jj called

and he wants to know who your favorite character is on L O S T …

1.  tell me who.
2.  tell me why.
3.  give an example.

route 66, part III

- there was rain around albuquerque and other storms that caught up with us later

- moose!  deer!  these kinds of large-animal x-ing signs were all over the highway; it got to be scary, driving in the middle of the night, with zero street lights, hoping not to run into one of these beasts

- the texan terrain reminded me of a certain film … oh, heath!

- the following bumper sticker was on a big ol’ pick-up truck driving ahead of us in oklahoma:
       SILLY BOYS,
       TRUCKS ARE FOR COWGIRLS

- another huge storm approached from the north east as we blazed across missouri; we found it appropriate to dig for the doors cd and played it to our hearts’ content …
       riders on the storm!
       into this world we’re thrown

- the arch in st. louis was beautiful!  the highway whipped us around the city and past the large structure 

- between st. louis and indianapolis, around 3am when i had to stop for gas, the clerk unloaded some heavy life stuff going on with him right now; broken relationships, depression, alcohol … i have put together a little packet of things to send him that point to christ and will be sending it today or tomorrow; if there is an update on that later, i will let you know

- i’m reminded now of my plane ride to los angeles; i sat next to a girl who burst into tears telling me all about her grandfather who just died, her ex-boyfriend she moved with to hawaii, the relationships she has on the islands, and how strangely but truly she misses cleveland; i felt badly at the time because i was doped up on a heavy dosage of dramamine and was fighting to stay awake, but we were able to talk through some of her current struggles; i wonder now how she is doing

- once indianapolis was behind us, the extraordinary turned into ordinary; but ordinary does not necessarily mean bad; i love you, buckeye state!

- there were lots of people i talked to on this trip over a week and a half, and saw many new and beautiful places; what a blessing that i was able to experience such a cool trip with jordan before he gets married

thanks for reading!  i hope you feel more connected to me as i reflected back on that time of travel.

route 66, part II

- during a long stretch of highway, there was a car several yards in front of us; jordan reflected, “i think this is the biggest space i have experienced between me and another car in years.”

- for many hours, the visibility could be measured in miles all around us; we kept intersecting with trains that appear to extend forever; they were so beautiful and we felt so american; something about the combination of undeveloped land in the west and driving as if we were on a mission, like the train conductors

- the worst of the heat was in arizona; if we stuck our hands out the windows, the hot wind scorched them; throughout this time we drank bottles and bottles of water but never had to go to the bathroom because we were sweating like dogs; sounds gross, but it was a fun experience on which to look back

- we stopped for gas in flagstaff, then drove east while the sun set behind us on the mojave desert and the entire landscape, plains and mountains, turned gold; it was gorgeous

- somewhere along the line in texas, we happened upon the bible belt; how did we know?  because we passed the following sign:
       LARGEST CROSS IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE
       BEST SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE OF YOUR LIFE*
       *parking available in rear
   suddenly we peaked on a hill and saw a large, steel monstrosity in the distance
   instead of embracing the best spiritual experience of our lives, jordan and i laughed and reverted back to the one who knows best: sir jon bon jovi …
       faith, you know you’re gonna live thru the rain
       lord you got to keep the faith
       faith, don’t let your love turn to hate
       right now we got to keep the faith
   we sang this very loudly out the windows as we passed by the structure of disgrace
   (anyone wanting to see video footage of this event, stop by the house and stay for a while!)

stay tuned for the final installment.

hp 7.5

year 7: chapter 5 “fallen warrior”, page 81

nobody spoke …

the rest of them now dropped into chairs, all except for harry, who remained standing.  the suddenness and completeness of death was with him like a presence.

this sorrowful post is dedicated to m-e.m.: well done, good and faithful servant.

route 66, part I

jordan and i made our way from los angeles to cleveland last week.  the major cities we hit after we got out of l.a. were flagstaff, albuquerque, amarillo, tulsa, st. louis, indianapolis, columbus, cleveland.  zoom in a little bit on this map, and you will see the yellow line draw the route we took.  i jot some notes down along the way, and we recorded some video footage, which was fun.

here are some highlights from the first half of our trip:

- leaving l.a. with jordan on the 10; an emotional experience for me
   rhcp was appropriate, so we played it with our arms thrown out the windows – “california, rest in peace!”

- jordan somewhere east of los angeles: “i’m going to miss you, mexicans!” yelled out the window …

- i wholeheartedly believe we passed chuck palahniuk on the 610, driving a black bmw with the license plate MAKN INK … what a loser

- “smog, we will not miss you!”  jordan and i thinking of ways l.a. would not be missed

- rocking out to alice in chain’s “man in a box” …
   feed my eyes
   now you sew them shut
   and more …
   down in a hole
   losing my soul

- driving along the historic route 66!

- lots of zepplin

- barstow!  no bats in sight.

- road sign on the border of california:
   WILMINGTON, N.C.  2500 miles

- jordan, somewhere in arizona: “i hate californians.  i hate ‘em all.”

- blazing along the mojave desert.  bon jovi seemed appropriate:
   i’d drive all night
   just to get back home
   i’m a cowboy
   on a steel horse i ride …

- jordan, sometime later: “did you know david beckham’s married to a spice girl?!” …

to be continued.

   

hp 7.4

year 7: chapter 4 “the seven potters”, page 60

and then harry saw him.  voldemort was flying like smoke on the wind, without broomstick or thestral to hold him, his snake-like face gleaming out of the blackness, his white fingers raising his wand again -

?!?!?!?!?!?!??!

hp 7.3

year 7: chapter 3 “the dursleys departing”, page 42

dudley gently released himself from his mother’s clutches and walked toward harry, who had to repress an urge to threaten him with magic.  then dudley held out his large, pink hand.

“blimey, dudley,” said harry over aunt petunia’s renewed sobs, “did the dementors blow a different personality into you?”

“dunno,” muttered dudley.  “see you, harry.”

little duddykins!  what a lovey buns.  my ability to completely change opinions of a person in a few words’ time is slightly scary.

ransomed from the house of slavery

reflecting on micah 6 today.  a friend pointed out how amazing it is that israel stood as the accused defendant before god, who called the mountains as witnesses.  to make that personal, how better to be embarrassed now and repent from my sin, than to harbor it and have god contend with me later?

several weeks ago, i sat down and made a column of recent sin/sin patterns in my life on the left, and on the right, thought of how christ provides better than the sins to which i run for solace.  for instance, my constant desire for control (at any cost), compared to god’s sovereignty over all things at all times, for the good of his people and the glory of his son.  when i specifically acknowledged my sin to myself and to god, confession and repentence felt like blessings, because i immediately saw how christ covers those sins.  my desire is to turn from them, and now that i can remind myself what they are, instead of pretending they are not there, my relationship with god seems more open, even though i know he always sees all of me.

in light of that reflection, micah 6:4 was a welcomed thought – that because of christ, god has ransomed me from the house of slavery.

hp 7.2

year 7: chapter 2 “in memoriam”, page 28

harry reached the bottom of the article, but continued to stare blankly at the page.  revulsion and fury rose in him like vomit; he balled up the newspaper and threw it, with all his force, at the wall, where it joined the rest of the rubbish heaped around his overflowing bin.

he began to stride blindly around the room, opening empty drawers and picking up books only to replace them on the same piles, barely conscious of what he was doing, as random phrases from rita’s article echoed in his head …

“lies!” harry bellowed, and through the window he saw the next-door neighbor, who had paused to restart his lawn mower, look up nervously.

i love harry’s angst.

hp 7.1

one of my fave book series has come to an end.  as i slowly make my way through harry potter and the deathly hallows, i find it appropriate to post my favorite passage from each chapter.  at times i will comment; mostly i will allow the text to sit with you on its own.  whether you read HP or not, please enjoy each passage, or let me know what your favorite part of each chapter was, if it differs from my own.  due to the nature of these hp posts, i cannot promise the absence of spoilers.  please read with discretion.

year 7: chapter 1 “the dark lord ascending”, page 9

“my lord,” said a dark woman halfway down the table, her voice constricted with emotion, “it is an honor to have you here, in our family’s house.  there can be no higher pleasure.”

she sat beside her sister, as unlike her in looks, with her dark hair and heavily lidded eyes, as she was in bearing and demeanor; where narcissa sat rigid and impassive, bellatrix leaned toward voldemort, for mere words could not demonstrate her longing for closeness.

“no higher pleasure,” repeated voldemort, his head tilted a little to one side as he considered bellatrix.  “that means a great deal, bellatrix, from you.”