Good Vibrations

Well, how about an update? I Haven't had one of those in a while have I! This will probably be long, so bear with me. Skim if you want, hell skip it all if you want haha..


Well, for starters let me just say that I spent 10 hours today working on a greek grammar for one of my classes. I have about 25 pages done and still have more to do. But, it has been a pretty cool process despite the mind-numbingness that happpened at times. It has taught me two things: First, I know a lot more about how greek works than I thought I did. Second, I have a ton more to learn if I really want to master this language. Everytime I review everything a little piece of information takes hold in my brain and stays there, I just need to keep reviewing...

Aside from that I have a 10 page exegetical paper due on the ninth that I have abot 20% of my research to do, and then I need to write the dang thing, but I am not too worried about that one. I also have a 15 page paper on a grammatical issue in Greek. Don't know what the heck that last sentence means? Don't worry, I am pretty clueless on that one too, I have no idea what to do my paper on...

Thanksgiving was good this year. We ate outside at my friend Jon's house. Everyone brought some fun dishes and we went to town! I made my first attempt at making a Rum Cake, and it came out pretty good. I guess a cup of rum will make anything good though...

I will so happy when this quarter is over. I have enjoyed my classes, but working full time and taking four nights work of evening classes is not the best idea. Next quarter I will will drop a day of work and take my classes during the day. Hopefully this will work out better. I am sick of being exhausted all the time...and it will be nice to have the energy to go to church again (sundays have been my only day to grab any real sleep lately..)

It will still be busy the week after finals. I had to trade some people days to get my finals week free to do papers, so i have like 8 days straight or something like that. No worries though, because on dec. 21 i fly home!

I will be home the 21st-29th. For you NR people I will be around mostly before xmas, and for you columbus people, I am going to probably get a bus ticket to ride up the 26th, (anyone have a place I can stay?) and then I am going to ride the bus back on the 28th. I would love to hang with chapel choir folks and church folks if i can...we will see!

I am full of happiness right now, I think that this trip home to see family and friends has been the thing that has kept me going so strong this quarter.... I love you all and can't wait to see you!


ok thats all i can think to blog for now.....

CNN.com - Site of ancient church unveiled - Nov 6, 2005

This is pretty cool. This may be the oldest church ever found if they can verify the time they say it existed. Read and enjoy :)



Click here to read!

Two fun bands

For those who have heard of Davinci's Notebook, two of the guys from that are performing on their own now as "Paul and Storm" check them out at http://www.paulandstorm.com

also I came a cross a band called "Eddie From Ohio" they are not from ohio, but have a great folksy type sound. you can hear them at http://www.efohio.com

Timely Songs

One of the ways God seems to speak to my generation in particular is through movies and music. I know that i at least feel that at times. One of my favorite things is when I have had a shitty day or week and then i run into a song that just reminds me of gods presence in my life.

Today I was at work and was already kind of grumpy cause i didnt sleep very well last night. On top of that I am just growing weary, I went straight from working six days a week into working five days as well as four nights of class and the course load that goes with them. I am up for it, but i know that my energy is going to be waning this quarter and possibly the next quarter too if. Anyway, this guy I work with decided to make some comments about how i "barely fit the dress code" because i was in sandals, shorts and a t-shirt. Granted, my boss has no problems with that and nor do i, but his comments struck me as pretty rude and lef tme sour for the rest of my day.

Anyhow, abrooding over it for the whole day I decided to head to tower records to pick up a couple cds. First I was looking for Franz Ferdinand because somehow I had yet to pick up a copy, and secondly I have heard some good things about Paul McCartney's new album : Chaos and Creation in the Backyard.

It is a really great album, but one song Follow Me (see below) really just filled me with joy. I have no idea what exactly Mr. McCartney thinks about God and Jesus, but this song seems to seap with Christian imagery to me. Funny thing is, if this were a "Christian Band" I would not probably like it very much. I am not a big fan of the christian music sphere, and although there is good stuff out there, I tend to avoid it because of the junk. Anyway, if I come across something in a mainstream artist I am much more receptive. Mainly because mainstream artists tend to write songs about all kinds of things and not all of them have to have a christian angle. But, I digress... the point is, this song brought God into focus for me. Yeah I am still tired, yeah the guy hurt my ego/feelings, but I am still following after Jesus, I am still being born into the Kingdom of God, and I am still growing and being sharpened for his purposes.

With that, here are the Lyrics:

You lift up my spirits, you shine on my soul
Whenever I'm empty, you make me feel whole
I can rely on you, to guide me through, any situation
You hold up a sign that reads, follow me.

You give me direction, you show me the way
You give me a reason, to face every day
I can depend on you, to send me to, any destination
You hold up a sign that reads, follow me, follow me.

Down the track of lonelines, down the path of love
Through the words of heartache, to the end
On the shores of sorrow, where the waves of hope crash in
The perfect place for me to find a friend. ahh yeah yeah yeah, oh

You lead to places, that I've never been
Uncovering secrets, that I've never seen
I can rely on you, to guide me through, any situation
You hold up a sign that reads, follow me, follow me,
Follow me, follow me,
Follow me, follow me

-Paul McCartney

A happier blog :)

After the more depressing issue of missing friends and family ...

I had one of my first real "oh yeah , i live in LA" moments last weekend.

We went to go see the 40-year old virgin last weekend and there is a scene that takes place in a bookstore. That scene was actually shot in a bookstore in pasadena that i love called Vroman's. Other than the normal touristy type movie scenes, i dont think i have ever recognized a place in a movie as somewhere ive been.

So thats a happy moment, that no one else probably thinks is very exciting....but it makes me smile :-p

absence makes the heart grow fonder

I am about 9 days away from being away from home for a year. That is a weird thing to think about...

My grandparents were here over the weekend. It was one of the best weekends i have had out here in california. Of all of my family, i have seen the least of them in the last 5 years because when i went away to college, they moved to florida. So, its been about one or two visits a year with them. Regardless, it was so much fun to spend time with them. On sunday we drove up into the san gabriel mountains and saw some great "rugged" terrain as my grandpa pointed out. It was the closest i have felt to home in a long time.

I think we can officially say I am in a state of homesickness. I have mentioned several times on here how great it is to talk to friends online or various phonecalls, but I think it has been hitting me especially hard lately. I was really pumped to be coming home in july, and when that didnt happen, it was one of the toughest decisions ive made in a long time. Leading up to the trip, the problem was how was i going to afford it, let alone afford not working those days. All i knew was that i needed to be home to see family, and then when i spent 8 hours sitting in an airport watching my name get bumped from 3 standby lists for flights...I slowly began to realize that it didnt matter how hard i fought to get home that week, it wasn't going to happen.

SO, now the plan is to use that standby flight sometime this fall, and buy a real ticket for christmas time. That said, I have to also figure out how i am suposed to see everyone i want to see when i go home. My family is all in the cincinnati area, as are some of my closest friends from hs. Then in columbus are people just as important. I want to see them al in one trip, but i know that is doubtful. Anyway, im just rambling. The point is that while california is slowly creeping into my definition of what I call home, Ohio is still the home to al of my closest friends.

I miss you all, and if i had to offer up a prayer request right now, it would be that all of the things that need to happen financially before the fall quarter starts - would hapen, and that means I will be able to make the flight reservations I need to make and see the people i long to see.

This is from one one of my new favorite comics : Pearls Before Swine - in the previous strips, pig had set up a nativity scene in his yard while he ran through the sprinklers to make people think he had friends - then someone stole all but the barn animals!
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For those who thought the reality show "Are You Hot?" was as low as we could go....

"Welcome to the Neighborhood" brings prospective new families into a suburban cul-de-sac. The white families who live there now have their preconceptions tested with potential neighbors that include gay, minority and heavily tattooed couples. The winning family gets to move in. The ABC series doesn't have a premiere date yet.

I don't even know what to say about this one.... Its bad enough that we have people who would struggle with living next to people with alternative lifestyles.....but to try and create a painful situation for them? And then make money doing it.....well thats just the American Way....

Long Time No Type

Well, It has been over a month since I have posted...... I am sorry :(

This quarter has been so busy, that I have hardly had time to stop and take a breath.

I have been working at Archives (A really large theological/religious studies new & used bookstore) one or two days a week, and that has been really fun. I have always loved books, so this is a great fit for me.

Aside from that I have either been in class or doing homework for class it seems. I have been enjoying it immensly however. I am in my final quarter of greek, and it is starting to get harder, yet more understandable at the same time...i wish I could explain that better.....

I am in a class on incarnation and mission among the world's urban poor. This class has really been challenging me and opening my eyes to the world around us. My thoughts on what it means to care for the poor have dramatically changed. If you wanta book that will convict you and then push you o a point where you are encouraged to take action, I recommend Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger by Ron Sider.


My Systematics class is probably my favorite class right now. We are studying ecclesiology and eschatology. I am so excited to learn about the different approaches churches take to defining what it is to be a part of the church. It was really fun to be learning about the Roman Catholic tradition in the midst of the election of Benedict XVI. I am finding that I have a heart for Ecumenical studies. I am not sure what that means afte rmy masters. I know I want to pursue a doctorate of some sort, but I am not sure what yet....


The other thing that has really be great for me recently has been som things with the Vineyard Church, both as a who, and on a local level. I am so blessed to be a part of The Hub, my church here in LA. We are still so small, but we are growing in heart and in size (little by little). Going from the megachurch of Vineyard COlumbus to a 30 person church plant has been quite a change, but totally where God wanted me to go it seems.

On a more national level, I have been listening to some of the session from the national conference last week. It really is an exciting time to be in the Vineyard. We are ripe for God's moving in our midst and I pray that he would bring us to a deeper level of serving him as a church body.

And of course, things with katie have been just as great as ever. We have been together 5 months now, and while this has been a tougher quarter for both of us, it has been overall good for us. We are learning each other's breaking points and strengths. She is truly a wonderful part of everyday, and I am so thankful that she still will spend her time with me!




Lastly, I moved across the freeway a couple of weeks ago. It is a nice little place, two bedrooms with a loft. I am in the back bedroom which has its own bathroom. To get to my room you either have to go through the main bedroom, or you enter right through the bathroom, but it is worth it. I am nice and comfy!


This has been a quick runthrough of my life this quarter and I hope I am able to write more soon, I hope this is enough to update some of you though!

God Bless!

This is the rotunda of the Capitol building in Sacramento...thats right, I went to the home of Arnold...but he wasn't there.
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A bunch of seals at pebble beach :)
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Fun wave at Pebble beach in Monterey on the 17-mile drive
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Fun Waves at Pebble Beach in Monterey on the 17-mile drive
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The Beautiful sunset we got to watch at a beach in Big Sur
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Here is Katie in front of Mc Way Falls in Big Sur on our way up the Pacific Coast Highway
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The Happiest place on earth, and the "not nearly as big as the one in disneyworld" Castle
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This is Thomas and Andrea as we prepare to learn that it really is a Small World after all.
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Here is a good shot of Thomas on our way up the mountain
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This is Me on top of the mountain Thomas and I climbed in Malibu!
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this is a fun little flower I found.
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This was taken at Point Loma in San Diego. It has a great view of the ocean on one side and the City on the other. It was overcast that day so the city doesn't stick out as well. It is well worth the moolah to see it though!
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This is the Christine Dunson! We had a great time when she came to visit. :)
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First off this is a picture from when we went to Joshua Tree National Park way back in Feb/March-ish :)
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After a long online absence, I am back....

Hey all....It has been almost a month since I last posted.... So if yo uhave been anxiously awaiting the next post... Here it is!

It has been about the busiest month I have ever had! My finals week ended quite well and I have my grade for two of my classes...I got an A in Greek and an A- in my class on the Kingdom Of God theology.

Then the fun started! First I got my very first ohio visitor in the person of Christine Dunson. She came and had dinner with Katie and I and it was so much fun! I was really blessed by her visit, and it was nice to have one of my friends from home actually get to meet Katie, and give such a great approval! Christine Says she doesn't read this much ..or ever, but if she does I want her to know how happy her visit made me!

My second visitor from ohio also showed up and I got to go Hiking in Malibu with Thomas Settle. It was a beautiful day and we made it to the top of the mountain/hill/elevated land etc... it was amazing.

Next my grand tour of California began.

Katie had a friend who was getting married in San Diego, so we went down for two days. The wedding was alright, but San Diego was really fun in itself. Our introduction to the city was on the Coronado bridge, the highest bridge in town. As we crossed it, the traffic stopped and all of a sudden a couple of cops ran by, one of them carrying a shot gun. There was a "Jumper" luckily he did not jump , but it was definitely a weird experience. Other highlights of that weekend included going to Point Loma where you can get a great view of the ocean as well as the city.

The next week I started My job at Archives Bookstore, stocking shelves and what not. It is a great theological bookstore with a laid back attitude and the sounds of U2 in the background, so I am quite happy there.

Wed. of Spring break, Katie and I got to go to Disneyland with Thomas and Andrea where we got to do a lot of things including my favorite: the Pirates of the Caribbean. The worst ride of the day was "Storybook Canal ride" it was too awful to describe. But we had fun :)

Over easter weekend we drove up the pacific coast highway through malibu, Big Sur, Monterey, Pebble Beach, and more on our way towards Sacramento to stay with Katies folks for the weekend. Once again...it was just a great trip. The weather was sunny and gorgeous and there has been so much rain lately that all of the greenery was actually green!

In Sacramento her family took me ona tour of the city including the state capital building. Unfortunately I did not get to see Arnold, but I will make it my mission to find hm someday!

Then we retuned home for a few days of normal life until today when we went to the U2 concert in Anaheim. Wow. I am blown away. I have heard all these great things about what it is like to finally experience U2 live and it was well worth the wait. We had great seats, and the stage was so beautiful. They really had so much color in the displays, I was thrilled. In steadof an LED screen behind them like on the pop tour, they have these fun bead looking drapes of LEDs. They lower them down and they end up becoming large tv-type screens...I know sounds weird, but it looks cool. One thing that I didn't know about was that in the middle of the concert they tell you to text message a number for info on the One Campaign. At the end of the concert, during '40', they posted a lot of the names of the people who texted. I got to see my name! it took a second to realize that it was my name, but it was a nice little perk at the end of the night!

Anyway, this has been a long post and i will be posting some pictures of most of what I just described soon...

God Bless you all my friends...

Richie

Yes, Virginia, there is a stress fairy.....and its visiting Richie this week

So, I am frustrated. I am down to my last 7-8 days of schoolwork before a week and a half of exciting things.

I am ready for March 15th to be over. I am also feeling the stress of final exams. I only have two exams, but both seem to be a lot harder than the midterms were. My Early Church History class is overwelming me like crazy. I have been going through my class reader and making note cards on the lectures...so far I have made it through 80 pages and I have about 70 left.....and that is just making the flash cards...I still have to learn them all as well as prepare about 20 different essay questions of which I will only end up having to answer two.....ahh such a good use of time....

Ok so I am bitter right now, I am sorry.


In other news I had an interview today for a job at the campus coffee shop. I wanted to interview for the bookstore, but they rearranged their current staff so maybe if I get this job I can move over to the bookstore in the future....I am supposed to find out tomorrow for sure.

I am looking forward to spring break a lot though. First the Christine Dunson is visiting on the evening of my last exam. Then, next Friday I get to go to San Diego for the first time as we go to a wedding of one of Katies friends. Then Thomas Settle is coming into town and we are going to go to Disney land with him and Andrea... And finally, if that wasn't enough, Katie and I are going to drive up the Pacific Coast Highway on our way to Sacramento to visit her parents for a few days. I have never done that either. So it will be a busy time, but lots of fun.

And one prayer request is that my current roommate found a cheaper place to live, so I am looking for a roommate. to move in soon after he moves out (which is over spring break). Please pray that the lord would provide someone in a timely fashion. I have until May before my rent goes up to the full price. Although perhaps if I get this job it will bring in enough cash that I would be able to cover the cost of the place on my own...who knows....

alright its late, i need sleep and calm... stress go away.

Joshua Tree

So last night I decided that we would do something random. Thankfully, Katie trusts me enough to not have to ask questions when I decide to be fun. I had her put on some warm clothes, and we drove 3 hours to Joshua Tree National Park to watch the stars. That was simply breathtaking. We decided that we might as well stay the night and watch the sunrise together. Trouble was, we didnt have a tent or blankets or anything, so it made for quite a humorous sight as we became contortionists and attempted to sleep for a couple of hours at a time. Finally at about 5am the sun began to break over the horizon. We drove around a bit and really witnessed a beautiful sunrise. And as I am sure has happened thousands of times there, we finally broke out U2's Joshua Tree album and listened to it. Never has Where the streets have no name been more real to me. The best part was hearing that opening as the sun bore down brightly on my truck while we drove up a road that actually did have no name, and then listen to Bono sing about the desert plain. By the time the song finished we reached a spot at 5100 ft that overlooks the entire mountain valley of that area. Perfect.

So it was a great 12 hours or so. There were some crappy things that happened to us as we got ready to leave, but in all honesty, I would rather just remember the good parts right now.

We took some pics, but they didn't all come out very well. I will post some when I get them from Katie though.


Aside from that, I am still waiting to hear back on some jobs, and all that fun stuff. There are some rough moments trying to make things work out, but I know that it is not in my hands. At the end of the day it is God's actions that will remain, and not my own. Please pray that God would reveal his faithfulness to me and that I would recognize it and give him glory because of it.

This is probably one of my favorite pictures ever. This was last sunday in the mountains as we celebrated Valentine's Day Eve.
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This week has been pretty good.

Sunday Katie and I celebrated Valentines Day early.

We took advantage of the beautiful weather and drove up the Angel Crest Freeway into the mountains. Within an hour and a half we went from sunny Pasadena to the top of the foothill which was covered in large amounts of snow. It was my first snow of the year. I haven't seen it since last spring in Cincy. (I know that those of you in Ohio/Kentucky are rolling your eyes at this comment, but I have missed it - to an extent.) It was amazing though. The views were spectacular. It was a trip I will always cherish in my heart.

Later that evening I was finally able to work on my gift to her. I made her a book that tld the story of the decisions and events of my life that led me to Fuller, and eventually to her. I could only write the story up until we met though. After that I had her help me finish. It is complete with some very poor drawings of mine, including, probably the only image of a Gorilla pooping from a branch, that has ever been given as a valentines gift. (On our second date we witnessed that scene @ the LA Zoo.)

As for Katie, she gave me a very beautiful poem, as well as some other writings that brought tears to my eyes...

This week has been also very good in the world of classes. I got A's on my Early Church History test, as well as my first paper for my Gospel of the Kingdom class. I was stressin' over the early church history test, so I was pretty happy with things.

The best news was that I did my taxes and will be getting back 1200.00 ish this year. I actually worked all of last year so I made some money...New things for me lol. My money situation is still rough, but getting better. I have a strong prospect of a job at the Bookstore here on Campus.

Peace Out

Fred and Barney

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6934878/site/newsweek/

Ahh, this is such a funny article. It is a work of satire, but it sounds like something our friends James Dobson or Jerry Falwell might really pull someday.

Flintstones Are ‘Way Too Gay’

Fred and Barney should be banned because they are virtually inseparable, are never seen wearing pants and live together in the suggestively-named town of Bedrock, complains a conservative activist

WEB EXCLUSIVE

By Andy Borowitz

Newsweek

Updated: 12:51 p.m. ET Feb. 8, 2005

Feb. 8 - The ongoing campaign against alleged gay icons in animated cartoons continued today as a newly formed conservative group demanded that television stations stop broadcasting "The Flintstones" at once.

Harland Devane, leader of the group Focus on the Flintstones, said at a press conference in Washington, D.C. today that his organization was issuing the demand because, "Quite simply, everything about 'The Flintstones' is way too gay."

The conservative activist distributed a memo itemizing over 50 ways in which the self-styled "modern Stone Age family" series promotes homosexuality, but left little doubt that most of his concerns centered on the relationship between the two main characters, Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble.

"Their relationship is more flagrantly homosexual than anything in Oliver Stone's 'Alexander,'" Devane said.

He pointed out that Fred and Barney are virtually inseparable, are never seen wearing pants and live together in the suggestively-named town of Bedrock.

He also noted that the two men work together at a quarry wearing hard hats and construction garb, an oblique reference to the construction worker in the classic disco band "The Village People."

"Do I believe they are gay icons?" Mr. Devane said. "I abba-dabba-do."

He added that Focus on the Flintstone's efforts will not stop at banning the cartoon series from U.S. television stations, telling reporters that the group is also "taking a close look" at Flintstone-related consumer products such as Flintstone vitamins and cereal.

"We are very uncomfortable with Fruity Pebbles," he said.

Elsewhere, President Bush announced a budget of $2.57 trillion, most of which will go to paying for last month's inauguration.

Sing Me To Heaven

Sing Me to Heaven
Daniel Gawthrop (b. 1949)
(Dunstan House)

In my heart's sequestered chambers
Lie truths stripped of poet's gloss.
Words alone are vain and vacant and my heart is mute.
In response to aching silence
Memory summons half-heard voices,
And my soul finds primal eloquence and wraps me in song.

If you would comfort me, sing me a lullaby.
If you would win my heart, sing me a love song.
If you would mourn me and bring me to God,
Sing me a requiem, sing me to heaven.

Touch in me grief and comfort;
Love and passion, pain and pleasure.
Sing me a lullaby, a love song, a requiem.
Love me, comfort me, bring me to God:
Sing me a love song, Sing me to heaven.
-- Jane Griner

He had a Dream

He shared his dream with the world. A national holiday is a great honor for anyone, but I think it would be better if we realized that the best way to Honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is to work on fulfilling that dream in our everyday lives. This is hard, especially for those of us from a priveledged race. We don't want to be made to feel at fault for what "happened in the past." Well the reality I am coming to understand is that its not about finding fault, or even righting wrongs. It is about how we treat our fellow brothers and sisters in this world. As Christians, I believe we have the responsibilty to seek out and meet the needs of our neighbors regardless of the cause. When Jesus met the woman at the well, he did not deny her his love because she was at fault for being an adultress, nor did he make excuses for her. She was what she was, but Jesus saw past that and shared what she needed. In her case it was spiritual guidance. In our day, meeting someones needs may take shape by enforcing affirmative action, or spending more money in predominantly black neighborhoods to ensure the same education is reaching these kids as is reaching the white kids of suburbia. It may even take shape in ways we dont understand. Regardless, it is our duty to love people. Here is the transcript of his speech. I pray that it will still find root our hearts today.

I Have A Dream:

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves, who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so we have come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must ever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecutions and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends. And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right down in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I will go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day. And this will be the day, this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning, "My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring!" And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

And so let freedom ring -- from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

Let freedom ring -- from the mighty mountains of New York.

Let freedom ring -- from the heightening Alleghenies of
Pennsylvania.

Let freedom ring -- from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.

Let freedom ring -- from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that.

Let freedom ring -- from Stone Mountain of Georgia.

Let freedom ring -- from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.

Let freedom ring -- from every hill and molehill of Mississippi,
from every mountainside, let freedom ring!

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual,

"Free at last, free at last.

Thank God Almighty, we are free at last."

Catholic

Today in my Early Church History class our professor gave us a really awesome definition of what it meant for the Church to be Catholic in its beginnings. First he asked if we knew what it meant and the general response was that it meant "Universal." He told us how that definition was actually pretty weak.

A better definition was this:

"The whole of the Church is present in each place, and each church is present in the whole."

How cool is that?

God has really been prodding my heart in thinking about how the Church could be more representative of a single body rather than the many body parts we really act like. It breaks my heart that we even have to say things like "Oh I'm not protestant, I'm Christian" as if it is some superiority thing. We are Christians, that is what unites us. There are so many petty arguments we make to seperate ourselves from each other. Blah. It is my prayer that we would once again be known by the remark of Tertullian when refrerring to the Early Church: "See how they Love one another!"

Jesus has made me whole again.

"Lord, my body is tired, my mind is tired, my heart is tired, my spirit is exhausted. If I am running this race it must be by your strength. I remember the promises of Isaiah 40. I need you Lord, I need you to pour out your spirit into me. Break the pains and chains of depression. It is so weird, I must learn to be an independant being, but also a dependant one Something I don't even begin to undestand the workings of."

Journal entry April 9, 2004.

that entry pretty much sums up the state of my life for most of 2003/2004. I didn't really have much hope, or entertain the idea that I really could be free from depression or anxiety.

The other night as Katie and I were driving back from a party, I was hit hard with the realization that Jesus has come in power and brought me new life. If you have read my blog for the last month or so you can see that I was heading towards this realization, but it finally hit me like a ton of bricks. I am full of Joy again. Genuine happiness is something I possess. That night I spent over five hours at a party where I didn't know too many people and I was able to enjoy myself, without the social anxiety that normally sets in within a couple of hours. This is MAJOR for me.

My grandfather in Florida even made not eof a difference in the sound of my voice yesterday as we talked on the phone.
Hope does exist, it is a gift of the Lord. I still face many problems and issues, but I have a sense of what Jesus is doing now. Praise the Lord!



On a different note, Last night we went to see a performance by The Groundlings. They are similar to Second City and are an improv/sketch comedy group. People lke Phil Hartman, Will Ferrell, Lisa Kudrow and others have all worked there in the past. It was so much fun. There were a few sketches that were a little over the top, but for the most part the show was quite clean which was refreshing. But anyway...things are going well here and I am happy. :)

New Quarter, New Classes, New Experiences

It has been a great week.
At first I was unable to registered, but God has provided and brought the help I needed to do so. I am officially registered as of today in some pretty awesome classes.

I am continuing with my studies in Greek this quarter.. we focused on nouns, pronouns and adjectives last time, this quarter we are going to work on verbs. I ended up with a 96.2 for my final grade last quarter and am pretty psyched about this one.

I am also continuing in a course called Foundations for Ministry. It isa class that is half seminars and half small group sessions. I enjoy the small group, but the seminars are very long and tend to be very boring and off topic.

As for my new classes this quarter, I am in Early Church History, and a class called The Gospel of the Kingdom: Ladd's Theology I am most excited abou thte class on Ladd's Theology. George Ladd was a prof. at Fuller for about 30 years I think and he has been one of the more prominant scholars in the NT, specifically in terms of eschatology(study of the end times) and the kingdom of God. My favorite prof. from last quarter, Dr. Hagner is teaching this class so I am looking forward to a great time.

Outside of class I am still trying to figure out what to do with work. I gave them my availabilty and then was scheduled at times when I cannot work as well as I now am in class on mon/wed mornings so that narrows down my availability. I have a pplied to a work study position here on campus which will be more flexible, and also be more consistent. But, I am praying, I do dislike the valet job very much, but I know that I cannot quit without something there to back it up with. argh. frustrations.


Mostly I am recoginizing the many blessing god has been showering me with lately. He has provided a great community out here in Pasadena that is still widening for me. I have also been blessed by many people from back east. Whether it has been a random IM conversation, a christmas card, a phone call or just a fond memory, I have been seeing the people god has put in my life at all stages and places as some of the most important things I know. God has blessed me with my job, regardless of my enjoyment level at the moment. He has provided me a place to worship in a good community on sundays and chances to start getting involved at church more. ANd yes, he has blessed me with a wonderful new relationship, but even more important than that, is that he has brought me to a much healthier mental state than I was in a year ago. Bad things happened then, and they still happen, but I am not in a place where pills or anxiety are the answer. I am much closer to him and have a greater sense of his peace in my life. For this reason, I am confident 2005 will be a trying year I am sure, but it will be a good and wonderful year as well.

New Years Blog

So it is now 2:17 am in Pasadena and I just got home from work a little while ago.

It was probably the most interesting/frustrating/weird new years I have ever had.

As I was watching CNN on my break at 8:30pm, I realized that the Ball drops at NINE FREAKING PM in California. That was not something I had even thought about before. They watch a REPLAY of the ball dropping at midnight. So that was my eastern standard time moment of the day.

As for the rest of my night....ugh


I was sent to take a Man, woman and their daughter to a restaurant. Taking them there was not a problem. Unfortunately the restaurant was located at the heart of the rose parade route down Colorado Blvd. So, when I went back two hours later to pick them up, I was suddenly being rerouted in a direction opposite of where the restaurant was. forty minutes of traffic later, I am able to get to the restaurant and thankfully they were running even later than I was and I had to wait on them. The parents were both a little inebriated, and the woman spent the car ride down Colorado Blvd. talking about how the people who were camping out on the sidewalk reminded her of homelesspeople and how it made her ill....yeah that was anoying. The man was also tipsy, but mre fun. He was talking to the people on the street and having a good time.

After we had a discussion on the origin of my name, the man turned to me and said "Richie, do you have to be any where in the next ten minutes?" I said not really and he then had me drive past the Hotel and towards this neighborhood where there some amazing christmas lights still up. The entire street was lined with huge trees that were all lit up. It really was a great display. when the guy ended up tipping me 30 bucks for the night, but that all goes into a pool and is split between all of us. He did give my bosses great remarks about me though. That was cool.

The actual count-down was non-existant for me and so I don't have anything to say about that lol.

I am now exhausted and will probably not get up to even watch the parade on tv since it is on at 8 am. I need my sleep so I can go back tomorrow night.

God Bless you, my friends


update...

I have now officially watched the ball drop...at 3 am pst thats 6 am for you folks out east.....

oh yeah, and I have been told I haven't mentioned how great my aunt kim is enough in my postings, so let me just say that she is awesome and I love her :)