Perhaps against my better judgment, I’m going to wade into some political waters briefly. That’s dangerous business, but to add stupidity to danger, I’m going to offer a perspective on a political debate I haven’t spent very much time researching or trying to get a grip on. It goes a little something like this: there’s a major debate roaring on and on about the building of a mosque near the site where the 9/11 tragedy took place. Lots of politicians and sensationalist talk show hosts have been talking on all sides of the debate, stirring up a frenzy. And the USAmerican viewing audience appears to be convinced of the critical importance of either definitely not building it, or definitely building it. From the number of Facebook links I’ve seen in my News Feed, many Christians are pretty fired up about this issue, too. I’ve talked to several friends who lament [...]

Tonight I (mostly jokingly) asked Michelle if I could spend a couple thousand dollars on the hot new paper-thin, light as a feather laptop that was unveiled today. But as I reflect briefly before bedtime, I have a growing sense of uneasiness.  Here I sit in luxury, while Kenya, which has already lost somewhere around 700 lives due to violence in the wake of a disputed presidential election, is gripping for more.  I feel like I don’t even know how to pray . . . and yet I can’t not pray.  May this not be another Rwanda, another Darfur.  God have mercy on us all.

As part of our maiden voyage with inter::mission, we’re beginning work on a culture project that will take us to India this June. We’re looking to spend two to three weeks there, walking the streets of the big cities, but also the farmlands of some rural areas. A lot of the specifics are still being kicked around, but there are definitely some exciting possibilities. I’ll share more information on specifically where we’ll be, who we’re partnering with, and what we’ll be doing as some of those details get clearer. But for now, I know that our prayer and fundraising efforts need to begin. So if you’re the praying type, please mention us, and ask God for wisdom, discernment, and good relationships as we make our plans. If you’re the giving type, please consider making a contribution to the cause – we’ll have several poor students and staffers who could definitely [...]

I’ve spent the past 48 hours praying a lot and sleeping poorly, over one of my Seattle inter::mission team members. She called on Saturday with the news her teenage brother had died in an auto accident. Horrible. It makes Resurrection hope seem both tantalizing and desperately far away at the same time.

I actually don’t have any news to report regarding my immediate family or friends right now – fires are still raging, but things seem to be settling a bit. The weather is improving – less wind, more humidity. The main thing I wanted to note here is on a little different level. Despite my consistent venting and whining about my denomination, it is times like these that make me more satisfied. I was watching the San Diego news online this morning, and they were talking about the Qualcomm Stadium evacuation center, where thousands are being housed. They specifically noted the fact that my denom was there with its mobile kitchens, feeding lots and lots of people. I know from seeing them in action firsthand in New Orleans that they wear some butt-ugly yellow t-shirts, but when I see those things on TV, I’m glad that I get to be a [...]

Being so far away from family and friends in the fire affected areas in San Diego is hard – not as hard as being there, mind you, but hard. This situation is astonishing. The fire moved so fast. Michelle’s folks are doing o.k. – they decided to wait it out in their house, and seem to be in a sliver of land that the fire burned around . . . probably due to the fact that it all burned just a few years ago, and there wasn’t as much fuel. We’ve been watching a San Diego TV station that’s been streaming their coverage online. That helps. Keep praying. UPDATE 8:50am: A large mountain about half a mile to the north of Michelle’s folks may be catching fire. This mountain didn’t burn in 2003, so lots of old brush there. They’re watching it closely, and may evacuate. UPDATE 5:15pm: Michelle’s parents [...]

Four years ago (almost to the day, actually), Southern California was on fire. Michelle and I came very close to losing our home – we had charred land to within 20 feet of our front porch. Unfortunately, Michelle’s folks had a different outcome. Their home of 30 years was burned. They spent the next two years rebuilding. And now, the fire’s back. They haven’t evacuated just yet, but the fire is getting closer. Heavy winds are expected to drive this fire for at least the next two days. By the time this is over, many people will have lost their homes. Pray for the safety of people who are leaving, and for the safety of the firefighters and police.

Others around the blogosphere have mentioned this already, but here I add my prayers for peace to Dan Kimball and his family. Dan is one of my classmates, and well known all around the emerging church. Dan’s father had a fall last week and hit his head. He died today. Married over 50 years. Devastating to all. Pray for Dan and his family.

For the past several days, Eugene Cho has been keeping us up to date on the hostage situation involving a Korean relief worker team. He has asked many times over why this story hasn’t been covered more widely by the major U.S. media outlets. Just to confirm this, in the past five minutes I’ve scanned a few news sites (their front pages only) for mentions of the situation. Fox News? Nope. CNN? Nope. US News & World Report? Yes, if you’re willing to scroll to the bottom of the page. Time? Yes, a link at the top of the page. Of the pages I’ve scanned so far, you know who has the most prominent and eye catching emphasis of the story? Try Al Jazeera. The UK edition of BBC also gets honorable mention. Actually, when I look for news headlines, I do so via my RSS reader, and I have [...]

I’ve been super busy with work and school stuff lately that I am behind on my blog reading, and I haven’t been tracking with most of the news, other than a quick scan of headlines on the web. Whether it’s my problem or the U.S. media’s problem, the story of a group of Korean aid workers being kidnapped by the Taliban in Afghanistan has escaped me. One was murdered. In the mean time, I did hear that there was some kind of CNN YouTube debate, Michael Vick is going on trial for his dog fighting operation, and Lindsay Lohan is an addict (still). If these were white, American hostages, would this story have gotten by without notice? Unlikely. Read Eugene Cho‘s summaries of the story here, and please pray for the hostages, their families, and their captors. Eugene is a pastor in Seattle, with a diverse, growing church.