I've Moved

so, i had to keep logging out of gmail to get to my former blog, which was a blogspot registered under my yahoo email, and it wouldn't, for some reason, let me switch over my main email address (i've been trying to figure that out for months). and that little bit of extra work was what kept me from being more active than i have been (in other words, absolutely no activity at all).

so, i've moved over, making it easier to remember (who cares about transliterated greek phrases you've made up that are supposed to be highly significant, unless you're still in Bible college?) and hopefully, easier to keep up with.

check it out: http://layingearthlyhopeatheavensdoor.blogspot.com/

and check back in a month or two. i'll surely have posted something by then. :)

I'm Really Not All That Spiritual

I don’t tithe because I want to be obedient, or because I’m under conviction to, or because I’m on staff at church. No, I must confess, my reasoning is a lot less spiritual than all that.

How nice it would be to have an extra chunk of cash to be able to spend on visiting my family in the Midwest, or to go on an exotic vacation to somewhere I haven’t been, or even just to save up for a rainy day! But while those are certainly priorities in my mind, another priority is helping things grow—whether that means my struggling orchid (do these plants ever thrive?) or the ministries at my church.

Yes, God is glorified when we help people, but I must admit, that’s not really my reasoning. I like for people to think of our church as a helpful place, a place that has the manpower, the facilities and the finances to be able to help our community. I’m a little shallow—I want people to like our church.

And I must confess, I’m not as compassionate as Bob Varden or Greg Lazzeroni, who love to help people through Food Help. I’m not even as compassionate as Dave Smith, who helps all those who come by during the week, and serves them breakfast once a month. I don’t thrive on working with kids as Stefani Lockhart and Kim Rozek do. I don’t do well with lonely, menial tasks like what Aaron Espejo takes care of, stocking our worship center each week and watering our flowers.

But I can volunteer to help with activities that I am good at. I can buy groceries to donate. I can pray for God to provide for our ministries. And I can give money. Because I would hate for any of the ministries that I believe in to not be able to continue for lack people or resources. I know our budget is tight, and we are working to cut down our expenses, but we’re also needing our members to be committed to our church, (aka, the Bride of Christ), to seeing that our ministries continue forward.

I want Food Help to continue. I want our student and children’s ministries to thrive. I want to continue participating in fellowship events. I want for us to be able to continue growing spiritually through Bible studies. I want our facility to continue being available for community groups. I want to continue blessing Christ-followers around the world through our Worldwide Outreach. And I really want to be able to enjoy air conditioning on Sundays!

So in a nutshell, I tithe and give offerings so that we can continue ministering at the corner of 4^th and New streets. After all, what good is it for me to come to church, if I don’t become an active part of what is going on here? (And trust me—we have a lot going on here; I see it going on all week!)

Plus, and I guess this is a bit of a spiritual reason, but when I arrive at my true home, I really want my Father to say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!...Come and share your master’s happiness!”

Ecuador 2009

Here's a summary of the first 8 days spent in Ecuador.

Days 1-3

The first 3 days have been quite an adventure, beginning with our departure at LAX. It took 1 1/2 hours to check in, due to our ticket agent being new at her job. We made it through security just in time to board our flight, only to land in El Salvador to find that our connecting flight had been indefinitely delayed (we had 3 connecting flights, since we booked the cheapest flights possible). Thankfully, we were automatically booked on another flight, and made it to our next flights to San Jose, Costa Rica, Quito & Guayaquil, Ecuador without incident.

When we arrived Thursday afternoon, members of the church greeted us and helped lug our 14 heavy suitcases full of personal items as well as materials for children's Sunday School, such as reams of paper, colored pencils and other items for crafts (yes, we did end up paying overweight for 3 of our bags!). But the fact is, the church in El Recreo is running low on funds--they are in debt, having had to buy heavier doors to keep their musical instruments and other equipment safe (they've had several breakins). So we brought items that they can use, which they can't afford at the moment.

We settled in Thursday evening, and attended a special service which was held to welcome us. Then we ate a very scrumptious dinner (at 9:30pm) and fell into bed, not having slept on the planes the night before.

Friday morning we got up at 7, ate a quick breakfast, and shared a time of devotions, about the power of God to transform our life, despite us being in a place and time of disillusion or spiritual cynicism. Then we began the physical labor: we plastered walls and sanded down those which had already been plastered. At noon, a group of 35 children showed up and took part in the feeding program that is open to them, Monday-Friday (the money for this is always tight, but they depend on donations from those in the church). We had them participate with us in a re-enactment of the story of the Good Samaritan, and helped them to create their own First Aid kits (baggies, cotton swabs, q-tips, band aids, alcohol wipes, and a card with a verse on there), so as to remember that they can also love their neighbor by helping him. We went back for showers after lunch (to wash off all the plaster dust), and got ready for the afternoon children's program.

In the afternoons, they head out to a neighborhood with room to run around, and start playing games with the children they find. We began with six, and within 15 minutes, there were at least 40 kids! After a time of song and dance, one of the girls who works with the children's programs taught a Bible lesson, and showed them how to do the corresponding craft. About an hour and a half after arriving, we headed back home to gather our things and head back to the church for our first leadership session. We learned about God's eternal plan: To gather all things, in heaven and on earth, in Christ (Ephesians 1). It served as an introduction to the next 4 sessions: How to grow into maturity to the full measure of Christ. The 20 people that showed up really enjoyed it, as it was delivered in Ralph Shead's typical style, mixing humor and God's truth. After another late dinner (which are the norm here), we headed back to bed.

This morning, we got up early again to dig into a little more intense physical activity (sanding again, painting, sanding rust off of seriously oxidized steel beams--of course, we're covered with evidence of all this, from head to toe). Now it's after lunch, we'll be holding Sunday School for the kids (they have it on Saturdays, so everyone can take part in the Sunday service), and attending a talent show at the Baptist Church, which apparently, we will be taking part in! Maybe dancing or singing--we don't know yet.

Continue praying for us. It's easy to become distracted, as things don't always go as we plan. Christina especially has suffered several minor physical injuries, which add up to a lot of discomfort. But she, like the rest of our team, has dug in and decided not to let Satan get the best of us! There is a lot of work to be done, the least of it physical, and we are determined to let God use us to make a difference. We have built relationships with adults and kids alike (in fact, sometimes it's hard to work because we'll have one or more kids hanging off of us). They remember us as the church that cares about them, and that has invested time, energy, money and a lot of love into their well-being.

Days 4-5

I forgot to mention that on Saturday, Jillian and Ralph went to the "squatters village", called "The Invasion" in Spanish, because it was land that belonged to no one, which poor people began building on. The reason this land wasn't already in use is because half the year it's submerged, due to the heavy rains in the winter. So the houses are built out of thick bamboo, and set on stilts, to keep the residents out of the water. They've built a rickety bridge to get out so they can work, but most people just don't leave during the rainy season. (Our cook lives in this area of town; she did so when she became a widow two years ago, and had to simplify her lifestyle.) Thankfully right now it is summer, and the roads are dried, made up of cracked mud. So each Saturday morning, the church takes their children's ministry opportunities to the kids that live in this poor area. They also take people to teach a discipleship course to a few of the mothers at the same time. A couple of them are close to making a decision for Christ, and we soon expect them to be baptized.

On Sunday morning, we gathered with the believers to worship God together and share in His word and communion. We learned about the Great Commission, how Christ sent us to make disciples, going, baptizing and teaching them to obey everything Christ commands (which is hard for those on mission trips, too!).

After sharing in lunch together, we headed to a small town called Buijo, about 1/2 hour away, to work with children and minister to seniors who are in need. As the regular kid's activity was set up, Kyle, Ralph and Sarah headed out with Geovanni, who really has a heart for the old people in this community. He finds sponsors for each person (right now he has 5), and they take care of paying for groceries as well as writing notes to encourage them. He also has others who help by donating groceries as they are able. We delivered groceries, shook their hands, gave out hugs, and just sat for a while to talk to them. The couple we visited first just got baptized about a month ago, and now they are talking about getting married (they are in their 80's). All the people we visited live in horrible conditions: large cracks in the walls, dirt floors, without clean clothes, but they know that once a week, Geovanni will be there to care for them and treat them like people.

We ended our outing with a time of praise to God for what he's doing with both groups--the foreigners (as we know we are) and the Ecuadorians. The truth is that we are complementing each other well, working from our combined strength, and the willingness we have to work together, united with one purpose.

Sunday night, Tyler, Jillian, Kyle and Christina joined several members of the church in a basketball game, and arrived home ready to shower and go to bed, but were distracted by a fire across the street which someone started with a mattress. (Here, mounds of trash can be found anywhere in the street.) The trash caught on fire, and it began spreading! Once they had contained it, though, it was back upstairs to bed for everyone.

Today, Monday, we have spent an extending time in physical labor. We've painted with sticky paint that doesn't easily come off of hands or legs, sanded more plaster, mixed and poured cement (almost an entire slab in 3 hours, thanks to our foreman, Francisco), and carted sand and rock. We are tired, but looking forward to sharing an evening of leadership training, preparing the church here to continue the good work, encouraging them, and deepening their walk with God.

Days 6-8
Tuesday began with our familiar routine--we got up for breakfast, shared in a time of devotions, and began working. The guys (Kyle and Tyler) got to continue the difficult task of sanding down steel beams which were covered in rust (because of the heavy rains during the beginning of the year). The girls continued plastering, sanding, and painting. After a morning of those activities, we helped serve the kids who come each weekday for the lunch program (there are 35 kids that come to eat lunch here each day), and then we taught them a brief lesson, with a corresponding craft. This week we've talked about the importance of being part of the family of God, how we are a new creation in Christ and how we shine light in a dark world.

That afternoon, as we were showering and getting ready for the evening, I shared the Sunday School supplies we brought with Karen, who is in charge of the children's programs. None of this was big stuff--just pencils and scissors, colored pencils, crayons, a few reams of paper and construction paper and glue (which our church family donated), as well as some craft ideas. She hugged me hard and long, only pulling away once she had composed herself. "Tell your church thank you. We have nothing. This will bless the kids for many weeks to come!" I got tears in my eyes, too.

Then we got ready for an evangelistic campaign. This means we take a sound system and puppet house to an empty parking lot/soccer field in town, set it up, and begin inviting kids to join us in games and songs. After about 30-45 minutes of playing together and singing along with the puppets, we have them sit down so we (and by "we", I mean the Ecuadorians) can teach them a Bible lesson and help them make a craft. Then we send them home to invite their parents to come back for an evangelistic service, where we sing a few church songs, share a couple of testimonies, and present a choreography or two. At the end there is an appeal for those who want to know more or have questions or want to give their life to Christ to either step forward, or just stay in place, and then those who already follow Christ can walk through the people and talk and pray with them.

It was a good evening. A recent convert shared his experience of having been a drunk and drug addict, and he is only about 17 now! But it was a powerful message, and we were able to talk to several people, and three of them even showed up the next day and helped us work around the church! Hopefully they will continue to discover the grace of Christ.

On Wednesday, we followed the same routine--work in the morning, working with the lunch kids--but in the afternoon we worked with kids in a different area of town (kind of like the campaign, but without the evangelistic outreach to the parent&acutes kids). As we were standing there, I got to talking with a girl who looked a little disheveled. She began to tell me her story as I expressed interest.

Veronica is 13. Her parents died when she was young, and since then, she hasn&acutet lived anywhere where men haven't either tried or succeded in taking advantage of her. She recently was released from a girl's shelter, but the home where she was placed isn't any different from other places; the dad had come home late drunk the night before, and had tried to force himself on her. She refused to return there. I asked her where she would be staying that night, and she said she had no idea. She'd just probably stay on the street. I gave her a glass of kool-aid, bought her some candy because she had a sweet tooth, and prayed for her.

I have never felt so useless, so impotent to be able to do something for her. I had no home to take her to, no resources or money to take her somewhere safe. I wonder where she is today. I am praying for her. I know that God's plan for me was not to solve her problems, but to show her for an hour that day that she is loved. As I hugged her and told her goodbye, she began crying, and didn't want to let go. Please pray for her.

That evening we had our third Bible Study/leadership session. It was of great blessing to all who were there.

Today (Thursday, July 2)has been the same--work, kid&acutes lunch program, this afternoon we'll work with kids again, and this evening will find us in Bible study again.

Please continue to pray for us. We are getting tired, but still want to be a blessing, and keep our focus on serving, rather than our uncomfortableness in getting bug bites, having to sleep on the floor, and not getting a good nights´ sleep.

After the first 8 days, things got crazy and I didn't have time to write more about our last 4 days. Needless to say, they included a lot of sad goodbyes.

Creed

I cannot say my creed in words.
How should I spell despair, excitement, joy and grief?
amazement, anger, certainty and unbelief?

What was the grammar of those sleepless nights?
Who the subject? What the object? –
of a friend who will not come, or does not come,
and then
creates his own eccentric special dawn:
A blinding light that does not blind.

Why do I find you in the secret,
wordless places where I hide
from your eternal light?
I hate you.
I love you.
I miss you.
I wish that you would go
and yet I know that long ago
you made a fairy tale for me

About the day when you would take your sword
and battle through the thicket of the things I have become.

Your kiss to life…my Sleeping Beauty
waiting for her Prince to come.

Then I will wake
and look into your eyes
and understand.
And for the first time
I will not be dumb
and I shall
say my creed
in words.

--Adrian Plass

Of All the Bigoted Things to Say...

Every so often, I go with our Senior's ministry to speak at their weekly outreach to area retirement homes. And each time, at least one of them will say something that makes me think, "Really?"

Today's pick:
"Did you know that our new president is in favor of kids having sex in school?"
And they all sadly shook their heads at the dismal state of the world.

Two of My Favorite Things...

...are coming together on February 22...

Harry Potter, At Last!

I finished the Deathly Hallows this morning at 1:00 am. That means that in 25 days, I have accomplished the reading of the entire Harry Potter series, all 7 books.

What an enjoyable adventure it has been! I've been mesmerized, from the first description of the home on Privet Drive, to the crucial moment when Harry finally understands (and even beyond that), my imagination has soared, my heart has been gladdened, and I have been caught up in a world of honor, nobility, friendship and self-sacrifice.

I've been asked which volume is my favorite, but in all honesty, since I sped through them, I could not choose one over the other; the story all blends together, as a whole. However, I did discover something to become a favorite, although you may find it quite odd to get this from the books: I have come to a deeper appreciation and greater admiration for Gary Oldman as an actor. Sirius Black easily became a favorite character, and since I'd already seen the movie, his being came alive in my mind with the semblance my eyes had already taken in. (And to have done such a superb job in Batman simply added to my gratitude to him as an actor, having portrayed those characters so vividly.)

But this detracts from my main point; the books were well-written, enthralling and worth every last minute dedicated to them over the last 25 days.

It's Summer...!

I've been melancholic all day. Maybe all week. And while this is my usual temperament, it doesn't always hit me like this.

Today I've been wanting to listen to Christmas music, specifically Relient K's "Let it snow, baby, let it reindeer."

Something about certain Christmas songs, especially original songs, stir something in me. (For those of you who aren't aware, I absolutely do NOT like Christmas music, at least not the same 30 carols that everyone with a record deal seems to record. Write your own stuff, don't just regurgitate the same crap with a personal little "twist".)

Christmas in the middle of summer? Yeah. For the first 18 years of my life, that's when I celebrated it.

I miss Mom.

A Silver Teapot

A woman just walked into the church office, asking if she could buy one of the decorations we have in the café. When I told her I was pretty sure it wasn’t for sale, she insisted that I find out for sure. I told her no, it wasn’t for sale, and she acted like I was trying to cheat her.

Since when did we become a thrift store?

Pregnant Jesus?

Well, yesterday I went to the Crystal Cathedral for the first time with my History of Architecture class, and was struck by this:

Is it just me, or does Jesus look like he might be entering his fifth month?
;)

No Country for an Old Man

I pushed open the heavy wooden door and heard the familiar bell chime overhead. Even after all these years, the print shop smelled the same, of machinery, paper, ink and days long past.

“Any new business?” Papa asked.

“Nope. Sent Don home ‘bout an hour ago, told him to take the rest of the day off,” replied his 85-year old assistant. What Helen lacks in hair and teeth, she more than makes up for with her spunky personality. She’s worked for my grandpa almost since he opened the Bartlesville Print Shop in 1980, and still uses a hand-cranked adding machine.
Before Mamaw had her first fall two years ago, she had been grandpa’s bookkeeper, and had even begun keeping records and payroll organized on her home computer. When Papa recently suggested to Helen that he could bring the computer down to the shop, she almost had a fit. “What would I do with one of those? I never used one before in my life!”

The walls of the shop are still plastered with family pictures, community awards, and assorted signs yellowed by age, like the one stating, “This is a respectable establishment. Please act accordingly.” Or “No Smoking. We’d like to die of Natural Causes.” (My favorite sign says, “If you act cross, irritable, or just plain grumpy, there will be a $10 fee for putting up with you.”)

Peering past that wall, I look into the actual printing room. I remember having gone in when I was little, barely tall enough to see over the tall tables, clamping my hands over my ears to shut out the sounds of three or four massive machines running simultaneously. Today the dark interior lay quiet, with one machine left against the right wall. Five small printing orders lay on a table next to the doorway, with their handwritten invoices indicating they are waiting to be picked up. One of them is dated December 2007.

In many ways, the print shop is a picture of it’s owner—a symbol of the American dream, boasting of a time that was much less complex, and proud to remain unchanged, despite being a bit rundown.

As we drive through town, I see several abandoned downtown shops, as well as residences which will soon be bulldozed to make way for a parking lot. What had once been a booming oil town with two tall office buildings (one a decidedly functional modern style and the other postmodern, with superbly understated ornamentation), has now become a place for old-timers to sit in a diner and reminisce over endless cups of black coffee.

Like Papa. He often comments on how this driver shouldn’t have pulled out in that way, nor does he understand the hesitancy of other drivers to go ahead at a 4-way stop when he was still creeping forward. And he points out each time we saw a car with a license plate declaring the driver to be part of the Cherokee Nation. Times have changed since his family moved to town from Kentucky when he was a young boy. His parents’ store and home have long since been leveled, and his bride of 39 years has just died, leaving him to fend for himself in this strange new world.

But my grandpa has changed, too. The shirts he wears now have stains. He goes out to eat, whether in someone’s home or at a restaurant for nearly every meal, because he never had to learn to cook when Mamaw was around. His voice is softer, more melancholic, and while he still teases his grandchildren, the usual twinkle in his eye is now missing.

And I have no idea how life in this brave new world could be so foreign, leaving one feeling cast off, ignored and forgotten.

“Hey, sugar, you know? Growing old ain’t all it’s cracked up to be.”
I know, Papa; I know.

Isn't Sunday supposed to be a day of rest?

I just finished washing dishes after our celebration potluck, which wrapped up this year's mission trip to Mexico. We built homes for two families (one was a brand new house, and the other, an addition) and had a total of 29 people go.



Here are a few pictures, because I'm tired (I've been at church for 10 1/2 hours today) and don't want to try to think of anything clever to say.


Except this:
Greg Burkhardt is the stuff legends are made of. I'm talking Ryan Morrison/Jason Yost material.
One day I accidentally called him Jason. His response? "I'm honored."
:)

And I'm headed to Mexico...

My grandma passed away this morning. In Oklahoma.

Speaking of Wood, Hay and Straw

The Oscars are tomorrow.

And you are invited to come hang out and watch them with me. Bring something to munch on, though.

Red carpet starts at 3 pm; the actual awards ceremony starts at 5 pm. Come & go, as you like.

Due to a rather small pool of resources and friends, I didn't make it to see all the movies I really wanted to this past month. However, here's a list of the nominees I did manage to see, and why they were nominated:

Across the Universe--Costume Design/ Not quite the hallucinogenic trip I thought it would be, and while I enjoyed it, since I really don't know many songs by the Beatles, I was kind of lost most of the movie.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford--Supporting Actor, Casey Affleck; Cinematography/ Casey did an amazing job; also, check out his stunning performance in Gone Baby Gone. The despair in this movie was accurately portrayed by shots of bleak countrysides.

Atonement--Supporting Actress, Saoirse Ronan; Art Direction; Cinematography; Costume Design; Original Score; Best Picture; Adapted Screenplay/ Visually stunning movie--the way they framed shots was beautiful! Also, I'm surprised this movie wasn't nominated for Sound Editing/Mixing; the way they mixed the sound of a typewriter throughout, and highlighted sounds like a bee at the window served to draw you in to an already intriguing story.

Away From Her--Leading Actress, Julie Christie; Adapted Screenplay/ When I read that this was the story of a wife beginning to develop Alzheimer's, I thought it would be depressing, but instead I discovered the beautiful ache of an aging couple discovering that there was something before death that could rip them apart. It made me cry--in a good way!

The Bourne Ultimatum--Film Editing; Sound Editing; Sound Mixing/ The rooftop scene where Bourne then jumps from balcony to balcony was especially memorable.

Eastern Promises--Leading Actor, Viggo Mortensen/ A lot of "escenas fuertes" in this one--that is, very impactful images, and certainly not for the faint of heart. But Viggo pulls off this unlikely member of the Russian mafia, even with a hint of comedic genius.

Enchanted--3 Original Songs/ Fun movie, but I couldn't tell you which songs they should/shouldn't have nominated--they all ran together by the end.

The Golden Compass--Art Direction; Visual Effects/ Here's one for controversy! I'll just say this: interesting story, and yes, visually stunning.

Gone Baby Gone--Supporting Actress, Amy Ryan/ Solid performance by Amy Ryan, but I think Casey Affleck stood out more. VERY well made movie, though. Lots to think about.

Michael Clayton--Leading Actor, George Clooney; Supporting Actor, Tom Wilkinson; Supporting Actress, Tilda Swinton; Directing; Original Score; Best Picture; Original Screenplay/ It was odd to see Clooney as a dad, and definitely not a ladies' man; so believable as this new kind of character! And both Wilkinson (Cornwallis from The Patriot) and Swinton (the icy and intimidating White Witch from The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe) swept me away with their lucid, yet somewhat erratic characters.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End--Makeup; Visual Effects/ My favorite makeup/visual effect? Bill Nighy as Davy Jones. Still couldn't disguise the curl of his lip, though. Also, I'd like to know: what kind of eyeliner does Jack Sparrow use? It stays on hell or high water and doesn't even seem to smudge!

Ratatouille--Animated Picture; Original Score; Sound Mixing; Sound Editing; Original Screenplay/ Saw this one in Costa Rica... ;)

3:10 to Yuma--Original Score; Sound Mixing/ For me, the most notable elements of this movie where performances by Christian Bale and Ben Foster; when are they going to get nominated? Bale caught my eye in 1987 with Empire of the Sun, and Foster creeped me out in Hostage. Where's their recognition?

Transformers--Sound Mixing; Sound Editing; Visual Effects/ I grew up watching their cartoon every morning before heading off to kindergarten (at least for the fall semester of 1985, when we were living in the US). I was fascinated then, and I am fascinated now.

Here's the nominated movies I wish I'd seen beforehand, and might still pick up in the near future:

Elizabeth (Cate Blanchett)

I'm Not There (Again, Cate Blanchett!)

Into the Wild

Juno

The Kite Runner

Lars and the Real Girl (Ryan Gosling!)

No Country For Old Men

Sicko

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

There Will Be Blood (Daniel Day Lewis)

[Until just a moment ago, when I finished these lists, I didn't realize how many nominated films I'd seen! Maybe I'm better prepared than I thought for tomorrow's ceremony.]

Perhaps I should be studying for my first History of Architecture test this semester, for Monday morning, instead of watching the Oscars... :)

I'm Not...

...a [ ] secretary.

Get it through your heads!

Save Me From Myself!

Have you ever felt like God's been trying to get your attention for a while, and one day you finally catch on?

I've slowly been making my way through a book (Inside Out by Larry Crabb. One of the most honest books I have read about life as a Christ-follower. Read it.) which talks about the brokenness of us, as humans, and how we try to make up for it by demanding our own way, when what we need is to learn how desperately dependent on God we are.

I'm working through a study on the tabernacle. This morning I opened the book and read about how God took 40 years to engrain in his people their dependency on him.

Yesterday I literally sat and listened at the feet of one of my favorite singer/songwriters. He sang of being wistful, broken, and seemingly bent on his own self-destruction. But he also sang words of hope, of perfect love, of discovering a peaceful dependency on the one who is actually able to suffice.

And it hit me--my own fierce independence is what keeps me from God, from having the kind of relationship with him that I want, from having the quality of life for which I long.

I cannot live in my own strength or trust my own resourcefulness, and it's high time I realize my inability to do so.

Road Trip

Yesterday Paddy and I sat 8 feet from Jon Foreman.

He asked for our help to write the set list, and we happily complied.

Paddy kept trying to get a good picture, but something or someone kept getting in the way, as you can see by the pictures.

We got there three hours early, and it was a good thing, too, because we got front row seats--although "seats" isn't actualy the correct term. We got the front curb, as he was playing in the parking lot of Lou's Records, a music store he grew up going to.

It was just Jon on guitar and his friend Keith on cello. And for those of you who went to the Switchfoot/Relient K concert in Irvine, it was the same guy they brought out to help play the acoustic version of "Only Hope".

After sound check, Jon and Keith put their instruments away and charged us with their care while they went to get some coffee. They must have sensed the presence of a responsible Eagle in their midst.

Afterwards, we stood in line for about an hour, waiting to get autographs and to get to talk to both musicians. What reminded me to be patient was that if they were taking their time with each person, they would take their time with us. And they did! We got to get several pictures and actually talk to them. Both were gracious and appreciative of what we had to say! (Plus, Jon really liked Paddy's shirt.)

So went our short road trip--and one of the best days of my life, because I got to share it with Paddy!

Encinitas

Today

I am going with Paddy

to see

Jon Foreman

live

for free.

WOOHOO!

From jonforeman.com:

Jon Foreman – acoustic instore at Lou’s – Saturday Feb 9th

Please join Jon as he performs songs in support of his Fall/Winter EP at Lou’s in Encinitas on Saturday Feb 9th at 2pm. Jon will also be signing copies of the Fall/Winter EP. Get there early!

Saturday February 9th 2pm

Lou’s Records

434 North Coast Highway 101

Encinitas, CA 92024

Speaking of random thoughts which flit...

Why is it that we have to justify crappy things that happen to us with an equally crappy explanation?
"Everything happens for a reason!" Um, no it doesn't. People make dumb choices because we live in a messed up world. And then we have to live with the consequences of those choices, whether they were ours or not, even though God forgives us--it's called cause and effect.
But even our idiocy doesn't keep our powerful God from redeeming those situations, from creating beauty out of flawed or even horrendous elements.
So does God cause the ugliness and pain? I am thoroughly convinced that he does not. But he loves to take those very circumstances and turn them upside down; just take a look at Mark.

I'm currently working through a study which starts out each day with meditating on a short pericope, while asking God to speak to me through his word.
What?! Ask the author to help me understand what he's trying to say? What a novel idea!

Philip Yancey is speaking at Point Loma this Friday, and since I waited too long to get my ducks in a row, the tickets sold out before I could procure one. But on Saturday I'm going to Encinitas with Paddy to hear Jon Foreman! Woohoo!
Gudymente better memorize everything Yancey says, so he can give me a word-for-word account.

My business class got canceled. But I love my architecture class. We've been looking at how each major civilization pours their time into creating structures which portray what matters most in their culture. Sumerian ziggurats, Egyptian pyramids, Grecian acropolises, US skyscrapers--all with practical uses, yet also symbolic of where the power lies.
And somehow it is odd to my professor that almost all civilizations before the modern era tied that power to some sort of religious practice. More on this in Eclipse of Heaven. (Read it.)

It's Time

Today I realized I'm ill-suited for my job.

I became extremely frustrated at my tendency to get angry when interrupted and my inability to accomplish anything.

A friend told me to make sure that when I run, I'm running to something rather than away from.

I looked online for apartments/prices/salaries in Northwestern Arkansas and Houston.

I'm comparing the University of Houston and the University of Arkansas/Fayetteville.

I bought this book.