Fun photos and an article that makes me ANGRY!!!

OK, here are some photos of the last few weeks. First we've got a bunch of us disciples squished together on a bean bag chair before we watched "The Life of Brian" in our module on Jesus. It was interesting to me that a lot of young Brits don't enjoy Monty Python. I loved seeing that film again, but some of my friends just couldn't see the point. Then there's a photo of me winding up to kick what I thought was a big, pink ball on the Hayling Island beach. As I kicked it, I realized that it was actually a buoy, and then I saw the rope attached to it. Hayling Island is just off the South Coast of England, across from the city of Portsmouth, and on our free afternoon at the National Leaders Conference, several of us girls went for a long walk around the island. That's Rachel, Liz, Ruth, Jida, Jo and me in the next photo. Kristen was with us earlier but had to go back to the hotel to set up for an event, Jen was with her boyfriend Tim H. and Laura was with her boyfriend Tim B. It was fun to get so many of the girls together for a walk, though! The final photo was taken from up high in Spinnaker Tower, a huge structure in Portsmouth that offers gorgeous views of the sea, coastal towns, naval ships and the Isle of Wight. I'm in that photo with my friends Sarah and Andy.
















The other item I wanted to post was a link to this excellent article in the Washington Post. That is, the article is excellent, but the people it profiles make me FURIOUS! Especially the woman who puts on a surgical mask whenever a Mexican immigrant passes by so that she won't catch a disease. She says she's not racist, but I don't see how she can possibly defend that claim.


I'm very glad that McCain is doing well. I think he and Kennedy came up with a very sensible plan for immigration and it was a shame that it didn't pass Congress. I loved what Columbus Vineyard pastor Rich Nathan said at the leaders/pastors conference last week. He said, "How do you feel about your country (the U.S. or UK) changing because of immigration? Does it scare you? Do you want everyone to go back where they came from? Well, the Bible says that God loves the aliens and the poor. You might want to consider joining the winning side." I completely agree that we need to control immigration and somehow put a stop to all of the illegal crossings and attendant problems they bring, but I also think that we, as Americans, have to get used to the idea that the face of our country is changing. By 2050, America will be a nation made up of a majority of non-whites. Yes, we Caucasians have had a good run in America, but we have to accept that the world is not predominantly white and neither is the "assembly of the righteous" that will bow down before God in heaven (Psalm 1, Revelation). I admit that this idea challenges me and sometimes I want my country to stay the same and look the same and have the same traditions it's had for 250 years. But the reality is that it's not going to happen. I feel that our job as Christians is to make our cities and lands a welcoming place where the peace and justice of God's kingdom will reign, and that means welcoming in the foreigners who *will* come and finding the best way possible to integrate them into our ever-changing societies.

There, my rant for the day is done. Now to that banana bread!