Errol & Tessy, 'AJ', Joseph Armando, Autumn

20 pictures from Errol & Tessy's engagement have been posted.  Click below to view.

Also, Anne's Journal has been Updated:   Click Here to read.

Houston Revivals

This past week we had some special meetings in my church from Thursday thru Sunday. Before the meetings began, I was not especially excited about them. Now, don't get me wrong, I love when we have special meetings and the chance to see many people from out of town, but I was not as excited this time. There is just a whole lot going on right now, besides school and all, that I just didn't think I had the energy to go to these meetings which end so late and be so involved in the church activities. I thought that I would be falling asleep during the meetings because I'd be so tired or that I wouldn't be paying much attention to the messages with so much else on my mind, but God had other things in mind.

Every single message seemed to be crafted especially for me. God wonderfully spoke to me through the messages about having faith in Him because He is able to work miracles far beyond what we have in mind. While that is amazing in and of itself, what is even more amazing to me is that He is willing to do this despite our imperfection. Well, at least as far as I am concerned, that amazes me to no end causes me to be extremely grateful because I know that if His care of me was based on how good I was, well, let's just say I wouldn't be getting much help.

The words that resound in my mind from those meetings are, The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms (Deut.33: 27a). These are the Words that have been sustaining me since; if you're feeling worn and tired from life, my hope is that they will sustain you too. Always remember that Jesus has these words to those who are weary:

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

Until Next time.

Election 2004

First of all, in case you have not been reminded enough about going to vote, allow me to do so. Go Vote! Rock the Vote! Let your Voice be Heard!

I've been noticing that the message board has been exploding with arguments and counterarguments about who is the best candidate, arguments with which at this point I'd rather not interfere. NOT because I do not have my own opinions and have not weighed out the pros and cons of both candidates (I'm not even considering Nader right now), but because putting my opinion out there will lead to a sure blasting.

And its not even that I am not willing to defend my view, but goodness, some people out there really need to take a crash course on the the art of argumentation. And when they do, they need to make sure that they emphasize the part of appealing to the audience. I mean, come on, if you go around blasting someone because of the way he or she believes you are not going to convince anyone. The only people who will agree with you are those who already believe the same thing you do. Which is not the purpose of an argument.

Here is a great link from a reputable website that defines argument. To whomever this applies, please take a look at it before you post on this or any fiery issue again. Defining Argumentation.

IPF - Making a difference in the community (Chung Lao).

On a lighter note, and in the spirit of elections, I want to include an excerpt from a book titled A Man of the People  by Chinua Achebe, that I found amusing. Although the excerpt I am including is not directly tied with elections and politics, the book is centered around that and I suggest that you read it as it is quite interesting.

Enjoy.

'Anne's Journal,' The Two Trees

Anne has posted her latest piece entitled 'Cat's Eye'.  Click Here to view.

This past week I was talking to a sister in Christ, and she pointed out something that I had never really noticed. Well, I had noticed it, but it hadn't really caught my eye to the point that I had to dissect it and analyze it. Here is what she said:

Brenda, have you noticed that in the Garden of Eden in the Bible the two trees God specifically speaks about are the trees of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life? Have you noticed that it was NOT a matter of choosing between a tree of knowledge of evil and a tree of knowledge of good, but it was between choosing between the trees of the knowledge of good and evil and the the tree of life? Notice that "good" and "evil" are on the same tree that God did not want them to eat.

That really got me thinking. Because isn't good the opposite of evil? Aren't we supposed to  choose good?

This was clarified once she took me to another verse found in Colossians 3:4 that says, "When Christ our life [...]." When Christ our life. Christ is our life. Christ is the life that God wants us to partake. For the law kills but the "law of the Spirit [...] hath made me free from [...] death (Romans 8:2).

And then I realized that is how legalism and self-righteousness creep into our hearts. We have the wrong focus. Good is on that tree whose fruit  God does not want us to eat. We have to choose Christ. When Christ our life.

Until Next Time.

'Anne's Journal,' Blaming the Victim, Research

Anne has posted her latest piece.  Click Here to view.

Blaming the Victim-I picked up a book yesterday that addressed a subject of great interest to me, and it happened to be a compilation of articles concerning race, gender, and social issues. The article I read is titled "Blaming the Victim" by William Ryan, and it had a small paragraph that really caught my eye and I'd like to share it with you.

"Twenty years ago, Zero Mostel used to do a sketch in which he impersonated a Dixiecrat Senator conducting an investigation of the origins of World War II. At the climax of the sketch, the Senator boomed out, in an excruciating mixture of triumph and suspicion, "What was Pearl Harbor doing in the Pacific?" This is an extreme example of Blaming the Victim."

Overall, this was a pretty good essay and I recommend anyone who has the interest to find the article and read it. I did think, however, that it was ironic that within this article, an article that was published in a compilation addressing gender among other issues, a sentence such as the following was published: (This is in reference to the prototypical "victim blamer") " What intellectual position can he take, what line of action can he follow that will satisfy both of these important needs?"

I suppose there are no women who are "victim blamers."

Research- To those of you who responded to my ask for help as far as a language research project I have, thank you very much. I would like to know if anyone else is interested in helping me with this project.

Basically, we are trying to find out how the trends are changing in the American society as far as calling people by first name rather than last name and title. To do this, we, (my colleagues and I)  have put together a short questionnaire which we will be administering. The participants should be 18 years old and above. If you are interested, please e-mail me and I'll get you the exact information and details as to how the questionnaire will be administered. You can e-mail me at the following: barrosb@msn.com,  barrosb@sbcglobal.net.

Thank you so much in advance for your help! Until Next Time.

Behind the Scene, Growing Up

Because a few people asked, I want to briefly address some of the more practical concerns I had about going to India, which included mainly concerns about the heat and the food.

As far as the heat went, I was perfectly okay because the monsoon season was going on and it was pretty cool. I know, I should be used to it by living in Houston, but the truth of the matter is that  most of the time I'm in the air conditioner, so I really don't experience the heat as much. But the monsoon season presented some very, umm, interesting situations. For one, we all had to run inside the church on the wedding day because it was raining so hard, and running in a sari is no easy feat, let me tell you. I have no clue how the actresses do that in the Hindi movies I've seen.

Secondly, in another situation, I was able to completely experience the monsoon season, in more ways than I truly wished for. As I was walking, minding my business, I stepped, unknowingly, on a monsoon inundated marble outside floor, and lo and behold, the earth starts coming up to me. Slowly and gracefully, I fell in the front porch, flat on my bottom, in front of the whole family. So, I just as gracefully, stood up, and said, "Oops, my skirt is wet," and walked inside and changed. I can assure you, I shall not forget that experience.

As far as the food went, I did not get sick at all from the food. The only times I really felt a bit nauseated was when we were on the road and the car was just jostling me alll over the place, whew... talk about a free roller coaster ride. Except that I hateee roller coasters. As a matter of fact, one time I rode this ride called Pharaoh's Fury, and it is like a canoe that swings back and forth. If I could only convey the trauma I had from that ride... for a few weeks afterwards, every time I hit a bump on the road, I felt my stomach knot up. But anyway, that was the only very minor trouble I had, since we didn't do a whole bunch of visiting.

As far as culture is concerned, here is a link pulled up by the one and only J.T., that gives a nice overview of the Indian culture.

http://www.meadev.nic.in/earthquake/culture/overview.htm

Growing up- Is it just me, or do most of you who are finally "growing up" still feel like a kid? I saw Anne's update yesterday (Great piece, as always!) and could completely identify with that. I mean, how is it possible, that on August 29, at 11:59, I began my process of metamorphosing, which transformed me into a person who could at the stroke of midnight, August 30th, be able and responsible to sit by myself in conven...?... but no, I shan't go there.

Whatever the case, the fact remains, time moves on, and we must move along with it. I wonder what the future holds.

Until Next Time.

 A Non Desi's Experience in India- Part 2

India

Letter to Liza- Week 1

Dear Liza,

I have been here in India for about a week now, and I miss you dearly. I do not, however, regret having taken this trip because it has been a great experience so far.    I know you want all the details on the first time Gloria and George met so here they come supplemented with the pictures as well.

Their first time meeting each other took place on the same day we got there. Here we were after traveling by airplane for at least 100 hours, then driving to the house for 3 more, looking completely disarrayed, about to meet the man Gloria will marry. Not that it really mattered how the rest of us looked since George would probably only have eyes for Gloria that day. We all hurried and took a shower and changed and while Praisy, Gloria, and I were still in the room, the man of the day arrived. Gloria walked calmly out of the room and said in a very eloquent manner, "Hi." He responded in kind while Praisy and I almost went crazy in the room trying to hurry and finish doing the last things we needed to do in order dash out and come to Gloria's aid and moral support in case she needed us.

When we walked out she looked as calm and composed as could be, but not too talkative. I attributed that to the whole family sitting around and staring at them, so I got Praisy, Jacob, and Benjamin to come with me as we asked Raju Uncle permission to go on a nature walk with George and Gloria. After a sly smile, seeing our intent, he gave us the permission and off we went. The "nature walk" extended to about 5 or 6 feet out of the house, where  the rest of us kids took a hike to give them privacy. Just when she appeared to relax and become her same smiley self, they had to go inside for some formalities.

The wedding will take place this week on Thursday, and Gloria seems extremely anxious for that day to come. I don't even have to ask her what she is thinking because she has this dreamy look in her eyes, except when the wedding planning is going on that is. Wedding planning takes a lot of time and concentration, so that is to be expected.

As far as to how I am faring, I have been just fine. The first two days I had a little bit of a problem adjusting myself to the smell of burning wood I presume. I have gotten over that now and am doing great. While I am fascinated by observing cultures, I have not had too much time to do that since most of my mind has been engaged in thinking about the wedding and such. I have had an instance in which I kind of  ran into a culture difference without intending to do so. The first day we got there we saw one of the pastors, and he said "stotram." I see a brother who greets me, my hand automatically goes out to give him a handshake. Of course, I had forgotten that in India one does not shake hands with the brothers, rather one places one's hands in a prayer like position under one's chin, and shakes one's head. That came back to me very very quickly when I extended my hand and he gave me the tip of 4 of his fingers. Needless to say, I was quite embarrassed. I did learn my lesson though, and won't be repeating that mistake again.

While my whole mind has not been engaged in the task, I've been trying to pick up some of the language. I did have another embarrassing occasion when an older brother and his wife were talking to me in church through Praisy and Gloria's help and telling me about his job. I wanted to say, nalada (that's good), but instead ended up telling him that he had a nice head (nalathala). I'm determined yet, I shall pick some of it up!

Well, I better head off now. We're going to Ernakalum. I'll write again later.

Letter to Liza -Week 2

Dear Liza,

I can't believe I have been here for 2 weeks already. The wedding took place last Thursday. Gloria looked sooo beautiful. She had this aura around her that cannot be captured by pictures. The wedding day was extremely rainy. It was most definitely a monsoon wedding. It was a bit interesting since all us, well, the ladies, had to run to the cars with our saris on so as not to get wet. You'll see all the pictures so you can see for yourself how everything was.

This past week the lights went out, the day before the wedding to be exact. We were all worried about it because, well, it makes life a little harder and we didn't want that complication on the wedding day. Since I became the unofficial hair dresser for the other cousins, I definitely was hoping the electricity would return so that I could use the curling iron on their hair. Don't worry, I was very careful so I wouldn't burn myself again. So the night before all the cousins got together to practice a song we were going to sing in the reception, of course we were practicing by candlelight, and Gloria prayed to get us started. Her last sentence was "And Lord, please let the electricity come back." Liza, as soon as she said "Amen," the lights came back! We were soo excited about that, it was so amazing.

Anyway, after the wedding we all came back home except for the bride and groom and parents who had to do some paperwork, and changed as soon as we could into some comfortable clothes, and went fishing! Of course, we went fishing in the creek in front of the house, but that was still lots of fun. I also took the opportunity to hold the fish, and draw water from the well. I know, mom would probably go crazy if she saw me holding the fish, but I'm determined to do everything I can do here that I would not be able to do as easily in the United States. I believe I shall not be able to do one of the things I wanted to do, ride an Elephant, but that is okay, I'm having a great great time.

II am going to have to run, sorry this is so short! I'll write more later.

Letter to Liza -Week 3

A Non- Desi's Experience in India- Part 1

Before I begin recounting the wonderful times I had during my trip and stay in India, I would like to thank God for giving me this opportunity to go to my dear sister's wedding, and also for the opportunity of going to a country that is so far and so distinct from any that I've ever been as far as culture and language are concerned.

Special thanks to my parents and my surrogate parents in India, Raju Uncle and Joyce Aunty who treated me as their own to the point of scolding me in Malayalam. Thankfully I didn't understand most of it and was able to say with a clear conscience, "mansilai illa" (I don't understand) ;). Babu Uncle, Leelama Aunty, Persad Uncle and Kunjomol Aunty, Sam Uncle and Rossama Aunty, Gloria, Praisy, Jacob, Benji, Tracy and the rest of the family also went out of their way to make sure I was fine and not overly homesick, thanks so much! I truly felt like a part of the family, and that will become even more clear in our family pictures which you will see below. They officially adopted me into the family and we all signed imaginary initials.    You can now call me Marykutty ;)

The Journey Begins

It's five o'clock in the morning, and it's time for me to get up and get ready to go to Joyce Aunty and Raju Uncle's house. I have had only one hour of sleep because after I finished packing I cleaned up my room completely, going as far as cleaning the fan to remove the dust. I hate coming back from a trip to a messy room. Thankfully everything is set. My final exam which is due during the time I'll be gone has been turned in, other papers have been signed and I have left clear instruction to Liza as to what needs to be done with what. I'm all set.

I get ready, say my goodbyes, even have the luxury of a dramatic good bye as Liza and I squeeze back the tears from our eyes as we hug -everything is going just as planned ;). We get to Raju Uncle's house and then go to the airport, have a checkout personnel who is determined to harass us, and finally get to the airplane to begin the first portion of our trip, which will lead us to New York.

New York- Our stay in New York is a rather lengthy one. We stay in Persad Uncle's house for a few hours during which we eat and visit with the rest of the family. Many people come to see Raju Uncle, Joyce Aunty and family, and I meet Vinod for the 2nd time, and see his lovely wife Grace, whom I've already met several times before, and their precious son Christian. I also succeed in having my first accident of the trip -I burn my hand with a flat hair iron. The burn looks so bad and hurts so excruciatingly that I fear I shall have a burn scar forever, and then realize that that may not be so bad. After all, if I ever grow up and get married and have children and my children ask me what happened to my hand, I can tell them I got burned on my way to India. What an experience, if you ask me.

After a few hours we leave New York, stop at London. After about an hour we go to Kuwait.

Kuwait- We, the kids, are very fascinated by the Kuwaiti culture. I feel like we have popped into a picture of the Arab culture that we can see in an encyclopedia. Such a mixture of the old and the new -A man with a turban on his head sits next to a very fashionably dressed and not so modestly dressed young woman, women wearing abayas walk around in high spiky heels -how very interesting. We want to take pictures of them but can't exactly walk up to them and do so, so Jacob, Benji, Tracy and I devise ways to, include them in the pictures so to speak. We pose for each other and get the desired result. Of course, as we were the main ones in the pictures, as we flipped through the pictures we would try to figure out where our people of interest were since it was a bit obscured. Reminded me of the books Find Waldo , with the title instead being Find the Kuwaitis. We finally leave Kuwait, and head to our final destination:

India...

I'm not sure what to expect. We've finally arrived at the place that is our ultimate destination. I'm nervous, excited, scared I'll do something wrong and get deported ;) , I'm exhilirated! I'm finally here! What an experience -I'll continue once I stay there for a little. For now I must put down my journal and get my luggage. 

Stay Tuned for the conclusion of The India Trip, which will be posted tomorrow.

They Lived Happily Ever After.....A Wedding In India

After what seemed a long time, the wait was up. July 21st had come, and we were leaving to India. While we were all excited about going to India...hmm, I think I need to rephrase that. While most of us were excited about going to India (I'd hate to mention the names of those who did NOT want to go, cough, Tracy, Jacob, Benji and Blesson), the focal point of our trip was not to go sight seeing. It wasn't even to go visit all the relatives as pleasant as traveling around to do so was. It was to witness the beautiful ceremony that would consist of having Gloria and George proclaim their love and devotion to each other for the rest of their lives.

I'm sure many of you, especially those who know Gloria personally would like to know about the man who won her heart ;), and to those who have any doubts, allow me to put them to rest. Actually, allow her to put them to rest. All you have to do is take one look at that smile she has when she is around him to be certain of her happiness with him. George is one of the most pleasant gentlemen I have met, with a smile almost as big as his lovely wife's. I am also particularly fond of him because he went out of his way to make me feel included.

As far as the engagement and wedding are concerned, I shall allow the pictures to tell their story.

Stay right here with us as tomorrow you shall have the rest of the pictures as well as a view of India through the eyes of a 20 year old Colombian English major who loves diverse cultures ;)

Until Next Time.

For the Sake of the Call: A Life of Service

I wonder what I can say that no one else already knows about Pastor Don -perhaps it will be construed as repetition? Even so, I cannot not say something addressing his life and how much it has impacted others' lives, even my own. For those who are not aware who Pastor Don is by now, He was one of the most influential pastors from the church I currently attend, The New Testament Ministries.

One of the most amazing things is that contrary to what one might expect, his influence was not due to his trying to be in a position of power, but it was due to, as many many have mentioned, his humility. His sacrifice and humility become more real to me when I put myself in his shoes -what would I do at this moment if I had to give up a valuable education, a fiancée I loved dearly, the option of having prestige and success in this world, all for the sake of the call?

Even though towards the end of his life he had different people help him as his body became more frail, in the earlier days of his ministry when he founded the church, he was the one to set up the meeting hall, pick up the brethren, lead the song service, preach, close in prayer, take everyone back home, and then clean up the sanctuary. Even though the fact that he did all this is amazing, what is even more so is the reason he did this. His motivation lay in the fact that he had been so loved by his Savior and wanted to do anything to please Him and live for His service, in the conviction that one day he would see Him face to face.

After hearing so many things about Pastor Don, a person who may have never met him may be left with the impression that he was so holy that he was not even real, but he had  a very definite human side. Those who dealt closely with him came to see his wittiness and sense of humor that he displayed in unexpected situations. On one occasion  he told my brother, Armando, that he would be transferred to a specific location rather than another, and to please pray because the harvest was ready but the laborers were few. As he was saying this, he was looking Armando up and down and noticed that Armando's shoes were untied. He then said, "We need workers, especially workers who know how to tie their shoes." When Armando told me that, that just brought a smile to my face because I tended to overlook the fact that Pastor Don was a person, not just a pastor.

And so, I could go on and on of the different things Pastor Don did, but I shall not. I'm sure many have different stories they could say about him. What really concerns us now is how we can honor that life he lived. I'm sure he would agree with Benjamin's inspiring piece about following that legacy. I don't know about you, but I completely agree with Benjamin -I'm feeling the heat. Will I take that torch? Will you?

Until Next Time.

Traveling Update....

It is Sunday, July 18 as I sit here and write this update. It will be Monday, July 19 in one minute, and I'm in the middle of writing an essay for a history class I have. I've gotten up  a few times, checked on Liza to make sure she was covered and thought about how at the time this is posted, I will have traveled to a distant place full of what I'm sure will be new experiences and adventure for me.

My trip will have taken me to  stops at New York, London, Kuwait, to my ultimate destination of India, the state of Kerala to be exact. The reason for my going there is to accompany a friend for a very important occasion in her life, but the details will be disclosed  when I return.

This is my first time going to India, and I'm extremely excited, as you can probably imagine. I started packing my luggage since this past Tuesday (July 13), and have made sure to include the essentials (according to most people I've asked) which include the following: off (bug repellant), bathroom tissue, books, sunscreen, bathroom tissue, did I forget to mention bathroom tissue?, and sneakers. I hope I didn't forget anything, I guess I have found out by now whether or not I did. I'll make sure to take lots and lots and lots of pictures and bring them back.

If y'all remember and feel like it, please pray for me and all of us who are going to be there that God will keep up well, and also that I won't miss Liza too much -I have a feeling 3 weeks without seeing her is going to be too much for me. I have already gotten teary eyed and home sick, and I haven't even left yet ;).

Until Next Time!

Convention Rundown

This year's convention was definitely a new experience for me, as I'm sure it was for all of you, due in large part to the new location. After so many years of attending convention in Ashland, it is hard to not base our opinion on the new place  relative to all those conventions. I was a bit distracted by the different atmosphere in the stadium for the first  few meetings, but then I partly adjusted. I'm sure if the convention continues to be held in this place we'll all eventually adjust to it.

Anyway, here is a little rundown of convention for me. More pictures will be coming up later, they are being worked on right now. Thanks for your patience.

Tuesday - Left from Houston in a bus.

Wednesday - Arrived in Lynchburg after 24 hours of hitting the road. Registered, saw a few people I'd been looking forward to see, got drenched with rain, and got lost trying to find my building. Went to the meeting.

Thursday and Friday - Meetings in the morning, seminars in the afternoon, choir practice and night meetings. Close call on one of the steps in the stadium, thankfully  caught myself in time. Attended the seminar titled "Signs of the End Times," very enlightening.

Saturday - Spent some time with my little cousins, went to the meetings, 4 hour long choir practice, night meeting. Saturday night's worship service was beautiful because many understood the true meaning of worship, which is to bless God and not necessarily a time in which we get blessed. Reminded me of when David danced before the Lord. Sorry, I have no pics of that meeting.

Sunday - Packed and got ready to leave. Teary eyed good bye to my brother, goodbyes to all I was actually able to find. Enjoyed Pastor Don's few words on the importance of the Word of God and Pastor T.U.'s very practical message. Left around 4 to Maryland with the Avendano family. Went sight seeing a little in D.C. when I arrived.

Monday - Caught an early flight to Houston.

As I mentioned already, a lot of pictures will be going up shortly, so stay right here with us. Until next time.

"The only type of aid France gives the US is croissants and cheese. If that."             Chung Lao, head webmaster

After  the book titled The DaVinci Code was referred to me by someone with whom I was discussing religion, I decided to buy it and read it. However, I didn't realize the great impact this book had made until I looked recently at the list of New York times bestsellers and saw that more than a year after it was published, it still ranks 1st (at least when I checked 2 weeks ago).

While the book has an interesting plot (I love mysteries and the whole concept of hidden codes), and it definitely has some hardcore facts, that alone does not suffice in explaining the immense popularity this book has garnered. After all, if one wants mysteries and romance, one only needs to turn to John Grisham and Danielle Steel ( I promise I don't read her books, I really don't ;). Truth is, I prefer John Grisham; Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys were among my favorites when I was younger). So, it's not about the thrill. It's about the answers this book gives for questions many people are asking, specifically about the Bible.

My conclusion is that people want to find answers outside the Bible, proof that either validates or invalidates the Bible, because it will somehow validate or invalidate the existence of a God. While that is a very important issue, and I admire those who wish to pursue truth, there is a danger in that we may go to the wrong sources. Another thing that I have noticed is that some people who arrive at certain conclusions about the Bible have not even read the entire  Bible once in their lives, and yet they are quick to point out all these "mistakes" and scratch out the Bible as a source of truth, almost as if they are trying to find a reason to not believe in the Bible.

The manner in which that thought is connected to The DaVinci Code is that Dan Brown very cunningly spins the mystery that keeps the reader turning page after page , intertwined with truths -and falsehoods. Not purposely done, I'm sure, but there nonetheless. For example, the main theme concerns DaVinci's hidden symbolism in his art, which is true. Brown also refers to the organization Opus Dei that actually exists, and causes the reader to question the validity of the Bible as a source of accurate knowledge by casting a shadow over the council that canonized the Bible.

Moreover, he goes on to say that the society was matriarchal ( great tactic to appeal to the feminists as well as to the "enlightened" individual), and that the ones who canonized the Bible controlled and manipulated the Bible in such a way that society became patriarchal. Sounds nice and pretty, but if you recall that the New Testament is an extension of the Old Testament, which is the holy book for the Judaic faith, you know that the society was predominantly patriarchal. And this is just one of the fallacies. For lack of space I won't list everything, but I just want to encourage everyone to read with an open mind, and check out the facts. Don't accept as fact everything you hear.

On a lighter note, I just thought I'd share with you a few segments of either conversations I've had or things I've seen written which I thought were somewhat amusing.

Carved on a table in the library at the University of Houston:

Lord, Help me!

I am hungay hungay hungay.

Marsha and Ernest together forever. (Hello, are we back at elementary school?)

And finally a segment of a chat I had with one of my friends (the whole part of the conversation shown is from the same person. Asterisks are used to conceal identity. Conversation displayed with his permission ;).

Today is June 1st, and while this marks the first day of the 6th month of the year, it also represents a loss of freedom. Summer school begins. So for those taking summer school, I wish you the best. May the summer pass by quickly. For those of you who are not taking summer school, have fun, sleep-in just a little bit, and accomplish something this summer.

Read that book you've been wanting to read, learn to play that musical instrument, perfect those basketball skills for the tourney (better watch out, our h-town guys are awesome), and reach that goal at which you've had your eyes set. And if you don't have any goals, now is a good time to set some so that you don't have to look back at the end of the summer and wonder where all your time went, and wish you hadn't wasted it.

Nick Berg, Back to Kindergarten

It has been a few days already since the grisly death of Nick Berg, yet the horror of his murder is still impacting people. At least it is impacting me. Done in the name of revenge, this far exceeded, in my opinion, the atrocities that took place in Abu Ghraib. As many have pointed out, those in there are not just petty thieves -they are terrorists and first class murderers. I do not mean to imply in any way that it justifies what was done to them; however, Nick Berg was a civilian, and if for that reason alone, his death outweighed what was done in the prisons, as disgusting as that was.

As if that were not enough, everyone is so angry at what the American guards did, and I reiterate, I strongly believe that was wrong and should be punished, yet the outrage over what happened to Nick Berg was confined mainly to the family and the U.S. government. As a matter of fact, it was only after a period of silence that some of the Arab governments finally declared it wrong  because the perpetrators  "commit acts that violate the teachings of Islam, a noble religion that deplores such acts."
I know that everyone is outraged over what happened at Abu Ghraib because the U.S. is supposed to be the good person, but still, there was not enough outrage over his death.

I decided to compensate for the lack of outrage, and had a little tirade at home telling my dad how much I wanted to kill the people who killed Nick Berg and avenge his death, and my father  told me a few  profound words. And I quote, "Brenda, be quiet." I very wisely replied, "okay." Truth of the matter is, as Liza pointed out to me, nothing I do can possibly restore him back to life. All we can do is pray for his family and for our leaders so that they may know how to handle this situation and the whole situation in Iraq.

With all the horror in the world, one must hold on to the small things that bring happiness or even put a smile on one's face, and I had quite a few moments like that these past days. Since the spring semester has come to an end, I have been able to go back to doing something I love to do -substitute teach. Among the most recent  memorable experiences include a hike on which I went with a bunch of 6th graders, where we saw a bunch of alligators and learned that the armadillo actually has the leprosy gene (so don't eat them unless you're going to cook them well), and the kindergarten class for whom I subbed that nearly drove me insane and helped me remember why I decided that if I was going to teach, it would be junior high and above.

They drove me nuts but I loved them. They were so cute, trying to impress me with their mathematical knowledge. Teacher, teacher, they would say, I know what 100+100 is, I know what 10+5 is. And then they were even more impressed when they asked me what 1,000 +400 was and I answered 1,400. Their eyes grew big as they asked me where I had received such deep knowledge. I explained that I had passed kindergarten already and that's why I knew. They accepted my explanation unquestioningly, commenting one to another that I was a big girl and therefore knew more. Oh, to go back to kindergarten where our main concern was where we would set our mat for nap time ;) Nah, I like it much better now!

May, End of School

I find it hard to believe that we are already in May. As in May, 5th month of the year. Wow, it seems that only yesterday it was December 31 and I was getting ready to go to the all night meeting held in my church to usher in the new year. Besides being an indicator of how time flies, the Month of May is a signal to those of us who live in the south of a very important event -last day of school! K-12th graders get out around the end of May and the college/university students end classes by the first week of May and finish finals on the second week.

So, yes, I've been studying for finals, and finishing up papers I should have written some time back. As much as I try to start early, for some reason I cannot write my papers until a few days, or the very day before its due. I love gathering the information, but the actual writing is something that I put off until the last moment possible. In order to get my papers done in time I've had to pull all nighters with the help of some energy drinks. By the way, I don't even know if those energy drinks actually work or its just the placebo effect, but I was, as the name of one of the ones I tried, wired. I think, though, that it may have all been in my mind and just gave me a good excuse to be hyper ;). But I don't know, they may actually have ingredients in them to energize or whatever those drinks claim to do.

To those of you in the middle of finals and graduation and everything else, I wish you well. As for me, I better go finish writing a paper that is due tomorrow ;) Take care. Until next time.

Observation of Language and Gender

In one of my classes we've been discussing the subject of language and gender, and I have got to say, it has been one of the most interesting subjects that I've studied. Some things that we talked about in class is how the use of language reflects the different roles men and women play in society, and even the status the genders hold that may be subconsciously embedded in the minds of the people of a certain culture. In our culture we have certain revealing things.

For example, why is it okay to call a girl a tomboy, but if you call  a  guy  a sissy it's a really offensive thing? I don't even want to go into what the implications are, I think you get my point.

That class discussion triggered my mind and I started thinking back to one day I pulled my car to the side to ask for directions, and a gentleman who was probably in his late 20's told me the directions and then addressed me by the term "honey." Then I thought, if a random stranger who happened to be a man asked me for help and I called him honey, it would not be acceptable at all, and I think its due in most part to gender.

But anyway, one thing that I found in my very shallow research in this topic is how language evolves over time, and interestingly enough found the etymology of the words girl and youth. Girl in times past used to refer to both genders, while youth was exclusively for young men. I thought that was so cool, and while this info may not land you a job (unless you are an etymologist) or anything, its still interesting ;).

Okay everyone, take care, have a great week! Until next time.

Oklahoma Revivals Pictures, Witnessing

All right  everyone, as Chris said yesterday the pictures section is up, and I was able to get some pictures of the Oklahoma revivals thanks to Nebu, one of our guys here in Houston.  There are only a couple of pictures, but you can get the idea of how the bus trip was as well as some of the meetings. One of the pictures has two guys looking very depressed (their names are Isaac and Christian btw) but that is only cause it was 6:30 in the morning and we had just gotten to Oklahoma from an all night bus drive. And last but not least, the  name of the lovely lady gracing the picture right below is Denise.

A few days ago someone posted on the message board something about witnessing to people about Christ, which is a very important issue. I am not completely sure as to there being one exact way of sharing the gospel, but I do think if we are led by the Spirit of God, as Llenis shared last week, He will guide us and direct us to know what to say and do. However, the Bible was also written for our guidance, and it is our responsibility to search out for ourselves what the Bible says.

I came across a certain scripture that really stood out to me, found in 1 Corinthians  1:17, that says "For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect." One thing that can hinder us from witnessing effectively is the fact that we use our own logic to try to convince, thereby invalidating the power of the cross. I have finally come to the realization that the only One who can convince people and bring conviction is God. Sure we can debate the validity of the Bible using historical as well as archeological evidence, but that does not prove a person's need for a Savior, which is the most important thing.

It is our duty to present the plan of salvation as God designed it, not sugar coating it nor watering it down. Not only presenting Jesus as a convenience who will help him or her in his or her times of need, but as a necessity without whom he or she will perish. And then the rest of it is ultimately up to God. The only thing we can do is pray and ask God to give him or her repentance. If you want to read more up on this, the whole 1st chapter of 1Corinthians is very good, as well as books and pamphlets by an evangelist named Ray Comfort, whose writings can be found if you look them up online.

I know some of you are having your spring break right now, and I just hope you have an awesome spring break. Have a great time, and get all that  much needed rest you need. Take care. See you next time.

4th Inspirations Writer, Cooking Experience

First of all, I have the pleasure of introducing to you the 4th writer for the inspirations section, Greg Smith. He will be updating on the 4th Wednesday of every month, so make sure to look for his 1st piece tomorrow.

I was finally able to work on one of my New Year's resolutions, which is to learn how to cook well. The menu was white rice and grilled chicken. The preparation took me about twice as long as it would normally take someone who has experience cooking, because I am extremely meticulous when it comes to washing chicken. I have this little routine of first rinsing the chicken with water, then scrubbing it with salt, then rinsing it again with water and washing it with lemon juice. It leaves me with dry hands but an incredible satisfaction that the chicken is as clean as possible. So with that out of the way, I focused on the seasoning and the actual grilling process.

Everything went smoothly after I burnt the first piece of chicken I placed on the grill, so I was able to serve it to my family and a guest who came to the house. I took the necessary precautions, of course, and placed a bottle of Pepto-Bismol along with the silverware when I set the table. Surprisingly enough, my mother loved the way the chicken tasted, as did the guest, so I think I'm going to start having more practice in the kitchen. If any of y'all out there know of any simple recipes, I want to start out slow, do let me know, I'd love to try them out.

I hope everyone has an awesome day, take care! See you next time.

The Power of Prayer

Wedding Pictures - Jose/Diana

For those  of you wanting to see my sister's wedding pictures, they are here. By way of explanations, the bridal portraits are not the professional pictures, we haven't gotten those yet, but these are pictures that I took as she was getting ready and actually in action. I have to admit that even though posed pictures have their place and are nice, I really like the in-action pictures. They are more real and actually have memories. I hope you enjoy.

I thank you who gave me advice on what to do to minimize the possible mishaps in the wedding, but alas, I  was not able to follow any of your advice except for one. And I really had good intentions to do so. I neither slept the night before the wedding nor ate the morning of the wedding. Being the strong Texan woman I am, I did not faint ;). Well, I did get lightheaded when we got to the reception, but most importantly I did not fall asleep during the lengthy message. Every time I wanted to close my eyes I remembered what y'all told me on the message board of the cameras rolling the whole time and I stayed awake.

But who cares, the important ones were the bride and the groom, and seeing the smiles on their faces when they were announced as Mr. and Mrs. Jose Rivera was enough to make all of our hearts overflow with joy. I am happy to say that the new couple is doing very well and seem to be adjusting to their new married life quite well. Diana is a very blessed woman to have such a wonderful husband like Jose who takes care of her, and he is very blessed to have such an awesome wife like her.

Well, everyone, do take care. I wish everyone well in this new semester. Until Next Time.

Future Plans, Superbowl

So we are finally  in the middle of January and our school break will be finishing in a few days. Honestly, I'm pretty excited to be going back. For those  graduating this year, be it from college or high school, it's an exciting time. This may be your last semester, and you are elated. But at the same time, the future is a little scary,  and you may be wondering what the next step should be.

At this time its a very good idea to pray and seek God for his guidance. The fact of the matter is that you won't open your Bible one day and find a verse calling you by your name and telling you to become a history major or anything like that, but you want to make sure you are making the right decision. I had that question in my mind when I graduated from high school, and my pastor told me to put the matter in God's hands, and proceed with my plans. If God did not want me to go that direction, after I put it in His hands, He would close the doors. Besides praying about it, a wise thing to do is to talk to your parents about it. Believe it or not, parents have so much wisdom and as our authority are led by God to guide us in making the right decisions. And of course, godly friends who will pray and encourage you to go on.

Thankfully, I can truly say that I've been blessed with amazing men and women in my life who are not only fun to hang around with, but when I  am going through a hard time rally around me and encourage me with their words and prayers. I strongly encourage you to find a group of friends who will help you when you're down.

Superbowl is coming up!! I'm sure those of you who follow football closely are very excited about it. I like football and all, but don't follow it very closely. As a matter of fact, if it weren't for Jonathan's updates, oh and also that I do read the sports section of the newspaper once in a while, I wouldn't know what was going on. But, since the superbowl will be taking place in Houston, it is more  of a close to home kind of thing. I really don't have a preference for any team, except for the Houston Texans, and they're out, so I just hope its a fun competitive game. Let me who y'all think is going to win.

Ladies and gentlemen, do take care, and have a great day. Until next time.

A.  Submitting Content:  Missing your Birthday in the B-Day section?  Want to submit an article, event or comment?  Well, we just made it easy for you.  Just fill out the form below, and click submit.  Its as simple as that.