bassetface

redheads

2011-06-02T07:54:00.001-07:00

Here's something I learned about myself yesterday:

"How can you tell if someone's a natural redhead? Operate on 'em! On average, redheads require 20 percent more general anesthesia than non-gingers before going under the knife. Researchers believe that the same recessive gene that causes red hair and fairer skin also affects the brain's pain receptors, making numbing agents such as Novocaine less effective. And because fillings and root canals also involve anesthesia, redheads are twice as likely as others to avoid dental care. For them, a visit to the dentist really is more painful."

from Mental Floss, May-June 2011, p. 14.

Worship that Forms Disciples

2011-05-08T17:30:00.001-07:00

I was recently asked to write something for the Brehm Center website at Fuller Seminary, and this is what I submitted. So, here are some of my thoughts on worship:

“O God, grant that what we sing with our lips we may know with our hearts

And what we know with our hearts, we may show forth in our lives.

Amen.”

This prayer decorates the front of my binder of worship music, collected from my leading and singing at a variety of places. I think it’s a fitting place, for all the songs in that binder have served and likely will serve again as words of worship for the body of Christ, and these words are important.

Worship forms and transforms the worshipper. The songs that we sing, the scriptures we read, and the rituals we enact in our worship inform us, teach us, solidify us in our beliefs. The things we do and say in worship find a way into our hearts and, ultimately, begin to shape how we see God, how we see ourselves as children of God, and how we see our relationship to the church and the world.

So, the question is this: to what is our worship forming us? Time and time again, Scripture calls us to a kind of worship that forms us not only in our knowledge of God but our lives as disciples of God. Jesus himself summarized the life of the disciple, saying “The first [commandment] is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31) We are called to know God and to love God with all that we are, but it does not stop there - we are called to show this love for God in the way we love those around us.

In other words, true, God-glorifying worship forms us, not only as a people who know and love the Lord but who live a life of love for those around us. Worship forms us not simply as believers, but as faithful disciples to the One who is worthy of praise, so that:

“...what we sing with our lips we may know with our hearts

And what we know with our hearts, we may show forth in our lives.

Amen.”

I owe much of this thought to the works of John Witvliet (Director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship), Paul Ryan (Associate Chaplain for Worship at Calvin College), and the book The Dangerous Act of Worship by Mark Labberton.

Holy Saturday

2011-04-23T12:14:00.001-07:00

Holy Saturday, traditionally, marks the day that Jesus remained in the tomb.

Holy Saturday also, however, marks the day that Jeremy and I first told each other we loved each other. Those of you who know our story know it was a little dramatic, but it made that Easter very very happy. :)

Also, Tuesday is our three-year wedding anniversary.

All of this makes me very happy...on Holy Saturday.

rediscovered

2011-04-20T00:08:00.000-07:00

I just ran across this song I used to love - way back in high school, believe it or not.

And, unlike many things from high school, I still love it today. :)

First, a little backstory. It's composed by Edwin McCain (yes, the same Edwin McCain of "I'll Be" fame), using words of a World War 2 poem he found in a nurse's desk. Here's a little more of the backstory, from the Oakland Tribune (Sunday, December 17, 1961):

"It was the summer of 1942, and things were not going well for us in the war," said Elma Dean in her quiet voice, "and so many of our sons, some of my friend's sons, were being killed. I was going around with tears in my eyes."

Her tears for the heartbreak of other mothers were crystalized in a poem, "Letter to St. Peter, " and the tiny Oakland housewife suddenly became known around the world. Her sonnet of lament for boys so young to die, and hope that something would make up for what they missed down here, brought her letters from mothers throughout the nation, was inscribed on the wall of an American cemetery in England, was read by a United States senator at another cemetery in Europe, and found its way even into the National Geographic and the Congresssional Record.

"It was a maybe a little sentimental," said the author "and it isn't the best poem I've done, but it was what the public liked the best. I've been in many anthologies--not the vanity kind--but I am happiest about being in Louis Untermeyer's 'Mid-Century Edition of Modern American and British Poetry"-- and it was another poem, one from the New Yorker."

In the process or becoming a poet, winning awards and getting into anthologies, Elma also enjoyed being a wife and mother--and now grandmother. [About her husband's reaction to her poetry,] "I'm afraid he's an admirer of mine," said Elma with a gentle, hazel-eyed smile. "When I showed the St. Peter poem to him, as I always do when I think I've done something any good, he said, "this will make the readers Digest." by Kay Wahl.

So, without further ado, enjoy a little Edwin - start the video around 46 seconds if you want to skip his intro... (lyrics posted after the song):

Let them in, Peter
For they are very tired
Give them couches where the angels sleep
And light those fires
Let them wake whole again
To brand new dawns
Fired by the sun
Not war-times bloody guns
May their peace be deep
Remember where the broken bodies lie
God knows how young they were
To have to die

You know God knows how young they were
To have to die

Give them things they like
Let them make some noise
Give dance hall bands not golden harps
To these our boys
Let them love Peter
For they've had no time
They should have bird songs and trees
And hills to climb
The taste of summer
And a ripened pear
And girls as sweet as meadow wind
And flowing hair
And tell them how they are missed
But say not to fear
It's gonna be all right
With us down here

Let them in, Peter
For they are very tired
Give them couches where the angels sleep
And light those fires
Let them wake whole again
To brand new dawns
Fired by the sun
Not war-times bloody guns
May their peace be deep
Remember where the broken bodies lie
God knows how young they were
To have to die

You know God knows how young they were
To have to die

And tell them how they are missed
But say not to fear
It's gonna be all right
With us down here

It's gonna be all right
With us down here

how to be awesome

2011-02-17T20:57:00.000-08:00

The other day, I had a lot of fun with this.

Yes, I am a girl.

Welcome Back

2011-02-15T19:15:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I wish I could resurrect this thing. And then I it hit me: I can! So - here's a shout out to Hehoff. This one's for you.

This was my day today:

5:30-7:45 am - study for Hebrew quiz

8:00-8:10 - Hebrew quiz

8:10-9:50 - Hebrew class

10:00-12:00 - staff meeting

12:00-1:00 - lunch with Jeremy

1:00-4:00 - work

4:00-5:00 - errands

5:10-6:20 - choir rehearsal

6:30-7:00 - pick up the mess left from a busy night of studying and paper-writing last night

7:00-8:00 - dinner and clean-up

My day tomorrow:

1:00 pm - meeting

Tomorrow is a glorious day.

Ginormous Update Part 1

2010-09-12T11:10:00.001-07:00

Oh blog, I have neglected you. I have a ton of pictures to update, but I must admit...there was a lot of cheating. Lots and lots of cheating.

I've had a very busy summer, and, as a result, pictures sorta fell along the wayside. However, I had a few great trips this summer, so I'll fill in the (rather large) holes with those. But, rest assured, I intend to get back on the 365 train. Today.

Also, I'm not sure how much patience I have to do this, so I'll do this in more than one part. Here's part 1:

July 31: snuggle time

August 1: There was WATER in here! Usually, this "river" around the Rose Bowl looks like a concrete slab. I had to document it.

August 4: coffee

August 6: Chillin' in the Catalyst (at Fuller)

August 7: Starbucks, a necessary paper-writing tool.

August 8: antique bottles at the Rose Bowl Flea Market

August 8a: antique pipes at the Rose Bowl Flea Market. Reminded me of my grandpa...

August 9: My new office.

August 12: Me in my new office.

August 13: Awesome doors in Old Sacramento, California

August 14: More Old Sacramento

August 14a: We're married. It's okay.

August 14b: Apparently we did a lot of kissing in Old Sacramento.

August 15: Ian's baptism day

August 15a: More of Ian's baptism

August 16: Driving in LA. Always.

August 20: Palm trees when the sun started setting, so the light was cool.

August 21: Knott's Berry Farm!

August 22: Yes, the sky turned purple.

August 23: Jeremy and me at the Dave Matthews Band concert at the Hollywood Bowl

August 24: at Fuller

August 25: Scrabble, our new favorite pastime

Some holes were filled in with multiple pictures from one day; the other holes will be filled in with a ridiculous amount of pictures from my trip. But, that's all I have patience for right now!

Baby Ian

2010-07-21T20:47:00.000-07:00

This installment of pictures features, among other things, my new nephew, Ian. I missed a few days, so instead of faking it and taking make-up pictures, I'll just throw in some extra pictures of the new baby. Because he's just that cute.

July 10: I fell when I was running. This was my battle wound.

July 11: I've grown out of my hatred of all things nuts. I now love cashews. It's just all the other ones I don't like...

July 15: beautiful, beautiful sunset...

July 16: rocks in our apartment complex

July 17: morning dew...or, water from the sprinklers

July 18: California road trip!

July 19a: Meet Ian! And my sister, Ian's mommy.

July 19b: tiny foot

July 20: cute sleepy time

July 21: please note the red hair. Too cute.

back in the game

2010-07-09T14:58:00.000-07:00

Well, neglected blog. You need some pictures. The last picture I posted was from our last day at Disneyland (sigh). Since then, I've been walking around the neighborhood, posing with my husband, capturing my sleepy dog, spending a week at a camp with some junior highers in our youth group, and getting horribly, horribly sick. So - here's what my camera saw (along with a little bit of cheating).

June 16: A walk to the pharmacy turned into a photo shoot. Why not?

June 17: Vine overload!

June 18: A smaller vine. I like this one better.

June 19: Pasadena Chalk Festival. People drew chalk art all over the sidewalks in one of the main shopping/entertainment centers of Pasadena. Pretty cool stuff.

June 20: I wish I knew what this tree is called...

June 21: I didn't take this, but it was on my camera. And I really like it. Except my arm looks huge. Oh well.

June 22: sunshine through petals

June 23: Charlie, chilling as usual. This was also the day I took the video of Charlie's life, which you can find in my previous post. If you've ever wondered what it is a basset hound does all day, your answer is in that video.

June 24: baby grapes!

June 25: One of my favorite things ever - cherries. And Jeremy doesn't like them, which means I get the whole bag to myself!

June 26: In case you doubted, Charlie really does lay around a lot.

June 27: Welcome to Camp Dunamis. I spent a week in the mountains as a cabin counselor and worship team member for this camp for junior highers. I went with some kids from our youth group. The camp focused on racial reconciliation and cultural awareness. In my cabin, I had girls from the inner city, from the suburbs, from a Zuni reservation in New Mexico - you name it. It was an interesting week, to say the least - and difficult to hear some of the very very painful things some of the campers had gone through already in their 12 years of life...

June 28: Chalk art outside our cabin at camp. "I am..." was the theme of the camp - knowing who we are in Jesus Christ.

June 29: Still camp. This was the fabled ice cream shop that no one had ever seen open. But there are all the supplies in there, just tantalizing you...

June 30: trees in the mountains

July 1: More trees in the mountains. This was my favorite part of my week at camp - getting to steal away alone for awhile and explore the mountains. I absolutely love being in the mountains.

July 2: Last day at camp. This was my favorite spot in the camp itself - a random set of swings surrounded by trees and huge boulders. I came here a lot during my free moments alone.

July 3-8: Here's my cheating. As soon as I got home from camp, I came down with the stomach flu, in all its glory. So, I didn't take many pictures. And by "many" I mean "none." So, I took this lovely gem as a symbol of my week with the flu, because all I could eat for days was saltine crackers. (Oddly enough, I really like the way this one turned out...)

July 9: We bought a watermelon. I'm starting to wonder if that was a great idea...better get eating!

The end.

A Day in the Life of Charlie

2010-07-05T12:26:00.000-07:00

Well, I have some editing to do with pictures, so in the meantime, here's this for your viewing pleasure. The other day, I took a video of what Charlie does throughout the day. It's riveting footage. You'll be on the edge of your seat.

So, until I get more pictures, enjoy: A Day in the Life of Charlie.

all out of title ideas

2010-06-14T21:29:00.000-07:00

More pictures!

June 7: fabric

June 8: If IKEA were into theology, this could be its ad.

June 9: I was trying to so hard to study Greek, and this little cutie got in the way.

June 10: sari fabric

June 11: Final papers, ready to turn in. Summer has arrived!

June 12: Donuts for youth group. Not actually from June 12, because June 12 was a Saturday - it was taken on June 13 - but sometimes it seems like there's so little time between our Friday and our Sunday youth meetings, so let's just use this as symbolism.

June 13: Believe it or not, these are from the desert garden at the Huntington Gardens. Way to go, desert. You break those stereotypes.

June 14: Nothing fancy about this picture, but this is how Charlie spent his morning.

Super Duper Update Time!

2010-06-06T20:25:00.001-07:00

Well, friends. I am a slacker. I've done a terrible job at my photo project. Well,in my defense, I did well from May 15, which you last saw, until May 25...then I got caught up in writing papers and doing other such time-sucking things, and I fell off the wagon. So - to make up for it, I'll treat you to a photo shoot of the Fuller campus. This way, you can see where I spend most of my time, and I can fill my quota of pictures...even though they were all taken on one day.

There are a lot of pictures to upload - from May 16 to today, June 6 - and I'm in the middle of exam week (hence the procrastination), so I'll just upload the pictures and do some minimal captioning so you at least know what you're looking at...but just know that these pictures are from May 16-June 6.

I'll do my actual 365 pictures first, and then the photo-tour of Fuller Theological Seminary. And...go:

One day, Jeremy and I were in the living room and I didn't know where Charlie was. So, I went in the bedroom, and this is what I found:

One of our new favorite places - Slaw Dogs. I need to take my dad here...

Where I live.

And now, a tour of Fuller:

Brand-spankin' new library. People around here think it's a pretty big deal...and when paper writing time comes, it is indeed a big deal. :)

This is apparently going to be a part of a park with life-size statues of the stations of the cross someday. Until then, it's at Fuller.

Not actually Fuller, but the Pacific Asia Museum, which is across the street from Fuller.

And now, back to Fuller...

The prayer garden:

And, to end, this is walking down Colorado Blvd. Yes, the same Colorado Blvd. that the little old lady from Pasadena was said to be a terror on. (Go listen to the Beach Boys song - you'll get it.)

Title of Post

2010-05-16T16:54:00.000-07:00

More pictures!

May 8: random lawn art

May 9: I like red doors.

May 10: Jeremy, getting ready to preach his first sermon.

May 11: I sent this picture in to Hipster Puppies. Charlie's totally a hipster.

May 12: textures and shadows

May 13: bored

May 14: youth group bowling

May 15: Hope International Church yard sale

april to may

2010-05-07T18:23:00.001-07:00

I admit it. I left out a day. I have no pictures to show for April 28. None. Sorry April 28. You get the shaft.

However, I'm quite proud of my performance the last few weeks. Not all the pictures are my favorite in the world, but they EXIST, and I didn't cheat. And I can see myself getting better in some respects. So. Enjoy.

April 24: standing outside the eye doctor

April 25: My neighbor. Yes. That is a tree.

April 26: I didn't take a picture this day, either - so let's re-live April 26, 2008, shall we? :)

April 27: Jeremy and Charlie yawn together.

April 28: Shafted.

April 29: Movie theater. Go see How to Train Your Dragon.

April 30: Super Parrot Spotting!

May 1: Apartment building party. It would not be a 761 party without something like this.

May 2: Fuller Vocal Ensemble recording session

May 3: My favorite morning of the past week - writing a reflective, journal-esque essay with a homemade latte.

May 4: My least favorite picture for a long time. In other words, I was brushing my teeth to get ready for bed, realized I hadn't taken a picture yet, and ran outside to take a shot of our outdoor lamp. Awesome.

May 5: I love these flowers. And this garage, for some reason.

May 6: Flowers on Orange Grove Ave.

May 7: So, I asked Jeremy to pick up some strawberries from a strawberry stand near Fuller, and I was expecting a small basket, maybe two. He came home with $20 worth of strawberries! And not just any strawberries - huge, juicy, sweet, delicious strawberries. I love my husband.

more pictures more pictures more pictures

2010-04-24T10:09:00.001-07:00

April 16: Happy 2nd Birthday, Charlie...

April 17: stained glass

April 18: Jeremiah 29

April 19: my new awesome shoes

April 20: coffee at JiffyLube

April 21: view from our hotel in San Diego

April 22: Panda!

April 23: Jeremy and me in the San Diego Wild Animal Park

April through Today

2010-04-15T15:37:00.000-07:00

April 8: Fuller window

April 9: Fuller sign

April 10: Drains to the ocean

April 11: Sunflowers down the street

April 12: California does get cloudy...but it's okay, because flower trees stay flowery

April 13: Crazy spiky flower tree

April 14: Fuller coffeeshop

April 15: Welcome to 761!

More Pictures

2010-04-07T22:04:00.000-07:00

April 5: a baseball I found in the car. This one goes out to Bob and Hehoff. :)

April 6: Trader Joes! My favorite place to buy food.

April 7: Pinwheels at Fuller, for no apparent reason

The Forgotten Week

2010-04-04T15:04:00.000-07:00

I'm missing a week of pictures. I've been sick with strep throat - and I'm still not totally well, but I'm at least feeling well enough to get motivation from time to time to get up off the couch and take a picture or two. But now we will call this past week the Forgotten Week. I've got a picture to document the week in general, bookended by last Sunday and this Sunday. Here we go:

March 28: Part of a Frank Lloyd Wright house in Pasadena (It looks blurry, but it's really just wearing down.)

March 29-April 3: The Forgotten Week

April 4: Happy Easter!

March 24-27

2010-03-27T19:01:00.000-07:00

Mom and Dad are here! Here are some pictures of our adventures so far.

March 24: Not actually taken on March 24. March 24 was really filled with cleaning...so, this is really from March 25 - but I decided that's okay because I had a TON of pictures from the 25th. So, this the feet of a pelican on the pier at San Clemente, CA, after a day of whale watching on the ocean!

March 25: Actually from March 25 - surfers!

March 26: Mission San Juan Capistrano

March 27: Grauman's Chinese Theater - Meryl Streep! :)

The Long-Lost Month

2010-03-24T09:38:00.000-07:00

Hooray! I finally am a proud owner of a new MacBook computer. That's right. I switched to Mac. My old computer is dead. Which means a whole bunch of delightful things - one of which, is that I can finally put up pictures from the last two weeks or so. So, without further ado, here are the latest pictures - from most recent to least recent, because that's how my computer chose to do them:

March 23: Downtown LA mural

March 22: lazy Charlie

March 21: Lazy Charlie

March 20: books in the sun

March 19: THE END OF EXAMS - and Fuller's flower tree

March 18: lazy Charlie

March 17: empty laundry line

March 16: I love flower trees!

March 15: graffiti fire hydrant

March 14: The beginning of a series of lazy Charlie pictures.

March 13: The day my computer died. This was my new set-up for exam week and a few extra days...thank you, neighbor Alan!

March 12: my neighbors' flowers

March 11: Monkey! Poor thing...

March 10: apartment directory - or, approaching exam week, not having much time on my hands, and therefore attempting to make ordinary things around our apartment complex look cooler than they are. :)

March 9: heirloom tomatoes

March 8: mailboxes

Yup...another study break...

2010-03-17T15:32:00.001-07:00

I decided I'm very sick of having to have the "why women can be ordained and/or lead in the church" conversation. I've learned over and over by many reputable scholars that to interpret this from Scripture is to interpret it wrongly, and to be honest, I've just lost patience with the fact that the discussion still needs to happen. So - here's something I found.

This was written by a former Fuller prof, when they were actually still a Fuller prof, for Fuller Follies - basically, a comedy night that makes fun of various happenings at Fuller.

Check and mate.

WHY MEN SHOULDN'T BE ORDAINED:

10. A man’s place is in the army.

9. For men who have children, their duties might distract them from the responsibility of being a parent.

8. Their physical build indicates that men are most suited to tasks such as chopping down trees and wrestling mountain lions. It would be “unnatural” for them to do other forms of work.

7. Man was created before woman, obviously as a prototype. Thus, they represent an experiment, rather than the crowing achievement of creation.

6. Men are too emotional to be priests or pastors. Their conduct at football games shows this.

5. Some men are handsome; thus they will distract women worshipers.

4. To be ordained as a pastor is to nurture the congregation. But this is not a traditional male role. Rather, throughout history, women have been considered to be not only more skilled than men at nurturing, but also more fervently attracted to it. This makes them the obvious choice for ordination.

3. Men are overly prone to violence. No really manly man wants to settle disputes otherwise than by fighting about it. Thus, they would be poor role models, as well as being dangerously unstable in positions of leadership.

2. Men can still be involved in church activities, even without being ordained. They can sweep paths, repair the church roof, and maybe even lead the singing on Father’s Day. By confining themselves to the traditional male roles, they can still be vitally important in the life of the Church.

1. In the New Testament account, the person who betrayed Jesus was a man. Thus, his lack of faith and ensuing punishment stands as a symbol of the subordinated position that all men should take.

Study Break

2010-03-16T15:26:00.001-07:00

Well, no pictures yet. I'll get to that in a second. But, I feel a need to update my 2 regular readers on a few happenings. I also need a study break.

1. My computer is dying. I'm currently typing on my laptop keyboard, using my laptop hard drive, which is all hooked up to a desktop monitor. Awesome. It died on Saturday, the Saturday before exam week started, in which I have 2 exams (and all notes are on my computer) and one paper. I knew it was coming; my poor laptop was old and had been loved hard, and it had been acting funny lately. But I was hoping it would last through the week - to no avail. My IT-working sister-in-law tells me that it's a backlight problem, which is expensive and takes a long time to fix; but with the amount of issues my computer had, I don't think it's worth it. All in all, I'm actually pretty happy about all this. It came just when we got our giant tax return back (Thank you, Obama!) so we can (sorta) afford a new computer, and I've been dying to switch to Mac, so here's my chance. In the meantime, I'll use my ghetto hook-up - which just so happens to be a picture of the day. But, you'll have to wait until I get my new computer to see my latest pictures; it's not worth putting them on this laptop now!

2. We had an earthquake last night! It was crazy, and sorta terrifying. It was a 4.4 quake at 4:04 am (dun dun dun), and definitely woke up all of us, Charlie included. Jeremy tells me his head was filled with thoughts of "the big one" - the earthquake that will apparently send California into the ocean and our ultimate deaths - and Haiti and Chile and all the destruction there. I was just so disoriented that I didn't think of anything...until after. But, everything's fine. There was no damage, except for a large crack in a section of the highway that closed a lane or two for awhile, and some crooked picture frames on our walls.

Meanwhile, I'm writing a paper on homelessness prevention, and I keep telling Jeremy that if the whole job thing doesn't pan out for us once we finish school, at least I know how to find help. He tells me to turn off my Kelder Worry Gene. :)

Oh, and I lied - I can give you one picture of the day from awhile ago... Here's March 8: a bee on a California poppy.

Interlude: Josh Ritter

2010-03-09T22:04:00.001-08:00

This has nothing to do with my pictures, but let's take a little interlude - a little musical snack, if you will - and look at Josh Ritter.

A few months ago, Jeremy and I went to see The Swell Season in concert. They're one of my favorite bands, and we were so excited to go. I'm not sure what I expected for the opener, but I didn't expect them to be great (despite the Swell Season being wonderful - why wouldn't they have great people open for them?), so I came prepared to endure a no-name opener before I got to the real stuff. But then, I was pleasantly surprised by Josh Ritter - a country/folk/indie artist from Idaho with a bassist who has quite possibly the best mustache in the history of mustaches.

So, I felt the need to introduce you to him. One of my favorite songs from him, called "Girl in the War." I can't quite figure out what he's talking about - some online forums say he's talking about the idea of "all's fair in love and war," some people say he's expressing anti-war sentiment, some say he's using the metaphor of war to describe how it feels to be taken away from someone you love...but I think they're all a little too shallow. It seems like he's getting at something spiritual here - there are so many Biblical allusions, and the line "the keys to the Kingdom got locked inside the Kingdom" seem like an especially poignant reference to the way we often live in the church...but, then again, maybe I've just been spending too much time reading theology and biblical studies issues and can't get them off my brain. :) (Then again, can you ever spend too much time doing this?) All that to say, I'm not sure what, exactly, he's talking about - but something in me feels like he's talking to me...

Anyway - check out the song (and the out-of-sync video of the song) here. And...here are the lyrics:

Peter said to Paul,
"You know all those words we wrote
Are just the rules of the game and the rules are the first to go."
But now talkin' to God is Laurel beggin' Hardy for a gun.
I gotta girl in the war, man I wonder what it is we done.

Paul said to Petey,
"You gotta rock yourself a little harder;
Pretend the dove from above is a dragon and your feet are on fire."
And I got a girl in the war, Paul the only thing I know to do
Is turn up the music and pray that she makes it through

Because the keys to the kingdom got locked inside the kingdom
And the angels fly around in there, but we can't see them.
I gotta girl in the war, Paul I know that they can hear me yell;
If they can't find a way to help, they can go to Hell.
If they can't find a way to help her, they can go to Hell.

Paul to Petey, "You gotta rock yourself a little harder;
Pretend the dove from above is a dragon and your feet are on fire"
But I gotta girl in the war, Paul her eyes are like champagne
They sparkle, bubble over, in the morning all you got is rain.
Sparkle, bubble over, in the morning all you got is rain.
They sparkle, bubble over, in the morning all you got is rain.

On a side note - hearing Josh Ritter live also allowed me to hear the best stage banter ever:
Guy in Crowd yells: "You seem like a nice young man!"
Josh replies: "Why thank you. Lord knows I try to be a nice young man..."

Awesome.

this weekend

2010-03-07T15:04:00.000-08:00

March 6: a study in shadows...

March 7: I love the snowy mountains!

Beginning March

2010-03-06T13:13:00.000-08:00

March 1: Union Station Homeless Services

March 2: leaves after the morning rain

March 3: My first official parrot spotting! It only took a year...

March 4: Deeeelicious cookies. Perfect for pre-exam studying!

March 5: This is my dog, doing what he does best.

Ending February

2010-02-28T18:24:00.000-08:00

Feb. 21: sunshine after the rain

Feb. 22: Dusk

Feb. 23: Sweet mug used during my Greek study group

Feb. 24: rainbow laundry!

Feb. 25: window at the Catalyst

Feb. 26: feet

Feb. 27: new haircut! Except I think this picture makes it look longer than it is...it's at my chin.

Feb. 28: bag from Malaysia

Feb. 19-20

2010-02-20T23:12:00.000-08:00

So, as you may have noticed, my best pictures are often my close-up, macro pictures. So, I'm trying to get better at long-range, more wide-angle pictures over the next few weeks/months. Here are my attempts so far:

Feb. 19: Disneyland, about to be eaten by a whale

Feb. 20: The most random police officers ever outside Starbucks in Arcadia...

Feb. 11-18

2010-02-19T16:48:00.000-08:00

Okay. I admit it. I've done a terrible, terrible job with this lately. As a result, many of these pictures were taken on the same day on a big walk Jeremy and I went on - and then I just cheated and assigned them all dates. But, I'm not going to tell you which ones are the cheater pictures. So you'll just have to guess for yourself. :)

Feb. 11: Pie and Burger

Feb. 12: I really liked this sign. :)

Feb. 13: arches and pillars

Feb. 14: Art Deco

Feb. 15: well hey, Mr. Turtle

Feb. 16: neat wall

Feb. 17: despair

Feb. 18: bamboo

Feb. 5-10

2010-02-10T22:23:00.000-08:00

Feb. 5: homelessness on Lake Ave.

Feb. 6: Crazy-awesome light after the rain

Feb. 7: Beautiful, smog-filled sunset

Feb. 8: flower

Feb. 9: California oranges!

Feb. 10: Me and my buddy, Charlie, who is too lazy to even hold himself up...

February 1-4

2010-02-04T21:08:00.000-08:00

Feb. 1: I learned this flower is called a saucer magnolia. I love it.

Feb. 2: our spices

Feb. 3: deliciousness

Feb. 4: at the Gamble House

January 24-31

2010-01-31T17:30:00.000-08:00

So, a few things happened since I last posted. First, I had a crazy-busy week, and kinda fell behind on my picture-a-day project. So, to make up for it, I went on a little photo safari and took a bunch today, and then just assigned them the missing dates. (Only from the last few days - I wasn't THAT bad!) Secondly, this thing won't let me upload pictures in order. So, just know that these pictures are from between January 24 to today (the 31st).

Enjoy!

pictures out of order

2010-01-23T21:08:00.000-08:00

My pictures uploaded backwards for some reason, so I'll go with it. :) Here's January 21-23...

January 23: Snow on the mountains! So beautiful.

January 22: nighttime rain

January 21: narcissim (also...it was raining and there really isn't a lot to take pictures of in my apartment...)

More Pictures: January 17-20

2010-01-21T16:50:00.000-08:00

January 17: Beautiful clouds on top of the mountains

January 18: Raindrops on the window

January 19: Snow White's poison apple? (Or, I needed a picture, it was raining outside, and I was hungry)

January 20: Jones Coffee with Stephanie

January 10-16

2010-01-16T13:59:00.000-08:00

January 10: The appropriate use of a Cheese Head, according to a man in a Sheboygan, WI Wal-Mart

January 11: Sunrise out my bedroom window

January 12: Charlie falling asleep in Jeremy's arms (awww...)

January 13: Palm trees on my walk to class at Fuller

January 14: A random pepper growing in front of our building

January 15: Purple flower from outside our building

January 16: My lovely egg casserole with spinach and olives. mmmmm...

January 7-9

2010-01-09T15:54:00.000-08:00

Jan. 7: Rugby Charlie (a.k.a. Charlie joins the pj party...)

Jan. 8: the dome of Pasadena City Hall

Jan. 9: Jeremy, Charlie, and Huckleberry (adventures in dogsitting...)

Picture(s) of the Day(s)

2010-01-06T15:57:00.000-08:00

Jan. 5& 6: My life, and my refrigerator picture collage.

365 Day Photo Challenge

2010-01-04T18:10:00.000-08:00

I've decided that during 2010, I would take on the 365 Day Photo Challenge. In case you can't figure it out from the name, the idea is you take at least one photo every day for a year. I'll try and use my blog as my catalog of pictures. Here's what I've got so far:

Jan. 1: part of a float in the sun at the Rose Parade

Jan. 2: Sleepy Charlie

Jan. 3: I forgot to take a picture. This is the best I got at the last minute before I went to bed...

Jan. 4: I realized I don't have a good picture of our first Christmas tree. Enough said.

Basset Hound House Rules

2009-12-07T08:57:00.000-08:00

If anyone's wondering what it's like to own a basset hound, this pretty much sums it up.

BASSET HOUND HOUSE RULES

1. The Basset is not allowed in the house.
2. Okay, the Basset is allowed in the house, but only in certain rooms.
3. The Basset is allowed in all rooms, but has to stay off the furniture.
4. The Basset can get on the old furniture only, but has to stay off the new couch.
5. The Basset can get on all the furniture, but is not allowed to sleep with the humans on the bed.
6. Okay, the Basset is allowed on the bed, but only by invitation.
7. The Basset can sleep on the bed whenever he wants, but not under the covers.
8. The Basset can sleep under the covers by invitation only.
9. The Basset can sleep under the covers every night.
10. Humans must ask permission to sleep under the covers with the Basset.

welcome to greek class

2009-12-02T22:09:00.000-08:00

Here is a quote from my friend Ryan in my Greek class, after my professor told us about something we didn't really need to know yet, because we hadn't gotten that far in Greek yet:

"'You need to know about it, but you don't have much use for it now.' Sounds like my sex ed class..."

Awesome. :)

a request

2009-11-19T17:09:00.001-08:00

Dear World,

As I continue my theological education and enter into ministry and working with other children of God, please keep me accountable.

Never let me assume you are stupid.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Jana

my grandma

2009-11-17T10:43:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, my grandma (my mom's mom) passed away. She was 92 years old, and she died of congestive heart failure. It wasn't completely unexpected, given her age and her condition, but it happened quickly. She was doing okay one day, and the next day she was gone.

I flew out to be with my family over the weekend for the memorial service. (Grandma had strict instructions not to call it a funeral, and to keep it joyful. :) ) I was glad I could be there. Almost all my cousins were there, and all but one of my siblings - it was good to see our family again. And, of course, it was good to celebrate my grandma's amazing life.

I was struck with how often I heard people comment that my grandma's prayers were answered. She had been longing to be with her Savior for a long time now, but especially in the last few months, as she was moved from her house and her independence to a retirement home to a nursing home. And now God answered her prayer. What a comfort to know!

The Omniscient God

2009-11-07T22:40:00.002-08:00

(Just some thoughts I wrote down after a class the other day...)

Nearly everyone who's been around Christianity for awhile has been taught the traditional Christian "omnis". God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent. All-powerful, all-knowing/seeing, ever-present.

Sometimes I think these "omnis" may do more harm in our thinking than good. If God is really omnipotent, if he has the power to do anything, why didn't God prevent the fall? Why doesn't he simply wipe out sin? Why was it necessary to sacrifice Jesus? Why so much violence for our salvation?

But more often than this, I think the "omnis" serve to scare us into behaving. Especially "omniscient" - if God sees all and knows all, we humans better not do anything wrong. God will see it. God will know it. Do you really want God to know you said that? Thought that? Did that behind closed doors?

Or, maybe we understand God's omniscience like a superpower. Maybe God is a big cosmic superhero. He's got the ultimate x-ray vision. Move over Superman - check out Jesus. Not only can he see through walls, he can see through your words and stoic faces into your heart.

I don't think this is how Scripture shows us God's omniscience. Yes, God knows your heart and sees the things you do even in secret, and God grieves deeply over our sin, but that's not all God sees. In Genesis 16, we're told that Hagar, the servant of Abraham who bore him Ishmael. Hagar was running away, after Sarah (or, Sarai, at the time) treated her harshly. Imagine what she must've been feeling. She did her duty by bearing Abraham's son, but his wife, clearly, was not pleased. What would you do? But, in the midst of her running away, Hagar hears from God. God himself shows her mercy. And Hagar responds by calling God El-roi’, or the God who sees me.

I love that prayer. "You are the God who sees me." This woman - this woman who we can imagine felt rejected, afraid, guilty, trapped - knew God saw her. Not that he looked down on her in judgment, or noticed her but soon forgot her - but really saw her.

"You are the God who sees me."

God sees all things. God is omniscient. He knows us, he sees us, even when all others have forgotten who we truly are. He knows us deeply, loves us deeply, perhaps even more deeply that we will ever know ourselves.

Our God, the Triune God, Creator of the Universe, is the God who sees us. Not a superhero or a judgmental tyrant, but the one who cares enough to see and know all things.

I praise our God for his indescribable gift.

yes, please

2009-10-11T22:53:00.002-07:00

Jeremy and I would like to have the clothes of these people.

Also, I wonder if I should get bangs.

The end.

the birthday run-down

2009-10-07T13:38:00.003-07:00

Yesterday was my birthday. Friday was Jeremy's birthday. This always makes an interesting dynamic, having both of our birthdays in a 4 day span. And by interesting, I mean kinda fun.

Last Friday, on Jeremy's birthday, we went to Disneyland. Normally, you get free admission on your birthday, but we already have annual passes, so we got a whole bunch of FastPasses instead, which was awesome. We pretty much never stood in line. We went to celebrate both of our birthdays, but since it was actually Jeremy's birthday, he got a big pin that said it was his birthday, and a special birthday hug from Pluto, and a "happy birthday" from random passers-by. All of this made Jeremy slightly uncomfortable, since he's not really into the whole it's-my-birthday-pay-attention-to-me phenomenon. But, it was cute nonetheless.

Of course, with birthdays come presents. So, here's the run-down:
1. From me to Jeremy and me to ourselves: A book called 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. He's already trying to check them all off. :) Also, The third season of 30Rock on DVD, which I had been whining about not being able to watch very much last season. Best line so far comes from Kenneth, who said, "Oh, I don't believe in hypothetical situations. That's like lying to your brain."
2. From a whole bunch of people to all of us: random renditions of "Happy Birthday" over the phone, including a very jazzy one from Mom and Dad, a PG-13-rated one from Jillayne and Aaron, an off-key one from Brian, a "Happy Groundhog Day" message from Phil, and a very sad song from Anna and Hehoff.
3. From Mom and Dad to both of us: help with getting home over Christmas. And help with fixing our car. And a card with a check in it, which will probably be spent either on a date or at Old Navy. :) (Apparently there was a card for Jeremy, too, but it maybe got lost in the mail...)
4. From the Kruis family (from our church): A cake.
5. From Jeremy's parents: money to go out on a date, which will happen on Thursday. This date will include going out to dinner (Thai food) and a movie (The Informant). I'm very excited for Thursday.
6. And, last but not least, from Phil and Lies: U2 tickets! Yes, that's right, they bought us U2 tickets. For Oct. 25th. At the Rose Bowl. Which is 2 miles from our apartment. And is also apparently the biggest event to ever be held at the Rose Bowl, including the Rose Bowl. (ha.) General Admission seats, with instructions on when to get in line, where to stand for the concert, and any other detail we may be curious about, since Phil and Lies are official U2 concert-going experts. SO excited.

And, just for fun, here's a picture of Jeremy and Me and a giant Mickey pumpkin.

updates and other news

2009-09-30T12:50:00.002-07:00

Hooray for a healthy and beautiful niece! Eliza Grace is home and doing great - and so are her parents. Andrew, my nephew, apparently likes to run by her, touch her nose, and walk away singing "na na na na na." (He's 2, can you tell?) I really wish I could see them, but I guess this is what comes of our choices to live on opposite ends of the country.

Grandma seems to be doing better, and, according to my mom, is a little disappointed in that. :) She's no longer on morphine and the pain has subsided, but the general consensus is that while death may not be imminent anymore, it also may not be far off. Grandma just wants to go be with God - she's not enjoying her new nursing home, which I can imagine. Mentally, she's always been incredible, but she just can't live on her own physically speaking anymore. But it sounds like a large majority of the other residents aren't in the same boat. They do, however, have Packer parties there, so...well, it's Wisconsin. :)

In other news, Jeremy and I started classes again on Monday. I'm realizing that this will be our first full year as Fuller students. With the start of the quarter came the start of Greek, for me. This will be interesting. I'm not sure my crappy high school Spanish program counts as experience studying foreign languages, so I'm not sure if I'm good at learning foreign languages. But, as my prof reminded us, the goal of this class isn't to communicate with Greek-speaking people. We don't have to hold a conversation in Greek or write papers in Greek, or even construct brand new sentences in Greek. Everything we need to know and interact with is already written in the New Testament, and we just have to know enough to work with that material. That made it feel a whole lot less daunting to me. Also at Fuller, I'm taking a class on the Gospels with a woman who is supposed to be one incredible Gospels prof, so I'm excited. I really love New Testament Biblical Studies classes, especially the Gospels. So, this will be great.

Also, I was accepted into Fuller's choir - or Vocal Ensemble, as they like to be called. There was an audition, and I could tell I was very out of practice as far as classical singing goes, but I made it. I think I would've been a little embarrassed to not make it. The choir is pretty good, but not incredible, and after singing in some pretty awesome choirs at Calvin, it would be sad to be rejected from this little number. But, I wasn't, so hooray! Anyway, our first rehearsal was last night, and I was surprised how much I missed it. I realized that the past year (and then some) since I've been out of college was the first time in my life that I wasn't part of a choir since I was about 6 years old. So it was nice to be at it again. Yes, I know, I am a choir nerd.

Another self-revelation came to me in Greek. The letter "O", which in Greek is "omicron", which is the symbol for the short-O sound. (Aren't you impressed with my extensive alphabetical knowledge? And only after one class and about three I-don't-know-how-to-do-this-I-can't-do-this freakout moments!) In class, the professor was helping us through the alphabet and the pronunciation of each letter (similar to a kindergarten class exercise), and when he got to "omicron" and said it was a short-O, like "aw" (sort of), I thought to myself...that's not a short-O sound. But then I thought back to my singing diction classes and remembered that yes, that is the short-O sound, but why does it sound so weird to me when it's spoken? And I realized, I learned how to talk in Wisconsin, in which the short-O is more like a really nasally "ah." Oops.

Anyway, back to my attempt to read and pronounce various Greek words. I will not freak out...

Developments in the Kelder Family

2009-09-28T07:38:00.003-07:00

My grandma is not doing well. She's had heart problems for awhile now, late last week she was taken to the hospital with fluid in her lungs and kidneys, which are all symptoms of heart failure. A few months ago, she had to move out of her duplex and into an apartment in a retirement community, which was pretty difficult for her. Over the weekend, after being released from the hospital, she had to move from there to a nursing home. While in the process of moving, she said, "This is my last move. After this, the only move I'll make is (and then she pointed up)." Yesterday, my parents got a call from my uncle that Grandma seemed to be quickly moving towards the end. She's in a lot of pain, they're giving her morphine, and my parents are awaiting the call that they should go to her right away. She's ready to go, and has been for awhile - but just pray for comfort and peace.

Meanwhile, my brother, Brian, had baby number 2 this morning! At 7:40 a.m. (Eastern - which is weird because my clock is turning to 7:40 a.m. Pacific at this very moment...), Eliza Grace Kelder was born. Everyone is healthy and happy! Andrew (my nephew) can already say her name (minus the z).

As my mom said in an e-mail this morning, "My Mom, your Grandma, is on her deathbed at the very same time Christy is in labor. Both are in pain, and soon both will experience a wonderful new life. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away!"

feelings

2009-09-23T22:24:00.005-07:00

On the show 30 Rock, the source of all wisdom, narcissistic actress Jenna Maroney teaches the innocent NBC page Kenneth Parcell about "back door compliments." For example, Jenna says, "It's hard for me to watch American Idol, because I have perfect pitch." She's teaching Kenneth to slide a self-compliment into a normal conversation, to which Kenneth rightly responds, "Eew."

I've been holding myself back from getting into some conversations that will inevitably become heated debates, because lately I've been realizing that I'm not sure if the strength of my opinions is solely due to my honest belief that I am truly in the right, or if it stems at least in part from an innate desire to judge people. Maybe it's all just one big back-door compliment.

However, I cannot hold it in any longer. So, in an attempt to say what I've been dying to say without saying enough to get me into an anger-inducing debate, here goes:

1.) If you're going to work in the church, you need to be aware of everyone you're working for, everyone you're working with, the reason your work exists, and the One who oversees it all. Without this, it doesn't work.

2.) Pointing out "fear-mongering" with fear-inducing tactics is hypocritical.

3.) Barack Obama is President of the United States. Some Americans did not vote for him, some Americans don't agree with some of his policies. But, obviously, a lot of Americans voted and agree, and that's how he got into office. So, America, please stop whining and doing ridiculous things like calling the President unfit for his office because he says the words "I" and "me" in his speeches (which, I might point out, all politicians - and most speechmakers in general - do, as well) and deal with it.

4.) Christianity has problems. It's full of Christians. Christians are human. Humanity is fallen. Problems are going to exist. Let's not deny the problems, but instead work on finding ways to remedy the problems. Please see #1.

5.) My dog hurt his paws, and he hobbles around and can't go down the stairs, and it makes my heart hurt.

That last one, we can discuss all you want. Because if you disagree with my feelings on that, you're probably heartless.

Things I've Noticed in LA

2009-09-18T10:14:00.001-07:00

Since we've been living in LA for just over 6 months now, I thought I'd share some of my observations. So, here's a little of what life is like in LA.

1) It's impossible to make an easy left turn at most intersections. While most intersections have lights, they rarely have left-turn signals. And, since no one in LA walks anywhere, there are always lots of cars at every intersection. This forces you to turn left when the light turns yellow, provided everyone else stops moving (which isn't always the case), or in the split-second after it turns red. I've seen many police officers employ this tactic as well, and it was even semi-condoned in Jeremy's driving test for his California license, so apparently it's just what must be done.

2) There is an alarmingly high percentage of hipsters in the LA population. Many of them appear to be malnourished and unable to hold themselves upright.

4) There is also an alarmingly high percentage of wannabe hipsters. You know, the kind that hang out with hipsters and try to look like them by wearing cool shoes or tight pants, but really they're too put together or too well-fed, or something else subtle but important isn't quite right, and they just look awkward. Yeah, they're here, too.

5) Nobody drinks coffee here. Except Fuller students.

6) The stereotypes of California body-consciousness and fashion-forwardness appear to be true. This isn't to say that everyone here is skinny and wearing designer labels all the time (although in some areas this looks to be the case), but I've noticed many more people who seem to put more emphasis on their bodies and clothes looking put together at all times. People seem to know what looks good on them and what the latest trends are, and they go for it. Women also wear much fancier shoes here than in the Midwest. Clinton and Stacy would be proud.

7) The flip-side of number 6, however, isn't so pretty. While there are a large number of people who just look really good, I also see many people who...well...don't look so good... I also see more people here who have had way too many plastic surgeries and no longer look human, or people who want to look like their favorite pop star and don't wear enough clothes - and, sometimes, don't have the body of their favorite pop start to pull it off. This, I think, is body-consciousness taken too far. It also seems more prevalent on the beach than in the city.

8) I love going to the store and hearing multiple languages around me. I also oddly enjoy going to places where I'm the only white person. I've never really lived in a place where that can be true - at least not as often as it is here.

9) I'm realizing that I'm tall. Just today, I was in a public bathroom and every sink was in use. As I looked down the mirror, I noticed that every woman at all the other sinks were about to my shoulders. I'm not sure how I feel about this. But I've discussed this before.

10) Apparently, wildfires aren't scary. Even when they're 5-ish miles away from you. Who knew?

Bonus! 11) Married life really is remarkably different than single life with roommates. Not to say that I didn't love my roommates and that I'd trade anything for the fun we had at Calvin - but I love married life. A lot. And having a dog just enhances it. :)

The End.

Don't you want to come visit me so you can experience all this for yourself?

Gorillas

2009-09-12T15:46:00.006-07:00

Today, Jeremy and I went to the zoo. We spent some time looking at the gorillas, and I noticed a large, brown, crusty area on the hand railings. Also, we noticed that while most of the animals in the zoo were sleeping or playing in the water, the gorillas were simply sitting alone, looking very crabby.

Suddenly, a zoo worker came running to the scene, brandishing his spray bottle of cleaner and a big, thick rag. "Excuse me! Excuse me! Please let me through!" he yelled to the gorilla-awed crowd, as he pushed his way towards the crusty spot. All the while, the gorillas watched and pouted.

As he feverishly scrubbed down the crusty area, we all glanced at him, not thinking much of his need to clean the railing - and, I noticed, a rather large area of brown crustiness on the pavement below. After some time of scrubbing, a woman next to the worker asked, "How did this get so dirty?" The man looked at the sulking gorillas, then smiled at the woman and answered, "Sometimes the gorillas get sick of people looking at them, so...they threw it..."

Yes, my friends. Today, angry gorillas threw their poop at adoring fans.

The End.

Random thoughts for today:

2009-09-08T20:05:00.002-07:00

1.) Jeremy and I bought our books for fall today. While it's always depressing to lay down that amount of money all at once, there's still a comfort in getting all my books on my shelves. Even when I was little, I remember that I would always feel a little nervous on the first day of school, but instantly felt calmer when my books were handed out. So, hooray for books. This quarter, however, they are HUGE, but oddly inexpensive. Go figure.

2.) Speaking of books, I've got all this free time on my hands, with even more to come because Jeremy's got some intense work weeks coming up while he helps with Fuller's orientation, and I'm looking for a good book to read. I just finished my Anne Lamott book, which was wonderful, and then I started reading Gilead by Marilynne Robinson only to realize that I've already read it once. I want to read A Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, or even re-read the Harry Potter books but I'm not sure I want to commit to a series - and once I start the series I've got to read them all. I'm thinking about Cold Mountain because I've had it for awhile and my mom and my sister both liked it, who I generally trust on books. But does anyone have any suggestions? Hehoff?

3.) Charlie's poop-ninja-ness has gotten better, thank goodness. During Jeremy's family's stay, Charlie got by with murder because we were distracted by everything else going on in our apartment. Thus, Charlie nurtured a love of pooping on Jeremy's brother's air-mattress-bed, which he managed to do almost every other day. Since then, Charlie's developed the uncanny ability to blitz-poop in the house. For example, one time I was sitting on the couch, watching something on TV, with Charlie sleeping next to me. I got up to get something to drink, with Charlie staying where he was on the couch. When I came back, Charlie seemed to be exactly how he was before, but there was poop on the floor. Poop ninja. But now he's getting better again, and we're going on more regular walks, when the oh-so-terrifying garbage truck isn't prowling the streets.

4.) I feel like, seeing as I am a woman and pursuing theology, I should take a class in feminist theology. I feel like I should be championing the cause of feminist theology, calling for liberation from the predominantly white male world of theological studies. But...so far, everything I've read or heard in feminist theology sounds like it's coming from a misunderstanding of the "standard" theology of the well-known white males. I don't feel oppressed by people like John Calvin or Jurgen Moltmann or Richard Niebuhr or Walter Rauschenbush. Generally, I agree or disagree with these people based on their reading of scripture. And what I've seen of feminist theology is in large part coming from a reaction to men such as these, rather than a particular understanding of scripture. Does this make me a bad woman? Maybe I should take a class in it, just to make sure I'm not misunderstanding feminist theology altogether. Hmmm...

5.) I'm going to have popcorn for dinner and watch This is Spinal Tap with my husband. We saw Spinal Tap live on the Conan O'Brien show, so how can we not watch their movie? :) Also, Charlie has to poop. So long, faithful readers - who I now know are greater in number than Anna and Hehoff.

Brett Favre

2009-09-05T21:13:00.002-07:00

Today, Jeremy and I realized that we are going to the beach tomorrow with our youth group, and Jeremy didn't have a swim suit. So, we went to Target, hoping we could still find some cheap swim suits on sale. We did not, however, so we headed over to the mall. And what did I see upon entering the mall courtyard? A sports store, with the main display of nothing less than a #4 Vikings jersey. Brett Favre is a Viking. It's official.

Oh man.

I've avoided talking about this until now. But, my friends, today is your lucky day.

I have always been a Packer fan. I admit, in my early years, I was probably a stronger Packer fan on days when they played the Bears, but as I've grown older my love has grown stronger. And, much to the joy of my mother, I got my husband into "American football" and, what's more, the Green Bay Packers. When I was little, I wrote countless letters to the Packers, and even received autographed pictures of various players, including Brett Favre and Reggie White - my favorites - which I still have to this very day. And, as has every Packer fan, I quickly learned that the Minnesota Vikings are the football equivalent to vampires. Or pond scum. Or Nazis. (Yes, I went there.)

So, Brett Favre, were you not aware, after 16 seasons as a Packer, what it would do to your loving fans to become a Viking? Really? Did you really think this would be okay?

First, you retire, Brett Favre. Then, you want to come back. So, like a lonely ex-boyfriend, we embraced you again and welcomed you into our lives. Then, you retired again. And came back. And retired. And came back. Finally, when we simply couldn't handle this on-again-off-again relationship any longer, you became a Jet. This was okay. Generally speaking, we did not wish you harm. We wished you the best, even thought maybe we could still be friends one day, but we couldn't allow you to keep throwing our lives into upheaval. We had to move on. So, we chose Aaron Rodgers.

And then, Brett Favre, you retired again. We felt a wave of relief, thinking this finally brought closure. It was weird to see you in that different shade of green, but at least it wasn't purple. We began to look past the Brett Favre of the past, and towards a bright future with Aaron Rodgers.

And then, it happened, Brett Favre. You made the switch to the Dark Side. You became a Viking. A Viking! And now I have to look at your stupid #4 purple jersey in the sports stores in my malls.

All respect, all good will, is gone. We no longer wish you peace, success. We wish you fatigue. We wish you losses. We wish you a crappy defense and an even worse offense. Some of us even wish you injuries (although I, personally, am on the fence on this one...you were, after all, a big part of my life...)

I think you did it on purpose. There's no way you didn't know what this would do to us, after 16 years of being a Packer. I think this was out of spite. But you have to understand, Brett Favre, we had to move on. You said you didn't love us anymore, so we found someone else who did.

And now, Brett Favre, we have one of the top 5 quarterbacks in the league. That's right. What are you ranked, Brett Favre? Old. That's what. And guess what? You play my Packers on October 5. The day before my birthday. And I can't wait to wake up on my birthday with the satisfaction that we beat you and your stinking Vikings. Bring it, Brett Favre. You're going down.

Our Family's Myers-Briggs

2009-09-02T14:52:00.002-07:00

Jeremy had to take the Myers-Briggs personality test today for his work at Fuller's orientation. So, we had a little fun.

Jeremy is an INFJ:
"Seek meaning and connection in ideas, relationships, and material possessions. Want to understand what motivates people and are insightful about others. Conscientious and committed to their firm values. Develop a clear vision about how best to serve the common good. Organized and decisive in implementing their vision."
This, in my judgment, is very much my husband. Jeremy thinks it makes him sound boring, but I disagree.

I (Jana) am an ISFJ:
"Quiet, friendly, responsible, and conscientious. Committed and steady in meeting their obligations. Thorough, painstaking and accurate. Loyal, considerate, notice and remember specifics about people who are important to them, concerned with how others feel. Strive to create an orderly and harmonious environment at work and at home."
I wouldn't really describe myself as painstaking and accurate, although Jeremy tells me otherwise. Hmmmm...

And, the most fun - Charlie is an ISTP:
"Tolerant and flexible, quiet observers until a problem appears, then act quickly to find workable solutions. Analyze what makes things work and readily get through large amounts of data to isolate the core of practical problems. Interested in cause and effect, organize facts using logical principles, value efficiency."
For example, Charlie will generally sit around until something scary or loud happens, or he smells food. Then, he will act quickly to find a workable solution - such as how to get away from the scary/loud happening, or how to eat the food. Also, he analyzes things with his nose and seeks to find logical principles and cause and effect - such as, "this smells bad and tastes delicious, thus, anything which smells bad tastes delicious" or "if I go towards that loud truck, it will eat me - so, I must run away."

soy lattes

2009-09-02T09:51:00.002-07:00

I've been longing for a good coffee shop lately. When I spent a summer in Seattle, many of my most memorable - even life-changing - experiences came in a coffee shop. In college, my roommates (which they will forever be called, whether we're actually living in the same place or not) and I would always meet/drive together to the nearest Starbucks (or Biggby's, if Sara was in charge) and spend hours talking and laughing together.

Jeremy and I even made friends with a Starbucks barista in Grand Rapids, who we think was slowly evolving into a woman. Apparently I reminded this barista of his sister, and so he remembered Jeremy and me and often even remembered our normal orders. He (at least, I think you could qualify him as a he, still, by the time we left...I'm not sure what protocol on this would be) disappeared by the time I graduated from Calvin. Jeremy and I still speculate, sometimes, onhow his progress might be coming along.

So, today, I'm home alone. Jeremy's taking his final exam of the summer, then has to work until 2:00. And, since I have no money and no car, I decided to make our apartment into a coffee shop. I made myself a delicious soy latte, since we were left with a mostly-full half-gallon of soy milk from Jeremy's brother, which I only like when combined with coffee, and I turned on some coffee-house music. Charlie is sleeping next to me on the couch (although, as I type this, he's realizing he's falling off the couch, so he's slowly melting his way to the floor and trudging over to his favorite yellow chair), Coldplay is playing, and I'm drinking a nice foamy latte.

If only my roommates were here...

Short People

2009-08-26T14:55:00.004-07:00

While Jeremy's parents were here, we toured multiple places that showed us how small people used to be. At the Getty Center, we saw some old clothes and beds that were very small. At the Huntington art museum, we saw some chairs and clothes that were also very small. And, at the San Gabriel mission, we saw some monastic robes, beds, and doorways that were the smallest yet.

Look how short this doorway is. (You may also notice how cute my husband is, too, but that's beside the point. I believe this is his this-picture-is-stupid face.)

Believe it or not, I don't think the "Low door, watch your head" sign is original.

I've known this is true for a long time, but it always takes me by surprise. I think I first learned this when we went to the Little House on the Prairie house and some of their dresses and shoes were there. And they were tiny. I know that many of the years of my life have been spent getting used to Dutch people, which are remarkably larger than the average human, even today. In Pella, IA and at Calvin College, I was of average height at 5'8". Now that I'm in LA, which I think gives a relatively good cross-section of humanity, I'm very tall. I'm not sure how I feel about that, actually.

Also, I know that this mostly has to do with the fact that we have better nutrition today than we did in the 1800s. Well, not the Dutch people thing - we're just big people, I think - but, I mean, people in general.

It all makes me wonder, though, how tall someone like Goliath really was. If we're so much taller than people in the 1800s or even 1900s, how much taller are we now than the BC people? Maybe David was really like 3'7" and Goliath was just 5'8" like me, but they thought he was a giant. Maybe if David went to Calvin College, he'd be terrified at all the giants.

I'm trying to think of a way to wrap this all up, and I can't. Just random thoughts to share with you, Anna and Hehoff, my only readers.

The end.

the love of a dog

2009-08-14T10:18:00.003-07:00

I'm currently dog-sitting for the day. Our neighbor is getting new carpet today, and so her dog can't stay in her apartment while she's away at work. So, Mona (the dog, not the neighbor) is here in our apartment. Which is great. Charlie loves Mona. She's his second favorite dog in the complex (nobody can ever be greater than Huckleberry in Charlie's heart). They play well together, although today Mona has a sore hip and Charlie has a sore foot, so while they try to play, it's a little pathetic. Mona, however, also loves me - as does Charlie - and so sometimes Mona will come and lick me and ask me to pet her, so I do. But Charlie does not appreciate this, so he comes and nudges his way between Mona and me and gives me more kisses and asks me even more emphatically to pet him. They've apparently worn themselves out, and so Mona is laying at the foot of the couch, and Charlie is laying on me, which doesn't work very well, since he's a big long sausage dog and weighs over 50 pounds. But, he's got to one-up Mona and prove that I am his person and he loves me more than Mona ever could. Ha.

Also, Charlie stinks pretty bad and needs a bath.

I guess it's time for a real live update, aside from videos of my dog and pictures of my terrifying future child. I am officially done with summer classes, which feels pretty dang good. I finished ahead of the deadlines, even, although that had a practical purpose. Jeremy's family is coming to visit us on Monday, and they'll be staying for 2 weeks. So, now I've got no more homework to do while they're here, so I can entertain them while Jeremy has to go to class, etc. But, in celebration of a month with no papers to write or books I have to read, I'm reading a novel. I haven't done that since last summer. Joe Jones by Anne Lamott. Anne Lamott is a Christian fiction writer, which I normally hate with every fiber of my being, but my Mom and my sister both like her, who also normally hate Christian fiction as much as I do (my sister sometimes will read a Christian book, but only on the toilet, for that is where they belong, she says), so I'll give her a shot. So far it's good, but I'm only on page 42. It involves two people who broke up after living together, a "sexy" old woman, and a gay man...so...there's that.

In other news, Jeremy's family is coming for 2 weeks on Monday. Jeremy and I enjoy when people come to visit us, not only so that we can see the people who are visiting (which, yes, is one big reason) but also so that we have an excuse to see or re-see things in the city. So, we keep trying to plan out days with Jeremy's family, but then realize that maybe we should ask them what they want to do first. Anyway, if anyone feels like taking a trip out to LA - come on over!

We're also enjoying our youth group/worship work. We're currently trying to get some of the youth involved in the services, and we've had a few of the kids interested. After watching these kids for a month, we've noticed that when people are asked if they want to do something, nobody will say anything until someone else does it first. So, we're hoping the more we get different people involved, the more people will come out of the woodwork and want to get involved, too. So, that's our project at the moment. But, the services we lead are going well, and the kids seem to enjoy them. There was one week a couple weeks ago where we had a previously-agreed-to service to lead at another church, so when we told the kids we wouldn't be there next Sunday, but another band would be filling in, we saw lots of faces drop. And there are two high school kids who have so far refused to do anything church-related, but then when they heard about Jeremy and me and our service on Sunday mornings, they wanted to come. And they've come for 3 weeks now. So that's all very encouraging...and it's exciting to get to be at least a small part of these kids lives. It makes me want to keep pursuing some worship stuff here at Fuller. I've been focusing more on cultural stuff and urban stuff, which I also love - but this job always reminds me how much I love the worship side, too. Which may mean I'll drop my concentration and just do a general M.Div. so I can diversify a little bit - but we'll see.

I also got new shoes yesterday. For $10 at Target. Now I have something to wear on my feet besides my falling-apart flip-flops. Awesome.

And I guess that's it for now. These posts always end up way longer and more boring than I anticipate them to be when I start. Sorry about that.

no words...

2009-08-02T19:41:00.003-07:00

I discovered a website that merges two pictures in an attempt to show what the child of those two people might look like. So, I got curious, and tried two pictures of Jeremy and me. So, I'm pleased to introduce to you our future child:

Please note that the baby inherited Jeremy's earring, only on both ears. Who knew that was a hereditary trait?
I also particularly enjoy that all the coloring is mine, given that all of my features are from recessive genes. Except for maybe the nose. That might be unavoidable...
But, wow... If this is what our kids will look like, I think I might start looking into adoption. I'm not sure I can morally bring that level of creepiness into the world.

Letters

2009-07-19T08:07:00.002-07:00

Dear Couple sitting two rows in front of me,

I'm glad that you love each other. But please refrain from kissing in the middle of class. And snuggling during lectures.

It's annoying.

Sincerely,
Jana

Charlie vs. The Office Chair

2009-07-05T21:15:00.003-07:00

Charlie's foes may have gotten bigger since the doorstop, but his reaction remains the same.

California Summer

2009-06-28T21:19:00.002-07:00

Summer is most definitely here. It got up to 97 today; Jeremy and I finally broke down and put on the air conditioning. Summer also means...well...summer classes. Jeremy's taking a Greek intensive this summer - or, 10 weeks of 12 credits worth of Greek, meeting 3 times a week for 4 hours per meeting. He's doing well, since he took it at Calvin, but he's grateful for the refresher before he takes classes that utilize Greek. I'm taking three classes this summer (also 12 credits) - a one-week intensive and two two-week intensives. I just finished my one-week intensive, Biblical Foundations of Mission, which met from 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. - long days, but it was a good class. Then I'll start my other two classes soon. So...summer will be busy! Good thing we like what we're doing.

Jeremy and I also begin our jobs this week. (Finally!) We're working in a church, leading a worship service for the youth. I think I mentioned it in my last post...so you can look at it there, because I don't want to type it all now. But, we start this week...and we're excited.

Not too long ago, we went to a place called Venice Beach, which is basically the hippie haven of the LA beach scene. Here, we learned why pot should not be legalized. The area started off as one of my favorites in LA so far; there were vendors lining the beach, selling their art glass and jewelry and cool clothes. The further we walked, however, the more bong-sellers we passed and the more really bad indie music street musicians we passed, which soon turned into people on bikes yelling "Hey, man, you want a bong?" and a not-so-authentic looking medicinal marijuana clinic. And, it culminated with a guy, who rode his bike in a sort of zig-zag pattern, running over an unsupervised small child. But, hey, the beginning of the street was pretty cool.

Also, I think every Christian should watch the movie Saved. And that's all I have to say about that.

Jeremy would like you to know that Charlie has developed the ability to be even lazier than he was before, which is no small feat.

As you can tell, I'm running out of things to update you on. We're still doing well and we still like California a lot. And we're keeping busy. At this very moment, we're all piled on the couch, Jeremy and I on one cushion, and charlie on the other...with his butt trying to push me further onto my own side. This is in fact an improvement, as usually Jeremy and I are laying on the floor, while Charlie stretches out across the whole couch. Oops.

And, as always, I leave you with a picture. Let's make it a Charlie one:

What's happening lately, in bullet points.

2009-05-28T17:02:00.004-07:00

We're heading towards finals, which means Jeremy and I both are spending our entire lives on our computers, in the library, or with our head in a book somewhere doing research and study. Hooray!
I've developed an addiction to gummy bears and decided that I prefer white wine over red, but I'd drink either one.
It turns out I don't think I hate Adam Lambert as much as I thought I did. Now that American Idol is over, I can appreciate his talent, and I think I was more reacting to the way the judges were clearly defining him as the winner, and simply thanking everyone else for showing up to the Adam concert. So, please accept my apology, Adam, although I must say you're still not my favorite. Judges...boo to you.
I recently lost my babysitting job when the father of the 2 kids got laid off. So, we're back to square one. Jeremy has a job doing telerelations for Fuller - a fancy way of saying he's calling alumni to ask for money. Not his favorite, but it's something. Meanwhile...
...we do have some exciting job opportunities! We're currently in conversations with two different churches in the area regarding some open positions. One church had just opened up a search committee to find an on-staff, part-time worship leader, when they were given Jeremy and my resumes by a connection of ours. So, we officially have an interview with them, first informally on June 21st, then more formally to follow, along with a "trial run" of leading a service for them and some observations, etc. etc. etc...
...The other church is looking for some help developing their youth program. Part of this will be an entire youth-centered worship service, which Jeremy and I would lead, among some other things. It would be with mostly high school students - maybe some junior high - but what we like about this position is that it's very multi-cultural. The church has 5 different congregations that meet for worship seperately (except for a once-a-month combined service) because they're primarily made up of first-generation immigrant families. However, most of the high school/junior high students were born in the US and primarily speak English - plus, their friends are English-speakers who aren't necessarily of the same ethnicity - so they're really craving a time when they can worship with the people they feel more of a community with. So, the church's big vision is to create a youth-centered, multi-ethnic worship service that would meet seperately from the other 5 services held at the church, in hopes of creating a sense of reconciliation and grooming the next generation to worship together as one body of Christ. That's pretty cool. :) Also, another issue a lot of the youth are facing is the tension of essentially having two cultures, since their parents are relatively new to the US, but the youth have spent their whole lives here. That tension is something that Jeremy faces, as well - and, together, Jeremy and I often face issues of multi-ethnic relationships, etc. So, it's pretty exciting to think of having the opportunity not only to minister and develop young leaders in worship and faith, but also to use some of the unique aspects of our relationships to minister to others, as well.
Basically, though...we need money. So, we're praying that something comes through and quickly. While the second option would be more of a challenge, we think we're decently equipped to do either one (maybe the first one more so, but the second one, too). The tricky thing is thinking of our financial needs in tension with the needs of the individual churches...and, ultimately, the kingdom of God, really...so...we're praying.
Charlie is always discovering more and more ways to be weird. These ways include drinking from the toilet, "boinging" the door stops, climbing to the top of Mt. Puppy Pooper (otherwise known as the top/back of our couch), opening and closing doors with his nose, undoing zippers, and pushing library books across the floor.
He's also developed a crippling fear of garbage trucks and dumpsters.

Those ended up being longer bullet points than I anticipated. Oh well. Here's a picture to make you feel better.

Spring in Pasadena: A Photo Update

2009-05-16T14:04:00.003-07:00

I present to you...

an update in pictures.

I am fascinated by lemons on trees.

Some people live in houses bigger than our entire apartment complex. Who lives in these places??

LA traffic at its finest.

Best sculpture ever.

(On our first anniversary date!)

A Rant on Adam Lambert

2009-05-13T08:57:00.001-07:00

Okay. I admit it. Adam Lambert, from American Idol, is good. He's got and incredible talent for connecting to the emotion of the song he's singing, and, lets face it, he can hit some notes. There. I said it. He's got talent.

But, really? Does no one else see the intense musical theater-ness of his style? Is there no one else in the world who thinks he has HUGE potential as a Broadway star, but not so much on the radio? Or, even better - does anyone else see the potential he has to be the world's next Meatloaf? How's that for filling a gaping cultural hole?

And, really? Does he always have to get the best performance spot on the show? Is it really necessary that he end (or almost end) nearly every show of this season, leaving us with a huge Adam-imprint to carry us into voting?

And does he really need to get all the fancy lights and stage set-ups, when everyone else gets a mic in the center of the stage...or maybe, just maybe, in the middle of the "mosh pit" of teenage girls in the front?

And One?? Really?? One??? Sure, it was a decent performance, but I'm sorry, no one - not even the Lord of the Universe Adam Lambert - can touch that song. Except Bono.

Am I the only one who notices the incredible bias that American Idol presents with every Adam Lambert performance?

And please, Mr. Lambert. Put away your tongue. I gag a little whenever I see it.

Charlie vs. The Doorstop

2009-05-12T19:48:00.002-07:00

Charlie has recently discovered the door stop.
Enough said.

Yahweh

2009-05-08T08:48:00.002-07:00

I recently finished spending hours and hours of my life writing a paper about a psalm of lament - Psalm 13 - which essentially declares that Yahweh is a God who cares and is personally invested in His people. The psalmist cried out in pain to Yahweh, appealing to this very fact. In the psalm itself, the psalmist laments of a feeling of separation from God and pleads with Him to look upon him once again. And this plea isn't an empty one; instead, it is one full of expectation and hope and trust that God will do so because it is who he is. Yahweh is not a God who leaves his powers unknown or eternally abandons his people. No - he is the God of the covenant of Abraham; the God that says, forever, "I will be your God, and you will be my people."

The morning of turning in this paper, we discussed in class the significance of the date 587 BC for the Old Testament Hebrew people. This was the year in which Jerusalem was destroyed and the Israelites went into exile in the hands of the Babylonians. 587 BC. This was the turning point of the Old Testament people - which means that for generations and generations and generations before that, Yahweh was worshiped. This was not the beginning, but the climax.

587 BC. Our God was served far earlier than 587 BC.

Immediately after turning in this paper, I attended a chapel service at Fuller, which included communion. The focus of the service was Hebrews 13:8: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

We serve the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We serve the God of the covenant of Abraham. We serve the God who was worshiped in 587 BC - and earlier. A song says, "Yesterday, today, and forever - you are the same, you never change." And so this covenant that was made to Abraham (far before 587 BC!), the covenant the psalmist in Psalm 13 drew upon for hope in his pain, still stands for us today. The promise to "never leave you or forsake you" which was given as far back as Deuteronomy, Joshua, and 1 Kings is reiterated in Hebrews - and can be clung to by the followers of Yahweh today.

This promise is not a finished one. It did not end with Abraham. It did not end in 587 BC in Babylon. It did not end with Jesus Christ and his death on a cross. It was resurrected with him and lives on forever. And, just as the psalmist in Psalm 13, we can call upon it in our pain in full hope - resurrection hope - that our God - Yahweh, the covenant God - will never leave us or forsake us.

Look out, Conan!

2009-05-05T20:53:00.002-07:00

You probably have heard that Jay Leno is no longer doing the Tonight Show on NBC. You've probably also heard that he's going to make an attempt at a sort of variety show, which I assume will probably fail, as all variety shows do, but that is neither here nor there.

Another thing you've probably heard is that Conan O'Brien is taking Jay's spot on late-night NBC.

Oh, and you should know by now that Jeremy and I now live in Pasadena, CA, which is located in the Los Angeles area. You might also be aware of the fact that the Tonight Show is located in LA.

One thing you probably don't know (yet), however, is that there's a lottery to win free tickets to Conan once he makes the switch to Leno's spot in June.

And guess who has tickets? We do!

On Monday, June 15, check out Conan O'Brien - 11:35/10:35 Central p.m. We just might just grace your TV with our presence!

A Confession

2009-04-27T21:36:00.002-07:00

I have a confession to make. I love pretty much any cheesy show that involves singing. I'm addicted to American Idol (although you could argue that it's not cheesy...then again, you could argue it is...*cough*ryanseacrest*cough*), and I still watch beauty pageants for the talent competition (although the girly side of me is, admittedly, intrigued by all the pretty dresses). Tonight, I watched Mama Mia! while my husband was away for the night. I'm always drawn to movies like Rent and Hairspray...and, yes, I even once watched High School Musical. What can I say, I'm a sucker for singing. In the same vein, I've always loved shows like Star Search or America's Got Talent or, now, Britain's Got Talent (way to go, Susan Boyle!).

Maybe it's because I'm a singer. Maybe it's because I have a morbid fascination of hearing people who think they can sing fail - although maybe not, because I can't stand the auditions for that very reason. I don't know what it is...but I love singing and musicals - everything from to Bye Bye Birdie to The Sound of Music to Les Miserables.

That said, I do draw the line somewhere. High School Musical was too ridiculous even for me. I just couldn't do it.

So, my confession is this: Have you heard of the upcoming new FOX show, Glee? I can't wait for it to start. I'm almost looking forward to American Idol being over so it can start. (Almost.) I even wrote the date of the premiere on my calendar (Tuesday, May 19 - after the American Idol finale). A bunch of outcast kids finding a place in high school through singing and dancing - and, what's more, singing and dancing to Journey??? Sign me up!

There you have it. Give me a cheesy song and dance, and I'm a happy camper.

progress on the job front

2009-04-17T18:21:00.002-07:00

Our hunt for income continues, but we've gotten some good news the past few days.

First of all, the family I'll be babysitting for contacted me earlier this week with news that the current babysitter, who's expecting twins this summer, was put on bed rest for the rest of her pregnancy due to high blood pressure. While I'm sure this is frustrating for her, it means that I'll start two weeks earlier than expected - and my first full day is Tuesday! They were hoping to have me come a few more times for some "half days" before I jumped in to an 8 hour day, but that's not an option anymore...so, Tuesday, here we come. It's a relief to know that at least some income is headed our way sooner rather than later.

In other news, we've sorta been in process with a church looking for some leadership help in worship. We've gone to visit a few times already, and were so welcomed and genuinely "loved-on" - the church and the people in it have already found a spot in our hearts, I think. And, believe it or not, they already asked us to play in the worship band on Easter Sunday - which marked our third time of attending a service there! Crazy. Anyway, we went there initially because we were told they were looking for musicians/worship leaders and were told to send our resumes, etc. So, we did, and the process began. We met with the senior pastor and the pastor of ministries over lunch today, when we found out that they weren't really able to offer a staff position at this time, but they're definitely needing more support on the leadership front. The past few years, they have 2 committed leaders, but it's not their main job, so a lot of the planning tends to fall on the pastor and especially his wife - which they enjoy, but they're doing more than they'd like. So, they offered the possibility of pulling us on board to help fill out the gaps, at least, for a stipend pay for each service we'd lead. Which would be great for us - we've both been longing for a church that we could really call a church home - where we could really get involved and build relationships and all that good stuff. And this seems like a great place for us to do that. They mentioned some other areas of their ministry where they'd love some extra help - some worship-related, and some more community development related, but all of them would be great experience for me, especially given my masters program! And, Jeremy, too, of course. Since most of their worship people are only able to help out on a volunteer level or, if they're on "contract", they've still got lots of other things happening during the week, they've got some gaps which they were hoping we could fill. And, the pastor of ministries even said, "We don't want to lose you!" at one point, so I think they're glad to have us stick around. (And we are too!) And, while it wouldn't help pay the bills as well as a staff position would, it still helps us financially - anything is better than the nothing we've had so far! - and it gives us some great experience during our seminary training. Not to mention, I'll need some internships later on in my degree, and it will be much easier to figure that out when I have a church I'm committed to and involved in rather than a church I just go to and disappear every Sunday... So, it's good news.

Thanks for all the prayers and support everyone's given us before. I was reminded the other day just how powerful prayer really is as an agent of change - our God is good and his mercy endures forever.

an experiment in verbosity

2009-04-15T22:19:00.003-07:00

I've noticed that my husband's blogs are much more eloquent than my own. Being that I am clearly the superior being, I cannot allow this atrocity to continue the pleasure of existence any longer. Thus, I have come to the decision that my posts must be brimming with grandiosity. I hope that's a word.

We have finished The Sopranos. Perhaps a number of you are not acquainted with this piece of television brilliance, but it is, in fact, brilliant. However, I cannot seem to comprehend the complexity of the final moments. Tragically, I cannot divulge the details of this sequence, because I am about to commence my commendation of the show to the entirety of my audience. (All four of you...) I plead with each and every one of you to watch this show. It is a thing of beauty, allowing the viewer an inside look into the underworld of organized crime in the form of the mafia, while instilling in all who are willing a love for these seemingly degenerate sociopaths. In fact, I even shed a tear when one of the protagonists met his untimely demise at the hands of a murderer. The Sopranos shows the viewer beauty in the midst of depravity. (Hey, that sentence actually held a little depth...)

Meanwhile, tomorrow marks the commemoration of the birth of my beloved canine companion, Sir Charles Watson the Valiant. He has enjoyed life for the entirety of one year. In order to herald his event, my husband and I intend to make our merry way to the lovely Old Pasadena, where an establishment named Three Dog Bakery resides. Here, furry friends can enjoy frosting, ice cream, and cookies created especially for "man's best friend." Following this, we intend to carry our pal to the dog park, a place where he can run and play and find joy in so doing, after which he will inevitably drift off to slumber, allowing us to complete our studies in peace.

And now, my friends, may you enjoy the rest of your activities in cyberspace. My time here has been completed, and I shall retire to my other tasks. Peace be with you.

(Whew! That was hard work...still. I win.)

You should probably feel bad for my dog.

2009-04-09T23:22:00.004-07:00

Feel bad for me!

Poor Charlie's had a bad week.

First, we left him for Jeremy's green card interview in Detroit. He doesn't do well when we leave, and we were told he didn't eat for the 3 days we were gone. We were also told that every time he would be left alone in our apartment, he would howl for at least 15 minutes. (Well, "howl." For being a basset hound, he's not so good at howling. It's more of a really sad sounding bark. Still, I'm sure the neighbors loved it.)

Then, despite getting to play with his two new favorite dogs in the world, Huckleberry and Mona, while we were gone, the stress of being alone followed by the euphoria of being reunited with Jeremy and me set off his panosteitis. (For the non-dog-obsessed, panosteitis is basically really bad growing pains in a young dog's bones, and is really common in male basset hounds under 2 years old.) So, he was limping and whimpering and generally in pain within a short while of us coming home.

And, to add insult to injury, it turns out that Charlie is illergic to bees...well, probably bees. If not bees, some other mystery California bug that lurks in the grass. After taking him outside last night, Charlie's nose suddenly swelled up (Jeremy and I actually saw this in progress...), followed by lots and lots of doggy vomit. We went to the dog version of WebMD and thought it was something food related, especially since we gave him table scraps due to his not eating for 3 days while we were gone. So, we took him to the vet as soon as we could today, and learned that he was stung by a bee (or some other bug, but the vet thought it was a bee), which set off an allergic reaction. So, he got a shot and some pills, and is doing much better...although very groggy.

Poor puppy.

Legal Permanent Resident of the United States of America

2009-04-06T11:07:00.001-07:00

We're approved!! The green card interview was surprisingly easy, and we're instantly approved and the actual card will come to us in the mail in 10 days. Such a HUGE relief!

It's finally setting in, I think. Although we're feeling sore and headache-y now that we can relax a little...but it's okay.

Jeremy is a Legal Permanent Resident of the United States of America!

Hooray!!

Hooray!

2009-04-04T12:00:00.003-07:00

I beat Olga! I was informed last night that I got the babysitting job. So, starting for sure by the end of the month (maybe sooner), I'll be working two full days a week with great hours and great pay. SUCH an answer to prayer, and a very encouraging way for us to leave sunny Southern California for 35-degree-and-snowy Detroit, MI. We're very excited about the good news and relieved to know that at least some income is coming our way. :)

Hooray!

In other news, we bought a paper shredder. This whole social security number fiasco has us very paranoid, so we're now shredding everything that has any hint of personal information on it before we recycle it. So if you want my identity, too bad for you. It's shredded.

And today we're spending the day getting ready for the big meeting. I'm very nervous and jittery and have to keep doing things or I'll go absolutely nuts. But, we keep thinking of things we need to do before we leave, like buy airplane-friendly toiletries, make sure we have all our paperwork in order, rearrange the apartment so Charlie can't leave the kitchen, get Jeremy some clothes for the interview, etc. etc. etc. And, sadly, we're missing a hiking excursion in order to do so. (Thanks for asking, though, Peter!)

And now Charlie is begging to go outside, so I better take him before we have a mess on the floor. Hopefully next time I post on here, I'll be married to a Legal Permanent Resident of the United States of America! :) (Please, Lord? Please?)

Feel like praying?

2009-04-02T09:17:00.005-07:00

It feels like a lot of important stuff is happening in a very short span of time. Take a deep breath...here we go:

1. Jeremy's green card interview is Monday morning in Detroit. We're both exciting and terrified for our 11:30 appointment! We've been told that the interview is always less scary then it seems; basically, we need to prove to the Department of Homeland Security that we really are married and we really do love each other and this isn't all just to let Jeremy stay in the country. Which, I would hope, shouldn't be hard. But, as some of you remember, the whole process has been stressful and longer than we anticipated, so we're looking forward to this being done. Assuming everything goes well in the interview, our lawyer tells us we should have the card in our hands within 3 weeks. We're expecting a little longer, mostly because that's how this process seems to go AND so that if it does come in 3 weeks, we'll be pleasantly surprised! Regardless of when it comes, though, when we have it, we're throwing a party. Guinness floats will abound.

2. We found out yesterday that someone may have stolen my social security number. We tried to open a new bank account, and they couldn't let us because someone in Chicago opened an account, overdrew it, and then left it without paying any off the fees that were piling up - all using my social security number. The good news is, though, that my credit score is still fine and it doesn't look like she's made any huge purchases, so there's a chance it might have been a clerical error in the bank. But, still, I have to go through the whole process of reporting (which, by the way, doesn't seem to be very efficient - I have to wait for a week for things to come in the mail before I can even know the whole process of reporting things. Safer, I guess, but a lot can happen in a week...). Still, if she's trying to get some cold hard money, I think she maybe went for the wrong identity. I'm sure this woman will be very impressed with all the money I have to my name. She'll have a great time at the dollar spot at Target. :)

3. In more exciting news, I'm waiting to hear - probably today - if I got a job babysitting 2 great little boys 2 days a week. This has been a month-long process; the family is looking to replace someone they've had with them for 10 years, doing different tasks, so for them it's like replacing a family member. So I've had three or four "trial runs" with these boys, most of which have ended with a "Mommy, that was so fun!" and a big hug from the boys, so I think I've got a good shot. I am, however, up against someone named Olga, which could work to my advantage or disadvantage. :) But, it would be fun and they're a great family, so hopefully I get some good news.

4. Also on the job-hunting front, Jeremy and I are finally getting to use our CRC/Calvin College connections. :) To make a long story short, we got hooked up with a recruiter for the CRC in Southern California who met my parents, and she told us of a church about 35 min. away from our apartment that is looking for worship leaders. After mentioning this to my parents, we learned that the pastor went to seminary with my dad, and they were RDs in the dorms when my parents were, too, at the beginning for their marriage. So, the recruiter gave the church our resumes, and we went to visit the church on Sunday, and it was incredible. We were greeted so well by both people who knew who we were and why we were there and by people who just saw new faces. People were giving us hugs and hooked us up with other people our age - some of whom went to Calvin - and we ended up going out for lunch with the pastor's wife and another person our age. Someone even invited us over for Easter! And the worship was so genuine; it really reminded me a lot of the church I grew up in - down to the same chairs, stage set-up, and pulpit! I think we'd fit in well there...I've never been so well received at a church before... The pastor himself was gone to Grand Rapids, believe it or not, but we talked with another woman who'd been reviewing our resumes and she was SO excited about both me and Jeremy. So, apparently the pastor was coming back on Monday, then was swamped with meetings Tues. and Wed., and then hopefully by the end of the week we could set up a time to meet with him. It's SO exciting to think of having an actual, fulfilling job, rather than some of the other places we've applied. Jeremy and I both love leading worship, and it's a big part of what we were preparing ourselves for in college, so it's VERY exciting to think we'd get to do that AND keep studying... But, assuming we'd split that and I'd get the babysitting job, we feel like we'd be pretty well set money-wise, which is also a nice feeling. We just have to get there first. :)

5. We've finally started at Fuller! Monday was our first day of classes. We only have classes on Mondays and Wednesdays, which is great, especially as we're looking down the barrel at some job opportunities. Jeremy and I are taking two classes together, which will save us some book money - American Church History and Old Testament writings - and then we each have a night class. Jeremy's taking Christian Ethics and I'm in Culture and Transformation. We're both excited about all three of our classes, and the first week went well. Hooray! :)

So, if anyone's been wondering if we need prayer...yes, please. :) We'd really appreciate staying in your thoughts and prayers as we go into these next few days and weeks. If you made it all the way down, thanks for reading...and, of course, I have to leave you with a picture! So...here's one from hiking with two of our neighbors about a week ago:

for your viewing pleasure

2009-03-29T09:09:00.002-07:00

...a typical night at Apartment 19:

Mom and Dad's Visit

2009-03-23T09:10:00.004-07:00

Over the weekend, we got to show my parents around Pasadena. My dad had some meetings in Long Beach, so my mom came with him and came to visit us over the weekend. We had a great time! Jeremy and I really enjoyed playing tour guide, and it was great to be able to show my parents where we are and what we'll be doing. They even came to Happy Hour Fridays! ) It was a great weekend. And, of course, my camera was with me all the way. Here are some highlights:

St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-15T23:43:00.002-07:00

I'm not usually a big St. Patrick's Day celebrator. I have no Irish in me. I just love these videos for some reason, and I couldn't resist.

According to The Sopranos, hell is an Irish bar, and it's St. Patrick's Day every day. I guess, then, if you're worried about your salvation, picture this re-playing for all eternity, and I think you might be saved. :)

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Breakin' with Barack

2009-03-15T23:06:00.001-07:00

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Gilead

2009-03-14T16:00:00.002-07:00

I just finished reading Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. It's a great book, and those of you who haven't read it should.

I especially love this passage:

"There is no justice in love, no proportion in it, and there need not be, because in any specific instance it is only a glimpse or parable of an embracing, incomprehensible reality. It makes no sense at all because it is the eternal breaking in on the temporal." (page 238)

God is good.

Pictures of Pasadena

2009-03-13T00:10:00.004-07:00

Well, you've seen pictures of our apartment - how about some pictures of Pasadena?

I miss these people.

2009-03-10T15:22:00.002-07:00

That's all.

Our New Apartment

2009-03-07T08:49:00.001-08:00

I tried to post a video of our new apartment, but our stolen internet connection is too slow. (I know, I know - we're working on not stealing anymore...we'll get there...) So, I'll do some pictures instead.

We'll start with the office.

Here's the kitchen...

...and the living room, complete with Jeremy watching Seinfeld...

And look, we have a kitchen table!

And, hey, more kitchen.

For some reason, I can't get the pictures of the bedroom to upload, but basically what you can see is the bed and a window...so it's not that cool. But we have a closet and our cool red wall-hanging, too, and I made some pseudo-curtains by draping some sari cloth over the window...so it's neat.

So, there's our apartment, in all of it's glory. All 550 square feet of it. :) What do you think?

Our New Home

2009-03-03T20:44:00.002-08:00

A friend of mine suggested I just update my blog and tell everyone to read it so I don't have to keep giving the same update over and over on facebook, so I thought I'd take her up on that advice. :) So, friend of mine, here it is!

Jeremy and I are in California, and we love it! The weather has been fantastic - sunny and 70s and rain only once (and by rain, I mean drizzle for awhile, still warm, and sunny after that). But, more than that, the people in our apartment complex couldn't have been more welcoming. Everyone eats together each Friday night, and one couple has taken us hiking and to a nearby farmer's market. There are also plenty of dogs for Charlie to play with! And that's not to mention the great view of mountains AND palm trees all in one sight - one of my favorite new features. We're having a great time!

Our apartment is small, but we like it. It's actually 100 square feet larger than our last one, but it's got two bedrooms. As of a few hours ago, all the boxes are unpacked and everything has a home; there are just a few boxes to go into storage and we're finished. I guess that's the nice thing about not having a ton of stuff; it doesn't take long to unpack! But it's a much nicer feeling to sit in an apartment that's full of your stuff with pictures on the walls than to sit in an apartment surrounded by boxes.

Up next: we start our classes at Fuller on March 30th. Until then, we'll be job hunting (with a few small leads from some conversations with Fuller people this morning), hunting down necessities like TV and internet (I'm currently stealing from someone across the fence, I think...), and getting to know the city a little better.

In other news, Jeremy has a green card interview! We'll have to go back to Detroit, but the interview is scheduled for April 6th. We're excited it came so fast, and in some ways feel like God is playing a little joke on us, since so much of our Seattle vs. Pasadena decision making banked on this interview. Nonetheless, it seems very clear that God has brought us to Pasadena, so we're trusting we'll learn more and more of why as we go on here.

Speaking of God (nice segue, huh?), if you remember to pray for us, we'd really appreciate it! We're getting a little nervous about finding jobs here; we learned this morning that Fuller has a hiring freeze on campus as of a few months ago, so that takes out a lot of potential leads we thought we had. They have given us some other options and some helpful places to look, but it's still a little scary to hear news like that. We're also starting to get organized for the green card interview, finding supporting documents, pictures, and stories to help prove that our marriage is real. So, those are the two things weighing most heavily on our hearts; but really, we're mostly thankful for how God has brought us here.

Now that everything's set up, you can expect pictures of the apartment soon. Thanks for reading!

Florida to California

2009-02-13T12:05:00.005-08:00

Wow, it's been awhile since my last post. But, rather than dwelling on that, I'll just continue as if I never stopped.

Jeremy and I just returned from 10 days away in Disney World for a long-overdue honeymoon. We've been married 9 months already, but with a big trip to Malaysia this summer (which doesn't count as a honeymoon because we hung out with family all but 1 day) and having to work and finish school, this was the best time to do it. We had a great time meeting Disney characters and letting ourselves be swept away in the world of Disney.

And now we feel as though we're leaving our childhood behind and entering into the land of grown ups. In only 8 days, we pack up all our earthly belongings in a U-Haul, strap in our dog, and drive from Michigan to California to start at Fuller Seminary. (For those of you who are feeling confused, Seattle fell through due to economic and immigration issues, but it's a long story - if you want more details, just ask.) Jeremy and I have never seen the LA area, we have an apartment but we've never seen it, we don't know anyone there, we don't have jobs...it's a bit of a terrifying situation for two people who like to plan out big decisions and weigh options and know details! But, we're excited for the next step and excited that we get to do this together - and, of course, it will be nice to have some sun and blue sky (or maybe brown with pollution...) for a change. :)

So, since we re-entered the real world after the Magic Kingdom, we've been running around tying up loose ends and preparing for the big road trip (in a giant vehicle...towing a small vehicle...) California, here we come!

But for now - how about some more pictures from our trip to Disney?

Beauty

2008-11-05T20:30:00.002-08:00

I will only say one thing about the historic election that took place 24 hours ago.

Barack Obama was born in 1961. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963.

It is a incredible, beautiful thing that a black man who was born into a segregated America is now America's president.

Fall

2008-11-02T13:44:00.005-08:00

Fall is by far my favorite season. I love the colors, the colder weather, the scarves, the apples and peppers and squash. And so, here is my tribute to fall. :)

Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front (Wendell Berry)

2008-11-01T17:31:00.009-07:00

Love the quick profit, the annual raise,
vacation with pay. Want more
of everything ready-made. Be afraid
to know your neighbors and to die.
And you will have a window in your head.
Not even your future will be a mystery
any more. Your mind will be punched in a card
and shut away in a little drawer.
When they want you to buy something
they will call you. When they want you
to die for profit they will let you know.

So, friends, every day do something
that won't compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world. Work for nothing.
Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it.
Denounce the government and embrace
the flag. Hope to live in that free
republic for which it stands.
Give your approval to all you cannot
understand. Praise ignorance, for what man
has not encountered he has not destroyed.

Ask the questions that have no answers.
Invest in the millenium. Plant sequoias.
Say that your main crop is the forest
that you did not plant,
that you will not live to harvest.
Say that the leaves are harvested
when they have rotted into the mold.
Call that profit. Prophesy such returns.

Put your faith in the two inches of humus
that will build under the trees
every thousand years.
Listen to carrion - put your ear
close, and hear the faint chattering
of the songs that are to come.
Expect the end of the world. Laugh.
Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful
though you have considered all the facts.
So long as women do not go cheap
for power, please women more than men.
Ask yourself: Will this satisfy
a woman satisfied to bear a child?
Will this disturb the sleep
of a woman near to giving birth?

Go with your love to the fields.
Lie down in the shade. Rest your head
in her lap. Swear allegiance
to what is nighest your thoughts.
As soon as the generals and the politicos
can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it. Leave it as a sign
to mark the false trail, the way
you didn't go. Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.

A Public Apology

2008-10-30T09:46:00.002-07:00

It's election season. And it seems that every election season brings its own set of drama. But, maybe it's just because I'm more informed than ever before, or maybe it's that this is only the second time I can vote and I think I made the wrong choice last time around (sorry world...), but it seems to me that this election season has brought on more drama than usual.

And I'm a little - a lot - embarrassed.

Christians across the country (and maybe even around the world) are giving my Lord a bad name. My Jesus is not pro-war, pro-rich, pro-death, pro-judgement, pro-racism, pro-violence, pro-mudslinging, or pro-discrimination. My Jesus does not ride into battle in a tank. My Jesus does not make cartoons calling the homeless lazy. My Jesus does not use out-of-context proof texts to name someone as the Antichrist. My Jesus does not call someone terrorist, or insinuate that to be Arab is to be dangerous. My Jesus doesn't shout "Off with his head!" at the sound of someone's name.

No, my Jesus is pro-love, pro-charity, pro-life (and, therefore, I believe anti-death penalty, anti-war, and anti-anything that brings death), pro-acceptance, pro-healing, pro-meekness, pro peace. My Jesus rides on a donkey, not to bring hatred and violence, but to bring a violent love. My Jesus silently endured the shouts cast at his own name, led like a lamb to the slaughter.

My Jesus taught us beauty. My Jesus taught us to serve the widow, the orphan, the foreigner. He taught us to live in such a way that no one should ever be in want - even if it means giving up of ourselves (and our hard-earned money) in order to do so.

America likes to call itself a Christian nation. And yet there is violence. There is hatred. There are those in need, and, what's worse, they are abandoned by those who have more than enough to help. Because we are so concerned about our own comfort - so "in need" of that Wii, that car, that computer, those extra 100 channels on your TV, those extra 3 seconds saved by a faster internet connection - we refuse to help those who are in need of food, clean water, and a roof over their heads. We refuse to help the ones who don't even have the basic human needs, when we have more than some could ever ask for.

And so I apologize. I apologize for all those "Christians" who work so hard to prove someone is the Antichrist, a terrorist, or a killer. I apologize for all those "Christians" who throw around words of hate. I apologize for all those "Christians" who will not help, even in the face of a God who went so far as to suffer torture and death on our behalf.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very natureGod,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very natureof a servant,
being made in human likeness.
Phil. 2:5-7

He emptied himself. Emptied himself. Made himself nothing.

My Jesus is beauty. My Jesus is love. My Jesus is peace and selflessness and mercy and grace. And now we are the body of Christ here on earth, and we let it lie limp. We throw it back in the tomb to let it rot, lest we lose our comfort.

I'm sorry for the very unChristian behavior of some "Christians" as of late.

They are not my Jesus.

A Letter to the Church in the United States

2008-10-12T17:51:00.005-07:00

I found this from the Micah Challenge website (through a series of clicks and links, etc.) and thought it was a powerful reminder of our call in Christ. I could write more about it, but I think I'd rather it speak for itself...

If, after you read it, you decide to take action, an easy way for you to start is included on this same website: sign a letter the soon-to-be president of the United States (read it and sign it here).

August, 2008

TO THE CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES

As the Church of the Lord in what is known as the "Southern" part of the world, moved by the Holy Spirit to fight for the abundant life that Jesus Christ offers, we address our Christian family in the United States, a Church of the same covenant, faith and love. Grace and Peace to all of our brothers and sisters.

We know your works of love; these works have allowed millions of human beings for many generations in our countries in the South to receive the gospel, the Grace of Jesus Christ and the power of His Salvation. The U.S. church's untiring missionary effort planted in our lands Hope in Him who came to reconcile EVERYTHING.

Nevertheless, the political, social and economic situation in the places where this hope has been announced is increasingly distressing. Millions of people in the global South are dying of hunger, violence and injustice. These situations of poverty and pain are not simply the product of the internal functions of our countries; rather they are the results of the international policies of the governments that wield global power.

Therefore, we have this against you, brothers and sisters, that along with this powerful announcing of the Gospel, the Church from the United States has not also raised its voice in protest against the injustices that powerful governments and institutions are inflicting on the global South - injustices that afflict the lives and ecosystems of millions of people who, centuries after the proclamation of the Gospel, still have not seen the sweat of their brow turned into bread.

The worsening inequality and poverty in the South is alarming. Seven years since the United States and 191 other nations publicly promised to cut extreme global poverty in half by the year 2015 through the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), your country has made only a little progress towards fulfilling its commitments.

The MDGs should stir us to action because they echo the calls of the biblical prophets for justice and equity. Further, they are achievable and measurable markers on the roadmap to end extreme global poverty.

And so we ask you as sisters and brothers, citizens of the wealthiest most powerful nation on earth, to publicly challenge your candidates and political leaders - now and after the elections are over - to lead the world in the struggle to cut global poverty in half by 2015. If you who know the Truth will not speak for us who will?

The Church in the United States has the opportunity today to be faithful to the Hope that it preaches. We urge you to remember that the Hope to which you were called as a messenger demands that you seek first the Kingdom of God and God's justice.

Out of love for us, the global Church, in holiness, use your citizenship responsibly for the benefit of the entire world; it is for this very reason that the Lord poured out His life on the Cross.

All who have ears, let them hear what the Lord says to His Church.

Ndaba Mazabane

President

Association of Evangelicals in Southern Africa

Bishop Gerry Seale

General Secretary/CEO

Evangelical Association of the Caribbean

Dr. Richard Howell

General Secretary

Evangelical Fellowship of India

Rev Moss Ntlha

General Secretary

Evangelical Alliance of South Africa

C. Rene Padilla

President

Kairos (Peru)

Pastor Owen Isaacs

General Secretary

Evangelical Fellowship of Botswana

Bishop Efraim Tendero

President

Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches

Rev Heng Cheng

General Secretary/CEO

Evangelical Fellowship of Cambodia

Bishop Paul Mususu

Executive Director/CEO

Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia

Rev Bambang Semedi

General Secretary

Southern Part Sumatera Christian Church

Dr. Reynaldo R. Avante

National Coordinator

Micah Challenge Philippines

Bishop Mano Rumalshah

Bishop

Diocese of Peshawar (Pakistan)

Alfonso Weiland

Co-founder

Paz y Esperanza (Peru)

Erika Izquierdo

Paz y Esperanza (Peru)

Lawrence Tempfwe

National Facilitator

Micah Challenge Zambia

Rev Joe Simfukwe

Principal

Bible College of Central Africa

João Pedro Martins

National Coordinator

Micah Challenge Portugal

Rev Soleman Batti

Chairman

The Toraja Church (Indonesia)

Rev Untung S.K. Wijayaputra

President

The Toraja Mamasa Church (Indonesia)

d'Karlo Pyrba

Director

YABIMA Foundation (Indonesia)

Semuel Takajanji

Director

Kuda Putih Sejahtera Foundation (Indonesia)

Rev Iskandar Saher

Executive Director

Center for the Development of Holistic Ministry (Indonesia)

Gahungu Bunini*

General Secretary

Evangelical Alliance of Rwanda

*Signed on with the names of 16 pastors in the Evangelical Alliance of Rwanda

Bishop Mano Rumalshah

Bishop

Diocese of Peshawar (Pakistan)

Rev Michael Dasey

Rector

Gungahlin Anglican Church (Australia)

Rev Geoffrey Taylor

Director

SoulSupply (Australia)

Rev. Paul Craig

Senior Pastor

Diamond Valley Baptist Church (Australia)

Rev Greg Templeton

Pastor
Sydenham Baptist Church (Australia)

Morris Alex

Pastor

Souls Outreach Church

Captain Robert Casburn,

Commanding Officer

The salvation Army Northern Waves Fellowship (Australia)

[from http://www.micahchallenge.us/letter_to_the_church.shtml]

Green with Envy?

2008-10-01T16:25:00.004-07:00

Jeremy and I have been working hard on Jeremy's green card lately. A couple of weeks ago, we finally sent of all the forms (which gave us both an incredible lightness), along with a huge collection of recent pay checks. Meanwhile, we underwent another rather stressful process of making sure that all our taxes and income files were complete, up-to-date, and giving Uncle Sam all the money he needs from us - an important process, since we had to report all our income and assets on the green card forms. Meanwhile, we got confirmation that our paperwork had been received and is being processed as we speak - as well as some money back from fees that we apparently didn't need to pay!

After some internet research, we learned some great news: the center which is processing our forms is one of the fastest in the country, and should give us the green card itself within three months of their receiving the forms. This should put us somewhere around Christmas, which hopefully won't delay the process, and may make us change some of our plans during Jeremy's Christmas break - but would be a great Christmas present!

Meanwhile, life as usual continues. We're currently trying to solve Charlie's poison breath problems; his adult teeth are coming in, which makes it really hard to brush them - it just makes his gums bleed. So, we bought a dental treat and a teeth cleaning toy, which will hopefully let Charlie give us kisses without leaving us smelling like horrible, horrible doggy breath.

Also, Jeremy's birthday is tomorrow (Happy Birthday!) and mine is on Monday, so we're looking forward to a birthday date. Jeremy and I have been longing to go to an Ethiopian restaurant over in Easttown Grand Rapids - but have felt too guilty spending money on eating out - so we're using our birthdays as an excuse to go out to eat and buy the Planet Earth series DVDs, both of which we've been wanting to do for a long time (and the DVDs were on a HUGE sale...) Meanwhile, we're looking forward to a brunch with Jeremy's parents, grandma, and uncle (who is coming from Malaysia to pick up his grandma and bring her back home) soon, as well as Jeremy's parents' gift to us - dinner at probably the most high-end restaurant in Grand Rapids.

Anyway, that's the latest news from here! Unfortunately, I don't have a ton of fantastic pictures to share...so I'll spare you more shots of Charlie. :) When I have some cool ones, I'll let you know.

today in pictures

2008-09-20T13:24:00.004-07:00

Poopy Pants

2008-09-20T12:43:00.001-07:00

As some of you may know, I've been babysitting as well as working at Calvin Seminary a day or two the past couple weeks. The other day, I was babysitting for a friend of the family I usually sit for, who have an almost-four year old boy and a 9-month old girl. The baby girl was very sweet; she wanted to cuddle with me constantly, didn't really drool at all, and giggled a lot. The little boy, however, wasn't so sure what to think of me, I don't think. He is in the process of potty training at the moment, and is having an especially hard time with pooping in the potty. He's learned what it feels like to have to poop, and usually he asks for a diaper. His mom told me that, when this happens, I should rush him to the bathroom as fast as I can and make him try to poop in the potty - at all costs. If he disobeys, I should take away his stickers. So, suddenly, I hear, "Jana, can I have a diaper?" So, I tell him he has to try in the potty, rush him to the bathroom, only to discover that he apparently had already started pooping in his pants. So, as I was instructed, I took away his stickers. This evidently made him very angry, so while I went to put the stickers where they go when he disobeys, he decided to rip up a whole roll of toilet paper, get off the potty, step in the poop that was in his pants, and track it all over the floor.

I am not ready for kids yet.

...boredom...

2008-09-06T13:02:00.003-07:00

So, here I sit, on my second full day without my husband. Jeremy recently started a new job at Calvin's Service-Learning Center, which he loves and is having a great time with, but also keeps him very very busy with its current event called StreetFest - part of the freshman orientation at Calvin. The past three days, he's worked from 7 a.m. to about 5:30 p.m. - and two of those three days, I had days off.

Sad.

But, I've been very productive. I started a class at Calvin Seminary on the theology of C.S. Lewis and am halfway through my homework due on Wednesday. I also successfully baked a giant batch of my grandma's famous butterhorns - a very difficult and not often accomplished feat (unless, of course, you are Grandma). And today I realized how dirty our apartment had gotten with our current business, so I cleaned everything in it - including the dog.

I often feel that this blog should be about something. Jeremy has a blog where he writes his thoughts on some very deep and important topics. My sister-in-law has a blog mainly about her dogs and her photography. I've found some other blogs on cooking and recipes and diet advice. I, however, range from random updates on my current happenings (which, when I have the urge to write them, aren't usually all that exciting - hence my reason for writing them...) to book recommendations to some intense questions about life and faith. But I think I like it that way. If I have thoughts I want to share with the world, I will do so. If I have thoughts I want to keep away from you all - that's what my journal is for.

ha.

Anyway - I think I best update others on my life with pictures. So, here are some pictures of what's happening in the Koh household.

Sheep and Goats

2008-07-18T11:55:00.001-07:00

Matthew 25:31-46
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

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As we drove our dog to get some shots yesterday, my husband and I began discussing salvation. There seems to be an ever-present discussion among those of my faith regarding who's in and who's out, how do you know if you'll be in heaven, etc. Those questions, perhaps, beg some more questions in return, but that might be another post.

I strongly believe that there is simply work to be done in the Kingdom of God, and in some sense, that work can be done by anybody. Countless times in the Gospel, we are told to love others as ourselves, serve the widow, the orphan, the poor. And we are to do so with love in our hearts, not so that we can gain attention or applause. We are never called to simply sit and discuss matters of faith - not that those discussions aren't valuable and important and encouraged, but they cannot be the be-all and end-all of Christianity. There is work to be done, and we must do it. Our right belief must foster right action. Our salvation is not won by works, but our faith cannot be stagnant. James 2 says, "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, 'Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."

The question begs, then, what about those who perform these "right actions" without having "right faith"? What about the Buddhist who works diligently on behalf of the poor? What about the atheist who gives clothes to the homeless woman on his front steps? What about the Hindu who volunteers in a soup kitchen? What does God do with that? I would say he uses it for his kingdom. There is work to be done, and these people are doing it - and I think our God of grace accepts these gifts freely and graciously, despite their unbelief.

I would even go so far as to say that these "unbelievers" who are doing Kingdom work are doing more for the Kingdom than the professing Christian who goes to church weekly, remains diligent in personal devotions, never swears, cheats on his wife, or watches pornography but won't even make eye contact with the homeless people he sees on his way to work, much less help them.

(By the way, in my reading of Philip Pullman, I think this is his main complaint. The worlds are colliding, it seems - innocent children are becoming soldiers, the world is becoming warmer because of human activity, and the church seeks to hide itself and control those under its authority - as well as those outside - rather than work to alleviate the situation. Interesting...)

Our discussion, then, headed in the direction of salvation. How can our gracious, loving God possibly have condemned Ghandi? I cannot honestly say that I don't hope to see Ghandi in heaven, despite his Hinduism. And I would like to bring along the atheist, Buddhist, and Hindu mentioned in the paragraph above. If someone is working diligently on the work of the Kingdom, how can they be denied the beautiful fruition of it - regardless of if they knew what they were doing or not? I have a hard time saying that a God of grace and mercy and love would condemn those who were so clearly following his calling, even if they knew it by another name.

Yet, where, then, is the room for Jesus? Does "right belief" not matter? I can't honestly say that it doesn't, either. I am convinced that the Christian faith is truth. God came to earth as a man, was murdered, and rose again. We are made free. I'm convinced, and I cannot believe any other way. And, ultimately, at some point I have to believe that truth is important.

The above passage from Matthew 25 focuses solely on the "right action". The difference between the "sheep" and the "goats" is that one side fed him, one did not. The passage does not read, "You faithfully worshipped me, spent time alone with me, fasted every Wednesday, and even volunteered to serve cookies at church. Welcome to paradise." It has nothing to do with those things. In this passage, at least, all that matters is that the naked were clothed, the hungry fed, and the thirsty quenched.

So where does that leave me? With a whole host of questions, honestly. Does that mean that without these actions, you are condemned? And even if you do those actions but actively deny Christ, you are saved? I don't know. And, honestly, I don't care. While the passage is not clear on the answers to these questions, it is clear what we are to do. Clothe the naked, feed the hungry, give the thirsty something to drink. And that's what I intend to do; and I will do so because Christ allowed himself to be murdered for the least of these, and it is that action which motivates me. And if anyone wants to join me in that endeavor, please do; I don't care what you believe or don't believe - the work must be done. And I'll work next to you any day.

Philip Pullman

2008-07-09T12:32:00.001-07:00

I've been reading Philip Pullman's "Dark Materials" series, including the popularly controversial The Golden Compass. Around the Christmas season, move-makers released the first of three movies from this series - beginning with that one, the first book - and Christians everywhere cringed, urging believers to boycott the movie.

The books (and movie) offer a rather un-flattering view of the church. The story takes place in a different world, where John Calvin is pope and has instituted hundreds of laws and rules that the Church (the government in this world) enforces rather harshly. The Church, or Magisterium, or Authority, as it's also called, is seen as an imposing force created and existing simply to control the people. The Church is perceived as an institution that seeks absolute control, even going so far as brainwashing, which all happens under a veil of secrecy and violence. The church is also deathly afraid of Dust, which seems to have something to do with either original sin (as the Church would have its scholars believe) or the very core of what it is to be human - so afraid, in fact, that it's even gone so far as to attempt to cut away a part of children's humanity - their daemons - in order to control them more completely.

I could go into much more detail of his protests, but I don't want to ruin the story. Still, it's clearly not a very pretty picture of the church.

I cannot say that Pullman is completely correct. The church was not built for the sole purpose of controlling its followers. But, the world-conscious Christian hasto admit, I think he may be on to something. As an "insider" of the church, I can see that the point of the church is not to control society. Instead, it is (or should be, at least) to transform society into something as close as possible to the Kingdom of God for which we wait in hope. The theologian Jurgen Moltmann calls this a theology of the cross; the idea that Christ, in his work of salvation on the cross, identified himself with the lowest, most hurting of creation. Moltmann refers to these as the "godless and godforsaken" - the poor, the orphan, the widow, the needy. Yet, in the resurrection, Christ pointed to and promised that some day all things would be renewed, transformed, made right. That, then, is the objective of the church - to love those who most need loving, seeking to make the present reality as much like the future for which we hope as possible.

So, what is the church actually doing? Pullman, who is openly anti-Christian, says the church is controlling society. The church is oppressing. The church is not helping the lowly, rather (like the Magisterium in The Golden Compass who cut away part of the humanity of innocent children in the name of control) it is cutting them down even lower in order to keep them under its jurisdiction. Could Pullman have a point?

If he does, we are in a sad state, my friends. If his critique carries any weight, we must be called to account. And, it seems to me, Pullman's critiques are not unique to Pullman alone. It's a prominent complaint of the church from "outsiders" everywhere (check out a book called unChristian, which cites some research info from the Barna group that will tell you just that). So, then, isn't it worthwhile to listen to such critiques? Rather than shunning Pullman's ideas as immoral and corrupted, wouldn't it be more beneficial to listen to what he has to say, and really take a good look at ourselves? If this is really how we're perceived - isn't it possible that something has gone horribly wrong?

So, Christians - read Philip Pullman's "Dark Materials" series. Think about it, take it to heart. (And, of course, enjoy the great story along the way...) Maybe we'll see that somewhere, something has gone wrong.

Latest News

2008-07-03T08:01:00.002-07:00

If you read my husband's blog it's okay to feel that he outshines me in both depth of subject and writing proficiency today (although I did just use the word "proficiency," which gives me some points, I think...), but that's okay. I'll let him win this time.

This morning I went to work and found the building completely dark and empty, except for one man on his cell phone saying, "This is just a nightmare..." It turns out that the giant thunderstorm which flooded our backyard last night also cut out all the power in the seminary, and no one could work that day. So - surprise! I have a day off today! Which is nice, because my poor husband is sick, and so is my puppy(?), so I don't mind being home with the two of them.

Meanwhile, tomorrow is the 4th of July, and while I've never been a hugely patriotic person, to be honest, I always have enjoyed the 4th. And the 4th of July always makes me want to sit outside and eat brats, so I bought some this morning. And some beer. We have no plans tomorrow at all, so Jeremy and I will just hang out, eat brats, drink beer, and maybe hit some fireworks.

I'm also getting my hair cut today. Pretty significantly, I decided. So, next time any of you see me, I will look different.

And that's my latest news. :)

But, of course, I have more pictures. So - here's Charlie! :)

Sir Charles Watson the Valiant

2008-06-28T13:14:00.003-07:00

As you can see, I decided to start a blog.

I have a tendency to post a ridiculous amount of pictures on my Facebook account, and sometimes I want to rant about certain things or tell random stories from my day, and have no medium in which to do it (unless it's directly to my husband...) So, a blog it is.

So, to begin, here are some of the newest pictures of my dear puppy, Sir Charles Watson the Valiant (Charlie, for short).