them again.  They responded with a definate yes!

Seeing my sister Alexis hush a crowd of 20 with her stories and message was amazing.  I have been giving talks for 3+ years and haven't had that kind of attention with even 1 student!

Seeing God's sense of humor with her.  She gets nervous and then he puts the most kids in front of her that this ministry has ever seen in 1 room.  As an older brother, I love that kind of humor.

Visions for the house that has been opened up for us to use are gaining clarity.  Vision for the ministry are gaining clarity and traction.

I feel like we have been a snowflake, gathering with a few other snowflakes and have been ready to get together for a snowball, but there hasn't been any snow.  The snow is beginning to fall, and there are quite a few people who want to see how big a snowball we can make!

Ethan Daily

Here's my quick rant on patents.  I may upset some patent lawyers,
but one patent battle that has a lot of weight in the finance/healthcare/government worlds is the RIM vs. NTP battle.  I understand I am not fully educated in patent law, (or even at all) but I still have some thoughts.NTP owns the patent to technology that RIM has used in its Blackberry's.  NTP has never produced this technology, just owns the rights to it.  To my knowledge, they don't have any intention to produce it, or capabilities.

Here's my counter thought where I believe the circumstances are very very different, but the priciples of the law are the same.

10 years ago, I came across a cure for cancer, or some other deadly disease.  I got it patented,and then went back to my job in the finance world and sit on that patent.  I have no bandwidth to produce the drug/procedures I patented.  A big pharma company does their own research and comes up with the same procedures/drugs in my patent and has been saving lives for a few years.  I still have no intention of producing what I patented, but now am suing the pharma company for a percentage of every person cured…  If we don't settle, nobody can use my patented procedure in the USA.  Canadian tourism would shoot up… Thats for sure.

Where's the break in the system there?  I agree with intelectual property and rights to it.  But say I came from a part of the world with no means for being exposed to pop-culture and I write a song for myself.  It so happens to be the same song that some superstar celebrity singer wrote and is making millions off of.  10 years later, I move to the cities and I go sing that song on a local radio station and get paid for my appearance and the lawyers for the celebrity hear about it and come after me.  Isn't it still my song?

My conclusion is if you aren't producing something…  You should lose the patent.  You should have a few years to show results of a product, or work towards making the product.  But if you have nothing other than the patent application.  The clock should be ticking on when you lose the rights to your idea and they become public property.

Ethan Daily

I was just emailed from a fellow leader from Urban YL in Minneapolis that 2 of her Young Life club kids were shot last night.  One did not survive and the other is in very very critical condition.  Please pray for their club, their families, their communities, their spirits and outlook on life.

This is difficult for me… As last night was one of the best YL clubs we have had.  It was the kickoff to a new chapter with an inspired leadership team.  A new staff leader in Andy, music lead by Bjork, John and his sister Lori and me and my sister Alexis.  During our joy and happiness, not too far away, the exact opposite was happening.

Lord, I pray for healing in the student bodies of the schools our younger friends attend. For your love to infuse the halls and busses and gyms and parking lots and athletic fields and the teachers lounges.  For that is where love can begin to flow.

Ethan Daily, Feeling, Surprise Me

Yesterday was a tough day… Waking up to an email on the BlackBerry that a nightly process failed for a new client, having only a 30 second rinse in the shower due to no hot water (too much laundry during the night i think), getting a carpet estimate that was 15% more than expected, to coming home to a messy kitchen, and a garbage can that hadn't been brought in, spending 2 hours laying 20 tiles in the bathroom because the floor is sloped and my brains told me to start on the high side so there are full tiles in the more visible areas. Result: as the mortar was setting the tiles were slipping down about a quarter inch.  So I had to prop some things in place to hold them uphill.

Result of the days events: a strong strong urge to drink.  Stronger than I have felt in a long time.  I guess luckily I have a large guilt complex about not working out lately so I went and vented my frustrations on the bike at the club…

But its interesting that alcohol is generally the first thing you think about when times are tough.

Ethan Daily, Surprise Me

Yesterday I got a phone call from Paris, it was Rebecca! I was asleep and missed it. But the message said she was in a cafe so I tried to call her back… After the 60 second connection delay (because I have VOIP for my house line) I was able to have a long chat with her for a few bucks and kick off a great Sunday!

Ethan Daily

I have learned already this year…

If your car is rockin' a bumper sticker with a quote on it…

I don't think we'll ever be friends. You've saved me a lot of time though, so thank you for telling me that because I am not outraged, I must not be listening… I was worried about the answer to why I am not outraged. But I guess its cause I am not listening… To what?

Also there's a good chance you are about to cut me off on the highway and act like you didn't know…

Ethan Daily

What a world it would be if instead of making fun of people who aren't like us, or judging them because of their differences, we would pray for them, engage them.. Or for starters just not even let those negative thoughts enter your head.

Friday I saw a movie with Kevin and Gennae, it was an early movie, Syriana. The theater wasn't too full, but the odd thing was that everybody gathered around us. In the row in front, behind and our row. There was 1 seat open next to Gennae, and a guy walked in by himself and saw the seat. I heard him exclaim with joy, "alright a seat right in the center of the theater!"

So he wedged between our group and the group next to us, akwardly close. Started commenting about the size of our popcorn, and saying how he was so surprised at the difference between a medium and a large. How he thought mediums would be bigger.

I was annoyed, I mean who was this guy to come interrupt our time in the theater and make it uncomfortable next to us.

Halfway through the movie I couldn't get this guy out of my head, because I started thinking. Its the holidays, he's at a movie by himself. I thought of my family at home I was going to see later that night. The friends I was with, the friends I was meeting later. and thought to myself maybe he doesn't have that. And I may have just cut down what he does have. Maybe going to the movies and talking to people is the only interaction he has with people.

My new equation for judging is this… In order to judge somebody, you need to know every possible detail about them. Otherwise any assumption/judgement isn't valid. Because there is information missing you can never be sure. I could be off about this guy. He could be like me on Good Friday last year when I went to a movie myself. It didn't mean I had no life/friends/family. It didn't mean I am odd. I am oddfor other reasons. And since we cannot know everything about somebody. Even though we may know a lot about somebody, we will never know everything. Therefore the judgment is reserved for the one who knows everything about us. Our Father in Heaven.

Ethan Daily, Struggles

Since when did the commute home become a race/competition?

One thing I cannot stand!!! Is when you are trying to merge onto 100 south from Stephen Drive just south of 394. And as you are moving left into an opening of maybe 60 feet or so, (plenty of room for a Passat at a speed of 40 MPH with traffic going 40 MPH) somebody doesn't like that you are coming into their lane and they speed up to 60 MPH to close the 60 foot gap and lay on the horn like you just cut them off…

I am not trying to beat them to their house? I am one car… Was their day that bad that they have to get their rage out for a 1 second difference on the highway?

I bet they don't know that Jesus loves them, and it doesn't matter.

Ethan Daily

uglychristmaslights.com/

Its a good year of lights, as long as you don't end up here…

Not the best way to build community in your neighborhood.. I will use this site in learning what not to do as I hang my simple simple lights at my house…

Ethan Daily

Has been on my mind… Scott is a homeless man who has been coming into my local Caribou lately to sip some coffee and warm up.

My goal is to engage in a conversation with Scott.. Maybe give him a Caribou Card, although the girl working there gives him free coffee… Time will tell, I don't want to be upfront and act like I would be there to help in a "Christian" way that may turn him off, but to be there for conversation and love in a "Jesus" way.

Scott hasn't been in the last 2 days. When its below 0 and windy I wonder about those who survive on the streets, and those who don't… I guess I never have thought about those without shelter so closely. I was cold last night because I turn my thermostat down to 60 to conserve energy and money…

I hope you're doing ok Scott…

Ethan Daily, Struggles, Surprise Me