http://www.purevolume.com/_iframe/audio_button_player.php?songId=2202954

But tonight I wanted to pass on some feedback about a new movie out called “Conviction” featuring Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell.

I work for a faith-based, non-profit. I don’t get a lot of junket trips or frills, but I do have the blessing of a very rewarding job.  Every once in awhile, we’ll get a little surprise.  Earlier this fall, Hilary Swank, as well as the woman she played in the movie, Betty Anne Waters, came to our office building to screen “Conviction” for our neighbors (and landlords), Prison Fellowship Ministries.  We were invited. Downstairs in the big conference room - just a little popcorn and excitement after work.  

“Conviction” is based on a true story about a woman named Betty Anne Waters who resolved, as a married mom with kids, to complete high school, college and law school to help get her brother Kenny out of prison.  Kenny had been convicted of murder and Betty Anne believed he was innocent.  The story is a moving depiction of the love between a sister and brother – a love that blossomed in a very tough, abusive environment.  Betty Anne and Kenny had unstable parents and then suffered through rounds of foster homes.  The pain drew them together and the bond never broke. 

In every true life story, there is suffering.  And in every true life story, there is evidence of grace.  Look for it.  Betty Anne sought for the evidence that made all the difference to her brother’s conviction.  What is the evidence in and around your life that there is Grace? 

I frequently realize that there is evidence of Grace in my life. Most recently, I’ve been thinking about the life-long relationships that I’ve formed with my coworkers on the “battlefield” and how deeply I enjoy them.

So if you see this movie, let me know what you think.

I love lights, camera, action.

The other day I uttered a prayer whilst looking for a parking space outside Costco. (I like saying “whilst” like a Brit – just heard it recently on BBC World News.) 

No, the prayer wasn’t for a parking space.

And, considering the freshness of this prayer, I thought I’d briefly share with you about it. Afterwards, maybe you’d share about your crazy dreams, if you don’t mind sharing them. 

Oh, how I’ve been itching to write a blog on a topic other than, “I’m so upset about the recent thing the Obama administration just did to undermine the things I care about.” 

So, let’s get started. A little background – I’m a “Lord of the Rings” junkie if you don’t know that already.  I’ve watched all the behind the scenes videos about the making of the film and the camaraderie among the filmmakers, actors, artists, set designers, costume makers, etc.  What a production that was and what a display of artistic excellence!  How fun and amazing it would have been to have been a part of making a film like that.

I’ve always had a thing for “lights, camera, action.” In fact, that’s part of what first attracted me to work in the press office at Family Research Council.  Every day it seemed, there was a camera crew in our office – NBC, CNN, ABC, Fox.  I would receive the crew and help them set up their lights and cameras in our conference room.  As the years went on, I did a few of the interviews as well.  In all that, I enjoyed the excitement of the cameras rolling, the lights on, and the opportunity to communicate something true, in a compelling and passionate way.

Throughout my life, I’ve also had a few opportunities to be a part of a stage production, and oh, how I’ve loved it.  In 2003, I played Essie in “You Can’t Take It With You” in a community theater gig and had the time of my life.

So, with that little background in mind, out comes my prayer outside Costco while dodging shopping carts, kids, and SUVs: “Lord, may I someday get to be a significant part of something theatrical and meaningful. ” And, as an addendum, “And may I also have an opportunity to appreciate and express my love for music.”

Then, in to Costco I went – toilet paper, oranges, coffee, cheese, and so on.

So, this is a wild dream, but an honest request to God. 

What about you? Any wild dreams expressed to God lately? Why not ask? Have you ever uttered a heartfelt prayer in the least suspected moment and thought, where did that come from? Would love to hear.

I’m a little frustrated that the U.S. is both funding and promoting abortion overseas under the direction of the current administration. Yes, not everything that the U.S. has done overseas has been righteous and good. But many of our efforts over the decades have indeed helped to save lives and rebuild countries. Think of all the good that we have been able to accomplish recently in Africa through AIDS relief and now much more is needed to fight malaria. We have used our wealth for good and great causes.

Now is not the time to promote abortion, and those who use political office to do so are extremely misguided to say the least. 

Just some thoughts from InspireLifeNow:

Washington Post columnist and former Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson, calls Secretary of State Clinton’s advocacy an “abortion grenade” that threatens the bi-partisan, U.S. coalition on global development which has successfully come together to help combat diseases like AIDS and malaria, without promoting abortion. In his words, her pro-abortion advocacy is not only an affront to countries taking a pro-life stand, it also risks our national consensus on global aid. If that’s lost, so may be the critical, life-saving support for hurting countries, particularly in Africa.

So, what do you do in response? You vote, you pray, you make a difference and speak out about your views, persuading others to see the way. You get involved in global missions where you can make a positive difference.  You run for office. 

Secretary Clinton, have you ever sat in a post-abortion healing support group and listened to the stories of women who have lamented their decision to have an abortion? Have you ever wiped the tear of a woman in Eastern Europe who has had 30 abortions? These experiences have revealed to me that abortion is not what women around the world need. They need health care, they need education, they need justice, they need food, medicine, and AIDS relief. But ending the lives of their children is something they don’t need.

One day we all will see that this is true. We are not far away. I truly believe this.

Dad and Kristin aboard the electric Duffy, "Amply Blessed!"

Today, I honor my dad as he celebrates his birthday! My dad is a very special person on so many levels. He is a faithful husband, a caring father, a supportive friend, and a committed mentor to many who have sought his counsel over the years. He is the best dancer on the dance floor, after my mom; he’s the first to stand up and make a speech in honor of somebody or say a prayer; he’s someone you would want as your leader in battle as well as by your bedside when you are ill.

One of my favorite memories with my dad was when I was in elementary school and junior high.  Every few weeks, he would drive me to school, but on the way there we’d stop and have breakfast. We had two favorite places: Coco’s and C’est si bon!  At Coco’s, I’d order eggs sunny side up and at C’est si bon, I would order a chocolate croissant.  I loved our time chatting over the meal. We would talk about me – my hopes, dreams, skills, challenges, etc.  He helped me to grow up, to be a big girl, to dream and shoot for the stars.  It was a little snapshot of time that helped me to step outside my regular world and think about the big picture. 

Thanks, Dad, for all those days we had breakfast and for your mentoring and encouragement over the years! I love you and wish I could be there in person to give you a birthday hug!  Instead, I’m sending you this silly card which expresses just what a special day this is in history and to America!  Happy Birthday!

I went to an orientation and convocation this week and felt a little out of place at first.  I stuck around afterwards and met some of the students and faculty and started to warm up to the idea that my heart and mind might really enjoy pouring into the Bible a little deeper.

So, I’m going on record with you.  I thought I’d work on a new list - the ”Top Ten Reasons I’m Taking a Seminary Class”.  So here goes:

10. I’m a glutton for punishment.

9. Living in the D.C. area, I have a ton of free time.

8. No seriously, I’ve flirted with the seminary website, www.rts.edu for years. It’s time I put my toe in the water.

7.  Art Lindsley told me to.

6. In prayer this summer, a ton of questions came into my mind out of nowhere about the Old Testament – questions I could have given you half-decent theological answers to, but answers that were no longer sufficing for my heart. Questions like:

• If Old Testament “believers” were righteous by faith, what did they place their faith on?
• What exactly does it mean to be called “righteous”?
• If they were deemed righteous by faith, why did Jesus need to die?

I wrote these down in my journal at that very moment because it’s not often these type of questions come up in my usual “Lord, help me through tomorrow” prayers.  Ultimately, these questions demand the overarching question, “Why does Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection matter?”  I know, but I don’t know in the way that I want to know. You know?

5. I do “communications” for a living, which means I like to think, write, speak, persuade, etc.  In particular, I do communications for a Christian non-profit organization. I believe that God uses people like me when they have something to say that comes from Him as a result of prayer and “chewing” on His Word.  No eating God’s Word, not much to say.

4. I feel “thin. Sort of stretched, like…butter scraped over too much bread” – a quote by Bilbo Baggins in Lord of the Rings. You ever feel like the faith that you claim to rest your life on is a just a little shallow? Not like you’re superficial or a hypocrite, just that you need a deeper foundation and a better reason for things.  Actually, I don’t know that I really feel this way, but I like saying it, and I like Bilbo and Lord of the Rings.

3. I’ve been reading Carolyn Custis James and specifically her When Life and Beliefs Collide. In this book, she challenges women to be better theologians.  Why? Because when everything hits the fan, your theology matters.  Also, you’ll have more depth to offer others as you come alongside those who are wrestling and seeking.

2. Why not? It’s only one class. I’m going to take it for credit. Exams, paper(s) – I don’t even know how many yet – lots of reading, less TV, etc.  It’s not like it’s a commitment for the rest of my life.

1. Because I trust God will do something cool in my heart when I step out in faith with Him.

That’s it. It’s official. Wish me luck!

What exactly do you do?

I am currently working in private practice as an Adolescent and Family counselor. I love people. I love meeting with people to talk about life. I meet with clients who are struggling with any areas consisting of boundaries, divorce, grief, relational issues, identity, life questions, career counseling, leadership training, and just helping people become unstuck in their current life situations. 
 
How did you get into that?

It is hard to say how I entered into that field. I would say that counseling has always been in me. I seemed to always be the one people confided in or sought out when life got tough. I have always been in awe that even in all hours of the night people would knock on my door to talk. I loved that. I love it still. I think it is so valuable to have people to talk to and bounce ideas off of. We all struggle at one point or another in life; I find it so hopeful to have someone to walk with you. I am grateful to have opportunities to do just that.
 
When you and I were assigned to “prayer at the rail,” we had no takers, so we prayed for each other. You asked for prayer for an upcoming high school girl’s retreat for which you were the featured speaker. What was the gist of your talks for that retreat and why?

Aside from counseling, my favorite love is public speaking. I had the privilege of speaking at a girls youth conference through The Falls Church called “The Real You.” At this conference I spoke to both middle school and high school girls about their identity in Christ. The world around us is constantly, as well as aggressively, trying to define for us who we are. I was speaking about how our identity in Christ never changes. We are His beloved. We are enough. We are loved. That never changes. What we do and what our gifts are looks different for how our lives look, but our identity never changes in Him.

Too often we ask the question of what do you do? Where are you from? Where did you go to school? These questions seem to define who we are in this world. These questions have no bearing on our identity. We have Facebook and other outlets to describe the “about us” of our personalities and preferences, but our identity remains in who God has created us to be.

These are the kind of topics I have discussed for the past two years with high school age kids. I have loved it. I hope for more opportunities to speak with different crowds. 
 
What was one of the most hilarious moments for you in front of a group of teens?

I enjoy acting the fool upfront. For some reason I was born without the embarrassment gene. When playing the game Truth or Dare, I would always choose the dare. One of the most fun moments was having a dance off contest with my close friend. We had such a blast trying to strut our stuff as if we were on MTV at that moment. I will probably never be a back up dancer for anyone but my friends, but it was so fun!

If there were three things you’d like to accomplish before you leave this great earth, what would they be and why?

Wow! This is a great question. What would I want my legacy to be?

The first would have to be trying my best, on as many stages as I could, to speak about how to follow after Jesus in a world that does not look so different then when He was walking around in it 2000 years ago.

Second, I want to live a life where people say, “She is crazy!” I mean that not in just a way that I do crazy things, but how radically I believe in Jesus and follow after him. I would love to be contagious in a way that invites people into a relationship with Jesus that was not known to be possible. I want to be described as a woman after His own heart. The other crazy filters into my number three…

Lastly, would be to accomplish and check off those things on my “bucket list.” I have checked off the first two, which was swimming with Great White sharks in South Africa and skydiving. I would have to say that both were equally exhilarating. My next item on the list is to bungee jump in New Zealand. There is a site called Nevis that holds the second highest platform in the world. Sign me up!

What is your blog about and what’s your favorite blog post?  (Tracee’s blog “Come and See” is found at www.traceepersiko.wordpress.com)

My blog is about my heart and the things in life I wrestle with. I love to encourage discussion, so I try to include a question at the end of each post. My blog is just about life and how to deal with the struggles of every season.

My favorite post would have to be one called “To Be Known.” In the post I talk about what it looks like and means to be known by others as well as being known by God. It is my life long pursuit to know what intimacy with God really looks and feels like. I think we struggle with being known. I think we lack freedom and trust to let ourselves be fully known by another, which translates into how far we will let God know us.

I am all about asking hard questions for myself as well as just putting them out there. I love people and knowing the heart. I love doing life with people. I hope to have the ongoing opportunity to talk about life with many.

Oh, the abortion issue just becomes tedius, doesn’t it? I agree. Can’t we talk about Africa or Iran? Or what about education, the economy, and indeed, health care? Yes, all those are important topics, but tonight, it’s abortion. Others, like Rick Warren, though pro-life, may be branching out to other issues, and some are working on softening their voice, at least according to US News’ Dan Gilgoff.  But not me. Not tonight.

Tonight, our US House of Representatives voted to ignore the convictions of many in Congress and those they represent and moved to pass a bill that would allow for free, taxpayer-funded abortions in Washington, D.C. , home of the nation’s highest abortion rate.  According to estimates, that will encourage 1,000 more abortions per year in the District, many of them on African-American babies.  Allowing for taxpaying funding of abortion sets a terrible precedent.  To my knowledge, nowhere ever has taxpayer funding for abortion been allowed due to pro-life legislative protections that have been in place. 

I’m sorry. I don’t work hard all day for some in Congress to take money out of my paycheck to pay for the destruction of my fellow little brothers and sisters in the womb.  It’s one thing for it to be legal. It’s another to make me pay for it.

While this bill appears to be devastatingly decided, what’s left for debate over the next couple of weeks is the President’s proposal for a national health care system.  Included in this proposal is every element of the so-called Freedom of Choice Act. If passed, not only would millions of dollars be provided for abortion across the nation, but most if not all pro-life laws would be threatened.  Unless Congress hears from us. 

Be encouraged, readers who are pro-life. There were some wonderful speeches made tonight on the House floor by pro-life Congressmen and women. Reps. Chris Smith, Joseph Pitts, Jean Schmidt, Virginia Foxx, and others.  Like my little blog, they too are trying to inform the American people of what’s being discussed so that people will voice their opinions with their representatives. The video clips below are from a recent press conference that will provide you some of the details about the coverage of abortion in the health care bill.

While I’m concerned about all this, I’m actually not too alarmed.  Most Americans are pro-life.  While they may feel uneasy about the label and they may not call their representatives about this, they will not permit a political party to grossly overreach and to offend their deeply held beliefs and those of millions of others. 

I’m pretty non-partisan and I genuinely hope for the success of the good ideas within various political parties.  I spoke at the Democrats for Life national conference earlier this week and was so impressed with the caliber of leaders within their membership who are standing on principle and fighting an uphill battle.  But one thing is for sure, Americans will drop-kick out of office those in Congress who force this on Americans. We’ve seen it happen before – 1994. 

Yes, let’s look for common ground. Let’s use compassionate tones and seek to build bridges and understand one another. But let’s not sit idly by and let this happen without raising a stink.  Go to www.house.gov – enter your zip code and find out your representatives in the House and Senate. Call them. Share your values. Be a part of this critical moment. [Post update 7/17/09 - Go to www.stoptheabortionmandate.com and take part in July 23rd conference call to find out more specifics on getting involved.]

So, you ask, is this another diversion from the peaceful River Cherwell? No. When you talk with friends about things that matter, you might become political, angry, and passionate, and all of it may be part of why God has placed you on this earth.  This is my passion. What is yours? Reveal your convictions to your friends, let them encourage and hold you accountable. Tonight, this is mine, so hold me accountable.

Take Our Poll
OK, you may think this is a complete diversion from the contemplative theme that launched this blog, but this IS a serious topic. As a child of the 80s, I’ve obviously been reflecting on the death of MJ and feeling very sad about it all. I’ve been trying to come up with a thoughtful post about the plight of childhood stars, our hunger for intimacy, our mutual love of entertainers, and something along those lines. Instead, I’ve decided to pay tribute to his fabulous video, Thriller. And what a better way to honor his legacy than for all of us to learn the Thriller dance moves! After learning it as a pre-teen, a few of the dance moves reside in my memory banks, available to call upon at various weddings or parties. In fact, I just dusted off some moves a few weeks ago at a friend’s wedding – but I’m really just a novice. Bets are on whether it will show up again at my brother’s wedding in a few weeks in my bridesmaid dress. Please, join me in learning the Thriller dance and be sure to place your vote above!

Which is your favorite Thriller dance video?

Bodleian Library - Oxford University

Have you ever been to a place that feels magical and you just wanted to sit and soak it all in? That’s exactly how I felt when I had the occasion to visit Oxford and specifically tour the sites around town that were special to author C.S. Lewis.

Ah – Oxford. Frankly, I think I have kind of a “thing” for Gothic architecture and centuries-old, musty-smelling buildings. That’s a big part of what drew me to Princeton University from the beautiful beaches of southern California.  In California, a building is old if it has “Established 1974″ on the cornerstone. If a strip mall there hasn’t been remodeled in five years, it’s likely not doing very good business. Growing up in California, in the midst of new and cutting-edge trends and architecture, what bubbled up inside me was a hunger for history.

So, they say, “if you like the architecture of Princeton, you’ll love Oxford!” How right they were.  Where Princeton is more than 200 years old, much of Oxford is six, seven centuries years old.  Buildings there were nice and musty alright. I loved it.

My favorite part of the trip was the “Christian History” tour of Oxford which led me to chapels, pubs, colleges, monuments, and walkways where famous Christians made their mark in Oxford.  There have been many over the years, and even today there is a strong group that is forging its way, both at Wycliffe Hall and the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, among other places. My favorite old Oxfordians are Thomas Cranmer, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien. Archbishop Cranmer was a martyr on behalf of the English Reformation and the author of the Book of Common Prayer; C.S. Lewis is most famous for his defense of the Christian faith, Mere Christianity, and the magical Chronicles of Narnia; and Tolkien is the author of the epic tale, The Lord of the Rings.  My favorite contemporary Oxfordians are apologists Alister McGrath, Ravi Zacharias, Krish Kandiah, and Amy Orr-Ewing among many others. Keep an eye on these movers and shakers in the world of Christian apologetics.

Kristin in front of Magdalen College

But back to Cherwell. So, the Christian History tour came to Magdalen College where C.S. Lewis had his offices as a tutor in English Langague and Literature. It was in that very office where C.S. Lewis, the atheist, first knelt down to pray to God.  Alongside Magdalen College runs the River Cherwell and Addison’s Walk where C.S. Lewis and his friends J.R. Tolkien and Hugu Dyson took some late night walks into the wee hours of the morning to discuss the story of Jesus Christ - the perfect, true myth in which God, in love, sacrificed himself on behalf of all mankind. When the tour got to that quiet, shady walkway along the river, I told the rest of my friends to go on. I was going to stay here and take it all in. 

I strolled along Addison’s Walk for awhile and found a bench to plop down on and read Lewis’ Prince Caspian. It was a sunny, warm day in July. I kicked off my shoes, and got comfy.  There was just something special about being right where Lewis walked, worked, laughed, and most importantly, wrestled with God as He pursued his heart. 

Lewis has always felt like a spiritual uncle to me. I know there are probably millions of people alive today who could say the same thing. To be in his old stomping grounds was invigorating and comforting.  It is in that same spirit that I write today and in the days to come here on this blog. 

Magdalen College gate to Addison's Walk and the River Cherwell

This blog will likely be a big tent that covers a lot of topics, from what I think about the latest CNN newsfeed, to things I’m learning, and hopefully some interviews with folks that I’d like you to meet.  Please suggest topic ideas and your thoughts on this.  Good night!