Humanitarian Aid website to check out

http://www.unembraced.org

Our church (Kairos) is spearheading a project to bring much-needed aid to the Turkana people of Kenya...namely to help the huge population of orphans. Two men from the local church in Kenya--Moses and Joshua--are currently visiting LA. Joshua spoke at our church service this last Sunday, and both men came to our canvas group last night and answered a string of questions from us.
It is truly humbling and inspiring to talk to these guys. Joshua and his wife have 4 of their own kids, plus take care of 6 orphans. Both men have a heart to provide for and protect these 'unembraced' children of their area.
I asked them a question about what the average family in Turkana eats...vegetation doesn't grow, so there was mention of eating porridge at school, corn and beans provided by organizations like Oxfam, and lentils (or 'canadian peas') for kids at school too. Otherwise, it seems that the primary sustenance is meat...but the people can't eat meat every day, or they would eat up all of their livestock. So they may go 2 weeks feeling hungry and then eat a goat...they may decide to sacrifice even a small dinner one night in order to eat the next. And I am a spoiled American who wants snacks on top of my 3 meals a day. Geez.

Though browsing a website doesn't do justice to meeting these people in person, please feel free to browse, and join us in giving if the Spirit so moves you.

Fun with the Olympics

So Josh and I have been married for about 8 weeks now. I get a lot of questions regarding how I like married life. Though we've been under some stress from work, health, and life issues, I always answer that it's great--and I mean it!
Take, for instance, last night. We had plans to go out, but when Josh got home and saw how fried I was from lack of sleep and stress at work, he suggested we stay home instead. I was only too happy to agree. Josh biked down to the grocery store to get a frozen pizza, some ice cream (for me!), and rent a movie. After the movie, we flipped over to the Olympics.
I love that Josh and I share our sense of humor. We had some of our own running commentary related to the official sports commentary, and just what we were seeing. We both ended up laughing a LOT!
The two most humorous episodes...


Michael Phelps came from behind to just barely win yet another gold medal last night. (Sorry Mr. Serbia--you were robbed!) The funny thing was that the sports commentators just couldn't get over it. They even kept talking about it and cutting back to the image during the women's freestyle race that followed. Even after Rebecca (?) Addington shattered the former world record in that race, they ended the segment by cutting back to a shot of Phelps reacting to winning the gold. What the?! I was like, "Is that how excited Phelps is that Addington won?"
Even better, one of the commentators started referring to his win as 'magical.' Josh and I discussed if this meant that Phelps was a magical creature, and decided we should hereafter refer to him as The Water Fairy.

I'm not sure who decided 1)That Beach Volleyball should be recognized as an official sport at the Olympics when other respected sports like Golf still aren't (not that I advocate golf, mind you) 2)That it would be a better choice to broadcast beach volleyball during primetime on tv, rather than...say...gymnastics 3)Why the official uniform for womens' beach volleyball is a bikini.
But, whatev-s...
Josh and I enjoyed watching the American men battle it out with the Swiss men last night. (Josh got confused for a moment and thought they were actually the team from Sweden, but I straightened him out and noted Sweden's flag looks nothing like Switzerland's.)
The team of two was half made up of by this 6 foot 9 guy with a bald head, whose last name is Dalhauser (see above pic). The Americans just barely won the set of 3 games, and by the end, Josh and I were on the edges of our seats. When Dalhauser would jump up over the net to block a spike or make a spike of his own, Josh started shouting in a scary heavy-metal voice, "THIS IS DALHAUSER'S BEACH!" I found that incredibly amusing and am still laughing at the line. By the end of the game we were both shouting in unison, "THIS IS DALHAUSER'S BEACH! YEAH!" I'm thinking of getting tshirts for us with that sentiment etched on...

Animal Farm Revisited

When I was in 10th grade, I decided for a book report to tackle a strange looking novel I had found in my grandparents' basement years before. The book was Animal Farm written by a man named Eric Blair, but under the pen name of George Orwell [I was thinking to myself a few minutes ago, if I had a pen name, what would it be? Didn't take me long to decide. Depending on what Gender I wanted the author to be perceived as, I would call myself either Katifa Ikjr, or Frederick Gurshner. No need for pen names as of yet, though...]
As a sophomore in high school, I thought Animal Farm was the bee's knees. It didn't have a happy ending, but it moved me to the point of wanting to throw the book across the room in anger and frustration. I recognized that that was pretty powerful writing. [Unfortunately, when I trudged through Orwell's other famous novel 1984 for a Senior English project, I found I had a similar reaction but with no admiration for the writing. C.S. Lewis alluded to similar sentiments at one point, so I at least am not the only one.]
Fast forward another decade, and here I am having just finished reading through the book again. My friend Jeremy gave Josh and I a gift card to Amazon as a wedding gift, and this is one of the things we got with it.

The story is essentially a metaphor of how communism doesn't work, set in the context of animals who took over their farm.
In the beginning of the story, and incidentally The Revolution, two pigs emerge as leaders. Snowball is filled with idealism over the new philosophy that is referred to as Animalism. Napolean is a bit more low profile, but makes up for in cunning what he lacks in nobility.
When things are fresh and the animals begin their liberation, it seems like it might all work and be a beautiful thing. But as the story progresses it becomes painfully clear that absolute power does indeed corrupt absolutely.

I won't rehash the whole plot for you (really, it's a quick read at under 150 pages), but I will share one thought.
The character in the story I found myself identifying with (seemingly much more so these 12 or 13 years later) is a sturdy workhorse named Boxer. Boxer is none too intelligent (he can only remember about 8 letters of the alphabet), but he is super-dedicated. Because he's so big and strong, he almost singlehandedly pulls the farm through when multiple times it may have crashed due to impossibility. (ok, so I don't think I'm stupid or big and strong, just stay with me)
Anyway, Boxer lives his life (at least after the rebellion) by two maxims. One is, "I will work harder." The other is, "Comrade Napolean is always right."
If there is a problem on the farm, Boxer's answer is to dig deeper, sacrifice more, etc.
If there is a controversy, he always submits to his leader...even at the sake of compromising his own memories.
In the end, Boxer wears himself out. Instead of enjoying the remainder of his years in retirement (as idealized in the beginning of the rebellion), he is sold for glue. His hard work and loyalty achieve only further exploitation.
I guess this isn't a very happy-thought entry, but it makes me wonder...how often do I miss the best solution to a problem by just trying to take more on myself? How often do I second guess myself by way of loyalty to someone who may not necessarily deserve it? And what's really bothersome to ponder...how much of my hard work and loyalty achieve things for an institution/movement/culture I don't really want to be advancing afterall?

Post #2--Pics from our Honeymoon

These are all G-rated, I swear. ;)
Ok, so in reverse order, I thought I would share some highlights from our honeymoon last month...
These first two are of Josh and me taking drinks while we're waiting for our lovely seafood dinner at a McCormick's restaurant in Seattle. I told Josh I think he's cute when he's sort of hiding--ie, taking a drink of something--so I couldn't resist snapping a pic, and he returned the favor...
Yes, I could be dressed nicer, I know... ;)
Look at those big, blue eyes. Awwwww.... :)
Josh and I were both looking forward to visiting Mars Hill Church in Seattle. We both enjoyed the service very much, but ultimately felt there was no reason for us to cash in our chips and move to Seattle anytime soon...
The below pic is one that was hiding in the lobby area of the church. I thought it was pretty cool.
So our hotel--the Hotel Monaco--was within walking distance to everything we wanted to visit. The downside was that our room looked like a Dr. Seuss nightmare--hideous decorating!
Note this patterned chair...there was another very near it with a different loud pink pattern...
And don't you love the wallpaper? Yecgk!!!
The highlight of our stay was the complimentary goldfish we were given...
Though the fish came with a tag that said its name was Stacey, we would have none of it. It was already predetermined that we were going to name our goldfish Rufus. The weird timing is that this was right around the time that George Carlin passed away (he played Rufus on Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure), and we heard about it a few days later...
Happy times on Orcas Island--before our last two days in Seattle. This pic is of us on a fruitless whalewatching trip. We did see some porpoise, bald-headed eagles, and seals though. I enjoyed sharing a blue-raspberry blowpop with Josh...we might get this picture blown up and put on our wall at some point...
These pics are of our massive hike to the highest point on the Island--Mount Constitution. We had some beautiful views and absolutely loved the long hike...until I almost started running back at the end because I had to go to the bathroom so badly...! Hey, 5 hours will do that to you...





The town on the island we were closest to (within walking distance) was Eastsound. There were a few souvenir shops in town, and one featured beautifully carved Juniper furniture, such as the table and chairs shown here. It was massively expensive stuff, but Josh and I enjoyed looking...I even got a little choked up at the artistry of it all.
Finally, this is one of the gorgeous views walking into Eastsound. We highly recommend the island for anyone looking for a nice trip. Be sure to try the micro-roasted coffee--it's delicious! You can also order it online at www.local-goods.com

Post #1: Thoughts to Ponder

I am breaking up what I want to post today, so here's the first thing...

I recently finished reading this book that my mom passed on to me. It's called Radical Reliance by Joseph M. Stowell.
A year ago, my canvas group from church attempted to read Dallas Willard's The Divine Conspiracy together. Though many people loved what Willard had to say, a lot of us found the book a bit cumbersome to trudge through...one of the problems being the sheer length of the chapters (ie 50 pages or more) and the somewhat text-book-like style of the writing.
I believe Stowell's book gets to the heart of what Willard was trying to convey, but in a much more succinct manner.
I recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read...especially if you want to take a long hard look at the condition of your own faith.
As I read through, I came across a couple of passages I wanted to share. I will type them out here sans my own commentary, and encourage anyone reading this post to ponder the meat of the text...

Passage 1:
"At first blush we'd vote for the church at Ephesus to get the 'Church of the Year' award. Christ showers it with bouquets of affirmation. But we read on. Christ says, 'But I have this against you.' That's an unsettling charge. We revel in the claim in Romans 8:31, 'If God is for us, who is against us?' but what if the reverse is true? Christ states the charge: 'You have left your first love' (Revelation 2:4). The Greek word for 'first' here doesn't mean first in terms of time. It's not referring to how we felt the first day we got saved. Christ is not asking for that, because we'll never feel exactly that same way again until we get home. It means first in terms of priority or preeminence. Christ is saying that the Ephesians have abandoned Him as the priority of their love. They are busy doing all the right religious things, but they are not doing them because they love Him.
Why do we resist temptation? Because we might get caught or because there are consequences? Why do we give our money? So He will bless us in return? Why do we teach or serve on committees and boards? For our own glory? Because nobody else will do it? Do we sing in the choir because we love to sing? These are the marks of being busy for God within the system for wrong reasons. This is Christ's point. All we do should be about Him, for Him, and because of Him.
We need to cultivate a heart that resists temptation because we love Christ. We need to see saying no to sin as our opportunity to say to Him that we love Him more than that seemingly irresistible urge in our life. We give our money to His kingdom because it's one small way we can say we love Him, whether we will ever get anything back or not. It is for Him that we teach, preach, and sing. He must become the consuming, compelling reason--for all of life."

Passage Number Two:
"Laurence Shames, in his penetrating analysis of Americans' preoccupation with consumption, The Hunger for More, writes:
'More. If there's a single word that summarizes American hopes and obsessions, that's it. More money. More success. More luxuries and gizmos. We live for more--for our next raise, our next house; and the things we already have, however wonderful they are, tend to pale in comparison with the things we might still get.'
A friend who is an heiress to a massive estate told me that she wished she could have the days back again when getting a mug for Christmas would please and satisfy her. She remarked that there was a certain wonder and pleasure to find joy and satisfaction in small things.
What she had forgotten was that even those of us who can find pleasure in a new mug soon find that it too becomes commonplace. There is that ever-present craving for all that is more, bigger, or better....
If it were only the mugs in our lives--or the teddy bears, or CDs, or antiques, or cars--it wouldn't really be all that big a deal. But it's the dynamic that drives my need for just one more mug that drives the bigger issues of life as well.
Shames goes on to say,
'During the past decade, many people came to believe there didn't have to be a purpose. The mechanism didn't require it. Consumption kept the workers working, which kept the paychecks coming, which kept the people spending, which kept inventors inventing and investors investing, which meant there was more to consume. The system, properly understood, was independent of values and needed no philosophy to prop it up. It was a perfect circle, complete in itself--and empty in the middle.'"

Some pics, of course!

The above photo was snapped by my Aunt's boyfriend Eric F. Yay--our eyes are open! That's not the case in a number of other shots...er...
Our official wedding photos should be up very soon...I will put a link to the website when it is established.
In the meantime...

So, our friend Eric B. who is an aspiring hobby-photographer, snapped some really great shots when he was in Wisconsin for our wedding a month ago. Here is a link to all 27 pics if you'd like to check them out:www.picasaweb.com/eblumber
Here are a few of my favorites...

What a gorgeous pic--seriously! I'm guessing this was a shot from the area by the rural church we tied the knot in.
The Academy Award winning shot for sure: my youngest bridesmaid, Elisabeth, in front of West Salem's famous Gazebo. I think she'll be using this for her headshot when she starts applying for roles as an actress! Watch out--she's only 12! :)
My favorite shot of me and Josh...I'm so happy he didn't smash cake in my face.
Kairos Hollywood Canvas Group--yeah! Caleb & Greg with Matt and Kim F, Eric and Audrey B, and the Notorious S-P-O-T. Fabulous!
Josh's best man, Sam S....giving a shout out to the Almighty! (????)
Caleb and Greg--groomsman and Pastor/Officiant. Aren't they cute together? Awwww...
Our ringbearer--Erik--with Josh's sister Becky. :)
My Grandmas--Joyce R and Joyce R. Ha! The funny thing is that my Mom's name is Karon and Josh's mom's name is Karen, so when we have kids someday, their Grandmas will have the same name too.
,
Awww, lovely Ladies! Audrey (bridesmaid), Stacey (Matron of Honor), and Christy (performer/helper Extrordinaire) looking BEAUTIFUL!

More soon!

Hi Friends!
Just a quick note to say I am back and married and will be blogging again as soon as we get internet hooked up in our apartment--hopefully this week.
Cheers for now!

So, it's been almost a month...

Wow, hard to believe that in the last month I simply haven't found the time to post anything new on my blog...
I meant to--believe me.
I thought of waxing poetic when my faithful, old (albeit way beat up) Honda Accord finally pooped out on me a number of weeks ago.
(Now Josh and I are sharing driving his VW Jetta.)
I considered sharing some heartfelt thoughts on the eve of moving my stuff into the new apartment I'll be sharing with Josh. But moving takes forever and no extra time was found to blog.
I had banked on being able to post something once we got unpacked in our new place, but we soon discovered that there was no free wireless internet in our apartment building's lobby as had initially been promised...hmmmm.
While couch-hopping this last week, I figured I could sneak onto a friend's computer and put something on my blog...but no, it was enough of a battle just turning up by 10pm each night.
But here I finally am...my pals S&V just left for a trip to Puerto Rico this morning, and I'm staying at their place for the next few days, so I was determined to put some form of communication up and let you know I'm still kicking...

It has been a crazy month.
For work, I transferred stores but the original promotion was reneged on. So that was an adjustment, as was the move, as was the car, as was spending less time with Josh, as was having no time to exercise, as was being sick for about 3 weeks straight.
Then last week I was offered management of the store I transferred to, and as of this last Monday I officially took over the ship (so to speak). I am determined to do the best job I can, but such a big change so close to our wedding (and all the last minute drama it's enduring), is a bit of a challenge.

But as the Beatles sang, "O Bla dee, O bla da, Life goes on..."
And it does.

To leave you with something a bit more palatable, the following pics I leeched off of my friend Christy. She snapped them at a 'roomie reunion' a couple of weeks ago, when a bunch of us got together at a tasty pizzeria in Larchmont. (That explains the red glow).
While we never all lived together at once, I think Christy and Elizabeth managed to live in the apartment with most/all incarnations of the mix.



From left to right: Sarah, Stacey, me, Elizabeth, Elise, Christy, Tammy
Elizabeth/Elise/Tammy
Sarah/Stacey/Me