kind of a crazy week at work. we really have a lot going on now that it is Christmas and things really get chaotic. i am really ready to get past the holidays and start a normal schedule. i am witting three new classes that i will be teaching in the new year, all psychological stuff on core beliefs and cycles and anger manegment stuff. that is keeping me really bussy.

i wient to a memorial service last nihgt for all the homeless who have died over the past year. there were 22 in the springs alone, and 160 in denver. one of the homeless shelters/transitional houseing places in town has a memorial in their back yard and on the longest night of the year there is a service to remember all who have passed on. it was bitterly cold, but a good service non the less. there were about 75 people who where there. we all ate dinner togeather, the salvation army has a van that serves soup every night close by. then we walked to the memorial and had a short service. it was a good experience overall.

I ran this morning and passed the 100 mile mark for the year. i know that is not much for most serous runners, but seeing as how i am still very amature, i consider it an acomplishment. at the bottom of this blog is my litttle runner man, i changed him from running in shorts to runing in pants becasue it was 15 degrees when i ran this morning.

O.K. so i just finished reading the irresistible revolution by shane claiborne. I am going to be attending a confrience early next year where he will be speaking, and i wanted to see what he was all about. I had heard of him before, just in passing in the circles that i wonder in, and knew a little about him and his life.

The book was good, but i was still not able to get behind it fulley. I really really aprechate some of the things he has to say, i bellieve he has meany vallid points and he really challanged me on a number of different leavels. i think what he is doing takes courage and a passion that is raerly seen in this day and age. I would consider myself a admireier, but not a groupie jsut yet. (and i have a fealing that Mr. claiborne would be just fine with this)

the problem i have is this. and maby this is a commentary on american culture more then mr. claiborne's book. I just regret the fact that any time a visionary or passionate leader has a message to say, they have to go overboard in order to get a point across. Mr. claiborne seams very intent to preach agenst the eviles of the capiltist system and wall streat. brovao, i definatly hear what he has to say. on the otherhand, he was able to attend college on a scholership, wich means that some one made some money, actually a whole lot of money, enough not only to send their own children to college, but enought to say to a particluar college" send some one who i dont even know as well" And there was also some time in princten semenary, i am sure that was not a cheep venture eather. I would guesse taht at some point, some one made a tone of money, probally using the capitisit system for all it is worth, and did some really cool things with that money. To be fair, Mr claiborne gives more creadit to the rich in his book then i first expected, he does tell his readers that there is a place for those who make money in the kingdom and he calls those who do work and make lots of money to do so in a christ like maner, and to have there work and money changed by the power of Jesus, once again, bravo. But i got the over all fealing from reading the book that Mr. Claiborne felt that the rich had a place in the kingdom of heaven, just as the virus has a place in medicine. they are nessecary to help discover the cure, but in the end are much more part of the problem then part of hte cure. Mr. claiborne is makes a great point of telling his readers that they should not let charity become a insulation to thier guilt and they should be personally involved in the help they give, but then he proceeded to give us all the informaion and web addressses of his personal favorite ministryies, so we can become more involved.

I wish we lived in a socity where we could jsut call it like it is. we as a christian community, need the people who just sit around and write cheacks. we neeed those people who are enourmaoulsy ricch so they can baile the radicals out of jail. ( dont get me started on Mr. claiborns civel disobedience, a unjust law is no law: i know meany a pot head that will argue that if alchahol is leagle, it is unjust to call pot illeagle; where is the line drawn and who makes the call what is unjust and what is not) any who, we live in a socity where we need both, we need the pasifist and the solidure, we need the guy who will live on the street and minister to the homeless, and we need the guy who's parents work there butts off so he can go to college and then grad school so he can help the homless and addicted find real change for theier life.(we even need the bill gates to make billions of dollers and then give it away evey year, he has really done some amazing things) in the end, it comes down to one thing for me, to whom much has been given, much will be required. in one way or the other, those who have been blessed will be called into very strict account about what they did with what they have been given. it is up to each of us to searh our heats with evey purchase and evey decision to see if we are living they way god would want us to live.

I am tired and had a long day at work, so i dont feal like spell checking this one, feal free to write with any questions.

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