There and back again

• No, I haven't been to the top of a mountain with a dozen dwarves to fight a dragon named Smog for a whole lot of booty, but I have been out west to California to see my dear friend Kate. Last Friday I flew out to San Francisco, CA and then took the train to Berkeley, CA. It was a great 4-5 days of putzing around in the bluest state of them all (blue as in political, not blue as in sad). While I was there I got to eat some great food, see some fun sights, catch up with high school friends, and hear some great speakers...more on the speakers below. I have now returned to Decatur, GA and am about to begin a new semester while also beginning the call process. Exciting times.
• So, the speakers...The first person I heard speak was Sister Helen Prejean, of Dead Man Walking fame. She is a scrappy, spunky lady. She told stories of men who have been put to death who were clearly innocent. She continues to fight to abolish the death penalty in all its forms in our country. I loved her point that right now, society as a whole is very comfortable with placing judgments on human life, as in deciding who has worth, who is worthless, who is good, who is evil, and by making those judgments, somehow, we can also decide who should live and who should die. It accounts for this debacle in Iraq, it accounts for the death penalty, and it accounts for our willingness to allow atrocities to continue in Africa. After reading her book and seeing the movie, it was great to see Sister Helen in person.
• I also heard Bishop Eugene Robinson speak. His lecture was fantastic. He attacked the resurgence of a belief in mind/body dualism, and reminded us that this is a Greek notion, and not a scriptural one. You know, he's right. That view is so pervasive. It's like, "If I just believe enough, or pray enough, or if I'm spiritual enough, I'll over come these desires of the flesh and be right in God's eyes." People can say they aren't trying to earn their salvation, but I'm not so convinced. He made a variety of wonderful points, but in the interest of keeping this brief, I'll move on. You might be able to check out his words at the Pacific School of Religion's website sometime soon. www.psr.edu.
• Well, it's getting late, and I'm pretty tired. I think I'll put out one more plea for people to help me out with the free ipod thing. If you have an e-mail account for junk stuff, or a good filter, you can help me by fulfilling an on-line offer and then cancel it as soon as possible. Just click on this link and follow the directions. Hey, even if you already have an ipod, maybe you could make a $6 donation toward mine. :) Here's the link: http://www.freeiPods.com/?r=8529631.
• Happy February to everyone. Peace out!