The situation is desperate...

If you'd like to get involved in expressing your concern for the worst humanitarian crisis in our day, please visit: http://www.savedarfur.org/

People all around the world: Stand together against the genocide in Darfur. Take some responsibility in bringing hope and relief to an entire generation of people...before it's too late.

(photo courtesy of Human Rights Watch - www.hrw.org)

Is it California...or Europe?
I must have asked this question four hundred times during my three-day road trip to Central California this week. The drive up the 101 to Morro Bay was absolutely breathtaking. Spring has made everything green and painted every spare patch of grass with wildflowers. My friend Merea and I had a great time on the scenic drive up and enjoyed the chance to explore several of Central California's (aka The Wine Country) attractions. We visited Hearst Castle, which many of you may recognize as the most extravagant residence in all of North America. It was built by W.R. Hearst - a journalism tycoon in 1930's & 40's - and the first ever licensed female architect, Julia Morgan. It is a fascinating story of a man and his dream home and the woman who built it for him...and, oh, what a place! You'll probably recognize his pool that shows itself in movies from time to time.

As we drove along the coast, we stopped a several piers just to walk out and take a deep breath of ocean air. I can hardly look at the ocean without thinking of Habakkuk 2:14 "for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea". What an amazing picture of His depth that simply cannot be measured or matched!

Venturing inland revealed countless wineries all bragging the best California wine and offering free tastings. Don't worry, Mom (and other Baptist friends), we didn't give into the temptation to visit all of them.... We did NOT heed the advice of the couple sitting next to us at breakfast in our hotel. Their advice? "Oh, you should visit all of them! There are only like 22 or so in that area and you get seven free tastes at each one. (*note: a taste is more like half a glass*) Yesterday we hit eight or so and came home with who knows how many bottles." My question to them? How the heck did you make it back here for breakfast?!?!

Keri & I before heading out to Wicked.

Two four-eyed girls! I think Sofia looks a little more like a Hollywood baby than a Chicago one. What do you think?

CHICAGO...
what a place! Marshall Field's, pizza, city streets, Wicked, wind, Sears Tower, the El, the Magnificent Mile, Lincoln Park, and so much more! That city truly has so much to offer. I enjoyed wandering the city streets and listening to the constant hum of the El train. I won't even try to guess just how many hours I spent in Marshall Field's...It would probably compare to the number of times I exclaimed to Sofia, "you are so cute!" She responded with a smile every time...

Check out this website and learn more about the indie film INVISIBLE CHILDREN. Watch the trailer. I'm certain you'll be moved to (at the very least) think about how you can get involved. This film is having an catalytic effect on college campuses all over the USA. I'm amazed at how serious this generation takes issues like these. On one hand, it seems like they are all born with ipods and cell phones in their spoiled little hands. On the polar opposite hand, they are deeply moved by global issues....Christians and non-Christians alike. They are exposed to more information than any other generation, and don't ignore it. They see the emptiness of words without action, and I've observed them to be passionate about global issues and for the believer, how it connects to being a follower of Christ. They have taught me a great deal about the kind of passion it requires to make a difference in the world. It's the kind of passion that involves a willingness to suffer. A willingness to give up their small ambitions of the American dream, and trade it for something eternally valuable. That kind of passion can only be fueled by One who suffered and paid the price we could never pay. He suffered, died, and defeated death to remedy situations like what's happening in Uganda right now (...and Darfur, Iraq, Vietnam, and countless other places...) Take a minute to learn about INVISIBLE CHILDREN and consider it a challenge from this generation to take seriously the desire of Jesus to bring hope and restoration to all the earth...

http://www.invisiblechildren.com/theMovie/

Husky Car Seats?
check out this story reported on Foxnews today:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,190291,00.html

Okay, this is just plain sad. The situation? Kids in America are too fat to fit in the standard size car seat, so now manufacturers are creating the "Husky" seat to accomodate them. They added 4 inches in the seat (to accomodate larger bottoms) and made room for 10 extra pounds per kid. Are you serious, people??? Has anyone ever thought of limiting their kids' intake of fries and chicken nuggets instead of redefining car seat engineering? This is just plain ridiculous...! Now, I'm not a mom and don't plan to be anytime soon, but God help me if I have to buy my kid a Husky. That'll be my cue to quit feeding my kid junk and get them on a plan to lose that extra 4 inches - in a hurry!
(*please note: this kid in the photo has no relation to this story except that he's the kid who came up when I googled "fat kid photos". Hope he's not offended...*)

Looking forward to Chicago.
So, one week from today, I'll be on my way to Chicago to see my good friends Keri, Kevin, & Sofia Sheckler. Keri and I served overseas together in Turkey and have a wealth of shared experiences. She was the one who showed me the ropes overseas and I'll always be grateful for her adventurous approach to living in another culture. She was always the one to ask the question "Why not?" in relation to all things cultural and adventurous. I love that about her! Kerr and I also have a shared love of the theater. Les Miserables in London and now we are adding Wicked on Broadway in Chicago to our list of theater excursions. I'm starting the book this weekend in preparation for the theater experience. It's rare that I actually get to read something for fun (and not for teaching) so I'm looking forward to that too...hopefully the clouds and the rain hang around to make for good Saturday reading time.

Hmm...what else? Spring Break is just around the corner and it's obvious my students' minds have already turned to mush. They are there in the flesh but simply absent in the mind. I can't blame them, I guess. I was there fairly recently. I remember the frantic thoughts just before the end of the semester and the lack of sleep I suffered from my plain old procrastination. Oh, I am so glad those 10-15 page research paper days are over! My roommate from grad school can testify that I never really felt like the academic type and often wondered, "What the heck am I doing here?"...which makes me wonder why in the world God has chosen to place me back into academics...but that seems like another blog entry entirely. He definitely has a way of placing us where He wishes and doesn't always expain why. I guess that's why He's God and we are not. He defines us and we don't define Him. Believing that allows me to trust His infinite wisdom and be continually reminded that if I was in control, this would be a very scary journey indeed. I'm grateful that He sees the big picture and I don't. Otherwise, I fear I would be obsessive about how to move to what's next, instead of trusting Him to hold my future and patiently guide me on the journey...

I so rigged this...

A confession: I wanted to be New York, so I took that "what American city are you?" quiz twice to rig it. What can I say? I wanted to be labeled as cosmopolitan and sophisticated. =) Besides, any of you who know me know that I am far from competitive - just ask my family and they'll tell you I'm a middle child peacemaker all the way. I even refuse to play board games with them simply because someone always looses! I can accept the cosmopolitan and sophisticated bit, though, even if I did cheat a little.

You Are New York

Cosmopolitan and sophisticated, you enjoy the newest in food, art, and culture.You also appreciate a good amount of grit - and very little shocks you.You're competitive, driven, and very likely to succeed. Famous people from New York: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Tupac Shakur, Woody Allen

What American City Are You?

Reality TV: the downside

So, yeah, The Bachelor and his reality TV girlfriend pick are done. Geez, maybe reality TV is real once in a while. I mean, what human being on the planet can keep up with an all-romance-no-real-grit-or-commitment-required relationship and expect it to turn into love?

Sorry, Sarah. Hopefully you and Trav can move on from your non-reality romance into something that resembles real life. The kind of real life where people don't have their first date on the French Riviera or Venice...

Amy in Cali

This past week, my friend Amy Nobles was in California. Amy is a dear friend and it was refreshing (to say the least) to get to spend some time with her. She is a great listener and a great encourager - just one of those people you LOVE to be around. She also loves to laugh, so her presence was a much needed breath of fresh air to my life in California!

Amy is a worship leader and has a brand new cd out. To listen to one of her great new songs "Lord I Praise You", go to http://myspace.com/amynobles
To buy the cd (which I'm certain you'll want to do after listening to a clip), visit her website:
http://www.nobleministries.org

Beyond the Edge

As many of you know, I am working at California Baptist University. I have several different responsibilities at the school, but there is one I am particularly excited about: Beyond the Edge. Beyond the Edge is a brand new high school missions experience we began this year at CBU. Basically, we have invited 30 high school students to go on a 3-week mission trip to Germany this summer. The students will spend an entire week in intensive training on campus, and then we will depart for two weeks of service in Berlin. It is so exciting to be a part of developing this program. It has long been the desire of CBU to encourage and equip young people to serve God all over the world, and Beyond the Edge is part of that.

I have a team of six CBU student leaders (pictured) and we are all working together to make this a meaningful experience for these high school students. We are excited to see how God will use these 3 weeks this summer in the process of discipleship, growth, and maturity for these students. We are also praying for how He will use us to serve Him in Germany this summer. Our desire is to see Christ lifted up before all people as the only One who is able to offer new life. May He use us to proclaim that truth!

My brother is a Tony Stewart fan all the way! Go #20!

Overdue: An update on NASCAR

Okay, so I liked NASCAR! It was more exciting than any other sporting event I've been to. The vibration of the fast car noise and the excitement of 100,000 people packed in grandstands was exhilarating! At first, I wondered if it would really be fun watching these cars go in the same circle for 250 laps, but it was actually really cool.

Perhaps the most fun was watching the die hard fans in their multicolored caps, halter tops, and jackets - each one supporting their driver. It seemed like almost a religious experience for some of them..."C'mon Tony, don't let me down! ...Jeff Gordon, I'm here for you, man!...This is the best day of my life because Matt won..." Hmm...I'm thinking that many of them could benefit from something a little more substantial for a life motivation, because after all, NASCAR is bound to let you down someday...There will come a day when the keg's empty, the cars are all burnt out, and the multicolored jackets no longer fit...

He picked SARAH!
I admit it. I am a closet fan of The Bachelor. Tonight my roommate Kimberly and I watched the season finale and we are celebrating Travis' pick of Sarah. She was undeniably the most poised, honest, and beautiful (outside and in) woman on the show. Way to go, Trav! I know, I know, you probably pity me at this point because I have no other exciting stuff to blog about... c'mon, Nicole, get a life! But, humor me please. And allow all those other closet fans to revel in the excitement of a "nice girl" victory. Hurray for all the nice girls out there! It's fleeting, but isn't reality/fantasy love fun...?

Jeff & I went to Big Bear Lake today to hang out. Last week, it snowed in Big Bear so the place looked amazing...not a bit like Southern California. It made for a nice Saturday getaway...here's a few of the pics...

Sunset at Big Bear.

My little brother.