Bush's Treatment by the American Public: An Article & Responses

"To be sure, Mr. Bush is not completely alone. His low approval ratings put him in the good company of former Democratic President Harry S. Truman, whose own approval rating sank to 22% shortly before he left office."

In my own self-absorbed way of thinking about what thoughts others must have of me, I often come to the decision that they don't know quite what to do with me. I probably come across as naively idealistic and, now, in light of posts on Obama, all to willing to support him, ignoring the troubling policies or issues he may support.

I think, for one, rather than naivety, it's simply a continuation of who I am. I remember receiving from my high school Spanish teacher a note at graduation of congratulations that went on to say that she'd never heard anyone speak badly of me. A compliment and an encouragement - for I believe I'm called to respect, love, and honor everyone - even with whom I disagree or have very little in common.

It's as a result of that mindset that I'm committed to honoring those with whom I disagree at times (such as Barack Obama and the Democratic party platform) and encouraging others to do the same. Here's an article published by the Wall Street Journal this last week. I tend to agree with it's perspective that Bush has been undully mocked and disrespected. So, if nothing else, I don't want this to be said in 4 years about those of us who did not vote for Obama. May the review be, "They disagreed with him and the Democratic congress, but they always did it with deep respect that honored the President and those in power."

Here's the article at WSJ.com. Also, the emails/letters in follow-up to it are really good - albeit, lengthy. For what it's worth, enjoy!

Reading: The New GOP & Obama

Reading "The Gaurdian" the other day, I came across a column that talked about the GOP party getting together to redefine itself. In fact, they've set up a website to get input from Republicans on what needs to happen. In all this discussion, I've also come across two books on what the "new" GOP party needs to look like. Here's links to articles on them. I'll likely pick up one of the two.

The Grand New Party: Republicans Can Win the Working Class and Save the American Dream

A New Kind of Conservative (I couldn't find a review, since the book is so new, but here's an excerpt from it at RelevantMagazine.com)

On the second note, Obama. While I didn't vote for Obama because of policy issues and what I believe is best for the country, now that he's my president I really do want to know more about who he is as a man - a man of faith, an African-American man, etc. The Faith of Barack Obama showed up in last month's Relevant Magazine. It's written by Stephen Mansfield, who wrote a well-reviewed biography on George W. Bush's faith, and is published by Thomas Nelson - an evangelical publishing company that has a reputation for publishing well. So, in order to understand Barack Obama more, this new president of mine for 4 years and to speak intelligently about who he is and in a respectful, honoring way with others over the next 4 years, I'm planning to pick this book up and see what Mansfield has to say.

Democrats vs. Republicans: Healthy Correctives?

Came across several really interesting - and really good - articles on the elections, Christians, and Obama on my Google Reader feeds the other night. This one was particularly good - and then, particularly troubling, in the comment section.

Here's the link to the article. Read it if you get the chance. It's about what portion of evangelical/born-again believers voted for Obama and the role of Obama's religious life in his campaign. My prayer and my hope is that what Obama said is true of him and he lives up to it during his time in office. Particularly this part stuck out:

No Democrat since Jimmy Carter has spoken as openly, and as often, about his personal faith. In his Call to Renewal speech in 2006, Obama chastised some Democrats 'who dismiss religion in the public square as inherently irrational or intolerant, insisting on a caricature of religious Americans that paints them as fanatical, or thinking that the very word "Christian" describes one's political opponents, not people of faith.'

These were the two most recent comments at the end of the article:

To those who know God, we should have seen this coming. Whether we agree or not, we were given a reprieve to His judgement in 2000 for 8 more years. This time, we have foolishly voted for judgement on the whole country. Nothing for true believers to do now but fasten our seatbelts and brace for what is coming, as we also are guilty of doing nothing.

George W. Bush is a born again christian who has served this country well. But without our support in challenging the hatred unjustly focused on him, he faced an enemy of evil which made him ineffective, all a matter of plan by liberal democrats.

Starting with the lie about "no WMD's" the lies were never let up. But did anyone know there were hundreds of pounds of "yellow cake" uncovered years ago that Bush voluntarily kept secret and took the punishment on himself for top secret security reasons? The democrats knew it also, but continued to use it against him. Is it so hard to believe we are now under the judgement and the country is headed beyond the point of return to destruction? If it is God's will, so be it.

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2 Chronicles 7:14 (New King James Version)
New King James Version (NKJV)
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

This is our option now and has always been. The ONLY way to stop this man is to pray. For GOD nothing is impossible. Satan has tricked many believers into voting for this man which also means they voted for abortion, homosexual mariage etc. They put their finances before GOD. A sad day indeed.

I have to be honest, as a born again, Jesus loving Christian, posts like this make me sad. I know people have freedom of speech - so I'm glad they can exhibit and I'll never try to supress it. However, what they say - in this case - can be discouraging. What do comments like this do for Christian evangelicals that voted for Obama (of which I'm not one) out of conviction? Neither candidate was "squeeky clean" - so what if they decided that (like the article above points out) that people voted for Obama in spite of his stance of homosexuality, abortion - because they believe he did a better job at meeting the needs of the widows, the orphans, and the downtrodden? (By the way, most economists argue that his financial plan sucks, so I don't believe that the main reason people voted for him) Caring for the widows, orphans, and downtrodden is something we are commanded to do THROUGHOUT Scripture in both the old and the new. Yes, God will never condone homosexual activity and I think abortion does break his heart - but those are things that the church can stand against - but what about what the Church stands for? We are called to reach out to the widows, orphans, downtrodden. No, I don't believe that the gov't is the best means for that, but I will respect other Christians who, in this case, voted out of their conviction of Scripture and their love for God.

There's a deep sadness in the comments as well. There's the sense that neither of these people have known and respected a Christian democrat. They've never learned to understand and appreciate - with the full freedom to disagree - someone else's viewpoint that shares their belief in God. It seems that their world is so small and they've only allowed themselves to experience and embrace a very narrow piece of the family of God.

So really, this idea that Obama is God's judgement on America? I don't see this as trusting God with our appointed leaders and this election. But more than that, it doesn't show respect for our fellow believers in Christ. It doesn't honor them and respect them - in spite of our disagreements. Heaven help us if all Christians were Baptist or Presbyterian - we would miss so much. Heaven help us if we were all Republican, because for the same reason - we would miss so much. Just as denominations are faulty, so are political parties and personal views on society and government - we serve in the family of Christ or the society of America as healthy correctives to one another.

A Friend's Post on Obama

Here's a post from a friend of mine from junior high/high school in Kenya. I have the deepest of respect for both Danielle's faith and intellect. As you can see, we voted differently this election. I was telling a friend last night, this is what I love about having friends who see the world slightly differently then I do. Danielle sees things and knows things about Obama that I wasn't aware of - and it gives me great hope. I'm not a huge fan of Obama, but so many Christians that I respect did vote for him - so, because I respect them, I respect their choice, even if it was different from mine. And, just as I would have been praying for McCain through his presidency, I'll be praying for Obama - for wisdom and for strength - and with hope, that this is indeed a great time for America to respond to Darfur, reach out to the poor, see abortion rates decline, and more.

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It's a proud moment for all of us,

not only African Americans.

I am so excited about this day. I am excited to vote for someone who is concerned for the poor and who the poor, throughout the world, have voted for. I am excited to have voted for someone who knows something about Darfur and has not lost count of his houses. I am excited that this person has called Americans to sacrifice time and time again and that he continues to use unifying language. I am excited that the littles will grow up with a president who matches their skin tone. I am excited that people my age are interested and involved in politics.

My high school basketball coach wrote to tell me that Kenyan President Kibaki has declared Nov. 6 a national holiday to celebrate Barack Obama's victory. Have you ever heard of such a thing happening in response to the affairs of the other side of the world?

I don't agree with Obama about everything. I'm not in love with the man, nor do I place my hope in him. As a Christian, I don't expect to ever vote for a candidate with whom I completely align and agree. However, this does not diminish my excitement in the least over today's events. I think that the next four years will be easier for the hard core McCain loyals then it would've been if he had won. They are left to say at every bump in the road, I told you so, or should've voted for McCain. I hope that today does indicate a continuing trend of diminished partisanship and that people will heed both candidates' calls tonight towards unity and cooperation.

Yesterday's Vote: Today Brings Significant Change

(Associated Press)

Staying up till 3:00am this morning watching the election coverage has me heavy-eyed this morning. But, here are a few thoughts on the election.

First of all, congratulations to Obama and to his campaign. As McCain said in his speech, and I agree with him, Obama deserves the utmost respect for his victory. He campaigned well, focusing on the states that meant a lot for him when it came to electoral votes. As well, as much as I don't align with his views and ideas for the country, I do believe that his election breathes some life and breath into the minority groups in the US - that the US is not a place where one can think that things will never change or they will never have a voice. To what extent Obama will be a voice for these minority groups is yet to be seen, but symbolically there is no doubt that it is a significant occasion.

It is significant that, while Obama won a landslide in electoral votes, the popular vote was close. Just as there was a weight placed upon President Bush to bring together a divided country, Obama (indeed, all of us) cannot forget that while he won the election, there are a significant number of people that did not cast their ballot for him. I hope and pray that they will now give him their respect and honor him as their elected president, but I hope that Obama goes on to earn their respect - for respect earned is more deeply significant than that which is due.

As most will note, this is also a significant occasion for the Democratic party, as they now have the majority in both the House and the Senate and now have the Executive office as well. While of course this is "scary" (to use words I've read all to recently in emails) for Republicans, the great beauty of this country is that it is a country where things change every 2 & 4 years. It is a country where the people can call their leaders to account. It is also a country where, while a congressman or congresswoman may be Democratic or Republican, they may often vote in contrary to the majority of their party - because they vote on their own conscience.

To Republicans, I believe this is the beginning of a significant time for them. I hope and pray that it sees the rise of young Republican's with a sharp intellect who can lead the way in the dialogue with Democrats on important issues - and through earned respect, make some significant headway in establishing the Republican image as one that is deeply thoughtful and responsibly vocal in the way they present their opinions and respect their opponents.

To those in the Republican party - both young and old - this election ushers in a time where they must step up to the plate and work harder then they ever have before. It is a time to present, in the best of ways - morally and ethically, an intelligent determination to what they think is best for this country . That the Republican party might become a party not scarred by scandal - as they have all too recently - but a party that earns everyone's respect (irregardless of their own party affiliation) for the way that Republican's carry themselves, conduct themselves, and interact with people from all different perspectives. Let this be the "kick in the pants," if you will, that makes honorable men and women out of a party that has lost much face in the last months.*

*No doubts there will be arguments as to whether or not face has been lost. I think the case is easily made. The scandal of Ted Stevens from Alaska. The lack of an intellectual response/reply to Obama's campaign and promise for change. The place of white supremacists in threatening murder and aligning themselves with the Republican party. The scare tactic phone calls and email forwards about Obama that are poorly researched or unapologetically misleading/misrepresentative of Obama. Yet, at the same time, there have been signs of Republican "honor" through the Republican (initial) opposition to the bailout plan, etc. By no means has the story of the Republican party in the past years been completely dismal, but it does seem that the armor has holes in it that need patching and there's a staggered step from one-to-many falls.

Give Us a King Like the Other Nations

In following up to Daniel's comment on the last post, I agree, I too am ready for the ballots to be cast tomorrow, the decision made, and life to move on - God in control as He's always been, regardless of how the election turns out.

As I was thinking about the election the other day, this came to mind:

"Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him [...] 'Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the other nations.'" (1 Sam. 8:4-5)

I've come to the point where I've decided, if people truly want Barack Obama to be president, then let them have it (indeed, The Economist for this week communicates as though he's already won with the title "It's Time..." and Obama walking, humbly toward the camera). I think people will be surprised by what they actually get with him as President and I don't think it's going to be a good thing - but sometimes we only learn that what we wanted isn't good for us by getting actually getting that which we wanted.

Understand, I have nothing against Obama as a man. He's intelligent, thoughtful, kind, and well-meaning - I have no doubt about these. But, I don't think that he and his party's policies are healthy for the US economy and society. And, in the vein of the verse above, I feel like there is this idea - however slight or quiet it might be - that Obama is more like European leaders - trendy (in following the will of the people) and "a dweller of the gray area" (so you never quite know what he's thinking or what he actually believes) - and there's this call for "Give us a president like the other Western nations."

So, as I stay up tomorrow night way too late to watch the election results roll in, if the people begin crying for the "king" they think they want, then by all means, give it to them. It won't change the way I follow, love, or trust my Lord - so more power to them, and I'll keep step right behind this God who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

It Continues...

I can tell the elections are getting close by the amount of email & posts I'm getting & seeing that are don't necessarily exhibit the best intellectual or integrity levels in pre-election material. Here's a few to share with you:

The USSA (brought to you by USAWakeup.org) - this site, emailed to me, hosts a video about how the US is on its way to becoming the next social state with "Socialist Barack Hussein Obama" at the helm. I had thought about spending a few hours going through and addressing each of the points in this video - but really don't have the time. Needless to say, you'll see no acknowledgement of the Republican culpability for laws passed in this piece of propaganda. Now, less my ranting gets confused for support. Some of these decisions were awful and I do think that the $700 billion bailout is a move towards a more socialist society with the Gov't owning coorporations. However, criticism of others must come with a recognistion of our own culpability and, last time I checked, the US was still a two-party state and Republicans couldn't have all abstained from the actions mentioned and them still pass - so, if we're not where we want to be - to what degree have we, as Republicans, become accomplices in that? (not to mention, it's a little sketchy when a website like this is run by ONE person who refuses to be held accountable by interacting with others).

Christian Radio Banned on the Airwaves - it seems that there's been a revamped version of the earlier email that went around about petition 2493 saying that Christian broadcasts would be banned on the airwaves. While the copy I recieved referred to Joel Olsteen, Joyce Meyer, etc., the body of the email is the same content as this one. The basic story behind is that there was a petition named 2493 back in the 70s (?) that was around all of one year before being voted down. The idea in the bill was to protect frequencies set aside for Education from being used by anyone - including religious groups. Doesn't seem like there was any malicious intent targeted at Christians with this one.

A List of All the People Who Need Jesus - a fairly lengthy version of those banners that people hold on street corners. Interestingly enough, this one "loud mouthed women", "sports nuts", "Catholics" (to whom Protestantism owes a huge debt and with whom Luther never desired to fracture), P.K.'s (?? Pastor's Kids??), "effeminate men", and "high folutent* sophisticated swine", and, as my friend Cody points out, a creator who didn't know how to use apostrophe's currectly.

*sadly enough, in case there was any confusion, the use of "folutent" almost definitely means this is from the South or Midwest somewhere...as if we didn't have a bad enough wrap already with the KKK (who unfortunately align themselves with Christianity) and the "God Hate's Fags" group in Kansas.

Christians Shooting Themselves in the Foot

MSNBC had this article on their website that a friend forwarded to me today. The article, entitled "Christian Right Steps Up Attacks on Obama", goes on to point out moves by Focus on the Family Action, Charisma (Pentocostal magazine), and the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission to use scare tactics against Obama's popularity - while spending most of the time on Focus on the Family Action's "Letter from 2012 in Obama's America". Here's a couple of exerts for you:

"Terrorist strikes on four American cities. Russia rolling into Eastern Europe. Israel hit by a nuclear bomb. Gay marriage in every state. The end of the Boy Scouts."

"Among the claims:

• A 6-3 liberal majority Supreme Court that results in rulings like one making gay marriage the law of the land and another forcing the Boy Scouts to "hire homosexual scoutmasters and allow them to sleep in tents with young boys." (In the imagined scenario, The Boy Scouts choose to disband rather than obey).
• A series of domestic and international disasters based on Obama's "reluctance to send troops overseas." That includes terrorist attacks on U.S. soil that kill hundreds, Russia occupying the Baltic states and Eastern European countries including Poland and the Czech Republic, and al-Qaida overwhelming Iraq.
• Nationalized health care with long lines for surgery and no access to hospitals for people over 80."

It's unbelievable to me that Christians would (A) write this kind of stuff and (B) be proud of it. Explain to me, how does this coincide with Paul's call for us to deal with people "with all gentleness" that we see in Phil 4 and Titus 3? How does this communicate love and respect for people - especially with those we disagree? How is this loving our enemy? Come on people!

The spokeswoman for Focus on the Family responded with this:

"The goal was to "articulate the big picture," said Carrie Gordon Earll, senior director of public policy for Focus on the Family Action. "If it is a doomsday picture, then it's a realistic picture," she said."

Are you kidding me?!! Who thinks that Obama's really going to do all this? The guy hasn't done much in his career up to this point - I promise you, he's not going to squander the country in four years. Four years that are likely to be very unproductive.

But bottom line, regardless of Obama's politics and rhetoric, we, as Christians are called to so much more than this. We are called to be Christ and Christ's ambassadors to the world. So, to those who have chosen to take the "low road" like the groups above - thank you for the damage you've done to those of us Christians who are trying to build bridges into a liberal world that needs to be respected and honored before they'll ever listen to us. Thank you for not being what Christ called us to. Thank you for using your voice - that could be significant - for something that, five years from now (if not sooner) isn't going to matter. Thank you for deciding that, because God's not in control, you needed to resort to these kinds of tactics/measures to "save the world."

Oh wait...didn't Christ do that 2,000 years ago? Isn't his Kingdom advancing and the gates of hell won't prevail in stoppping it?

So, in the words of a friend of mine, "This is why it is I don't want to be associated with Christians when it comes to political matters."

Fun in the Workplace: A Google Example

“ With a little creativity, some motivation, and a culture that embraces fun (and food!) as a necessary component of our work, inspiration will flow, and spirits (and blood-sugar levels) will run high. One proof point: Recession-Proof Brownies.
—

Official Google Blog: A Googlicious time

I am deeply convinced that a workplace like this (that embraces fun - and maybe food) is both a much more effective workplace as well as a place that retains it’s staff at a higher level of performance. There’s enough of the “old gaurd” still managing businesses, that I don’t expect this to become widespread any time soon (although it’s growing with companies like Gore-tec and Semler Co).

404 Error Page & Religions

Just saw this on a friends blog. Incredible and evidently a real page that some got. Enjoy!

Water + Mac = Bad Day

As the title suggests, my computer's out of commission for a while. I was cramming this afternoon for some reading that I hadn't finsihed and spilled half a mug of water all over my computer. YIKES!!

Needless to say, after trying to dry it out this afternoon, it wouldn't turn on. I'm going to take it apart tomorrow and dry it piece by piece, and we'll see if that helps. Chances are (esp. since I tried turning it back on and it didn't work) that it's fried.

Blog posts will be scarce for a while, as will email, and facebook (although recently, it has been really scarce and I'm way behind on it. Sorry!).

I'm trying to figure out what to do. Here's my options, let me know what you think:

1. Dry it out tomorrow, turn it on, it works, and we're back to normal. Of course, this is the best scenario, but the one that I can't really make a decision to change (other than try to dry it out).

2. Go without a computer. Jack doesn't have a laptop and just does everything he needs to in the computer labs. This is appealing in the sense that I would not be in my room so much...but not very appealing in the sense that it means Skype and IM are pretty much out of the question - and it effects storing pictures and music as well.

3. If it's shot, buy a new computer with money I don't have. Either I'd be paying for it on my student loans (that haven't quite come through yet) or putting it on a credit card and paying it off with student loans over the year (I get them in three installments). While the idea of going into debt for a computer (again) isn't exciting, I did have my last Mac for 4 years (this month, actually). Which leads me ot another question - do I buy something cheap that will work (say $500) or do I buy another Mac that I know I'll use for years (for closer to $1000)....I don't know!

Thoughts? Opinions? Similar stories of woe from your computer getting fried?

I Love It!

[I originally posted this on the other site for my year in N. Ireland, but wanted to blog it here as well. Since it really reflects on much of my whole life, I thought it fitting to post here too.]

I just got back from the Christian Union not too long ago. I can't tell you how much I love being with other believers. I know that sounds like a cheesy, Christian card, but I really do. I get excited on Saturdays about church on Sunday. I had a great time at Communion Sunday morning, hanging out with believers at the Carson's house for lunch, and going to Sunday night service at Fisherwick. Then, on top of that, the CU tonight. Really, I think I'm a Church junkie...

On a more serious vein of thought with all of this though, I've been reflecting on the family of God around the world. I often find myself wondering why it is that God's given me the opportunity to travel to over two dozen countries, as young as I am. I still don't know all the reasons - but I know for me it has become a huge piece in the foundation of my faith and my understanding of it. Whether I've been at a church service in Zagreb, Prague, Fortaleza (Brazil), Bangkok, Paris or elsewhere, being with the family of God, worshiping has been similar in all corners of the world. At times the language, style, and form is different, but the heart, passion, and presence of God is always evident wherever I've been.

Having seen the people of God passionate for Him the world over, I don't worry about God's Kingdom advancing. The reality of "His Kingdom come, His will be done" is taking place each day, changing lives, changing communities, and bringing glory to the Father in every part of the globe.

In the same vein, no matter what country I've been in, I've always felt as though I was with family. Spending the afternoon at Robert & Diana Carson's on Sunday with Naomi (N. Irish), Nialls (Irish), Edwin (Dutch), Spencer (US), Vasco (Italian), Jack (US), and Robyn (US) was incredible. None of us had known each other for more than a couple of weeks - most for only a couple of hours - yet we came together (Anglican, Presbyterian, Catholic, Bible church, etc) and simply enjoyed each other's company. It's been the same experience for me wherever I've gone.

I've come to believe that this is unique to the body of Christ. My non-Christian friends here simply don't have any other similar structure to which they can fit in - so, no matter where they're going, they begin their relationships from scratch. I hope and trust that they'll see something different, something appealing in the family of God and Christ in and through them this year.

First Day in Belfast - See a Video of My Room

Just posted a video of my room over at my blog on my year at Queen's. If you're interested, check it out at:

http://yearatqueens.blogspot.com

Cheers!

Ugh...Money

Woke up this morning to what I like to affectionately call my email "throwing up". Every now and then the JBU alumni servers gets hung up, so I won't receive my emails for a day or two and then all of the sudden they'll dump into my inbox. Well, that was this morning with the last three days of emails greeting me. Smack dab in the middle of the list was one from Bank of America with the subject "Account Has Insufficient..." Oh man! I've been trying to track it and thought I was right around $100 - evidently not! Somehow in my trip this weekend back to Siloam Springs, I went over. So, for the $29.08 that I was over, I got hit by 5 $25 overdraft fees. Ouch! What stinks is that $2 of that overdraft were from USPS when I set up my forwarding address on line - they charge you a $1 to access your credit card and check your address (I had two addresses to forward from). So, $2 there now is $52. I'm going to go in this morning and see if I can at least get that $50 knocked off. I haven't overdrafted in years...so I'm hoping they'll give me a grace and knock off at least some of the fees.

I was reading Matthew 14 this morning, after finding out about the overdrafts, and Jesus' miracle of the loaves and fishes was really encouraging. Thankfully, I have two deposits of money that should be coming that will put me back in the black with my bank account - not by much - but at least not in the red. I don't know, it just really seemed encouraging this morning that if Christ can feed over 5,000 people with 5 loaves and 2 fish, that he can probably take care of my needs - no matter how tight things are financially right now. So, I'm going to trust him that he'll provide and, in the end (regardless of my stupid overdraft mistakes), it'll all work out.

So, instead of getting worried or anxious, I think I'm going to stand my ground there - right next to a God who provides, in spite of my mistakes.

(Image courtesy of Alamo Community College)

C.S. Lewis on Education

Read this excerpt today in A Year with C. S. Lewis.

If all the world were Christian, it might not matter if all the world were uneducated. But, as it is, a cultural life will exist outside the Church whether it exists inside or not. To be ignorant and simple now - not to be able to meet the enemies on their own ground - would be to throw down our weapons, and to betray our uneducated brethren who have, under God, no defence but us against the intellectual attacks of the heathen. Good philosophy must exist, if for no other reason, because bad philosophy needs to be answered. The cool intellect must work not only against cool intellect on the other side, but against the muddy heathen mysticisms which deny intellect altogether. Most of all, perhaps, we need intimate knowledge of the past. Not that the past has any magic about it, but because we cannot study the future, and yet need something to set against the present, to remind us that the basic assumptions have been quite different in different periods and that much which seems certain to the uneducated is merely temporary fashion. A man who has lived in many places is not likely to be decieved by the local errors of his native village; the scholar has lived in many times and is therefore in some degree immune from the great cataract of nonsense that pours from the press adn the microphone of his own age.

-From "Learning in War-Time" (The Weight of Glory)

I appreciate the perspective and the reminder. I find particularly agreeable the sentiment that "...a cultural life will exist outside the Church whether it exists inside or not. To be simple now...would be to throw down our weapons, and to betray our uneducated brothers...".

How Does Your Age Change Your View on Politics

"I look at Obama as the thoughtful consensus builder, with all these nuances,
and John as the straightforward happy warrior."
Rick Warren, World Magazine, Sep 6/13, 2008

My mom shared this quote with me to tonight. What's your initial reaction? Fairly positive of both candidates or very heavily swayed one from the other? If my mom's and my differing reactions is any indication of a typical response, your response may depend on your age.

For my mother, this reaction was very clearly that Warren's comment was very heavily in favor of McCain and almost blatantly negative about Obama. I didn't see any of this in the comment, instead, seeing Warren point out something strong in both cases. I think, for my parent's generation, the idea of "consensus" is not an appealing idea - whereas for my generation, this is a very appealing prospect. In the same note, McCain as "warrior" scares me in ways, rather than comforts me.

Anyways, it was an interesting communication difference between generations in view of the same comment.

What Would Life Have Looked Like?

I've taken up biking since I've been home. My aunt gave my mom her old road bike, so it seemed like a good excuse to work out and a helpful alternative to bashing up my weak knees running. There's a 10-12 mile ride that takes me from my house to a park I had never known about before called "Twin Rivers Park". It sits on two peninsula's that stick out in the middle of the Arkansas River. It's a gorgeous ride - taking me by farm land, river front homes, and then through this wonderful arboretum. The other day I counted 17 deer that I saw in one ride. Another day I saw 9 deer plus 2 armadillos. It's a blast to go riding - I never know what I'm going to see (I've even see a couple of snakes so far).

The day I saw the 17 deer, I had read Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6 where he says:

Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

What does that mean? How does it apply to our lives? Now, I don't think this is Christ saying, "Hey, lay off working, thinking ahead, and providing for your family." I just don't see that practical side of life being written off by God - plus, this section is focused on worry and anxiety - so the focus is more appropriately on those that stress about providing for their lives to the point where their lives are filled with anxiety, failing to trust God for His provision.

It did get me thinking though, is life as we know it really as it should be? As I watched the deer and geese that day, it seemed as though they truly had the better life. They spend the time they need eating and gathering what they need - but they don't spend all day doing it. Nor do they seem anxious, stressed, or constantly busy. I can't help but wonder if their life is what ours was meant to be.

What if the plan had been that we too would be able to spend small portions of our day working for our own provision, and spend a larger part of our day in the company of others or enjoying the creation of the Creator? What if before

cursed is the ground because of you;
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you...
by the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return
(Gen 3:17-19, ESV)

our lives looked more like the other creatures created by the hand of God? In, a way, wouldn't it make sense? If we are the height of His creation - the one's of which He said it is "very good" - the very best of what He created - wouldn't it make sense that our lives would, like the deer and geese, be spent enjoying this world He created? Could it be that the Fall brought with it such a need to work that we are unable to have the time to truly enjoy the world around us? It would seem that ever since the Fall - whether in agrarian societies or our modern society - man spends 40-80 hours a week simply providing for his sustenance.

Perhaps heaven will restore that and we, like the rest of creation, will be able to truly enjoy walking along a river, going for a bike ride through a park, or spending time with friends - knowing that we don't have to spend every waking moment providing for our own needs.

(Image Courtesy of RiverTrail.org)

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I Love Sundays!!

Okay, so know that sounds really cliche and might annoy the sensitivities of some of you to such "triteness". However, I can't help it! :-)

It's been so great to be back at Fellowship these last few weeks. I leave church bummed that it's over and disappointed that I have to wait a whole other week before I get to come back. Last week I had the chance to stay for both services and LOVED IT!! There's something about having been involved so heavily with the church in high school, knowing so many of the people that work there now, and dynamic worship and engaging/challenging teaching that get's me all jazzed up. It's been fun these last two weeks to invite and introduce to of my friends who have moved to Little Rock to Fellowship. I know they may not stay there and for those that don't have the connections I do, it can come off as not being so friendly or engaging - but man, I sure love it and love introducing people to it!

On top of that, every Sunday a group of us get together and play Ultimate Frisbee for two-three hours. It's a blast! Sure, I'm not all that good - but it's a great work out, great friends, and just a fun time.

So anyways, I went to bed last night thinking about how wonderful the day had been...and bummed that it was another 7 days till I got to experience it again. :-)

Web Tip: Facebook & Multiple Blogs

(Pipes.Yahoo.com - combining multiple RSS feeds)

I ran into a problem. I'm now running two blogs - this one and then one about my year at Queen's. I did this because this blog you're reading tends to be fairly random about what's going on in my life - but I wanted a blog where friends and family could find out about my year at Queen's and really just stay up-to-date on things there - not all the randomness that goes through my head.

Facebook can import a blog into your Notes. However, it can only import ONE blog, so it mean that I would have to choose between the two which would be sticky, since I really wanted it to post both. Well, I found a work around:

Yahoo Pipes

It's really a kind of odd (yet, pretty nifty) program that Yahoo bought and is now administering. Basically it allows you to create a "pipe" of information and how it is processed. For my situation, I simply had the first part of the pipe look up to RSS Feeds (the two feeds for my blogs) and then had it output those two feeds. This output creates another page that has it's own RSS feed. That RSS feed takes into account BOTH blogs and will follow all updates. Bingo! So, I just took the RSS feed from my pipes setup and pasted that into Facebook's Note's importer and now Facebook is importing any new posts I make to either of my blogs. Success!

Web-Finds: To-Do List for Google & Traineo

I've come across two really handy online free programs this last week that I thought I would pass on.

To-do List for Google Calendar: Remember the Milk

If, like me, you've ever wished that Google, in it's incredible package of free offerings (email, calendar, docs, analytics, blogger, notepad, etc.) had an integrated To-Do list, then here's a solution.

While Google hasn't offered something like this yet, the website www.rememberthemilk.com is an online To-Do list that integrates with Google Calendar and will add to your calendar what you need to do that day.  Remember the Milk is easy to navigate and has shortcut keys to navigate and add new items to your list.  

Working Out with Long-Distance Accountability: Traineo

I came across this free-be as I was surfing the web for something to track my working out history as I try to add pushups, crunches, and something cardeo to my daily habits.  

Traineo offers a way to track your workouts (& calories burned), your calorie intake, plus other things you can add - such as sleep patterns.  However, while having a really easy to use interface, it also offers an accountability factor which is where it's strength is.  You can add as many "motivators" to your account as you want.  Weekly, these people will get an email updating them on your weight loss and activity patterns for that week.  Then, if they see that in a week you haven't done anything - or over several weeks you've been slacking - it's easy for them to come back to you and say, "Hey, what's going on?  Stress?  Busy? or just slacking?".  I started using it this week and have been really happy with it. 

The beautiful thing for me is that, while I'm moving, my old workout partner - even though we can't work out together - can hold me accountable to be working out. :-)

www.traineo.com

Trust & Reliance: Got It?

A lot in my life has changed this summer. For example, two months ago, I planned to remain at JBU for another year, serving as an admissions counselor. Since then, everything's changed. Instead of my previous plans, I'm now heading to Northern Ireland for a one-year Master's program. Not only an incredibly unlikely circumstance - or so I would have through two months ago - but also a significantly intimidating change. In this process of my life being picked up and turned on its head, I've learned something really humbling and sobering about myself. I neither trust nor rely on the Lord like I thought I did (something I think was likely a projection of desire, rather than an honest summation). 

What woke me up to it was when I heard back from Queen's University - the first to respond to my application. Surprised that anyone had accepted me so late in the game, I began stressing out about all the pieces that had to fall in to place. UK student visa. Loans. Tickets. Moving. Etc. The stress became so great that I wasn't eating healthy, I wasn't sleeping well, I couldn't concentrate at work, and the list goes on. 

What's ironic is that through this year, I had been memorizing and looking over a passage in Philippians 4:

In everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,

present your requests to God. And the peace of God,

which transcends all understanding, will gaurd your

heart and your mind in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ironic and sobering. All year, I had been looking over this verse and then in the midst of the stress I failed to place these stresses before Him and trust Him to provide and take care.

My sister Jenny gave me a new Bible for my birthday (it's a small Bible and will be great for traveling). We talked about worry and how, in many ways, worry is either a sin, or at the very least, indicative of a sin - the sin of not trusting the Lord, his promises, and his character. After getting the Bible, I was flipping through it and was directed to Psalm 37:5, as a response to anxiety or worry:

Commit your way to the LORD;

trust in him, and he will act.

Here's the sobering thing. I failed to truly commit my plans for this year and what I was doing to the Lord. I failed to trust Him and his desire, ability, and promise to act. Rather than allowing God's peace to replace my anxiety, I let the anxiety impact so many aspects of my life.
The reality is that, in spite of me, the LORD/YHWH did act. In miraculous form he allowed my application to go through quickly at Queen's. He's provided my visa and the plane tickets for my trip. I have no doubt, at this point, that he'll provide the loans and money for this year as well.

I'm amazed by a God, so intimately involved in our world, that speaks/acts into our lives - at times, regardless of where we are or what choices we are making - to shape and direct where we go. 

What a joy this summer may have been, had I chosen to present my request to God, committed it to him, trusted him - laying down the pressure I placed on myself - and allowed the God of the universe to act...if I had only let YHWH be YHWH in my life.

Waking Up to Say Goodbye

I woke up this morning to say goodbye. (That's not entirely true - I woke up because I wanted to pack the car before the day's weather became entirely unbearable.)  In waking, I woke to my last day living in Siloam...thus, in a way, I woke up to say goodbye.

The last six years in Siloam have been an incredible way to start off this "life of independence" that we're called to as we leave our childhood home after high school - taking steps down the road of learning to live on our own.

Six years has brought a lot:

Friends - through JBU and Fellowship Bible Church my world exploded with an amazing diversity of beliefs, perspectives, upbringing, expectations, hopes, dreams, and hurts.  My world expanded with these friends now living as far away as China and as close as Little Rock, where my parents live.

Travel - opportunities ranging from an archaeological dig in Jordan to a conference in Dallas to a business trip in Boston and to an inner-city immersion trip in Chicago.  Beyond these incredible experiences, college brought with it road trips to Seattle and Alabama.

Challenges - as the assumptions of my childhood were challenged, my faith began to be strained, stretched, and remolded into something different, yet better, not worse.  More honest and yet more faithful to the core of what had always been there.

Celebrations - over these 6 years I've been able to celebrate with nearly a dozen weddings and shouted/screamed as friends graduated from High School/College. 

These last 6 years have been more wonderful then I can ever express and brought about a gratitude deeper then anything I can ever convey.  

Even this final week brought with it an incredible sense of gratefulness - from an office-wide lunch on Tuesday (it humbled me that everyone was invited, not just one area) to a night on the lake with some of my closest guy friends (thanks Jas!) to a final tournament of Settler's of Catan with about a dozen other staff and faculty at JBU (rescheduled so that I could be there) to a church family that spoke words of blessing and encouragement as things wrapped up Sunday morning in that white church on the corner of Twin Springs and Washington St.  

I want to say "What a week!", but truly it goes beyond that to "What an incredible 6 years!".  I couldn't have hoped for anything better in these first years of "stretching my wings" and figuring out this thing we call life.  

I woke up this morning to say goodbye: to a wonderful beginning, to a fantastic final week, and to a town, community, and organization that has, in many ways, become a family.

My Opus...

(A screenshot of the, so far, 120 page manual I'm working on.)

Here I sit. One final night in the Admissions office. One final all-nighter to give JBU. And my final opus. My final gift. My final repayment for all that JBU has done for me. One last way to say thank you. One final assignment to complete. One final challenge to overcome. One really big document.

I'm working to finish up my "Procedure Manual" for tomorrow. Tomorrow's my last day here (weird writing that - the end of a 6 year stay) and my final chance to finish this last assignment. Kim Eldridge, my director, when he began 10 months ago, let us all know that he wanted each of us to create a procedure manual for our position.

So, this is my last challenge and my last task. If I can leave at 5 o'clock tomorrow with this finished, I will feel like I accomplished all that I was given this year in either an excellent or, at the very least, good/satisfactory fashion. I will leave knowing, in spite of the mistakes I made and the things that I learned from, that I have completed what was given me to the best of my ability.

With that, I should return to this...my final opus for JBU (at least for a while). I'm at 120 pages, but still have to write about ERP, Scholarship Weekend, and the Ambassador program, so it likely has another 20 pages to go, we'll see.

I bid you adieu...

P.S. I also turn my cell phone in tomorrow, so, for the time being, I have no phone. The best way to get a hold of me is through email or facebook.

What a Wonderful Week

Tomorrow, I head back to Arkansas with my parents...17 hours of driving to wrap-up what has been a wonderful week. I need to head to bed, as I'm pretty exhausted, but here are the highlights:

*Visa - I got my application sent off and heard from the British Consulate this week. I've been approved for my visa! Woohoo! (The British Consulate was absolutely amazing at communicating)

*Tickets - I bought my tickets for N. Ireland - right around $500, not too shabby. I fly out Monday, Sept. 15 and get in to Belfast a couple of days before international orientation starts.

*Got to read a ton - read two essays by Francis Schaffer on "Art and the Bible," a 600 page novel (the Bourne Betrayal...eh, not amazing, but okay), and "The Language of God" by Francis Collins - head of the human genome project. I can't remember the last chance I got to read this much - it was wonderful! :-)

*People - I had lots of time to spend with my parents, my sister & brother-in-law and two nephews, and then all my extended cousins here in Charleston - we had a blast!!

*History - for the first time in the 25 years I've been coming to Charleston, I did touristy stuff this week. Had a blast on a carriage ride through downtown Charleston and then a great time out at Ft. Sumter with Uncle Wayne, Aunt Dee, and Krystan.

*Phone - I didn't answer my phone all week - and while I feel bad that two of my best friends from back home couldn't get a hold of me - it felt so good to cut the "leash" for a week.

On top of all that, lots of time spent in the hammock, on the beach, and in one of the rocking chairs on the porch (like the one above).

Tomorrow we drive back and Monday I'll head back to work. My last two days at JBU are Monday and Tuesday, then I'll be spending the rest of the week taking care of business in town before heading down to Little Rock on either Sunday, Aug. 3rd, or the following day.

It was a wonderful week and I'm ready to get back to Siloam for a great last week with friends!

Two Days...

Two days and counting and I'm really ready to head out. It's been a good week with some great time with friends, but I'm ready for a break. I'm going to end up spending a couple of hours today playing the mediator in a conflict with two of my staff, so that's pretty exhausting to think about - since I hate conflict - but I also know that it'll be a really good thing for both of them in growth - and for me, since life will be full of conflict.

I'm working on visa stuff. I don't have everything just as they asked (like my loans in place and I'm missing one pay stub), but I'm praying for a gracious visa reviewer and that everything will work out.
Well, I should get back to work.

Tony Snow's Commencement Speech: Worth a Read

Tony Snow, former Fox News staff member and former White House Press Secretary, delivered the following speech at The Catholic University of America. It's definitely worth reading in its entirety:

Your excellency Archbishop Wuerl, President O’Connell, members of the board of trustees, members of the administration, distinguished faculty and staff, graduating students — and families who paid for [their education] — honored guests, Dr. Williams, thank you one and all.

This is a wonderful thing, a graduation: And I hope your lives will be filled with many more – not in terms of diplomas, but in the sense that you will have escalating accomplishments throughout your days. I’ve been asked to aid in that quest by giving you some advice, so here it goes.

First, live boldly. Live a whole life. I have five tips for pulling this off and – let me warn you — they’ve all been road tested. I learned the old-fashioned way, through trial and error.

Number one, think. You’ve got a diploma now, you’ve got a brain. Put them to work.

Finish reading...

I've Never Been So Ready for a Vacation

(Courtesy of LightHouseGetaway.com)

I've never been more ready for a vacation then I am for this one next week on Sullivan's Island, just outside of Charleston, SC. I'm exhausted in so many senses of the word - emotionally, physically, spiritually - and can't wait to be able to sleep in late, sit around and talk with family, play cards, walk on the beach, or go net casting with my dad. Saturday morning I'll wake up at 5am to drive the 16 hour drive by myself, but it's going to be so worth it.

I'm so grateful to the Barkley's for letting us use their beach house - without them I probably wouldn't be having a vacation. As well, I haven't seen my aunts, uncles, and cousins in South Carolina in more than 2 or 3 years, so it'll be really, really good to see them again.

It's weird for me to have a week where one of the only things getting me through it is the reminder of next weeks vacation. I lay down at night or get up in the morning thinking to myself, "Where will I be this time next week?" and the answer usually involves sleeping in, walking around some of the old plantations in South Carolina, playing cards with family, swinging in the hammock on the porch, or playing in the water.

I'm so ready for a vacation and so thankful that one's coming.

Ironically Blessed

Friendships are a challenge for me. People are often surprised by that, if they don't know me well, since I come across as an extroverted, people-person. Truth be told, I'm an introvert that struggles to develop long-term friendships with people - functioning under the premise that I bug people by calling and intruding in their lives; so I wait until friends call me. It's a weird foundation to function from, I know. There's several reasons from it from childhood and part of it is I just need to retrain myself.

In light of that though, this weekend was ironically incredible as I got to connect with lots of friends.

Friday, the 4th of July
Friday afternoon I ran into Steven Sbanotto on a walk where he invited me over to an open-party at his parent's house, about 1/2 a mile from the airport, for dinner and fireworks. While I was there, I had an incredible chance to catch up with Melissa, Karey (sp?), Joy & Mark Stoner, Steven, David Burney...meet a gal named Holly and her brother David (who I got to spend a good bit of time talking to)...and then connect with Andrew Bolger at the end of the night, which was an AWESOME surprise. So good to see him - I have so much respect for him and it's great whenever we get to catch up. Talk about a man with a lot of wisdom and a solid character.

Saturday
I got to kick the day off with breakfast at Kathy's Corner with Andrew Bolger and Mr. Whitmore, which was a great time. Then Andrew and I hung out for another couple of hours, sitting, talking, and drinking chai. What a terrific time! Then Saturday night, Cody and Kara Beckman (who have been incredible to me this year, inviting me to join them for Razorback baseball games, graduation parties, etc.) and Kara's sister Maranda, invited me to joing them for a Professional Bull Riding (PBR) competition at the Rodeo of the Ozarks - what a cultural experience. Holy Cow! :-) On top of that, we had some awesome homemade pizza and watched "The Office". :-) Cody, Kara, and Maranda have been an incredible blessing this year. I hope we all get to connect again in the future.

Sunday
Then today, I went to church where it was great to see people who have been such a blessing in my life. The church just found out this last week that I'm headed to N. Ireland, so some really encouraging conversations about that (I found out that Seth Wrigth and his wife will be living in Belfast this next year - woohoo!). After church, the Jackson's invited me to their house for lunch. What an awesome family! It's been really good to get to know Dwight, a man I respect a whole lot. Travis Chaney and Ben Bergstrom were also there - which was a lot of fun. They're great story tellers and great at bringing humor to conversations. This afternoon/evening I then spent with Josh & Chelsea Deal out at New Life Ranch for 5 hours. We gathered black berries, went fishing (I caught a large mouth bass which was cool), and had an incredible spaghetti dinner. Josh and Chelsea have been so good to me. I'm really excited their moving to Little Rock - since it means that they'll be near my parents for the next two years, thus more likely that I'll get to see them and stay in touch.

Beyond...
Really, the blessings of my life have gone way beyond these examples. I got to talk to Dusty Johnston on the phone Thursday. He's a longtime friend who's wedding I have the joy of being in this next weekend - I can't wait for him and Anna. I got to talk with James Barnes, a best friend from college, on the phone a couple of times. Jason Hough came by tonight and I got to talk with him - he's such a huge encouragement in my life. I got to talk to a college friend, Lisa Repair, and hopefully will get to see her driving through Jackson, MS here in a couple of weeks. I got to connect with James Kuykendall and John Aoun on facebook this week (among a bunch of others).

Honestly, it's been an incredible week and I am so, so blessed by all the wonderful people the Lord has brought into my life. Mary Armstrong this morning was such an encouragement at church, letting me know she'd been praying for me and would continue to.

What would it look like if God had created a world that didn't function on relationships? What if God created a world where everyone functioned within relationships like I do? How different the world would be. How dreary it would be. This young boy who still struggles to build into relationships and develop them, is humbled by the ironic blessing of having wonderful people in his life. While my response likely should be something more, for what I have, I am thankful for it in way that I can't express...it strikes me to the core and humbles me like few things do.

A Jackson Pollack Week

In my undergrad, I did a project on Jackson Pollack. Fascinating artist, creator, and, on a psychological level, a fascinating man as well. Much of his art work is like the above, a "splattering" of different colored paints layer upon layer. My week seemed similar to this splattering of bright colors and dark colors, to the point where, just as I'm unsure of what to make of some of Pollack's paintings, I'm unsure of what to make of my week.

Queen's
I received word from a professor on Monday that I had been accepted to the Grad program. He mentioned that I should, shortly thereafter, hear from the admissions office, which I never did. The online status of my application still isn't updated...so, the questions begin: do I go ahead with a student visa? Do I wait with so little time left? Do I go ahead with buying a plane ticket that will just get more expensive the closer to Sept. it gets? What should I go ahead and do about loans? The week definitely had the high point of being accepted - an event that makes me ecstatic, when I stop and think about it.

Health
I haven't been feeling well for a week or more now and I couldn't put my finger on it. Was it spiritual? Was it physical? Was it simply that I wasn't sleeping enough or at good hours? Was I eating poorly? Was it stress from the house (I killed 45 gnats hovering over our sink yesterday morning...ugh)? Was it stress from work?

I still don't know for sure, but what I do know is that I got a physical on Wed. and my blood pressure is 150/90 (normal is 120/70). So, I'm elevated on both counts and it's a little scary when the doctor starts talking about putting you on blood pressure meds that 50 year olds usually take.

In the end, it was a good thing. The high blood pressure helps explain why I've been feeling heavy and lethargic and not on my "A game".

But while it's good to know what's wrong - it's still sobering to have such high blood pressure and know that one of the big ways to bring it down is to loose 20 pounds - yikes!

Work
Work has changed too. Thursday, I officially gave up my desk. Which is bitter sweet. Yes, it means that I'm nearly done with my commitment at JBU, but it's also weird to be looking at the end of 6 years working in the admissions office. So, I'm now back in the call intern area with a few projects to finish (procedure manual, AVC, etc.) up before I leave and 12 days of work left.

In Summary..."A Jackson Pollack Week" seemed to be the best description of this last week. In the midst, I still hold firmly to God's sovereignty. An unchanging God brings with him an unchanging perspective and resolve. A resolve and a perspective that all too often slips from my eyes. It's a marvelous thing, that an unchanging God created changing beings and understands them so fully, that their morphesus doesn't shake him. Perhaps, while my week seemed like a "Jackson Pollack" week, from the perspective of the Almighty, it was a small part of what might, in the end, look like a Thomas Cole or John Constable painting.

That seems true to the God of the Old and New Testament. The God above the circumstances, orchestrating, yet not controlling, the actions of man to create the symphony or the painting that tell of something great...that is a testimony, a testimony to Him.

A Message from (the) Queen('s)

I just got this email this morning from Prof. Peter Gray at Queen's University, Belfast, North Ireland:

------

Peter Gray [p.h.gray@queens-belfast.ac.uk]
Sent: Monday, June 30, 2008 10:40 AM
To: Daniel Ostendorff

Dear Daniel
Just to let you know that your application for a place on MA Modern history
has been approved and that you will be getting formal confirmation of this
from the University's Admissions Office in due course (hopefully quite
quickly).

Looking forward to meeting you in September.
Best wishes
Peter Gray
Professor of Modern Irish History
Chair of Postgraduate Research Committee
School of History and Anthropology
Queen\'s University Belfast
Belfast BT7 1NN
N. Ireland

Web: www.qub.ac.uk/history

-------

Needless to say I'm on cloud nine. :-) I'm so excited!!

Hope to Hear This Next Week

(Image courtesy of BankNotes.com)

I took this last Thursday off to work on applications. Nottingham's is sent. It was an online app, so easy to get done adn sent off. Edinburg's is finished, I'm just waiting on one more recommendation, then I can send it off. Cambridge is the last one and there's still a good bit to do. It's the only school that requires three pictures (or any picture for that matter), a writing sample, and a 500 word essay for potential funding. Needless to say, it's the most involved, so it's going to take a while. Hopefully I can get it out before the 4th.

That's the update on school...

Other than that, I'm starting to dig into Kenyan history some more, particularly the colonial period. It's interesting to look at JBU's collection of resources, they are all dated within 5 or 10 years of Kenya's independence in 1963. Needless to say, I need to keep looking for recent scholarship. I'm hoping that this means that it's a field that still has room for input and scholarship. We'll see. I feel like, in some ways, academia is a gamble - you pick a focus that you feel will be marketable and one you enjoy enough to spend your life focusing on; then hope that there actually is a market out there when you're finished with your university course.

I've started on a book now written in 1968 that focuses primarily on the development of Kenya, or the East African protectorate, from the time the British decided to administer it (1895) until the 1910s. It's focusing mostly on the establishment of British government and the journey of working with the local population to establish an administration. It's really interesting and makes me excited to pursue it in more depth.

I guess that's a good thing...

Following Close Behind...Edinburgh & Cambridge

With Queen's first out of the shoot last week, Edinburgh and Cambridge are hot on his heels.

Queen's continues to be the program I'm the most excited about and the one I'm the most encouraged about my possibility of acceptance. Cambridge is my "shoot for the moon" move (yes, in following up to my last post, I did change my mind and am going to go for it). Edinburgh is a possibility and a school with a fantastic reputation - it'll be a hard choice if I'm accepted there and Queen's.

The University of Nottingham also got back to me and they have space available still as well. For those of you that know Prof. Neil Ward at JBU, this was the school he did his MFA at a year ago. He speaks well of it - besides the fact that it's quite the party school - the education was really good.

So, we'll see. I hope to hear back from Queen's within the next week and a half or so. For Cambridge and Edinburgh, I'm waiting on recommendations from Dr. Ericson. Once I get those and Prof. Jason Hough fills out my personal reference for funding through Cambridge, I can get all of those sent off. Oh yeah, and I need to finish my writing sample for Cambridge (I'm editing my senior thesis on the Rwandan genocide) and a picture of myself to send. So, I'm hoping that I can get them all in the mail as soon as Wed. We'll see!

I've started the application for Nottingham but ran into a slight hickup - they won't let me apply for 2008 online anymore, only 2009. So, waiting to hear back from them on how to handle that. Hopefully I can have this application completed by the end of the week.

Don't know if I'll be in the UK three months from now, but I'm sure going to give it my best shot. :-P

Queen's, First One Out of the Shoot

I sent in my completed application to Queen's University in Belfast this afternoon. By far, Prof. Peter Gray has been the most helpful of all the Universities I've been in contact with this week. The more I think about it, the more I'm excited for the possibility! By far, Queen's seems to have the best grad program for what I want to study. Prof. Gray did both is undergraduate and graduate work at Cambridge, where I'd love to study some day. The school's located in Belfast - which is great! The JBU study abroad team will be near by in the fall - which gives me a way to continue to invest in JBU, which I'm really excited about. Hadden & Betty Wilson are around, which brings bubbling happiness and excitment to my heart. The more and more I think about it, the more and more I get so excited!

I'm hoping this is where God wants me, but we'll have to see. Thankfully, I was able to get a hold of both Prof. Preston Jones and Dr. Rick Ostrander for recommendations. I was able to get a copy of my transcript within a day (thanks Melanie!) and had the entire application completed and sent two days after I started it. Up to this point, it seems like God has been opening doors and making connections easier then they should be, but we'll have to see. It may be that his plan involves me staying here in Siloam Springs or down in Little Rock next year, we'll just have to see...but N. Ireland sure would be grand. :-)

Also got my FAFSA taken care of today. I now know why that stupid (sorry, it's not really) form causes so much stress and frustration for our undergraduate student's and parents. It's so particular and detailed - to the point where it's frustrating to continually find yourself flipping back and forth through your tax return. Arg! At least it's done though.

I also found out that tuition at Queen's will be approx. $17,700 this next year. (Crazy how that's the same cost as JBU per year...hmmm). I've been told to atleast plan on $17-20,000 for living expenses. That brings it to roughly $35,000 to $40,000 that I need for next year and all the scholarship deadlines are passed, so it's likely resting on my laurels to pay for it. Through FAFSA and the Federal Gov't, I can get up to $20,000 in Stafford loans - woohoo!! Then from there I can use the PLUS loan to cover all the extra. So, the good news is that I know I can finance the year at a decent interest rate (6.5% and 8% respectively), but it's still a huge chunk of money. Granted, I'll be making $10-15,000 a year after it then I'm making now, but it's still a chunk of change. We'll see what God does - it'd be great if there was some financial help from a late scholarship or left over funds somewhere, but I'm not counting on it.

Anyways, this is ridiculously long. From here, I'll work on the application to the University of Edinburgh and University of Nottingham, but to be honest, I'm not super excited about either one. I think I've decided to not apply to Cambridge now. I might apply later for a research masters (after my taught masters at Queen's - the UK has two different masters, taught and research) or maybe for a doctorate down the road somewhere. Cambridge would still be a dream come true - but I don't feel like I'm at a point to make the most of it right now.

And the adventure goes on... :-)

Things Are Always Changing

So, in following, with the story of my life, it continues to change. No longer am I going to be working for JBU this coming Fall. In fact, my last day will likely be the middle to end of July (probably following the AVC camp from July 13-18, right before I leave for a week vacation on the beach with the family.

Where to from here? Well, there's a few options:

United Kingdom - I heard from Queen's University (in Belfast, N. Ireland), University of Edinburgh, and Cambridge this morning that they still have spots left in their master's in history programs. Woohoo! I'm still waiting to hear back from a few others. But it's really exciting, so I'm now going to work like a mad man to get the applications filled out this week. I can't wait to see if something works out!

Little Rock - my parents would love for me to move back to Little Rock, and I would as well. I have a great group of friends there, a fantastic church, and a twin brother that I want to encourage. Also, because I lived there through high school and my parents have lived there for 8 years, there's plenty of connections to look for a job. Or, maybe work with my brother in his lawn mowing business...who knows.

Siloam Springs - or another option is to look for things here in Siloam. There are positions open at the school that I could apply for, as well as a large area throughout the Northwest corridor that would have jobs. As well, I have an incredible group of friends here that I love and that would love for me to stick around. Another option in this area is to pursue a master's at the U of A, possibly in communication.

So, I'm not sure what this Fall holds for me. I do know that I have little to no commitments (other than school loans). I know that I serve an incredible God who's taken care of me up to this point and promises to be faithful. I know that there's a huge world out there with all kinds of opportunities - so whatever works out, I'm excited for the change. I think, more than anything, I'm the most excited about grad school and pursuing a master's at this point.

Jobs: Home Owner vs. Renter?

I'm currently renting a two-story, three bedroom, one bathroom house with four other guys. Living here and reading The Seven-Day Weekend (a fantastic book and a must read) has spurred my thoughts into the realm of renting versus owning a house. Think about the differences:

*an owner invests in his home vs. the renter maintains existence in the house
*an owner feels freedom to improve his property vs. the renter simply leaves the house in whatever state he found it
*an owner is spurred towards improvement by their ownership vs. the renter works to do the least amount to the house - damage or improvement, walking on invisible eggshells
*an owner does not ask for permission to make changes/improvements to the home vs. the renter must ask his landlord to make even small changes to the property

The contrast continues on in other areas - responsibility, long-term commitment, changes, profit margin when leaving, etc.

A job possesses a strong parallel to this owner vs. renter contrast. A manager, owner, or vice president of a company "owns" the company and thus has a vested interest in it's growth, development, improvement - and has the power and authority to make these changes or improvements. Most often, employees underneath higher management level positions are simply asked to fulfill their duties. They aren't given any opportunity to significantly change or develop the business.

Therefore, it's no surprise that "great ideas from the little man" are highlighted as novelties in the news, as if they were that rare diamond that's found among coal. I believe that the truth is that every employee has talents, intuitions, ideas, creativity, and thoughts that create the potential to significantly benefit the company they work for. However, most businesses treat their employees as renters - simply requiring them to show up, pay their dues, and leave - not as owners, empowering them as movers and changers, but simply renters.

It's a mentality like this that drove Gillette to spend $600 million dollars to decide to make the Mach 3 - simply an addition of one blade to their previous model. An idea that perhaps two dozen floor workers might have suggested on their own. It's the reason that floor employees observe machines that are beginning to fail, but without the "ownership" to do anything about it, the company suffers production loss and possible injury to the employee when something finally goes wrong.

So, what about you? Does your employer treat you as an owner or a renter? Do you have the freedom to leave your job better than you found it? Investing in it and passionately pursuing the things you love about the business? Or, like the majority of people, are you simply a "renter" - showing up to put your 40 hours in a week and do what the company asks of you, without ever being given the power, expected, or asked to enact change, growth, or development?

Ricardo Semler, owner of the $212 million Semco company in Brazil and author of The Seven-Day Weekend, argues that for the sake of control, businesses and employers fail to serve their employees and fail to tap significant resources and ideas in them by keeping their employees as renters.

Here's some questions to think about:
Are you currently in a job? Are you a renter or an owner? Which would make you more likely to get up in the morning excited about work?

Managing people? Are they simply renting from you, the "landlord" who makes all the decisions, or are you empowering them to be owners and thus bring added benefits to your team and projects?

Looking for a job? Unless you enjoy working at what I call a "McDonald's" job (meaning, you simply show up, do your checklist and leave, never having an opportunity to change things), what would it look like to choose and pursue a job that you could be an owner in?

In a job that keeps you as a renter? Can you stir the water and see if ownership might be a possibility? If you're paid more than to be a "machine" that processes what is input and provides output, it means your paid for your contribution to the company. If the company values you as something more than replaceable, I hope they give you ownership.

Life Lessons from Sailing

Sailing today with dad, David, and Marshall was great. I've decided that's it's one of the few really relaxing, wonderful, no stress ways to disconnect from the busyness of life and slowdown. Dad and David were great sailors and Marshall's a good teacher. One of the things he said as we were headed out this morning was that there's a lot you can learn from sailing and it's true. For example:

You can do everything possible to be ready for when the wind fills your sails, but you can't create the wind. Much of sailing can be simply waiting for a wind to pickup and you're completely out of control.

This parallels our lives in so many ways. Spiritually, we can only be ready for opportunities to share Christ with people, we can't create those opportunities. In careers, we can't create jobs, but we can be ready to handle the job we'd like to have when we have the opportunity. In education, we can only prepare for the school we'd liek to be a part of, but we can't create the university or create the automotatic "in". You can continue to cross apply this through lots of different aspects. The only thing we are really in control of is whether or not we're ready for the opportunities we're hoping for/anticipating.

There's a lot of other things you can learn from sailing - teamwork, bearable levels of stress, critical thinking, etc. In other words, if you get the chance...

...go sailing. :-)

Sailing :-)

My dad and brother drove into town tonight and we're going sailing with Marshall Orcutt tomorrow. I'm pretty excited! I've only gotten to go once with Marshall and this time I get to do it with my dad and brother. Yeah! :-) It should be a fun day - my dad grew up next to the ocean, but he's never been sailing. I think he has the potential to love it - so it'll be fun to watch him tomorrow.

Word of wisdom for the working world - don't wait till the day before you want to take a day off to ask your boss. Kim's cool and was okay with it, but it puts him in a really sticky situation for me to say "Hey, my dad and brother are coming up to go sailing tomorrow. Can I take the day off to go with them?" I really messed up when I forgot to ask him at our one-on-one on Monday. At the same time, I'm big on not asking my interns to do something I wouldn't do and that any expectation that is placed on them should also be on me. So, I feel doubly horrible since they're really good about letting me know ahead of time that they're going to be taking time off and then I totally botched it today and didn't let them know till the day before.

So, today was a day that went okay, but also a day of not necessarily doing things right...

...I'm thankful that with a new sunrise comes a new day.

Grad Schools :-)

So, here's where I'm at in Grad school applications:

Partial Apps Completed
University of Nottingham
University of Manchester
University of London

Apps Not Started
Cambridge University
University of Oxford

Both of these two - I guess because they process so many applications - don't let you apply until 13 months before their programs - so I'll have to wait until September or so. Ahh!

It's exciting to be working on this stuff though - I can't wait to get off to Grad school. It's really intimidating at this point and I psych myself out - but I keep reminding myself that even though I wasn't in Alpha Chi or the top of my class, a 3.6 meets all the GPA requirements for all the schools, including Cambridge and Oxford. Unfortunately, I'm 3 hundreths of a grade point shy for the Marshall Scholarship (it would pay for my entire graduate program), but I'll apply anyways. What the heck, why not! :-)