Late nights with Golden Spoon and Good Coffee

It's cool! Last night we felt like real students again. Kat is working really hard on her Qualifying Exam, which is like the mid-point of her PhD program. She has to put together both her actual thesis, and an alternate proposal for something not related to her field.

Being the ever-overachieving person that she is, her alternate proposal (which in most cases is not going to actually be acted upon) is for nothing less than to cure malaria... No problem! :-) It's actually really neat to see her so fired up about science. She's working long and hard, and that's where I come in with the encouragement of a late night visit to her lab with Golden Spoon, which I have come to learn, is the brain fuel for all great scientists!

As Kat has been working, I have been playing (Fair? Hmmmm?) My ever-ready buddy, Hank, and I went to Sea World this past weekend.

I never thought I would live in a place where Sea World could be a spur of the moment outting. You should see the humble little zoo in my home town... I think it has like two gold finches and a pet goat or something.

Africa - Our effort continues to come together. Right now we are sending out support letters, which is always a kinda weird feeling. I know there is a biblical justification to give the burden to God, and then to let others know of it. I think this is just one of those times to be reminded of the fact that, contrary to all notions of American idealism, we are called to be dependent on God and others. This trip is stretching us both in ways we never imagined!

The Uganda Trip... From the pen of Mrs. K

Hi all,

Here is an excerpt from Kat's letter to her prayer partners for Uganda. She did a GREAT job of summarizing the team (and our) state of mind and current progress about Uganda. And now you can't say that Kat never writes in the blog!

:-)

Brent

Hello, Prayer Team!

I wanted to send a quick update on the progress we are making towards the missions trip. The group had our second team meeting last night, and we covered a TON of stuff. First we addressed and stuffed envelopes to send out support letters to folks within our church. We thought it would be good to send one letter on behalf of the team to people in the church so they don't get 3 or 4 letters each. (We each will then have a more personalized one to send to friends and family.) The purpose of the letter is to ask for prayer and financial support, so please pray that people would give joyfully and generously. There are so many demands on the church body right now, like the building fund, Faith Promise (which supports many missionaries), the Uganda Children's Sponsorship Program, the Deacon's fund, and the regular tithe. So we are trying to be sensitive to this and learn how to walk by faith.

At the start of our meeting we had a great time of praise. We are blessed to have a beginning guitarist among us - a college freshman named Chris - who was brave enough to play for us. Between his playing and my missing the high notes, we had a good laugh about how the Bible says "Make a joyful NOISE to the Lord," not "Make beautiful music to the Lord!"

We covered a lot of logistical stuff about vaccinations and insurance during the meeting, but we also had a devotional on the importance of giving and worked on the team goals part of our Team Covenant, which we'll continue to develop as the meetings go on. To tell you the truth, this was the hardest part of the meeting, since each member has different expectations about what the team should be like. We really need prayer for unity and open communication in our group. Brent and I talk SO much about the trip together, but we rarely get feedback from the other group members in response to the dozens of trip-related emails and phone calls we send. I think that's been particularly challenging to Brent, since it's difficult to trust people with big things (like planning fundraisers) if they don't follow through with small things. So please pray that our team would encourage each other and not resent all the work that goes into planning a trip like this! Pray that each person would be diligent and fulfill the roles we have taken.

One cool idea for a fundraiser we discussed: First Aid training! The Red Cross will come and do training at NCPC for a group of 8 or more for a fixed rate. We were thinking that if we opened it up to our church and other local churches and got a group of 25+ (when the 10% discount kicks in), we could charge people less than or equal to what they would pay for a First Aid and CPR training course at the Red Cross location ($70), but more than the per-person cost to run the on-site program. All the proceeds would then be split between our group members. Please pray for this and other ideas to be carried out, to help relieve the financial burden. Also, if YOU have ideas for group fundraisers, please let me know!

Another item: Brent and I have proposed to a visiting colleague that she rent our spare bedroom for the month of July. She goes back to Connecticut July 31 and is currently staying in a hotel. It would be fantastic for us to bring in some extra cash for the trip, and it would be cheaper for her as well. Not only does she seem kind and interesting, it turns out she is a Christian, too! Something of a rarity among scientists. So, please do pray that Juliet would take us up on our offer, if it is God's will.

Whew! Thanks for reading to the end, and for your prayers and encouragement. Oh--perhaps the biggest thing you can pray about for me, in particular, these next few weeks: I have my Qualifying Exam on May 23. I am working really hard for it, and Brent is trying to do more household things to help me out. God give me the grace to accept help gracefully and show my appreciation and affection towards him, and for him to sacrifice for me and be assured of my gratitude and love. And may God give me success on the writing and defending of my proposals!

Love,
Kathryn

The Weekend Report

Whew! It's Monday morning, and I am just trying to sort out how exactly the space between Friday evening and now could have vanished so QUICKLY!?! Not sure where it all went, but I have at least a couple of suspicions:

1. Friday night - Scientist Acting Troupe - On Friday, Kat and I went with some non-scientist friends into the dangerous world of "Scientist-Thespians" - This was a first for me. The TSRI playwrights presented 5 Short Plays for the Attention Deficit to a packed crowd. I've got to hand it to them... For people who spend 12+ hours in the lab, they really had their stuff together on this acting business.

2. Saturday - MBAs and Amillenialsists - Kind of a strange combo, right? I started the day with Admit Day for the MBA program at UCSD, and finished it at a debate about Amillenialism vs. Postmillenialism out at a house in east county. (For those who were similarily as fuzzy as I was, these are two similar but different views held in various Christian circles about the "end times")



I've got no proof of this, but statistically, I think it very unlikely that anyone else on Earth on Saturday attended both an MBA session and an Eschatology debate. Prove me wrong!

Kat worked hard in the lab, and then had a middle-eastern FEAST with some of her fellow scientists... I was fortunate to be saved some leftovers, which were divine!

3. Sunday - Day of rest... Once we get past the busy Sunday morning, with kids to teach, announcements to make, and stuff like that, the day did finally relax a bit. We had a visiting scientist named Juliet over for dinner, too. It is so neat to hear biologists talk about their research. I bumble through the terms and terminology, they smile and correct me, and then use the dinner napkin and their hands to try to explain what the cellular membrane is doing. I LOVE it! So neat to have a view down to life at its most minute level.

Anways, that brings us to today! *Sigh* - Vacation in just 4 weeks... We can make it!

You start to forget...

"... that this is really happening." Or at least so go the first few lines of the Al Gore documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," which we watched this weekend. It has really been one of those weekends where life seems so idyllic out here in the fun and the sun of San Diego, but is so menacing everywhere else.

First, the film. I am developing a growing interest in climate change. The data is, quite frankly, pretty horrifying. As the level of CO2 in our atmosphere climbs further and further into uncharted territory, our summers get hotter, storms get fiercer, droughts get fiercer... and this is just the beginning. I find myself really fired up to do something about this, even if it means in the short term just reducing our carbon output. Longer term, I think it would be great to target clean technologies for post-MBA employment. Its a pretty hot (no pun) topic around UCSD. I think there will be lots of opportunities there.

Yet, on Saturday night with friends at a Beach BBQ in Encinitas it is easy to forget that such environmental horrors loom, as we bask in nature's splendor on a rather chilly evening at the beach.


Kathryn, with Sara and Katie

Humans seem much better at dealing with imminent, immediate threats, as opposed to longer-term, slower-developing threats. I wonder when we will collectively realize we can't be just "business as usual" about climate change?

And this horrible news from Virginia Tech, and to a lesser though still chilling extent, the NASA command in Texas. Back in San Diego, I watch the kids run around on the lawn after church and shake my head at the thought that any kid could grow up to do what the gunman in Blacksburg did.

Yet it happened... and will undoubtedly happen again. Its interesting how our reactions to such a tragedy are so varied. I read a recount of the violence and felt... anger. I felt that sense of bile rising in my throat, as my thoughts flickered to somehow delivering vengeance. Kat said that she felt a wave of grief, followed by just sadness.

The presence of evil in our world is one of those most uncomfortable things, for both Christian and secular humanist alike. For the humanist, it seriously undermines their theory that all people are really good, and just need the right circumstances to show this. The college educated shooter seemed to have the advantages and opportunities necessary for success, yet was trapped in such darkness. For the Christian, the question we must ask is how a loving and supposedly sovereign God would allow such an event to occur.

Our pastor preachd on this subject this evening, from Romans 9:9-22, when Paul writes of how God's power and glory are shown most clearly when His wrath will be delivered to the evil. "Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord."

So back to my reaction. I realize how foolish it is for me to steam about such things. God is a just judge, and this gunman in Virginia will experience the awful consequences of justice. And God is a great god, who can use even something as dark and dreadful as a mass murder, to show his glory and power to a world which, if nothing else, for at least one news cycle has been reminded of how little we truly control our own lives and how blessed we are to have faith in a sovereign God who does.

Vaccination Quiz

OK, folks... Let's see how well you know your world travel trivia... Or at least, how much paranoia you have to be checking the CDC website!

Question: In order to travel to Africa, it is either required or highly recommended that you receive a vaccination for: (Choose all that apply)

A.) MMR (Booster)
B.) West Nile Virus
C.) Hepatitis A
D.) Meningococcal (Meningitis)
E.) Whooping Cough
F.) Tetanus, Diptheria, and Pertussis
G.) Typhoid
H.) Yellow Fever
I.) Green Fever
J.) The Gout

Want the answers? Scroll below













Answers: A, C, D, F, G, H

Whew! I tell you what! These CDC cats don't mess around! Our trip is coming along well, though. We met as a team for the first time this week, and we are hard at work getting ready to raise support, develop our project, get those vaccines out of the way, and more!

The Stegosaurus on the Ark

It's Monday morning, and I am sipping my third cup of coffee, working up the motivation to head into work today, and reflecting over the course of events this past weekend...

All in all, relative to Midwestern tornadoes and Eastern Nor'easters, our mild, partly sunny weekend was superb. We were fortunate enough to see some good friends, visit a new place, plant some flowers, and do a great deal of prep work for the Uganda missions trip that we are involved in...

Not to say there wasn't any wierdness for me to ponder this morning along with my third cup of joe. We had plenty. The main source of befuddlement was our "couples date" on Saturday at the Institute for Creation Research with my former landlord and current friend, David, and his girlfriend Lisa.

Now, this ICR place is something truly exceptional...



It is located in East County San Diego, and according to their website, they do the following:

The Institute for Creation Research equips believers with evidences of the Bible’s accuracy and authority through scientific research, educational programs, and media presentations, all conducted within a thoroughly biblical framework.

It all sound well and good until you find yourself deep inside their labryntine museum staring at an illustration of Noah's Ark with a stegosaurus in one of the bays of the hold. It's at that point that you realize you aren't in Kansas anymore!

I think the thing that felt the wierdest to me was that I felt like... the enemy there. We walked in and got latched onto a tour group, and from the moment I arrived I felt like a total outsider. I should say that I embrace more of a "Theistic Evolution" perspective. Though I am certainly not an expert in the field, I recently read Francis Collins' wonderfully readable book, "The Language of God" and really resonated with the compatibility he outlines between modern genetic biology (which owes much to the theory of evolution) and Christianity.

Alas, such compatibility is not to be found anywhere in the winding passages of the ICR museum. I only made it through Day 3 of the 7 days of creation with the tour group, before the leader's bandying of that most horrid of Christian-ease aphorisms, "God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve" drove me over the edge and I had to flee for fear of becoming unhinged. Kat made it to Day 4 before fleeing in similar anguish.

We somehow escaped from the museum that day with our sanity and friendship with Dave and Lisa still in tact. After further prayer and reflection, Kat and I were able to come to a conclusion about why we were so disturbed in there. We realized that the people who run this institute, while certainly well-meaning, have become so totally fixated on this one non-salvation related facet of Christianity that they set it up on par with the cross. "You must believe on the Lord Jesus... and a literal 6-day creation... to be saved.'

We serve a bigger God then that, one who didn't crumble when scientists in the 1600s showed quite clearly that the Earth revolved around the sun, and not vice versa, and won't crumble now if we see that He works His sovereign will for us through the means of seemingly random genetic mutations over many millions of years.

Or at least that's what my great, great, great grandpa Mr. Bojangles told me the last time I stopped by to seem him in Gorilla Tropics at the San Diego Zoo... *grin* - B -

Our new neighbor

This handsome footballer just appeared the other day at our complex. We're working on bringing him cupcakes as a welcome gift.

Of Birthdays, Beaches, and Borders

This past weekend, Kathyrn and I celebrated her birthday. In keeping with the newly-minted Applegate tradition of "mystery" birthdays, I concocted a weekend of "firsts" for us.

First... Kat had told me awhile back that she would want to go horseback riding "more than anything else" - Being the ever eager husband, I tucked that info away for later. I found this place in Imperial Beach called Beach Horse Rentals . It was such a trip - It's like 10 feet from Mexico, as far south as you can get, and its run by these two European girls. Really small scale kind of operation, but neat, as they guide you out on a 3 hour trail ride that ends on the beach where you can trot your horse through the surf!







Next, since we were so close to Mexico, we did another "first" and crossed over the border on foot to check out Tijuana. We went to a really great restaurant called Cien Anos, checked out the Tijuana Cultural Center (which is about the history of Baja California... Talk about "European-ancestry Guilt" though) , and went to the Arts and Crafts Market.





The crossing home was smooth ~ Only slightly trepidatious part of the trip was the van taxi that we unwisely took from the museum to the market. We got in and I had that "bad feeling" - It was packed with an entire family, and this boisterous guy who looked a little bit sketch started talking with me immediately ~ The close confines, the shady character, two naieve gringos... I had visions of "Traffic" going through my head.

But they got us there, and only 2 dollars the poorer we were. It was a great weekend, and a wonderful way to celebrate Kat's birthday

Recipe for a birthday surprise

Now, the recipe for an excellent birthday surprise is very easy to follow. Here's what you do:

Step 1 - Find two good friends with birthdays just a few days apart from each other (Kat and Sara)

Step 2 - Have one boyfriend of one of the two friends (Shawn) secretly change his travel plans to arrive a day early to be picked up by the other of the two friends (Kat)

Step 3 - Have the same boyfriend (Shawn) recruit the husband of the other of the two friends (Brent) along with two other friends of the two birthday friends (Dena and Katie) to arrange for food, cakes, and the like.

OK, here's where it gets a little tricky.

Step 4 - Convince the two birthday friends that the birthday lunch is for the other one (So, Kat thinks they are celebrating Sara's, and vice versa)

Step 5 - Surprise both birthday friends with bunny ears, cake, smiles, and good times in the sun!

Easy as pie... You can see the rest of the photo's here

Two tickets for Uganda, please

I bought and paid for two tickets to fly to Uganda today.

Now, I won't startle you with the price of such seats (Blasted vacationing Europeans and their 8 weeks of vacation running up the prices in August!), but I will tell you that if you are reading this, don't be too shocked if you see a letter requesting support for our short-term missions trip to Uganda this summer...

*grin*

Still, it is an exciting time. God is moving in our hearts, and I pray that he would continue to stir us and use us in whatever way that he pleases... So goes it.

NCPC Mission to Uganda 2007

Great news!

We've been putting together a team to travel to Uganda, East Africa, for a 2-week missions trip this summer, and Lord-Willing, we've got our team and dates lined up.

We'll be going with a team of 6 people from our church from July 30 - August 13. We will do a church-planting project in Kampala, the capital city, for the first week, and then will be doing work in support of the Orphan Sponsorship Program that members of our church administer for the 2nd week.

There is much more to be done, but the first hurdle has been cleared, and we are on our WAY!!!

Weekend Recap

It's been a lovely, mild, sunny weekend out here in paradise. San Diego is definitely earning her 500K median-priced home this weekend! Here's what's happening with us!

Driving lesson - Part 1

Kat and I went over to our local driving range on Saturday. I haunt this place pretty regularly, though my progress has been pretty slow since I haven't taken any lessons since the wedding... It was Kat's 2nd time at the range in her entire life, but let me tell you, this girl can HIT!

She is one of those classic Softball-hitting golfers. Its so neat to watch her wrists just flip the club effortlessly through, like its just total muscle memory. True, true, getting clean contact was a bit more challenging, and she may have averaged more than one swing per ballstrike, but when she hits it, it GOES!

Driving lesson - Part 2

Fresh off her triumph over the game of golf, we decided to try another "first." My car is a stick, and her family hasn't had a car with a manual transmission since she's been driving, so for all of our marriage, she hasn't been able to drive one of our cars.

We set out to change that! Now, hear me now, THIS was like total "Ripley's Believe it or Not." I explained to her how it works, we drove over to an empty parking lot, switched places, adjusted the seat a little,... and she just... STARTED DRIVING!

It was the most amazing thing! First time driving a stick, and she just puts it in first and starts going, easy as you please! She did so well driving around the parking lots and side streets that I, ever of the pedagogy of "throw 'em in the deep end to teach 'em to swim," said, "Why don't you just drive us on home from here?" (Home is about 10 miles away)

Kat, to her credit, is one tough cookie, and so reluctantly agreed to do it! We pulled out on the road, crossed busy Mira Mesa Blvd, drove down Vista Sorrento, crossed under the 56 Freeway, and were almost home when we had a little snag with a stall at a red light and some rude honking drivers behind us...

But that crisis was quickly averted, and she got us the rest of the way home. It was TRULY a remarkable feat!

Golf



Not that that time at the range was too helpful, but some buddies and I took advantage of the beautiful Sunday to play golf at Tecolote Canyon. Its a fun Executive course that really makes you work on your short game. Good times!

All in all, this was a wonderfully blessed weekend!

B

Hot news from the Journal and Courier Online - Weddings

The work of a proud mother and the hometown newspaper... I hope the town doesn't go aflutter at the misguided suggestion that we are one of those "hyphenated" couples (Thompson-Applegate)

I don't have any real beef with hyphenators... I just see the next generation and the next generation spiralling out of control in a sea of dashes. It's not pretty, I tell you!

But fortunately, we don't have to deal with that dilemma... *grin!*

Journal and Courier Online - Weddings

Brent and Kathryn Thompson Applegate
March 18, 2007

Kathryn Ann Thompson and Brent Allen Applegate were married Sept. 3. Pastor Nathan Hitchcock officiated in the North City Presbyterian Church in San Diego.
Parents of the couple are Craig and Jan Thompson o Fayetteville, Ark., and Roy and Jan Applegate of West Lafayette.
Honor attendants were Jennifer Duncan of Fort Worth, Texas, and John Hatcher of San Diego. Other attendants were Jennifer Strange of Shreveport, La.; Sara Brownell, Hank Miller and Gordon Fletcher, all of San Diego; Julie Monaghan of Wooster, Ohio; Avalon Moore of Henderson, Nev.; and Brad Stratton of Corvallis, Ore.
The bride graduated from Plano (Texas) Senior High School and has a bachelor's degree in biophysics from Centenary College of Louisiana. She is a member of Zeta Tau Alpha sorority and is a doctoral student at Scripps Research/La Jolla.
A graduate of Harrison High School and Purdue University, the groom has a degree in industrial engineering and is a member of Delta Upsilon fraternity. He is program manager at Hewlett-Packard in San Diego.
They live in San Diego.

The Catch-Up Post

A week-plus since the last blog update, and my "blogger guilt" has become overbearing!

This past week my camera has been sadly inactive, though we seem to be moving a million miles an hour. I'll do better this next week, I promise!

Anyways, here is a run-down of what is happening with us:

Doing

This past week, Kat and I have both been doing a lot in the area of Missions. Since getting catalyzed by the visit we had with a Ugandan pastor named John Mugabe, we've taken the lead to get a 2-3 week missions trip to Uganda organized for August.

This has meant lots of emails to travel agents, missions-sending agencies, and people over in Uganda. We are coming up on "Decision-Day" when we see who is in, and are praying that God would bless us with a good group of enthusiastic people.

Watching

Still haven't watched broadcast TV in months... Have a dim notion that some show about Idols gets talked about a lot. We are becoming so out of touch. After the Crash-fiasco, I cleaned up our Netflix list to PG-13 and below, and Over the Hedge was a nice antidote to the bleakness of crash... Certainly, there was some serious themes in it, like when the turtle takes the wagon of stuff... oh, ok, so its all just fun and silly, but THAT'S OK! It's entertainment!

Eating

Well! Very well, in fact! Kat's friend Katie's parents took us to a really nice restaurant in La Jolla to celebrate Katie's birthday... Kat's aunt and uncle totally amazed us with a dinner of Filet Mignon in early celebration for Kat's birthday. I feel plump and happy, to say the least!

Reading

Kat- Disciplines of a Godly Woman by Barabara Hughes

Brent Logic of Failure by Dietrich Doerner

Learning

God is faithful, even when we are faithless. I find life in Uganda so appealing because with so little, they are forced to live on faith alone. Kat and I are learning more about how to celebrate our marriage... The honeymoon shouldn't end after just one week in Hawaii...

And THAT'S all I am permitted to say about that! :-)

Better sign off here before I get into any trouble with my wife!

Crashing inward

I saw human kindness displayed today, when I wasn't even expecting it, and it left me feeling ashamed...

I blame it partially on my poor Netflix-choice of renting "Crash." So the movie won a bunch of Academy Awards, and a number of friends have really liked it, but I should have done just a little bit of research to figure out that the film is dark, bitter, angry, fear-mongering, and that Sandra J. Bullock plays it totally straight with absolutely ZERO humor (Oh, how I wished she would do that snorting laugh of hers just to lighten things up!) -

We didn't make it too far into it, but caught the jist that it was about racism and dysfunctional relationships... Nice choice for newlyweds, right?

Anyways, so I was heading down to a restaurant at lunchtime today. I was stopped at a light, pondering the rest of the day, and enjoying that acquarium-like feel of staring obliviously out your car window at nothing in particular.

Until I realized that there was something going on right beside me. A middle-aged Asian man was walking around and looking confused. I noticed he was carrying an old school walkman, which for some reason always triggers memories of "Rain Man" for me for some reason.

He was being attended by a roughly dressed woman, who seemed to be trying to calm him down. Our eyes met, and because my window was open a crack (A leak in my acquarium) she came over and started talking to me. I noticed that she didn't have the middle 4 teeth in her bottom row. My heart started beating faster.

"I think he's really messed up," she said, and I flashed back to scenes of a carjacking in the movie. "He's looking for a McDonalds... Is there one around here?" I stammered a bit until I recalled one, less than a quarter of a mile away. "Yeah... Yeah. It's down that way." I gestured, praying that the light would turn green so that I could speed away to my team lunch of mediocre Mexican food at Chevy's. "Thanks," she said and turned back to the man.

And as I looked back, it was like my eyes cleared of the fog of fear. I saw that the man was not disturbed, but just confused by the fact that the sidewalk he needed to cross was under construction. I saw that the woman who was roughly dressed was so garbed because... she was a construction worker. And last, I saw that woman put her arm around this now unscary man and show him the path through the construction site to those fabled arches in the distance.

When we get to be so focussed on protecting our own self, it's easy to forget how our role model came to us saying, "I am the bread of life." The point of life is not living in fear to avoid trouble, but its living in love to help those in trouble to find their way out. Amen...

Walls

We had one of Kat's friends from her lab, Khoulud, over for dinner this week. We had a nice dinner of oh-so-tasty lasagna, and then watched a movie about the Israeli settlement movement in Palestine.

The film is called "The Iron Wall," and it was produced by a Palestinian agricultural group, which unto itself is a bit strange because the movie is about 90% about politics and 10% about agriculture... Still, its a lot more entertaining than most agricultural productions I recall from my rural childhood (ie, the 5:00 Corn and Soybean Futures report, Milking Monthly, etc.)

Anyway, the film, which can be viewed in its entirety on Google (its just under an hour long) tells the story of the history and impact of both Israeli settlements into the occupied West Bank territories as well as the more recent and ongoing wall construction project that is underway.

I guess I find it totally astounding that the Israeli's are in the midst of a 650 KM wall project inside the West Bank, that when completed, will form a physical barrier between Israel and a smaller chunk of Palestine than was taken after the 1967 war. Probably the most astounding thing to me was that I was totally oblivious of this fact. SOmehow, in all the stream of news, I need to grab ahold of the actual stories, and not just read the headlines.

The film is unabashedly pro-Palestine, and I would really be interested in hearing the pro-Israel response to it. I have always instinctively "rooted" for Israel whenever I hear of news from that region. Whether because of their Biblical roots, more familiar western lifestyle, or perennially picked on and persecuted status, my bias is always for Israel. Khoulud made some good points in challenging this "gut check" reaction...

The film is interesting while certainly slanted. Its worth seeing and knowing what is going on in the Holy Land. Now I know I will pay much closer attention to anything relating to "settlements" and "walls."

Pastor John

Pastor John Mugabe stayed a night with Kat and I. John is visiting from his home in Uganda. He has come to our church to help raise support for his numerous ministries.

John leads a large prison ministry, presides over a primary school and a newly-established secondary school, and pastors a growing church. Oh, and he and his wife have developed an in-home ministry to protect the babies of female prisoners from almost certain demise by taking them into their own home... They've take in 30, to go along with their two. John is 31 years old, and I am so impressed.



It was such a neat time of fun and fellowship with John. Kat and I are looking into how we can best support his ministry. But more than anything else, his visit is a reminder that God is faithful, and that we shouldn't look at anything, not money, jobs, education, or any such thing, for our confidence in this life.

Seeing a man who was given so little and has turned it into so much. It made me simltaneously aware of all the gifts we have been blessed with, and how little we have done to put those gifts to good service.

C.S. Lewis says, "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world." I feel the call roaring like a train whistle through my heart this evening...

Bridge to Teribble Theology

My good buddy Hank and I went to a movie on Friday night... Hank and I get together for a bite to eat and a movie every so often, and I usually try to pick movies that are more towards the softer and gentler side.

We went to see Bridge to Terabithia, which I knew very little about at the time though I have now learned that it is a movie based on a very popular kids book of the same name by Katherine Patterson. I was just going by the fact that it was a solid "B" pick by critics and yahoo readers, and seemed a much less graphic pic than, oh, say "300" which was debuting as well.

The movie's rough plotline follows "An 11-year-old boy has his life changed forever when he befriends the class outsider, a girl. Together they create the world of Terabithia, an imaginary kingdom filled with giants, trolls and other magical."

I loved the imagination of the movie, and it really was a fun film. Yet, it also takes these insidious jabs at Christianity. Though not falling into the usual categories of disapproval, aka sex, violence, etc, the film paints Christianity as a religion based on artificial fear-mongering that must be overcome with the "purity of one's imagination..." Secular characters are presented as free-thinking, free-expressing, and likable. Christian characters are dull, plodding, and uninspiring.

Ahh, the foolishness of this world, to keep selling this lie that "everyone is good on the inside just the way they are..." It really just motivates me to try and live more openly before a watching world. Christians need to show the world that yes, we are serious about sin, but only in the sense that you don't have much appreciation for grace if you haven't first considered sin. Grace only becomes amazing when you realize that it is offered to you, a sinner, who doesn't deserve it but so desperately needs it...

Highlights from the Photo Shoot

"I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille"...

Here's some of the best pics from our recent for-class Photo Shoot with our good friend Dinah... Kat looks amazing! Best story on these: Dinah shot them on film, so they were developed in her class dark room at UCSD. Another of our friends is in that class, and was in the dark room working on her stuff, when she moved some things aside and all of a sudden, was staring at pictures of... us! She was not a little bit confused!

Anyways, these are some of my favorites, but you can view the whole set on Flickr here!

Of Romans and relations...

Kat and I went to a talk last night over at a dark building in the Scripps Institute of Oceanography. I mention that the building was dark, because its not a bit too creepy to head down to this dark, looming building down near the wharf... Feels a bit like the kind of place you might leave from for a dip in the ocean wearing cement shoes.

FORTUNATELY - These are much nicer folks with the UCSD Graduate Christian Fellowship. The talk featured Dr. Peter and Rebecca Jones, who are affiliated with the Westminster Seminary and have a ministry called Christian Witness to a Pagan Planet (CWiPP).

The topic was on gender, and in short, he built up a very fascinating foundational approach for why the preservation of gender roles and sexual orientation norms are so,... well,... foundational.

The main text he cited was Romans 1:25-26.

25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.

He pointed out that the progression here goes: Step 1. Cosmological- Who do we see God as?, Step 2. What do we worship, the creator or the creation?, and Step 3. How do we interact with each other, esp. with regards to sexuality.

I had never really comprehended the connection between sexuality and worldview.

Nevertheless, in a group of grad students, even "Christian" as part of their title, there was a lot of bristling and tension that I felt. This is definitely one of those divisive "flash points" where I think Christians need to take stands, but in love, and for the right reasons and motivations

My vote is Springfield, OR

Hey, they may not have a nuclear power plant, but other than that, my memories of Springfield, OR are that it has just about the right mix of kooky characters...

http://tv.yahoo.com/news/article/urn:newsml:tv.ap.org:20070309:springfield_simpsons__ER:1

Tales of tables, kitchi-puters, penguins, and amateur modeling

The weekend... Has left the building

Ahh, me... How the time does fly by? OK - What have we been up to? Oh yes!

First, new table

Kat and I made the difficult decision to put our old four-legged friend down. Yes, 25 was a ripe old age for a table, and this one had been handed down through multiple generations of her family.

But it was tricky to have a table that only could seat 4, and so when Kat found this cool table on Craig's List, we pounced!



Fortunately, we did find the old table a nice new home with a young couple at Scripps... Maybe we can stop by sometime and visit, just for the memories...

Second... Now why did it take us so long to think of this?



It's a bird, it's a plane, it's... a laptop strapped to the shelf of our kitchen!

So, it might not win any style awards, but we were able to put this old laptop to use as our "Kitchen Computer Console" - Now we have easy access to recipes, files, etc. Not too shabby, I'd say.

Third... Down by the sea

One of the best things about a year in which you've a.) Lived in San Diego, and b.) Had a ton of visitors in from out of town, is that you start collecting all these memberships. Wild Animal Park, Zoo, and of most relevance, Sea World.

Yes, we indulged in that most American of pasttimes this weekend with a quick trip down to see Shamu... We actually didn't see Shamu (or at least one of the 7 Orca whales called Shamu), but we did see lots of sharks, dolphins, and of course, penguins!



I think the most fun about going to a park like Sea World is to hear the kids reactions to everything. I want to foster that kind of amazement with God's creation.

Fourth... Last, but not least, Just Shoot Me!

Kat was asked to help out our good friend and amateur photographer Dinah to sit for some portraits for a class she's taking.



Kat looked GREAT! I can't wait to see the results back. Dinah had asked the "dark, brooding, and handsome" Bulgarian guy from their lab to pose as well, but when he didn't show, she shoved me in front of the camera. I'm less excited about THOSE results, but it will probably be good for a laugh, which I hope you've at least once had yourself as you've read about our little weekend in this post. Until next time...

The next step

So this is what home will look like, God-willing, next fall:


On Saturday, Kathryn and I got up on a bluebird-clear morning and went over to Torrey Pines State Park for a time of prayer, reflection, and decision-making. The decision for accepting the UCSD Business School invitation is due on Feb 28th, and so we wanted to take some concerted time to make the call together.

Thankfully, God has been very faithful to make this decision clear for us. The school is in San Diego, we won't have to move, the curriculum is focused on technology and innovation, which is one of my passions, and they are moving this fall into the tremendous new building (shown above.)

But the factor that made it abundantly clear was the school offered me a merit fellowship to cover all tuition and fees. This is such a blessing to Kat and I. We just praise God for his good favor.

So our time together at Torrey Pines was less about soul-searching, and more about expressing thanksgiving about the past and talking excitedly about the future...


Change is on the horizon, but with great change comes great promise. We are both so excited to see what will happen next!

What's so amazing?

On Friday, Kat and I went out for dinner and a movie with our good friends John and Heidi. We went and watched "Amazing Grace," which I would definitely recommend ~














The film, if you haven't heard of it, is about William Wilberforce, who fought for many years in the English parliament to abolish the Slave trade. The movie is openly Christian, which is awesome, and is actually well-made. After Narnia last year and now this, Christian filmmaking is making great strides to overcome the likes of such specatacles as Kirk Cameron's now infamous turn in the "Left Behinds"...

One cute thing about watching this film ~ We saw it on opening night, and the theatre was packed. We got there during the open scene, and hte last 4 seats in the place were in the absolute front-right corner of the theatre, so we were staring up the entire way.

But this was like the most totally Christian-dominated audience I've ever experienced at a movie. In one scene where a dramatic moment led to something climactically said about "God's grace overcoming..." there was a huge collective sigh in the theatre, and not a few amens. I love seeing Christians engaging with Hollywood, and not giving up on it!

Good film - Go see it soon, to make sure its not banished to video in a week as many such films are...

Arizona Adventure

We've faced down Mother Nature... and lived to blog the story about it!



Over the President's Day Weekend, Kat and I got out of town to see our good friends Terri and Derek over in Tucson.


This was a weekend of firsts for us - First camping trip together, first road trip to leave the state of California together (It's a REALY big state), and first chance to see a desert monsoon... More on that in a minute.

We left on Friday, and drove out to Yuma, AZ, along with 10-gazillion of our fellow SoCal brethren. Kinda slow going, and my misguided decision to pull off the freeway in El Cajon led to twilight-zoneish drama as we struggled for what felt like 30 minutes to get back on the freeway at rush hour. Still, we got to the rather plush though thin-walled Holiday Inn, Yuma, and our spirits were significantly revived by our discovery of a Barbecue place that was actually open at 10 pm when we were looking for dinner.



Saturday woke up sunny and nice. We enjoyed a great, albeit fattening, start at the Cracker Barrel (Mmmmm... Oh, heavenly realm of grits, pecan pancakes, and gravy... where have you been for so long???) and then headed off to Tucson to see Terri and Derek. Crystal clear skies and a pretty good book on CD called Prep, by Curtis Sittenfield, and we were there before we knew it!


Amazing advances in the art of talking plastic animals at the Cracker Barrel gift shop




Dateland Arizona - Famous for dates... and the most ridden plastic pony in 3 counties

Saturday night and Sunday we were with Terri and Derek in Tucson. They have a great property on the edge of Tucson, out in the desert. We hiked around, admired the cows that are on the open range, and met an eccentric neighbor who is an heir to the Procter and Gamble fortune... He has the company logo tatooed on his shoulder! He showed us...

On sunday we headed east again to the Painted Petrogylphs state park for some tent camping. Its a pretty cool area where teenage deviants since 4000 BC have been leaving graffitti... I guess after a certain amount of time it becomes art, but I'm sure at the time that these prehistoric taggers were considered a menace.





We camped one night in said tents, though everybody else in the park was in a comfy RV. The wind HOWLED that night, but thankfully the rain held off until Monday afternoon as we were driving out. It was great to see the rain pound down in the desert as we drove out.

All in all, a great weekend, and hopefully the first of many such adventures... Now, where to next?

A Woolly-Bully Time

This past weekend, Kat and I went opposite ways - She to the (presumable) warmth of the South (Texas, Arkansas) and I to the cold and snow of Mammoth Mountain. Fortunately for me, we had plenty of snow and not too much cold up in Mammoth. Unfortunately for Kat, it was just about as cold in Texas and Arkansas as in Mammoth.

Anyways, I went skiing with my buddies from work on Friday-Sunday.

Mammoth got on the order of 2-3 feet of snow while we were up there, which it SORELY needed.


Now, I know that scenes like this are all too familiar for most of the country right about now, but for us out in California, it is definitely amazing! The snow made for some fun challenges on the mountain, though unfortunately we weren't able to ski off the peak runs at Mammoth ~ Fog and high winds kept it socked in.

The best moment on the trip was when the four of us, 20-something guys, all wearing jeans and boots and stuff, walked into what we thought was a modest-priced Thai restaurant. We walked up the stairs and into the restaurant, and I thought to myself, "Man, this is really nice?" but my brain was on autopilot, so I wasn't thinking too hard. The place had just a few tables occupied, but the girl took one quick look at us and said, "Uh, we don't have any tables free" - Turns out the cheap Thai place was downstairs. The snooty expensive place is upstairs. I had this flash of the scene in Pretty Woman when Julia Roberts walks into the expensive store and the girl immediately says, "We don't have what you are looking for..."

My 10 dollar Thai food downstairs never tasted better. Guess in this world there's top shelf and all the rest... Me? I'm all the rest - :-)

Don't mess with Texas

2007-02-04 KatSuperBowl
Originally uploaded by agate157.

Spa-rise me on my birthday

My oh so crafty wife pulled a fast one on me for my birthday. I was in Portland through Friday, and she told me to keep Saturday, Feb. 3rd, before my birthday on Sunday free. The morning of, I got up only to find that she had been bustling around for an hour or so preparing things.

We got in the car to go in the morning, and started heading... out into the middle of nowhere. I mean, like scrubbrush city. The whole drive I was just scratching my head and trying to figure out WHAT we were going to do. Finally, after about an hour of driving she pulled off the freeway and started heading out on a little backroad. Things were looking pretty "earthy" out there, I thought I heard that banjo refrain from deliverance somewhere in the distance, and I was just starting to get nervous when an oasis of green grass, palm trees, and mini-coopers opened up in front of us: Glen Ivey Day Spa.

Yes, my wife arranged for me to spend a day with her at the spa.

Mud baths, hot tubs, massages, facials, the WORKS! It's a pretty amazing place. You can really appreciate the joy of spending an entire day in your bathrobe by the pool... Something Hugh Heffner has known for YEARS!

I told Kat it was the perfect gift... The kind of thing that I would probably never in a million years actually ASK for as a birthday present, but an incredibly great way to celebrate with the woman I love. And my skin? You just don't KNOW how well exfoliated it is!

Objects in mirror may be grander than they appear

2007-02-01 MtHood (2)
Originally uploaded by agate157.

I'm back from the Pacific Northwest. The weather was AMAZING and the views of Hood, as this picture barely oes justice, were spectacular.

I am totally ashamed that the closest I got to mountains was a few rear-view mirror trick shots while driving away from the HP site. Busy week doing a lot of meeting facilitation ~ That stuff wears you out ~ Its like running a day care for 40 year olds!

Anyways... Good trip, but definitely glad to be home!

I got in! Now what?

Good news! I got into UCSD's school of business. Here's my acceptance letter!

Bad news - I gotta plunk down a G by the end of February. Hmmm... I wonder if I could hold a rabbit hostage over the internet to raise money ... Maybe not!

1/31/2007
Dear Brent,

We are pleased to offer you admission as a graduate student in the Full-Time MBA program at the Rady School of Management, University of California, San Diego, for Fall 2007. Congratulations on your admission to our Full-Time MBA class. The Admissions Committee has recommended admission for a number of highly qualified individuals and we are glad to have you among this group. Please complete the necessary form by 2/28/2007 11:30:00 PM EST. If you are accepting our offer of admission, your $1000 deposit is required to hold your place in the class.

We are pleased to welcome you to UCSD and the Rady School.

Sincerely,

Would you like roasted shallot-whipped potatoes with that?

While the San Diegoans are slogging through the muck of one of our 5 days of rain a year, I have been enjoying myself this week up in the sunny Pacific Northwest. Clear but cold, it has been, with AMAZING views of the snow-capped peaks that are usually shrouded in fog and mist this time of year.

I facilitated a workshop today at HP ~ Something along the lines of an excercise in Survivor-like mayhem where we trap a group of 12-14 professionals of radically different background, and coax them into working together as a cross-functional team while not killing each other. I used a lot of skills I've picked up over my numerous visits to the Wild Animal Park about how to maintain stable animal dynamics on the wild African savannah.

The best part of the trip, by far, has been the FOOD! I've stored up my appetite with humble breakfasts and lunches these past three days for scrumptious dinners at the restaurant at my hotel - http://www.heathmanlodge.com/ Stuffed cedar-plank salmon, roasted venison, Draper valley chicken breast... Just the best of the Northwest... Still, a guy could really do well with some home cooked Salsa Chicken, ya know? I will be very happy to head back down to San Diego on Friday...

How popular are you?

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A Letter from my grandmother

My dear, sweet Grandmother Alice mailed us a letter recently. It brought Kat and I such joy, we had to pass it along to y'all:

***************************************

Dear Brent & Kathryn

I was so pleased to receive a Christmas Card from you two. I am so fortunate to be eighty nine yrs old & not be sick. Haven't had a cold nor anything like that this year.

Love you

Alice Elsner

ps The only work I do is fix my breakfast which is just oatmeal & toast & jelly

*****************************************

Grandmothers are great!

Portrait of the blogger as a morning zombie

Do you ever look like this in the morning?

As days go by...

Life has been going along pretty well out here in SoCal. The temps are a little chillier but the sun still comes to visit (as we always remind those who we encourage to visit too!) - Kat and I have both been giving a lot of thought to schooling.

I have applied/interviewed/ day on campused at UCSD for their Rady School of Business. On Thursday, I went to a UCSD for their "MBA for a day" ~ Good stuff: Lots of access to the students, through student panels, lunch, and a happy hour. Not so good stuff: Very limited access to the faculty and staff. In fact, I had to "go off the reservation" and sneak into a class just to see what a class was like... Probably logistical challenges to blame I suppose...


My one photograph of UCSD's campus ~ The "Sun God" art piece, which is, in fact, a psychedelic chicken

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

Kathryn is applying to a prestigious summer program at Woods Hole, MA, which is an idyllic little village on Cape Cod. No word for sure for awhile, and even getting the application in will be a huge effort. Still, it is really exciting to see her P.I. (Science-ease for 'Boss') be so supportive about her development.

We caught up with our friends John and Heidi for a lecture from Darrel Falk with a group called UCSD Graduate Christian Fellowship. Falk is a Biology professor at Point Loma Nazarene University. He gave a short talk about how he reconciles Evangelical Christianity with Evolutionary Biology. It was a very interesting presentation, and I loved hearing the types of questions that, say, a graduate student in socialogy would ask.

My take on Falk is that he reconciles science and evangelical faith by keeping his scientific standing solid, while sliding around his Christianity further into liberal territory to make the whole thing work... Still, his is a valiant effort to live a defendable life in both camps... Something that few are willing to do.

To close this evening of intellectual stimulation, we got coffee and Golden Spoon, and watched spoiled teenagers with designer purses climb on the soda display at Ralph's. However, Heidi did find that pig-themed chimney lighter that she has been searching for so dilligently!

Check out Kat's Paper!

Here is a cool (and decipherable) write up about Kat's new paper. Check it out - I especially can relate to the car analogy after my time at GM!

http://www.scripps.edu/newsandviews/i_20070122/waterman.html

These days...

There is a program on our local NPR radio station that I like, called "These Days..." I'd like to provide you, faithful (or unfaithful) reader a snippet of "These days... for Brent and Kat."

These days for us both ...

• We are going to do more entertaining, starting tonight with friends coming over for dinner and games.
• We are planning a trip to Tucson over President's Day to see our dear friends Terri and Derek. We plan to spend the long weekend with them, and to try our luck with desert camping (home of scorching days, freezing nights, stinging scorpions, and barking spiders)
• We are reading through "Night Lights," by James and Shirley Dobson, together.

These days for Kat...

• She is a proud co-author of a paper in the prestigious journal, "Science." Check out the abstract! My baby is SO SMART!
• She is reading, in typical fashion, a bunch of books all at once. I last saw her cracking open, "The Peacemaker" by Ken Sande, which was recommended in our premarriage counseling.
• She is growing more and more lovely in my eyes each day.

These days for Brent...

• He is getting ready for a business trip to Portland in a week or so.
• He is applying to Business Schools and will interview with UCSD on Tuesday
• He is grieving, along with all the other recently converted fans, the early demise of the Chargers who suffered an early playoff exit after a magical 14-2 season

And that's the news that's fit to print... or at least blog. Have fun, be safe, and stay in touch!

The Hawk and the Crows

I took a walk around HP on Friday. It was a cool and clear day, and I found myself in a bit of a philosophical mood. Now, those of you who know me will attest that I am generally not exactly Thoreau walking around Walden Pond. I tend to be more along the lines of the "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" droners who prize efficiency and results over introspection...

But on this particular walk, I noticed something cool. A hawk, somewhat like this one, was perched on top of a light pole. He was sitting unruffled, serene, and beautiful.

Meanwhile, three big, ugly nasty crows were squaking noisily and orbitting him like fighter planes in formation. They circled and shrilled, and every so often, would dive bomb down like a Kamikaze Zero at the hawk, who stayed stony and unmoved despite all their bluster.

I stopped walking and just watched it unfold above me. The crows came closer and closer, and cawed louder and louder. I thought for sure one of them was just going to nail this hawk, and he would get pissed off and whack one of them. (Though the crows were big, the hawk was clearly the stronger bird.)

Finally, after a few more passes, the hawk unfurled his beautiful wings and flapped off to another perch, hopefully which would not be guarded by such fiercely territorial residents.

But the encounter really got me thinking... Who should we view as the winner here? The crows who won their perch back, or the hawk who proved his mettle by standing his ground a lot longer than I would? I would tend to think that the crows won, though in an ugly fashion, and the hawk lost, though proved graceful.

And if I were one of these actors, who would I want to be? The ugly winner or the graceful loser? Is it better to suceed at all costs, or to accept your defeat if it means doing it with "class." That I have been pondering since then... I do wonder what you think?

Weak in the knees after Restaurant Week!

On Thursday, Kathryn, her friend Katie, and I got to enjoy a real treat! It's called San Diego Restaurant Week, and its this really neat deal where a bunch of the nicer restaurants throughout San Diego offer a limited selection of 3-course dinners for a fixed, reduced price.



Ever the erstwhile frugal foodies, Katie, Kat and I went to Jakes in Del Mar. This is a favorite for Kat and I for happy hour, because it is RIGHT on the shore in Del Mar, and is an absolutely GORGEOUS place to watch the sunset.

Our dinner was late - 8:45 - So we had the entire day to anticipate and salivate! The restaurant was still nice and lively when we arrived and got our table. Katie and Kat, ever the inquisitive scientists, had researched the menu ahead of time and confidantly ordered the calamari appetizer, grilled mahi entree, and famous hula pie for desert. I opted for crab cakes, 16 oz ribeye, and some of the enormous hula pie, too!



The appetizers were excellent. Generous, plump calamari, and a large, rich crab cake with a wonderful hollandaise-ish sauce. Their mahi was quite good, and though I really liked the Rosemary Garlic spread for my giganto steak, the cut was a bit fatty, even for my well-marbled preferences, and so I was a little bit let down... I guess you should know better than to order steak at a place that is 20 feet from the Pacific Ocean... Save that for Nebraska or something.

All in all, a real treat, and I am VERY glad that I have finally been able to go to Restaurant Week!

The Secret of Happyness

Last night, Kathyrn and I went over to our neighborhood theatre to see Will Smith's movie, "The Pursuit of Happyness." Beyond the fact that we got there a bit later than we should have so we had to wait in a long outdoor line in sub-60 degree conditions (BRR) and then go into a dark theatre and sit near the front, where we discovered that some kind soul had left gum on the back of Kat's seat, it was a really nice time.

Maybe to really appreciate the film, which is about a down-on-his-luck single father who is very Arthur Millerianly slaving away as a Bone Density Salesman while competing for a selective, unpaid stock brokering internship at Dean Witter, you have to overcome at LEAST a little adversity...

In any case, in many ways, I really loved the film. It is a wonderful "Father-son" performance from the Smith's, and portrays a great message to those who have much about the need to be more generous, and in the case of the bumbling stock brokers, to actually get a clue that life is not always rosy for everyone.

But as Kat and I were "debriefing" the movie afterwards, we realized that something was bothering us. Smith's character, Chris Gardner, overcomes tremendous adversity and does so, while not perfectly, with great nobility and resourcefulness. He has this great reservoir of fortitude which we learn is the dream of... MONEY... lots of it! The driving force for him to achieve happyness (sic) is financial stability. The only mention of God or faith is at a homeless mission where Chris holds his sleeping son close while an assortment of winos and hobos "foolishly" pray and sway.

So this, we realized in discussion, is what bothers us. Great story, amazing performances, and a heartwarming ending (I hope I haven't given away too much), but the lasting message is, "Pursue your dreams with your all your strength, and someday you will have the only thing that matters... financial success."

As a Christian, this is a message that I regard as a "Fool's Promise." More so, as someone who has faced adversity, though not on the level of Smith's Chris Gardner, I reflect on what a source of strength my faith has been... How sad to see a character presented as so Christ-like in his actions, yet totally neglecting the power of Christ to sustain in times of trouble.

It reminds me of the lyrics of a favorite worship song:

You Are My All In All - Dennis Jernigan

You are my strength when I am weak
You are the treasure that I seek
You are my all in all

Seeking You as a precious jewel
Lord to give up I'd be a fool
You are my all in all

Jesus Lamb of God worthy is your name
Jesus Lamb of God worthy is your name

Epilogue: Great movie, great story, but as is so oftern the case, the message can't be just "swallowed" without some further processing... - B-