News for April 2012

Nate Houge Unplugged

Today I’m bustin’ my kids out of school and heading to North Dakota via the MN State Park system.  Our Lady of Disrepair is all loaded up (almost).  I bought an extra tarp and bungee chords in case of bad weather.  I’ve got a guitar and a box of CD’s for Wednesday night’s concert in Walhalla.  And as of this morning I’ve decided to leave the lap top behind.  As much as I want to take advantage of the girls partying with Grandma while I get some work done, I’m realizing that everyday I get more attached to my digital world.  So in an attempted act of detachment I’m cutting myself off.  I’ll still have my phone (and my AAA card).  But for the most part I’ll stick to pen and paper and catch up on some letter writing.  If you’d like to get a postcard from ND e-mail me your address today (4-24-12) with Postcard in the subject line and I’ll see if I can’t get something in the mail to you.  A little Ephemera to brighten your day.

Posted: April 24th, 2012
Categories: family, song, travel
Tags:
Comments: No Comments.

You Can’t Fix Everything

I love our Vanagon, but there’s a reason we named her, “Our Lady of Disrepair.” Over the winter I resealed the gas tank, replaced the fuel lines, sent the injectors off to be cleaned, installed a fuel regulator, new shocks, upper ball joints, and new front speakers. But it’s still running rough. Temporary fix: Turn up the new speakers.
I’ve been feeling defeated by this. But I just got off the phone with my mechanic (who is now on the phone with his Travel Agent) and I’ve got an appointment. And I get to hand it all off. And I feel very relieved. Surrender can be a good thing.

Posted: April 9th, 2012
Categories: Uncategorized
Tags:
Comments: No Comments.

Jesus’ Bike Was Too Small.

Small wheels, short cranks, and low gear ratios make for a slow bike no matter how fast you pedal. Perhaps you’ve jogged alongside a four year old on her first bike. She’s cranking her legs off and you can still pretty much keep up. But if you get on your adult bike and try to pedal alongside her you find that you can’t quite go slow enough. And it’s not fun. And biking is supposed to be fun.

My youngest is at this stage. When she’s on her bike she’s too fast for me to comfortably walk with and if I get on my bike I’m too fast. Either way there’s too much distance between us. So I made a new bike. And it leveled the playing field.

When I ride my tiny bike I am slow. I am limited. But I get to be alongside my daughter. (Okay, I’ll admit, in this video I barely keep up with her…) And that’s super fun. A part of me gets to be a kid again. The thought of getting on a bigger faster bike is wonderful, but only because I know I still have this little bike available too.

I think in a way Jesus is God’s way of riding a tiny bike. God was tired of the distance and wanted to ride alongside us all the way to the end. Today is Maundy Thursday. The day we remember Jesus’ command to follow his example. One way we do this is by loving and welcoming others unconditionally. Gay, straight, black, white, smart, dumb, democrat, republican, this, that, and the other. We ride side by side. And in a way I feel that in this act of loving others we give Jesus an opportunity to ride that all too small bike once again. And I think he loves it. And I think it levels the playing field.

Posted: April 5th, 2012
Categories: Uncategorized
Tags:
Comments: No Comments.

Lectionary Link

I’ve been working on seeing where my songs and those of my underpublished friends fit into the lectionary.  If you’re a pastor or worship leader/planner this is a great way to bring new songs into your congregation and support independent artists that support you!
So here’s the first attempt at it – Lectionary Link April and May 2012

Posted: April 2nd, 2012
Categories: Uncategorized
Tags:
Comments: No Comments.

Like Nate on Facebook

Purchase Reform Follows Function on iTunes