Lessons from Brea

Back from vacation

2007-08-07T15:05:00.001-07:00

We are back from vacation! We took a three week vacation from SoCal to Cedar Point, Ohio and back. It was great to tour the country on the open road. The experience has led me to love my family and my country more than ever. A quick rundown of our trip:

- Grand Canyon
- Painted Desert/Petrified Forest
- Albuquerque/Tinker Town
- Carlsbad Caverns
- San Antonio
- Arlington/Six Flags Over Texas
- lots of driving...
- St. Louis
- lots of driving...
- Sandusky, Ohio/Cedar Point
- Amish country
- lots of driving...
- Colorado Springs/Focus on the Family
- Mesa Verde
- Moab, Utah/Arches National Park
- Las Vegas

I posted pictures using Picasa here.

Updated remodel pictures

2007-05-30T09:48:00.000-07:00

The addition is now completely enclosed! We are getting closer...

Yes, it's true...

2007-05-15T12:25:00.000-07:00

Number six is on the way.

More remodel pictures

2007-05-07T08:08:00.000-07:00

Our remodel project is moving right along. It is actually starting to look like a room. We did have a problem when the rains came in late April - it soaked through the carpet on the outside and came on in. I had to rip up the carpet to protect the wood floors. We talked with our contractor last week and right now we have a target of end of June for completion of major construction. We'll see...

The framing is coming along (April 18)

Then we had the rains (April 20)

The walls and roof are going on (May 3)

And so it begins...

2007-04-17T17:41:00.000-07:00

Many of you know that we are doing a remodel project at our place, adding on to our family room and redoing our kitchen. It finally hit home yesterday as the walls came down. I will be posting some pictures of what has happened so far...

Note: you can click on the pictures to get a larger image.

In the beginning: what it looked like before.

March 1 - The beginning: destruction of the trellis and patio.

March 26 - Next was the laying of the new foundation...

April 16 - Then they tore down the walls of the kitchen and family room...

April 17 - Then the walls went up.

Keep checking back for more updates as they come...

Marne's thoughts

2006-12-21T11:29:00.000-08:00

As we were putting our Christmas letter together this year, Marne and I reviewed the journaling that she did right after my accident. I have always told her that I wanted to post what she wrote on my blog, but she never felt that it was quite finished. After reviewing it again, she said to just go ahead and post it. So, here it is, Marne's thoughts about our experience written just a few days after the accident...

It’s Monday morning, October 9, 2006, the phone rings and Dave’s voice is filled with panic. He said, “I’ve been in a serious accident and I should be dead! A truck fell on me, but I was able to get out of the car…I won’t be able to take the kids to school. Oh my God, I should be dead, but I’m okay.” That is all I remember him saying though I know I was on the phone with him longer than that. From that moment on I remember praising God that he was alive and calling a few friends and family asking them to pray. While I wasn’t sure what to do next I realize now my objective was to find out for myself that Dave was really okay. I remember taking a quick shower, getting the kids ready for school and praising God that Dave was alive. I dropped Joel and Cori off at school (Aaron had already left for school for an early fieldtrip) and drove up to Lambert where the accident occurred. The sight of two helicopters in the air over the accident I couldn’t yet see gave me the chills as the severity of this accident began to become real. The road was completely blocked so the officer told me to park and walk to the accident scene. Thank God I had talked to Dave or I would have been completely devastated by what I saw.

The first person I talked to knew Dave had been taken to the hospital, but went to find out which hospital. When he came back he explained that he had taken photos of the accident and thought that the tv news reporters would want to talk to me. I told them about Dave’s phone call to me at 7:40 that morning and how we were praising God for sparing his life. They shared with me comments from police and EMTs who had been at the scene that morning…”I expected to find a double fatality accident, not a walk away accident. There’s something wrong with you if you don’t believe in miracles after seeing this.” I quickly walked up to the preschool and asked Ms. Condon if I could leave Seth a few minutes early explaining Dave was in that accident. She and the assistant teacher told me they had been praying all morning for those involved in the accident never realizing of course it was someone they knew. From there I headed to St. Jude hospital to see for myself that Dave was really okay. Praise to God filled my thoughts and the overwhelming need to see Dave. I am thankful that I didn’t spend time dwelling on thoughts of the possible extent of injury he could have suffered, but looking back at it I’m surprised I did not. I finally found the ER and waited for Dave to return from X-rays. Miraculously, he suffered only minor injuries, a nasty bruise on his shoulder, a small cut on the top of his head, redness on his upper right thigh and soreness all over his torso. Those that treated him and saw the photos of the accident were amazed at the lack of harm to his body. By 11:30a.m. Dave was released from the hospital and I drove him home. What a surprise to us to find all the media interest in this accident and Dave’s miraculous survival! The remainder of that day and the following morning were filled with interviews and photos from all the local news stations, Inside Edition, and the Orange County Register, not to mention a phone that kept ringing as people heard about the accident and realized it was Dave.

As the week has progressed and we are still trying to deal with this trauma several thoughts have stood out. First of course is the precious gift of life itself and not wanting to waste one moment or take it for granted. Celebrating our 15^th Anniversary together yesterday was an incredible blessing as I consider this accident should have been fatal. I also realize that while we spent much time crediting Blue with having a part in saving Dave because of its solid steel frame, perhaps its mission was also in proclaiming what God did. What I mean is many people around town knew Dave drove that blue mustang and recognized it when they drove by or saw it on the news thus giving us an opportunity to talk to them. We have had so many people talk to us about the accident, even people we have never met. I pray that we take each opportunity and give God the credit that belongs to Him alone. Also, I think much of the media interest in this story was due to Blue and what that car meant to us. Thus, the media spread the story further than it would have gone had the accident occurred with our Geo Prizm. It is my prayer that those who hear about this accident will recognize it for the miracle it is and give credit to the Lord. He is the one who deserves all the attention and interviews. How did He do it? When I look at pictures of the accident or what is left of Blue I am filled with awe at the incredible miracle it is that Dave is alive. Deepening our faith and realizing firsthand His mighty power is also a result of this accident. Seth was afraid that a snake might eat him when he was trying to go to sleep the night after the accident; I had the opportunity to pray that the Lord who can hold a big rig up to keep it from crushing Seth’s daddy was able to protect him from a snake. At first I thought how cool God gave us this incredible demonstration of His power and protection for our kids and then I remembered how much I need that example also.

Light the Kinara!

2006-12-18T09:13:00.000-08:00

My daughter performed in her (public) school's second grade holiday songfest last week. I was surprised and pleased that they were able to sing several songs about Christmas, including a couple overtly Christian songs, such as Silent Night. They were able to do this because they also sang songs representing other cultures, including Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

We went with some friends to look at Christmas lights last night. As we were walking around the neighborhood, my daughter and her friends started to sing...the Kwanzaa song. They liked this song so much that they sang it over and over and over, very loudly. It should be noted that none of these girls comes from a family that celebrates Kwanzaa. Many people walking by looked at them a bit strangely and wondered what was going on. We finally convinced them to sing Rudolph.

I think it is important for our children to understand and respect other cultures and even to become familiar with some of their traditions. But I also want to ensure that they understand that we celebrate Christmas and that this time of year is special to us for that reason. All cultures are not the same. All traditions are not the same. it is not hateful to say that; in fact, I think it is harmful NOT to say it. We have to find that balance between respecting others and their traditions and faith while teaching our children about our traditions and our faith.

Improvement

2006-12-05T08:36:00.000-08:00

An update on my recovery from the accident...

This weekend I was able to start being close to normal: we spent some time at Disneyland Friday, I mowed the lawn on Saturday, and I started putting up the Christmas lights on Sunday. Yes, I had to go slower and take lots of breaks, and yes, my back was very tired and aching at the end of each day, but I am encouraged because I could not have even tried to do some of these things last month.

Thanks for all your prayers.

Another kind of digital divide

2006-11-22T14:24:00.000-08:00

I drove by a Honeybaked Ham store today while running some errands. The line to get in was around the block, probably 100 people long. What the heck, I thought to myself? Then I realized: it's the day before Thanksgiving, probably one of the busiest days of the year for them. My next immediate thought was: don't these people know that they can just go online and have their food delivered to their door - no fuss, no muss, and no waiting in stinking long lines and wasting half their day? We ordered online last year for Christmas and it worked great. Then I realized: I am probably one of the few that even knows you can order your Honeybaked hams online.

I teach my students about the "digital divide" (see this post) and we define it as unequal access to technology. The term "access" not only refers to physical access to the technology but also to the ability to use the technology. Should this term also extend to simply not knowing a specific use of the technology is available? I'm sure that many of those that were in line are also online - this is Orange County after all. This can extend so much further: there are many uses of the Internet that I take for granted (maps and directions, weather reports, movie show times...) that others may not know exist or, if they do know, they have never been shown how to make it useful for them.

The concept of making use of technology for a specific reason has a term: "effective use". One of the leading writers in the field of Community Informatics, Michael Gurstein, wrote on it a couple years back here. There are many who could make effective use of the Internet if someone just showed them how. Those of us who are working for a just society and a just world need realize that just giving physical access to technology and doing basic training are not enough. For use to implement effective use, we must give people the ability to understand how to apply it to their everyday lives. We are fast approaching a time that those who do not know how to make effective use will find themselves on the outside looking in - or standing in line.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Transparent Society is now

2006-11-17T15:48:00.000-08:00

...and we are in city #2.

Let me explain: in The Transparent Society, David Brin argues that the march of technology will bring us to a point where every part of our public lives will be recorded. According to Brin, this will be accomplished via "tiny cameras, panning left and right, surveying traffic and pedestrians, observing everything in open view." The book asks one basic questions: who should have access to the images captured by the cameras? Two scenarios are given: in "city #1" the police and governing authorities have access to the images, in "city #2", the public shares access with them. He argues that, while both would lead to a large reduction in crime, the latter would reduce the abuse of power by the authorities. When I discuss this book with my students every semester, many are doubtful that this would be the case: members of the public would abuse the use of the cameras and invade privacy. But we all agree that it is very likely that this "transparent society" will indeed come to pass, and very soon.

Written in 1999, the book did not envision armies of citizen with their own personal video cameras embedded in portable phones. Since these cameras are not public, they are owned by the individuals and the authorities may or may not get access to them. In effect then, we now live, right now, in city #2. I am prompted to write this by the latest news story out of UCLA, where video images captured by a cellphone camera will be used to document their abuse of a student there. However, it is not just this story that tells me we are in city #2: just recently the Texas Border Patrol has made their cameras accessible to the public and are seeking the public's assistance in watching the border and reporting any illegal crossings. And here's another story that shows how an arsonist was captured by video footage.

It may not be the transparent society specifically depicted in the book, but David Brin saw this coming seven years ago. Check out his site and specifically the pages devoted to this topic.

Ministry in a flat world

2006-11-16T07:05:00.000-08:00

This week in my MIS class we discussed some of the main points in Thomas Friedman's book The World Is Flat. This book discusses the changes in technology that have occurred in the past few years that have brought about a change in the way the businesses and peoples in the world interact. Using these "flattening" technologies, power is shifting from countries and corporations to individuals and small groups. The book addresses these changes and then gives its prescription for Americans and American businesses.

In thinking about this new "flat" world we live in, I begin to wonder what it will mean for Christian ministry. Some questions to ponder, for now:

- should the priority of using the Internet, in all its various forms (web sites, podcasts, mailing lists, etc.), rise in churches and ministry-related organizations? And does this translate into larger budgets for Internet-based projects?
- should Christian ministries "offshore", that is, hire people or organizations outside the US to manage their web presence, in order to save money?
- because the Internet is global, should a church use the web primarily as an evangelism tool? A missionary support tool? Or should the focus be on the local congregation?
- what level of Internet or web literacy should be required of missionaries or pastors as part of their training?

If you have opinions on these, feel free to comment. Or to add more questions to the list!

Linerider

2006-11-12T17:03:00.000-08:00

If you haven't seen it, be warned: it is addicting. Click the video below to see it in action, click the link below to play.

Linerider

Be purpose-driven

2006-11-10T21:14:00.000-08:00

I discussed in an earlier post my plans for research in the area of the use of web technology for Christian ministry. My initial foray into this area of research will be to simply get to know some different groups (churches, faith-based ministries) that have developed successful web sites or web resources. I want to understand what issues they encounter, what best practices they would recommend, and how they're organized. But, first, and maybe most important, is to understand what these organizations consider the purpose, or mission, of their web site.

A mission statement drives what an organization does. Understand the mission and you understand the organization. In the case of faith-based organizations, this mission will show how they move their faith into action. For example, Biola's mission statement:

The mission of Biola University is biblically-centered education, scholarship, and service—equipping men and women in mind and character to impact the world for the Lord Jesus Christ.

As a faculty member there, my work is driven by this mission. We constantly work to understand how to do this better and integrate our personal faith with this mission.

A mission statement should also exist for an organization's use of web-based resources. Unfortunately, for many of these churches and ministries, a web site is usually thrown together by a volunteer with no clear purpose in mind except to put the church or group "on the web". But this leads to a web site that is not properly maintained or ends up being forgotten. A poor quality web site may end up driving potential new supporters or members away and is a poor contrast to the excellence that should be the result of serving Christ.

A mission statement for web-based resources would help focus its direction and give it a place in the organization. Is is seen as a way to minister to members of the organization? Is it primarily a channel for raising funds? Is it to support missionaries? Or maybe it is simply another way to share the gospel. This mission statement should be in line with the organization's overall mission statement.

So, dear blog readers, I need your help: if you know of churches, ministries, or faith-based organizations that high-quality web sites that are focused on the mission of the organization, let me know! Much of my research time over the next few weeks will be finding these organizations and understanding how they integrate the mission of their organization with their use of Internet technology.

My wife loves me

2006-11-09T10:09:00.000-08:00

So I get home from work last night and notice something: the lawn was mowed. Even more impressive: it was edged as well. Backyard too. Since my accident, I have been unable to mow our lawn and was hoping to maybe try to do it this coming weekend. Now I don't have to: my wife asked the neighbor's gardener if she could hire him to do it this one time, and he agreed.

This may not seem like a big deal; many people hire gardeners to mow their lawn. However, we never have and I had been lamenting that it had been almost a month and our grass was starting to look "shaggy". The fact that my wife understood how much it bugged me that I couldn't live up to my responsibility to keep it mowed and then had the courage to approach a gardener she didn't know and hire him for this task showed me her love for me.

Thanks baby, you're the best.

This makes you think...

2006-11-08T15:33:00.000-08:00

I was teaching about the implications of "new media" in my MIS class today and how the individual now has the ability to get a message out to the world. We no longer need to go through editors, publishers, or other filters to get our message out, but instead can reach the world directly ourselves through blogs, podcasts, and videos. A friend of mine then sent me an email of this.

Goodbye to one of the good guys...

2006-11-07T07:14:00.000-08:00

I recently posted about my favorite web sites, the ones I must check out every morning to get my "daily fix" and feel caught up with the world. One of those sites is now gone; Doug TenNapel has decided to stop writing his blog. The warnings began a couple of weeks ago when he stated that once he hit one million "hits" (in other words, one million people viewed his blog) he had been planning on stopping. He also stated that using a blog to air his conservative right-wing views had become a problem for his career: it was hard to get hired in Hollywood while espousing the views he was posting on his blog everyday. Doug is a conservative Christian working in Hollywood - something extremely rare. To date, it seems he has been quite successful - his most well-known work is the current series "Catscratch" running on Nickelodeon.

I did not agree with Doug's viewpoints all of the time, but it gave me good insights into the views held by others farther right in the political spectrum than I. I also found his candor about his feeling and his faith refreshing. So many times a blog is just another protected persona someone is putting up and, when you meet in them "in the real world", they seem so different. I will miss his blog.

This also raises a question: what does this do to his testimony as a Christian? Is he any weaker a Christian because he has shut his blog down? Is he "hiding his light"? Should we criticize Doug for doing this, or should we understand? There is no requirement that Christians write blogs. But once Doug had started writing his, he attracted hundreds (thousands?) of visitors a day to read it. It only took him 20 months to get to one million hits! He shared his faith many times over, as well as his controversial views on issues of the day. He shared his daily life, to the point where he wrote that his blog readers knew more about him than his family! I myself reluctantly support Doug's decision to stop - it is between him and God to determine how to best present his testimony in the future. At Biola, we talk about "Business as Ministry" - Doug is doing this every day he faces his peers in Hollywood and continues to practice the principles taught by Jesus Christ.

Why should the devil have all the good . . . web sites?

2006-10-31T06:44:00.000-08:00

Martin Luther is quoted as having said "Why should the devil have all the good music?" While this is debatable, it has spawned a song and a movie and has been used as a rallying cry for those who believe that Christians should use their God-given artistic talents to their fullest in the creation of music. While it is questionable that the results (Contemporary Christian Music) are actually good art, the point is still valid: God has given Christians unique talents and gifts that should be used to their fullest, which should culminate in art that is of the highest class and beauty created. As Christians, we should never be satisfied with "good enough".

In fact, this should be true in every area of the life of the Christian. In Colossians 3, it speaks of "doing your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men" (NASB). I can attest: this is very difficult to do. With five kids, two jobs, and serving in several areas, it is always tempting to do "just enough" to get by and not be excellent. It is a constant struggle.

So why the title "Why should the devil have all the good web sites?". As I stated in an earlier post, I believe that I was not killed in my accident because He has more for me to do here first. Besides the things mentioned in a previous post, I believe God has uniquely positioned me for another task: developing a research base on how Christian ministries can effectively accomplish their mission via technology. God has laid on my heart a desire to see technology used to reach the world for Him. We have all seen church web sites that have fallen by the wayside and are no longer maintained. It is embarrassing to me as a Christian to see this happen - if you are going to do it, do it well.

How am I uniquely positioned? I have a Ph.D. in Information Systems and Technology. My research interests are in the effective design of social systems. I work at a job that will encourage and reward me for research. I have worked in the IT industry for 15 years and continue to do consulting there, keeping my eye on the "pulse" of the latest technology. I have a deep desire to see churches and other Christian ministries use technology to accomplish the mission God has laid out for them.

When I talk about this research, I do not simply mean "I will show them how to make good web sites". There are already many people out there doing that, most notably the Heal Your Church web site run by Dean Peters. What I am talking about is an academic look into what makes some uses of technology by churches and other ministries effective, and why some fail. It is not the selection of particular technologies I am concerned with, it is the processes used by these organizations that should be analyzed. It is quite simple to put up a web site these days - it is much more difficult to create an Internet presence which leverages the church or ministry and increases its reach manyfold.

What will be the result of all this research? I don't know. A book, a web site, seminars, training classes, consulting - maybe a mix of all of these. My first step is just to understand more fully the issues facing churches and other ministries when using technologies and looking for common patters. This will be followed by a more explicit research proposal and possible grants. The process may easily take more than a year, but along the way I hope to impact the world in the way God has gifted me to.

I will use this blog to communicate my progress as I go along - I hope you'll check in once in a while to see how it's going.

My Music

2006-10-27T19:27:00.000-07:00

One of the ways I cope with hard times is by getting absorbed in my music. Ever since I was young, I always found refuge in listening to meaningful songs. I find that there are two sorts of people in the world: those that find music meaningful and look forward to experiencing music just for the pure joy of the music, and those who see music as something to have in the background. How can you determine which kind of person you are is simple: would you be happy to spend an evening by yourself listening to music and doing nothing else?

So, for me, during this time of stress and troubles, I have latched onto a couple of bands whose music really has said some of the things that I myself cannot verbalize; songs which lift my spirits, bring me to tears, and make me think. The first band is The Lost Dogs, a group I have written about before. As a big fan of this group, simply posting links to the lyrics of some of these songs does not do them justice, but it is one way I can support the band. Three of their songs that have been a blessing to me these last eighteen days are: Jesus on the Shore, Crushing Hand, and Blessing in Disguise. I cannot say enough good things about this group: each of the members individually and all of them together are so talented, in a musically just world they would all be superstars.

The second band is The Violet Burning, a group I stumbled upon while keeping up with the Lost Dogs. Several songs from the Faith and Devotion of a Satellite Heart album are so worshipful and heartfelt that whenever I hear them I feel refreshed and purified. What is so amazing is that these two groups are almost exact opposites: the Lost Dogs play a progressive country/Americana style while the Violet Burning are much more Alternative or Modern sounding.

Thanks to everyone who continues to ask how I am doing: I am still sore and unable to do anything to exert myself. I am going to physical therapy and seeing my doctor to determine the best course of action. Continue to pray for my wife, my healing, and wisdom on how to best deal with insurance and health care management.

Shannon's Story

2006-10-25T17:00:00.000-07:00

Many of you have heard that the car right behind mine in the accident was a student of mine, Shannon Reeve. I was not aware of this until amazingly, the afternoon of the accident, I got an email from her saying she was right behind me! Shannon was in my MIS class during Interterm earlier this year. I have asked Shannon to "tell her story" and I am including a picture of her poor car as well. Take it away, Shannon...

Now I'm sure you're all a bit played out on this story, but imagine seeing a big rig fall on top of your car and not thinking you're going to survive and then you may understand why it's nearly impossible to stop talking about it!

Monday morning, (don't you hate those?!?)... I have a big day ahead of me and am trying to get to school a few minutes early so I can have one last glance at my notes before I take a BIO test. As I am exiting on Lambert from the 57 freeway I see the big rig, turning in conjunction with my car, start to swing out into my lane and seemed like it was going too fast. As I try to make the turn as wide as I possibly can, I hear the squealing of brakes and see the big rig toppling on to my car. There is no where for me to go, so I hunch my shoulders and try to semi-duck, but brace myself for the for the worst. After the crashing, bending of steel, shattering of windows, ect. (sounding amazingly like any car crash you see in the movies) I open my eyes and to my amazement I am alive! My car is nearly crushed by the semi, but thanks to God's outrageous protection, where I am sitting is still in tact! I see a few people run over from their cars across the street and ask me if I am OK. I say yes, tell them I just need to get out, then ask if everyone else is OK. Someone asked me if I had called the police, and I, of course, said no... I was in shock I was alive, the last thing I am thinking about is calling the police! So, as they call 911, I reach for my phone beside me and call my parents to tell them what had just happened.

I tell my dad I was just in an accident, a truck had flipped and was stuck on top of my car. "I don't know how I'm alive!" Is what I said that must have made his stomach turn, but he tells me he's on his way and I tell him to be careful because there might be traffic now. haha!

Long story short, the firemen use the jaws of life to get me out. The roof had hit my head, but to my amazement... not even a scratch! My back and neck are sore, but nothing immobilizing. Now some people call me the "miracle girl" or say that they could see that an angel covered me to protect me. All I know is that God's protection and control was more real to me that day than ever before. No one was seriously injured in an accident that the coroners office was called to come on scene. God still does miracles today, and I believe what the devil intended for evil God has used for good.

I thank God for his protection of Professor Bourgeois and myself, as well as everyone else involved. It is hard to cope with the fact that you are okay while other people die from accidents like that daily. All I know is God is awesome, and I am thankful to be alive to fulfill the purpose He has for me... whatever that may be!

-Shannon Joy

Why me?

2006-10-24T20:31:00.000-07:00

People die in traffic accidents every day. Why did God allow me to survive when so many die in similar accidents every day (see here, here, here, and here) ? I know that this is a question many survivors ask, and many chalk it up to "luck" or "karma".

As for me, I truly believe God has a plan for His creation and His will is going to be accomplished through those of us here. This plan is laid out in the Bible for all to see. Some hear the plan and choose to ignore it, some don't bother to look, and many have never heard. We will never fully understand the role each of us plays in this plan without first seeking it out:

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2 NASB)

I will never know all the reasons why I survived this horrible crash while others die every day. I do know that I am part of God's plan for this world and I must do my best to fulfill my role in it by continually "renewing my mind": meditating on His word daily, praying to Him for wisdom daily, and then seeking out counsel of those wiser than myself. And then going out and doing it.

I believe that one of the reasons God spared my life at this time was so that my wife and I could continue to raise our five children. My desire for them is to learn to love the Lord and serve Him using the gifts He has given them. My wife still needs me and we are blessed every day by the thought that God allowed me to continue to work alongside her in this task.

I also believe that another of the reasons I survived this accident is so that I can share this story and my faith with others. I'm not one to push religion on everyone I meet, but if at least one person changes their heart and turns to God because of my experience, it will all have been worth it to me. We are all here for only a temporary time, some longer than others. Are you going to be part of God's plan? Or are you just doing your own thing, looking out for number one?

I am also coming to the conclusion that there is another task God has left for me. I will share that in an upcoming post.

Fifteen years

2006-10-19T13:43:00.000-07:00

My beloved, amazing, beautiful wife and I celebrated 15 years of marriage last week. Since I was too self-absorbed and busy last week I was not able to get her a card or gift. Finally, last night, I gave her my gift: a simple gold ring with five diamonds in it, one for each of our children. Thanks to our parents (both my mother and Marne's parents) for watching the kids, we are going to be able to go away to Vegas this weekend kid-free to celebrate and relax. Of course, Marne will have to do most of the driving now because of my condition.

I just wanted to use this space to celebrate my wonderful wife, my beautiful family, and all the other blessings that God has given to me.

A total loss

2006-10-17T21:40:00.000-07:00

Just received confirmation from my insurance company that the Mustang is a total loss. This is no surprise, but it is starting to hit home that it is never coming back. We're not sure what we're going to do about getting another car. We have been blessed to have another car that I can drive while we decide what to do.

The insurance company has yet to get back to me with an offer, but I am not sure getting a new car makes sense. On one hand, it would sure be nice to replace the car with another classic Mustang, maybe even another 68. On the other hand, trying to raise a family of seven living on one person's income in Orange County, it really isn't the best use of money. Opinions?

And now for something completely different . . .

2006-10-16T15:06:00.000-07:00

I have been concerned about the involvement of evangelical Christians with politics for some time. It seems that we wholeheartedly support what the "good guys" do (read: Republican agenda) and condescendingly shake our heads at the agendas of the "bad guys". I gave up on the Republicans a long time ago and don't feel at home in any of the political parties.

A man named David Kuo has written a book describing his first-hand account working in the Bush Administration's "Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives" and it deserves a read by Christians of all stripes who are concerned about the intertwining of faith and politics. The book is called Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction

From the book:

I have no anger towards my former colleagues or towards anyone else. Part of what made this so difficult to write is the amount of respect I have for my former colleagues. I like and respect them.

It was also a real challenge to try and tell the entire story, my own intimate story about what happens when you struggle with God and politics—and politics wins. I think one of the things that drove me was feeling the urgent need to tell people, particularly Christians, I suppose, that politicians look at any constituency with very cold eyes. They form constituencies to form a governing coalition. That isn’t a bad thing; that’s just what they do. And I think Christians have come to this notion that this White House is somehow their fellow parishioners with them, and that is simply not the case.

... and those of you looking for more posts about my accident, stay tuned, they will continue over the next few weeks.

One week ago...

2006-10-16T07:49:00.000-07:00

It was about this time one week ago that it all happened. I just wanted to take this moment to praise the Lord for all He has done in the past week and thank everyone for their continued support and prayers. As for me: pray for healing as my body still hurts. I am feeling better every day, but I still can't lift anything heavy or stand for long periods of time. Also pray for wisdom in dealing with insurance companies and legal issues. Thanks.

Angels

2006-10-15T21:31:00.000-07:00

When I was first struck by the truck, my initial thought was that I could not breathe very well. I immediately began to determine how I could get out of my car. The window wouldn't budget and the door wouldn't open. A gentleman standing outside the car was looking at me and telling me not to move as he called 911. I yelled through the window that I could not breathe and I needed to get out. He told me to turn away from the window and he proceeded to pull on it until it broke. He was pulling out, away from the car, not in towards me. Once the window had been broken, the door opened (I can't remember if I did it or he opened it) and I was able to crawl out onto the center median.

I have not heard from this man again, I don't know who he was, and pictures of the car (see the one posted to the right, taken after I was already out of the car) show that the window was not broken. Several people have told me that he was an angel. I am not one to quickly believe that sort of thing, though I do believe that angels do walk among us. It is possible that the window did not actually break and that this man simply ended up pulling the whole door open. But it comes down to this: either he was an angel who the Lord sent to rescue me, or he was a man who felt compelled to help and then remain anonymous. If the former, what a miracle! If the latter, what an amazing man. It got me to thinking: we can all be angels, of sorts, in so many situations. Have you ever been in a situation where someone has needed help and you were too busy or scared to help? God is so amazing and powerful that you CAN be an angel to that person.

Just a thought.