Big Bend

I recently enjoyed a trip to Big Bend National Park with two of my friends from church, Conner and Collin (I called them the wrong names all week. Sorry guys!). We took the trail for the Outer Mountain loop beginning with the South Rim trail head from the Chisos Basin. If anyone ever says Texas does not have mountains, they have obviously not taken this trail. Parts of it are brutal.

Here is a link to the details of the trail.

Elephant Tusk from the Dodson Trail

Conner, Collin, and me at Emory Peak

Sunrise on the morning we hiked out

Big Bend, Abilene Eagles Football, and Christmas

I leave in about three hours for a four day backpacking trip to Big Bend with some of the guys from church. I will post pictures next week for sure. Obviously, I will be unable to post this week, but I promise another 6 month break won't follow! I'm excited about listening to music, reading, waking up when I want, getting to know the guys on the trip better, experiencing God's incredible creation, and listening for God's voice in the quiet stillness that you can't find in our busy lifestyles of "everyday" life.

Congratulations to the Abilene High Eagle football team on their trip to the State Championship game to be played in San Antonio on Saturday night. Though this perennial challenging team has fought deep into the playoffs year after year, this is Abilene High's first trip to the state title game since 1956. They are the only undefeated team in 5A football in Texas this year and they will try to remain that way as they go up against the two-time defending state champion Katy Tigers. We have 6 youth group boys that play on the AHS Varsity football team and have thoroughly enjoyed their run for this milestone. We wish you the best, hope you study for finals this week, and play a safe game on Saturday. I plan to drive straight to the Alamo Dome from Big Bend to catch the game!

I cannot wait: Jacinda and I are joining her family for Christmas at Disney World in Orlando! I've never been so my little kid dreams are heightening! I will get to spend three days with my sisters in Ft Worth, their families, and my mom. Family time is my favorite!

Music Monday: "O Holy Night"

I admit that I have a lot of hobbies and many of my interests come and go through the seasons of my life. I believe a hobby becomes a passion when it weathers all seasons of life and maintains a high level of importance throughout. One of the few things that I have continued to show passion for and through is music. I love music! I love to listen to it, read it, sing it, talk about it, and experience it. I have decided that I will show this passion by beginning a weekly blog spot for music. It will be called Music Monday.

Music Monday will bring about songs I like and would love for you to listen to, stories behind songs, personal articles about different artists or worship songs, etc. We'll try this out for a few weeks and see if you people like it or think it is a dumb idea!

Since it is Christmas, I would like to share my favorite arrangement and performance of one of the most well known Christmas carols: "O Holy Night" by Shane Barnard & Shane Everett.

"O Holy Night" was originally written in France by a poet named Placide Cappeau in 1847 when he was asked to write a poem for Christmas mass by a priest. Cappeau was moved by his own work, then known as "Cantique de Noel," and asked a musician friend to put it to music. This song rang through cathedrals in France for years and quickly became a favorite Christmas song. It turns out, however, that clergy learned of the fact that Cappeau had left the church to join a socialist movement and his musician was in fact, Jewish, not Christian. The heads of the French Catholic church of the time deemed "Cantique de Noel" as unfit for church services because of its lack of musical taste and "total absence of the spirit of religion." Yet even as the church tried to bury the Christmas song, the French people continued to sing it, and a decade later a reclusive American writer brought it to a whole new audience halfway around the world.

Not only did this American writer--John Sullivan Dwight--feel that this wonderful Christmas song needed to be introduced to America, he saw something else in the song that moved him beyond the story of the birth of Christ. An ardent abolitionist, Dwight strongly identified with the lines of the third verse: "Truly he taught us to love one another; his law is love and his gospel is peace. Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother; and in his name all oppression shall cease." The text supported Dwight's own view of slavery in the South. Published in his magazine, Dwight's English translation of "O Holy Night" quickly found favor in America, especially in the North during the Civil War.

Back in France, even though the song had been banned from the church for almost two decades, many commoners still sang "Cantique de Noel" at home. Legend has it that on Christmas Eve 1871, in the midst of fierce fighting between the armies of Germany and France, during the Franco-Prussian War, a French soldier suddenly jumped out of his muddy trench. Both sides stared at the seemingly crazed man. Boldly standing with no weapon in his hand or at his side, he lifted his eyes to the heavens and sang, "Minuit, Chretiens, c'est l'heure solennelle ou L'Homme Dieu descendit jusqu'a nous," the beginning of "Cantique de Noel."

After completing all three verses, a German infantryman climbed out of his hiding place and answered with, "Vom Himmel noch, da komm' ich her. Ich bring' euch gute neue Mar, Der guten Mar bring' ich so viel, Davon ich sing'n und sagen will," the beginning of Martin Luther's robust "From Heaven Above to Earth I Come."

The story goes that the fighting stopped for the next twenty-four hours while the men on both sides observed a temporary peace in honor of Christmas day. Perhaps this story had a part in the French church once again embracing "Cantique de Noel" in holiday services.

The song has become one of the most familiar sounds during the month of December and has weathered much adversity to bring joy to the listener on earth and the One who listens to the world sing about Him. I hope you enjoy Shane & Shane's performance of the song.

Recognition: The story behind the song came from memory, but many of the details came from this article - The Amazing Story of "O Holy Night" by Ace Collins.

Our Home

I promised pictures of the inside of our house back in May ... well, here they are! Obviously, we're all decked out for Christmas, but you get the point. I put a few of the pictures in this post, here is a link for a private Picasa Web Album, and for all the normal people in the world: here is a link to the facebook album.

Enjoy!

Living Room

Formal Dining Room
(The pictures on the wall are from our world travels!)

Master Bedroom

Master Bathroom

Living Room

Jacinda's mom made all the curtains in the house for our house warming. We are extremely blessed! I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Hello Seattle

Jacinda took me to yet another place I had never been: I am now a huge fan of Seattle! Jacinda's sister Jenise joined us as we went to hang out with our friends who live in Oregon, Mandy & Kory, and go to a couple from college's wedding. While we were there our site-seeing included: Safeco field and a game against our very own Texas Rangers, the Seattle Aquarium, the Botanical Gardens, a discovery park, the space needle, the tallest free standing rock wall (REI), and the Public Market.

Trent and Jessica Wilson's wedding was beautiful and perfect for them! It was so good to see so many college friends and see how well they are all doing. We had a wonderful time hanging out with Kory & Mandy while we learned some of the quirks they've learned about the Northwest.

Enjoy the pictures from our weekend trip!

Immediately off the plane, Jacinda and Jenise found some clam chowder in the Public Market!

Public Market; October 2, 2009

Picture op provided by the Wilson wedding (Kory & me)

Pacific Oceanfront from Seattle

Classic shot with the Space Needle
(sorry I didn't take the best picture, girls)

If you ever have the opportunity to visit Seattle, do it! Funny thing about our trip: Three days in Seattle, WA and no rain. We land in Dallas/Ft Worth: Three hour drive to Abilene in rain the whole way!

What Flava is Yo Kool-Aid?

Nearly forty adults and high school students from Abilene drove to St Louis, Missouri for a week of service projects in order to show compassion to the community in an inner-city neighborhood in northern St Louis. Among service projects like mowing, planting a garden, constructing and repairing several fences, and painting, the young people led a three day VBS for nearly fifty children from the Mark Twain neighborhood in St Louis. In the midst of the first day of a several station VBS, one of our students looked on as a twelve year old girl from St Louis wrote in the prayer journal she had just made. The young lady from Hillcrest drew closer to the girl writing in her journal and asked, “What are you writing in your prayer journal?” and the young lady responded, “You all up in my Kool-Aid, n you don’t even know the flava!” With much alarm the Abilene student quickly responded, “Girl, you all up in my grill and you don’t even know the tempracha!”

Cassie, our student in the aforementioned exchange

Upon hearing this humorous story, I was so proud of our students for entering a culture they don’t understand and working as hard as possible to bring a message of grace with relevance to their world. Throughout the three day VBS these two young ladies grew closer to one another as they worked through their cultural differences. Likewise, in Abilene, the adults involved in the youth ministry at Hillcrest encourage our students to engage with people of all shapes, sizes, cultures, and backgrounds with the intention of spreading the news of Christ in every life we touch.

I firmly believe that when we teach others about the gospel we are to meet them in their environment. In the Great Commission Jesus did not say, … And invite everyone in your neighborhood to go to church with you at your convenience. As we all know, he said, “Go and make disciples of every nation.” As you go through your life and I through mine, let us think to ourselves this silly question, “What flavor is their Kool-Aid?” Let us think of where people are coming from and bring the gospel to them, rather than waiting on them to ask us what flavor of Kool-Aid we live by.

Wilderness Trek 2009

Wilderness Trek is one of the coolest organizations. Our youth group has been taking a group up mountains in Colorado with Wilderness Trek since its inception. Last year, for the first time in a long while, we brought enough kids to fill two mountain groups (Colorado only allows 20 people on one trail in one group). Basically, on Wilderness Trek your group is led by two guides who are trained in mountaineering and are solid Christian leaders. Most of the mountains they climb are 14,000 feet of elevation and higher. A lot of the trip is about climbing the mountain, but the emphasis is always on spiritual things. Many of our kids have never seen mountains (...they are from Texas!), nonetheless climbed one. So the fact that we are in the mountains helps our group choose to make the trip meaningful. By the end of the week, the group is always so close and open with one another, it is no wonder Jesus went mountain climbing with his disciples (: ... (Mt 15:29, 17:1).

One of our students, Hayden, had been talking with Jacinda and me for nearly a year about being baptized and decided during this trip that he wanted to accept God's gift of salvation and no longer live his life for himself. So I baptized him in a creek from snow melted water at 13,000 ft on Mt Elbert (one of the coldest experiences I remember ever having!). I hope you enjoy the pictures posted below.

In front of Mt Elbert's peak

Hayden's baptism

Our group on summit of Mt Elbert

Jefferson

I will make an attempt to catch everyone up on our life throughout this week, then get into new stuff beginning next Monday.

As mentioned in my most recent post, Jacinda and I bought a dog this summer. We didn't just buy any dog ... that would be unacceptable! For the first dog, we must buy the dog! Jacinda LOVES shelties. And not just any sheltie! She wanted a male, sable sheltie with a full white collar. I searched and searched for months! And I found nothing at a reasonable cost. Her dad was simply parusing the classifieds in the Abilene Reporter News one day and called, "There are some sheltie puppies in Abilene!" So Jacinda and I decided that we would go out and look at them.

For Jacinda's birthday, we added a member to our little family. He is a male, sable sheltie with a HUGE, full white collar. In keeping to the Judah family tradition of naming their pet dogs after American presidents, we named him Jefferson (after Thomas, not Bill J Clinton!). I joked that we should add a black lab and name him Obama, but I got elbowed in the ribs by my sweet and innocent wife. Speaking of, I will probably catch another elbow for the last sentence!

Here are some pictures of the little guy:

The night we brought him home

His first bath

Following his first bath

His 6 month birthday

Since the Last Time...

I apologize for the half of year break!

Since the last time I blogged, Jacinda and I bought a house, a puppy, and new furniture! I made summit on the mountain with the highest elevation in Colorado (Mt. Elbert), served a small community within the greater city of St Louis, Missouri, helped lead a children's Bible camp, and experienced two retreats ... all with our teens from Hillcrest. Jacinda and I took trips to Seattle, Washington and Galveston, Texas. And Jacinda got a rocking new job as a country singer's Accounting and Office Manager!

I will do my best to integrate stories from the past 6 months with the current on-goings of our life. But for today, the big news is that Jacinda and I put up Christmas lights up for the first time. In fact, it is the first time Jacinda has ever had Christmas lights on her house (one of the very few things that I've experienced in my life that she hasn't). It was very fun for me to be able to do something for her that she had never experienced! Anyway, you can see some pictures of the exterior of our home and our Christmas lights. Enjoy!

Musical Houses

My wife Jacinda and I are about to buy our first home! In fact, we drew up the contract this evening and are elated. What's even cooler is that we are purchasing our home from her parents! You may ask, "how is that cool?" This is how:

1. Jacinda has the coolest parents. Her parents are as loving, honest, and understanding as possible.
2. We know that we can trust the buyer in the contract.
3. We have already moved half of our belongings over.
4. Jacinda's dad is an Ag professor and both yards look immaculate!

Here's the funny situation. When Jacinda and I moved to Abilene in May 2007, Jacinda's parents sold their house of 22+ years in Snyder, Texas and bought property about 10-15 miles outside of Abilene with the intention of building on the land. In the meantime, they began to rent a property and wound up purchasing the home she and I wanted (kind of to hold it for us for until we could afford it!) last summer. Obviously, as Jacinda and I got closer and closer to buying the house Jim and Deborah were beginning to feel obligated to go somewhere. Without having decided whether they are going to build on the land outside of Abilene and - being the kind and considerate people they are - they began looking at other options for the time being, while they begin to build, decide to buy somewhere else, etc.

While I was in Chicago for a conference, I got a voice message from Jacinda at 7:35 pm saying that her parents were going to look at a house. I received another voice message from Jacinda around 9:00 pm declaring that her parents were on their way to draw up the contract on the house! The best part: the house is only three doors down from the house we are buying from them!! So as Jacinda and I are moving all of our belongings into our new house (my in-laws old house) at the end of this week, we will begin painting her parents' house on Saturday. Then as the house begins to be painted, we can forget all about trucks and simply carry everything down the street!

I am thoroughly excited about our first home and cannot wait for the hilarious adventures that are sure to come in the days and weeks to follow! Pictures of the new house are coming soon!

Senior Sunday celebration

Let me begin this post by apologizing for taking a two week hiatus from the blogging community. As summer is picking up, I will have a little difficulty writing on a daily basis.

This past weekend was chocked full of preparation and activity for Hillcrest's Senior Sunday. We celebrated 17 students' achievement of graduating high school and their future as they head to college.

One of these students, Logan Cole, shared his story of how God is bigger and in more control than he could have ever imagined. His story was a major blessing to the family at Hillcrest and I hope it blesses you! To hear his story, click on the link above and Logan begins at 21:25. His part of the sermon is about 5 minutes long.

I'm Free! Maybe...

You know those days where you can't say anything right? I mean, everything you say comes across with a tone and possibly a scowl? Your temper is short and your emotions sensitive? Well, I had four of those days in a row this past Friday through Monday - the main reason I haven't posted since Thursday. :) I literally couldn't get anything out without regretting that I said it immediately afterward! An example? Sure, I'll give you an example: I was taking a nap on Saturday afternoon before Jacinda had some girls over for a girls' night. Jacinda woke me up during a nap saying, "honey, some of the girls are here early to make a cake..." My response? "IS THAT WHY YOU WOKE ME UP?!" It turns out that the only reason she was waking me up was so that I wouldn't walk into the living room in my underwear! Seriously, I was ridiculous. If I snapped your head off, I apologize.

Well, today it was gone! I had patience and grace and felt so comfortable in conversations. I also taught a 3rd grade class today ... for 6 hours. I'm so impressed with teachers. I have no clue how they talk that much! So now that I feel gracious and patient in my responses again, my voice is hoarse and I sound harsh even if I were to say the kindest things. I'm at a loss. If I bite your head off in the next few days, please accept my apology in advance. Even if I am angry, I'll blame it on my voice!

Thank you

To the couple who spends their Sunday afternoon cleaning the crumbled and left over bulletins, crushed cheerios, and hidden gum in the church auditorium. To the family who spends their hard earned money to buy groceries for a family who cannot afford it. To the teenagers who spend their afternoon preparing a birthday party for a person whom they don't even know. To the people who do the right things, even when it is inconvenient and possibly detrimental to themselves. To the parents who spend time developing their children into loved, faithful, and selfless individuals. To college students who give their time and opportunity for money to love on a bunch of teens whom they had never met prior to an interview and movement of the Holy Spirit. To the girl who smiled at me at the grocery store for absolutely no reason but to be nice ... thank you!

I was moved today by several acts of kindness that wind up being thankless and overlooked wonders. All of the things listed above have happened either to me or people I know and by people I know or have seen within the past week. I have been hurting over people who can't get themselves out of their own vision. What a beautiful thing: to be able to recognize when people do something incredible for others - all the while knowing they won't be recognized and thanked. Find a thankless job as a way to serve others - I promise it will be rewarding to you, as well!

Thank you.

Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon

I ran in my second marathon this past Sunday. Sometimes I feel "like a runner" and am ready to attack whatever road is in front of me and the rest of the time I feel like a fat junior high kid trying out for the USA Olympic Track Team. For the first 22 miles on Sunday, I ran like a runner! And actually if it weren't for the final 6 miles being uphill and windy (up to 40 mph gusts), I feel like I would have torn up the entire thing! I finished with a time of 3:35:11 and 96th out of a field of 2407 finishers. I am really proud of my time (even if I did miss my goal by 5 minutes) due to the condition and that I beat my first marathon's time by over an hour!

The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon is special, though! The memorial is really inspiring and pretty spooky at 5 am! Prior to the race, the race director calls for 168 seconds of silence to remember those who lost their lives in the very unfortunate bombing in the mid-1990s. This silence is so different than the energizing bells and whistles so many other directors choose to use in order to begin their races. I loved feeling like I was running for a purpose: to let others remember that good defeats tragedy!

In the meantime, I am going to train to attempt a Boston qualifying time and get two marathons in by next February.

This Week: BUSY!

Last week was only busy in order to prepare for this week! Tonight I am driving to Dallas in order to fly to Chicago with two friends (Chris Hayes and Tye Brooks) for a youth minister's conference (and of course some sightseeing!). We are going to see the Chicago Cubbies tomorrow night, which, to me is the most important part of "what to see while in Chicago." We'll definitely catch the Sear's tower, Navy Pier, and Giordano's World Famous Stuffed Pizza. Do you have any other suggestions for "must dos/must sees" while in Chicago?

I must be a glutton for punishment. Not only am I packing in a week of tourism on top of a conference, I am also ending the week with the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon on Sunday, April 26. I am hopeful that my being in Chicago will calm my nerves and allow me to rest my legs by not running as often. I am excited, but as always, nervous about the big run that looms at the end of the week. In my first and only prior marathon (Dallas White Rock Marathon, December 2008) I was happy to finish standing up, since this was my only goal. I finished rather easily just under 5 hours and was ready to "raise the bar." I ran a half marathon two weeks later under 1:45 and decided to aim for the 3:30 club and try to get the OKC in under the 3 hour and thirty minute mark. This is what I am now nervous about: the time goal.

By the way, I have a cousin and several friends running in the OKC Memorial marathon this weekend ... think of us all between 6:30 CST and 12:30 CST. You can track any of us by clicking on this link and they will send you tracking alerts via email or text messaging, but remember to pay attention in church!

I will be blogging this week despite the fact that I will be out of town, so keep checking in!

Let Someone Help

As a minister I learned very quickly that I cannot do it by myself. Sometimes Satan tricks you into thinking that you are or that you can, but it is not true. The body of Christ must work together. We are a family for a reason.

I'm the kind of person who thinks, "if it is going to get done correctly, I must be the one to do it!" About ten months ago on a youth group trip called Trek (if you are unfamiliar with Wilderness Trek, we climb a 14,000 foot mountain in 6 days with a group of about 10-20 teens) in Colorado and I had a revelation: "I must invite others to help me." There was a deeper level to this revelation - I was not allowing people to serve and give of their talents because I was too worried about "doing my job" correctly. As a youth minister fresh out of college, I wanted to impress and calm any potential nerves that anyone may have about a 22 year old college graduate coming into serve as the new youth minister. I came in hard: planning activity after activity, literally making myself sick on the amount of work I loaded upon myself (some weeks I logged 70+ hours), meticulously caring after every minute detail, and making sure I did at least 50% of the work. I backed off a little after our first summer and Fall retreat, allowing some to help in the Spring ... and then the worst happened.

My dad died on March 1, 2008 and I couldn't rebound. I was in this whirlwind of self-doubt and frustration. I could no longer call my dad and hear his reassuring words of confirmation and suggestions. I could no longer focus on one detail without thinking of the hurt inside me and I nearly broke. I began to allow Jacinda (my perfectly sweet wife) to help pick up where I was missing and be a huge part of the students' lives. I stopped caring so much about the activities themselves and began to look more intently at the students. I feel that I have more openly invited their parents and our Christian family to share in their lives. I am listening to the studies that show the more adult interaction students have, the more love they will feel and more opportunity they will have to connect with different adults.

It was on this Wilderness Trek last July where I gave up my control of the group and asked for God to control what we did, how we did it and how much "work" went into it. More volunteers got involved and I began to take a day off. I'm glad to say that my wife and I have grown closer through her incredible involvement with the youth group and their parents. All of the kids say, "this is our youth minister Evan and his wife Jacinda (whisper: she's the cool one :) )."

The reason I am writing this post is to thank all of the volunteers who make our (Jacinda and me) opportunity to serve you in a healthy way possible. We have 25 weekly volunteers and about 40 others who give their time to the teens and are available for personal interaction with these students. One of our elderly members handed one of our volunteers a check last week to "do with it as they pleased the next time the youth group comes over." I LOVE when people recognize our volunteers as the ones working with the students, it's great!

Thank you

Breakfast Song

I love breakfast! My favorite is a three egg omelet with all kinds of veggies (mushrooms, tomatoes, red onions, jalapenos, black olives, bell pepper, etc) and cheese. Then you top off the breakfast with a cup of coffee, two slices of toast, and a side of pan fried potatoes! Every Tuesday I am very thankful for our ladies' 10 am Bible Class. Actually, every Tuesday at 10:01 am! They intentionally leave enough breakfast for the staff to come and mooch off of their spread - I love them! I'm happy they have a Bible class, but I'm talking about breakfast. Sometimes, I decide to eat breakfast for supper because I didn't get enough of it in the morning. It is with my affection for breakfast in mind that the video below makes me sad. My good friend Jessica posted this video to my Facebook wall. My friend and I laughed for several minutes due to the ridiculous video. So pour your bowl of cheerios, grab your donut, and sip your coffee while you enjoy the "breakfast song."

What's your favorite breakfast?

Zest for Life

There is a group of women in the Hillcrest congregation who many people look up to for several reasons: they are giving, thoughtful, caring, nurturing, prayerful, active, and great listeners. To me, one of these women, in particular, is completely full of life. I stopped her yesterday for a short conversation and felt the urge to comment on this attribute of hers and my learning from her to remember to wonder at God's creation and His gift of life. She smiled her kind and gentle smile and said, "a long time ago when I was in graduate school, I had a friend who we threw a birthday party for and theme of this party was that he had such a 'zest for life.' I thought to myself, 'that's what I want:' a zest for life!" I told her, "I think you've achieved it." She smiled and said, "I think I have, too!"

I mentioned in an earlier post (squirrels) that I was attending a conference in Lubbock in which Mark Yaconelli was speaking. The theme was "Down Time" (this is also the title of Yaconelli's most recent book). I had heard Yaconelli speak before and looked forward to hearing him speak again. But something happened this time: I heard what he was saying; I got it! Last time I listened to him speak, I thought, "wow! what great ideas. I really need to do that." You see, the thing is that Mark Yaconelli doesn't necessarily provide ministers with the most 'practical' ministry related toys that are ready for you to apply to your ministry ... "on your mark, get set, DO MINISTRY WITH MY LATEST METHOD/PRODUCT, ETC.!" Yaconelli takes an entirely different approach. He encourages the youth ministers, preachers, volunteers ... everyone who hears him ... to slow down. He encourages us to slow down and take time in "holy leisure" and wonder at God's creation in nature and the humanity around us. Take the time to move at God's pace and see the hurt in the person next to you in traffic, take the time to see the joy in the girl who is celebrating her 6th birthday party in the park, take the time to see the beauty in the sunset, and take the time to grasp the importance of the times we see someone doing the right thing. The last time I heard this, I thought, "great! I need to do this: on your mark, get set ... hurry and slow down!" Wait, this is difficult! I didn't get it. So I kept adding things to my plate. I kept getting busier. And Busier. And. Busier.

The truth is I have made myself too overwhelmed to embrace this 'holy leisure.' I have made myself too busy to have this contagious 'zest for life.' I have always enjoyed nature ... the Creation account in Genesis is one of my favorite Bible stories. But I was missing something! The sunrises and sunsets here in West Texas are unbelievable! I knew that, but I realized that I do not take the time to relish the gifts that God has given us through nature each day. The truth is, typically, every morning I am awake for the sunrise. Typically, I am outside every evening during the sunset. And I have not taken the time to soak in these daily gifts from God. This morning I went to the gym with a friend of mine at 5:30. When we finished our workout about an hour later, I noticed the sun was beginning to rise so I drove home and walked to the ACU campus. Soon I found myself jogging to the newly created Labyrinth between the brand new Welcome Center and the lake on the East side of the campus. I took a seat on a bench and simply watched. The emotions I experienced were in harmony with the colors and ascent of light my eyes were seeing. It was today, that I realized I had never watched the sunrise. Oh, I have seen it ... and do nearly everyday. But I never before had taken the time to watch the sunrise. What a truly spiritual experience!

I encourage you to find the time, even if it is for a brief moment, to slow down and wonder at God's creation. Whether it is in nature, other people, God's willingness and desire for relationship with us, or whatever may drive you, find your time to have holy leisure. Remember to live with a zest for life and appreciation for the gifts of life that God has surrounded us with.

50 Years

Today marks fifty years of existence for the Hillcrest Church of Christ. There is a massive celebration (or "jubilee" as we are calling it) taking place within the confines of the Hillcrest building this morning. But more than a celebration for how long this church has been serving the community and God's Kingdom, my hope is that we remember to celebrate Christ's presence in this world and it is through His death and resurrection that we may have life. It is through this life and God's continued work and presence that any congregation may accomplish anything good and that all of the glory should be given to God. I believe the jubilee planning team has done a great job remembering that it is by God's activity - and despite our best efforts - that this congregation (and all others for that fact) continues to be active and effective.

Today, may we remember great people who have served God's Kingdom and give all the glory and praise to God!

Addendum: I love grilling

Just over a week ago I wrote a post called "what pumps me up!" In this post I attempted to write about many things I love and that however I feel, I feel much better after experiencing these things. I FORGOT SOMETHING SPECIAL THAT PUMPS ME UP IN A BIG WAY: I LOVE TO GRILL! It doesn't matter what it is, I will try to find a way to grill it.

I grilled some pork loin for dinner tonight and just had a very relaxing and leisurely time being outside by a fire and the aromas from the pork and seasoning. It couldn't be better.

Squirrels

Several months ago I read a book entitled Contemplative Youth Ministry by Mark Yaconelli. Ultimately, the point of this well written book is to remind parents that practicing the presence of Jesus is utterly more important than doing things in order to have activities. In his opening chapter, Yaconelli makes a point that has stuck in my head, as in the heads of our youth group. As I was reading this book I decided to teach a class on authenticity because our youth group was becoming more and more comfortable with putting on a good show for our brothers and sisters, rather than picking each other up (something very natural to do when you're at a very fragile point in one's social life!). I was looking for a way to say that I had recently felt anxiety while planning our mission trip and various summer trips while grieving my father's loss. And that I felt like I had recently made bigger deals out of small things. And Yaconelli has the analogy nailed in his first chapter, anxiety is "a state of agitation in which we lose our larger capacity to empathize, to love, to respond to the needs of others. When we're anxious we become squirrel-like -- nervous and wary, teeth chattering, eyes scanning for danger, muscles spring-loaded, waiting to scamper up the nearest tree at every sound" (Yaconelli, 35). I proceeded to tell my youth group kids, "I'm a squirrel!" Of course, they found this very funny. Apparently, they still find this very funny. They have given me squirrel stickers, videos, pictures of suirrels with my face photoshopped in, and countless roadkill pictures.

The reason I am writing this today is because I am heading to Lubbock (immediately after I finish this post) to attend a Youth Minister's conference at Lubbock Christian University. The keynote speaker for this conference is Mark Yaconelli.

If you were an animal, what would you be?

This Crazy Family

This past July (2008) our congregation began using a new bulletin format to go along with our newly renovated auditorium. The back of the bulletin is now a space designated for different members to share their thoughts and experiences with the rest of the congregation. The following is an article I wrote for the Jan 25, 2009 bulletin for the Hillcrest Church of Christ in Abilene, TX:

While growing up “family” was an eclectic word. I have always described my family as “crazy.” I have four older sisters, two of whom are adopted. My parents divorced when I was three and remarried when I was four. I now have four older sisters, three step-sisters, two step-brothers, a step-mom and step-dad. My friends tease me because my family tree is so large and tangled. It was definitely an experience!

You may think I regret my childhood, but you couldn’t be more wrong. I was a happy kid! I had a blast with such a large family and love the wild memories that only a large family could create! Yes, I wish my parents did not have a divorce, but my siblings stuck together and found new ways to create familial unity.

When we look at our family in Christ we too easily show the shiny, flawless sides of ourselves and hide the cracks that each of us bear. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul writes “… you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part.” He doesn’t say, the best of each of you is a part, but all of you – even the broken pieces!

The void left by my dad’s passing is irreplaceable, but I learned a lot about being a member of the Christian family from several of my brothers and sisters who have been there to pick up my broken pieces. The following is a message of love from a sister in Christ, written one month ago:

My dearest friend Evan, I have been thinking a lot over the last six months. I used to hear people say I love them like a brother and I didn't really understand what that meant. But when your dad died I cried all day long knowing that you were in pain. In fact, I am crying right now thinking still of how hurt you must be and how you must miss him. I came to realize that I do know what it means to love someone like a brother. I love you like a brother. You are truly a cherished friend.

Sharon

Please take time today and think of people in your life who have truly been family to you. At times, we overlook one another’s kind acts too easily. My family is “crazy” and difficult to describe. I thank my faith family for being crazy enough to love all of the broken pieces – remember that’s all of us!

I want to challenge you who read this and ask you to call, email, text (however you communicate best) and thank your "Sharon"s for being 'crazy' for treating you like family ... and how grateful you are!

My Dad

When I was a kid I would be asked questions like, "who is your hero?" My answer was always the same, "my dad!" What do you want to be when you grow up? "My dad!" What's your favorite thing to do? "Throw the football with ..." you guessed it "... my dad."

As a boy, I knew my dad would save me from anyone or anything. It didn't matter how far apart we were, he would find a way to be with me. As a teenager, something I took for granted is that he would be at every concert, show, nearly every game, and all important events, even if he did live 2 and a half hours away. Since as early as I can remember, he was my biggest fan and best encourager, regardless of my "stage." As a man, he's the one whose phone has always been on for me to call whenever I needed to vent, cry, or wind down. My dad and I have always shared our greatest interests which ultimately led to several endless conversations about nothing in particular. We've shared memories from late night movies and countless car rides from Lubbock to Amarillo and vise versa to big trips to Los Angeles and a Dallas Cowboys game. My dad is the greatest you could ask for and, to put it simply, he is my best friend.

For those of you who don't know, my dad passed away unexpectedly last March. I've found peace and understanding about my dad's passing and have proceeded living a life of happiness and laughter. But, as anyone could tell you who has lost someone very close, there will be good days and there will be bad days. Yesterday was a tough day: I had a very stressful day in the office, I was tired, and, as silly as it sounds, it was Opening Day without my favorite person to relish it with. I just felt beat up. I woke up this morning and thought of his nearly daily text messages that would begin my day when I read, "Good morning, son! I love you." Sometimes people may ask me, 'what can I do to help?' or 'what do you need?'

The answer is still the same, "my dad."

NOTE: Don't get me wrong, other people have lifted me and encouraged me in ways that words cannot describe. People have stepped in and added presence that needed to be filled and for that I thank you. My mother and step-mom both have shown an unbelievable amount of strength and understanding. And I can't even begin to explain how incredible Jacinda has been and continues to be the best encourager and most loving wife I can imagine.

Check back tomorrow and I will share an article I wrote for our church bulletin a few months back about how I saw the family of God fill my need for family.

Happy Opening Day!

The best day in America and my favorite National Holiday! A day that requires full dress code violations in offices all over America. A day that has encouraged some professors to cancel class and others to throw parties. The day I am speaking of is, of course, the Opening Day of Baseball! Some people confuse the Sunday night game before Opening Day as Opening Day, it's not. The Sunday night game is an adapted game called Opening Night. Opening Day is when everyone else plays and is a day where cities all over North America hear two wonderful words, "Play Ball!"

My wife's favorite team, the Atlanta Braves, played in Opening Night (last night) and beat the defending World Champions 4-1 with a former Red Sox (my favorite team) pitcher, Derek Lowe (pictured left) starting on the mound. It was a wonderful way to begin the season and to prepare Baseball world for the pandemonium that is Opening Day. Baseball fans, the wait is over. It is finally here. Happy Opening Day!

Not My Brightest Moment

Okay, so I don't think some decisions through all the way. Earlier this week I told my running partner that I was cool with getting the Saturday 5K (see the "He looks like a runner" post) in as long as we ran a 20 miler later in the weekend, as well. We decided to run the 20 miler this morning prior to our 9:00 worship. So we got up at 4:15 to begin our run at 5 am. We got a little bit of a late start, but started pretty close to 5:15 and finished our run in 2:51:57. Here is the part where I didn't think the decision through: I'm a minister - I shouldn't be late to church. We ran at a park which is a 20 minute drive from my house. With a few breaks for water, bathroom, snacks, etc. we finished our run at 8:12 am. I got home at 8:37 am. I try to be at church at 8:45, which obviously wasn't going to happen today! I got home, just trying to crawl into the door due to my cramped and worn out legs trying to figure out how on earth I was going to make it to church even close to on time.

Let's just say that my wife rocks! I walk in to the aroma of hot pancakes in the kitchen (she knows I'm cranky without my food :)) with an ironed dress shirt and a suit, shoes, and socks laid out ready to wear, and the bathroom is ready for me to "jump" into the shower. At 8:55, we are ready to go out the door because of J's kind preparations, but we can't find my black belt (I still haven't been able to find it). She looks up from a drawer in the closet and says, "you can wear suspenders!" I guess wearing suspenders was my "punishment" for making a silly decision to run 20 miles prior to Sunday morning worship and Bible class. For those of you who were wondering, I stayed awake during worship and class. Thankfully, I was the one teaching this morning - I may not have made it, otherwise!

The point is that I am very grateful for my incredible wife! She helps "brighten" me up!

"He looks like a runner"

For the past 26 years, the Galaxy men's social club at ACU has hosted the Kirk Goodwin 5K. Kirk Goodwin was a student at ACU, a member of the ACU track team, and a member of Galaxy. While at ACU, Kirk was involved in a car accident and passed away due to the accident. The run was initiated to help the Goodwin family pay for the overwhelming medical bills. Currently, the run helps families of ACU students with high medical bills.

Well, I ran the Kirk Goodwin 5K today! But this post is actually about the registration process. Before I get to that, though, let me brag on the race director, Wilson Rotenberry. Wilson is a student at ACU and put together a VERY organized run this year. The KGR (Kirk Goodwin Run) was timed by Champion Chip, the registration process was easy, and the atmosphere was very fun! While I was waiting at the registration table, a few of the Galaxy men were waiting to be used as volunteers. I could kind of hear what they were saying but wasn't really listening to their conversation. Then I heard one of them say, "yeah, definitely, he totally looks like a runner." I looked at them to see who they were talking about AND THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT ME! I couldn't believe it. Now, I've relayed this story to two people and they've said, "yeah, well, you are a runner." That may be so, but I'm still a guy who has lost 35 -40 pounds (depending on the time of day!) in the last 19 months and isn't used to people saying, "you look like a runner." I'm telling you, that made my day! I ran with confidence and held my head high because I look like a runner!

What Pumps Me Up

You know those things, that no matter what is going on, they instantly make everything better? I mean, they can be little things or life changing. Sometimes the things that make the biggest difference in our lives are the ones that often go unnoticed. This is my list so that the wonderful things that make my life happy don't go unnoticed (in no particular order):

• Hershey's Chocolate Bar with Almonds
• A good run
• Jacinda's smile
• And how her nose wrinkles when she laughs
• When I see a heavier person running ... and working hard at it
  
• I always want to cheer them on, but then I think that they may think I'm patronizing them.
  
• Receiving cards of appreciation
• Writing cards of appreciation
  
• 24
• When my youth group, or members of such, do something completely selfless and Christ-centered.
• My water bottle during a run
• When I go back home and my mom makes me dinner (AND HER BUTTERMILK PIE FOR DESSERT)
• When I witness someone doing the right thing, even if it screws them over.
  
• When the Yankees lose
• When someone acknowledges that Christ is their Savior.
  
• Waking up next to Jacinda in the mornings
• Christmas morning

Other than Hans and Franz, what pumps you up?

Today's Big Thing: Rapping Flight Attendant

This is why I always choose Southwest Airlines! You've got to see this video. Just click on the title of this post or copy & paste the following link: http://www.todaysbigthing.com/2009/03/16

Blown Away!

Since I am from West Texas, one may read this and think that the wind has finally blown hard enough to send me away, but I am simply using it as an expression. Although, the wind has been pretty ferocious lately!

The few weeks just before Christmas our youth group grew through a three lesson series focused on worshiping God with all of our talents and glorifying Him in all situations with all that we've got. During this series we watched the video that is posted just below this paragraph. We challenged the students and asked them to come up with a plan that we could worship God with what we have AND help our brothers and sisters in this world (since we are all children of God). They decided to save money for three months and then collect the money that they saved to put toward a fresh water well in one of our mission locations in the world: Mumena, Africa. We did some research and learned that it would cost about $1200 to drill a fresh water well. Tonight was the third of the "collection" nights for the well. Our youth group saved $842 and a quart size bag full of quarters!!!! I am seriously moved and completely overwhelmed. I'm so impressed with this generation, in general, and specifically the 100+ teenagers that make up our youth group. Several students came to me after class and said that they didn't save money but that they have decided to and want me to keep them accountable to that commitment. And what's more is that a leadership group (made of about 30-40 students who volunteer their time after class) has decided to save money at the beginning of each month to give regularly to different causes (local and abroad)! CAN WE SAY PRAISE GOD!?

My lesson tonight in class had this premise: every decision we make, as Christians, should be Christ centered. I had lunch with a friend (Jon Mills) today and during our conversation he brought up the old reliable "B's" from our childhood within the Church of Christ community: Believe, Behave, & Belong. And these B's were taught in this order: we believe in Christ, we behave by his teachings, and we belong to our Christian community. We discussed how Christ has a different order of those B's ... take the woman who committed adultery in John 8. He didn't ask her to tell everyone in the crowd that she believed he was the Christ in order to earn her belonging within the group, he allowed her to belong through his actions when he proved that she was like everyone else: a sinner. His order of the B's is as follows: allow to BELONG, BELIEVE due to the difference made by belonging, and BEHAVE because of your changed life. We could use Jesus and the leper, Jesus and a blind man, Jesus and Lazarus, etc... the examples are plenty and the point remains the same: people belonged before they were asked to change their behavior. You may remember the last thing Jesus said to the woman in John 8: "Go and sin no more." Behavior was the last thing he asked of her. I, also, relayed a story from my cousin Trey's blog (treymorgan.net) entitled, "You're a member of the Church of Christ? Aren't you the ones that..." In this personal story, Trey recalls several frightening descriptions and accusations of the Church of Christ ... and if you are a member of the Church of Christ, you know many on the list. His story, however, ends with a lady who says, "Hey! you go to the Church of Christ? Aren't you the ones who are helping people in the community?!" What an awesome question to be asked! So I asked our students to fill in the blank: "Aren't you the church who ... " To that one of our adults in the classroom responded, "When I go to Mumena this summer and visit the village who receives your well I will ask them to finish that statement. I bet you they will say, 'Aren't you the ones who saved my children because you gave us fresh water?'" Again, PRAISE GOD! Trey concluded the aforementioned article by quoting Acts 10:38, "Jesus went around doing good things..." I want to finish that verse, "...because God was with him." I agree with Trey: I like the idea of a church who goes around doing good things and we do this because God is with us and should be the center of everything we do.

I am blown away by our students and I praise God for their parents. I praise God for the support they give one another. And I praise God for caring about all of us on Earth so that He gave us the primary example of how to live our lives! Finally, I praise God for continually blowing me away with His goodness. I'm happy that I get to be part of His grand story.

Mrs Brown and Mrs Newton

Earlier this week I was on a training run and had just finished pushing up the end of a series of hills on my 5 K route. It was 80+ degrees and the first time I had run in several days due to our trip to the UK; I was tired and very sweaty. I had sweat in my eyes and was struggling reading the time recorded on my watch so I kept rubbing my eyes. As I was running up this final ascent I noticed something: I saw two very elderly ladies attempting to lift a small love seat into the back of an SUV. I was so focused on the run that I nearly missed the scenario altogether until I saw them out of the corner of my eye as I was passing by (and the sweat in my eyes didn't help!). Though I was out of breath I said, "Wait! Let me help you with that." Both of them broke their concentration for a moment and looked across the road as I trotted near them. In unison, their faces lit up and thanked me immensely. As I was lifting the piece of furniture, Mrs Brown introduced herself and her sister, Mrs Newton. Mrs Brown informed me that she lived in the house behind her for the past thirty-three years and her children moved her to Royal Estates Assisted Living Home this past weekend. I smiled gently and asked her how she liked the new place (mind you, I was gassed and sweating immensely - still out of breath). She said it was nice and I told her I was happy for her new lifestyle and we joked about how she could "be a kid" again since someone else was responsible. She and her sister then insisted upon me that I take monetary payment for the help I gave them since they "didn't know how they would have gotten that piece of furniture in the car anyway." Mrs Brown added, "I told Mrs Newton that if a guy came running by (I didn't know you'd be literally running!) and offered to help I'd pay him good money." I thanked them for their generous thought and refused the offer by explaining that Jacinda and I are thankful to be very well taken care of with our full-time salaries. We talked a little bit about the food in Mrs Brown's new living facilities and how it would take a little time for her to appreciate the transition, but she was thankful to have children who could afford for her to be cared for in such a way. Then, as I turned to complete my run, she said something fairly simple, "Thank you for stopping to help us two old ladies!" I said, "Of course!" and continued my run. It wasn't until I turned the corner that I realized that I saw about four or five cars pass Mrs Brown and Mrs Newton and they struggled with the love seat. And that I nearly ran right by them because I had sweat in my eye. It hit me: I nearly missed the opportunity to serve someone by doing a simple task (for me) because I had something in my eye. I wonder how many other opportunities I've missed because something was in my eye, but only that it wasn't sweat. The truth is I miss opportunities to serve the people around me because I focus, too often, on myself. I owe thanks to Mrs Brown and Mrs Newton for rmeinding me the importance of looking outside of myself and for the needs of others.

Top 10 Things I LOVE About Running

I began running in January of 2008 because a friend, Yancey House, asked me to run a marathon with him. We ran the White Rock Marathon in Dallas, TX on December 14, 2008. The picture to the left is of Yancey and me and was taken immediately following our finish. Since White Rock, I have continued running and am up to about fifty miles per week. I am currently training for the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon to be held on Sunday, April 26. I have a larger goal in mind, too: qualify for the Boston Marathon within the next two years. Thanks for my continued running is due to Abilene Runner's Club (Bob Taillon and David Lantrip) and my new running partner Kevin Kehl. Yancey, however, is the one who needs the most thanks because he got me back into it. I wouldn't be able to run without these guys because they encourage me to actually get out there and do it. Thanks!

The following list, in no particular order, contains the top ten things I love about running.

The TOP 10 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT RUNNING

1. Maintaining a healthy weight level
   
2. The surprised feeling I get every time we finish and I think, "that wasn't too bad!"
   
3. Waking up and seeing the sunrise
   
4. It's my therapy. When my dad passed away, it was the only thing that calmed me down and allowed me to focus. It's still the best place for me to focus.
   
5. Conversation. Your running partner kind of turns into a counseling partner.
6. Hills. I love the sense of accomplishment I feel after conquering yet another hill.
   
7. Getting to eat more chocalote and greasy food than I would get to otherwise!
   
8. Smiling at the people who look at me (from their cars) like I am the craziest person in the world to be running ... in the rain, snow, ice, 100 degree temps, etc ... at all!
   
9. Learning weird things like how to: blow snot rockets out of one nostril with no hands, tie your shoes with gloves on, calcuate min/mi in your head, differintiate mi/km without doing any math (ie 25k = 15.5 mi), etc.
   
10. The Finish Line

What do you love most about running?

Visiting the United Kingdom!

My wife, Jacinda, and I love to travel! We have seen the likes of Boston, San Diego, Denver, most of Texas, and the Big Island of Hawaii together. Well, we just raised the bar - she and I had the opportunity to visit our friends Mandy and Rynn in London for a little over a week! We stayed in the UK the entire time but spread our days over London (3 days), Edinburgh, Scotland (2 days), Derbyshire area (2 days), and Oxford (1 day).
The following were my favorites, I think!:

1. St Paul's Cathedral
   
   
   
   

   Jacinda and I have some incredible friends, and for your friendship we thank you. One of you, Justin Hatfield, offered to drive us to/from the DFW airport since we'd be arriving late on Sunday, March 29 and would need to make the drive back to Abilene that evening. While he was driving us to the airport he was relaying his Western Europe experiences to us. He told us that the one thing that was not on our list that we should add is St Paul's Cathedral. Man, would we have missed out! You can't take pictures of the interior of this building so you don't get to see the most amazing features that this cathedral offers. Sorry! We arrived at exactly 5 pm and joined the people in attendance for a beautiful EvenSong. The cathdral's worship hall seems to continue indefinitely and has several domes that are decorated intricately. I believe that it is impossible to enter this building and not be moved. Some people used their incredible gifts and abilities to glorify God with their artwork in this building.
   
   
2. Westminster Abbey
   
   Mandy, one of our friends who was living in London for the Spring of 2009, asked us if we would attend Sunday morning services with her at Westminster Abbey and saved the experience for when we would be able to attend with her. Again, we're not allowed to take pictures of its interior so I guess you'll just have to go for yourself! And the building was pretty, but that is not why it is on this list. The experience of listening to the Corpus Christi choir from Cambridge was indescribable! Plus, the history of the building is overwhelming; I mean every monarch from England's history has held their coronation within the confines of this building. That is chilling while you are preparing your mind for worship and look around the building filled with tombs and memorials for some of this world's most historical people ... whether they were Christ's servants... well, that's debatable! But the experience was definitaly unforgettable! A must do ... something to remember if you do plan a UK trip: church buildings like Westminster Abbey and St Paul's Cathedral require an admission fee UNLESS you attend a worship service - these are free at most churches.
   
   
3. The London Eye
   The London Eye is the awesome blue ring in the first picture above. It was a one year "trial" that British Airways put together several years ago for people to be able to see London from the sky. Well, they realized how big of a hit it was, with residents and tourists alike, and decided to keep it. The second picture is Jacinda and me in one of the pods during our 30 minute "flight" over London. The third picture has an incredible story. We took a public group flight with about 5 people outside of our party of 3 (Jacinda, Mandy, and me). Another option is to rent your own pod. The couple in the pod above us did this. While I was enamored with the skyline and taking several pictures of London at night from the perspective that the London Eye can provide, Jacinda and Mandy happened to look up and see what you see in the third picture below. We caught them afterward and gave them congratulations and showed them the picture of their very recent engagement. They freaked out and she was very happy to show the girls her ring. We were the first audience to their emotions and her gitty feeling of being on top of the world (or on top of the London Eye - okay cheesy, but you're reading it!). They happened to be from Wichita, Kansas - the closest to Texas of all the Americans we met on our trip. They are also excited to receive this picture via email!
   
   
4. London at night
   

   
   London at night is a true treasure. Everything is lit up (except the portion of Parliament directly behind Mandy and me, ugg) and bright against the darkness of the sky. And, of course, if you're lucky enough to be by the River Thames, it all reflects.
   One really cool thing about our experience with London at night, though, was the specific idiosyncrasies in the particular night that we happened to be walking from the London Eye to Big Ben. While we were standing on the Westminster Bridge to take pictures of Parliament and Big Ben, we heard this beautiful sound that we, at first, simply dismissed. Then the noise continued and grew louder and was followed by applause. We went exploring and found a string quartet underneath the Westminster Bridge performing for whoever will listen and making whatever money people may happen to leave in their cello case. These young people were extremely talented and were, most likely, university students at one of England's many schools playing in London on a Sunday evening to make a little pocket change. The quartet made our evening! After this wonderful surprise, we continued walking across the bridge to Parliament Square and enjoyed the likes of Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Parliament, and the London Eye. One of my favorite pictures from the trip is the one of Mandy and Jacinda in Parliament Square (the third one above).
   
   
5. Natural beauty of countryside
   Wow! I am so glad that we decided to get out of the city for a few days. We chose to stay one night and two days in the Derbyshire area chiefly because of Chatsworth (pictured). Jacinda is a huge fan of all Jane Austen novels and Chatsworth was used to portray the likes of Pemberly in the latest rendition of Pride and Prejudice on the silver screen. Chatsworth is the home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire and was built in the 17th Century.
   
   
6. Scotland!
   Edinburgh is AWESOME! Really, Edinburgh is one of my favorite cities that I have ever visited! We spent two days in Scotland: one was spent in Edinburgh and the other on a bus tour (with a guide named Grrrrddddegg; we just called him Greg) up to Loch Ness to see the Loch Ness monster, Nessie! I loved the countryside. I loved their accents. I loved their food, even if I did try haggis! I loved their 'bad-boy/kind side' attitude. The picture posted is from a boat tour on Loch Ness underneath an afternoon rain storm.
   

   
   
7. The food
   
   
   Cumberland Sausage Sandwich at The Eagle and Child (Tolkien and CS Lewis ate here often) in Oxford
   
   
   Chicken Pie in London
   
   
   Fish and Chips! in Eyam
   
   
   Club Sandwich ... or a dagwood! in Oxford
   
   Deep Fried Mars Bar in Edinburgh
   
   
   Deep Fried Pizza in Edinburgh
   
   
   Meat Pie in London
   
   
   Traditional Scottish Breakfast in Edinburgh
   
   
   Jacinda found this restaurant in Edinburgh called Chocolate Soup
   
   She loved it!
   
   SERIOUSLY LOVED IT!
   
   
8. Les Miserables in London
   

   Jacinda, Rynn, Mandy and I had the opportunity to see Les Miserables while we were in London. Oh my, it was perfect! I've seen this show several times before and had the privilege of trying to imitate it in high school. I've never seen it done so well. The actors were full of passion. They sang well, but were apprehensive, desperate, happy, silly, and dying when they needed to be. Plus, something cool: the Jean Valjean that played that night was the best I've ever seen or heard... He was the understudy, but really, couldn't have been better. He was perfect. The show was perfect. It was definitely one of my favorite things in the UK!
   
   
   I hope you have enjoyed this extremely long post and the many pictures accompanying the stories. I will post an update with links when I put all of the pictures online.