i've had a pretty good morning. i got upat 5:30 a.m. to go to kickboxing. it's not so bad once i get going, but that initial waking up process really stinks! anyway, i had a good class. after i got cleaned up, i spent a little time at starbucks trying to think through some things. mainly i'm trying to re-evaluate my role at garnett and my job description. i'm trying to listen closely to God and discern how i'd best be used here. the process has been pretty frustrating for me so far because i have a lot of different ideas and passions - i just need to figure out how to synthesize them all and how they fit in with the student ministry as a whole. anyway, i didn't come up with any profound answers, or any answers at all, really, but i did get to think some things out.

i also got my hair cut today. those of you who know my hair history know a haircut can be pretty devastating to me and anyone that comes in contact with me. just so you know you don't have to start screening your phone calls, i'm ok with it. i got some little "pieces" cut which are a little short, but i think i can learn to work with them. they are definitely not "call my friends crying" material.

tonight is our high school girls' coffee break. i'm really looking forward to it. my girls are so much fun. i'm blessed to be in their lives.

i know you are probably dying from shock that i've posted this much today, but this is important! please take the time to read this and act!


YOUR CALL SAVES LIVES: VOTE in the HOUSE this THURSDAY

We know you want to seize the historic opportunity to act on behalf of the 30 million Africans dying of AIDS ñ a treatable, preventable illness. Now please remind your elected representatives that you want them to act, now!

Thanks in large part to Illinois Representative Henry Hyde, the House has bipartisan legislation passed out of committee to authorize President Bushís $15 billion initiative. The full House will vote on the bill on Thursday to enact this five-year program to attack AIDS in the hardest-hit 14 countries in Africa and the Caribbean. And the Senate should follow suit.

So please, call your Senator or Representative, and tell them to vote for the Hyde AIDS Bill.

ïTell your Representative to vote YES on the Hyde AIDS Bill on Thursday and to support final passage with $3b/year--with up to $1b for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, in order to leverage money from other donors;

ïTell your Senators and Representative they must move quickly, so that the bill is passed by the time the leaders of the richest countries in the world, the G8, meet in France in June, so we can urge other countries to do their part.

ïTell them you want them to vote YES nowówaiting even a week could mean a delay of several monthsóand thatís too long when each day claims new lives.


To call your Representative and Senators, dial the Senate switchboard at (202) 224-3121, and ask for them by name. To find out who your representative is, go to the DATA website and click on ìFind Your Representative.î

this is a pretty interesting interview with mel gibson about the movie he is currently working on, the passion, about Jesus' last week. check it out.

so, yesterday was pretty uneventful. i did go to kickboxing and had a great time. it's still pretty tough - i guess it will take a while for me to get back into it. one thing that makes it hard is that all the kickboxing instructors apparently want to be kung fu action stars. at least once a session they pull out some incredibly ridiculous kick that you know they got from a jackie chan movie. the other day, one of my instructors actually started a sentence with, "hey, this is a really cool move that jean claude vandamme (how do you spell that guy's name anyway?) will do sometimes..." we all look at each other and then obediently begin the humiliation of actually trying to do the latest "vandamme move." oh well, i'm sure i'll pick some of it up eventually.

this morning i got up around 6 (yes, i do wake up early sometimes) to meet two of my girls, rachel and jill for breakfast. we went to mcdonalds and talked a little while before they had to go to school. it was a blessing to be with them to start my day. after that, i went to starbucks to get some chai and read a little. i've realized that i'm spending a lot of money at starbucks so, i bought myself one of those prepaid cards to try to keep a tab on it. starbucks was running some deal where you get a free 1/2 lb of coffee when you buy a prepaid card, so i got some free coffee, too.

i decided i'm going to start a list of all the books i've read this year. first, to let all of you know the kinds of things i'm reading. second, wade and brad have this goal to read 50 books every year. i read a lot of books, but i don't know if i read that many in a year, so anyway, i'll keep track of it here!

1.The Story of Ruth by Joan Chittister
2.The Younger Evangelicals by Robert Webber
3.More Ready Than You Realize by Brian McLaren
4.Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott
5.A Glimpse of Jesus by Brennan Manning
6.Sabbath by Wayne Muller
7.The Boy Who Cried Abba by Brennan Manning
8.Journey of the Prodigal by Brennan Manning
9.Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross
10.The Summons by John Grisham (beach read)
11.Runaway Jury by John Grisham (beach read)
12.A Painted House by John Grisham
13.A Glancing Light (can't remember the author!)
14.Soul Shaper:Exploring Spirituality and Contemplative Practices in Youth Ministry by Tony Jones
15.Sold into Egypt by Madeleine L'Engle
16.The London Scene by Virginia Woolf
17.The Godbearing Life by Kenda Dean and Ron Foster

my weekend was great! our youth group had a training on what we believe to be the two foundations for life and ministry: loving God and loving others. not that i've got it all perfected now, far from it, but i think those are two pretty good guides for all that i do.

the weather here has been great, with the occassional downpour (which has been needed). but, i have been so frustrated because my pool at my apartment is still not open! it's killing me! the weather has been perfect for laying out and i don't have a place to lay out until they open my pool. oh well, i'm sure i'll survive.