While I haven’t posted for a reasonably long time, it is among the many things things that have been on hold. In fact, as I write this, I am enjoying some of the first downtime I have had since the last post. So for those of you that live afar (or right now potentially near - since I am sitting at Pete’s back in Texas - a great geographical change from my home on the west coast) here is a small sampling of the things that have l have consuming my life:
- starting my second year in malibu
- moved offices
- saw two good malibu friends move on (and most likely more ahead)
- being on three championship softball teams (in fact our team is the only winner in the history of the malibu city league)
- being on the founding committee for the malibu celebration of film festival (which included an invite to a dinner/screening of Prairie Home Companion/honoring and Q/A session with Robert Altman just a month before he died. He was fantastic and splendid - we sat just behind him and his wife - it was an amazing opportunity.)
- ‘teaching’ a film class
- working on my graphic skills (you should see my current advert for next semester’s film class)
- translating one generation to another and walking that fine line
- mucking in New Orleans - still so much to be done, so many people have been forgotten.
- performed my first wedding
- worked the passion conference (and worked security for Leeland - nominated for a grammy, no I had not heard of them before, but you should check them and their cd- Sound of Melodies - out.)
- taking kids (read college students - 40 of them) camping in the middle of winter - I believe their exact words were “I almost died.”
- got to spend time with quality people like Tony Jones and Derek Webb (Pepperdine has amazing resources and brings in great people for its students)
- sat on the beach just to hear the sound of the ocean (so much better in person - such a great place for calming/centering)
- found a green dry cleaners nearby
- got on a plane to go to texas and eat (read mexican food, bbq, and other things you can’t get on the west coast) and see people and do nothing
So that is the sampling. Right now I am reading and writing - since getting on the plane I have read Rob Bell’s new book Sex God and Sarah Cunningham’s Dear Church: Letters from a Disillusioned Generation - both of which I recommend. Mark already has my copy of Sex God - while it didn’t quite measure up to his first work (Velvet Elvis), he did a good job of wrestling with a topic(s) that the church historically hasn’t done a good job (or any job) conversing about. I highly recommend Dear Church - highly. It is perhaps the best book I have read in awhile (and I am a reading). Sarah does a fantastic job of describing the twentysomethings (who they are and their feelings toward church - also owning that labels and categories are something they abhor) and not letting anyone off the hook. She writes from a place of love for the church - and because of that love wanting conversation rather than claiming ‘everything is fine.’ She challenges all and while belonging in the twentysomethings, does not find herself an innocent party. It is a great read and I will be getting copies for several people.
Maybe more posts to come soon. Being away from campus is giving (and forcing) me to have more time to sit and be and do those things that are forced to take a back burner when you live where you work.
If you are in Abilene, I am here until Wednesday night - the cell is the same
-j
