I thought this was powerful!

Guess our national leaders didn't expect this, hmm? On Thursday, Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott, a victim of the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton , Colorado , was invited to address the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee. What he said to our national leaders during this special session of Congress was painfully truthful.

They were not prepared for what he was to say, nor was it received well. It needs to be heard by every parent, every teacher, every politician, every sociologist, every psychologist, and every so-called expert! These courageous words spoken by Darrell Scott are powerful, penetrating, and deeply personal. There is no doubt that God sent this man as a voice crying in the wilderness. The following is a portion of the transcript:

"Since the dawn of creation there has been both good & evil in the hearts of men and women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott, and the deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who died must not be in vain. Their blood cries out for answers.

"The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field. The villain was not the club he used.. Neither was it the NCA, the National Club Association. The true killer was Cain, and the reason for the murder could only be found in Cain's heart.

"In the days that followed the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be pointed at groups such as the NRA. I am not a member of the NRA. I am not a hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am not here to represent or defend the NRA - because I don't believe that they are responsible for my daughter's death. Therefore I do not believe that they need to be defended. If I believed they had anything to do with Rachel's murder I would be their strongest opponent.

I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy -- it was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room. Much of the blame lies behind the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves. I wrote a poem just four nights ago that expresses my feelings best... This was written way before I knew I would be speaking here today:

Your laws ignore our deepest needs,
Your words are empty air.
You've stripped away our heritage,
You've outlawed simple prayer.
Now gunshots fill our classrooms,
And precious children die.
You seek for answers everywhere,
And ask the question "Why?"
You regulate restrictive laws,
Through legislative creed.
And yet you fail to understand,
That God is what we need!



"Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, mind, and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and wreak havoc. Spiritual presences were present within our educational
systems for most of our nation's history. Many of our major colleges began as theological seminaries. This is a historical fact. What has happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the doors to hatred and violence. And when something as terrible as Columbine's tragedy occurs -- politicians immediately look for a scapegoat such as the NRA.... They immediately seek to pass more restrictive laws that contribute to erode away our personal and private liberties. We do not need more restrictive laws. Eric and Dylan would not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre. The real villain lies within our own hearts.

"As my son Craig lay under that table in the school library and saw his two friends murdered before his very eyes, he did not hesitate to pray in school. I defy any law or politician to deny him that right! I challenge every young person in America , and around the world, to realize that on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School prayer was brought back to our schools. Do not let the many prayers offered by those students be in vain. Dare to move into the new millennium with a sacred disregard for legislation that violates your God-given right to communicate with Him. To those of you who would point your finger at the NRA -- I give to you a sincere challenge. Dare to examine your
own heart before casting the first stone!

My daughter's death will not be in vain! The young people of this country will not allow that to happen!"

Do what the media did not - - let the nation hear this man's speech.. Please send this out to everyone you can.

God Bless

It's been a while....

I started a diet about 6 weeks ago through Kaiser. It has been much harder than I expected but also very rewarding. I am on optifast, which is an all liquid diet, basically a full fast. I have lost 22 pounds so far and have 12 more to go before I start introducing food into my diet. Food is good, I miss food. It will be about a 6 week progression to full food. After that I start maintenance which is basically nutrition classes. I am really glad I did this. It has been good for my body and my mind. I have been learning more about myself and some of the things that I struggle with. I struggle with body image, I struggle with food and eating emotionally. I eat when I am bored, hurt, sad, etc. I hate to eat in front of people because I am worried about what they are thinking about me and my food choices. It is not a pleasant feeling. I am working toward becoming more independent and finding my worth in Christ instead of in family, friends or strangers. Pray for me, things are hard but it is a good hard!

I am also reading through a book with a friend of mine. I asked her to mentor me and help keep me accountable and I had no idea what that would look like but it has been so good. The book we are going through, Rhythms of the Inner Life, is touching me where I am at. Talking about longing and waiting for God. The patient, hopefulness in who God is and the promises He has made. I serve a good God, a loving God, a patient God, a Daddy, a disciplining God. He has and continues to radically change my life everyday I give to Him. He wants my life and I want to give it to Him. I want to know security in Him and not in this troubling world. Thank you God for loving us so much that you gave us the gift of Your Son and then gave us the choice! I love you Lord!

Mexico is Not Burning by Dan Quezada

Mission work isn't supposed to be safe.

You're not supposed to be able to guarantee your safety.

I'm paraphrasing here, but the words are genuine. They were spoken by Beth Underwood. Beth and her group from Central United Methodist Church of Waco, Texas are in Puerto Penasco, Mexico.

They are here to build a secure home for a Mexican family whom otherwise would not have one.

Beth and her group traveled two days to get here. Eighteen hours of driving.

Eleven hours just to reach El Paso. One night in a hotel and an early rise for seven more hours on the road to meet Jonathan in Lukeville, Arizona, for an escort over the border and across the last fifty miles of desert.

In a camp that has room for over a thousand people, they are alone.

I shared Beth's words with my wife last night, over the phone. I heard the anger, the hurt in Katie's voice, when she blurted out "See?! She gets it!".

The thing you should realize is that my wife was the bearer of bad news. Only moments before she had informed me that I wouldn't be spending spring in Baja with my friends, as I have done for each of the last seven years.

My friends and I would come to Baja and build houses with Amor Ministries; that experience is what ultimately brought me to full-time emloyment with Amor. God and good fortune has swollen the ranks of their group to over two hundred people.

But that doesn't really matter if you aren't coming.

I'll admit to be struggling with this one. Shamefully, it could be my pride.

In a certain sense, it's not really their fault that they've fallen victim to fear. They simply don't know. When wildfires were raging in the mountains around San Diego, worried calls of concern came from my family in Northern California. Was I alright? Was I in any danger? I patiently explained that I was in the middle of the city, that the wildfires would have to cross 25 miles of asphalt and concrete to get to me.

But that wasn't what the news explained. My family simply didn't know. San Diego was burning, and that was that.

Violence in Mexico. Scary stuff, to be sure. Bad things happen in Mexico. I am not being flippant. I am not in denial.

There are bad people fighting other bad people all trying to do bad things. It's true.

But it's not as bad as they would have you believe, and when it is, We won't let you go there.

But Mexico is burning, and that is that.

But why choose to be afraid? The modern Christian church is notorious for deriding, debasing, and disregarding the modern media. We decry them as a tool of a corrupt world, one that seeks to normalize all the sin and mediocrity in which our shameful and lost fellow citizens choose to live their lives. Abortions for all. God out of government. Gay is okay. No prayer in schools and no In-God-We-Trusting on the dollar.

"No, no!!" we cry! We will not compromise. We will not be fooled. We will not slowly, imperceptibly, allow some twisted world-view to creep in - to dilute our Christiamericity! The world is lost without Christ, and we will never bend in our dedication to that principle!

Unless we think it could hurt.

You see, what good is our salvation if we stuff it in our pocket? What good does the life changing news of Jesus Christ do if we leave it at home, in the mall? Or spend the week on the couch with it, watching "Friends" reruns over spring break?

The problem is consumerism, and it is a disease riddling the Christian church. The irony. For all our raging against society and its ills, we can't escape the fact that we're neck-deep in the pool with it.

Whenever the media serves up our fears, we are gluttonous - happy to stand in the buffet line for seconds. We have all been content to sit in the pew and listen to the visiting missionary weave tales of suspense and danger. Government persecution. Home churches. No mention of God or Jesus in emails. "I can't really say exactly where I work, because that would put my family's lives in danger".

We admire their commitment, pass the plate to support them, and we lay hands on their shoulders to pray for their protection. But why aren't we compelled to join them? Why aren't we willing to step into the fiery furnace with them? To spend a week in the lion's den at their side? Why are we more concerned with finding a church whose preaching or style of worship suits our fancy?

I would submit it is because our motivations, for all our posturing, are not salvation-based. If they were, we would go.

Sadly, it comes down to one very simple fact.

We hold our fears and the risks we may be subject to in one hand, and the needs of a desperately poor, often unsaved family in the other - and we decide our own concerns outweigh theirs.

You cannot convince me otherwise - all of the varied reasons of all the varied churches that are canceling their mission trips to Mexico - they can ALL be distilled down to simply that.

One hand outweighs the other.

The burden of our own safety weighs heavy because we have taken our consumer tendencies and applied them to mission work; the problem is that the two are fundamentally incompatible. If we are salvation based, our own comfort can never be the deciding factor; if it's not for the missionary in Indonesia, why should it be for us?

Mission work without that salvation basis is devoid of it's meaning.

At its worst, it is tourism. At its best, it is simply humanitarian work.

It's Humanitourism.

And no one wants to risk getting hurt for Humanitourism.

So is it worth it? My co-worker Jonathan knows the answer.

"I don't want to get hurt, but if one unsaved family is reached for Christ, then it's worth all the risks I may take. I'll never not go somewhere because I might get hurt".

Jonathan gets it.

Jonathan drove half of the Central United Methodist group back to camp yesterday afternoon, through the sandy back streets of Penasco, through the "bad" part of town.

Fully half of their group has never been to Mexico before. Some of them were told they were taking foolish risks going to Mexico, some of them were told they could die. Yet still, they came.

Some of them, moved to tears by what they had seen, thanked Jonathan for taking them down those roads.

We thanked them. For their sacrifice. For their long drive. For having any number of reasons not to come - but for coming anyway.

We thanked them for their bold stand against fear.

Faith and Safety...

I have been so discouraged lately. I look down the list of groups that have cancelled their mission trips to Mexico and I just want to cry!

Fear is such a strong feeling! I understand fear, I live in fear of so many things; the dark, bugs, being alone, and getting hurt. According to the Word of God, "Perfect love casts out fear." That does not mean that you don't feel fear but that you don't live your life and make decisions based in fear but based in love and faith. I hate when people pull the "God card", saying that "God is telling them not to go on a mission trip this year." Really?! Really....God tells us to go to the ends of the earth telling people that His kingdom is near. He tells us to love our neighbors, to love our enemies, to love those who persecute you. We are God's children and He has called us to a life of service. The poor, the widow, the lonely and the hurting need us!

There are dangers everywhere you go or stay! That is part of evil being in this world. I can't promise you that if you follow God's commands that you will be totally safe, but I can promise you that you are in the hand of the Almighty God! I can promise you that God will be pleased! You will be blessed in this life or in heaven! Trust, hope, serve, and have faith. We are ALL needed to make a difference in this world, to touch the lives of the lonely, the hurt, the fearful, and the lost.

Sleep walking dog

This video had me laughing so I thought I would share the fun.

Ellen show

This video cracks me up. Whenever I am kind of tired or down, I am now going to watch this. Thanks Gladys for the laughs.

Sunny San Diego

I am a San Diego girl through and through! The mostly sunny days is a big thing for me. Cloudy days tend to make me feel gloomy inside but sunshine gives me energy. I think I am really solar powered. :-) I know we need the rain especially in this drought but man do I love the sunshine.

We have a three day weekend coming up and I am really looking forward to it. I will be spending some quality time with the hubby and signing people up to join our small group. I am hoping to catch up with my brother since his life seems to have changed overnight and I know nothing.

Hopefully I will also be disciplined enough to get some exercise too. I have been doing a Tae-Bo video a few times a week and every time I feel like I am going to be sick afterwards. It is a good workout but it is hard. I love that it has uplifting gospel music in the background and you even have little kids, older people and out of shape people doing the workout in the video. I hate those videos where everyone already looks perfect! Not really all that helpful when you are having trouble breathing while doing the workout with them.

I know this is a lot of rambling but this is what was on my mind! :-P