i was hoping that during my time off i would be able solidfy into writing some of the thoughts that have kept me preoccupied so far this year. i've got one day left before i fly back, and rather than find the time to write, God's placed more confusion to the queue. such is life. and i think i constantly add to my own queue too. i'm sitting now in dc library, with a stack of books i picked up from the used bookstore. Got a good deal though, of course ;) sitting outside of the used bookstore is their clearance shelf. 5 for $2. I contemplated picking up an old psych 101 and soc 101 textbook. Psych was a great course, it taught me a lot about myself and other people think. awareness of the things that drive us is the first step to making changes in our lives to improve ourselves (for the glory of God and not for our own self-righteousness). I hated soc 101. We had a bad prof, but I keep thinking I probably would enjoy the subject and should read up on it. but the thought of hauling two large textbooks back to seattle stopped me. instead, i picked up the classic, "more than a carpenter". "Letters to young churches" - a english paraphrase of the NT letters, "my hands held out to you" a book on the use of body/hands in prayer...looked different, "through suffering to victory" a book on the gospel of mark, and "confronting the idolatry of family" -- this is the first book that stood out to me, and has the potential to help me wrestle with some topics that have been on my mind.... What's been on my mind? -culture and the seperation of what is truely from the bible. is the 'christian culture' as we know/experience, biblical? or is 'christian culture' now simply being socially conservative, as a culture that was once 'christian'. -public vs private healthcare -christian values and politics: liberal [ndp/democrats], conservatives [republicans], libertarian -simplicity - why do we collect stuff? -busyness - the obsession to be 'entertained' and/or the obsession to be 'useful' -reconciliation of mind and heart (aka actions != heart) -critical thinking and evaluation of the church, fellowship and brothers/sisters -scripture, quantity or quality [aka, study vs devo] -forgiveness and trust -leadership by example. leadership by doing. -financial responsibility -....and a few more, but i'm running out of time here. hopefully i'll get around to sharing a bit about my thoughts the topics sometimes in the future... | 
