snow day!

The fun local news is that our town is under a Level 2 snow emergency.

That's big news, baby.

Apparently Level 1 is "Drive carefully," while Level 2 is "Only those who feel it's necessary" to drive should be on the roads. Level 3 mandates everyone be off the roads inside except "non-emergency personnel."

I hear Level 4 involves the use of TNT on all snowmen, and Level 5 hauls anyone into jail who has the last name "Frost."

On the upside, my kiddo's are enjoying a break from school. They just made a Gingerbread House with Katie.

a one in a million(aire) opportunity - pt 1

Let me begin with a confession... it's always been a dream of mine to be on a game show. On one hand, it disgusts me to realize how much pop culture knowledge I am filled with. On the other hand, maybe some of that knowledge can actually be used for something productive.

On Wednesday morning I took a tangible step in that direction.

The TV show "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" held open auditions in the Cleveland area this past week.  It was a "first come, first serve" audition, which meant there was no guarantee you'd get in without an early spot in line.  I left my house at 4:30am to stand in a line that wouldn't start moving until 6am.

Then again, it was a beautiful morning and I was on the dock.  So who am I to complain?

When it did move, though, they brought us into an outdoor pavilion area and sat everyone down.  Best guess is that there were around 700 people there, from those who seemed focused to others who just enjoyed hamming up every so often to keep the mood light.  They even gave us all bathroom breaks by section... how nice!

Next, we were each handed a magnet that had a number written on the back to designate where we were at in line.  I was "213" - which placed me right in between two guys who I ended up striking a conversational friendship with.  Noah (#212) happened to be an author and itinerant speaker, whereas Steve (#214) was a local broker.

Over time we each shared a bit about our backgrounds, which for Steve included him having auditioned for the show in New York.  He even voluntarily tossed out a few of the questions my way to prepare for, just in case they'd be on the test again.

• Which President is on the right side of Mt Rushmore?
• How do you accurately spell this word: "kwestionair?"
• What movie did George Clooney gain weight for?
• What country is _____ river located in?" (I forgot the name of it already - sorry)

Unfortunately for Steve and I, none of these questions were on the Cleveland test.

What was challenging about the experience was that the show's representatives didn't have a sound system.  So whenever they would try to talk to the large crowd of 700+ people they would be continually interrupted by the masses saying, "WE CAN'T HEAR YOU!"  Of course, I could hear them fine until those other folks said they couldn't... which was odd since they were in front of me.  Nonetheless, that was a struggle a couple of times during the day.

So we were ushered upstairs into a large ballroom where we sat down on chairs that barely gave any elbow room.  Thankfully I was a few chairs down from the end and Steve caught on to move his chair down a bit.  This would eventually help in the test taking, not only from a concentration standpoint but also to keep others from cheating (which it actually would have been easy to do, although I didn't see it happen).

A young woman from the show guided us through our initial steps - we'd be given ten minutes to answer 30 questions on the first test, then a second test would ask us another 30 questions that we'd also only have ten minutes to answer.  Both were standard "Scantron" sheets, and we were all given a "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" pencil and a piece of hard cardboard.

Some of the easy questions of the first test I nailed included:

• What was the profession of Michael Clayton in the 2007 movie?
• Which of these is more money - four rolls of pennies, five rolls of dimes, ten rolls of nickels, etc.
• What is the old time nickname that the New York Times is known for?
• Name the TV show George Costanza's answering machine parodied on Seinfeld.
• On "In Living Color," what was Homey the Clown's catchphrase?

Some of the other questions I didn't nail off the first test included this genre: "Put these birth stones in order, according to which month comes first..."  That's where you burn a lot of time - trying to recall information you once may have known but no longer do.  At least a third of the test was a challenge in this way.

The second test was much easier - it was primarily movie themed and covered every genre from The Maltese Falcon to Jurassic Park.  A few questions were "trick" questions - like "What movie did actor Bill Paxton not die in?" and they gave you four movies where people were known for dying.  I dare say that I only missed one question on that second test.

After all of this, we had to wait around a half hour for the results to come back.  During this time, the ballroom became a chaotic rendition of "America's Got Talent" - only, it was the non-talent version.  I apologize for how that sounds, but people were doing anything to win a t-shirt... and I heard some of the flattest jokes I've heard in a long time.  It gave Steve great sideline comfort in his chances to move forward as he watched it all unfold.

Although... I did score a t-shirt (and later several more) by helping toss them out to the people.

Finally, the big moment came.  They announced who made it out of the large group by name, and when all was said and done around 8% of were called back.  The comments made by many people after this included, "This was the biggest waste of time in my entire life."  Meanwhile, I was feeling pretty good... as was Steve who also was called back as well.

We made our way up to the front, were handed application forms, took pictures with our number and name, and then were told to come back three hours later for our audition.

Three hours later?  Application form?  Audition?

(click here for Part 2)

our community on our community - pt 1

This week's newspaper article is online, beginning a new series all this month called "Our Community On Our Community."  What insights do everyday people have to offer us that we may otherwise skip over because it's not our usual vantage point?

Check it out here: http://connectionchurch.org/tonymyles/

You can also read a great post from Aadvantage Cab here: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=141981475812993

which kids are mine... down the road?

At Chipotle for lunch. Many teens off school are here, too.

I wonder which ones my kids will be when they're older. Will they be the quiet ones at the tall tables... the loud ones at center... or the "players" making the rounds trying to schmooze others they know (or sort of know)?

from the aisles of Hobby Lobby

At Hobby Lobby... and every Nativity set looks Swedish.

you know you're from chicago when...

Having just driven through Chicago this past week with a van full of friends from Ohio, I was reminded of what it means to be a native of the Windy City area (as I am) versus a tourist.

YOU KNOW YOU'RE FROM CHICAGO WHEN....

• You know what Kennedy, Dan Ryan, Eisenhower, Edens, and Bishop Ford, have in common and have cursed at one of them.
  
  
• You know the difference between Richard J Daley and Richard M Daley.
  
  
• You and your relatives have your own private accent that usually comes out when you talk about "'dat one ting dey did."


• You've never called it "Chi-town" in your life until you started hanging out with outsiders who think it's cool.


• You think it's normal to drive by four professional sports complexes and five amazing museums over the course of fifteen minutes.
  


• You can name three or four extra taxes nobody else pays.


• You say Chicaaago (but think you say "Chicago").


• You think going to a Bears game in single digit temperatures with a wind off the lake (and freezing rain) is fun.


• You go to the Dells in the summer to get away from the other 20 thousand that followed you (and you know what the "Dells" is).


• You've been caught speeding in Wisconsin because you had Illinois plates.


• You know why they call it "the Windy City."


• You know dead people who voted.


• You've never ever considered the idea of hiring non-union laborers.


• You've never been to Springfield.


• You know a good Italian Beef joint.


• You know what Gino's East, Giordanos, and Lou Malnati's have in common (and why _______ is scientifically the best out of the three).


• You know exactly how many cars are "legally" allowed to turn left after the light turns red.


• You don't know which ethnic "fest" to choose on any given Summer weekend.


• You can recite many of "The Blues Brothers" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" lines and know where they filmed certain scenes... including which of your friends are in them.


• The "Living Room" is called the "front room"


• You don't pronounce the "s" at the end of Illinois. You become irate at people who do


• You measure distance in minutes (especially "from the city"). And you swear everything is pretty much 15 minutes away


• You refer to Lake Michigan as "The Lake"


• You refer to Chicago as "downtown."


• "The Super Bowl" refers to one specific game in a series of 35 played in January of 1986


• You have two favorite football teams: The Bears, and anyone who beats the Packers!


• You buy "The Trib"


• You know what goes on a Chicago Style Hot Dog and why it's worth $4.


• You know what Chicago Style Pizza REALLY is.


• You can distinguish between the following area codes: 847, 630, 773, 708, 312, & 815


• You know what the phone number is to Empire Carpet!


• You wear gym shoes, not sneakers.


• You eat ravioli and spaghetti in addition to the turkey at Thanksgiving.


• You are STILL a Bulls fan........


• You think hanging out outside of White Castles parking lot is acceptable.


• You live two miles from work and it takes you two hours to drive there


• You don't flinch when you pay the fifth toll of your 45-minute car ride on the highway


• When you read a big story in the paper about mob ties in the city government, your first reaction is "So, tell me something I don't know."


• You know Lincoln Towing is Satan incarnate.


• You've paid $105 for towing, $30 for more than one "street cleaning" ticket, $58 for a city vehicle sticker, and $70 for a license plate sticker -- and chalk it all up to "neighborhood taxes."


• You pluralize grocery stores and retail chains: "I'm going to Jewels"; "I bought it at Targets"; "I couldn't find parking at Wal-Marts"


• You don't miss Planet Hollywood.


• You still claim that the Sears Tower is the tallest skyscraper in the world (and still call it the Sears Tower and "always will, even on my deathbed").
  

last night

Apparently my car was broken into last night, among about a dozen folks on my street and the surrounding area. Someone across the street from me lost a GPS system, and another neighbor thinks some cash was stolen.

This is a snapshot of what I saw, and as you can see my glove compartment was emptied. It's assumed they were looking for something valuable, whereas I only had oil change paperwork and extra napkins from Taco Bell. The Bibles in my trunk were likewise not taken.

Yes, I have Bibles in my trunk. But they aren't mine... I'm holding them for someone.

No really, I am.

spiritual fitness

On Wednesday, countless numbers of local people made a decision... a "make it" or "break it" kind of decision. What is most interesting, though, is that many didn't even realize it when it happened.

But it happened.

I saw it when my boys and I pulled our van into the local rec center and got an easy parking spot. What is normally a well-crowded lot was quite empty comparatively, indicating what I eventually confirmed inside - the cold weather drew a line in the snow that scared off a crowd of January exercise participants.

To say that our nation is caught up in a fitness craze at the start of every year is an understatement. Somehow it's become a billion dollar business over the past few decades and it only continues to grow. Just look at your local store ads - ever since we crossed that Christmas threshold the major products being advertised have to do with exercise. There are things you jump on, jump over, roll on, roll over, and (my favorite) battery-powered belts that zap you in all kinds of "fun" places.

And they all promise the same thing - if you use this piece of equipment, watch this video, or swallow this magic potion, you can be physically fit in a matter of weeks... maybe even shorter than that. So people buy the thing or get a gym membership with the best of intentions, and then we taper off... some because they aren't seeing the results they want, and some because they are and think they're done.

I'm speaking, by the way, as one of them. In many years I have also bought into this almost-physical fitness cycle, which is why I see an obvious comparison to spiritual things in this, too.

Think about this - nost people know how to get physically fit:

• Eat a balanced diet that gives you proper energy.


• Regularly exercise to build muscles and strengthen internal systems.


• Get proper rest every night.

But most people cite they don't know how to get spiritually fit. After all, there aren't too many informercials on spiritual fitness. But isn't it pretty obvious? It's the same plan.

• Eat a balanced diet that gives you proper energy.
• Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' " (Matthew 4:4)
• "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. (John 4:34)
  
  
• Regularly exercise to build muscles and strengthen internal systems.
• As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. (James 2:26)
• So don't sit around on your hands! No more dragging your feet! Clear the path for long-distance runners so no one will trip and fall, so no one will step in a hole and sprain an ankle. Help each other out. And run for it! (Hebrews 12:12-13, MSG)
  
• Get proper rest every night.
• Be still, and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:12)
• Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. (Exodus 20:8)

What if it really is that easy? That would mean that what holds us back from growing is not knowledge of what to do, but the drive to push past the cold weather of our lives. Every one of us faces it each day, creating in us something proactive that pushes through it for the long haul or an empty parking lot of lost ambition that keeps us feeling defeated.

You can do it... let the pain of staying the same become greater than the pain of change, and as it does...

Take the time and the trouble to keep yourself spiritually fit.” (1 Timothy 4:7, Phillips Translation)

7Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. (1 Timothy 4:7-8)

coming Home

Over the weekend, my family and I made it safely back home and smack dab into a very cold bout of weather. Granted, we encountered some heavy snowfall during our visit to Michigan, but personally I'm just not a big fan of the nippy winds. Having grown up the Chicago area, one might expect the "Windy City" would be the worst... but I found that a few years in college in Indiana (and all it's flat lands where the wind builds and builds upon itself before it slices through you) still make me squirm for a fireplace the most.

I'm writing this simply because there is something about curling up in your own space, whatever that space may be. I picked up my neighbor from the airport yesterday who came back from a week in Florida. Even though he walked back into this weather, he also found that "there's no place like home."

It would seem that we all long for something... a place where we can fully unwind as "ourselves." We usually define that as feeling able to put on our familiar pajamas and silly slippers, or perhaps take off the tie/hat/shoes/slacks/etc that we have to "put on" as we head out each day.

But perhaps there is more to that... perhaps our desire to curl up by the heater or fireplace is a sign of something even deeper than getting warm. Maybe it's more about that longing to simply be who we really are and were meant to be.

Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. (1 Cor 13:12, NLT)

fun with a camera phone - pt 2

Same drill as last time... just random stuff I captured on my camera phone, because (as we all know) that is what our society has turned us into... camera phone photographers.

Who knew that babies needed to listen to lullabies from The Cure?


This tree looked like one of the ones from the Wizard of Oz - like it was about to come alive and shake me around a bit until I handed over some apples.


Yes - when he's not selling oatmeal, Wilford Brimley is an organ grinder.

Saw this one at the counter of a Goodwill in town... nice.

This always drives me crazy... they market H-level movies right next to the A-movie, hoping that some unknowing person will come by and grab the wrong movie.



I saw this marquee yesterday as I was driving around town. Write your own joke.

another humble tip of the hat

I love it when Jesus gets even more good press...

because He deserves it.


Here's another slice: CLICK HERE

More pics as well of our church and neighbors working together: CLICK HERE

an amazing God-sized yesterday

I could tell you how amazing yesterday was...

but I think it's easier to just link to THIS.

love and marriage

I was talking with someone about an article I wrote for the newspaper recently and realized I didn't ever put up a link here to it. If you're married, I hope this speaks to you.

http://wp2.medina-gazette.com/2008/02/25/accent/religion/creative-dating/

fearful tactics - pt 3

What are you prepared to do to make a real difference in this world?

When was the last time you fought with your last ounce of strength - mental, physical, whatever - to a d v a n c e the cause further down the field?

Or do you find your fear of getting slammed in the face prevents you from risking it all in full press?

Sometimes this fear causes us to settle into a life that appears to be alive but is really just busy.

I've found that many people will rise up when they know they need to. Parents will find strength to invest into a sick child even when they're out of energy... breadwinners will uncover perspective in tough tensions that keeps them going to work even when they want to throw in the towel... and so on. This is basic survival, and often such moments default into instinct.

What about when you don't feel you "need" to, though? How about those times when you can safely sit in your own little E-Z chair and watch the paint dry (and no one will think any less of you)? Where is the edge when you have concluded that "this line" is about as far as you'll go?

• "I know I could spend an extra amount of effort with _______, but..."


• "I feel good with the amount of ______ I'm giving to God, so..."


• "I probably can cut back on _______ but it really isn't a sin, thus..."
  
• "I can't see resolution with ________ ever to be possible, therefore..."
  

Is this really where we want to end up? It's real easy to "settle" for what's comfortable, but this is really just a fear tactic.

A few Mondays ago I was bugged by this thought and I called an audible for our Monday night lead team to meet at "Buffalo Wild Wings." Normally we meet in our warehouse meeting space (where we gather on Sundays), but it seemed like we needed to be around people... to get back into the "GO" spirit of Matthew 28.

That... and I had a hankerin' for some wings.

Another reason we did this, though, was because it's hard to talk in a place like this. There are TV screens all around, trivia games, flashy neon lights, music, chatter, and so on. For me it's a reminder of how hard it is for the average person to concentrate on God and how we shouldn't presume otherwise. Way too many times the brightest theologians have the dimmest bulb about this, and sadly I've been one of them at various times in my life.

This is why I am perhaps a bit odd in my choice of where I place myself. Last summer it was hanging out at a Harry Potter book release party and tonight it was Buffalo Wild Wings. There have been several other instances in between, of course, but I like the contrast. We have to constantly put ourselves in new place with people we don't know (as well as though we think we do) or else we remain stuck in our own conclusions.

So here we were about to dig into our staff meeting, pray over requests, discuss strategic things, and so forth. In the backdrop Hulk Hogan was kicking off American Gladiators via the TV set, which is a bit of a laugh in itself.

Then suddenly the room became quiet - I mean, like two gun slingers about to make a move on each other quiet. It was eerie - we couldn't figure out why.

Soon, though, we learned that one of the Gladiators - her name is Siren - was in house and her scene was on the tube. Apparently a muscle gal in spandex carries a certain measure of respect in a room of wing eaters, as well as she should.

So even though at our table we had no idea what was going on, our voices quickly quieted. We looked around, started to whisper, and wondered what was up. Until we got the facts right we believed it was probably something to do with gambling... that satisfied the question marks in our head, and we would have left thinking so even though we were wrong.

That is, until I bumped into Siren. First it was a poster in the men's room, and then in person. We even got a picture... not because I wanted one, but because that's what you're supposed to do when you bump into a spandex wearing muscle gal in a wing eating establishment. I asked her some questions about the writer's strike has benefitted her show, and she said "Quite nicely."

Afterward I found myself paying a little more attention to the TV show in recent weeks. Here's a gal whose job it is to stop people from advancing down the field... her role is to intimidate and defend against others from scoring. Accordingly, the Gladiators on the show get quite a wild reputation for being hard competitors.

Then there are the contestants... and I think the reason we cheer them on is that even with a chaotic opponent facing them down they choose to charge ahead. While most of us can't relate to that, think about that person in your life who is a continual discouragement to you... a boss, professional peer, neighbor, family member, old friend... and how they try to intimidate you with this and that.

I wonder... how do you respond when this kind of stuff happens? Do you decide the cause of goodness is worth charging ahead on or do you fall by the wayside? Maybe like me you've been in situations where it is a choice to walk into a certain environment and yet at the end of the day... as hard as it was... you achieved a little victory simply by showing up.

Your life is meant for significance, so don't shrink back when the critics from afar or up close seem larger than their "be-littling" words. Prepare for the great task you have before you, for if you can be faithful in the small you may be given more to care for down the road. Advance the cause of God and His goodness down the field, simply by being the most faithful "you" He's made you to be.

Here's something to chew on...

The Paradoxical Commandments by Dr. Kent M. Keith

• People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered. Love them anyway.
  
  
• If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway.
  
  
• If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.
  


• The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
  


• Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway.
  


• The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds. Think big anyway.
  


• People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs. Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
  
• What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.
  
  
• People really need help but may attack you if you do help them. Help people anyway.
  


• Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.

This, by the way, is why Jesus is my hero.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)

so here's the story...

So here's the story... the editor of our local/county paper has a son who does a paper route.

Of course.

Turns out this kid's paper route includes someone from our church. A couple months ago they got to talking and somehow my name came up, including the detail that I'd had a hand in writing a book.

So the kid tells his parent, then the parent/editor calls me, and then I sit down to discuss my book.

Um... who the heck am I? I mean we're talking a rather nice 1/3 page article here with a picture and everything.

So I could either start drinking tea with my pinky in the air from now on.... or simply keep serving Jesus and not look for the undeserved accolades.

By the way - I hope it's okay to share this... I have tried to expose some of my dumber/darker moments in this blog so please keep that in mind with this positive.

Anyway, here's the article.

today's newspaper

You know, there's nothing like getting the word out about Jesus Christ to everyone in the community, is there? God is good.

Today's local newspaper.

And yes... you read it here first.

prayers for 2008

Taking a cue from the challenge I just posted about, here are my prayers for 2008...

Dear God –

• Cause me to be uncomfortable with comfort.
• Create in me a love for those I say I love but don't show love to.
• Kick my tail when I think "someone else will do it."
• Deepen my understanding of You and my obedience to You.
• Help me to lead a person to You everyday, and then please do Your thing.
• Show me how to help Christians around me become fully-devoted disciples.
• Protect the relationships in my household with Your sticky bond of love.
• And (gulp) bless me and your Church in the new year according to our faithfulness to You!

As this plays out...

For myself…

• May my heart become pure… that I might fall completely in love with my You.
• May my mind become redeemed… that I might become completely in tune with Truth.
• May my soul become navigational… that I might completely live out of a Divine overflow.
• May my body become healthier… that I might completely live out the fullness of my years.

For my wife…

• May her love for You deepen each day and contagiously bless others.
• May her mind be a place full of wisdom and wonder that supplies the words she speaks.
• May her worship of You be complete – from the everyday moments to the special ones.
• May her health increase in all the right ways as we enjoy growing old together.

For my boys…

• May their individual passions develop in ways that add to Your kingdom/world and their lives.
• May their thought lives be shaped by Your hand and Your hand alone.
• May their relationship with You remain powerfully innocent and ripple into their generation.
• May their physical lives be directed by their spiritual lives (and not vice-versa).

For Connection Church…

• May I be a servant-leader who is faithful to the tilt, inspiring the lead team to do the same.
• May you raise up more leaders who can take on roles that will help us fulfill Your vision.
• May new faces be celebrated, salvations occur daily, discipleship happen constantly, relationships deepen always, finances overflow regularly, volunteers be available constantly, and everyone fulfill their calling completely.
• May we more fully reveal what it means to BE the Church.

For the world…

• May Medina become a place where the next great spiritual awakening occurs.
• May Ohio become filled with new Christians and guided by seasoned ones.
• May America elect a President who listens to You, lives for You, and will follow Your ideals publicly and privately.
• May the world finally collide with heaven so that we can all see You face to face again.

awe-some

So first, last week I was "in awe of God..."

then over the weekend, I found myself "still in awe of God..."

As of tonight?

Tonight I realized He's even bigger than I thought, and so now I am "picking my jaw up off the floor because I am beyond being in awe of God but am notably even more aware how small I am in the glimpse of how large He continues to be and yet stoops down to leave breadcrumb trails for me to follow into something absolutely amazing and already these words are falling short so I should just stop now and hopefully say nothing more to ruin the purity of this moment."

And that's all I have to say about that.

a day in the life of me: god on the move

I was driving today, heading back home from an appointment and sat at a stoplight for a few moments. In front of me was a small U-Haul, towing a Jeep.

"Bet they're moving," I said to myself.

"Yes, go help," came the response.

"Huh?" I said. "Who thought that in my head?"

"Go help."

Weird.

So I followed the U-Haul a bit, thinking this was highly odd. Nonetheless, within a mile of where I live the U-Haul turned off down a road, twisting into an apartment complex.

"Here goes the weirder part," I thought.

Just as a woman got out, I popped open my door and said, "Hi there!"

"Are you Pete?" she asked.

"Nope," I answered. "Um, I know this sounds weird but I saw that you were moving and didn't know if you needed any help. I pastor a church here in town and if you did I might be able to find some folks willing to serve you."

The look on her face was priceless. "Are you kidding? Praise God! I kept telling everyone that somehow God would take care of all the details of this. Did you say you pastor a church?"

"Yes."

"Is it non-denominational?"

Smiling... inside joke. "Yes."

"Wow! I was just on my way here praying to God that He would find me a church!"

I approached her. "Well here's my business card, just so you know this is all legit."

(Reading the card) "Hmm... 'Being the Church.' I like that! So do you do a lot of stuff in the community?"

"Yes... stuff like this."

I love serving a great big God on the move who cares about the details... wow.

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31)

my letter

This is the content of a letter I've faxed to have read tonight at my mom's meeting. If you're a praying person, please pray from 8pm EST on. I'll let you guys know the results as I learn of them.

I love that part in the Bible where a runt stood against a giant... and the giant fell down.

----

To the City of St. Charles Historic Preservation Commission and Chairman Steve Smunt:

Thank you for the opportunity this letter provides for me to speak on behalf of my mom, Annshirley Bowie, St Charles resident and homeowner of 405 S 7th Street. I am her son and currently live and pastor in Medina, Ohio where my mom hopes to relocate. This situation has created ripples into our life as we, also in our limited funds and limited space, want to figure out how to help her. While she has dealt with cancer in recent years, I fear that the stress of recent events (including this matter) has put strain upon her health and future.

I am aware of the move you are attempting to make upon her rights as a homeowner.

However, I want you to imagine for a moment that your vote doesn’t count in any of this. Pretend if you can that regardless of what you think or feel on this matter your voice has been silenced… your values and unique slant don’t matter. I’m sure you have an opinion, and yet (please play along) imagine that your opinion must be suppressed and you have absolutely no say in this issue at all.

If you have allowed yourself that momentary leap, this is what you are attempting to do to my mom.

According to the arguments I’ve heard on your behalf, you allege that this landmarking would not prevent her from “selling or developing the property.” Great! There is someone who would like to buy the property so he can develop new homes on it by demolishing the house. So this okay, right? Especially since the home is outside the historic district.

Or... is that allegation on your behalf not quite what it seems in the press? Is that in reality only a partial response to a whole question? A knight in shining armor hasn’t stepped up to buy the house “as is,” has he?

I’ve also hear it said that “this can be a win/win situation if both sides can simply take out the emotions, look at the facts of the matters and work it out.” Interesting… is it possible to have no personal feelings on this matter? It seems to me that the value to “protect significant historic and architectural resources” is more art than science, requiring you to engage your thoughts and emotions. After all, emotions are a part of the whole person… so I would encourage you not to cast them aside… nor the value of considering the whole person.

On that note, your committee is made up of a 7-member board where “at least one member shall be a representative of a local historical society or preservation organization; at least one member shall be an architect with an interest in historic preservation; at least one member shall be a representative of the business community; and the remaining four members shall be at large and who shall have demonstrated an interest in historic preservation.” Do you see a common trend? There is no counter-intuitive thinking on your board but all have a vested interested in the preservation of things. Is it possible this has created a biased blind spot on your values that creates an oversight of the human individual? Please think about it.

It is my concern that in the process you are pursuing to preserve the wants of a few neighbors and manufacture the “rights” of a thing you are thereby removing the rights of a person – a homeowner. As my mom is dealing with the recent loss of her husband who served his country in the military as well been a resident and “customer of St. Charles” for many years, this movement on your part is taking her rights away. While she can protest, if this goes through (and why would you, for that matter, want it to?) the red tape you will place around her may well become a noose around her neck. In doing so you would create a rather interesting responsibility of emotional damage, financial difficulty, and physical stress upon her health with the breadcrumbs leading back to you organizationally and individually. Hmm.

Please hear this… my mom, Annshirley Bowie, widow of Tom Bowie and sole homeowner of the property on 405 S 7th Street in St Charles, does not want her house to become a landmark. I know you did read that last part… but does that reality matter? Please answer that question – is there value in being a homeowner in St Charles if you have no voice in these matters?

I’ve heard talk from one of your members that this is happening because “in the past her late husband Tom explored the possibility of this landmarking.” I’m quite confident and clear in a conversation he and I had before his death that the conversations you shared in February were simply to see if this would be a way to immediately sell the house to you. Am I to understand that without any legal documentation from him stating such alleged intent you are using hearsay as the “reason” to move forward? Is that legal?

Please help me understand if you’re so interested in preserving this house why you’re unwilling to buy it? Perhaps you have limited funds… much like my mom who is quickly, quickly running out of hers. It sounds like you’d like all the benefits of this deal without any responsibility. This isn’t consistent, either, with the recent demolition of several “historic buildings” in your business district to make way for “progress.”

Please pardon my frustration. I don’t know how any of this comes across to you, because it can just be plain black letters on a white piece of paper. Perhaps you’ll see more than that, though, just as I hope you’ll see more than the issue of a house in this matter. A woman’s future is at stake because instead of valuing a person you’d like to value the bragging rights of a neighborhood and a decaying home (you’ve been inside, right?). Please tell me that on some level within you know that is not right to value things over people.

I know in an ideal world someone will step forward and save the day. Perhaps that will be you?

Sincerely,

Tony Myles