Hillcrest at Halloween

Hillcrest is a fairly well-known street by which we live.  I make my way down a portion of this street every day on my way to work, church, and class.  It's a pleasant street with some precious houses, lovely trees lining the sidewalk, and some cute little gardens.  There's even a Gator flag (yes, folks, it is good to be back in the land of the SEC) hanging off one of the porches.  It seems like a quiet and modest place to live...

Until the beginning of October.  Because these people go all out for Halloween.  I mean it- all out.  We heard about Hillcrest at Halloween from a friend who has lived in Louisville for the past few years.  Apparently, there is a marked increase in traffic accidents because so many of the drivers are 'rubbernecking' as they pass through the street.  I have witnessed this first-hand; just the other night on my way home, I was driving two miles an hour.  Two.  I wanted to get out of my car, walk up to the vehicle in front of me, and tell the person driving said vehicle, "If you would like to see the houses and the decorations, why don't you consider parking on the side street so I can get home before midnight?"  I didn't do that, but I wanted to rather badly...

At first, just a few houses had any decorations at all, but as the month went on, it became insane.  See evidence below (it is a long slideshow, but in my opinion, the best pictures are towards the end):

The Journey of a Refugee

For those of you who don't know, I am once again gainfully employed.  A few weeks ago, I began working with one of the resettlement agencies in Louisville.  When we left Missouri, I didn't know if I would be able to continue working with the refugee population simply because resettlement agencies aren't found in every city and even if they are, attaining a job with them can be difficult since they tend to be smaller and receive less funding than other social service agencies (not that most social service agencies receive adequate funding to begin with).  So I was fairly amazed when this job popped up; I had been getting very frustrated because I was having difficulty finding a job, but God is good (as always) and provided me with this opportunity to continue working with the population which I so love.  Currently, I am coordinating services to older refugees and also working in development a few additional hours each week.

If you've been reading my blog for any amount of time, you've probably figured out that my blog mainly consists of a few things: books, life happenings, refugees and international issues, and the occasional funny video or random tidbit.  It's important for me to point out that what I write on my blog does not reflect the opinions of my place of employment, but don't be surprised if I tell stories (maintaining confidentiality) or advertise pertinent fundraisers and events.

I thought I would pass along this video I saw recently; it gives you a glimpse of the journey of a refugee.  The IRC (International Rescue Committee) is one of the national voluntary resettlement agencies (volags) which provides resettlement services to refugees throughout the nation; the agency for which I work is affiliated with a different volag, however.  All refugees resettling in the United States receive services from an agency affiliated with one of the national volags. 

Enjoy the video and consider the journey of a refugee and how you might help them successfully complete their journey...

The BBC Big Read

A few months ago, I posted about a list making its way around the internet through various social networking sites and blogs.  This list contained one hundred books; apparently the BBC determined the average adult has only read six of the one hundred books listed.  What I couldn't figure out is exactly how the list came about- the books were so varied from one another that is was difficult to determine the criteria for admittance to this list.

I did some more research and found out more about the BBC Big Read, which differs from the National Endowment for the Arts Big Read here in the States.  In 2003, the BBC (oh, how I love thee) began its search for the nation's (meaning Great Britain) best-loved novel and asked for patrons to nominate their favourites (because they did indeed ask for 'favourites' and not 'favorites', being British and all).  By the end, over three quarters of a millon votes were received, and The Lord of the Rings officially became the best-loved novel of the British people.  You can see the list of the top two hundred novels here.

This list differs somewhat from the list I posted about before.  I never could find out where that list originated, so if you happen to determine the source, please let me know.  At any rate, I thought I would post the correct top one hundred novels from the BBC's Big Read for you today.  I used the same system as with the previous list, bolding the books I've completed and starring those I am currently reading or have partially read.  Which do you think is the better of the two lists?

1 The Lord of the Rings* by JRR Tolkien
2 Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
3 His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
4 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
5 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
6 To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
7 Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne
8 Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
9 The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis
10 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
11 Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
12 Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
13 Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks
14 Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
15 The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
16 The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
17 Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
18 Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
19 Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres
20 War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
21 Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
22 Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling
23 Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets by JK Rowling
24 Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban by JK Rowling
25 The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
26 Tess Of The D'Urbervilles* by Thomas Hardy
27 Middlemarch by George Eliot
28 A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving
29 The Grapes Of Wrath by John Steinbeck
30 Alice's Adventures In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
31 The Story Of Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson
32 One Hundred Years Of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
33 The Pillars Of The Earth by Ken Follett
34 David Copperfield* by Charles Dickens
35 Charlie And The Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
36 Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
37 A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute
38 Persuasion by Jane Austen
39 Dune by Frank Herbert
40 Emma by Jane Austen
41 Anne Of Green Gables by LM Montgomery
42 Watership Down by Richard Adams
43 The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald
44 The Count Of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
45 Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
46 Animal Farm by George Orwell
47 A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
48 Far From The Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
49 Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian
50 The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher
51 The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
52 Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck
53 The Stand by Stephen King
54 Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
55 A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
56 The BFG by Roald Dahl
57 Swallows And Amazonsby Arthur Ransome
58 Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
59 Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
60 Crime And Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61 Noughts And Crosses by Malorie Blackman
62 Memoirs Of A Geisha by Arthur Golden
63 A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
64 The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCollough
65 Mort by Terry Pratchett
66 The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton
67 The Magus by John Fowles
68 Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69 Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett
70 Lord Of The Flies by William Golding
71 Perfume by Patrick Süskind
72 The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell
73 Night Watch by Terry Pratchett
74 Matilda by Roald Dahl
75 Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding
76 The Secret History by Donna Tartt
77 The Woman In White by Wilkie Collins
78 Ulysses by James Joyce
79 Bleak House by Charles Dickens
80 Double Act by Jacqueline Wilson
81 The Twits by Roald Dahl
82 I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith
83 Holes by Louis Sachar
84 Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake
85 The God Of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
86 Vicky Angel by Jacqueline Wilson
87 Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
88 Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
89 Magician by Raymond E Feist
90 On The Road by Jack Kerouac
91 The Godfather by Mario Puzo
92 The Clan Of The Cave Bear by Jean M Auel
93 The Colour Of Magic by Terry Pratchett
94 The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
95 Katherine by Anya Seton
96 Kane And Abel by Jeffrey Archer
97 Love In The Time Of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
98 Girls In Love by Jacqueline Wilson
99 The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
100 Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

Honestly, there were a lot more of novels on this list that I haven't heard of before, and I don't know how the voting process worked from beginning to end.  There seem to be quite a few children's books on the list as well, so if the BBC determined any qualifications or particulars for a book to make it to the list, I'm not sure.  I wonder if we did a project like this in the States, what would be our nation's favorite novels?

My New Obsession

There are two types of people in the world: cracker people and chip people.  Personally, I'm a cracker person all the way.  It's not that I won't eat chips occasionally- because I will, especially if those chips happen to be SunChips or Baked Cheetos- but I much prefer crackers over chips on a consistent basis.  Saltine crackers, Triscuits, Townhouse crackers, Ritz crackers... you name it, and I'll most likely thoroughly enjoy the delightfulness of that particular cracker.  I'm a connoisseur of crackers, if you will, and I'm willing to try just about every variety of cracker available on the market.  Enter my new obsession:

These.are.so.good.  We had them at our Elder Refugee program last week; I tried one to make sure I wasn't going to feed my precious refugee elders crappy crackers.  Holy Moses, they are good.  And they are really good with a chunk of cheddar cheese on top.  I promptly went out and bought a box for my personal consumption.  Mmmmm....  

So what about you?  Are you a cracker person or do you side with the chip people?

Life With Jeeves

Life With Jeeves is actually a volume of three separate books from P.G. Wodehouse's collection of stories concerning his famous characters, Bertram (Bertie) Wooster and Jeeves.  Isaac and I always enjoyed checking out both the audio books (for traveling) and the DVDs (starring my two favorite British comedians Hugh Laurie as the blundering Wooster and Stephen Fry as the impeccable Jeeves) from our most excellent public library in Columbia.  But alas!  The Louisville Free Public Library has no such things, so I will simply have to content myself with reading the tales directly.

You'll remember a few weeks ago, I mentioned my belief that I should have been born in Britain, in part due to my love of British humor. When I read the Jeeves books, I realize how wonderful it would be to say, "Yes, yes you know that Wodehouse bloke? Well, he and I both hail from Surrey. Wonderful, yes? Cheerio!" I like Wodehouse's work because it is so light, enjoyable, and just down-right funny. I literally laugh out loud when reading just about any story centering around Bertie and Jeeves, and I often find particular scenes so amusing that I must read them aloud to whomever is sitting in the same room as me (consider this fair warning if you are ever in the same room as me while I'm enjoying a Wodehouse book).  The great thing about these stories is that if I'm not having too happy of a day, I opt for these light-hearted stories and find myself chirping up quite a bit.  They provide a great pick-me-up for the bad days and enhance the good days.  So if you're in the mood for some quality reading, but don't necessarily feel as if you could handle anything too heavy at the moment, run to your local library and pick up any Jeeves book- you don't have to read them in order- and then sit back, relax, and allow yourself to be entertained by the characters created by the masterful P.G. Wodehouse.  I guarantee you'll be returning to the library for more of Bertie and Jeeves! 

Kabul 24

Kabul 24 recounts the story of twenty-four individuals who worked for the non-profit Shelter Now International (SNI) in Afghanistan. In the weeks before September 11, 2001, these coworkers (eight foreigners and sixteen Afghans) were arrested by members of the Taliban and taken to prison for questioning. While some of the other employees of SNI were able to leave Kabul in order to find safe haven in the SNI offices in neighboring Pakistan, these arrested individuals were interrogated, transported to multiple prisons, faced squalid living conditions, and dealt with a great amount of physical and emotional trauma. Eventually, the eight foreigners were rescued by US Special Forces after the invasion of Afghanistan by the United States military in response to the events of 9/11.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I don't take issue with the individuals from Shelter Now International or their work among Afghanistan's widows, orphans and street children, but I don't think this book necessarily presented the best representation of the events, the Afghan people, and the individuals involved. The authors, Henry O. Arnold and Ben Pearson, seem to focus more on the sensationalism of the events than on focusing on the courage and faith of the SNI eight. There are many books that relate similar stories of believers being arrested, kidnapped, tortured, and even murdered for their faith in Jesus, but in those books, the authors seem to focus more on the Lord's provision of strength and faith and courage, rather than on the horrible actions being committed against the believers. This book, however, focuses on the Taliban and their actions. I am not defending the Taliban in any way, shape or form or any of their actions committed againist the employees of SNI, but I am also aware that the Western world is already completely prejudiced against anything Muslim. In addition to our prejudice, most of the West simply does not know or understand enough about the history of Afghanistan, its culture, or its people to combat our prejudice against Afghans and their religion. I wrote about this before, but I honestly believe if we were brutally honest with ourselves, we would agree that when we hear "Afghan" or "Afghanistan", we will automatically (perhaps unconsciously) connect this entire nation and population with "terrorist".  Just as every religion has its own sects that twists the core beliefs into extremisim, so does Islam. Not every Muslim is a terrorist, just like not every Christian lives in a cabin secluded in the woods and stocking up guns. The problem is that the authors of this book failed to emphasize this understanding enough- that yes, these individuals experienced something horrendous that no one should ever have to experience, but that the SNI eight and the authors realize that the Taliban and al-Qaeda is in fact a very small percentage of individuals practicing the Muslim faith, and that regardless of who these people are and what they have committed, they are just like everyone else in the world- sinners in need of Jesus the Christ.

The title of Kabul 24 is actually a bit of a misnomer; the '24' refers to the twenty-four individuals employed by SNI who were arrested by the Taliban. Eight of those individuals were foreigners from the United States, Germany, and Australia, but sixteen of them were native Afghans who worked with SNI in the various projects in Kabul and around the country. All of the sixteen Afghans remained faithful to the Muslim faith while working with SNI and yet were accused of converting to the 'infidel' religion; they were kept separate from the SNI eight and most likely faced much more difficult and harsh treatment than the rest of the SNI eight. Truly, the book does not mention these individuals and their experiences enough for the title to be Kabul 24. Of course, I understand that many of these Afghans chose to remain employed with SNI after their release, and the lack of attention paid to them during the book may be simply an attempt to protect them from further duress.

One of the most encouraging things about this story is that several of the SNI eight chose to come back to Afghanistan to continue working with SNI.  They responded to the call of God on their lives, regardless of the circumstances and situations and regardless of the risks.  This book is good to read if the reader is able to recognize their prejudice against Muslims and individuals residing in a world so different than our own. Otherwise, I'm afraid more people will come away thinking, "Thank God the US Special Forces rescued those people from those evil Muslims" instead of "Those people were doing some great work in a country that desperately needs the light of Christ- I pray that God was and will continue to be glorified through these events and what is going on in Afghanistan..and I will commit to praying for the nation of Afghanistan and the work that is going on there."

The Glory Days

In college, several of my male friends formed a new Independent (as in non-Greek) group our freshman year and dubbed themselves 'The Onions'.  My roommate Kayla and I cheered them on at their first intramural game (volleyball) and were loyal supporters of virtually all the Onion efforts over the course of the next few years.  We were close to a number of these...ahem, how shall we say...interesting guys.  None of the Onions fit the same profile; they were all uniquely different, and eventually the small group expanded to become one of the largest non-Greek groups who competed in the various competitions on campus throughout the year.  We got official Onions shirts, and the term 'Onion' become commonly heard on campus.  The guys even won the Intramural trophy our senior year, and there is still an active Facebook group of Onions today (we can't let the glory days go, you know).

Our sophomore year, The Onions decided to compete in the annual Variety Show sponsored by the Student Activities Council (SAC), of which I am proud to say I was a faithful member during my tenure at Union.  Basically SAC was the 'non-fraternity fraternity'; we were totally the cool kids on campus, and there is a Facebook group to attest to that fact (yes, Facebook groups apparently provide some form of validity).  The Variety Show was pretty much the most anticipated event of the Fall semester (although they have since moved it to the Spring semester- lame!); it served as the culmination of Family Weekend and set the tone for the remainder of the year in terms of which sorority would be able to brag because they won the large group competition. Variety Show was a big deal, and it was a blast to plan.

The Onions entered themselves into the small group competition.  This history-changing performance happened seven years ago this month, so you can imagine how these guys' lives have changed.  Many of them have completed seminary (or are currently attending) and are pastors, some are working on their doctorate, most of them have established their professional careers, and a good deal of them are married...But oh my dear friends, what you are about to witness will change your life forever.

Behold, some of my dearest friends in college, in their shinning moment of infamy (original footage courtesy of the one and only Trae):


Onions Variety Show 2002 from Jenny Johnson on Vimeo.

Needless to say, The Onions won the small group competition of Variety Show and cemented themselves as a formiddable force on campus.  And oh yes, you can thank Amy and I for making sure their 'C' wasn't backwards during the YMCA; we had to keep correcting them during dress reherasal... 

My Antonia

My Antonia is the first Willa Cather novel I have read.  After finishing this delightful story, I can report that I am looking forward to reading more of this Pulitzer Prize-winning author.  Cather tells the story of a small Nebraska town and its inhabitants with ease.  The reader is transported back to seemingly simpler days on the prairie; My Antonia is narrated by Jim Burden, who we meet first as a young boy and then watch him grow into adulthood, and his friendship with an immigrant girl from Bohemia.  Jim becomes Antonia's first friend in the new country, and we follow the adventures of Jim and his Tony, as well as their other family and friends.  Though their lives are so very different from each other, there still remains a connection between the two, even after the complexities of life separates them from each other for extended periods. 

Cather's style of writing is simplistically beautiful; I found her neither long-winded nor non-descript, and I loved how she weaved dialogue easily with descriptive passages, creating a wonderfully flowing story.  I believe this novel from the list of 100 is definitely one of my favorite reads thus far; I think it is one which can easily garner interesting discussions and debates, and there is also value in terms of the historical nature.  I also believe that this is a book which many people would like to read more than once; there are not many stories which I would read more than once (um, except I read Jane Austen books once a year), but this is one which I know I would enjoy again- and would most likely learn a great deal more than I did the first time through it.

Why the Title?

A few people have asked me how I developed the title of my blog.  Well, I'm not that creative; I pinched it from one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite bands, Jars of Clay.  And since I am sorely lacking in creativity today, I will simply post the lyrics for your reading enjoyment.  The song is from their excellent album Who We Are Instead.  And in case you're wondering, this isn't quite my all-time favorite Jars song (Worlds Apart from their self-titled debut album wins hands-down), but I feel these lyrics best respresent my point of view.

Faith Enough

The ice is thin enough for walking,
the rope is worn enough to climb,
my throat is dry enough for talking.
The world is crumbling, but I know why-
the world is crumbling, but I know why.

The storm is wild enough for sailing,
the bridge is weak enough to cross.
This body frail enough for fighting;
I'm home enough to know I'm lost-
home enough to know I'm lost.

It's just enough to be strong
in the broken places, in the broken places.
It's just enough to be strong
should the world rely on faith tonight.

The land unfit enough for planting-
barren enough to conceive.
Poor enough to gain the treasure-
enough a cynic to believe.
Enough a cynic to believe.

It's just enough to be strong
in the broken places, in the broken places.
It's just enough to be strong
should the world rely on faith tonight.

Confused enough to know direction,
the sun eclipsed enough to shine.
Be still enough to finally tremble
and see enough to know I'm blind-
see enough to know I'm blind.

It's just enough to be strong
in the broken places, in the broken places.
It's just enough to be strong
should the world rely on faith tonight.
Should the world rely on faith tonight...

Perception of Beauty

You've probably seen commercials for Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty, which is dedicated promoting the development of positive self-esteem among girls and young women.  The Campaign tries to break down the beauty stereotypes we know today through workshops and mentoring programs.  While poking around on their website, I discovered the Campaign was actually brought about by a global study entitled "The Truth About Real Beauty".  The study found that the world's definition of beauty was "limiting and unattainable", affecting the self-image of millions of women worldwide.  The study also found that only two percent of the world's women described themselves as beautiful, and eighty-one percent of women in the US agreed that the media sets a standard of beauty that is simply unrealistic.

This data simply breaks my heart; I know it was difficult for me to view myself as beautiful when I was growing up. Okay, I'll admit- it still is difficult to see myself as beautiful, and I think the issue is only getting harder for younger girls.  I feel like a good chunk of this problem is simply the fact that we compare ourselves with each other on daily basis (and not just in the looks department).  We constantly base our self-worth on the results of our comparisons with other individuals.  Why are other individuals always our standards?  Those of us who are believers know that this world cannot offer us anything- including the appropriate measures by which we are to check ourselves.  Only the Almighty Father has good and perfect standards- definitely not the media.

In college, a friend once told me I was pretty.  I chortled and replied, "No, I'm really not.  I-" She cut me off and looked straight at me, "You are a creation of the Lord.  Don't say His creation is not beautiful.  Because it is, no matter what you or anyone else thinks."  Wow.  I had never, in all my life, thought of the situation in that light.  We are a creation of the most Beautiful One and He looks into our hearts.  

That's the other problem.  Beauty is today defined by physical attributes; character is usually never mentioned.  And if beauty is only physical, then a very small percentage of individuals will be considered beautiful- and even then only for a short time before they reach an "undesirable" age.  If only every girl would trust that "Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised" (Proverbs 31:30) more than the latest fashion magazine, how much more fulfilling their pursuit of beauty would be!   

Ladies, I encourage you to do what is written in Titus 2 and "...teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled."  Though I am not a mother to a daughter yet, I pray that I would be able to teach my little girl about the standards the Lord has set for us and to throw aside those worldly standards of everything- including physical beauty- in wholehearted pursuit of Him.  And though I don't have a little girl of my own, there are still little girls and young women in my life to whom I can teach this concept.  I pray we would all take on the responsibility to teach this generation of girls and young women how to become truly beautiful in the eyes of the Lord.

This video is from the Campaign for Real Beauty; I think it's important for women and girls who are struggling with that issue of constant comparison (and even those who aren't) to watch it.  It's only a minute long, but I guarantee it will make you think hard about this issue.    

Who Woulda Thunk It?

Who woulda thunk it- that today I would receive my very first blog award?  Now, I'm not entirely sure as to the purpose of these blog awards making their way around the blogging world, but I found receiving one rather encouraging.  It just kind of puts a spring in your step when you realize that someone else thought of you when choosing the person on whom they would bestow their award.  My long-lost friend Tracie passed this award onto me, and I liked how she determined the purpose of the "cute little button" was to explain to the world that "someone likes this blog, besides the person who writes it".

The rules of the "One Lovely Blog Award" are: accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award to fifteen other blogs that you’ve newly discovered [not so sure about the 'newly discovered' part, but I will pass it along to blogs I thoroughly enjoy]. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

And now, I will try to put a spring into the step of some other individuals- er, ladies (the award is a little girly looking, and I'm not too sure how my male blogging friends would feel displaying pink roses and teacups on their oh-so-manly blogs)- today by passing on this fun little award to them.  But I have a slight problem since I don't have too many friends who blog, and I'm not about to give out this award to those blogs who have a gazillon readers already and have probably been awarded this exact blog award numerous times before.  So, I'm just going to keep it simple and choose five bloggers who I feel are most deserving of this little bit of recognition. The winners are (in random order):

Erin at Losin' It

Jessica at Mountains of Books

Abby at Living the Christian Life

Glenna at please don't call me for advice
Laura Lee at Life as a Rough Draft

Ladies, thank you for your wonderful blogs which challenge me, encourage me, and make me laugh out loud.  I hope you have a wonderful day (evening to Laura Lee, that is) and pass on the blog award to other deserving bloggers.  Thanks again Tracie!

I Should Be British...

No really, I should.  Let's look at this logically; it's more than wanting a genuine British accent, living in a county with a name like Bedfordshire, Sussex, Surrey, or Wiltshire, and having an actual Royal family (instead of the Hollywood royalty) to obsess over.  No, friends, it more than that.  I love British spellings.  I would call my mother 'Mum' if my brother wouldn't poke fun at me for it.  I want Emma Thompson to be my sister...or aunt...or something.  I think tea beats coffee any day.  I am slightly obsessed with Colin Firth. The BBC is quite possibly my all-time favorite television network.  I love watching debates in the House of Commons (no joke).  But probably most importantly, I absolutely love British humor; some of the most comedic geniuses originated in the great land of the United Kingdom...

...namely, Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry.  These two had their own show, "A Bit of Fry and Laurie" (a British version of SNL, if you will) a few years back and also starred in the hilarious series "Jeeves and Wooster" based on the popular books by P.G. Wodehouse (and yes, both of these DVD collections are on my Amazon Wish List, so feel free to send gifts at your leisure).  I watch could watch these clips from "A Bit of Fry and Laurie" for hours and hours and hours.  In my effort to recruit some additional fans for Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry, please enjoy the following sketches.  N.B. The first clip is enjoyable for everyone; grammarians and linguists will thoroughly enjoy the second clip, and the third clip is also enjoyed by everyone, although there are a few foul words included in the script:







Speaking of living in Britain, my friend Laura Lee just moved to Oxford with her husband and brand new baby boy.  She started a blog, so be sure to check it out!

Take Your Best Shot

In graduate school, I tailored all of my projects, papers, and presentations to the issue of AIDS in Africa, and though I've never been able to visit sub-Saharan Africa like many of my friends (all of whom would thoroughly enjoy this book), I am still rather passionate about HIV/AIDS issues, specifically how the disease affects the African peoples, and so it should come as no surprise to those of you who know me that I chose Take Your Best Shot: Do Something Bigger Than Yourself as my first book to review for Thomas Nelson.

I wasn't sure how good I was expecting the book to be, but I was absolutely blown away (I literally couldn't put the book down and finished it in just a few days). The narrator is Austin Gutwein, a young teenager who founded a non-profit called Hoops for Hope, which helps to raise awareness and funding for AIDS intervention programs in Africa. The book is aimed at the teenagers and older children, challenging them to allow God to use them to make a difference in the world. Gutwein relates how when he was nine years old, he watched a video presented by World Vision which showed the desperate situation in sub-Saharan Africa. That video changed his life, and through a series of events and much prayer, he found himself shooting free throws at his school gym on World AIDS Day (December 1st) in order to raise money for AIDS orphans. He and his family thought it would simply be a one-time event, but the Lord obviously had other plans, and soon thousands of people in several countries were shooting hoops for hope for the AIDS orphans in Africa. To date, Hoops for Hope has helped fund the building of a school and a clinic/lab in Zambia, a water system in Kenya, and another clinic will open in 2010.  You can see their goals for this year, as well the goals from past years here.

Gutwein is brutally honest not only about the issues going on in Africa, but about the need- the command from God- for us to serve others, as well as the challenges and difficulties we will encounter for doing just that. One of the most memorable statements from the book is: "I wish we lived in a world where people didn't spend so much time challenging others' motives and just went out and did something." And yet, he provides much encouragement for us to get out and "do something", even if we're the only one doing something. There were several points at the book which I found tears streaming down my face; I could just imagine how so many lives were going to be changed for the better because one little boy (literally- he was nine when the whole process began) was faithful to the work the Lord was laying on his heart. And of all those lives that he helped change, imagine how many lives those individuals will then in turn help change? It is a beautiful thing, my friends.

One of the things I admire most about how the book is presented is that it's not simply a plea to get you to join Hoops for Hope. No doubt, Gutwein and World Vision would be delighted if readers did, but Gutwein continually reminds us that we need to be faithful to what the Lord would have us do- even if it's not partnering with Hoops of Hope. At the end of each chapter, there is a short devotional that also includes ideas about how to get involved in our communities or other non-profits. Truly, Gutwein explains that the worst thing for the you do is finish the book, walk away, and never think about doing something bigger than yourself again.

I heartily recommend this book; if you're a parent and you have a teenager, this would make a great gift to them. In fact, this would make a great gift to adults as well because even though the book is decidedly directed towards the younger generation and we're decidedly older and probably a bit more jaded, we can still make a difference in this world.

Brideshead Revisited and The Sound and the Fury

This story is actually one of the few where I watched the movie before reading the book (forgive me, Mom).  But I needed something to do on our 14-hour flight from Dubai to New York in January, and sleep was evading me like never before...something about the plane constantly being in daylight made a difference, I believe.  Evelyn Waugh referred to this novel as his magnum opus at one point, but apparently re-read the book years after he had finished the novel and was none-too-pleased with Brideshead Revisited.  I'm not really sure why he was disappointed, because I thoroughly enjoyed the story; Waugh's Catholic upbringing is evident throughout the book; the story is told through the eyes of the narrator Charles Ryder, who befriends Sebastian Flyte while studying at the University.  Their families could not have been more different, and we see Ryder coming to grips with the important role the Flyte family will play in his life.  While Ryder is not religious, the Flyte family is strictly Catholic, and each member of the family relates to Catholicism in their own unique way.  While the father leaves his wife for a new life in Italy, the matriarch of the family remains firmly rooted in her faith.  Of the four children, the eldest son Bridley and youngest daughter Cordelia remain the most 'faithful' to Catholicism throughout their lives, and yet their faiths seem so different from each other.  The two middle children, Sebastian and  Julia, seem to throw off the binds of Catholicism in their youth with Sebastian turning to alcohol in place of religion and Julia turning to marriage- but in the end, they both return to their family's faith in their own way.  Through it all, Ryder grapples with religion itself and how the Flyte family reacts to religion as a whole and individually.

It is a coming-of-age story filled with friendship, betrayal, love, and confusion.  Waugh addressed some of life's most pertinent questions and complexities, and the characters stay true to themselves.  Waugh's writing style is also easy reading; many people who are not avid readers of classic literature would definitely enjoy this novel.

Oh, Faulkner, why?  I know everyone thinks you're a genius, but most of the time, I just think you're on crack. 

My first encounter with William Faulkner was as a young, doe-eyed 16-year-old; I was taking AP English with Mrs. Massicotte at good 'ole Booker T.  We were assigned As I Lay Dying, and about three sentences into the novel, my thought was, "Huh?"  I mean, I got it- I got the symbolism (no way you could get out of that woman's class without hashing out every single piece of potential symbolism in each and every book), and I got the point of the book, but in my opinion the book was more annoying that anything else.  So it is with The Sound and the Fury...at least until the last two chapters (which is basically the second half of the book since Faulkner decided to pull a 'One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich' and give you very little stopping points throughout the book).  Of course, the only reason why I checked out this book from the library is because of its spot on the list of 100; I outwardly moaned when I saw not only one, but two Faulkner books on the list.  Still, I tried to keep an open mind as I cracked the cover of Faulkner's most well-known work.

Oh goodness.  Faulkner's writing style is by far one of the most unique (okay, and genius too) styles, but it always throws you for a loop.  He writes the four different chapters in a stream of consciousness method (although truly, not to the level of As I Lay Dying), but the reader has to use the contextual clues to figure out exactly whose version you are reading at that moment.  The subject material itself was a little difficult to read as well; Faulkner deals with incest and some of the ramifications of it, and though the material is not explicit, it's still rather disturbing to think about it.

Despite my general dislike of Faulker, I determined a new favorite line of his.  Yes, this one even beats out the one-sentenced chapter of "My mother is a fish" from As I Lay Dying.  The new winner is (drum roll, please): "Ever since then I have believed that God is not only a gentleman and a sport; he is a Kentuckian too."  It's a fairly famous statement, but reading this statement in context was even better.  Plus, we live in Kentucky now, so I can more fully identify with this belief.  Another line, more towards the end of the book, had me laughing out loud; I feel it should be applied to certain states' department of transportation: "Yet we spend money and spend money on roads and dam if it isn't like trying to drive over a sheet of corrugated iron roofing.  I'd like to know how a man could be expected to keep up even with a wheelbarrow."  Normally I would insert a snide remark here about MoDOT, but I'm trying to be a nicer individual, so I'll refrain.

In the end, Brideshead Revisited is a book I would, indeed, revisit (sorry, I couldn't resist), but I'm not sure about The Sound and the Fury; it's just one of those books that is better enjoyed in the classroom or reading club setting.

And now, blogger friends, I need some input.  Which book do think I should read next?  Visit the list of 100 here and let me know your opinion.

Book Reviewing for Thomas Nelson (via Blogging)

A few days ago, I happened to be piddling around my new friend Jessica's blog (er...one of her blogs, that is) when I noticed this nifty little blogging badge:

Um, hello.  FREE books for writing reviews?  How did I not hear about this until now?  I immediately clicked on the badge and promptly applied to become a 'book review blogger' for Thomas Nelson.  It's a fairly simple system; from a list of selected books, you choose one (you can only request one book at a time).  Thomas Nelson then sends you a copy of the book, you read it, write a review of it, and post it to your blog and one consumer retail site such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Borders.  Then you get to request another book and repeat the process.  You get free books and Thomas Nelson gets exposure for some of their products.

My first book just arrived today, and I will be cracking it open very soon...so be looking forward to more reviews!  And if any of you know about similar programs like this, be sure to let me know...

October's Focus: Columbia Refugee Garden

Our Focus of the Month for October is very near and dear to our hearts.  Many of you know I worked for a refugee resettlement agency in Missouri for almost three years; I loved my job. Loved it.  Yes, there were moments of stress where I wanted to hit just about every one of my coworkers and moments of frustration when our clients just didn't get it and moments of sheer annoyance when I had to deal with reporting to the federal government because of our grant money from ORR.  But all in all, working as the Development Coordinator for RIS was my absolute dream job.  I love the population, and my coworkers were some of the most dedicated and hard-working people I have ever met; I felt we had (and they still have) a darn good resettlement program.  The staff is always expanding programs and developing new ones in order to help the refugee clients become self-sufficient, adjust to life in America, and to truly become a part of the community.  I continue to remain impressed with the staff and their program, and if you're looking for a place to volunteer or do an internship in Columbia, there is no greater place than Refugee Services.  None.

Phil was a former intern with RIS (can I just say whoot whoot for former interns becoming full-time employees at RIS) and was hired last December to work on two specific grants- but of course, his job entails much more than that.  His title really should be Job Developer since he is responsible for the vast majority of refugee employment placements.  But I digress.  Several months ago, Phil told the staff about his desire to develop a community garden designed specifically for refugee clients.  Many of our refugees were farmers in their country of origin; if they had a small plot of land where they could use their farming/gardening skills, they could raise food for their family, cutting down on the cost of groceries, and also sell their surplus at local farmer's markets, helping to supplement the family income.  And so Phil set out to work on this huge project, all the while still doing his other responsibilities and duties.

A local church donated a plot of land located close to the apartment complex in which a large portion of the refugees live.  Phil and his intern from Mizzou are working on developing models, both short-term and long-term plans and goals, and fundraising.  Phil informed me the money Isaac and I are donating will help pay for some of the compost that needs to be purchased.  They'll also need money for seeds, fence posts, and other supplies and start-up costs.  They'll need volunteers to help in so many ways.  This is truly a project that has ample need and opportunities for involvement.  I won't be there to witness this program in person, but I know a lot of my friends in Columbia could help out a great deal with this!  I am asking my friends in Columbia to consider donating their resources and time to this program that could so dynamically change the lives of your fellow Columbian residents.

In fact, I am going to issue a specific challenge to those of you reading this.  I've never directly asked my readers to donate to our Focus of the Month, but I challenge you to donate $5.00 to this project.  Five dollars...that's skipping your morning stop at Starbucks one time this month...that's choosing to go a matinee movie instead of the evening show...that's purchasing one less magazine the next time you're waiting in line at the grocery store.  Five dollars- will you really miss it that much?  It's not a lot, but it doesn't take a lot to change someone's life...

Also know the Columbia Refugee Garden will accept in-kind donations as well.  Check out this page from their blog to see other ways in which you can help and get involved.  You can send your donations to:

Refugee Services
Attn: Phil Stroessner
201 W. Broadway
Bldg 5B
Columbia, MO 65203

Feel free to contact Phil at pstroessner@diojeffcity.org or at (573) 442-7568 if you have any questions or want to help in any way.