I'd Like to Dream My Troubles All Away on a Bed of California Stars

Some of the best memories that I have formed over the years have involved my experiences at Trek. As a camper for 5 years, and as a guide these past 2 years, Trek has transformed me in powerful ways, and has molded me into the person that I am today.

Because of that, it was a huge blessing to see Tommy and Edd today, and to have dinner with them tonight. I relished the opportunity to sit around and tell old stories, to ask about people that I have not seen in a while, and to look forward to next summer.

I think that a big part of me is going to die when I realize that I will no longer be able to spend my summers in God's wilderness. It is a place where I am alive like nowhere else, and where I am able to spend time in authentic community with others. I know that there are many people who would give anything to be able to see what I have seen, and walk the places I have walked. Each and every time that someone says, "I wanted to do that so badly," I remember how fortunate that I am to have this opportunity. It makes every night that I sleep on the ground, every pot of Ramen noodles that I eat, and every blister that I tape worth it.

You Get No Younger From Those Colors in Your Hair

Happy Birthday wishes for the week: Kevin Stone (today), Jenny Nofsinger (the 24th), and Briana Litton (the 28th).

Well, today was the day. I always looked at my training program and secretly dreaded the day when I would run 20 miles. I love running, but to run 20 miles you really have to LOVE it. Kind of like backpacking and then working at Trek. You really find out if your impressions and whims are true. It was really not that bad, even though the weather would have been nice for downtown Edinburgh. I ran 10 laps around campus (with two laps around the old intramural field because a lap around the exterior of campus is only 1.9 miles) for a couple of reasons: 1. The mileage was easy to keep track of and 2. Running on the grass and dirt around campus is a lot less stressful on the joints. By the end, my quads were beginning to become pretty fatigued, and I think that the 21-22 mile mark will be the critical point of the marathon. I am pretty sure that if I was able to run 20 miles under less than ideal conditions with no one to cheer me on that I will be able push through the pain in what should be better weather and infinitely more support in Austin.

I am really excited about the conference this weekend out at Pepperdine. It should be a great chance to hear some of the best Christian and Jewish lawyers talk about the responsibility that we have to pursue social justice, especially in the gaping chasm that now exists in America between the "haves" and the "have-nots."

"In as much as you have done it for the least of these, you have done it for me." (Matthew 25:40)

I Know What I Know, I Don't Wanna Stay

How many times do I have to see something before I begin to take notice?

This past fall, I began to change my plans of what I wanted to do in graduate school. For a long time I wanted to go to law school, but I was not very sure of the type of law career that I wanted to pursue. When I went to the IJM Prayer Conference last Valentine's Day Weekend, I was convinced that I had found the legal avenue that would suit me best. At that time, I was working at the McMahon law firm here in Abilene. It was a good job, but the subject matter was what turned my dreams away from law school. I realize that some people's personal injury claims are honest and serious, but it seemed so trivial and petty to quibble over money in car wrecks and supermarket slip and falls. I quickly grew cynical of the legal profession and decided that I would turn my attention elsewhere.

I began to become interested in a potential career as a professor, diplomat, or government analyst by pursuing a master's and doctorate in political science or government. I began looking at potential schools and becoming very interested in that potential path, but there was always this faint yet persistent voice calling me to a career in human rights.

As I have previously written, I recently began reading Gary Haugen's book "Good News about Injustice," and I will be attending a conference next week at Pepperdine called "Lawyers, Faith, and Social Justice." Maybe I am just stubborn and it takes a long time for these things to get through, but this seems to be such a noble calling and so close to the heart of God. As I read about situations in foreign nations such as Sudan and Peru about genocide and great injustice, I realize that I could make a difference there if I use the gifts that I have been blessed with.

"The future was wide, wide open."

The Stars Though She Seemed to Respect

Recently, I have begun reading the Op-Ed sections of the New York Times and the Washington Post on a daily basis. Before some of you out there go off on a righteous rant about the bias of "liberal" media, let me say that I take each opinion piece that I read with the grain of necessary of salt. My favorite writers are George F. Will from the Post, Charles Krauthammer from the Post, and Nicholas Kristof from the Times.

Kristof in particular has captured my attention. Here is his biography:

Born on April 27, 1959, Mr. Kristof grew up on a cherry farm near Yamhill, Oregon, and raised sheep for his Future Farmers of America project. He graduated from Harvard College in three years, Phi Beta Kappa, in 1981, and then won first class honors in his study of law at Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship. He later studied Arabic in Cairo and Chinese in Taipei. After working in France, he caught the travel bug and began backpacking around Africa and Asia, writing articles to cover his expenses. Mr. Kristof has lived on four continents, reported on six, and traveled to well over 100 countries. He has had unpleasant experiences with malaria, mobs, war and an African airplane crash.

Not a bad life if you ask me.

Kristof has been one the leading journalistic voices speaking out against the sex trade that exists in our world today. Last year, he traveled to Cambodia and other nations in Southeast Asia to write a series for the Times about this terrible truth that world leaders just do not want to talk about. During his time in Cambodia, he purchased the freedom of two girls from a brothel. In the past few days, he has written columns to follow up on their situation. Here is an excellent article that is a good introduction to a world that many do not know about and those who do know are afraid to acknowledge it. I read this column yesterday, and I would like to share it with all of you. You can read it here

Neither Sin Nor Evil Could Change How I Feel Inside

A quick post before bedtime. Devo tonight was such a blessing. One of my favorite parts about Devo is looking at everyone's face as they worship. Some close their eyes, some have huge smiles on their faces, and some come with a more contemplative air. Whatever the outward appearance, their desire to be near God, whether in joy or sadness, is evident.

Sing Song practice went really well tonight. I am really enjoying this year's show so far, and it is always a great opportunity to spend time with guys that I love. I am so priveleged to stand by guys like Jake Wardell, Preston Rampy, Matt Keathley, and Alec Lawrence. It gives me a great opportunity to get to know them better, and to be surrounded by some guys whose singing is not too shabby.

I'm not going to lie. I was disappointed that Carlos Delgado did not sign with the Rangers. It seemed that the right field home run porch was built for a lefty slugger like him. I hope Carlos enjoys his stay in South Florida, and that he remembers to stay away from Tony Montana.

Crazy as Rockets, Where's Your Magic Wand?

I felt very industrious today. I was able to sit down and pump out a paper for Business and Professional Communication, do 5 case briefs for Con-Law tomorrow, run 9.5 miles, attend the Team 1 (Aka Papa Burt) basketball game, and sit down and write this blog. What a full day.

On Monday, Jeff Giddens asked me to speak at the College St. Devo tomorrow night. I am looking forward to it, and I love when I can use the material from my classes when I share at Devo. It makes the text seem so much more relevant when I can pass it on to people who are not even in the class, and I can make it real in their lives. I was able to think about what I am going to say while I was running today, and it is really funny how some of the most bizarre things can come together in my head to form some sort of whole. Let's just say that tomorrow night I will attempt to intertwine Che Guevara, Thomas Hobbes, and Jesus. Wish me luck.

I was just messing around today on the internet, and I decided to check up on some people that I went to high school with, to just see what they are doing these days, and I found something very interesting. Travis Chick was the only kid that ever made me scared when he went up to bat during Little League. Travis hit the ball so hard, you almost felt sorry for it. When we were younger, his greater talent was found in the batter's box and not the pitcher's mound, but in high school that began to change. He became an all-district pitcher who had tremendous control and a power fastball.

After we graduated, Travis was drafted by the Marlins, and played minor leauge ball for them for these past 3 years. It seems that a few days ago, Travis was traded to the San Diego Padres for the formerly big-name pitcher Ismael Valdes. I was reading the scouting reports, and they said that if Travis does well in Triple A, he will probably get a call up to "The Show" during this season. It is always exciting when someone you know makes the big time, and it also helps that he always said I could be his agent when he was making the big bucks. Come on Travis, I am waiting for the call any time now....

When They Call Your Name, Will You Walk Right Up?

Woohoo, the digital camera that I ordered from Amazon came in today. I am scheduled to shoot the Stewart wedding and the Liebermann Bar Mitzvah this weekend. I have been messing around with it, taking pictures at the GSP basketball game and Sing Song practice. Which brings me to my next point, I have never seen "Grease." I do not really have this great desire to see it, but I feel as though I am missing the point of a lot of our Sing Song show if I have not seen the movie. If anyone reading this has a copy, and would like to watch it with me this weekend, you know how to get in touch.

I feel like I am starting to get sick, which is making my voice go. Not good for Sing Song preparation, and definitely not good for someone who is going to be running a marathon in less than 3 weeks. I know what you are thinking, what does his voice have to do with running a marathon? Well, the answer is, nothing, but being sick is not a good way to run 26.2 miles. I think I may also be going to Pepperdine on the weekend of February 5-6 to a Human Rights Conference. I have never been to SoCal, and I may have to slip away for a little while to head down the 101 to Newport. I am sure Sandy and Kirsten will have a nice steak dinner prepared for me.

Closer to the Prize at the End of the Road

On Friday, I purchased Gary Haugen's book "Good News About Injustice" at the bookstore. Haugen is a man who has seen the worst that human beings can do to each other, but instead of becoming cyncial and believing that there is no way to bring light into the darkness of this world, Haugen used his gifts as a lawyer to found the International Justice Mission in 1994. Many of you know about the work that IJM does around the world and if you do not, visit their website at www.ijm.org.

Haugen has sifted through mass Tutsi graves in Rwanda with the United Nations genocide investigation, and he has stood up to police brutality against children in South Africa. He is a man who has come to learn what it is to live courageously. In the preface of "Good News About Injustice", Haugen says that courage is the one gift that he would give to his children as they go out into the world. He uses a section of "The Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis to illustrate his point.

Lewis wrote "Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point, which means, at the point of highest reality. A chastity or honesty or mercy which yields to danger will be chaste or honest or merciful only on conditions. Pilate was merciful till it became risky."

Life is full of these choices each and every day. Sometimes the decisions are placed before me in broad detail and I have plenty of time to decide, but sometimes the decisions are made by my character. When I do not have enough time to really think through something, I go with my instinct. The key is forming myself into the kind of person who makes the instinctive decisions that are bold and Christ-like because that is who I am at the core of my being. This process is often painful because the closer you get to an area, the more you are aware of the pain and shame that exists there, but it is worthwhile to endure the momentary pain and refining in order to become someone that looks increasingly like Jesus Christ.

Taste the Fear for the Devil's Drawin' Near

What a great weekend so far, and it is not even over yet. Ask anyone who was at the 9:00 showing of "A Shark's Tale" in Cullen about the fine show that was put on in the middle walkway and stage. The best part was when Katie walked out, looked at me, and said "I thought that was you." I love it when your sister can identify your torso, even with your face obscured by a wolf mask.

Today has been so much fun. The United Way of Abilene decided to ride on the coattails of the hit movie "Dodgeball" and held the 1st Annual Dodgeball Tournament at Lincoln Middle School. Anyone could enter, and trust me, anyone did. There was a very diverse talent pool out there today. We witnessed the great tournament run of a team called "The Beast." The Beast's roster was composed of baby-faced 13-14 year olds from around Abilene, but if you judged the books by their covers you would be overlooking Dodgeball Assassins. These kids were amazing. In consecutive rounds, they beat a team from Dyess Air Force Base (yes, that is right, the US Military lost to some middle-schoolers), a team composed of Lance Agan, Luke Reeves, Aldon Wickliffe, Jake Wardell, and Dave "Hot Face" Sessions, and then Troop 68, whose membership included Mike Hicks, Justin Briscoe, Clete Ross, Bo Mechinus, and David Stonecki. I heard someone behind me say, "this is like a Disney movie", and it was. These kids kept rolling through with improbable breaks until they reached the championship. There they lost a valiant battle to the Carnivores, but the people had chosen their champions.

I have been so thankful lately for my friends, especially the guys that I am club with. Guys like Cole Griffith, Jeff McCain, John Bruner, Jim Kizer, Patrick Vincent, Kevin Stone, Joey Halbert,Brandon Maenius, Lance Agan, Jake Wardell, and Jeramie Hanson. They have taught me so much already about community and support, and I think those lessons are only going to get better as my friendship grows with all of them. I have seen the light at the end of the tunnel, and sometimes as I walk into the light, it hurts my eyes, but I know it is better out here in the day than in the catacombs of fear and doubt.

We Can Walk Together at a Regular Speed

Last semester I wrote (I refuse to use the verb blogged) about the Early Political Theory class that I was taking. It was really the first philosophy class that I have ever taken, and it caused me to stretch and grow as I began to contemplate the real meaning of words like justice and power, and what those look like in a society.

Dr. Hailey taught Early Political Theory course last semester, and he is my favorite professor at ACU. When I heard that Dr. Hailey was going to be on sabbatical this semester, I immediately wondered who was going to be teaching the Theory course this semester. That task fell to Dr. Dillman. I have nothing against Dr. Dillman, but he is not Dr. Hailey, nor should he be. I was not really sure what to expect when I walked into class the first day, but I have really enjoyed class.

Dr. Dillman has done an excellent job of allowing us to feel the weight of the issues that we are working with. One of the best ways to encourage people to learn things is to allow them to become owners of ideas. Dr. Dillman did a great job today of simply stepping back and letting the class carry the discussion about Machiavelli and virtue. What is virtue? Are there actions and deeds that are intrinsically good or is it all about the motivation that is behind them?

These questions about human nature are what make political theory so interesting. I am able to see the current political situation in an entirely new light because I have been exposed to the bedrock of our system. This is what college is about, and I am glad to be along for the ride.

I Feel I Never Told You the Story of the Ghost

The reality of the marathon is beginning to solidify around me. I am in a Walk/Jog/Run class (how appropriate) with Clint Askins. Clint ran the White Rock Marathon in Dallas last year. If any of you know Clint, he is not a pudgy fellow, but he still could pack quite a punch if you were to irk him. Clint was an offensive linemen in high school, but began to lose weight once he came to college. He and I are de facto running partners in class, and afterwards we usually run a few more miles so we can talk.

When I talk to Clint about running, the topic of mechanics or form is rarely addressed. We do not talk about the "how" of running, but "why." As I wrote earlier this year, running is almost as much a mental event for me as it is physical. All my life I have known that I was not incredibly fast or big. I knew that I could not simply beat someone because of natural gifts. What I did recognize was that I could keep going longer than anyone. If it was just a matter of gritting my teeth, separating my body from the pain, and not caring how it looked, I could keep going. It was almost a Zen-type of experience when I was in middle school. I began to run track, and I discovered that if I went to this place outside of myself when I ran, I could press through that pain in my lungs, the lactic acid in my legs.

The dangerous part about that kind of experience is that it is pervasive. You cannot have that kind of thought process and only use it when you run. It becomes who you are. I began to look at hard experiences as one big suffer-fest. I did not revel in the pain, but I began to have a certain kind of detachment from the pain. I almost thought that it was wasteful to become attached to situations that brought me pain and doubt. Instead, I would view them with an objective eye for the problems and solutions.

In time, I began to long for the pain. Life is not meant to be a big test where you simply get all of the right answers. It is the process. Sometimes you have to mark the wrong answer on the Scantron, and then try to erase it so much that you rip the paper. The best days when I am running are not the ones where I glide along without feeling. They are the ones where I am fully engaged in what I am doing. All of it comes at me, and it all makes the experience worthwhile. The physical pain, the exaltation of the onrushing endorphins, the mental journeys, and the beauty of my surroundings.

Pain is beauty because sometimes it lets us know we are alive.

You Know They Went After King When He Spoke Out on Vietnam

It is always good to have this holiday so early in the semester. I am sure that it would be nice to have somewhere in April, but this way you get a tease of the semester, but you feel like you are still on the break with a nice 3-day weekend.

Jim Kizer was the winner of the last song title contest by guessing "When You Come Back Down" by Nickel Creek from Sunday's blog post. Jim wins a free haircut from me when his hair gets long and incredibly unruly again. The standings are still being kept everyone, and I will not forget those who are faithful participants.

I have a big announcement to make. In the grand tradition of the World's Longest Basketball Game in 2001 (25 hours), the Run to Harding, and the Bike Ride to Pepperdine, GSP will take on another great feat in April to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. The objective this time? The World's Longest Softball game. It will happen the weekend of April 14-17. Yes, that is right folks, 68 ( We are slaves to tradition) straight hours of softball. It is going to start at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday and end at 7:59 p.m. on Sunday night. It seems that some Irish blokes played for 55 hours last year, but they are in for a rude awakening come April 17. The name of this great event? Insanity for Humanity. Naming credit goes to Dave "Hot Face" Sessions. It should be a lot of fun, and I plan to keep my stats during the game. I plan to go at least 150 for 253 with 300 total bases, but I digress.

Last night I went over to the Sig Shack to watch some UFC 46. For those of you who do not know what UFC is, it stands for Ultimate Fighting Championships. One of those no-holds barred kind of things that is like watching one of Chuck Pahalinuk's novels. I am not going to lie, I was a bit disappointed. There was way to much grappling on the ground and not nearly enough Daniel LaRusso crane kicking. The coolest move we saw the entire night was probably the "Spinning Back-Fist." I am not sure how I felt about myself for watching this, but sometimes you want to watch something a little more stiff than curling.

Continue to keep everyone affected by the tragic accident involving the Highland Youth Group in your prayers, especially the Bourland family.

Even Though I Walk Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I Will Fear No Evil, For You Are With Me

I heard this evening about the terrible accident that occurred as members of the Highland Youth Group were returning from Winterfest in the DFW area. One of the students, Brady Bourland, was killed when the Suburban he was riding in flipped over. Be in prayer for his family in this time of great loss. Also, be praying for the other people in the vehicle who were injured in the crash.


Rollover accident during church trip kills Abilene boy

By Staci Semrad / Reporter-News Staff Writer
January 17, 2005


A Suburban carrying a group of Highland Church of Christ youths overturned Sunday afternoon on Interstate 20 east of Baird, killing one child and injuring several others.

Brody Bourland, 10, of Abilene, was declared dead at the scene, according to the Department of Public Safety in Abilene. The other seven occupants of the vehicle, all from Abilene, were injured and taken to various hospitals.

The group was returning from a church retreat in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

According to the DPS, the accident occurred at 2:45 p.m. as the group was heading west on I-20 about 1.5 miles west of Putnam in Callahan County. They were in a 2004 GMC Suburban, driven by Julie Folwell, 49, of Abilene.

The Suburban apparently drifted into the center median, then overcorrected to the right, causing the vehicle to skid sideways before rolling over onto its top, a DPS spokeswoman said. Each occupant of the vehicle was wearing a seat belt, she said.

The DPS reported that two of the children were flown by helicopter to Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth. They are Jon Westin Bennett and Austin Lemmons, both 11. Bennett was listed in stable condition with two broken legs, and Lemmons was listed in serious condition with internal injuries but said to be doing well.

The remaining occupants of the vehicle were taken to Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene. They are Chris Cope, 12; Beth Johnston, 14; Amara Childers, 14; Chris Perkins, 12; and Folwell, the DPS reported.

Chris Cope was later transferred to Cook Children's Medical Center, where he was in stable condition Sunday night, said Stormy Higgins, a church member.

Folwell had a broken vertebra and was transferred from Hendrick to Covenant Health System in Lubbock, Higgins said. A Hendrick spokeswoman said Folwell was in stable condition Sunday night before being transferred.

Perkins and Johnston were later released from Hendrick, and Childers underwent surgery for a bone fracture, the hospital spokeswoman said.

The accident remains under investigation.

On Sunday evening, the church held a vigil, attended by about 500 people, and provided counseling for affected people, such as church youth traveling in a second Suburban who witnessed the accident, Higgins said.

Higgins, an Abilene city councilman, described the vigil as ''overwhelmingly emotional,'' adding that ''this is not what (church members) got up this morning expecting.''

Counseling was provided by Jackie Halstead, a church member who is a licensed marriage and family therapist. She said it was amazing to hear the children of the church pray about it during counseling.

''There's a lot of tears, and I'm sure there will be some nightmares,'' she said.

She and other counselors will hold several more sessions this week to help those affected, she said.

Brody Bourland was a student at Franklin Middle School. Elliott-Hamil Funeral Home is handling funeral arrangements.

He is survived by his parents, Brett and Jennifer Bourland, and brothers Taylor Hill, 17, and Brock Bourland, 7.

I'll Be the Harmony to Every Lonely Song

Well, today is my 21st birthday. I guess that millions of teenagers look forward to this age milestone, but right now the ability to legally purchase alcohol does not seem like that big of a deal. It was good to have a bunch of people over last night to watch "Napoleon Dynamite." To me, the great mystery of the movie has always been its date. Is it supposed to be the 80's? Is it supposed to be the early 90's? Or is it supposed to be 2004? The other question is: Is Idaho really that bizarre? Because if it is, we have severly underestimated its potential to pass Southern California as the mecca for weird people in the United States.

I am not sure what is going on tonight, but I think Katie and Adam have something planned. It has always been nice to have MLK Day around my birthday. It made sleep-overs a lot easier when I was younger. Birthdays have usually been a lot of fun. I still remember getting gray cowboy boots when I was about 5 or 6, and getting a mini-trampoline for basketball dunking when I was about 11. I also remember hearing that my grandpa died the day that I turned 10. I remember playing Scattegories last year at Sewell Auditorium, and Mel Knox and Katrina running with my cake through the rain from their car.

Birthdays are an interesting thing to celebrate. Woohoo, this is the day that you came into the world. Good job getting out of the birth canal. (Sorry Mom) And the first thing you get is a nice slap on the rear. I guess that is where the tradition of birthday spankings came from. They are an affirmation of the uncertain quality of life. We were never promised that we would grow this old, or that we would see these things. In some of the AIDS ravaged African nations, my current age would almost move me into middle-aged status. A birthday is a chance to celebrate another year of life. A year of beauty, a year of pain, a year of growth, and a year of discovery.

I can't wait to see what the next one will bring.

Oh, This Could be the Start of Something Good

There is a great new addiction lurking in the world today. It is not a product of Philip Morris, RJ Reynolds, or Seagrams, but probably came about because of Steve Jobs. Yes, my friends, the ITunes Music Store might just be the business idea since they started selling Ramen Noodles 7 for a dollar.

Seriously, you can go on the ITunes website, and peruse an incredibly vast library of music, and the best thing is that you do not have to worry if Lars Ullrich from Metallica is going to slap a huge lawsuit on you for music piracy. I guess Lars was worried about not being able to afford that second Bentley, but I digress. It is completely legal, and you are able to buy individual songs for ninety-nine cents. That is a deal. Especially if you do not want to buy the entire album, which brings me to the complete history of my ITunes Music Purchases. Don't worry, there have only been five.

In my opinion, "California Stars" is the most beautiful song that Wilco has ever written, but since it is on a collaboration that they did with Billy Bragg entitled "Mermaid Avenue", I will probably not pick up the entire album, but ITunes allows you to purchase single songs. I also purchased "Casino Queen" from Wilco's debut album, A.M. I will probably purchase A.M. at some point in the future, but since it is not available anywhere besides Amazon, it will be a little while.

Today was the ultimate music day though. When I was sitting in the audience at Freshman Follies this past fall, I heard two songs that I really enjoyed, but I did not know who the artists were. One of those songs was a catchy tune entitled "Breakaway." I thought, that was pretty good, and I wonder who sings it. My sister, wanting to protect my musical elitist views, withheld the identity of the artist. I walked back to my room and did a Google search for this mystery tune. I was quite shocked to see that I actually enjoyed a Kelly Clarkson tune, but I withheld this information not knowing if I would my shunned by my well-heeled musical peers. I held the secret tight until today, when I decided to take the ITunes plunge. I am now the proud owner of "Breakaway", "When You Come Back Down" by Nickel Creek, and "Follow Through" by Gavin Degraw.

Come to my apartment. Mock me openly. Call me a purveyor of musical pedestrianism. All I have to say is, "Make a Change and Breakawayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy."

Out of Everyone, Can Anybody Find Their Home?

I am so blessed. I should be thankful for my life everyday, but for some ridiculous reason, I often forget how much I am given by those around me.

I am thankful for friends like Jon, Adam, and John Calaway. People that I can sit in a booth at IHOP with and laugh about the most simple things. I am thankful for people like Rebekah Davis who make me cookies/brownies for my birthday and put up signs outside the Sociology office telling everyone it is my birthday this weekend and they should come in a tell me "Happy Birthday." I am thankful for Courtney, Sarah C., Lori Bredemeyer, and Jace waiting on the rest of us to start the O.C. at 11. I am thankful for Joey Halbert and Michael Hunton and their ability to make me laugh in the middle of Sing Song because they are busting a move. I am thankful for Jeff McCain's Sing Song face. I am thankful for friends like Brandon Maenius, Lance Agan, Luke Reeves, Jeramie Hanson, Patrick Vincent, Chris Lee, Garrett Oakley, Jordan Gay, Keith Rodgers, and Doug Luallin for their willingness to share and learn in the midst of our struggles. I am thankful for my parents. For my Mom sending me emails each morning just to catch up, and to let me know she is thinking about me. For my Dad calling last night in the middle of Sing Song practice to tell me that he was watching Wilco on Austin City Limits. For my sister giving me a smile each time I see her around school.

Some people may read this and it may make them want wretch like they have just read too many cheesy Hallmark cards, but I believe taking this kind of inventory is important. Too often, I simply drift along in my own problems and thoughts and I am not thankful enough to people around me who are sharing their lives with me. This is not sufficient thanks to these people, but everytime I read this it will serve as a reminder that I need to share my love with them. These people challenge me to a better Christian, man, son, brother, and friend. I am changed because of the people that I am blessed to spend each day with.

What Would Winston Say?

I was skimming through the Washington Post website when I came across this gem that I thought everyone might enjoy.

LONDON, Jan 13 -- Prince Harry, 20-year-old grandson of the queen, apologised on Thursday after a photo of him wearing a Nazi uniform at a costume party provoked outrage and embarrassed the British royal family.

The younger son of the late Princess Diana and heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles was pictured in a newspaper wearing a red and black swastika armband and an army shirt with Nazi regalia at the party at a friend's house on Saturday.

The Nazi gaffe -- just two weeks before the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz -- drew immediate condemnation from both Britain and abroad.

"The incident was in bad taste, especially in the run up to the Holocaust Memorial Day, which the royal family will be playing a leading role in commemorating," the Board of Deputies of British Jews said in a statement.

Queen Elizabeth is due to host a reception for survivors of the Holocaust on Jan. 27 before representing the nation at the Holocaust Memorial Day National Event.

The Nazis murdered six million Jews and millions of others including Poles, homosexuals, Soviet prisoners and Gypsies. Millions more were imprisoned or forced to work as slaves.

Robert Rozett, an official at Yad Vashem, Israel's national memorial to Jews killed during the Holocaust, said Harry's actions were insensitive and trivialised the history of the Holocaust.

"When a British prince wears the uniform of a Nazi soldier at a party it indicates that the lessons of the Holocaust have not really entered deeply within his understanding and consciousness," he said.

The photograph was published on the front page of the Sun newspaper under the headlines "Hitler Youth" and "Harry the Nazi."

"I am very sorry if I have caused any offence," Harry, third in line to the throne, said in a statement. "It was a poor choice of costume and I apologise."

Conservative opposition leader Michael Howard, who is Jewish, said he was disappointed by Harry's actions and that many people would be offended. "It would be appropriate if we heard from him in person about how contrite he is," he told BBC Radio.

Prime Minister Tony Blair's office refused to comment.

When The Levee Breaks

Embarrassing/Funny Moment of the Week Thus Far: I was riding my bike across campus, and for those who have not seen it, it is a Trek 1000 Road Bike. This means that my tires are considerably more narrow than those on most other bikes. As I was riding to my 10 o'clock class, I ventured onto the grass to maneuver around some pedestrians. Well, it so happened that my bike tire came off the pavement at an odd angle, and my bike become unstable at a very rapid rate. Instinctively, I threw the bike out from under me so that I would land of my feet. As I came to my feet, I shouted, "Whooooaaaaaa, that was close." Then everyone around me proceeded to stare and wonder,"what kind of klutz is this guy, and who did he steal that bike from?" And yes, if you were wondering, this happened in the busiest part of campus right before the most heavily attended class time of the day. My skills have increased rapidly, and I have been able to maintain my balance these last two days. As that great thinker Napoleon Dynamite once said,"Girls love guys with skills."

Everything is getting cranked up here at school. There are some classes I could care less about, Business and Professional Communication and Hispanic Novel (My last Spanish Class!), and there are those that I am really going to enjoy, including Recent Political Theory and Constitutional Law: Civil Rights. GSP Sing Song practice will commence tomorrow. We are going to do the most famous Scientologist proud.

As a parting gift I give you my favorite CD right now: Hopes and Fears by Keane. Go get it. You will hate yourself for never following through on those piano lessons.

Notice the Danger, Don't Help in Any Way

A group of us went to see "The Life Aquatic" last night. I had been looking forward to seeing the movie for a while, and perhaps I was guilty of knowing a little too much about the movie before I went to see it. It was funny in the Bill Murray/Wes Anderson way, which to some people (Angela Meyer) would mean not funny.

The movie was a bit disjointed, but one of the themes that it explores is what happens when people experience tragedy. Sometimes it takes something awful to wake people up out of the perpetual sleep walk that their lives have become. After the death of his close friend and colleague, Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) faces up to the reality of what is going on around him. He is no longer the young man that he once was, his relationship with his wife is rocky, and he must deal with the appearance of a son that he had with another woman. Zissou searches for things to rely on and begins a journey out of the personal cocoon that he has created for himself. It seemed that Anderson wanted to tell us, work with who you are and where you currently are, instead of always worrying about what you were in the past. This is hard lesson to learn because we always want to compare our current situation to the "good old days."

Live today, and do not let that be hampered by the perceived failures of yesterday.

Recreational Chemistry, That's the Game Plan

Are your parents giving you a hard time about your new choice of hairstyle? Relax, it could be worse. At least it is not the government. In a new level of bizarre programs from those folks in Pyongyang, here is the North Korean response to shaggy haired hippies.

N Korea wages war on long hair

North Korea has launched an intensive media assault on its latest arch enemy - the wrong haircut. A campaign exhorting men to get a proper short-back-and-sides has been aired by state-run Pyongyang television.The series is entitled Let us trim our hair in accordance with Socialist lifestyle. While the campaign has been carried out primarily on television, reports have appeared in North Korean press and radio, urging tidy hairstyles and proper attire.It is the strongest media campaign against men's sloppy appearances mounted in the reclusive and impoverished Communist state in recent years. The propaganda drive on grooming standards has gone a stage further than previous attempts. This time television identifies specific individuals deemed too shoddy.

A second, and unprecedented, TV series this winter showed hidden-camera style video of "long-haired" men in various locations throughout Pyongyang. In a break with North Korean TV's usual approach, the programme gave their names and addresses, and challenged the fashion victims directly over their appearance.

I'd Give My Life to Lay My Head Tonight on a Bed of California Stars

It does not feel like a month has passed since I last sat at this computer to compose my thoughts. So much has happened over the break, but sometimes it just feels like my life in Abilene has been on pause until I returned today. It will be good to get back to work on friendships, classes,and Sing Song this semester. Life continues to move along, and when I look up only have 3 more semesters at ACU. I realize that life is happening all around me, and that if you constantly look to a certain job, career, or school as the point where your life begins then you will never be satisfied, but will always be waiting for life to start.

It was good to come back into town today and to see Sarah W., Sarah C., Jeff, Cole, Patrick, Jim, Jon B., and others that I have missed over the break. I am not sure what this semester will bring, but each day is a new chance to see the beauty that is out there. Not to ignore the pain and human frailty around me, but to see the beauty in our striving to see things with new eyes.

How to Shoot Somebody Who Outdrew You

Well, this is the last blog post from home for a little while. I will be heading back to Abilene for the Spring Semester tomorrow. This semester should be filled with a lot of things that I am planning on experiencing, but the exciting thing is that there will be a myriad of events, people, and places that will come out of nowhere. This is always the way that my life has been, and that is what makes it invigorating to wake up in the morning.

We watched "Troy" tonight as a family. One of the themes that the movie hammers away at is the idea of pursuing glory. When Achilles is summoned out of his tent to fight the Thesselonian champion at the beginning of the movie, the young messenger boy warns him about the size of the man he is going to face. He proceeds to tell Achilles that he is going out to battle the largest man he has ever seen, and that he would not fight the man if he were Achilles. Achilles quickly tells the boy," and that is why no one will ever know your name."

Our societal pantheon is filled with those who rise into our consciousness on a mercurial trajectory and then are gone long before their time. People like James Dean, Jimi Hendrix, Robert F. Kennedy, and Steve Prefontaine are viewed with a special air of nostalgia, and perhaps that is because we saw them at their absolute apex, and the process of returning to a hum-drum existence is never part of their equation.

I Knew the Pathway Like the Back of My Hand

Well, a great debt of gratitude goes out to Sarah K. (Katherine?) Carlson for continuing the lost art of the song of the day contest. I realize that not many of you were probably going to get the Rage Against the Machine reference in the title a few days ago, but I know my audience. Use Dave Matthews Band and the results are guaranteed. Everyone is probably wondering what the great prize is going to be, and oh man, do we have a good one today. Sarah, who was the previous winner of my Pinewood Derby car, wins my old Cub Scout uniform shirt. Some, my Mom and sister, may fight this one tooth and nail, and I guess that is my intention. I am not above creating a little bit of controversy.

This past semester after I came to the decision to not attend law school after graduating from ACU, I began to look at all of the options that are out there. One of the best things about being young is having this huge slate that is just waiting for you to write your story on. Sometimes that seems daunting because you feel this weight of expectation from no one but yourself. You begin to realize that with one life to live you need to make your life extraordinary. Perhaps this will not mean nailing your 95 Theses to the church door or crafting the theory of relativity, but each one of has this incredible gift hidden inside each of us, the proverbial "divine spark."

In the past, I think I have been afraid of what this calling has been simply because it does not always mean security in this world. Security, the great, ephemeral sham preached by adults, is vastly overrated. I would rather live a life of constant scrambling and striving if it meant that I was doing something I loved rather than a staid, comfortable life spent in worker-ant servitude. The world is filled with people who hate what they spend their lives doing, and the people who would dare follow their dreams are few and far between.

"All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible."

T.E. Lawrence-"Seven Pillars of Wisdom"

Thinking of the Things That We Might Have Been

As the next semester approaches I am sure that it will be filled with Sing Song practices, long hours running around the streets of Abilene, and classes studying Locke and Hobbes, but I am not really sure what else it will be bring.

So many times the expectations and plans that I have for my life always seem to change, and many times those changes are not what I would have originally planned, but they are for the best. When you are in the middle of trying situations and shifting circumstances, the outcomes and options seem to be negative, but even in those situations, there are opportunities for discovery and growth.

Through this whole situation, people have been telling me all of this stuff about the will of God, and I don't know what to think about all of the different perspectives that have been thrown at me. So many times, people feed me lines about "If it's God's will, then.....", but the thing that I am trying to figure out is how do I fit into that?

Through my thinking on this subject, I have come to a current place where I believe that God does not have our lives planned out in mass detail and he does not have us working on a waypoint system. Instead, it seems to me that if we glorify God with our lives, he will bless our decisions and desires.

The difficult thing then is discerning if our actions are simply good for ourselves or if they are also a glory to God. That has been one of the hardest things for me as I think about my current situation. I know that the best thing that I can do is to simply allow time to work things out. In that time, I will hopefully grow in my ability to accept and be at peace with whatever comes.

When the Morning Light Comes Streaming In

Whoever said learning and discipline are painful at times was a very astute individual. One of the most difficult things during this break has been to try to work through all of this stuff that has been passing through my head, to not come to any conclusions, but only more questions, and to find some sort of peace in that. I am not sure where peace is found in that type of searching, but that seems to be what life is made of.

The closer that we examine something, the more we find ourselves enveloped in the mystery of it all. I have heard some people say that the closer that they feel to God, the less they understand of him. Perhaps that is what always makes life new each morning. We wake up and just when we think that we have everything figured out, life throws us a curveball and we must adjust. Sometimes part of the fun of life is remembering that in spite of all the pain and doubt, there are new things to see and learn with each dawn.

Calm Like A Bomb

Funny moment of the night: While watching "Behind Enemy Lines" for the first time I was struggling to imagine Owen Wilson as a Navy Fighter Plane Navigator, and I was beginning to believe that he could pull it off. Until.........

In a moment of extreme concentration, the camera zooms in on Owen's face, and he locks into a stare of determination that is the exact replica of the look he gave Derek in the David Bowie sanctioned walk-off in "Zoolander." The rest of the movie was ruined for me. I kept expecting him to escape from the Serbian assassin on his Razor Scooter or something.

Joey's house was a lot of fun, and there are few things that are more enjoyable than hitting a pitching wedge at a closed driving range. Every time that I go down to Austin, it further reinforces my desire to live there at some point in my life. I am not sure what it is about the city and area, but it has exerted an odd sort of attraction for me for a long time.

I am looking forward to my last week here at home. We are heading up to my grandmother's farm tomorrow, which is always a lot of fun. I have really fond memories of exploring the "Big Ditch", feeding cows, and fishing around the farm, and it will be good to return to the site of so many family moments tomorrow.