Echoes and Moments

2011 had many highs and lows, many places travelled, and many good times to be had. Here are some memorable highlights that mark my year. Favorite Album: Bon Iver: Bon Iver There's already a lot that's been said  about this sophomore effort by our heartbroken hermit-turned-musician friend Justin Vernon, and so I won't add any commentary of my own. I will say that I truly enjoyed it as my favorite music to unwind to on the drive home from Santa Maria late at night. I recommend a curving night highway or an overcast day to let these melodies and electro-acoustic soundscapes wash through your ears. Honorable Mention: Fleet Foxes: Helplessness Blues; The National: High Violet; New York Hymns: Songs for Lent. Favorite Travel Spot 2011: Sandia Mountains, New Mexico I was in New Mexico twice this summer, the first time for my staff training with InterVarsity (along with new interns from all the western states), and the second time with my family. Since the place...

Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. for he has looked upon his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, and has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever." - Luke 1:46-56

I know I've crossed the line into abstract absurdity when I find myself reflecting existentially on my relationship to a guy who has been dead for 800 years. I'll let you into my life during my last quarter as an undergrad. The conversation I had with myself goes something like this: Me: Why is it so hard to appreciate anything when I'm so busy? Yesterday I had class until 2, drove to Santa Maria and stayed there until 10:30, and then came back to a pile of projects and commitments to hammer out late into the night. Myself: Man, that was a rough day. But the sun still shines, gives life to us all, and the grass turns green beneath my feet without me working to make it that way.  Me: Yeah, that's right. Way to have a Saint Francis moment, there, man. Myself: How cool is that? Like many western believers, I find something compelling about Saint Francis, something that stimulates my own desire to radically follow Jesus into the unexpected. His example blurs ...

A video photo menagerie of a powerful weekend in Ventura for our Fall Conference. Thanks for your prayers! Follow the link  here !

I'm not a huge fan of Christian music. The contemporary Christian music industry has not modeled business practices that transcend the bitter squabbles of the mainstream record labels, for one thing. For another, hearing ten versions of "Mighty To Save" is tiresome, and frankly not too flattering for the folks over at Hillsong. One popular artist named Michael Gungor articulates his thoughts on  this issue  in an interesting way.  But there are a few artists out there who have been able to speak truth from their spirits that bring the deepest issues out to play, trusting that it is better for God to see it out than to ignore it. One example is Future of Forestry, whose main songwriter recovered from a devastating personal drama to make incredibly innovative and passionate music. Listen to their stuff  here , and support them  here . To me, the best music directed towards God is honest. I've included some lyrics by one of the few bands that I think does this pe...

Ministry at Hancock presents me with such a challenge in light of my well-groomed Cal Poly education. On one hand, I could probably upstage the average student in theoretical or trivial knowledge of many subjects, write a better essay, and comment more eloquently on music. The numbers even say that I will earn far more during my lifetime, and offer my own children an incredible quality of life some day. On the other hand, I have no idea what it's like to have to raise a child while in school, to work full time in the service industry, and to regularly attend night classes at the end. How do I call these students to respond to God' love for them and their campus with authority? What right do I have to lead them? It is in the places that I lack, these misunderstandings, these frustrations that I have with the students that my soul is renewed daily. I realize I am the one in deep need of what they have to offer me in sharing their struggles. I have never met people more willing ...

I was moved deeply at a recent meeting with our student leaders. Through the night we celebrated God's work on campus and opened discussion about how to care for each other in ministry and invite God to increase our witness on campus. Our plan as staff was to encourage the leaders to step out despite the limitations that they place on themselves, to operate in the liberty of Jesus' love. My fellow staffworker Eleanor invited our students to participate in a visualization exercise to close a meeting, and it went something like this: Close your eyes. Imagine all the people you know, all the people you've ever known, standing in a circle around you. Picture your family, your neighbors as a child, your elementary school classmates, teachers, friends, past boyfriends and girlfriends, the bus driver, and the homeless man on the street. Watch them walk away, one by one. They all leave until only Jesus remains. He says to you, "Does no one condemn you? Neither do I. Go a...

Ah, the allure of the international film. Perhaps "international" is too loose a term, since the main characters all speak English. Oh yeah, and the stars have been in worldwide blockbusters like the Harry Potter and Ocean's Eleven series. Check the trailer: Despite your expectations from the trailer, The Guard offers a moviegoing experience you likely won't encounter many other places this fall. Most big screen releases here in America don't allow you to ponder deep ethnic and cultural wounds in a movie that's supposed to be a comedy. To be fair, the thing was marketed to American audiences as a buddy cop movie with quick one-liners between a country dweller and the straight yankee foreigner, with racist jokes to boot. But the film deals with themes like grief of death, loss, racism (for real), and purpose. Brendan Gleeson is the key here, perhaps you know him as Mad-Eye Moody from the Harry Potter films. He shines with a searingly sarcastic humour that...

As is common with many people my age, I find myself quite adept at navigating the viral video market. This pastime can return moments of great joy, yet also proves a distraction from my most pressing concerns, like my senior project, work with students, girlfriend... You get the picture. But every once in a while, something comes along that serves to yield epiphanies that Archimedes himself could never dream of. I give you such a video, a visual metaphor of my life at this point in time. Perhaps it can speak to the depths of your soul as it did to mine.

I enjoy writing. I want to share. But be aware of what you get yourself into as you scroll (or troll) these posts.  If you ever have a conversation with me, you'll notice how much of what is going in my heart is expressed in abstract concepts and thoughts. This is a window into my condition, since my postmodern young adulthood tendencies persuade me to throw everything under a subjective light. I am a harsh critic of my own words. Yet stories run deep within my blood, nurtured in my ancestors long ago in the farms of Poland and the high desert of New Mexico. Every moment has a story to tell, just as Jesus stopped and responded when some men audaciously broke into the room where he was teaching for the sake of their paralyzed friend. These moments threaten to slip by if I simply carry on without reflection.  I've always enjoyed writing, and keep a journal of the deepest rhythms within. This is not that place, but I hope that which stirs me into writing this blog may reso...