Well, as many of you know, this year is our traveling Christmas. We didn't fit much in last year with me working at Enon and having to be there for the Christmas Eve service. So now it's been a few years since i've made it to either ARPC's or Sardis Presbyterian's candlelight services in Charlotte. But, we've started new traditions.
This year, we decided that in 5 days, we'd hit 3 states in 6 cities to visit 3 families. We began on Wednesday (Christmas Eve). We packed the car and headed out early in the morning for Hershey, PA. The traffic was great, but the weather was horrendous. We made it there by lunch time and spent the evening passing out presents to the young ones and enjoying food and cookies with the 25 or 30 relatives on Ashley's dad's side of the family. The biggest hits were the blinking Rudolf noses we gave out to the kids who wore them and played with them for hours.
Christmas morning (Thursday), we woke up, exchanged some presents with Ashley's dad and step mom and brother, Erich and then hit her aunt and uncle's place for a huge breakfast. Then we hit her other aunt and uncle's for another breakfast before hitting the road for the south land.
We got to Chapel Hill by 7pm Christmas night to have Christmas dinner and exchange more presents with Ashley's mom and her husband and her brother, Marcus. This morning, (Friday) we got up to take Marcus to the airport for a mission trip to South Africa and then did some sale shopping for ourselves and the wedding and more eating and i worked on my sermon for Sunday.
Tomorrow, we will rise early, head to Davidson for Page Mowery's wedding, spend some time with my folks and Kelley for her birthday, and more presents. Then Sunday will be me preaching at my home church in Charlotte for their college Sunday and more time with my folks in Concord before we head home to our own home in Richmond to finally have time to give each other some presents and chill with the dog before we're back to work and school in the new year.
This will likely be one of my last posts in 2008. i'll do a 2008 recap soon.
i know, it's a tense you probably don't use often. However, it's something i often think to myself. i'm no fortune teller, and i am sometimes surprised in life, but truth be told, it's rare. Movies don't surprise me, books don't surprise me, the actions of various people and professors and family members don't surprise me. Even Relationships rarely, if ever, surprise me. i am almost never surprised by who dates who or who breaks up, etc. There are notable exceptions (i can name most of them off hand without much thought).
Even the country doesn't surprise me often. i expected and guessed the results of the last several elections long before the various polls called either candidate. i even guessed Obama would not only get the nomination but be our president years ago when he was not even talking about it.
What is to come? i will not be surprised in the next 20 years when we are no longer the hegemonic superpower in the world. i will not be surprised when our economy and healthcare system become even worse than they are now and terrorism and attacks are just as bad here as abroad. i will not be surprised when the wealthiest Americans no longer reside in America. i also will not be surprised to see fossil fuels become as rare as antique cars and serve the same purposes. i will not be surprised to see domestic terrorism rise due to the inadherence of our federal government to our Constituion and international terrorism rise despite our lack of involvement overseas.
Will you really be surprised? i don't think the average person is this realistic, so i'll assume most of you reading this think i'm preaching doom and gloom. However, i'm not sure it's all bad news. Is it scary? Certainly. But i trust God. Do i trust God to bring me and everyone else through it safe and sound? No. But i also believe that we take much for granted in this country, both as a secular people and those of us who are believers.
i'm not the kind of person who believes that the government will work best if it is devoid of faith, nor am i such a person that believes this country will go to hell in a handbasket if we don't have another great awakening and get prayer back in schools. i simply believe that the God i believe in is bigger than all of these concerns and that when this country heads the way i am sure it will, that's all many of us will have to hold onto, and that's not such a bad thing at all.
In The Dark Knight, Alfred says, "And what will happen on that day, Master Wayne." Bruce responds, "We all know how much you love to say, 'i told you son.'" To which, Alfred replies, "On that day, even i won't want to, sir."
There's a video on YouTube that is getting a lot of play. Israel requires its 12th graders to serve their country. Shocking, right? There are many Israeli kids who are conscientious objectors. However, the video doesn't give the full scoop. Do they really put a gun in the hand of every 12th grader? No. In fact, you have the option of serving EITHER for just over 9 months in armed service OR just over 12 in a non-combat job, such as medical or technical jobs, etc.
The video will play to many Americans like the "brave" people who went to jail (or Canada) to avoid the Vietnam draft. i'm not weighing in on that debate. It was a difficult time and a terrible conflict. However, the glaring difference is that in the US you couldn't say, "i won't go fight in this war! Let me be a doctor or nurse or computer tech and serve my country by healing or supporting, rather than killing." These Israelis have that option. Why the video? Why the press frenzy?
They aren't opposed to serving it seems as much as the Israeli "occupation" of... Israel. Now, forget that these kids obviously missed, skipped, or slept their history classes and synagogue time and various lectures by parents and grandparents. If they believe they are occupying Israel/Palestine wrongly, there are two opposites to occupation. One is not being there at all. If this is their solution, going to jail doesn't help. They're still in the land. It would be perfectly legal for them to leave Israel and encourage others to leave as well, right?
The other opposite is to be occupied. i'm sure that if they wanted to go turn themselves over to terrorists or fight to overthrow the Israeli military, they could. Going to jail seems to be the least effective way to accomplish either of the alternatives to occupation. It also seems the easiest.
Which is harder: ending the occupation (by fighting against the Israeli government in word or action or putting your life in the hands of terrorists)... OR going to jail? Is going to jail brave? Sure it is. i don't want to go. But does it take more courage to serve your country in the capacity of a non-combatant and change the system through voting and running for office, social justice movements? (or are we assuming those are not effective any more?)
The truth about cigarettes is that they calm your nerves and help you lose weight. The whole truth is that they can also lead to poor hygiene, cancer and death. The truth about Israel is that they require young men and women to serve their country. The whole truth is that they allow you to do it in ways that serve others without killing anyone, and as a democratic society, allow voice and protest for those who object to an occupation of the Palestinians.
As 2008 draws to a close, it's about time to take a look back. But before, i do that, i am going to take a look forward. So here is my list of New Year's aspirations. We won't go so far as to call them resolutions...
1) Learn to play guitar. Yes, really learn. i've had the darn thing for a couple years now and i only pick it up a few days at a time. i am going to put in the time... and callouses.
2) Get in shape. This is a popular one, yes? i think i can legitimately achieve this one. i did a pretty good job the summer i worked right next to a YMCA and the summer i worked at one. We acquired a Bowflex this summer and i used it diligently for 6 weeks. i got in much better shape but i slacked off when we went for our week-long honeymoon. i have been disciplined enough to get on it every few weeks and not let it become a clothes rack AT ALL. i gained 10 lbs in the first couple weeks and i have a goal to gain more. If i can do that whilst still riding 15 miles a week on my bike, i'll be on track.
3) Clean up my language. Don't laugh (Ben, i can hear you). Yes, i've said this since 10th grade. i know i try this every year. i'm no sailor and i'm not worse than the average seminary student, even, but that's not how i choose to measure the change i need in my life. A little help?
i read a blog semi-regularly by a professor at Swarthmore and Yale. He has recently written a paper on the necessary rebuilding of the Presbyterian Church (USA). i'll warn you, if you're not a Presbyterian, or you're not the academic type at all, don't bother with this article. In true Presbyterian fashion (and in true scholarly professor fashion for that matter), the Witherspoon Society (see: self-proclaimed ultra-liberal scholars of the PC(USA)) wrote a rebuttle and they all signed it.
As this blogger points out, one little girl wrote: "I'm not sure what the 'Witherspoon Society' is, but I can only hope that one day I write something that gets that many teachers cranky enough to sign something like that..."
In his paper, this blogger/professor wrote that he believed the original affirmative action appartus of the PC(USA) for hiring and establishing church structure was wise and beneficial, but that that system had become corrupt and unhelpful and no longer served the original and intended purposes of bringing God's people together. The response paper by the Witherspoon Society quoted Galations ("there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither bond nor free, neither male nor female") in defense of that system. The point of his paper though was to point out that the intent was honorable and laudable, but that the goal was no longer being met.
The Witherspoon Society also pointed to Neibuhr and his idea that even good manmade structures can become corrupt or ineffective. "Exactly my point!" was the reply of the blogger/professor. The Witherspoon Society is made up of those academics who rallied for affirmative action in the sixties and have become blind to the fact that their system now is the corrupt system that defends the status quo.
Many responses to his blog post were well-articulated. There is still much work to be done in a denomination that is so woefully non-diverse. However, i would challenge the idea that we could ever be as diverse as we would like to be. The Presbyterian church has many wonderful traditions, among them are scholarship and debate and social justice, but we also have traditions of tradition and solemnity and worship that puts people to sleep. We'll have to change a lot more than how open and tolerant people are before we'll ever be anything that resembles a diverse body of believers...
It's clearly finals time! All the laundry is in full swing, i'm working out regularly, and the kitchen is mostly picked up. i thought i would take some time to comment on an earlier blog, via Sunday comic...
*i do not endorse grade school curricula that include The Naked and the Dead
Ask 10 people on the street what the biggest Jewish holiday of the year is and 9 will say Hanukkah. Ask those same 10 people what the biggest Christian holiday of the year is and 9 will say Christmas. But they'd be wrong...
For Jews today, the biggest holiday (the high holidays) are the new year and day of atonement and Passover. Why does Hanukkah have all the chutzpah? Probably because it's promoted as the Jewish Christmas holiday, a coincidence in timing and a tradition of gift giving that marks the occasion.
The real question is: Why is Christmas seen as the biggest Christian holiday? Easter is the center of the Christian calendar and the date of biggest significance. Why then does Christmas get the center stage? To borrow from Stephen Colbert, in a word... comericalizationability! Cadbury and Burlington Coat factory aside, it's hard to truly capitalize on a holiday more than the season that has come to mean obligatory gift giving.
So what lit the match under this outburst? i know you've been wondering what it was. i got an e-mail today from my father. At first glance, it was this neat little naughty or nice list. Who is on this clever little list? Well, on the naughty list is every store and online company who is celebrating the "holiday" season and on the nice list... you guessed it, those openly celebrating the "Christmas" season.
Now any self-respecting devout person would patronize the latter, right? Well, it seems to me that if this is the CHRISTmas season, celebrating the birth of Jesus, a man whom probably got his best 3 Christmas presents at his birth in a barn and spent most of his days as a wandering nomad with no possessions by choice... then you would want to avoid focusing on consumerism at all. However, if you're merely celebrating the HOLIDAY season, then consumerism and gift giving is a lovely way to do it.
i'm not going to advocate that you boycot shopping malls and go to church 5 times a week in the advent season. i, myself, love buying a few gifts for friends and family. However, it seems to me that if a store is capitalizing on the "Christmas" spirit/season of consumerism, rahter than peace on earth and good will toward all people, then why would i prefer their store to one that is merely capitalizing on the secular celebration traditions of the United States?
If a store wants to impress me with their Christmas spirit, they can warmly welcome Salvation Army bell ringers to their doorways, donate procedes to shelters, extend sales and selections so that no one is trampled running into their stores, and maybe close up on Christmas eve and day so that their employees, Christian, Jewish, or any faith at all can have some time with family and friends to share a wish for peace on earth.
Earlier this week, someone stole a sign from the Legislative building in Olympia, Washington. It was a sign "simply celebrating the winter solstice": "Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds."
A group called the Freedom From Religion Foundation was given permission to place it next to a nativity in the rotunda. How sweet. Now, while i admit that i think this is a rather hateful message that sort of negates the best of Christianity in a message of peace on earth and good will towards all, it upsets me much more that in all probability, this sign was stolen by a Christian. Isn't this one of the big ten?
To me, such a sign is like a post-it. It's like a prescription for glasses that needs to be filled... "this person has trouble seeing. They need assistance in order to see more clearly." If you are such a person that believes they are wrong, then you are called to pray for them and live a life exemplified by the one whose birth we are celebrating so that they might know truth in a new way.
My other confusion is about morality and faith. A very articulate young man from VCU came to a program Ashley and i attended. He is a self-professed atheist and attends this program regularly, which is targeted at and welcoming of non-believers. He was confused about how someone could believe in a God that punishes people eternally and call yourself moral.
Now, while i can see his point that from his perspective (one without an external moral standard) it would seem cruel. But that's exactly my point. How can you be moral at all if your standard is not external? If everyone decided their own moral code, chaos would reign. Many people do not believe adultery is wrong on any level whatsoever. Many people don't believe that sex or abuse of children is wrong. Many people believe that spousal abuse is justifiable. Many people believe stealing and assault is not wrong. And unfortunately, many people think that attacking or killing someone for their religious beliefs or sexual orientation are perfectly moral actions.
You can't simply say, "everyone is endowed with a conscience." This is true, but many people do not have a working conscience or theirs dictates radically different moral views from the vast majority. How then do we have a functional society? We have to impose laws. All laws are moral in nature. You impose any law because of a value. Even a law about traffic signs is based on the need for safety on roads because of the shared value that life is worth protecting and orderly traffic is a means to this end.
"Well, what's wrong with that," says the atheist. Well, firstly, a code of laws is an external set of morals. This is no longer based purely on your naturally endowed conscience. This may in and of itself be a problem for the atheist who wished to rely on his or her own moral compass. However, if it's not, it should be a problem for other reasons.
In the course of human history, many things have seemed right and moral in the eyes of the majority. We can certainly cite examples of genocide, slavery (practiced on nearly every continent in our past and present), and so on. The abolitionist movement, and the Civil Rights movements were led by Christians who were following the moral compass given to them by a God that still speaks in a very old book and the tradition of a people who were once held in bondage.
Now, in that situation, and many others, is it enough to rely on the moral code arrived upon by vote, or should those votes be swayed by the external moral standard given in hope and promise by a God you can't see, touch, or prove?
This isn't meant to sway you one way or the other, but a few points come to mind. One, a non-belief in God is no more logical or moral or helpful than a belief in God. And two, there is nothing wrong with discussing faith within the framework of logic. Many Christians take the easy way out (it is often labeled the high road) by saying "there's nothing logical about faith." Well, actually, there is. Besides the health benefits and benefits to a society, there is much that is logical about faith. This is not to mention the fact that many very inteligent ahteists point to the fairly reliable fact that many Christians seem ignorant, uninteligent, superstitious, blind, or scared when it comes to faith. Being ignorant, uninteligent, blind or scared are all good reasons to turn to faith, but they are not ways to cling to it or share it with others.
We live in a world that needs a reminder here in the Advent season that roughly 2000 years ago, God came into the world that God created to be good and full of hope and peace to remind us that it truly could be with the help and love and hope of its creator. Maybe those who have no better way to vent their frustration about non-believers could spend some time praying for or loving one instead of dashing that hope and stealing signs...
My other creative outlet is designing t-shirts, both inspirational and satirical. i design them on my computer and post them to a Zazzle page. You can find them here. These are a few of the newest...
It occurred to me today that many of you have not seen my magazine cover album. It's on facebook, but not everyone has access to that or navigates it well. i just finished my first album of 60 covers. And no, there's no special program for this. i do it "by hand" on the computer. This is one of my two big creative outlets...
As usual, i'm having trouble swallowing the bull. So you get to benefit from my upset tummy. A seminary friend posted a link to an article. In this article, the columnist, begrudgingly lauds a mega church pastor, Ed Young, for encouraging couples to have sex.
The guy seems surprised. He seems surprised both that this Evangelical says this and that no one else proposed this campaign earlier. Why? The columnist goes on to recount the hundreds of health benefits to an olympic sex life. Why would no one have recommended such a steady diet before?!?!
Well, if you think about it, NO one but an evangelical should recommend lots of sex. If you are an evangelical by choice, you are much more likely to be chaste or in a committed monogamous relationship and you're both far more likely to have had no other partners, or at least fewer. If that is not the case, a steady diet of sex is more likely to be harmful due to the plethora of venereal diseases out there.
The logic is astounding, yes? i'm amazed at how little thought the average person puts into the words that come out of their mouth, let alone the extra steps of typing and editing. (i hereby excuse myself from that group since i have no editor) :-D
*this article was written by a self-defining non-evangelical evangelist
They say you should leave it to someone else if they said it better. i have sent you in the direction of my cousin Josee before, so here again... because she said it best...
Is it so terrible that that's all i really want for Christmas? It's not even Thanksgiving yet, and i'm being asked what it is i want for Christmas. i've been told i am hard to shop for. i find that odd.
in some ways, i am like my father. He would prefer to buy things for himself, rather than tell people. The difference is that when i receive gifts that i didn't ask for, i'm generally thrilled. i love surprises. (the only exception would be the age-inappropriate gifts my mother would get me, but i suspect all mothers do that)
Certainly, i have received many gifts that i needed over the years, warm clothes, new pants, school supplies. But thruthfully, i have not wanted anything since i was in high school other than a guitar and some movies. i got a guitar 3 or 4 years ago for myself (since that was not on Santa's radar). All i really want at Christmas is to see all my friends and family, eat a lot, and buy nice surprises for other people. That and maybe go to the Christmas eve candlelight service at my home church. i missed that last year for the first time in 21 years and i've been thinking about it all year.
Many fundamentalists would argue that we're all missing the "reason for the season!" Many secular folks would argue that the "holiday season" is all about being kind to our neighbor and peace on earth. Yes, it is, and yes, it's about baby Jesus. But baby Jesus was one big surprise. Baby Jesus was God incarnate, God as human, God becoming part of a family. What could be a better celebration of that than spending time with family and surprising them with little gifts?
i am happy, delighted, excited, ecstatic, relieved and proud to announce that my little sister is ENGAGED! Her boyfriend of just over 6 years proposed Saturday night. He done good too.
Brice took Kelley to the restaurant they first went to together in 10th grade, the Steak and Shake in Concord. Then he drove her to the elementary school where they met in 4th grade (when Kelley first fell for the little red headed boy... please catch the Peanuts reference). He proposed in the parking lot on bended (notoriously bad) knee.
They went home to his parents to share the news and then to my folks'. Then Kelley called to say, "O, big broooother..."
It's been said that statistics are like bikinnis. They reveal quite a bit, but what they hide is vital. We poured over statistics today in my Evangelism in the congregation class. For your consideration and feedback...
10,000- The number of Christian conversions per DAY in China 39,000- The number of Christian Denominations in the World in over 200 countries 10 million- The number of Christians in Africa in 1900 350 million- The number of Christians in Africa in 2000
44% - Percetange of Americans who changed their religious affiliation in the last 10 years 68% - Percentage of legal immigrants who are Christians 90% - Percentage of illegal immigrants who are Christians
81% - Percentage of "white" Christians in the world in 1900
43% - Percentage of "white" Christians in the world in 2005
This is the message i preached today in Watts Chapel at seminary. It is footnoted for those of you who do not live near or attend Union-PSCE...
John 20:19-21
The disciples were afraid of the Jewish leaders, and on the evening of that same Sunday they locked themselves in a room. Suddenly, Jesus appeared in the middle of the group. He greeted them and showed them his hands and his side. When the disciples saw the Lord, they became very happy.
After Jesus had greeted them again, he said, "I am sending you, just as God has sent me."
Luke 10:25-37
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
He said to him, "What is written in the Law? How do you read it?"
And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."
And he said to him, "You have answered correctly;do this, and you will live."
But he,desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
Jesus replied, "A manwas going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.
Now by chance apriest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewisea Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
But aSamaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him andbound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out twodenariiand gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.'
Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?"
He said, "The one who showed him mercy."
And Jesus said to him, "You go, and do likewise."
The Message...
“I don’t like you.I don’t like your God.”When I was in seventh grade, I read Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.It was horrendous.I don’t remember much about the book except that Defoe has a penchant for semicolons and sentences that stretch on for days.Picture a boring version of Castaway.It did have it’s redeeming value.
Crusoe is marooned on an island and he befriends a native.After awhile, Crusoe decides that it’s time to tell this man about God.This native has very little interest.He has his own god, a crocodile god whom he can actually see.He has no interest in the ethereal, improvable God that Crusoe presents.Crusoe becomes frustrated, angrily telling him that the proof of God is in this Bible he has and that “God is LOVE!”The native becomes thoroughly angry at Robinson Crusoe’s increasingly obnoxious lecture on God.He tells him, “I don’t like you.I don’t like your God.”
This man has lived a life devoid of the God he’s being introduced to.He perceives no need for him.And then along comes Robinson Crusoe and informs him that he’s been wrong his whole life.Not only is he wrong, but he’s stupid.He tells him that God is love and throws a book at him as proof.
Jesus tells us, “I am sending you, just as God has sent me.”What does this mean for us as disciples of Christ?God has sent hundreds of prophets and judges, wise rulers and royal counselors.God has guided his people through priests and dream interpreters.We believe as Christians that Christ came and died for our sins.But we also believe that he led a life of example, of servitude, of humble teaching.He spoke truth and fought for justice and joined them on the Emmaus way… He spends his time in teaching, in preaching, in loving, listening, healing, praying, eating, and partying… with people… in relationship… with people.
“I am sending you, just as God has sent me.”Jesus is telling his followers, and telling us that we are being sent in the same manner as he was sent to us.If Jesus came to be in relationship with his disciples, then for us to teach or preach or heal or feed or love anyone… means that we must be in relationship with them.
“I don’t like you.I don’t like your God.”We will spend all of our ministry and vocation amongst people who are just as deeply and beautifully flawed as we are.[For example, as you can see, I accidentally wore my navy blue suit pants today with my black suit jacket] We will be the ones who bear the love of Christ to those in need, both believers and non-believers alike.How often do we live in such a way that our friends and neighbors may say, “I don’t like you.I don’t like your God.”
How do we live our lives in relationship with others so that our God is not the petty small god-in-a-box that no one wants us to share?
David Bailey sings a song about a modern Good Samaritan.A young man broken and bleeding is passed by, first by a priest and then a skater boy.Keisha, a young waitress, stops to help him and get him to a shelter.David said once that he was singing this song in Birmingham.He said he often wonders how people will take this song in modern context and worries each time he sings it.Well, as he was finishing this song, a woman got up and walked out.He thought, “well, can’t win ‘em all.”So after the performance, he asked the minister if he had offended the woman.
The minister answered, “No, no, not at all.That’s my wife.You see, on the way in, she saw a homeless woman in the parking lot with a shopping cart full of her belongings and she went to take her to the Laundromat and to get her a meal.
David said then, “The thing was, while I was sitting there singing, and looking down on the woman who left, she was out doing something…And I had seen that woman too on the way in.And I had done nothing.”
“I don’t like you.I don’t like your God.”You see, brothers and sisters, we all know that to live in relationship with others is no easy task.To live in relationship with others in our community means knowing who our neighbor is… as well as whose neighbor we are.Am I a neighbor to a fellow student?Am I a neighbor to my professor?Am I a neighbor to a staff member?Am I a neighbor to the man who cleans this worship space?Am I a neighbor to the woman who serves me food in Lingle?Am I a neighbor to someone who lives in the nearby neighborhood and isn’t welcome in either building because he might be trying to get warm or ask for money? (see footnote)
There are days that I hope no one believes in my God.If what I do and say are examples of the words and deeds of a disciple of Christ, then why would anyone want to get to know my God?
We are a people called to be in relationship, sent as God sent Christ.If this idea is to shape our ministry and to shape our discipleship, then we must always ask ourselves… Whose neighbor am I?And: with whom am I called to be in relationship with?
I can’t think of anything that will confirm you in your call more than for someone to say to you, “I love you.I want to know your God.”Alleluia, amen.
Footnote: Union-PSCE is located on the center of Seminary Ave, in the up-scale Ginter Park neighborhood. This is a neighborhood with half a million dollar houses in it. It is also beside one of the lowest income and highest crime areas in all of Richmond, along Chamberlayne Ave. Chamberlayne Ave has a lot of low income housing and group homes, full of impoverished and disabled children of God. There's an ongoing struggle on campus about how to provide a safe campus to students and how to provide our brothers and sisters in Christ with love and care in meaningful ways. This is often a difficult struggle and is ongoing. i don't believe many if any of us have any real solutions, but acknowledging this struggle and trying to keep it at the forefront of our thoughts as a community is a major concern for many of us.
You could say, "look how far we've come! We elected a black president."
But someone could say, "well, we haven't come far enough! He's not black, he's only part black, so we haven't succeeded until we elect a black man!"
And someone else could say, "well, race is a human category and there's nothing genetic about it, so he's not white or black at all, but a human."
And someone else could say, "right, but lots of whites voted for the other guy because he wasn't black!"
And someone else could say, "yes, but lots of blacks voted for him because he is black!"
And someone else could say, "well, of course, but blacks always vote Democrat!"
And someone else could say, "yes, but it took a black candidate to get the highest black vote for the democrats in history, so it had to be racially motivated!"
And someone else could say, "i hope one day a president will be chosen not based on the color of their skin, white or black, but by the content of their character and political platform."
And they will all be right, and we will all still be in a big pile of shizzle because we have come no farther in this world than where we were in 1963 if it's considered a great achievement for a black man to be elected rather than that a qualified man is elected with no racial preference by whites, blacks, asians, or hispanics and there is not a single news story about it because no one cares. Maybe Obama can achieve that in office. i hope so. i'm waiting to see. i am hoping he can. That's a worthy goal.
There's the old saying, "you can't throw in the towel. Or you can use it to wipe the sweat from your face..."
It's nearly 11pm. i've watched the results come in. Looks like exactly what i predicted in February. i predicted specifically that Obama would beat Hillary and that he wouldn't choose her for VP and would win. You probably don't want to hear my other predictions, they were equally scary.
Anyways. Mark my words about mob rule and the Roman empire. Give it 15 years.
An election is very much like a football or basketball game. Every player knows that you play as hard as you can so that bad calls don't determine the outcome. You don't go home and groan and moan about the outcome and blame it on refs. Fans might, but players know you give it your all or nothing at all. Even in a court case, a district attorney will tell you that you make a good enough case on the merits and evidence that bad rulings by a judge or a bad witness doesn't break your whole case.
This is MUCH like an election. If the election is so close that small voter fraud matters, you didn't do a good enough job convincing your electorate that you were the right person for the job. Period.
But wait! Isn't it exciting how high the voter turn out is? It truly would be if it was indicative of how well educated Americans had made themselves! Is this the case? i highly doubt it. My guess is that the level of political awareness among voters in low turn out elections is far higher than in high turn out. i think we can safely say that between our education system in the US and the solid statistic that more than half of 18-30 year olds get their primary news from the Daily Show, citizenship and general political savvy are lower than ever. Interest may be up, but that doesn't indicate education. This unfortunately indicates a fistful of either popularity voting or racist voting (all races).
Why do i say this is worse than a dictatorship? What makes an authoritarian government (led by a dictator, czar, king, or military leader) dangerous? A dictator can decide things based on opinions and feelings and prejudices and fears, rather than logical process. This is unstable and dangerous to the world. The greater the voter turn out, combined with a lack of education and much decided based on fears and phobias, race and gender, religion, etc, the more illogical and dangerous the decision of the voters.
A colonial representative quoted in the movie The Patriot said in defense of not going to war with England, "i will not trade one tyrant 3,000 miles away for 3,000 tyrants 1 mile away." Why should be trade one uneducated dictator for 1 million uneducated voters? It has the same effect!
Am i advocating poll tests? No. But SHAME on the Republicans and the Democrats for supporting politics of fear, for encouraging mass voting, regardless of how thuroughly they have wrestled with issues. This is relying on the whims and desires of the mob. One other empire relied on this method. This is the only other empire to place their right hand over their heart. Rome. Anyone encouraged by this?
We live in a culture and world that is increasingly self-assured of our entitlement. The Right thinks we're entitled to be not only a world power, but the super power. The Left thinks we're entitled to all live comfortably or equally or that we're entitled to equal success in life.
Outrageous! The Declaration of Independence sets forth the idea that we have certain rights that are endowed to us by our Creator. Among these, it lists life, liberty, and the pursuit ofhappiness. These are very very basic. The Bill of Rights sets outs how we protect those basic rights most effectively.
Is health care a right or a privilege? Is Health Care a right? Well, it depends on how you define health care. If it is the level of medical marvels and treatments and technologies that Ted Kennedy and much of this nation have access to, then no, it is not.
Is health care a right or a privilege? Many things in life simply are not our God-given rights. Think about teenagers who consider it their God-given right to drive a car the day they turn 16. This is a privilege. Then we must ask, is health care a privilege? No.
Confused? Of course. Most people are. Is health care a right or a privilege? Health Care is a responsibility. Like many things that we take for granted in this life and must fight for to hang on to, it is a responsibility. It is not our right to be wealthy any more than it is our right to be privileged or born in America or born without illness or handicap. On the contrary, none of those things are guaranteed at all.
What then are we to do if we are born with those privileges, those blessings? We have a responsibility to provide for others. You're born with two good eyes? Part of your responsibility is to help the blind. You're born wealthy? You're responsibility is to do as much with that wealth as you can to help others. You're born in a country in which opportunities for learning and self-education? Your responsibility is to use that to help and teach others, both in your country and in less fortunate countries.
Are you born with wealth and access to health care that is the marvel of the ages? Your responsibility is to help others attain decent health care. This may mean reducing the taxes levied against the poor so they can afford health care. This may mean encouraging the building of schools and hospitals to make health care more accessible and affordable. It need not mean campaigning under the idea that health care is a right. It is a responsibility of those with health care.
Is health care a right or a responsibility? Which is harder maintain? Which is harder to teach? A right can be protected, but can it encouraged? Is it a good idea to encourage something without responsibility? With every right comes a responsibility. Freedom of speech is worthless without the responsibility of disagreement, discourse, respect and sensitivity. Freedom to vote is worthless without the responsibility of citizenship and a watchful eye on politics. Democracy is worthless without the vigilant observations of a nation who elects fallible representatives.
Is health care a right or a privilege? Neither. Thank God for that. It is our responsibility as human beings and children of God to provide loving care for all God's children by finding ways to do that which will succeed, and not merely make us feel better about ourselves.
Ashley and i rented Lars and the Real Girl the other night. It's actually fantastic. i was worried it would be dirty or that it would make fun of mental illness, but it was poignant and hopeful.
i was skeptical because the lead character is Ryan Gossling and there are no real big names, which often means no one big thought it worthy to be in. The casting was great though and the story was incredibly heartwarming.
From the perspective of mental health and ministry, this film is wonderful. The town surrounds a young man with love and understanding for his rather difficult delusion, the entire small town. It's beautiful. They all struggle with judging him and how best to help him, but in the end, their collective patience and compassion and love not only bring healing and wholeness to Gossling's character, but to the entire town. The minister even, and the doctor especially, find creative ways to meet the needs of this young man and to bring him into the community in a meaningful way.
Mama Mia! We went to the Byrd yesterday, Richmond's landmark movie palace. It's a cheap historic nonprofit and we had a coupon for a free ticket, so for under $5, we took in a movie and got a medium popcorn. Not a bad date, and a great one since it's been quite awhile.
Ashley was apprehensive because she'd seen the live musical and i was apprehensive because, well, i pee standing up. i do like a lot of ABBA songs though, especially the really catchy ones. We all know them. Anyways, i thought it was good, we both did. The casting was great, the music of course very good, and quite well integrated into the story, which was also fairly decent.
There was enough dialogue between songs for me to not get antsy and it was quite funny. It was also a very attractive cast for anyone looking to go for reasons other than a deep passion for ABBA hits. My one major critique was that the camera work wasn't great and slow motion should never be used for a musical. It's jarring.
We followed our movie up with wandering through the nearby thrift stores. i picked up a fedora that fits finally. It's exactly the color and style of Indiana Jones. i expect to get some good use out of it. It has two great features. It keeps my now bald head warm and it's crushable, so my wife can lay things on top of it absentmindedly and not destroy it.
It occurred to me today that maybe i have been discouraged. i tend to have extra-ordinarily high self-esteem and my psych evaluation pegged me as having a "healthy ego." i know, get your jaws off the floor. If you're reading this, you know me well enough to know the psych eval was a waste of money ;-)
Seminary, who many people have called "cemetery" for its deleterious effects on the psyche and soul, can be quite detrimental to one's mental health. CPE can do the same. An experience of both of those in a year when one is seeking a call or a job in this economic climate is quite a ball of wax.
So today, as i am recounting the latest woes of my own life and those of my wife to a dear college friend and sharing her woes as well, i pulled into the Lowe's parking lot. As my friend assured me that, one day, all will be right with the world, i saw before me the most perfect rainbow that i have ever seen. It stretched from horizon to horizon, all the colors perfectly visible. i could see the entire arc with no breaks. i was astounded.
i usually think of courage as a powerful word. It's a loaded word. It conjures images for some of soldiers and sacrifice. For others it conjures images of those fighting terminal illness or standing up to injustice. But what about the flip side? Discouraged? i usually think of that like i think of depression... anger without enthusiasm. But what if discouragement is just as deeply passionate or emotionally invested as courage?
Just before i wrote this, i read a story from a good friend who sat with a dying man this week. He was the last person to speak with him. My friend asked the man where he'd like to go if he could go anywhere. The man said he'd like to go to the beach. He said that's where people go. He said he liked people. He said he wanted to be with people.
The rainbow threw into sharp relief that which i hadn't realized i was so deeply in the midst of. That man threw into perspective that which often eludes me... even i can get discouraged. Even i might need to be encouraged. i don't often have a shortage of encouragement. My wife has most recently been dramatically encouraging and my friends. i think i'm probably not the only one who doesn't recognize my own need for it. If you're anything like me, i hope you take some time to seek it if you need it. That's my life lesson this week.
i already have a plan... i'm waiting for my real life to begin...
Well, usually October 18 is a difficult day each year. If you don't know why, you're not in the know, don't worry about it. However, this year October 16th beat it fairly well. However, i woke up the morning of the 17th, the world was still here, and after a weekend of reflection and time spent in conversation with my wife and people i admire and respect and truly love, my faith remains in tact.
A friend of mine recently preached on the ending of the Gospel of Mark and how disappointing it can be not to get a "Hollywood" ending. Celluloid of old may have always ended happily, but it doesn't always now and some of my favorite movies have "sad" endings or some kind of bizarre twist.
For instance, The Devil's Own has a very sad ending that Brad Pitt's character foreshadows early on. Primal Fear has a fairly good twist that is by no means a "happy ending."
However, not every ending is good or sad. Some are bad. Some just suck. Here's my top 5 list of movies with the worst endings ever...
5) Supernova (because of the final lines of dialogue from the computer) 4) Next (an otherwise fantastic movie) 3) Deep Impact (bad the whole way through) 2) Jurassic Park: The Lost World (Steven Spielberg couldn't resist screwing with the book) 1) Indian Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Steven and George Lucas, geez, if ever two men needed to hear the words: "quit while you're ahead...")
On a separate note: Ice Harvest (a bizarre movie) has a phenomenal ending. It ends with John Cusack at the wheel and suddenly his best friend wakes up and sits up hung over in the backseat on Christmas morning to ask:
"Where are we?" "Heaven." "They got pancakes?" "They got everything."
And they drive off into the sunrise...
Your top 5 worst movie endings? i am sure some are worse. Doesn't count if the whole movie sucked (i.e. What Lies Beneath, Little Mermaid 2, or Idiocracy)
i am so sick and tired of seeing ads like this. i am not gonna go around with a Sarah Palin t-shirt or anything, but really? We're still worrying about the VP's executive and government experience? She oversaw a $16 billion state budget and has been in government all her life, mostly in the executive branch. Bill Clinton, economic hero of the US oversaw a $3 billion state budget in a state whose rank in schools keeps NC and Mississippi from looking bad every year before he became president.
Remember, she's a VP candidate. And the experience of Obama? 184 days in the legislature? Wasn't the whole idea in his campaign that experience didn't matter? Then he chooses a VP to balance out his ticket with experience? How does that work? If your politics dictate you prefer Obama over McCain, fine, go for it, but on experience?
McCain and Palin both have more experience than both of the Democratic presidential nominees, Obama or Hillary. That's staggering! How can there still be an experience question?!?! At all?!?! Come on people! If your real problem is the issues, stick to those. Don't be a hypocritical turd. Stick to debating the issues and the character of the people you're voting for as leaders, not debating a non-issue you wouldn't address yourself to begin with...
Why oh why wouldn't you run for president, Colin Powell?!?! [shakes fist angirly at the heavens and cries]
This is from a blog my wife sent me about a book neither of us has read. i thought it was worth posting, but without editorial. Enjoy, reflect, whatever...
"I'm coloring Jesus the same colors as Aqua Man," I said, looking down at my paper. It made perfect sense for Jesus to look like Aqua Man. . . . I was pretty sure his miracles didn't happen telepathically, but he certainly used some kind of super-hero strength to make those fish obey him. . . .
"Just make sure you leave his face white, okay?""I was going to." Everybody in the class knew Jesus was white.
My dear wife, queen of all that is bargain, coupon, cheap, or free sent me a link about date nights under $15. i was excited until i read it. Ashley and i are always on the look out for cheap dates and places to go on our budget. We're both very busy, so when we have time, we like to make the most of it. While several of the ideas appealed, it appears the author lives in a foreign country or small town or another planet where things are MUCH cheaper. For example...
When was the last time you were able to go to a restaurant and get TWO slices of pizza for $5? It wasn't Sbarro's (where you don't even get a seat or a waiter) and it wasn't any actual restaurant i've ever seen. Double that price and we're about right. How about 2 glasses of wine for $4? i don't drink wine and i know enough to know you gotta double that too at least. Chips and salsa for $5? Even store brand won't get you there, my friend.
Also, the math was wrong on sunset watching. If you assume that the price estimates are correct, then you're looking at $12 for the date, not $15. Score! Oh wait, drug store glasses are not $2 a piece. Perhaps at the Dollar General, but i look at sunglasses every time i am in a drug store when Ashley is shopping and i haven't seen a pair for less than $10 or $15 in years.
i really want to know where people live that things are so cheap. Our grocery bill just keeps climbing and i'm sure yours has too. You can now fit $200 worth of groceries in 4 paper sacks, as my mother recently pointed out. Gas prices and a tanking economy are putting prices through the roof.
i will end though with a plug for Blockbuster. Although the author of that article put a movie rental at $5, a non-new release is only $1 now at Blockbuster. So check it out. And please, support your local cheap movie theaters, especially if you're in Richmond.
It's very PiC (Politically inCorrect) to place any stock in stereotypes these days. Well let me correct myself, it's PiC to put stock in negative ones about minorities. White males are still fair game. Just watch TV. Any commercial with a goofball and a smart guy will typically have a black or Asian smart guy and goofy dumb white guy. Any commercial with a husband and wife will portray the wife as the smart one who knows about the right product or service and the husband (also usually white) as clueless.
Since whites are not going to be the majority in a few short years, but rather the plurality, i am interested to see if this will be the norm in 10 or 15 years. Will it be harder to make fun of white males since they too will be a minority, or easier since it's already the norm and the more marginalized you become, the harder to fight stereotype or injustice.
Today, a stereotype saved my life. i was riding my bike home from campus. As i pulled to the head of a street and was about to cross it and turn in, i saw a flashy new Lexus. i noticed that the man driving was wearing a nice striped polo and expenseive sunglasses. i autmotically assumed this was a man who was self-important and cluessless. i assumed that he wouldn't see me or pay attention and that even if he did, he wouldn't care or give me the right of way, despite his stop sign. i slammed on my brakes to wait, although i had the right of way and no stop sign. Lucky for me. Sure enough, he slowed for the stop sign saw no cars coming from his left (i was on the right) and pulled right on out. As he began to again pay attention to the direction his car was going, he saw me slammed on the brakes. He wasn't in danger of hitting me (he was a couple feet in front of me), but he didn't know if i was moving or stationary because he hadn't been paying attention. He then of course, glared at me. Anyone surprised? i wasn't.
Do i feel bad about stereotyping him? Yes. And why should i? Because society says so? Do i feel bad enough to change? Absolutely not. i like living too much for that. And for that, i make no apologies.
i'll keep this brief because frankly, i am tired of defending McCain, or any republican candidate, but especially McCain. i'm just continually amazed at people who attack Palin's experience and defend Obama's. Is this a joke, seriously? She's worked her entire career in politics, not the "political arena," politics. Do you know the difference? Besides the fact that she's actually been present ANDactive. This is a big difference when compared to someone who hasn't been there for much of his very little political experience, and then didn't even vote most of those times. Do you realize how easy it is to have a job where you show up, sit in a chair and raise your hand at the right time? He couldn't even do that most of the time.
PS: You do realize she's the VP candidate, right? If Hillary can learn all she needs to know about being president whilst being first lady, me thinks Palin might learn a thing or two whilst being VP. Where's Obama's learning curve gonna be?
i spent a summer in undergrad serving a small rural Baptist church down the highway from Enon College. Here, i got into a little trouble with the notion that drinking was not in fact evil or of the Devil. i'm afraid this was on instance where my Biblical knowledge was not welcome. Keep in mind, i was the president of Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD) in high school and i myself am not a drinker.
Indeed, there are many references in scripture to drinking. Some warn of the dangers, others not only extol it, but claim that wine and drink are gifts from God that show us how much he loves us. i can get on board with the modern day folk who say that the Biblical wine was likely watered down, but i can't at all believe those that perpetuate the myth that the Biblical wine was non-alcoholic. Were that the case, there would be no need for verses about drunkeness or drinking wine in moderation. Anyone remember the story of Pentecost? The crowd immediately blamed their speaking in tongues on wine. Would non-alcoholic wine have this effect?
To my delight, the AJ Jacobs book i'm in the midst of reveals an expert on the subject, a Christian oenophile, Daniel Whitfield. These are the results of his exhaustive research on wine and drink in the Bible...
On the negative side, there are 17 warnings against abusing alcohol, 19 examples of people abusing alcohol, 3 references to selecting leaders, and one verse advocating abstinence if drinkingwill cause a brother to stumble. Total negative references: 40, or 16 percent.
On the positive side, there are 59 references to the commonly accepted practice of drinking wine (and strong drink) with meals, 27 references to the abundance of wine as an example of God's blessing, 20 references to the loss of wine and strong drink as an example of God's curse, 25 references to the use of wine in offerings and sacrafices, 9 references to wine being used as a gift, and 5 metaphorical references to wine as the basis for a favorable comparison. Total positive references: 145, or 59 percent.
So eat, drink and be merry... for tomorrow we may die...
September 11th. i almost didn't realize it was today. It has only been 7 years and it didn't even occur to me until i saw the date today. i guess a lot has happened in 7 years. i was a senior in high school when the attacks occurred. i was in my AP Biology class when the teacher next door came in. She was like a drill sargent, always barking things at students, a stoic, hardened older woman. She came in, tears coming down from behind her thick glasses. She told us what had happened and to turn on the news. We saw one of the towers in flame. Suddenly a second plane hit as we were watching. We watched for awhile in shock and then turned it off. The other teacher came back in and said one of the towers had fallen. We turned it back on and saw the second tower fall.
Our teacher, Ms Driscol, said that there were more important things in the world than AP Biology and ignored the instructions from the principal to turn off the news and go about business as usual. i've never been more thankful. We needed to watch that and remember it. We still do. i think people were right to say the best way to move on is to live a normal life, but we have to remember. Someone said once that history doesn't repeat itself... but it does rhyme. This is true and perhaps one of the best reasons to remember it.
Caught most of a new show tonight between my Greek translations. An interesting thought was posited by one of the characters. The gist of which is...
Science and technology have both advanced so far, and at an exponential rate. They may both now be beyond the ability to be monitored or controlled by the people whose interest/responsibility it is to do so.
i realized i haven't let many people know about my upcoming school year. When i was a senior in college, i thought i had experienced my last first day of class (i hoped). However, i hadn't officially decided on seminary. TOMORROW (God willing) is my LAST... FIRST day of class. i graduate in May (we hope).
To do this, i am technically overloading this semester. For us, three classes is a full load and 4 (or 3 plus a year long internship) is maximum. i am taking 3 classes and interning at St. Mary's as Chaplain for my CPE (clinical pastoral education). Unlike most CPE programs, mine is squeezed into September-Jan instead of Sept-May (which most of them are). So, technically, both of my CPE credits land on this coming semester, putting me at 5 credits in theory. i had to get special permission.
i am taking the first half of my New Testament class now that i've had Greek. i am taking a class called Evangelism in the Congregation which will take a look at how to do that and how it is and has been done in the past. i will also take one called Images of Jesus which will take a look at Jesus as pictured and imagined in art and media, including cinema and TV over time.
i'll also be exploring a Direct Study idea for January with a professor on Pastoral Care to Adolescents.
What does this mean practically? i'll have 3 courses that take up about 6 hours of class each week, plus their workload. They say to estimate 2 hours of work for every 1 you're in class. Then, i have 6 hours of class each week for CPE and must perform 17 hours of clinicals each week (hours in the hospital visiting patients.
Since Ashley and i share a car that she drives to work and the hospital is 6 miles away, i'll be trying to schedule my massive hosptial hours for weekends and an evening or two. Suffice as to say, i'll be mondo busy. Please don't take it as a sign that i don't love you if i can't visit or see or spend time with you this semester. i would almost certainly rather be with you!
i'll also be unofficially job hunting all this semester and officially start some time next semester when i am certified ready to receive a call. If you're the praying sort, now's a good time to start ;-)
PS: i also got a steroid shot this week to combat the lingering effects of the poison oak i got a month ago after 2 rounds of steroid pills. That stuff is evil!
"There is no greater violation of the theory of separation of Church and State than for the State to take on the mantle and responsibility of the Church."*
*This statement should not lead you to conclude that i believe that the actual premise of separation of Church and State is found in the Constitution.
i only blogged on the second half of our Hawaii trip. It was all i had been able to type up while we were there. The rest of it was handwritten by me and Ashley. So i transcribed it...
Sunday- We landed a little ahead of schedule after a long flight. We checked into our hotel and then got dinner with Ashley's cousin, Clara, at the Like Like (lee-kay lee-kay) Diner. We had a great time and then Clara took us back to her place, this fantastic studio apartment above a pool house and by a large garden and stream. Windows covered the back wall and Geckos covered those. Vents above the windows carried in the sound of the babbling stream down below and almost sounded like rain. Ashley zonked and Clara and i stayed up late talking and getting to know each other. She's in school at U of Hawaii, studying drama. We headed back to the hotel pretty late.
Monday- We got up around 7 and went in search of breakfast. We hadn't bought groceries yet. (we ate cereal in the room most of the rest of our stay) We found a little coffee shop, but it was only cold breakfast and gelato. However, the owner could tell we wanted hot food, so he told us about a local favorite diner down the road, which we walked to, Eggs 'n Things.
They had seriously the best pancakes either of us has ever had. Ashley had them with eggs and i had them with eggs and spam. WOW to the spam too, not kidding. Even Ashley had to agree. On the way back to the hote we stopped into several shops. Ashley headed up to the room and i wandered into crazy shirts. i talked at length with a local in the store, Devynne, who recommended Kailua beach, so we went. It was great! We got a little mixed up with directions and Ashley got us a little turned around in a neighborhood. i then got us to the Marine base. Go figure. A nice Marine at the gate gave us directions to public beach access.
This beach had soft white sand and the water was warm (the water at all the other beaches seemed mild colder to me). We found some pieces of coral and swam for a bit. We headed back into Honolulu and went to Walmart for groceries. Then we hit the streets for some browsing and some gelato (from the nice shop where they told us about Eggs 'n Things).
We headed to the recommended Irish pub and restaurant, Murphy's in the financial district. The food was delicious. i had a steak with the best sauce/gravy. One of the five best/most tender steaks i've ever had. Ashley had the crab and shrimp sandwich. Amazing fries too for her and fresh, gravy covered mashed potatoes for me and an amazing veggie medley with green beans and carrots and cucumber (cucumber is in every vegetable mix at every restaurant in Hawaii). We finished the evening by watching Jurassic Park in the room in preparation for the ATV rides at Kualoa Ranch the next morning.
Tuesday- We headed up the road to Kualoa Ranch, took pics along the way. The ATV rides were great. There was a group of 8 and us plus a couple from Europe, so we were paired with that couple, so we were paired with that couple. He was from Great Britain and she from Italy, maybe our age. Our tour guide was a teenage Hawaiian, Shylah.
She took us up to a bluff too small for most groups. From there, we could see the valley where they filmed a battle (w/live ords) in Wind Talkers and the mountain of Mighty Joe Young. i took panaramic shots.
Shylah picked us fresh guavos along our route, which we also ate, skin and all. Tasty! :-) We also saw a hillside bunker that was in Pearl Harbor. The terrain was gorgeous. i did get yelled at once for being a little too rowdy on my ATV, but he gave me a smile after and a hang loose.
When we got back, we had lunch outside and i drove so Ashley could take pics. We stopped for a few minutes at the little park across the way for some palm tree waterfront shots in front of what might be Chinaman's Cap? Then we stopped at the Macadamian nut place, Tropical Farms. We tasted the coffee, got nuts and souvenirs and saw pics of Barack Obama's recent visit to the farm. Then we stopped a little farther down the road and got fresh bananas that were delicious! 50 cents
[Somewhere in here we slipped out to Pearl Harbor and out to the USS Arizona Memorial]
We ate in the room and then drove up towards Hanama Bay looking for a spot to swim. We stopped at a scenic overlook that was a rock outcropping a little bigger than a football field out into the ocean. i climbed down and out where this lone fisherman was. Ashley took lots of pics and then we explored the whole thing.
We drove another couple hundred yards and i spotted a tiny cove. It was just a mile or two before a public beach at Sandy Point. We parked on the side of the road and climbed down to it. There was a middle-age couple just leaving. We pretty much had it to ourselves then. It had a 15 foot wide sandy beach and was surrounded by a crescent of rock outcropping. There was a cave up on the beach that went all the way under the road. We swam for an hour or so and then drove back to the hotel.
We were exhausted, so we wanted to go to dinner nearby. The Japanese place was very expensive and Ashley wasn't in the mood, so she took me to Planet Hollywood, which i had never been to. It was a lot of fun. i had the biggest, tastiest loaded Texas nachos i've ever consumed. i suddenly like guacamole and sour cream? Then we crashed.
Wed- We headed to Honalulu's Aloha Stadium for 45 minutes at the Swap Meet and jetted back to the hotel for our pick-up. Our catamaran captain, Captain John, only had us to pick up for his boat and so he took us on a tour through Alamoana Beach Park. He told us all about the Banyon Trees, with vines that grow down from the branches to the ground to form new trunks. It's wild. He also gave us the skinny on what to do where and where to eat. He was a pro windsurfer from Seattle and moved down to Hawaii and now does this. Nice business. The boat was beautiful. He was pretty funny, dry wit. Some kid asked about the name of the boat, the Makani. He said, "It's Hawaiian for 'no refund.'" It actually means wind.
The cruise was great. We saw sea turtles and lots of fish, no mermaids. We also saw the Junk Boat. We then went to the Swap Meet again for and hour and then back to the hotel for the time share presentation which scored us $100 gift certificate that we used at Crazy Shirts and on dinner with Clara at Keoni's by Keo (Thai). That food was spectacular. i had a seafood medley of shrimp, scallops, and crab with veg and rice in hot sauces; Ashley had fried rice and chicken; and Clara, the salmon in coconut milk and ginger. It was a late dinner and we lingered with Clara, so we crashed back home again.
