Vietnam

thoughts to come...

leaving on a jet plane...

Finally, school and work are done (at least for a few weeks), and I'm flying to Vietnam tomorrow! This is one of the few times that I've been nervous before going somewhere; I probably won't even sleep tonight plus I still gotta do laundry and pack. I'll be leaving the freezing conditions here in New York and heading towards hot, tropical weather so I gotta find all the summer clothes I've stored deep in my closet. Anyway, I get to have a fantastic dinner at Ric and Torie's tonight; I won't be seeing them and Jonah for awhile since they leave for Cali (yeah!) before I get back. Oh, and I got the Double J-man a pretty sweet Christmas gift. I hope it fits him though; the kid is like a little man.

bowl games

So, since the stupid Trojans lost to frickin' UCLA, they are left to play in the Rose Bowl against Michigan. Granted, that is gonna be a good game, but USC was this close to the championship game again. The Rose Bowl will essentially be where the national title runner-ups meet each other. And then theres Cal...I don't even know what to say about them. They play in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl(?) against Texas A&M. What the heck is that? So disappointed in Cal... My only good news is that San Jose State, who almost upsetted currently undefeated Boise St, will play in the inaugural New Mexico Bowl versus, yup, you guessed it, New Mexico. Go Spartans!

holiday season

Christmas time is definitely here in New York...the air is crisper and chillier with the biting wind coming around again. There always seems to be more people around after the Christmas Tree is lit at Rockefeller Center. There are lights and sounds everywhere, Christmas music is heard whenever you pass by the stores, trees lined up on the sidewalk to be sold, people all bundled up in their thick coats and gloves and scarves...the only thing missing is the snow which will come soon enough. I don't like the cold so much but I enjoy this time of year in the city.

stretched not stressed

With my upcoming trip to Vietnam in five days, cramming for finals in three days, trying to process all the things from the Ethos conference just a few days ago and working retail at the start of Christmas shopping this week, everything seems to be kicked into over-drive for me...school, work, God, family, church, people, sleep, ministry...actually, I really haven't been sleeping since Monday night; I find myself being woken up (I'm sure by the Lord) with thoughts about strengths/talents/gifts and connecting people and creating environments for impactful kingdom-living or staying awake in order to memorize, eh, study. Either way, my brain is filled to capacity. But here's the weird part, I don't feel stressed out by any of this. Sure, I'm nervous about my trip, excited by some new ministry opportunities, and anxious to be done with my exams, but I'm not worried about any of said activities. I suppose its not so weird when I really think about it; I guess its simply God stretching my mind, my spirit, my body, my heart...all these areas are being pushed outside of their normal boundaries, and it feels very peculiar but good. I can feel my insides resisting it too. My number one prayer this whole time is that the Lord will continually break down the walls that I so want to put up immediately; that I won't flee or hide from these moments of truth and growth. This has truly been a long week with no end in sight, hahaha...

KOBE!!!

Did you see my boy drop 52 on the Utah Jazz who, by the way, are the best team in the league?! He put up 30 in the 3rd quarter alone, going a perfect 19 for 19 (9 shots, 10 free-throws) and two of which were beyond the arc. KB was straight schooling AK47; taking him to the rack, dropping J's in his eye, rippin' it through 2 or 3 defenders. The dude was unstoppable! After the game, he said it was like he was playing a video game. Hahaha! By blowing out the Jazz by 30 points, coincidentally, the Lakers are now at the top of their division, thank you very much.
On ESPN SportsNation, 55% of people who voted say he's the best player in the NBA right now. Love him or hate him off the the court, the guy is lights out on the court. FoxSports:
The great thing in watching sports is the hope that you will see something you will never forget, something previously thought of as impossible. Kobe Bryant has provided his share of those moments. Thursday night was just one more.