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.

Those Hard-To-Find Customer Service Numbers

Has anyone else noticed that with the advent of the web, some companies do whatever they can to have you NOT call them on the phone? They hide their phone numbers and then when you can find a number, you get put through a million voice mail systems (during which they encourage you to hang up and check the website). I tried calling United Airlines a few weeks ago and after finding their number could not get through to a real live person (which I needed) even after trying all the tricks I knew.

I ran across this website today, courtesy the Orlando Sentinel. I haven't tried it yet, but hopefully it will cut down on some of the hassles with trying to reach customer service at several different companies.

Wycliffe on the Air

If you're interested in hearing a little of what Wycliffe is all about--and hear the results of a project I've been working on--you might want to check out the following. For several weeks I've been working with my boss, Wycliffe USA president Bob Creson, to help him prepare for two live radio interviews which will be streaming online.

Here's the info:

Wednesday, October 24, 9:35 a.m. EDT, WMBI. Click here to listen online to WMBI.

Friday, October 26, 8:30 a.m. EDT, WETN. Click here to listen online to WETN.

Stuck Semi

Stuck Semi
Originally uploaded by Chris Winkler

Christie and I were in Chicago this weekend when we ran across this strange sight. A semi truck was stuck between the road below and the elevated train tracks above! Guess someone missed the height restrictions memo before going into downtown.

Student Heroes

Check out this article about some heroic high school students from a city just south of Orlando.

I always ask myself when I see something like this: "Would I have done something similar when I was their age?" I would like to think so, but I sometimes chicken out at stuff like this. But maybe the adrenaline would kick in and then who knows what any of us could do!

Chicago-bound

Christie and I will be spending a few days in Chicago later this month. Even though I lived there for the better part of a year, I'm always open to checking out new places. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Vote for My Buddy Chris

My good friend Chris Plaisance is a mover and shaker here in Orlando. He runs a couple companies with his wife Alissa and God gifted him with an incredible mind. And to boot, he is committed to Jesus Christ.

Now he has been nominated as one of Orlando's most powerful young entrepreneurs and could land some great publicity if he falls in the top 10 of this category. Please click here to vote for him.

If you would like to learn more about his companies, please see:

Plaisance Vehicle Brokers

Gym Soap

Vehicle Spa

SpiderWeb ShadeTop for Jeeps

Evangelicals and the Palestinian/Israeli Conflict

I just finished reading a book about the 1967 Six Days War, which was a continuation of the Arab/Israeli conflict. Very enlightening, as I felt the book provided a balanced perspective. This is such a complicated topic that I was somewhat clueless prior to reading the book.

However, now I have a renewed interest in this issue and it seems to be good timing. Check out this video from a CNN piece. It really presents a view has not been discussed much at all but that I've felt strongly about for some time. I've learned a lot from friends--both Palestinian Christians and Messianic Jews--and I think my perspective from these experiences is similar as that being presented by the group.

Many of you reading this will be familiar with three of those interviewed (Ron Sider, Chris Seiple and Joel Hunter).

Importance of Bible Translation

I recently read some quotes from Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi of Uganda. They were published in First Things, Aug/Sept issue, in an article titled "What is Anglicanism." I thought for everyone with an interest in Bible translation, or at least why I do what I do for a living, this would be interesting:

"Traditional African Society was solely an oral culture, which limited its ability to share ideas beyond the family level. We couldn't write our language, and there was nothing to read in our language. . .Because of the Bible, our languages have been enriched and recorded. For the first time, we heard God in our own languages. To this day our people bring their Bibles to church and follow along with the readings."

"The Bible has given us a moral and spiritual basis for transforming culture."

Pretty cool, huh?