Coffee shoppe boys

The many faces

In a fish bowl









Picasso













World Domination










Big Hair










Vintage Look

It's so pretty

I shot my pc and put it out of its misery.

Sarah McLachlan - World On Fire

This has been out for almost a year but I decided it was worth posting. I like how Sarah shows in her video the diversity of way to empower others that are suffering all over the world in a sustainable way.

High School Reunion

Last night I talked to my one and only friend that I keep tabs on from high school, Veronica. Roni for short. In fact, she is my oldest friend, we grew up in the same neighborhood in Live Oak, a suburb of San Antonio, Texas.We met each other when we were nine years old. It was a great time reminiscing about growing up together. It made me think of other random memories:

1. The mean kid in the neighborhood, Karmin and how I reached my limit of her one afternoon and decided to push her down and give her a good beating. My brother, the younger, even tempered sibling pulled me off of her. I don't feel guilty about that, she needed a good beating.

2. Roni lived in a part of the neighborhood that was behind a wooded area, which I was not really allowed to go - but that did not seem to stop us. There was a long hill where we would take card board and slide down - a very nice memory.

3. I remember when I was over at Roni's house we would play Debbie Gibson's album, Electric Youth, Tiffany, and gasp.... New Kids on the Block. Yikes.

4. Our friends in the fifth grade or so had a slumber party and we watched Nightmare on Elm Street, which scarred for me the next month, because I was convinced if I fell asleep a man with long claws would come after me.

5. 8th grade history: Our teacher, Mr. Haxton forced us to mount a rocking horse and recite The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. In front of our peers. With a big hat on. And on top of that he took our picture while we rocked back and forth like mental patients and stumbled over verse.

6. Going to orchestra practice and playing the oboe. Later on in high school I would regret giving it up for atheletics. The band people always seemed to have more fun than the atheletes.

7. Tenth grade and on a trip to Round Rock, Texas to play in a volleyball match in the Fall. Our bus catches on fire and we have to pull over and run for our lives. I don't remember if we won the volleyball match.

8. Watching Channel One before class and thinking Anderson Cooper was cute, as he dodged bullets in Kosovo.

9. Going to Sonic after volleyball practice and ordering a cherry lime slush with a cherry on top.

10. Running for hours at practice and actually enjoying it.

11. Getting my braces off for Senior Year Pictures!! Woo Hoo!!!

No lie can live forever

I had vaguely heard of Project Row Houses, a project to revitalize the Third Ward in my very own Houston Texas. Yesterday I saw an article about it in The New York Times: In Houston, Art is Where the Home Is

The project provides housing for low income families and also estalishes a place for art and celebration and restoration of African American culture and history.



This is a sign by artist Sam Durant, not sure where this is in the Third Ward. When i go to Houston in a week or so, I plan to check it out:

We're on a budget plan

The lovely Jadine Johnson (my roomie) is in charge of electricity and I am in charge of the gas bill.

Roomate Jadine: Look at our electric bill, it is way down this month, see...

Me: Oh wow, that's great because i might have to cut one of my arms off to pay for the gas bill this month.

Roomate Jadine: But we still have to pay XX because we're on that budget plan.

Me: We have to pay XX? How is that possible?

Roomate Jadine: Uh...because we're on a budget plan?

Me: (Laughter)

Roomate Jadine: (Laughing now at me)

Me: I'm posting this conversation

Roomate Jadine: Don't post about our conversation

Me: Oh yeah it's definitely going on the internet.

Texas vs Virginia

At lunch today:

Me: There is no point in arguing about this any longer: Texas will always be superior to Virginia.

Coworker: Jen, you sill haven’t convinced me.

Me: We were our own country

Coworker: We were one of the 13 original colonies

Me: We were an independent country for ten years

Coworker: My state was named after the virgin queen

Me: Texas means “ally” or “friend". A name from a Native American language, you know – the guys that were here first. Who cares about the Virgin Queen? What’s so special about being named after a virgin?

Coworker: JEN!!

Me: Okay that was tacky, I’ll give you that…

Conflict Diamonds

You should go see the movie Blood Diamond - which gives an account about the Civil War in Sierra Leone and how consumerism for diamonds, found in-country helped fuel the war.

The rebel group in the Civil War (the RUF) would often use child soldiers to get their missions accomplished. They would first force them to shoot their own parents and then train them to be without mercy in killing whoever stumbled across their path. Many of these children were drugged and brainwashed, many of them sexually abused.

There is an estimated 200,000 children that are "soldiers" in Africa today.

The RUF used amputation as a tool in their warfare. Over 20,000 people had their hands, legs, and arms cut off.

Here is more information on conflict diamonds if you are interested. As the movie suggested, I would rather not have a diamond on my finger, if it means the life of some child or someone getting their hand cut off...


Facts About Blood Diamonds
Find Out More About Blood Diamonds And How To Avoid Buying One

Sierra Leone's traffic in diamonds has left a trail of carnage. While they may seem a symbol of happiness, the reality of the gems is far from that. What are conflict diamonds?
Conflict, or blood diamonds are mined in a war zone and sold, usually clandestinely, in order to finance an insurgent or invading army's war efforts.How can I ensure a diamond is conflict-free?
The Kimberley Process is a joint government, international diamond industry and civil society initiative established in 2002 to stem the flow of conflict diamonds - rough diamonds that are used by rebel movements to finance wars against legitimate governments. The trade in these illicit stones has contributed to devastating conflicts in countries such as Angola, Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone.

Click here for states and regional economic integration organizations who have met the minimum requirements of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme. How many conflict diamonds are there?

The diamond industry estimates that conflict diamonds represent 4 percent of the total trade in rough diamonds. Others have estimated that conflict diamonds could amount to as high as 15 percent of the total trade. In 2001, the diamond industry produced rough diamonds with a market value of $7.9 billion. At the end of the diamond chain, this was converted into jewelry worth $54.1 billion. What areas of the world are affected by conflict diamonds?
The fighting that is fueled by the trade in conflict diamonds has been relegated to a few Central and West African countries. Many of these countries have diamonds that are easier to mine and thus more readily available to smuggle, according to the Kimberly Process.To learn more about conflict diamonds:

• To find out the latest news and information on conflict diamonds, you can refer to the World Diamond Council. • Click here to read more about the movie. • Click here to read more about Sierre Leone in a CBSNews.com interactive. • You can read about the Diamonds Are For Never campaign here. • The The Sierra Leone Global Education Partnership Project has additional resources.

All I want for Christmas is some steely resolve please

It is becoming quite evident that it is "that time of year again"... Although "that time of year" has commercially arrived since before Halloween and I am already feeling Christmased out.

Never fear - I am not going to wax poetic about the real meaning of Christmas.

If i had to make out a Christmas list this is how it would go:

1. Uncle Sam would take less out of my paycheck next year

2. My car, Samson would definitely take on its namesake (FOR GOODNESS GRACIOUS SAKES ALREADY) and start behaving like a real car that doesn't leak, sputter or generally make the gutteral sounds of an old man. Samson, please for once ... be good to me.


3. I could devise a genius way to make some extra bucks without exhausting myself


4. I would learn how to knit so I would never have to make my way to the mall again and buy overpriced stuff that no one wants anyway.


5. Blossoming within me, would be some good old fashioned, unadulterated steely resolve to keep me going forward. A double portion of however much the Lord is doling out to everyone else. I need me some steely resolve... with a capital S.










I am thinking #5 is something that is slowly emerging...maybe. The other night, I was praying out loud, and one of the things that popped out of my mouth was "Lord, let my face be like flint, unmoved to what I feel is happening in my life - and remember You."

Okay, it wasn't that eloquent, but it was along those lines.... I got interested in this word flint, and looked it up. It comes up in Isaiah 50: "For the LORD God helps Me, therefore I am not disgraced; I have set my face like flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed.... who is among you that fears the Lord, that walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely on His God...."

Teachable

One of the things I admire most about my father is that he is man with a teachable heart.

I would say that many have an attitude, especially in the church of "you can't teach me anything new", or an intellectual pride in what they know. And....the people that are puffed up in their own knowledge usually do not see it.

Months ago, when I was in Houston, I was having a conversation with a friend about church, and my friend remarked to me, "I have heard every sermon there ever was - pastors out there have nothing new to offer me." The comment saddened me a little - because it sort of closes the door of your heart to receive anything new or fresh.

I have to confess that I can be prideful in what I know, or what I think I know. I have to pray, as the scriptures say, "that the eyes of my heart would be enlightened" to the words and the wisdom of all those around me. To the words of my pastor, to my roomates, to the next door neighbor. God can and in fact will use anyone or anything to speak to me.

I do not want to miss out on what He has to say.

My father is one that never wants to stop learning and the things of God are no exception. He finds himself approaching his 60th year and knows he has more to learn. I think of him and remember Jesus' words to the people, "that whoever humbles himself as a little child...he is the greatest in the Kingdom of God."

Six months after the departure, she discovers a goodbye video

My friends gave me a good bye video in May and i just discovered it this week. It had been ahem... misplaced.


But it is now found and I actually had access to a camera to clip the video. Here is the end of it, my Sara and her words.


I love my H Town friends...they are irreplaceable. MY SALVAGED VIDEO

Here comes the sun

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day.

Pr 4:18

Faith, hope, and love

I mentioned in earlier posts that I was hanging out with a couple that used to serve in the Catholic church during the holidays. Frank and Joan Testa. Frank went to a Catholic seminary in Belgium (it's where they send all the smart priests-to-be) and Joan, served for over twenty years as a nun - she wanted to be a nun when she was very young. Why they came out of the Catholic church is very long and involved and not the point of this post.

Anyhow - this couple just loved on me and anyone who does not know the Testas and have not had the privelage of being completely spoiled for a weekend by them is just missing out, that's all there is to it.

More than being very well fed though - i was so thankful for their confidance in me, or maybe I should say their confidance in God to work through me and to come through on my behalf. They prayed with such great faith that the Lord has something tremendously good for me, that He has a hope and a future for me.

They took me to this resturaunt on Friday, and we were talking about my anxieties. Frank told me quite assuringly, "Jen, when you have a pure heart, a heart that is seeking after God, He will always lead you where you need to go. We see your heart and you need to rest in the truth that He wants for you to not worry and to be encouraged, this is the very reason we invited you up here."

When you are uncertain about life and God and where He wants you to go, it is so difficult to see the possibilities. We so desperately need the body of Christ, we need those by our side who will speak faith, hope, and love over us when our vision is tainted and dim. We need people who see in us what we do not see in ourselves. We are kidding ourselves to believe that we can fashion our destinies alone. We need each other.

Frank and Joan loved me like I was their daughter this weekend. The Testas do not have any of their own children naturally, because they got married later in life. But they have so many spiritual children, beloved sons and daughters and I count myself among the lucky few who have been "adopted" by these precious people.

Amish Country

Spent four days in Christiana, Pennsylvania. Home to Frank and Joan Testa, one of the birth places for the underground railroad (in fact there is a sign that says "Freedom was borne here"), and Amish country. The Testas spoiled me rotten, and am going back the second I get the opportunity.

For the last two or three days, I watched horse drawn buggies go by the house. The Amish apparently do not allow children to use bicycles but they will let them use scooters. Don't ask me what the difference is...

That weekend, I saw women hanging out all their clothes.

Singing Spring Foods is an Amish store, a store where oil lamps illuminate the insides.

Amish country is unquestionably beautiful.

Amish country is full of hard working people. They work from sun up to sun down. I wanted to take more pictures of the their dress but I felt like I was invading this very private world that many never get the opportunity to see and experience.

I enjoyed the simplicity of this place. Our culture is inundated with so much "stuff". Everyone needs a good purging of all the distractions in life, and I think mine was way overdue.

It's my hundredth post!

I just would like to say that this is my 100th post.

And I have nothing profound to say.

Happy Thanksgiving! I am off to Amish country (Lancaster, Pennyslvania). An ex priest, and ex nun (who are happily married) invited me to stay with them this weekend. It should prove to be an interesting holiday!!

PIF

A friend and i were sitting in a coffee shop last night talking about relationships and how messy and complicated and really really confusing they are, or at least with the opposite sex. I introduced my friend to the PIF theory. I wish I could claim fame to this theory but it is actually the creation of my friend Reggie. He should copyright it, write a book about it and make some money for his ministry. Seriously Reg, please consider.

But I digress. PIF stands for:

P = proximity (You hang out one on one alot; you are always together)

I= intensity (Deep personal stuff is purged, you are telling each other about the horrible stuff that happened to you as a child.)

F = frequency (You are always talking on the phone, chatting online, meeting together)

If any of these two interactions are given more often than not to the opposite sex than an attraction is bound to develop. And, as he eloquently puts it, this is "not necessarily a move of the Spirit upon your soul."

For example, maybe you happen to be spending a lot of time visiting with someone involved in deep personal conversations. (Proximity and Intensity). Somehow an attraction can develop, which may be confusing to some of us.

But the good news is that it doesn't have to be!!!

Yes! As I have read his theory more and more, I have come to realize that in the event that i am perplexed by the intentions of a guy, I can make it easier on myself by using this process to sort things out.

PIF violations abound in our lives, there is no way to avoid that. I am all for friendships with guys, I hope no one misunderstands. I have friends with guys and they are great and i am grateful for their presence in my life. All I'm saying is that PIF a good filter to put thru all the what ifs we have in relationships. There may be attraction, but not necessarily any follow through. And there may not always be clear communication to confirm anything, so this theory helps me put things into perspective, and keep emotional angst at bay.

So ladies, don't let your mind wander into the bottomless pit, the oblivion of what if he meant something by that???

There is hope for us. There is PIF.

Union Station

On Monday I took Pastor James up to Capital Hill to speak with staffers about Sudan. For the most part I think it went well.


When we were walking back to Union Station, we came across this Korean man.



















He stood alone playing the trumpet. And out of that instrument was the sweetest version of "What a friend we have in Jesus" I have ever heard in my life. It was so beautiful James started to tear up.

In unison, we both turned around, took a deep breath and listened. The man stopped playing and started singing this simple praise song to God. It was so pure and simple and good. A far cry from the cynacism that sort of hung over the city that day like a black cloud. I listened and made a special note of thanksgiving for this man.

Perfectly fitted

I was once a huge Waterdeep fan. My love has subsided, but I just rediscovered them and have also stumbled across their myspace site (who doesn't have one of these now???).

Check their new song out, "Perfectly fitted."

Their official site.

Changing of the guard

This week there was the changing of the guard (The House and Senate are now controlled by the Democrats).....

and much more importantly the change of the Starbucks to - go cup to indicate the holiday season is officially here.

My question to you is which "change" could you have done without???

It's called the Good Ugly

A good ugly cry. That's what happened to me the other day.

What makes a good, ugly cry, truely good and ugly is not simply that you are red faced, tears streaming down, not able to calm down, but in fact that it happens in front of a group of people.

And there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop it.

I mean we are talking, I can't stop the tears from coming. It was a deluge, they could have called for a Flash Flood Warning.

There are techniques to keep emotions at bay. There are ways to stop the madness. Slow measured breathing, focus on something else. But no, not that day. Nothing was going to stop those cursed tears from coming!!

The people that I was with tried to pretend that it wasn't happening which now in retrospect strikes me as funny. How can you pretend that someone is not hyperventilating next to you?

I was thinking today how embarrassed I was at the good ugly. What is so wrong with being emotional, or letting yourself being vulnerable in front of others? Sometimes I hate that my heart is so visibly bleeding on my sleeve, but what can you do? Always have a stash of kleenex nearby that's what....

How many cows are you worth???

At lunch today I sat with my new Sudanese friend, Pastor James. I was asking him how he met his wife, which led into how different tribes bring two people together to get married. The Dinka Tribe story is the best:

First of all, the idea of love being a factor means nothing. If a Dinka man fancies a girl, his family and the girl's family starts negotiating. The guy’s family will offer the number of cows according to the strength of her attributes.

You might be wondering what a quality Dinka woman looks like. Well, according to James she is:

a. Very tall. A woman who is at least 5’9 or taller (He said my height of 5’7 could bring in about 175 – 200 cows)

b. Frankly, she needs to be a big girl. Big strong woman are considered quality because they will most likely survive the angst of bearing ten kiddoes and hacking it out in the bush. It’s all about the big strong girls – they rule in the Dinka Tribe!

c. This is the one I liked the most: The way a woman carries herself is important. The men watch the way she walks; if she is confidant in herself this is huge!!!

So just to sum it up: Tall, Strong, and Confidant, these chics will rake in a lot of cows and get hitched first.

Pastor James

I've been busy the last few weeks because my organizations main contact from Sudan, Pastor James is in town. I think James is going to start calling me the weeping missionary, because his stories make me cry. Mostly - because I feel so bad that in our country the things we should treasure most we take for granted.

One story I will share about his life. In 1988, Northern troops surrounded the largest city in the S. Sudan, Juba, and were basically starving the people to death. Weeks went by and children were starting to die, every day more holes were dug for bodies. Instead of despairing, James and his friends would sit together and remember how faithful God is and His provision. Every day they would thank God for His love that endures forever. It is something that is more valuable than food, more precious than our momentary lives. The life of Jesus, the life He extends to each and every one of us.

James words to us in our devotion this morning: "There is nothing greater in this life than serving our Lord. There is nothing greater in this life than serving others. If we impact one person while we are here on this earth, all the hardship is worth it."

Community: Just Do It

Saturday afternoon: Went over to Abby's house and helped her crew pack lunches and cook soup for the homeless to give out that night. There was alot of laughter, apple cider, and Sufjian's Steven's album Illinois involved. There was some tears shed because the onions and garlic we cut, were pretty stinking strong.

Saturday evening: Omo's curried chicken, Jen's cooked veggies, Jadine's special banana and chocolate chip bread plus fun people sitting around talking and sharing stories. More laughter and silliness ensued.

Last night reminded me of getting together with friends in Houston. Breaking bread together, singing together, praying for each other. This is the way life was meant to be lived.

Believers and Admirers

Courtesy of Kierkegaard and Jason Upton


john 14:6) "Christ claimed to be the way, the Truth, and the life. For this reason, he could never be satisfied with adherents who accepted his teaching- especially with those who in their lives ignored it...His whole life on earth from beginning to end was destined to have followers and to make admirers impossible." -soren kierkegaard


Jesus- help us follow you and not just admire you. Admiring you requires little attention to you, and almost no personal sacrifice. Following you requires my total attention and my whole life. I want to follow you more than I believe in you. Believing you has not made me follow you as much as following you has made me a believe you and trust you. . Jason.

Ciani

My Ciani as a princess.

D - Day

My friend Ashley posted about the closing of Diedrichs, which is Monday. November 6, D-Day. I will have to go see the brutal takeover for myself in December. My friend Joe sent me another article about the closure, which cleared some things up for me. I posted it below.


Coffeehouse closing upsets customers / Landlord elects not to lease site to Diedrich franchiseBy TARA WHITE, Houston Chronicle Correspondent

Jeff Grant is furious that Diedrich Winlow Coffeehouse, 1901 Westheimer, is scheduled to close Nov. 6 after conducting business in that location for 10 years.

Grant, a loyal customer, has contacted everyone in his e-mail address book and has stood in front of the coffeehouse almost every day for weeks to protest its closure.

The property owner hired a 24-hour security guard and police were called because of his presence, but he is not budging.

Grant is not the only person upset about the closure of Diedrich, which serves about 3,500 customers each week. Hundreds have signed petitions to keep it from closing.
Dirk Smith, owner of the coffeehouse and president of Magna Cum Latte Inc., the Diedrich Coffee franchise in Houston, said his customers are upset because they know the business is being forced to close.

Smith said it is closing because T-Con Properties chose not to lease the property to him.
Said Bradford Schmalfuss, vice president of T-Con Properties and landlord for the space, "We have the right to lease with anyone we want to."

Schmalfuss also said T-Con had no obligation to lease to Smith because the company's original lease was with Diedrich Coffee's corporate office, which chose not to renew.

The property will be leased to The Upper Hand Salon, which is located at 1905 Westheimer next to the coffeehouse. The lease becomes effective on Nov. 7.
Rachael Gower, who owns the salon with her husband, Brian Williard, said they plan to use the space to expand their salon operations.

Smith said he does not understand T-Con's decision.
"Our coffeehouse has brought thousands of people to the Winlow Center," Smith said. "I have never paid the rent late. Bradford told me on several occasions I was the best tenant he had."
A letter dated May 11, addressed to Schmalfuss from Diedrich Coffee's corporate office, confirms that Diedrich Coffee did not plan to renew the lease. But it states that corporate officials asked Smith to negotiate a direct lease with Schmalfuss.

E-mail correspondences between Schmalfuss and Smith indicate that Smith and Schmalfuss agreed to move forward with the lease.
Schmalfuss sent Smith a draft of the lease agreement by e-mail in late May for Smith and his lawyer to review.
Negotiations moved forward until June 9, when Schmalfuss sent Smith an e-mail stating that T-Con would not proceed with lease discussions because it planned "to take the center in a different direction."
Smith said he was shocked by the e-mail, as he had returned only a day earlier to his home in California after a special trip to Houston.
Schmalfuss requested the trip because he wanted Smith to discuss parking issues with the Upper Hand Salon.
"I jumped through hoops for him to make sure everything was going smoothly," Smith said. "I don't know what happened in those 11 hours to completely change his decision."
Gower said some have blamed the Upper Hand Salon for the closure of Diedrich Winlow Coffeehouse.

"We absolutely did not push anyone out," she said. "As small business owners we would never do that because we know how hard it is."

Smith plans to fight T-Con's decision until the day Diedrich closes, but he is also looking for a new location and wants to find a temporary space from which his employees could work.
He said employees also have the option to move to the two other Diedrich Coffeehouse locations in Houston, at 4005 Montrose Blvd. and 1008 Bay Area Blvd.

Grant said he will continue to do everything he can to keep the coffeehouse open.
"People have business meetings here. College students come here to study. Parents feel this is a safe place for their children to hang out after school," Grant said "I am going to keep speaking out because I know people love this place."

Do you really need one more red flag: Christians in the Horn

While everyone is screaming over Iraq, another huge conflict exists in the Horn of Africa. I will attach a link here if you don't know much about it. (The Economist article)

Long story short: Somalia has a new bully in town, and they are called the Union of Islamic Courts. They are a militant Islamic group that steadily gained support and took over at breath taking speed beginning in the capital of Mogadishu. This has culiminated in thousands fleeing from the group, including Christians who have taken refuge in camps on the border of Kenya and Ethiopia (mostly Kenya).

Ethiopia, threatened by the UIC moving closer and closer to their border has risen to help the rag tag "transitional" Somali government. The UIC has now declared Holy War on Ethiopia. Eritrea, a long time enemy of Ethiopia is giving arms to Somalia. There have been reports of ERitrean troops moving to the border. This could engulf the whole Horn.

Unfortuanety this is affecting many Christians on the border of Somalia, and elsewhere in Nairobi and Addis where Muslims are rising up against Christians. There has been a surge of violence against Christians in the Oromo region of Ethiopia and to the East as well. An Ethiopian pastor has been corresponding with me and just sent me pictures of a massacre that took place a month ago. I will spare you the pictures, because they are really disturbing. But truely. Pray for Ethiopia and for Christians in the Horn becuase this is a difficult hour and many are suffering for the sake of the gospel.

Old monuments, old Bibles, old battlefields

This weekend i took my mom on a whirlwind of historical sites here in our nations capital. It was a marathon really: old monuments, old Bibles, old Battlefields. The blue sky this morning in Pennsylvania was a stark contrast to the hues of reds and yellow we gazed at on the skyline. In the sunlight the trees glow here. My pictures are a poor represenation of the real thing...

Fire in Southern California

My aunt lost her home yesterday in this fire in California. Pray for those that lost loved ones, or their homes and are having to start over...



October 27, 2006
4 Firefighters Killed by Blaze in California
By RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD and JENNIFER STEINHAUER

BEAUMONT, Calif., Oct. 26 — Four firefighters were killed on Thursday and one was seriously injured when an arson fire ripped through a hilly patch of Southern California, destroying thousands of acres and forcing hundreds of residents to evacuate their homes.
By Thursday night, the fire was still uncontained and, buoyed by strong and gusting winds, rolling west along the thick desert terrain.

Officials said the fire, which began about 1 a.m. Thursday just northwest of Palm Springs, was deliberately set but did not give details. Carried by 25 mile an hour winds, it spread throughout craggy, mostly unincorporated areas in Riverside County, where residents began to evacuate in the dark of night.

The flames quickly encountered the Santa Ana winds, which are common this time of year, and streaked through the parched vegetation, igniting ranch homes, some of which burned to their foundations, and scorching at least 24,000 acres, including 10,000 acres in just four to five hours.

By midday Thursday, a long and wide churning curtain of orange-beige smoke cloaked a wide strip of desert, and the smell of smoke lingered as far west as downtown Los Angeles, 90 miles away.

Officials painted a horrific scene in Cabazon, where five firefighters were working to protect a home and found their truck suddenly engulfed in flames when the wind shifted.
Three firefighters died at the scene, and one died hours later at the hospital. A fifth was in critical condition Thursday night. The names of the firefighters, members of the United States Forest Service, were not released.

It was the worst loss of life among firefighters in Riverside County in over 50 years.
Officials said they would offer $100,000 to any informant who led them to an arrest of the arsonist.

“A deliberately set arson fire that leads to the death of anyone constitutes murder,” Chief John Hawkins of the Riverside County Fire Division of the California Department of Forestry said.
Residents of Twin Pines, an area near the origin of the fire, awoke in the middle of the night to the strong odor of smoke and an orange glow over the top of the mountains. By 3 a.m. emergency workers were ordering them out, and they hustled to collect clothes, family photos, insurance papers and pets.

“Does anybody know anything about Wonderview?” Lilly Arroyo, 77, called out through tears at an evacuation center at the Banning Community Center, near Cabazon.

A dozen neighbors huddled around a television hoping for a glimpse of their homes from news coverage, but shook their heads, “No.”
Her cockatiel, Toots, died, Ms. Arroyo said, as she sped from her trailer home in the path of a wall of flames. Officials said roughly 700 people had fled their homes.
Chief Hawkins said that 11 structures had been destroyed but that he did not have details of what they were. The chief said at a news conference last night that the fire was 5 percent contained. “That may not sound like a lot,” he said, “but it truly is.”

The rocky terrain and lack of open roads made it hard for emergency workers to get water to the fire-fighting sites; 400 people in recreational vehicles on a mountain near the fire’s center were told to stay put, protected by firefighters, so as not to clog the only open road to the area. Fire officials said winds hampered efforts to drop water and fire retardant.
“Dry, windy weather can push a fire like this to grow very quickly,” said Patrick Chandler, a spokesman for the Riverside County Fire Department. ”

Dennis Watkins, 54, just finished building his “dream home” in May and, following the authorities’ precautions against wildfires, had cleared away much of the brush and trees near the house. On Thursday he asked neighbors at the community center if they had heard anything and waited for definitive word.

Some residents snaked their way up a one-lane road out of town; using a leash, one farmer pulled his lama alongside his truck.

With 1,000 firefighters already at work and 2,000 more coming, officials worried that the fire could reach an area of the San Bernardino National Forest where a bark beetle infestation had killed trees that could easily fuel a blaze.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said the state “will put the full force of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection behind fighting this fire and will reach out to evacuees to see what can be done in their time of need.”

The governor also declared a state of emergency in Riverside County.
Wildfires in California’s national forests are common this time of year. Almost exactly three years ago, fires killed 17 people and burned more than 376,000 acres and 2,600 homes across San Diego County.

Complain productively

Courtesy of a very rational thinker

Crossroads

This morning I went to The Falls Church to hear the head of International Justice Mission speak. His sermon was called: When God's Will is Scary. This was exactly the word i needed to hear this weekend.

Basically, he proposed a question: Do you want to be brave, or do you want to be safe in this life? A good question, and a question I think we are all challenged with in our few precious moments on the earth.

This can mean so many things to people. Do you want to settle in that relationship, because right now there is nothing better? Do you want to pursue that dream even though it may be costly? Do you want to travel 1500 miles across the country? Are you prepared to travel to the other side of the globe? What if you are called foolish? What if it isn't working out exactly as you anticipated?

There is a risk to following Jesus. It is high and it may cost you your life. In fact, He will most definitely ask you for all of it. Don't worry, if you haven't been asked yet, He will at some point in this journey.

I feel like I am at a crossroads in my journey, and I have been asking these questions, during the in between times... in the morning with my coffee in my car, or on the subway... Wanting a safer option, a safer route, one that is more predictable.

Jesus is not the safer option. In the Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe, Lucy sees Aslan, and she asks, "Is He safe?". The response from her companion, "Safe? Who said anything about safe? Of course He's not safe. But He is good. He is the King I tell you..."

Flags of our Fathers

My mom and I are planning to go see the movie, Flags of our Fathers when she comes into town next week. It's a special movie for me because my grandfather fought in the Pacific. He served on Tinian Island where Little Boy and Fat Man were held until the bombings. My grandad was a very meticulous man when it came to his job, keeping the airplanes in excellent condition. He never would really share with us about the atomic bomb and being so close to all that, but he did have some amazing stories about the war.

He served a number of years in Enid, Oklahoma at Vance AFB after the war and knew these two guys written about below who fought in Iwo Jima.

Film brings back Iwo Jima memories

By Jeff MullinSenior WriterOn Feb. 23, 1945, a group of U.S. Marines climbed to the top of Mount Suribachi, a volcanic hill nearly 600 feet high on a small Pacific island called Iwo Jima.The Marines encountered little or no resistance, in stark contrast to the brutal fighting that had been taking place on the island since the Marines invaded some five days prior. The flag-raising spawned a book by James Bradley, “Flags of Our Fathers.” That book has been made into a movie, of the same name, directed by Clint Eastwood. The film opens nationally today and can be seen in Enid at Dickinson Theatres’ Oakwood 8. Among the many men on hand the day the flag went up on Mount Suribachi were several from the Enid area.

Here are three of their stories:

Jim Goodrich

Goodrich was an 18-year-old corporal that day, a member of the 5th Marine Division, 27th Regiment.The Garber native joined the Marines when he was 16 and already was a veteran of the bloody battles at Guadalcanal and Tarawa.“I was considered an old veteran,” he said.He was in the first wave of Marines to hit the beach at Iwo Jima Feb. 19, 1945. He was a machine-gunner.Goodrich and his unit fought their way across Iwo Jima. It was brutal fighting, with the Japanese firmly entrenched in caves and foxholes, fighting to the death to retain control of the island.“The other two battles I was in, I thought were pretty intense,” Goodrich said. “But (on Iwo Jima) I never saw so many mangled bodies in all my life. The artillery was just something else.”On Feb. 23, 1945, a member of Goodrich’s machine gun squad said, “Something’s going on on Suribachi.”“I had binoculars because I was the crew leader, so I looked up there, and there it was, they had raised the little flag,” Goodrich said. “Then they took it down, and I said, ‘It didn’t stay up there long,’ but it was very hard to see. After while, I don’t know how long it was, they said, ‘Hey, there’s a bigger flag going up.’ That was the one Rosenthal got his picture of.”When the bigger flag went up, Goodrich said, “Ships out in the bay, I could hear them tooting their horns. I thought I could hear men hollering, even. Everyone was glad to see it up. It was a real morale booster to us.”Goodrich’s stay on Iwo Jima ended 15 days later when an enemy machine gun round passed through a letter from a pen pal he had stuck in his shirt pocket and entered his intestines. He lost three and a half feet of his intestines in surgery performed in a tent on an Iwo Jima beach. Of the 250 men in Goodrich’s unit who hit the beach at Iwo Jima, only 22 walked off the island.“And I wasn’t one of them,” said Goodrich, who still has a framed copy of the letter that bears the bullet hole.Today Goodrich lives in Enid with his wife, Peggy. The couple plans to see “Flags of Our Fathers,” once with their grandson, himself a former Marine, and twice with friends.“We’re going to see it until we’re probably sick of it,” said Peggy, laughing.

Cass Montgomery

The 1940 Enid High graduate was a radarman on the Navy destroyer USS McCall on Feb. 19, 1945, when the Marines began going ashore.“The first report we got back from Iwo Jima from the Marines was, ‘There’s nothing going on, we’re just advancing right up the island.’ The next report was, ‘Help,’ they were surrounded. And from there on it got worse and worse.”The McCall was doing patrol duty around the island. During the day the ship pounded Japanese positions with its five-inch guns, and at night it would light up Iwo Jima with incandescent star shells.“We never let the island go dark,” he said. “Every one minute we’d put a shell out and kept the island lit every night.”The McCall earned the nickname “Lucky McCall,” since it was never hit by enemy fire. During the battle for Iwo Jima, however, a destroyer sitting near the McCall was hit by a Japanese mortar and a number of men were hurt. Montgomery was part of a team dispatched to help the injured sailors.Reading about the incident this week in the log book he kept during the war, “Almost makes you cry,” he said. “I’d never seen a captain of a ship cry, but when he buried those guys at sea he stood there and cried.”On Feb. 23, 1945, the McCall was stationed about 1,000 yards off the beach at Iwo Jima.“I was standing on the bridge of the ship,” said Montgomery. “We had binoculars watching and I looked up and said, ‘Hey, there’s a flag on top of Hot Rocks (the sailors’ nickname for Mount Suribachi).’”After the war Montgomery worked at Vance Air Force Base for more than 40 years, retiring in 1985. He continued his lifelong love of aviation and today, at almost 85, still owns his own airplane.During a trip to a reunion of Iwo Jima survivors, Montgomery and his wife, Louise, met “Flags of Our Fathers” author Bradley, whose father, John, was one of the men raising the large flag on Mount Suribachi. They say they’re not sure whether or not they’ll see the film.“He told us at that time they were thinking of making a movie of the book,” said Louise.

Nice suprise

My friend "Spearsie" came into town this week and so we had some Tai food in Silver Spring and back to my house to watch Grey's Anatomy. Grey's Anatomy and old friends are a good combo... I forget how funny Spearsie is and how good it is to laugh with her. She made my week.

Momma D and the anklebiters

The picture to the left is of me and my mom when i was just a young thing. My mom likes the little ones and she has been teaching again. Her email made me smile this morning...

I subbed for that same lady in first grade that I had subbed for all those weeks because she had to go to a funeral. The kids had made me a bag with all their little handprints on it plus they had written notes of appreciation. They are such sweet children. If I would have known that children this age are as sweet as they are, I think I would have chosen to teach this age group all those years. They all had to give me hugs when I went out to the playground to pick them up this morning and then they all said how much they had missed me and I told them how much I had missed them too which was true. I hope I said positive words into their lives because I can remember how much my first teachers meant to me and how important it is to start your school years on a positive note. I just hope I never was a teacher that caused a child to dislike school or said hurtful words to them. Anyway, guess I had better get going this evening. Love and prayers, Mom

Can Diedrichs be saved? The saga continues

My friend Joe sent this to me in the mail, a letter obviously not written by him because he would not have mispelled the name of the place in dire need of being saved.

So here's the story folks: My beloved coffee shop from home could possibly be taken over by an unoriginal beauty salon where women pay entirely too much money to get their hair cut.

If you are a Diedrichs (on Hazard and Westheimer) fan like me, who lived there during school, or shared a significant moment of community there please email or write a letter to the addys below. Heck - if you care anything about community and have your own Diedrichs in whatever neck of the woods you lay claim to, please write an email or a letter.

And thanks for your support.

People who own the property: T-Con Properties LTD/2701 Kipling St./ Houston 77098-1214. Their phone number is 713-626-8888

The Upper Hand (Unoriginal, imperialist hair salon): 1905 Westheimer, Houston 77098 Phone No: 713-520-0772 (theupperhand.com) They also have a location at: 11805 Westeimer #390, Phone No. 281-497-8280

Other Emails: If sending emails to houston chronicle, houston press, or khou, for best response identify yourself.

Houston Chronicle: howard.decker@chron.com

frankmiller@chron.com

Houston Press: letters@houstonpress.com

H Town news channel: assignments@khou.com

Knitting machine

Someday I will be able to knit like this:

The Last Knit

One step at a time

Words from a new book I am reading called Ruthless Trust, by Brennan Manning...

"The words of the fifteenth - century theologian Angelus Silesius, 'If God stopped thinking of me, he would cease to exist,' are thoroughly orthodox. Silesius merely paraphrases the message of Jesus: 'Can you buy five sparrows for two pennies? And yet not one is forgotten in God's sight. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. There is no need to be afraid; you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows." (Luke 12:6-7).

We can feel forgotten, but He is always mindful of us. Lately I have felt uncertain about alot of things. I want clarity, direction, a life compass that I can hold in my hand and point me down the right path. Yet as I have been reading B. Manning's book perhaps that is something I need to let go of and what I really need to do is trust that each step He sees and He knows. He loves me too much to take His eyes off me. He is mindful always... He never forgets.

You light a lamp for me. The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness. - ps 18

Can you feel the zoom?

At work today...

Kelly: Man, this month, it has just zoomed on by, can you feel it?

Jeremy: Pauses and thinks. Yes. I can feel the zoom. Jen can you feel the zoom?

Jen: LOL - I can indeed feel the zoom.

The Black Cat

Last night my friends Rachel, Abby, and I went to a concert at the Black Cat.

There we heard the vocal stylings of Rosie Thomas and Damien Jurado. What an evening of music. Rosie was cool because she had an alter ego onstage, but somehow she managed to be very genuine up there, and she had a voice.

I liked Damien for different reasons, namely the cello accompaniment. Beautiful.

Saddest news ever: Deidrichs may close

My coffee shoppe from back home, Deidrichs may be closing as early as November 6th. Two friends of mine, confirmed the rumor.

Where am I going to get coffee when I go home??? Starbucks?

I am just so sad today.

Highlights

Listening to: Fernando Ortega

Good things happened yesterday:

1. I balanced our teams finances from our trip to Morocco and Egypt. I was two dollars off!!!

2. I drove my friend Jeremy to the metro after work and we had a great conversation about church. Jeremy is very wise for his years.

3. I met two new girls last night at a small group that I liked immediately. I haven't been to a small group in a long time, and really enjoyed it.

4. On the way home on the train last night, three guys came on and sang some good old fashioned gospel. The twenty five minute ride flew by.

The nameless

One of my contacts in Sudan is a pastor who travels through the South, and now the West to minister to his people. His name is James.

During the Civil War, he had been separated from his mother, in fact he did not know where she was for almost twenty years. Not too long ago, James discovered that his mother was in a refugee camp on the border. He desperately wanted to take her out of there, but she refused. She had been taking care of children in the camp, whose parents had died. "Who will take care of them if i leave??" she asked James, "this is where I belong."

I know it is in our nature to desire to be great, that our life would be important, or meaningful. We all want that, in some capacity, whether we recognize it or not. I know in the city I am living in, people are striving to be important or successful in their own eyes, and in the eyes of others. To make a name for themselves.

And then there are the nameless, faceless human beings in this world, who will never be recognized by the world, but whose lives are truely significant, because they embody the love of Jesus Christ, and have taken on His name, have taken on His humility. Their glory transcends all that is ephemeral in this world. They are a beautiful sight to behold.

I think on the other side of eternity, we will be surpised at who was considered great.

Waking up is so hard to do

I have a hard time waking up in the morning.

In my 29 years of living, this has never really changed for me. I remember when I was all of seven or eight years old and my mom would have to yank the sheets off of me, because it was so dang hard to wake up.

So, this morning I woke up with the alarm in my hand. I don't remember hitting the alarm button over again, maybe because the alarm was in my hand :) I had scheduled it for 6 am, and ended up waking up at 7:45. My snooze alarm rings every five minutes. Do you know how many snooze alarms that is???

I sleep on a loft, so, it is really warm and cozy up near the ceiling of my room. I am so snug by the time i wake up, that it is chinese water torture to walk down and face my cold wood floors.

Those wood floors!!! Sigh... I can't imagine what this is going to be like in a month or two when it gets colder.

My grandma is on the internet

My grandma is becoming internet savy, I'm so proud of her. My goal is to get her started on her own blog.

"Jen, the internet is such a time taker... and a time waster..."

Oh yeah grandma, it's definitely both...

It's a desert out there

Listening to: Brenda Fassie, "Vul'indela"

























One of the men i met told me God brought a verse to his mind a year ago, when he approached a border and the customs officer searches his stuff and found copies of the New Testament.





To his shock, all the officers wanted a copy to read.






























The verse is in Amos 8: "The days are coming," declares the Sovereign LORD, "when I will send a famine through the land— not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it. "





















Man. The Word of God is life. Whether we are in a dry and weary land, or in a place of abundance.
























I was mostly amazed at how God pursues people, all over the world where it is not so easy to hear the message of Christ. It makes me love Him that much more...

The art of being awkward on a press interview

This week I gave two interviews to press about two different issues in Africa.

A disclaimer: These are the first two interviews i have ever given to the press. I didn't enjoy it at all. I could hear myself talking and I am thinking to myself "Jen, you sound ridiculous. Jen why did they hand you the phone. Jen!!! Why aren't you still on the otherside of the ocean with your north african peeps?" I think i was repeating myself alot, because I was nervous. In the second interview the guy asked me a question about oil in sudan that was an incredibly complicated question that was difficult to lay out an "A B C" answer. So you know what i said? Yeah, "well, that is an incredibly complicated question, with no easy answer." But i did answer his question to the best of my knowledge and ridiculously limited experience. If someone has tips on how to give a poised interview please let me know.

I knew this would be apart of my job, but i feel a heightened sense of self consciousness about my words. When i gave this interview today, it was like putting on a pair of jeans that are too tight. You try to zip them up, and you are like, "Not a chance man, this is uber uncomfortable."

As the last few months have unfolded, I have to say that being in D.C. is exciting and i have enjoyed the ride so far, but my real passion is still connecting and building relationships with people from other nations. that is what i am really good at. i enjoy it and feel incredibly fulfilled by it.

interviews to the press may be the cup of tea for some, but if it was up to me, i would much rather be talking to the girl who is struggling with telling her Muslim family she just became a believer. I feel at home talking to her.

Hassan II Mosque

One of the more interesting days of my trip: Visiting the Hassan II Mosque

The Hassan II Mosque was designed by the French architect Michel Pinceau and is the second largest in the world (after the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca). It is sited on a promontory looking out to the Atlantic, which can be seen through a gigantic glass floor with room for 25,000 worshippers. A further 80,000 can be accommodated in the mosque's courtyard. Its minaret is also the world's tallest at 210 meters.

The day we went to the mosque it was Friday, and we arrived just in time for mid day prayer.

I like the idea of coming together to pray in the middle of the day, with friends and family.


I'm thinking of getting my own prayer rug.

In light of my latest pilgrimage

These words make me happy. We live in a great nation.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Jen's excellent adventure

So i am still in N. Africa, Egypt to be exact. Can't say much about specifics yet about the trip thus far, but here are six interesting highlights:

1. At JFK airport, my team was sitting waiting for our flight, and the former President of Iran came blazing through with alot of bodyguards and police. It was like witnessing a celebrity citing. I kind of freaked out.

2. On the flight to Casablanca, i found three seats that were empty and was excited because of the thought of getting a chance to sleep. The guy on the otherside of the aisle however decided to interrupt my plans and sit next to me for dinner. He said he was a "homeboy" from Morocco and there was something about my eyes. I told him thank you for the company but i really needed to rest. He went to the back of the airplane to buy me a gift. I came away with a french manicure set.

3. In Morocco, i learned more french than Arabic. I like how people say my name in french. it's different, definitely not the same old jennifer in america. it has inspired me to learn french.

4. I went into the largest mosque in the world outside of Mecca. For real man. It was amazing. the mosque is estimated to cost around 3 billion dollars and is just outside casablanca. it is built on the water, based on the islamic scripture that says the throne of Allah resides on the water. We went on a friday, when everyone went to pray. I wanted to take more pictures but the police got a little irritated with me (he was afraid of someone getting really upset with me, even though i was far away). I could write a book on this experience but will save to later.

5. There is a shortage of women of my faith in morocco and egypt. this has led to many interesting encounters here. definitely more later on this.

6. The call to prayer here wakes me up early, early in the morning. some people have told me that it gives them chills. for me, something inside just cries out for truth in this land. That this land would hunger and thirst for truth.

Destination North Africa

I leave for North Africa today.

If any of you are the praying type, remember me.

The older you get

I just got off the phone with my mom.

The older I get, the more I see how important family is to me. The older I get I see how much my mom means to me.

Sandra Joanne. Lover of her children, her husband. Teacher of all ages, trivia extradoinare, future Jeopardy grand prize winner! History enthusiast. Athelete. Competetive! Capable of anything. If she had ten more lives she could be professor, archeologist, astronaut. model.

Knock out on the outside, but especially on those insides. She's a keeper.

Beauty from ashes

One of my dearest friends, Deborah sent my church family this email five years ago on September 11.

I am on-call at the hospital tonight--but wanted to share something with all of you. LAST TUESDAY, the Lord put the following prayer on my heart--The image was strange to me at the time--but, thankfully, I wrote it down in my journal and have been praying it over and over today in light of all of the tragedy... I am praying that this would be the testimony of all of those involved in this terrible thing... Confident in the God that brings beauty from ashes,
Deborah

O Lord, how you come rescue us!
Digging us our from the things that have collapsed upon us-
The things that we lie buried in--
and that threaten to suffocate us
O Lord, you dig us out from the rubble--
From the ruins of the building that we once thought strong
When we are trapped and helpless--
Smothered-
You save us
You run to us
And dig passionately and furiously
To free us from the things
that threaten to deprive us our very breath
Praise you Jesus
I am free
I can breathe
The rubble which laid so heavy upon my chest has been lifted.
O Lord, my Deliverer.

Early mornings

Listening to: "You are the one" - Keith Green, remixed by J. Upton

I love the mornings sometimes, especially when i can be still and listen. The theme of this year for me is Back to Basics. I am learning a gratefulness for the cross and the resurrection in a way that i had never experienced before. It is changing my life.

This morning I read out of my d. bonhoeffer devo, "A Morning Blessing"

But early on Easter morning Christ emerged victorious from the grave. "Ere yet the dawn has filled the skies/Behold my Savior Christ arise,/He chases from us sin and night,/And brings us joy and life and light. Halleluia."

So sang the church of the Reformation. Christ is the "Sun of Righteousness," who has risen upon the expectant congregation (Mal 4:2) and they who love him will be like the sun when it rises in its strength (Judges 5:31). The early morning belongs to the church of the risen Christ. At the break of light it remembers the morning on which death, the devil, and sin were brought low in defeat, and new life and salvation were given to human beings.

Amen and Amen

Some just call it Houston...I like to call it home

This weekend was perfect. Beautiful weather and spending time with my family in Houston...

There were long walks in my old neighborhood.

I got to hang out with ciani, a little girl from my church who i love like she was my own:

Ciani shows off her room

There was coffee with old friends

And I ran into friends with really cute babies...

And friends who make me laugh!!!

I spent nearly seven years in Houston Texas. I moved six times, and I lived with five different people. I even had a garage apt. to myself once which i really miss sometimes.

Oh yeah - don't let this sappy talk of mine mislead you. I hated it at first. I mean HATED with a passion, HATED Houston. I wanted to run away from this place, not to mention all the junk that was slowly being rooted out of my life. Now i feel like it's the only home I have in this world, even though i'm not living there anymore. And because I stayed, I made friends with some of the truest people i have ever had the privelage of knowing.

So here's to H Town..... it is way over it's quota for amazing people.

I'm in Houston!!!!

I'm lovin' it!!!

More to come...

I gotsum squash

It may not be a big deal to all you good people, but i am loving the whole process: watching the seeds i planted in june grow up to be grown up plants... and they aren't dead yet - AND in fact I am seeing some real deal veggies in my garden now!