Honeymoon Pictures...

We are back! I would like to post a few pictures of our trip to Cabo San Lucas. It was so much fun and it was a truely relaxing vacation.

Cabo

Its almost Saturday! I'm not as stressed out as I thought I would be. I have almost everything done, so I'm trying to spend a little time with out of town family and friends. Sarah and I are going to Cabo San Lucas for a week, so this will probably be the last post I write until we get back.

I've had so many thoughts and ideas in the last few weeks, but I've been too busy to post them. I'll catch up later.

Worship Conference

So I'm at a conference at Saddleback Church for music/worship leaders. My friend Ben Bajarin is a seminar speaker and he asked me to be on his "tech team". Basically, I just run the powerpoint for his presentation. He wanted me to come so I could experience the conference and meet a bunch of people.

While we were here, we got to hang out with a rock star. This guys named David Pack, who is a famous singer/songwriter from the 60's and 70's (his band was called "Ambrosia"), let us play his vintage one-of-a-kind guitars. I played a Taylor guitar that was made for President Bill Clinton. There are only two in existence. He is such a nice guy and I enjoyed getting to know him. You should look up his music on iTunes. Search for "Ambrosia".

Coming Events

So I'm getting married in 2 weeks and I'm a starting to feel a little stressed. I think its just work that is stressing me out. I only have a few things left to do for the wedding on July 7, but I was just bombarded with (I just paused while writing this to answer the phone concerning more work to do) a lot of work and I'd rather spend my time getting things finalized for the big day. Oh well, everything will work out.

Coming together

Things are coming together. I had a meeting with a church planter named Dave Gschwend today and its amazing to see how things connect.

I've been pondering some ideas about community, church structure, and unrealized potential in the Christian community. Dave used to be a pastor here in San Jose and in Santa Cruz, but now he is planting house churches in San Jose, Santa Cruz, and Monterey. The ideas he shared about authentic community, organic relationships, and real life transformation are the same ideas I have been struggling with for weeks now. It was amazing to see the ways God is moving in Dave's church planting endeavors.

Last week, I attended a luncheon for CityTeam International's church planting ministries. There were church planters from every continent (except Antartica) and their stories were amazing. For example, a group of 200 people who were given simple training planted 40,000 churches in a matter of years. It comes down to obedience and multiplicaton. These people plant house churches.

I was talking to Dave about this CityTeam thing when he asked me, "Was there a guy named Ned Yost there?" I told him there was, and he told me that this guy was staying at his house! Ned Yost (I think this is the right name) is a church planter from Indonesia.

All that said, I've noticed a movement going on. God is moving powerfully in small communities and house churches. Its so exciting.

Heart Ache

My heart aches right now.

I feel like there is a huge tension created by untapped potential. I could do more, my church could do more, the world could do more. I am convinced that our generation is capable of solving global issues and creating so much positive change. We are in a position that previous generations could only dream of in terms of transportation, communication, and resources to solves global problems.

The reason why my heart aches is that I want this potential to be realized. All these thoughts motivate me to be ambitious and influence people to being acting on these ideas. I believe the Holy Spirit is poised and ready to empower us to do great things in the name of Jesus Christ! Let's get to it.

Work...

I don't know if I said it before, but I work for a landscaping company. I do estimates for properties that we are trying to bid for their business. I'm just about to leave for work, but there was something interesting about the property I'm about to measure.

I have some information about this property called The Barrington Bridge Community. Here is their slogan: Exceptional Privacy and Distinction.

I think that is great, a community where people don't have to think about interacting with the less fortunate members of society. Fantastic, a community that has set up a gate to keep the beggars out (Luke 16:19-31).

mewithoutYou

I realized why I like mewithoutYou so much. Aaron Weiss is not fake.

I was listening to a different band in my car today and I felt like this person was putting on a show. I didn't feel that they really meant it. I love the way mewithoutYou displays struggle, pain, heartache, and despair. These are real feelings and their music perfectly paints a picture of the struggle.

This makes me wonder about the music we sing at our churches every week. Is it real? Is it authentic? Do I actually feel the words that are being sung? I've stood there so many times and just sung because that's what I'm supposed to do. I think I mean the words I sing.

I know there are other musicians who are being real. MewithoutYou just slaps me around and allows me to be real.

(By the way, I posted this picture again because I like it a lot. It makes me feel like I'm at a concert.)

Way to go Brian!

Yesterday I went to Barnes and Noble to purchase a couple books. One of these books was The Secret Message of Jesus by Brian McLaren. As I went to check out, this girl at the cash register looked at the book and asked me what it was about.

It turns out she has a friend who was a Christian and became an atheist. This cashier has thus decided to read some books about Christianity to understand what her friend went through. She told me that she has read Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis and a couple other books.

So, when she looked at the title of Brian McLaren's book and saw the cool cover design, she was interested in knowing what the secret was. She asked me what the book was about and I said very cleverly, "I dunno, I haven't read it yet." But I continued to explain that it was a book about the gospel of Jesus that sheds light on the way American pop-Christianity has missed the point. She wrote down the title and told me she was going to read it.

Way to go Brian McLaren! That clever title and the cool cover design worked! I can't wait to learn to secret too.

mewithoutYou at Slim's

I went to see mewithoutYou at Slim's in San Francisco last night. It was an amazing show. There were other bands there including The Snake The Cross The Crown and Manchester Orchestra. But the highlight was mewithoutYou.

This is the first time I had seen mewithoutYou live, and I guess I was struck by the raw emotion they put into their music. I could sense the tension, passion, and anguish as Aaron Weiss grabbed my soul and shook it around. I love the depth of the lyrics and the way they portray their struggles through music. It is so inspiring.

But today, I feel weird. I have this sense of "back to the daily routine" in me. I don't want the daily routine. I want specialness all the time. Also, there were a few guys at the show that I haven't really talked to in a while, but I was very unsocial. I've just had so many ideas, inspirations, and struggles and I want to talk to people who are experiencing the same thing. My questions/issues/hopes for the church, issues with my own lifestyle, and longing for something deeper have driven me to seek people who want to truely follow Jesus. People who notice the problems with this world and want to do something about it.

I love mewithoutYou.

Beauty

I recently had a conversation with a friend about beauty. We had a disagreement about the basis by which we define beauty. Let me explain.

I sense two camps here: those who think beauty is on the inside and those who think beauty is on the outside. I'm going to use these two broad definitions to explain my theory on beauty.

In my recent discussions, I was asked the question, "Could you admit that a woman was beautiful when she walks past?" I replied, "no." Thus began our debate. I said that I could not submit that a woman was beautiful just by looking at her. I told my friend that I felt it was not right to label a woman beautiful unless I understood her personality, etc. My friend took a different stance. He claimed that he could look at a woman and innocently call her beautiful by looking at her exterior features. This point of view believes that there is something inheirantly engrained in us that can recognize beauty.

If you think about this topic in sociological terms, the beauty we know today is socially constructed. Media and advertisements have created a definition of beauty. As women, and men for that matter, begin to strive for these ideals a spiral begins to refine the definition. If you look at models in the last 100 years, the women have gotten thinner, taller, and more unnatural. It is the system which has defined beauty.

If you think of beauty as going beyond the surface, you begin to see a much deeper and more meaningful definition. I believe God intended human beings to be beautiful creations that reflect the image of God. This involves much more than our physical bodies. God desires that our whole being be transformed to be like Christ. I have a friend that I can honestly call beautiful. She does not neccessarily meet the socially constructed criteria for beauty, but she possesses something unique and special that simply radiates "beauty".

I just do not feel right calling a woman beautiful according to a superficial definition when there is so much more to people than their outward appearance. Some of the most beautiful people I know do not fit the definition of pop-beauty.

Ouch!

I just got my wisdom teeth pulled this morning. I chose to get put out for the procedure and it was great! I'm in some pain now, but I'm feeling much better. It doesn't look like I'll be out of commission for very long.

They gave me a sedative to take one hour before the appointment and I had quite the time getting to the dentist's office. Sarah drove me over to the office and I was pretty out of it.

My left cheek it pretty swollen, but I have to teach on Sunday in the Gathering so I hope its better by then.

More on Isaiah 58...

I've been thinking more and more about this chapter in Isaiah. I'm actually teaching on this chapter in our college group at Hillside on June 3. As I have been pondering this passage, I've run into a few people and had a few experiences that have shed some insight into the meaning of this. I'm searching for meaning and understanding because I feel that this chapter draws some very clear connections to the Christian culture we live in today.

One thing I have questioned is the authenticity of the Christian community I'm a part of (and all Christians for that matter). I'm in no place to judge them, and I've got my own problems, but I can't help but see more potential in people. Jon Havens wrote about a similar situation, so there must be something profound about Isaiah 58 if we both are contemplating the same ideas about our generation.

There are many things I'm concerned about, but specifically I believe that there is such a lack of community. What I mean is, people are not living in a way that they depend on God and each other. We have become self-sufficient people who have lost true community. For example, I've run into some people who don't mind talking with people who are not like them; discussing God, politics, family, whatever. They will go to outreach events and serve food to the homeless. But what happens then? They retreat back to their close knit family and friends who think the way they do and they never establish lasting relationships with these people who actually need it (I'm guilty of doing this also). There is still a separation between the Christian and the non-Christian. We don't accept them as we do our own kind. There is an "us" and "them" mentality.

Also, there are problems with how we connect to each other at the church. We get together and give each other Jesus backrubs at our small groups and put on a smile and act like we have it all together on Sunday mornings. Then we retire back to our homes and get away from the people that challenge us and are different from us. Why can't we be real and authentic? Why can't we relieve the oppression in our own lives and in the lives of others?

I think I'm just feeling cynical today, but there is so much potential in the church and its not being tapped into. We were created for so much more than emtpy religiosity and fake personnas. Read Isaiah 58, its amazing.

Public Transportation

I've decided to ride public transportation as often as I can. I get a VTA year pass from San Jose State, so I can ride any VTA public transit. My truck doesn't get very good gas mileage and I don't want to contribute to emission problems and American dependancy on oil. So, lightrail here I come!

Isaiah and Amos

I am convinced that these books are two of the most compelling and relevant books of the OT for our generation. The words Isaiah and Amos spoke carry so much power and weight today that I believe these are dangerous books to read.

I've been repeatedly convicted by Isaiah and Amos, among other things, about the condition of the American church (including my own church) and my own life. Allow me to elaborate.

Isa 58:5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD?

Isa 58:6“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

Isa 58:7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Isa 58:8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

Isa 58:9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

Isa 58:10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.

Isa 58:11 The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.

Isa 58:12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

I have a friend who challenged me a few years ago by saying, "Spend your life on God". I didn't know what this meant at the time, but I'm learning what that means. I think Isaiah 58:10 sheds some light on what this means.


Am 5:21 “I hate, I despise your religious feasts;
I cannot stand your assemblies.

Am 5:22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.

Am 5:23 Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.

Am 5:24 But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!

Wow! What can I say? What good are our worship services when we ignore justice? How can we gather and worship when we don't make a priority of helping those in need?

Summer Reading List

I have been meaning to read these books for a few months, but life has been crazy. This semester was a little more difficult than I thought it was going to be. I had too many books, papers, and projects which have consumed most of my mental capacity. Although, I did read Irresistible Revolution last month. Here's the books I'll be reading this summer (if you want to have a book club, give me a call):

Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer


Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven, But Nobody Wants To Die by David Crowder


God's Politics by Jim Wallis


The Secret Message of Jesus by Brian McLaren

The Church

I've been contemplating the idea of "church". I've come across a few ideas recently which I feel give some insight to what church is.

"The purpose of the church cannot be to survive or to thrive, but to serve. And sometimes servants die in the serving."
-Erwin McManus, Unstoppable Force

"I've been trying to remove the word 'churches' from my vocabulary. We are not churches, we are 'the church'."
-Shane Claiborn, Irresistible Revolution

"A fascinating question came in [during a Townhall Meeting] in which somebody said that they were concerned that in working with the poor, [Mars Hill] would not be partnering with any secular organizations. As I reflected on that later, [aside: 'I'm trying to edit'] let just say, if you have a piece and I have a piece and those two pieces match, I don't care this person's religion, background, worldview, perspective. I don't care whether they skip the 'under God' part of the Pledge of Alliegence; I don't care where they're coming from. If they have a piece that matches my piece, I want to hook those two pieces together."
-Rob Bell, We Already Are (Matthew 28), Sermon at Mars Hill, 4.15.07

Vocab

Here's a word I read in a book for school. I wasn't sure what it meant, so I looked it up.

indignation: a strong distaste for something unjust.

I hope someone would describe me with this word.

Check out the new look!

In other news, here is something the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans which I've been thinking about recently:

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
"Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?"
"Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay him?"
For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.

School

I'm having some trouble focusing on school right now. I've got so many things brewing in my mind concerning such bigger things. Seriously, Irresistible Revolution has really made me think and I'm still trying to sort through all that stuff. My view of the gospel has been challenged and I've got lots of questions. I consider that a good thing and I want to figure out what it means to follow Jesus. I'm just trying to figure out my place and how I'm supposed to live out my faith. It's a tough road, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Maybe school is a place where I can implement the things I'm learning. I just hate all the homework and long classes. Oh, well.

Any Thoughts...

So I read this parable of Jesus in Matthew the other day and I've been struggling with it ever since. Here it is:

Mt 22:1 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying:
Mt 22:2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.
Mt 22:3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.
Mt 22:4 “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’
Mt 22:5 “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business.
Mt 22:6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.
Mt 22:7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
Mt 22:8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.
Mt 22:9 Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’
Mt 22:10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
Mt 22:11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.
Mt 22:12 ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless.
Mt 22:13 “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Mt 22:14 “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

WHAT! This guy killed the people who didn't come to his party and he burned their cities? Then he invited good and bad people to his feast and then kicked a guy out for not wearing the right clothes?

Does anyone have any thoughts?

A Must Read...

This book has articulated some thoughts, questions, and stuggles that I have been dealing with recently and you should read it. Shane Claiborne is a founder of the Simple Way (www.simpleway.org) and he has served alongside Mother Teresa (or Momma T as Shane calls her) and has been to Bible College and Seminary. This book gives incredible insight into raw discipleship, community, serving, and what the Church could be. I feel like this book is setting free some ideas and visions I have been having about what it means to follow Jesus. Please check it out. It is definitely on my must read list.

You can read a sample chapter from Irresitible Revolution here.

Rob Bell Q&A Recap

Wow.

I don't know what to say. Rob Bell is so inspiring for me that I'm speechless right now. I hardly slept last night because I can't figure out what I am feeling. There is this ache in my soul right now and I can only recall feeling this way once before: after the Origins Conference at Mosaic.

I went to a question and answer session last night at UC Berkeley with Rob Bell, author of Velvet Elvis and Sex God. I got a chance to talk to him for a few minutes and I loved it.

Rob Bell has challenged me to rethink my faith, ask questions, explore the possibilities, love God more, improve my relationships, and make a difference in the world. Through this, God has brought the brokeness in this world to the forefront of my mind. My soul is in pain because this world is in pain.

It hurts me to know that this world is broken. My soul yearns to make a difference. I want to focus my life on loving God, following Jesus, and restoring this world to the way God intended it by ending oppression, fighting injustice, and caring for those in need.

My soul aches because this world aches. As a Christian, I want to heal the pain.

Almost caught up

Today I actually feel like I'm caught up with my life. Almost at least.

I still have reading to do for school this week, but I've finished all my current projects for work. Maybe that's actually the only thing I've caught up on. I still have laundry to do and my room is getting messy again. Trying to keep my life organized always seems to be futile. I've got other stuff on my mind that keeps me busy.

Reader Beware: Serious World Changing Stuff

Wow, I love Martin Luther King, Jr.! I just read a speech he gave in 1967 concerning Vietnam and I have been so inspired. I had to read it for one of my classes and I really think you should read it too.

Like the post title says, beware. This is a long speech, but completely worth it. I am going to be starting a discussion on the Gathering Internet Lounge (my other blog for the college group at church) about this speech. Please check out the speech by clicking here. It will open your eyes to some serious topics that touch our lives today.

Check Out The New Links ------>

I just updated my links to the right. There is now a link to three Gathering sites:

1. The Gathering Internet Lounge (Our blog with discussions, announcements, etc.)
2. GWAM: The Gathering Weekly Audio Magazine (Our weekly podcast)
3. The Gathering Homepage (Our website with pics, news, etc.)

Also, there is a link to the Origins Project. This is a leadership conference held in Pasadena, CA by Erwin McManus and his staff at Mosaic. I went to the conference last May and it was amazing. (If you want to read about my experience at Origins last year click here) I would recommend that you go, or at least check out the link.

Happy clicking.

Social Change

I'm taking an interesting class at San Jose State this semester: Social Change

The professor is pretty good and I think this one should be interesting. I've been sensing lately that God is stretching my worldview and perspective. I have been becoming increasingly aware of global issues is society, health, and economics. I feel such a strong compassion for people that are in need. I want to free the oppressed, heal the sick, and bring the poor out of the cycle of poverty. The world needs the transformational and redemptive power of Jesus. (I know I sound like a motivational speaker.) But I see this class as an opportunity to open up the discussion about how Christians should be treating social problems locally, nationally, and globally. I don't mean I am going to preach to my class about Jesus. I mean I am going to dialogue with the teacher and students about humanitarian issues and I am going to model how Christ would address social change. I'm really looking forward to this class.

Wedding Planning

Surprisingly, this whole planning thing hasn't been too bad. Of course, I haven't been engaged for two weeks yet, but we have already gotten a lot of planning done. I think it helps that Sarah has had this whole thing planned out in her head since she was conceived. Girls are like that. I think the planning will get much more difficult later, but for now I am surviving.

Big News

She said yes!


That's right, I'm getting married! I asked Sarah to be my bride on Saturday. It was an amazing day. More detail later.

We have set a date: July 7, 2007

Wasting Time

I've been thinking. There are so many people now-a-days that are arguing about Church, theology, and such. There are conflicting styles, different ideas, unique preferences, and weird issues that cause all kinds of drama in the Church. There are so many people that fight over things that are just a waste of time.

Ok, some of these issues need to be adressed because the church needs to continue to change and evolve to be impactful. But some of these problems are getting in the way of what is really important. Here's my rant:

There is so much hurt in the world and so many people that need Jesus. How can we be consumed in arguements about our style preference? There is so much good to be done and so many people to love in this world that I can't stand spending so much time being engulfed in self-absorbed arguements.

I believe that we need to concentrate on living out what we believe. Too many people spend their precious time and energy trying to prove themselves right when there are people in need. It's time to act. We are so blessed and we have so much stuff. This world is in pain and I want to love everyone in it. Let's exercise out faith, rather than become obese Christians.

Urbana 2006

WOW.

Urbana was amazing. Imagine 22,000+ college and young adults in one place singing, dancing, and praising God. It was an awesome experience.

This conference helped change my worldview and perspective. I heard messages from Christian leaders in Kenya, Sri Lanka, Canada, Europe, and the United States. These people helped give me an idea of what is going on in the world. I was greatly inspired about what potential there is in global Christianity as Christians from all 6 continents unite to fight global issues. I'm so inspired to be a part of it.

One of the coolest things was the last night's session with all 22,000 people. We had a gathering on New Year's and we ushered in 2007 while worshiping God. It was amazing. I would recommend that every Christian attends this conference at least once in their life. It is eye opening.

Road Trip: Day 5

Sorry, I'm writting this a few days late. Here is the update for the last day of our trip.

What a long day. We arrived in San Jose at 7:30am on Thursday. That's right, 2800 miles in 3 days. I talked my dad into pulling an all-nighter to beat my mom and grandparents home (they flew back from Georgia on Thursday morning). At first, my dad didn't want to drive all night, but I tricked him into it. I told him he was right, we should stay at a hotel room because he was getting too old to pull all-nighters on road trips. I told him he couldn't keep up with me anymore. It worked.

So, we left El Paso, TX at 7:00am local time and headed toward New Mexico. We spent the majority of the daylight traversing New Mexico and Arizona. As we entered California, we decided to go all the way to LA. We didn't want to fight traffic the next morning, so we went through the city at about 10:00pm.

Ok, cool story. I learned some trucker language on Wednesday night. I was passing a trucker in a big rig when he flashed his headlights at me. I learned that this was the signal to tell me that it was clear for me to come back into the right lane. Well, if they can do then I can try it too. I purposefully went slower so truckers would have to pass me (I know, lame huh). When they signaled to merge back into the right lane, I flashed my headlights to help them out. To my surprise, the trucker flashed his tail lights at me, to say thank you of course. I felt like I was in a special club or something. Although that's not exactly a noteworthy club.

After getting through LA, we drove up to San Luis Obispo and took an hour long nap. Then we grabbed some more coffee and I finished off the trip by driving the remaining 3 hours to San Jose. My own bed never felt so good.

In conclusion, our trip was successful. We made it back to San Jose without an car trouble, major setbacks, or other problems. I'm still recovering, but it was fun. Thanks for following along.

Road Trip: Day 4

(9:17pm PST)
I’m now sitting in a comfortable hotel in El Paso, Texas surfing the web. My dad and I drove over 800 miles today from Shreveport, Louisiana to El Paso, Texas. At a cool 60 miles per hour in our rental truck, that translates to almost 14 hours of actual driving time, not counting stops to relieve ourselves and get some more food and coffee. We are ahead of schedule and I think we may get back to San Jose in 4 days instead of 5. We’ll see I guess.

Texas is a huge state. We spent the whole day driving and there were only oil wells and scrub brush as far as the eye could see. It also rained all day today. We drove right through a major storm system that was moving east. It poured for hours at a time and there was lightning occasionally. It seemed that every time we got into some heavy rain I was driving the truck. When my dad drove, the weather was pleasant and we didn’t encounter any nasty rain. Oh, well. Our plan is to get to the border of Arizona and California tomorrow. I think we may even get farther than that if we can keep that same pace we had today. I’m going to take a hot shower and go to bed. Good night.

Road Trip: Day 3

(12:42pm PST)
We are just about to cross the Alabama/Mississippi border, Ya’ll! After getting started this morning at 8:30am Eastern Time, we have driven almost 400 miles. We gained an extra hour of time when we crossed into the Central Time Zone. We expect to make it to Shreveport, Louisiana tonight. I haven’t acquired a southern accent yet, but its on the tip of my tongue. Well, more to come tonight.

(2:48pm PST)
I just finished watching the movie Unbreakable in the truck. I brought my computer and I let my mind take a vacation while my dad drove us across the state of Mississippi. Its just about dark here and we are going to switch drivers here soon. I’m gonna need a good cup of truck-stop coffee to gag me awake. I am going to keep writing updates as we travel since I brought my computer. My next update will be from Louisiana. That’s all from Mississippi, ya’ll.

(2:52pm PST)
Oh, I almost forgot. This trip has given me the opportunity to think about stuff and clear my head. Thus, I’ve discovered a new passion of mine: southern sweet tea. That right, this beverage is amazing and I’d recommend driving to Georgia just for the sweet tea. Its worth it.

(8:29pm PST)
Its 10:30pm here in Shreveport, Louisiana. We made our goal and we are tired. I drove the last 150 miles to arrive here and I think my dad and I are going to go to bed soon so we can get up at 5:00am and get on the road by 6:00am. We’re hoping to get all the way across Texas tomorrow. Its weird because we went across Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana today and tomorrow we are going to spend the same amount of time going across most of Texas. Anyway, I’m going to bed, I’m tired. Oh, the hotel we are staying at does not have internet access so I’ll have to upload this tomorrow (I know what you’re thinking, “What! No internet! How can that be!”). Apparently, there is no internet in Louisiana. Luckily, tomorrow we’ll be in Texas. I here they have the internet there.

Road Trip: Day 2

(9:48pm PST)
Today is finally over. I thank God I’m still alive after all the work we did today. I’d like to say that this was the hardest day of our trip, but I don’t want to speak too soon. We packed up the rental truck with stuff from 9:00am – 10:30pm (with breaks for lunch and dinner of course). Then, to top it all off, we hooked up the trailer which we will be hauling my Mom-mom and Pop-pop’s Ford Crown Victoria on. Let’s just say, the truck moaned and groaned a lot when we pulled out of the apartment complex to drive over to our hotel tonight. We finally finished getting everything set up at about 12:30am. What a day. I’m going to bed because we are going to try driving 700 miles tomorrow and hopefully make it all the way to Shreveport, LA. I know, crazy eh. Well, more to come tomorrow.

Road Trip: Day 1

(1:46pm PST)
Today is a travel day. My parents and I left the Bay Area at 9:00am this morning. Our flight made a connection in Denver Colorado. I got the window seat and I must say, the Rocky Mountains are one of the most beautiful things God created. The snow looked like powered sugar on the mountain tops as we sailed thousands of feet above the Rockies. It was a brisk 30 degrees in Denver, but luckily we didn’t have to leave the airport terminal.

Our plane left Denver and we headed to Atlanta Georgia at about 1:30pm Mountain Time. Currently, I am cruising at 563 mph at 39, 777 ft. in a Frontier Airlines A319 Airbus. Not that this information is important at all, but there is a cool flat-panel screen on the back of every seat that shows a live map with a little plane showing where we are right now. As a matter of fact, we are right over top of Wichita, Kansas right now. I’m excited, how about you?


(2:12pm PST)
I broke two records today. Are you ready? I traveled at 650 miles per hour in an airplane today and flew at over 40,000 feet. Crazy huh. I think it’s amazing that I am moving at over 600 mph and I feel the same and as when I sitting still. By the way, I’m fascinated with Einstein’s Theory of Relativity (just ask Jon Renfro). By the way, Little Rock, Arkansas is coming up on the right. That’s all for now.

(8:15pm PST)
Its 11:15pm here is Perry, Georgia. We just arrive about 30 minutes ago and spent some time at my Mom-mom and Pop-pop’s apartment before we checked into the hotel. Just to back-track a little bit, we landed in Atlanta, GA at about 6:30pm local time. We then got out rental car and headed for Perry, GA where my Mom-mom and Pop-pop live.

Ok, funny story about the rental car situation. If you know my mom at all, she can get a little worked up about things when you throw her a curveball. My dad and I are only going to be here for one day until we leave with the rental truck, so my mom is going to fly back with my grandparents and take the rental car back. Since my dad didn’t want to pay the extra money to add another driver to the rental contract, my mom was the only one who could drive the rental car. The twist comes because the rental company did not have anymore full-sized cars at the cheaper rates, so the rental company bumped us up to a luxury car. My mom is now the proud renter of a brand new Chrysler 300 and she is driving at night on highways she is unfamiliar with. Fourth of July came early this year because there were fireworks as we navigated through central Georgia.

Tomorrow we’ll load up the truck and get everything prepared for departure. We have a 16 foot truck and a trailer that we will tow my Mom-mom and Pop-pop’s Crown Victoria on. Should be fun.

Oh, I almost forgot. My palm-pilot was stolen on the airplane today. I'm sad, but not because of the Palm-pilot. The Palm was a six year old model and I got it for free from a friend of my dad. I didn't use it very much. But, what really kills me is that I had a very sentimental token in the leather case of the palm-pilot. Greg Marcelo gave me some money from Puru when he went on a missions trip there a few years ago. That bill from Puru was very meaningful to me and now its gone. Well, I guess there's more to life than Palm-pilots and money. Life goes on.

Life

My life is crazy right now. I'm almost done with finals at school and I've got tons of work to do for my new job. More posts to come, I promise.

Also, as of Saturday, I'll be taking a road trip from Georgia to California in an effort to move my mom-mom and pop-pop to San Jose. My dad and I will be driving a rental truck across the country. I'm going to use this blog to post a trip journal. Should be fun.

Day Three in Minnesota

From Sunday

It wasn't as cold today. The temperature was about 35 degrees. What great weather!

This morning, we went to church with my family to Faith Church. It is the Evangelical Free Church in Wahpeton, North Dakota. I enjoyed it a lot.

Next, we went to lunch with my grandparents, my cousins, and my aunt Jan. Then, we packed up and met my parents in Fergus Falls, Minnesota to drive down to Minneapolis to catch our plane. We left Minneapolis at about 9:00pm local time and arrived in San Francisco at about 11:20pm local time.

I enjoyed our trip. I don't know what it is, but I still feel like Minnesota is home. I have some weird connection there and I love being there. Call me crazy, but Minnesota is one of my favorite places.

Day Two in Minnesota

Again, I wrote this a few days ago.

Well, I’m on the road right now between Fargo, North Dakota and Wahpeton, North Dakota. We had a very busy day. Here’s how it went:

1. We left my aunt and uncle’s farm in Northern Minnesota in the morning to go to Grand Forks, North Dakota to go to my cousin’s college football game. He plays fullback for the University of North Dakota.

2. We watched my cousin Trent play his football game that afternoon. We made big poster-board signs that read, “TC=TD” and “Trent, you’re my hero!” (his full name is Trent Christensen for those that didn’t make the connection that TC was his initials.) He loved the signs and they made his teammates laugh.

3. We then went out to dinner at The Royal Fork restaurant in Grand Forks, ND. It is kinda like Fresh Choice in San Jose.

4. Now, we’re on the way to my other aunt and uncle’s house in Wahpeton, ND.

I must say, I love Minnesota and North Dakota. Some of my favorite people live here. It’s interesting to hear people out in Minnesota say, “The weather’s not too bad right now; it’s only 20 degrees outside.” I hear the same thing in San Jose, just with a 50 degree difference in temp.

I love hanging out with my cousins. We have such a great time together. We only see each other once a year, but we pick up right where we left off. We laugh and hang out and I have such a great time with them.

That’s about it for today.

Day One in Minnesota

I wrote this post a few days ago while I was in Minnesota. I couldn't get internet access, so here it is.

Today, I arrived in Minneapolis, MN at 6:00am. My sister Ruth and my brother Brad and I took the red eye flight from San Francisco last night. My parents picked us up at the airport because they were already here. We immediately drove south to Rochester, MN to visit my grandmother in Mayo Clinic. She was hospitalized again because she developed an infection in addition to her disease. But, this morning right as we arrived at the hospital the doctors came into her room to talk to her. What they said was amazing.

They told her that after all the tests they have done on her, the disease she had somehow practically disappeared. They told her that it hadn’t spread to any other parts of her body and that it is pretty much gone! They will be taking her off the medication she was on, which was making her very sick. This is a huge answer to prayer. Praise God.

I’ll never forget the look on my grandmother’s face when I walked into her hospital room today. She had been worried that she would never see us again. This disease had caused her to question whether she would even be around to see us this weekend. When the doctors told her that the disease had been halted and we showed up to see her, she couldn’t contain her joy. I practically burst into tears when I saw the pure joy on her face. She reached out frantically to give me a hug and I embraced her praising God that I got to see her. Today was huge for her because the news about the disease subsiding gave her hope about the future. She was talking about being able to see Greg’s graduation and the rest of her grandchildren get married, etc. I can’t explain how emotional this morning was.

So, I’m on the road right now on the way to meet my auntie Konnie, my uncle Kent, and my cousins Trent and Trevor for dinner in Grand Forks, North Dakota. I’ll publish this as soon as I can get internet access. Stay tuned for day 2.

mewithoutyou

I must say, these guys are awesome. I appreciate their creativity and I love the lyrics in their songs. In the song "The Dryness & The Rain" from their new album Brother, Sister there is a line in particular that I loved. It goes something like this:

"The fish swims in the sea, while the sea is in a certain sense contained within the fish. Oh, what am I to think what the writing of a thousand lifetimes could not explain if all the forests' trees were pens and all the oceans ink."

This is so beautiful.

Amazingly, I was talking to my dad about this particular lyric when he told me that he had already heard that in a song. He went on the sing to me an old hymn entitled "The Love of God". The third verse goes like this:

"Could we with ink the oceans fill and were the skies of parchment made, were every stalk on earth a quill and every man on earth a scribe by trade, to write the love of God above would drain the oceans dry, nor could the scroll contain the whole though stretched from sky to sky."

Amazing!

May I quote Solomon: "There is nothing new under the sun!"

I then thought for a while about how the previous generations had similar metaphors and imagery to communicate the nature of God but in a different style. Today, our generation appreciates the same beauty, just in a different style. Interesting.

Also, I love the last track "In a Sweater Poorly Knit". Its like a dream.

David Sedaris

I was in Santa Cruz last night hanging out with a couple friends. We went into Book Shop Santa Cruz in downtown and I picked up David Sedaris' book Me Talk Pretty One Day. So far, its quite funny. I've read the first two short stories and his stories are pretty fun to read. I decided that I need to read some books just for my own enjoyment. I've been reading a lot of dense theology books and books about church and such, not to mention text books for school (not that I don't enjoy these books, except the text books). This should give my brain some relief.

David Sedaris:
Also, last night we went into a couple guitar shops and music stores. My favorite was a small record store just off of Pacific Ave. I bought U2's album WAR on LP. It sounds amazing on my turntable.

Plans

I know this album came out a while ago, but I just listened to it in detail. Death Cab For Cutie's album Plans is amazing; particularly, the song "What Sarah Said". It seriously made me cry.

My grandmother was just in the hospital for about a week because she was diagnosed with a crazy disease that killed her kidneys. She is much better now and is home from the hospital, but I still remember the feeling when I heard that her life might be in danger. I got home from church on Sunday two weeks ago and my dad told me that her condition had worsened. He told me he wanted me to talk to her on the phone (implying that it may be the last time I talk to my grandma). It was all I could do not to cry while talking to her. Memories began coming to mind of summers spent at my grandparents' lake cabin. I remembered her kind smile as she called me in from the lake shore for dinner. I used to sit next to her in the car every chance I could get when I was young. She is such a comforting person. The thought of never being able to say, "I love you, grandma" choked me. Talking to her for those few minutes that day was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I can only imagine how hard things must be for my grandfather. This song is my way to understanding how he might feel.

I thanks God that she is doing better. I'm going out to Minnesota in a few weeks to visit her.

Revelation

I've had a revelation today. (Maybe this isn't new to some people, but for some reason it just clicked today) I was thinking about the effectiveness of imagery and metaphors. I've come to realize that there is something special about imagery. It seems to be the language that speaks most effectively to our heart.

Let me explain. When you read a book and the author writes without using metaphors and imagery, the book seems so dull; like it has no life. But when the author uses imagery, you can almost close your eyes and become a part of the story. The same goes for music. Music without imagery is considered to lack creativity and does not effectively communicate its message. Heck, poetry is the same way. Now, what about scripture? It is written in a way that uses images, metaphors, and parables.

So, where is the revelation you say? Well...

The Jewish traditions all were tangible things that allowed the people to understand God through visuals, touching, and tasteing. Today, we take communion which allows us to taste and smell the body and blood of Christ (Figurativiely of course). But that's my point! God uses elements in creation to allow us to sense Him. Its all imagery and metaphors. These are how we understand God.

But the metaphors, imagery, and senses will never allow us to completely understand God. Its just the closest thing we can get to knowing Him.

So. What bearing does this have in the universe? Why are human being built this way? What spiritual significance does this have?

My brain hurts.

-By the way, this picture has nothing to do with this post. I just thought you might enjoy it. (Yes, that is a cat flying out of that raft)

Wow

This week has finally been a week to relax. After our Men's Retreat last weekend, I've finally had some time to catch up on sleep and get some relaxation time. Leading up to the retreat, my inbox was never empty, I couldn't get enough sleep, and I always felt like there was something to do.

I'm trying to use this week to let my brain relax. It hasn't been easy though because I had a paper due in my communications class, a midterm in history, and a quiz in biology this week. Doesn't sound like a very relaxing week. What's funny is that this week seems relaxing even though I still have lots of schoolwork. Sometimes I don't realize how busy I am. A week like this feels easy when in reality it is still a lot of work.

I'm a workaholic.

AL Central Champs: MN Twins

That's right. The Minnesota Twins just won the American League Central Division Championship. They edged ahead of the Detroit Tigers by 1 game.

For those of you who don't follow baseball, this is kind of a big deal. I am especially excited because the Twins are playing the Oakland A's in the first round of the playoffs. Go Twins!

Oh Boy

Following comments made by Pope Benedict XVI last week about the teachings of Muhammad as "evil and inhuman" and that Muhammad taught to "spread his teachings by the sword", there have been numerous protests, some violent, across the world by Muslims. I just read an article on Yahoo News in which Islamic Extremists said, "The Pope and The West are doomed."

Isn't it interesting that the comments which claim that some sects of Islam breed violence and evil produce protests which are violent? Isn't it also interesting that "the West" is synomymous with Christianity when "the West" often fails to uphold Christian values and does not truely live the way of Jesus? Christianity has its own problems with misrepresentation and violence. How can this twisted argument of "the West" or "Christianity" blaming Islam for violence happen?

Speck and plank parable anyone? See Matt 7:3 or Luke 6:41.

Great Article

I found this article on Wikipedia about Judaism and Christianity. It give an analysis of the differences and similarities between Jewish and Christian faith. It is long, but it's a great read. Please check it out here and leave your comments below.

Quote(s) of the week:

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."
-Pope Benedict XVI

"How can (the Pope) imply that Muslims are the creators of terrorism in the world while it is the followers of Christianity who have aggressed against every country of the Islamic world?", "Who attacked Afghanistan and who invaded Iraq?"
-Saudi cleric Salman al-Odeh

"insult ... pushes us back to the era of crusades against Muslims led by Western political and religious leaders."
-The General Instance of Religious Affairs in Libya

This makes me sad.
by the way, the sign in the picture reads, "Christians should remove Pope!"

New Books: Awesome!

I just got a few new books for my birthday! Here they are:

Stand Against The Wind by Erwin McManus


Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem (this one is about 1290 pages)

I am so excited to read the lastest McManus book and I can't wait to get my nose into some Grudem Theology. This should keep me busy for a while.

Also! I have been reading Rob Bell's book Velvet Elvis. This is a tough one for me. I read the whole thing and I agreed with a lot of it staight up. But some of it I wasn't sure about, so I decided to take a deeper look into what he was saying. Thus, I am now reading the book again, but this time I am reading all the endnotes and checking all of his references and discussing the book with a few close friends and mentors. It is a great book and I'd recommend it to everyone. But, you need to read it carefully. Absorb what he is saying and internalize it. Discuss, question, disagree, agree, whatever. It's a great book.



Happy reading!

20 years ago...

...I was born. Yeah, that's right, my birthday was on Saturday Sept 9 and it was so much fun. Here's why: my girlfriend Sarah took me to an Aviation Museum! Cool huh!

I know, I know; an aviation museum? I thought it was awesome because I'm into that kind of stuff. Here were all the highlights of the experience:

-I got to sit inside a real cockpit of a 747 and an F18(Blue Angels).
-There were real refurbished planes such as pre-1900 gliders all the way to modern spy planes.
-There were real engines from airplanes that were deconstructed so you could see the insides (some produced over 5000 horse power!)
-There were chunks of other cool planes so you could see how they really worked.

Overall, I found the whole museum fascinating.

Urbana 2006

This December, I will be going to St. Louis to attend the Urbana Conference. This conference is a gathering of missions organizations and young adults who have a heart for reaching the globe with the hope of Jesus Christ. I am looking forward to the speakers and the opportunities to see what God is doing across the globe. It isn't for a few months, but I will be updating my blog with what I experience at this amazing event. Please pray for me though, because it costs about $700 and that a lot of money for a college student.

A Conversation

Last night I went running with a friend and when we got back to his house we bumped into a buddy of his from high school. He was in his car and decided to stop to say hi to my friend. After I was introduced to this guy I found out that he works with a guy I know who apparently just broke up with his girlfriend. (Note: my friend introduced me as "a friend from church") I asked who the girl was and I was very surprised at his response.

He didn't tell me who she was. All he said was, "Well, she isn't a church goer, so you probably don't know her."

Wow. After this guy left, my friend told me that he was very anti-Christian and even had done a speech about what was wrong with the Christian Faith. This event perfectly portrays the image the church tends to paint in the world today.

Questions, comments, hearsay?

Quote of the Week

"All men die, but not all men live!"
-Erwin McManus

Back To School

I started my second year at San Jose State University on Wednesday. I'm looking forward to some good discussions in my classes, but I'm not looking forward to writing essays and taking tests. Here's a look at my classes:

7:30am- Social Problems
9:00am- US Hist/Gov't
11:30am- Human Biology
12:30pm- Weight Lifting
3:00pm- Intro to Communications

My two most challenging classes will be Biology and US Hist. The classes that will produce the best discussions will be Social Problems and the government portion of my history class. I can tell that these professors will provide many opportunities for questions when we analyze society and politics. Well, here I go again with another year at school.

Talladega Nights: Thumbs Down

I just saw Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby tonight. I must say, it was a very offending movie. I admit I was laughing at some of the scenes in the movie, but many of the jokes were taken way too far. Here are a couple comments I heard from other viewer in the theater with me:

"I will never watch another Will Farrell movie for the rest of my life."

"I feel absolutely disgusting right now."

Need I say more.

That's my blood Ya'all!

My cousin Trent Christensen has been named a preseason All-American by a local football periodical. He is a senior at the University of North Dakota and he plays fullback for the football team. I may drive up to Ellensburg, Washington to watch the first game of the season against Central Washington University. GO SIOUX!!!

Sweet Home Minnesota

Well, I just got back from a week in Minnesota with my whole family. It was so much fun. I must say, Minnesota is still home for me. Here's a rundown on all the fun things I did while in MN:

We arrived at 6:00am after a red-eye flight from San Francisco to Minneapolis. We immediatly met my great aunt and great uncle on their boat for breakfast and a tour of downtown St. Paul and downtown Minnneapolis from the Mississippi River.

We spent two days in my home town: Winona, MN. I saw my place of birth and my old houses, schools, and church.

We drove to my aunt and uncle's house in Wahpeton, North Dakota to have dinner before we drove to my grandparents' lake cabin just outside of Lengby, MN.

We spent the rest of the trip at the lake cabin while we celebrated my grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary. All my paternal extended family was there. I rode my grandfather's jet ski and ATV. I waterskied and kneeboarded and we swam a lot.

The only downside was that the weather was not ideal. It was jsut as hot in MN as it was in San Jose last week. The temp in Minneapolis the day before we left was 103 degrees. We did get to see one of the coolest thinderstorms I've every seen one night. For 15 minutes it was like daylight outside because there was so much lightning happening all at once. Also, we saw the Northern Lights in the night sky. If you don't know what the northern lights are, just search google images for "northern lights". This phenomenon can't be seen in San Jose.

Well, I am back in California and I miss Minnesota already. The landscape and culture speak to my heart. I love going there because I love the outdoors. Maybe I'll live there at some point in my life. We'll see. By the way, GO SIOUX!