New news....

Just so you know: Invisible Chidlren is coming to campus on April 19th at 9:00pm in Hughes. We are still working the details as to whether we can get the film-makers to attend and speak. That would be sweet. In either case, please come out an be changed. This is a moving film that is a nightmare o us, but a waking state to thousands of children in Uganda and around the world.

So with the uncertainty involved in the Congo/AO! situations, I have learned one really important thing. One opportunity gives the mandate to pour everything out into the other. Regardless of where I am led, I need to have a passion as if I was supposed to do the other. Funny thought, huh? I just had the thought, maybe a realization, I so often fall into a passivity when i think I know where I am supposed to go. It is as if I need something to doubt in my life so that I can cling to God instead of my plans (Descartes anyone?). Have you ever wondered if you knew exactly what you were supposed to do with your life (in the datails) if you would be able to be as effective as you would taking one step at a time? It's just something to think about...

One who breaks open the way will go up before them;
they will break through the gate and go out.
Their king will pass through before them,
the LORD at their head."

"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

When you are real...

"Weeks passed, and the little Rabbit grew very old and shabby, but the Boy loved him just as much. He loved him so hard that he loved all his whiskers off, and the pink lining to his ears turned grey, and his brown spots faded. He even began to lose his shape, and he scarcely looked like a rabbit any more, except to the Boy. To him he was always beautiful, and that was all that the little Rabbit cared about. He didn't mind how he looked to other people, because the nursery magic had made him Real, and when you are Real shabbiness doesn't matter. "

I once was fatherless,
a stranger with no hope;
Your kindness wakened me,
Awakened me, from my sleep
Your love it beckons deeply,
a call to come and die.
By grace now I will come
And take this life, take your life.

Sin has lost it's power,
death has lost it's sting.
From the grave you've risen
VICTORIOUSLY!
Into marvelous light I'm running,
Out of darkness, out of shame.
By the cross you are the truth,
You are the life, you are the way

My dead heart now is beating,
My deepest stains now clean.
Your breath fills up my lungs.
Now I'm free. now I'm free!
Lift my hands and spin around,
See the light that i have found.
Oh the marvelous light
Marvelous light

-C. Hall

"I Know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
I myself will see him with my own eyes
--I and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!"

Job 19: 25-27

"Well, the going rate for change is not cheap. Big ideas are expensive."

"Every era has its defining struggle and the fate of Africa is one of ours. It's not the only one, but in the history books it's easily going to make the top five, what we did or what we did not do. It's a proving ground, as I said earlier, for the idea of equality. But whether it's this or something else, I hope you'll pick a fight and get in it." -Bono

Hey all. Check out invisiblechildren.com . We are trying to get them at Asbury.

Some Color to the Break:

Nashville nightlife

nice slogan...

Yes 11 of us around Nashville in the Toyota '87 Van..

Having loved his own who were in the world,
he now showed them the extent of his love.


So he got up from the meal,
took off his outer clothing,
and wrapped a towel around his waist.
After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his [friends'] feet,
drying them with the towel wrapped around him.

Time...

So last night I went to the climbing gym in Chacos. It was sweet then. Somewhat rainy. Then I went over to the girls' place and as I was leaving...in my chacos I noticed that there was snow covering the ground. Its funny what can happen in a couple hours in Kentucky.

The "John Wesley Covenant Renewal Service" was today. As I was sitting there, I actually believed what I was saying. I wanted to actually say it. Not to be constrained by the dull drone of voices, but to really say it with conviction. I was slightly torn by this urge to read it with some form of passion, so I listened to the voices around me. I heard many just trying to conform with the cadence of the crowd, but then I listened some more. I heard two or three voices around me that were actually passionate about what they were saying. I was comforted by their voices...
Funny I know. But it stood out to me.

"Do things passionately. Passion pushes you; lack of it poisons you."

Recently....

I have been thinking about myself and people around me. I like to please people so much. I like to find my value in the opinions more than almost anything, yet I cutting this thing out of my life is so painful. Thing might be freudian slip, because I wanted to write "these things" but I guess I was thinking about a specific something.

If you watch t.v. and the program scrubs, then i can be best described as J.D., Bambi, Scooter, or whatever name you want the character to go by. I hate people that say that... the ones that project themselves into a show. It has always made me mad, but Ithink this one actually fits this time. Sad...

welcome to my inner thoughts.

"Now my life will change. I shall be born again in a new form."

Dostoevsky

Alito...

Yay for confirmation hearings. What else is there to watch on such a gloriously rainy cold day? I really urge you to take advantage of this time to see what your elected representatives are actually doing on the Judicial Committee. I call myself a moderate, tend to be more conservative, but I really enjoyed hearing Sen. Dick Durbin ask Judge Alito questions. They could carry on a conversation with each other and it was an amazing contrast to the embarrassing display of Sen. Kennedy (notice I was commending Durbin: he is a democrat from Illinois)). I have been fascinated about the inability for many on both sides of the isle to not be able to get over Roe and ask other questions probing the minds of our judicial nominees. It is as if the Supreme Court hears no cases other than on abortion. Can there be anything more important? I do not mean to down play the importance of the abortion issue, but so much more is at stake in a judicial nomination than one or two issues.

That is something that tends to get lost in politics today. Things are personal, and I am not trying to say, "Cease having convictions!" But at some point we must realize that the philosophies associated with both abortion and homosexuality do not lay out how to run all aspects of a government. Single or dual issue platforms are not the answer. Just because one candidate matches our position on the two does not mean that he or she is not a fool, unqualified, or corrupt. So often we believe that if we project our morals into the national arena that the world will see the light. Many times we (this makes me responsible as well) fail to realize that even though we champion a cause, we can run over individuals and leave our witness somewhere behind us in the dust.

I have been struggling over "rendering unto Caesar what is Caesar's" and how little and how much Jesus mentioned the politics of the time. I have been thinking about law, etc. again. What is the balance between policy and love? It seems as though Jesus has the pattern of getting angry at the Jews/Church and coming down hard on them, yet gently addressing the gentiles. I am working on the ideas of Christians in politics, government and law, because I am so inspired and awakened by the challenges they presents yet, I am also fearful of how competitive I become and prideful I am. That is what Washington lives on. I have been struggling with the desire to be known and great or to be known only in Christ.

Nashville...

So our trip to Nashville was amazing. I learned a but more how prideful and selfish I really am...oh and did I mention lazy? One of the biggest things for me was meeting Jesse. Three of us were going to watch "Tip of the spear" or whatever the title of the new movie about Jim Elliot and Nate Saint is called. Since the showing was late, starting at 1130 and we hadn't had much sleep, we decided to take the trek back to the hostel we were staying at to get some sleep. Yeah, We stayed at this amazing Hostel in Nashville. The Owner is really great guy and has some wonderful interactions with the international refugee community, but that is for a later time. On the way out we rounded the corner and were asked by a homeless man to pray for him. Anyway he didn't really want us to pray for him, but to talk. I wasn't really partial to the idea, but as 5 minutes turned into 45, my worldview was rocked by this drunk homeless man named Jesse. Ask me about it, my heart really broke for Jesse.
Jesse the XXXCHURCH and Invisible Children. Check them out (Jesse will be harder to find...). Those two organizations are taking issues that are many times taboo and addressing them head-on. I think in some ways they are going too far with their campaigns, but I have such a passion for groups addressing the lie of Pornography. I was able to hear one of the goofy founders speak in Nashville before he hopped on a flight to the Expo. I found it interesting how often people that work in that area (porn) are abandoned by Christians as lost causes. Jesus does love porn stars regardless of whether we choose to express that love. I am not saying that he embraces what they do, no way, but His love for me is just the same as His love for them. Why would someone give themselves over completely for someone that is only going to run away? only going to find another to love? only going to willfully hurt them? I do that. I run away find other loves and willfully choose to hurt. I guess I just think it is admirable that someone choses to go and address the issue.
You know the irony of this blog? I swore I wouldn't use it as a thing to preach from...oops. I really hate it when people do. Sorry. I am really excited about these things and that is rare. Anyway, check out the links I just added. The film "Invisible Children" ( I am going to buy one) is going to be touring around at different campus locals from now on. Check times and dates. It has been said by Bono and others that our generation is going to be judged on whether or not we helped africa (not in a white man's burden sense) or continued to isolate them. As having been, once you go to africa, you will never be the same. It has a strange pull back. These guys are noteworthy because they are not randomly throwing money ot the problems for the corrupt to exploit (UN), rather they are sponsoring indivdual children to get them educations in the country of Uganda so that these children have a hope, but also are in the position to rise into places of leadership. This is a plan that can work. Well I am spent...I will proof-read and write more soon. My big challenge is to live like I am actually redeemed. I am such a negative person and that has to change. Anywho, take care eh?

Don't blame the darkness for being dark, blame the light for not shining on it.

Back and Gone...again

Hey all. Happy New Year. I just Got back in from Cinci and the Tegge wedding. It was a blast. Beautiful to say the least. Now I am off to roadtrip down to Nashville. Maybe I will get time here in Va sometime soon before I head back down to Kentucky. Yes, but the travel is great. I will write about the flights later. And I must say Ohio: Yay for the Huge Jesus statue. I couldn't help but be shocked. Until an unspecified time. Take care all.