Lack of Hurricanes

Check out this article from the Orlando Sentinel. I've lived here over two years and I have yet to experience a hurricane.

This is not a bad thing, mind you, but I do have a bit of curiosity of this destructive thing of nature. Everyone has stories ("Oh, do you remember Charlie...or Andrew...or Rita...that's the one where..."). Thankfully, I have not gone through the ordeal of boarding up homes, evacuating, picking up the pieces, etc. But this article was a good reminder that even so, I need to be making preparations.

Back on My Feet

I ran today, for the first time in a couple months. I sprained my ankle pretty badly back in March, and needed to stay off it for a while. (Thankfully, x-rays came back showing no fractures.)

Our exercising took the form of a spontaneous soccer game in our yard. With eight kids next door, another two on the other side, and three across the street (who spend more time in our yard than they do in theirs), there's always the potential for a game to break out.

We call our property the "compound." Three houses, 16 people, lots of community. Zoom in on the map below to the green arrow, and you'll find the compound. (And no, the lake next door is NOT okay to swim in!)


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A Texas Lunch

I had some free time in Dallas today, so I went out for what I would consider a classic Dallas meal:

**BBQ Smoked Turkey Sandwich
**Mac & Cheese
**Green Beans
**Sweet Tea

One of the things I love doing when on the road is eating some authentic local food. While I acknowledge that Colter's is a chain, I think it's awfully good and indicative of local culture.

Christie is in DC this weekend, and I regret that I forgot to tell her she needed to eat at Ben's Chili Bowl while in the city. I've only been there once or twice, but would love to get back on our next trip there.

Florida is for "Old Folks"

The Florida state senate just voted for "Old Folks at Home" to be the official state song of Florida.

What does that say about us? As certain sectors of Florida are trying to look younger and appeal to a younger audience, the state senate...well, they go and do this...

(I'm not really upset about this, just thought it was kind of humorous.)

Mofu-Gudar NT

Loves...

Christie surprised me with date night last night...

First with the pizza I love (Giordano's Chicago style)...

Then with the game I love (baseball, Tigers vs. Braves spring training)...

And all with the woman I love...

Cameroon Dedication

(Sorry all, I'm reposting this with a new video link--it's better quality and now has the appropriate copyright info. I deleted the earlier version.)

In 2004, I visited West Africa to spend time with some friends who had joined Wycliffe Bible Translators and moved to the country of Cameroon. During my trip, I met a translator couple who were working with a language community, and were coming close to the time when they would be able to celebrate the completion of the New Testament. It was because of this trip that I decide to join and am now serving with Wycliffe in Orlando.

This video is of the dedication event, held last month, for this New Testament. What a tremendous experience, for a community to receive God's Word in their language for the first time! Though I would have loved to have been there, this is the next best thing.

Wal-Mart

First I post pictures of me petting a cat, now I'm posting pictures of Wal-Mart? Actually, I'm stranded in NW Arkansas right now (have you seen the weather in this part of the country tonight?) and didn't have anything to do.

So, since Bentonville (home of Wal-Mart) is right here, I thought I should drop in on the Wal-Mart visitor center, which is in the building of the Waltons' very first store in Bentonville. Wow...who would have thought a museum devoted to a store?

And of course, there was a gift shop. Wal-Mart hats, Sam Walton pencils, postcards of his truck, etc. I couldn't leave without a little souvenir for Christie, either. She loves Wal-Mart, almost as much as I don't like it.

Small Town College Basketball

Check out this article from the Detroit Free Press. It details one of the things that I enjoyed most during my four years at Hope College.

Top Cities to Live

I heard something on the radio this morning (although I unfortunately was not able to verify it online) about the recently-released Top 10 Cities in America in which to live. Three of the top four were: San Francisco, Chicago and Orlando.

Sound familiar? It happens to be every major city I've lived in for the last seven years. (One year in Chicago, three in San Francisco, now two in Orlando)

Hired Gun

Parmesan here is our hired gun. We've had a rodent problem in our house the last few days, so we brought our neighbor's cat, Parmesan, in to help with the problem. We'll see how it works.

(For those of you shocked to see me being nice to a cat, I thought that I should at least be cordial with him if we expected him to perform. It's the first time I've pet a dog or cat in a couple of years!)

Training

A few weeks ago, two of our friends from church completed the Disney Marathon (congrats Alissa and Lydia!).

Their completion of this monumental task inspired me--at the encouragement of Christie--to start training for my own. I decided to start off smaller, setting a goal of running a half-marathon in 2008, and then maybe a marathon in 2009.

I started training this week and ran 10 miles. This was the most since high school, when I was at the peak of my fitness (working out and/or running almost every day). Hopefully this keeps up, and I'll be sure to update you all through the blog. And for those of you in San Francisco, I'm considering running in the SF Marathon (first half) this summer, so stay tuned for a possible visit out West.

MLK Jr. Day Prayers

Every day, many Wycliffe staff receive a prayer request, pertinent to something happening at the time. The most recent one considers Martin Luther King, Jr., Day and I wanted to share it with you all.

“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies!...” (Matthew 5:43-44)

On Monday, January 21, we will observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a U.S. federal holiday honoring the life of the slain civil rights leader, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. "Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend." His words continue to offer guidance for us today as we experience and confront acts of injustice within our borders and beyond.

As we think about people who are marginalized within the larger society, those still waiting for Scripture in many parts of the world, ask God for favor and that they may soon have the Scriptures.

Pray for the peoples of Kenya (and others in similar situations, particularly those in the Church who need reconciliation). Ask God for healing of deep cultural divisions, for wisdom and understanding as well as strengthen their faith, allowing them to persevere in love, despite great trials.

Pray for those in this country who are suffering due to unjust circumstances and lack of reconciliation. Ask God to intervene and reign with truth and righteousness.

Praise God for Jacqueline Huggins, the first African-American female who, working as part of team in the Philippines, completed a New Testament translation. Ask God to use her example to inspire others to become involved in Bible translation.

Pray for the diversity efforts of Wycliffe USA. Ask God for wisdom and resources to enable us to honor God with our priorities and actions in these efforts.

4 Shizzle Church

4 Shizzle Church
Originally uploaded by Chris Winkler

When we were in Chicago a few months ago, we passed this interesting sign outside of a building. The hanging sign says, "I Got 99 Problems 4 Shizzle." On the side of the building it says, "Don't Hate Church. Oh Yeah. 4 Shizzle." Hmm.

First Anniversary

Christie and I celebrated our first anniversary on Sunday. Hard to believe, isn't it? Two years ago at this time, I was single and preparing to move to Orlando! We celebrated by going with Plan C (Plans A and B were rained out). Christie found a cheap room at a fancy hotel--the Gaylord Palms--here in Orlando. When we arrived and the staff found out we were there for our first anniversary, we were upgraded--to an executive suite that normally would have cost $640/night! Following are some of the pictures from our weekend.


Part of our gigantic room. This was just in the living room. There was also a huge bathroom, bedroom and some corridors connecting them all.


The Gaylord Palms is a pretty cool place to be around Christmas time. There were various fun activities going on, including a music and light show, model train exhibit and wreaths representing each of the counties in Florida. We also played a lot of bocce ball!

The hotel is huge, and there are all sorts of water, plants and animals (including gators) throughout the center of the hotel.


One year down, and we're looking forward to plenty more!

Another cool Wycliffe video, this one created by my friend and former roommate Jon.

Praying for the Bibleless

I highly recommend checking out this video. It's one of the coolest prayer stories I've heard in a while.

For links to more of these videos, click here.

Panama Canal

What would a trip to Panama be without a visit to the Panama Canal? The planning and execution of this amazing landmark made this a remarkable feat! And as a history buff, the elaborate exhibition documenting its history is fascinating.

Our timing was good, as well, because we were able to see the entirety of a ship enter one set of locks and then depart out the other side...quite a process!

View from Panama

So I'm in Panama for a conference for a few days this week (arrived Tuesday afternoon, leaving Friday morning), and I wind up with a huge room with a nice view. This picture doesn't really do it justice, but just imagine a hotel overlooking the rain forest.

What I Do

A lot of people ask what I do for my job. One of my roles is helping to prepare my supervisor, Bob Creson, for events like radio interviews.

Click here for a link (you'll have to scroll down slightly and then click "Bob Creson Interview") to listen to a radio interview. In addition to briefing Bob prior to the interview, I also took pictures (that's mine on the link) and was in the studios to assist in whatever way necessary.

On this trip to Chicago, Bob did three radio interviews in addition to speaking on the campuses of both Moody Bible Institute and Wheaton College.