Leaving the country yet again...

At the end of May, my husband and a small group of volunteers from Mosaic and the Bay area are heading to Sudan. At this time last year, Kevin met a man named Michael - a Lost Boy from Sudan sent by the Clinton administration to the United States for an education. Displaced from his home in Sudan due to war, Michael walked several thousands of miles to safety in a neighboring country. Getting an education was his only hope to escape a lifetime in refugee camps. Fortunately, some of those in the U.S. government felt the same way and helped pave the way for some of the young boys to come to the United States. Now, years later, Michael wants to use his education to help those still living out the consequences of war. With the help of Kevin, Mosaic, and EMI (Engineering Ministries International), Michael will return to his home village, Jalle, this May with a team of dedicated and talented engineers and architects. This team will help the village assess its needs and help the local community move towards solutions they might not have had access to previously.

Please visit the website, Rebuild Sudan, for more information about the Lost Boys or to see how you might be a part of rebuilding this community.

Photo: Michael reunited with his mother after a 20-year separation.

some old prayer

I was reading tonight and came across this really old prayer (The Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi). I am RARELY into things like this but it quickly caught my attention - especially the second part.

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith;
Where is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.

Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
To be loved as to love
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

It was encouraging to see another reminding us of this truth - of how Jesus lived and what he taught. Too often I feel frustrated that the church is too focused on themselves as though after a certain level of our "needs" are met THEN we will be able to serve and love others. Too often I feel alone in the campaign for serving and loving others as the way to grow in God. Too often I worry about how easily we are tempted to to put our needs first.

Do we think growing in God is about knowledge and not about action? What is growing in God? It is a matter of intellect and memorization? It is about how many books you read and how many "Godly" people you can quote? We must discuss these questions!

These other quotes/thoughts came to mind as I was thinking about this:

"The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
Romans 13:9

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing."
1 Corinthians 13:1-3

The temptation is too great - so I tend to swing to the other extreme in hopes of hitting somewhere in the middle. Too many churches are known for how creatively they meet their own needs - though amazing programs and unfaltering organization. Will we be known for this as well? When will the church be known for its love? Not for its knowledge, its intellect, its amazing sermons and captivating productions... but simply for the way it loves and cares for others? This is the church I long for.

We strive so hard to encourage serving as a way to practice loving others. Too many times people come to us and ask about burnout or what will "fill" them back up? I have a few thoughts on this:
1: Whose strength are you serving on/with anyways? If it is your own, then you most definitely burnout. But burnout is not such a bad thing - to come to the end of yourself and need God's help (and/or the help of others) to empower you to finish.
2: Doesn't the prayer above say that serving is the means to be "filled up"? Does Jesus discuss and model this?
3: How are you serving? Are you serving in the ways you "should" as determined by the expectations of yourself or others? Or are you serving in the unique ways that only you can - with your passions, talents and gifts?

The core reason I am SO passionate and intense about this subject is because of my own story. I spent YEARS diligently growing in knowledge to find little to no character change in myself. No matter how many Bible studies I was a part of or lead - no matter how many verses I memorized - no matter how "christian" I became - I could not change myself. Knowledge is helpful in knowing God - but serving is essential to living out a life with God.

Not only that - but one really clear way serving helps you grow is in self awareness. You learn really quick what you like and what you don't - what you really think or hope for - in the act of serving.

I am not "anti-Bible study" but I am Bible study resistant. I am resistant to engage unless there is a clear vision of what we are moving towards and what we hope to attain. We hope to be the church FOR the world due to our understanding of who Jesus is and what He hoped for. It is in this context we can talk about the role of knowledge.

Creativity and Artichokes

I most enjoy cooking when I get to try something unknown and challenging, otherwise it's just a chore and a duty to me and I tend to avoid it. I have also found that I enjoy experimenting the most when there's a crowd involved - a dinner party of some sort... it makes it more of a challenge or something I suppose. It doesn't bother me too much when an experiment fails - I am thankful I tried at all, however, KV might have a different perspective :)

So last week we had some co-workers over and I heard artichokes were in season. Thankfully this one turned out - though the prep was tedious & my fingers hurt from the sharp points on the leaves.

So proud of myself

I FINALLY planted a vegetable garden! It was inspired by Mel Bartholomew's book Square Foot Gardening. I meant to build one last spring but the first picture shows how far I got. I basically built two square raised beds and left them sitting there for a year - I didn't even add soil. So this spring I basically had to re-start seeing as all the weeds that we pulled last year had returned.


Got to love pulling weeds. I was surprised to find that the soil had changed a lot since last year. Last year it was practically dust and hard as a rock - this year it even had worms and snails living in it!


Weed pulling took longer than everything else combined. The green trash bin to the right is our city's mandatory compost bin. You put all your garden clippings, unused food, etc. in it and they pick it up once a week. It usually smells so bad I gag every time I go near it. :)


After the weeds, I nailed weed cloth to the bottom of the raised beds and put potting soil mix from our local nursery inside. Hopefully this will reduce the amount of weed pulling needed in the future. The wood slats we nailed across the top of the beds are supposed to help us measure the space for planting. For example, lettuce can be planted six inches apart so you can plant four per square foot. Broccoli, on the other hand, needs more space so you can only plant one per square foot.


The planted boxes! I go out back and check on them as often as I can, half expecting them to be all shriveled up or attacked by an animal. I find myself worrying about it sometimes - is it too hot or too cool; is there enough water, sun... I even dream about it sometimes! I'm a typical first time gardener - clueless and hopeful.


Box #1: Cauliflower, lettuce, peas, tomato, spinach, onions, red bell pepper, strawberry, basil and broccoli.


Box #2: Strawberry, cucumber, edamame, cherry tomato, yellow bell pepper, broccoli, tomato, cauliflower.


I recently read something about the significance of the garden in the creation stories. The book, End of Religion, says, "A garden is a meeting place between nature and human culture. It reflects both divine and human creativity, as opposed to the extremes of a city on the one hand and a forest (or jungle, depending on how tropical you like your analogies) on the other. Genesis shows us that God's original design for humanity was an intimate, purposeful relationship between himself and humanity, expressed through a cocreative partnership." (End of Religion, pgs. 197-198)

Fool me once, shame on you...

Fool me twice, shame on me.

I am feeling the shame, or rather, the anger.

Our car was stolen for the second time last Thursday at the North Berkeley BART station just over a mile from our house. I was headed home after attending a design event in Oakland. I rode the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit aka. metro/subway) and looked for the car... to no avail. It was gone. Not even a shard of broken glass was to be found - that old thing was so easy to break into you didn't even need to bother the glass. I am angry today - if only we had taken the time to get a club after it was stolen the first time!



We are not confident that we will be as lucky as we were the first time - when the San Jose police department found our car illegally parked about an hour from where we live. The police told us last week we had about a 50% chance or ever seen it again. I do not feel hopeful. If only this was an April Fools joke - unfortunately it isn't.

On another note, KV's elbow is healing "twice as fast" as it should be, according to the orthopedic doctor he saw yesterday. He doesn't even have to wear the sling anymore.

The Glass Wall

(Written in 2007 while living in Los Angeles. I recently shared this journal entry at a Mosaic gathering a few weeks ago. I was talking about knowing God versus experiencing God... and here is just one example of when my human knowledge failed me - and I just needed to speak to Him, my Friend.)

Friend,
What is blocking me from the fullness of You?
I want to be close to You but I stand enclosed behind a glass wall.
I can see You; I can hear Your voice; I see Your hand pressed against the glass but I keep hiding.

It is so strange; sometimes I scream and cry for help and beat against the glass... and sometimes I find a strange pleasure, a secret comfort in this division of space.
I tell myself it keeps me independent and strong. And I keep pushing myself forward.
When I feel insecure, I push myself even harder.

Sometimes I turn my back to the glass in defiance and feel the rush of resistance in my veins.
Sometimes I fall down in front of the glass and feel the coldness of the floor.
It invades my body and my heart and I feel so alone.

Still other times I stand staring into it as though looking into a mirror.
I see all the things I will never be and all the things I cannot touch and I beat myself.
My fear of physical pain protects me though so I beat myself internally.
I tear my own heart apart before you, convinced it is what I deserve.

Again I see Your hand pushed against the glass and I hesitate.
I am afraid to touch You. I just stand like a statue and stare.

Sometimes the glass is so clear I forget it is there. I can taste the freedom and even live in it for awhile.
But then it hits me in the face as though running straight into a wall.
And in my anger I return to the place I was before. I beat myself.

And so I stand here again, like a statue, watching Your hand pressed against the glass.
I feel the shame of rejecting You as I stand.
But I am afraid my heart is too weak and you'll see it.
I can't bear for You to see the weakness of my spirit.

Suddenly I hear You slowly whisper, "Maybe it's not as bad as you think."
Your simple words catch me off guard and I move towards You.
Before I can regain the strength to resist I decide.
Okay.
I'll put my hand against the glass too... and maybe... What now? Tell me, my Friend.

Winter in the SF Bay

All day nearly every day - thru February and March. Hope this helps end the drought.

Drank the kool-aid

After being "tagged" by more people than I can count, I've finally caved to peer pressure - I'm drinking the kool-aid and jumping into the pool.

Some random things about me:

1. I prefer to wear pumas and graphic tees over high heels and dress shirts.
2. I ride my bike to work most days and I LOVE it.
3. I am my own best friend. I have endless conversations in my mind, try out questions and test ideas - all internally. I prefer to try to figure things out in my own mind before sharing them with others. The only problem is I rarely figure things out, therefore, I find I don't share much.
4. I like to be asked questions. Simply sharing information unprovoked is hard for me to do unless I know you really really well.
5. I like to ask a lot of questions. Sometimes I do this to avoid the conversation from focusing on me. Most of the time I do this because I am just genuinely curious.
6. I hate routines. Repetition bores me. It drains the life out of me. I thrive on change and new challenges. For example, I don't like to make anything twice. Once is enough - even if it wasn't perfect. There are some exceptions of course, but in general, I enjoy change.
7. I don't mind repetition if I REALLY REALLY like something. Examples include chocolate and ice cream. I could eat those everyday - no problem.
8. I am not naturally obedient. Rules tend to bother me.
9. I LOVE to save money for the sake of the internal competition.
10. I wish I had a supernatural power.
11. I am direct. Mostly due to the fact that...
12. I am a terrible actress. It will be painfully obvious if I am lying.
13. I hate shopping, especially for clothes. It makes me feel anxious.
14. I love to give people good gifts. I think TOO much about each gift I give. And I can't just give you anything - so I tend to miss some birthdays and stuff b/c I ran out of time to think and can't pull something together quickly.
15. I dream of living in a prefab house by Michelle Kaufman or in something like the B-Line Small by Hive Modular
16. I take myself way too seriously sometimes.
17. I love God and I love Jesus but I find Christianity stifling.
18. I wish I had a tattoo. I can't narrow down a design though and I have a really low pain threshold.
19. I find meaning in my work. I have a hard time working if this is missing.
20. Kevin makes me a better person - he makes me laugh, relax, breathe, trust.
21. I don't really care about interior design. I just don't find it all that interesting and know I could do without.
22. I play soccer... still. I've played since I was 8 years old.
23. I was made for Berkeley. I LOVE the authenticity.
24. I wish I could eat dessert. (Kevin persuaded me to join him in fasting for Lent - though we don't really practice Lent)
25. Tessa inspired me to actually do this.

Closing

This economic recession thing hit much closer to home this week with the closing of my all time favorite store in Berkeley – the Elephant Pharmacy.

I was shocked and saddened to hear the news, as were so many others. I would go to the Elephant just for fun – to wander through the isles and see what was new – to sit in the corner and glance through their books… Elephant was always full of mystery and surprise – I found everything there including handmade Christmas ornaments, stainless steel water bottles (which I gave to SEVERAL people in the last year), sprouting granola, organic food based facial cleansers, barley teething sticks, recycled toilet paper, partially digested vitamins, rows and rows of tea leaves, natural deodorants, circular body soaps, fair trade bracelets, yoga videos… I heard they even gave dream consultations there!

Ahhhh… I am SOO disappointed!

Lucky for me – there is another all natural, organic pharmacy a few blocks from my house in Albany called Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy - I will have to learn how to love it.

Winners Announced

The winners of the Discarded Dreams competition have been announced on the Open Architecture Network.

See photos from the award reception night HERE.

Thank you for all your encouragement, excitment and support - I really appreciate it!

I won. We won.

Every time I repeat the words, it sends a bolt of energy and excitement through me. Even now, three days later, I keep saying it, in an effort to remind myself that it is actually true. I've never won anything in the design world... until now.

A glimpse at the email:
"We’d like to congratulate you as the first place winner of the Discarded Dreams Mattress Design Competition! We’re very excited about Helix and the potential your design holds for being a marketable product for recycled mattress components."

I won. We won.

So lucky :)

The awards reception is this upcoming Thursday night. Unfortunately we were planning to still be in DC. We are considering sending me home a day earlier to attend... maybe I just need to make sure it really is true. I feel torn... to go or not to go?

The crazy thing is, Helix is nothing fancy. It is simple, practical, straight to the point. And apparently, it might work.

Crazy.

Here is an article that explains more about how the competition was developed and what they were looking for.

Feeling the stress

The stress really started to show the day after Christmas. I lost my appetite, regardless of how hungry I felt, and entered a season of restless sleep. On a good day, I'll eat one full meal and sleep for four solid hours without waking.

Strangely, the only way that I've been able to escape some of the stress is by taking a break to read parts of the Twilight series. For a minute my mind forgets everything outside of vampires and I can ignore the deadlines.

It is a strange season. I miss the peace.

As far as I can tell, the source of the stress lies in two things - a Kaiser project that I am designing for Ratcliff and my grad school application. I have hit my threshold - I don't think I can hold another droplet of responsibility right now. This Twilight thing already makes me question my sanity :)

I keep telling myself two things:
1. It will pass... eventually.
2. You've been here before.
(In studio at Kansas State - I forget how much stress I've endured in the past.)

Relief is not far away - next week the application is due and it will be released from my hands and my control. I am dying with restlessness...

And February 16th - the first stage of this Kaiser project is due. The photo above is of my workstation at Ratcliff. There are piles of sketches scattered all over. And colored pencils - my sketching tool of choice. The office gave me a new set of 48 colored pencils yesterday - I was overly happy about this :)

Only a few more days...

On the positive side - I wouldn't mind losing a pound or two. I sure do miss peaceful sleep though.

Discarded Dreams: Mattress Competition

A co-worker and I recently entered a design competition - the challenge was to create innovative ways of converting used mattresses into useful products. To view our entry online - and rate our project - please look for HELIX (our product name). The winner will be announced in February I believe. I have a lot of wishful thinking - but you know how these things can go. Please do take a look - if only to see a different aspect of my design life.

borderline obsession

Ever since KV and I saw Twilight last weekend, I can't get it out of my head. Maybe it's the melodrama or the cheesy acting - but for whatever reason, I can't wait to see it again. The movie was barely violent, which I really appreciated, and it seemed to focus more on the relational aspects of vampires than what they actually eat. I've never been a fan of vampires or wolves and all that, but now I'm determined to read the book and see what else I missed.

Maybe I'm just crazy or maybe this is some weird subconscious way of dealing with some of the stress of grad school applications and fast track projects at work but I love it!

rub on the lime

The causes of cancer remain vague while the instances of cancer keep increasing. I've thought about changing my job title to "cancer prevention specialist" b/c that is what I do - in design, I strive to reduce the probability of cancer by reducing toxins and volatile organic compounds and dioxins and heavy metals and phthalates... and a multitude of other chemicals and materials that if stored in the body long enough, commonly result in cancer. We are exposed to these materials in built environments - the same spaces we build to keep us safe, to provide us shelter - also hide within them the ability to slowly deteriorate life. This type of work doesn't seem to keep the spotlight for very long - due to things in life that destroy life far more quickly. You might not care now... now that you are young and in your twenties. But what about in twenty or thirty or forty more years... when 1 out of 10 of your friends are plagued with some variation of the same disease?

This is what sustainability is all about - life cycle. not just the immediate effect but the effect of a lifetime. It is hard enough to keep our attention focused on something to see it all the way through. We see the initial cost and the immediate benefit, and move on to something else, leaving the uncalculated costs to someone else like the landfill guy (aka. our state government) or the corporation that manufactured and produced it (b/c after all they value human life over profit, right?)

The more I focus on cancer prevention in the built environment, the more opportunities I see in other environments such as household cleaning products, makeup, laundry, vitamins (most vitamins are petroleum based and barely digestible)...

This fall it has moved a little more into my personal hygiene - into deodorant. I've been learning about the products that I used to buy from Target and all the hidden ingredients (that corporations are not required to list on the label). Just one article, of many, discusses the addition of parabens - a preservative that has been shown to seep into the skin and store in the breast. As one who is fortunate to own a pair of these, I've taken notice and am not quite sure it is worth the risk.

So I've been on the search for alternatives for a few months now. This is one hard product to replace. All those parabens and metals (such as aluminum) were put in there probably for a reason - for a better immediate effect. I've tried a few all natural, aluminum free substitutes only to end up carrying it with me constantly (to reapply repeatedly throughout the day) and with a resistance to adjust to the new scents. No amount of lavender can cover up that body funk.

In my frustration, I am resulting to a new product - the lime. It was recommended to me a few months ago by a tree-hugging type of friend and I laughed. But these are desperate times. Every morning I cut a sliver of lime from the refrigerator, squeeze and squish it onto my armpit - and move on. Guess what? It works. No smell. I can't even believe it.... in fact I still don't. So I'll carry out my experiment for quite a bit longer to see. I have a feeling it is great for the day to day things - but no going to the gym and playing a soccer game and expecting to smell like baby powder. Maybe this switch is also turning into a de-commercialization exercise as well in that I have to break down the idea that sweating and smelling (after a workout) is so bad. Did I just fall into a marketing trap by these corporations and am now overly concerned with sweat? We'll see... maybe my friends and husband will have a different view in the coming weeks.

What is Mosaic??

Occasionally I get the pleasure of answering this question, typically asked by a co-worker. They start to wonder what keeps me so busy outside of the office and why I arranged to work a 35 hour week instead of the average 45 or 50. Because KV has been working with or for Mosaic for over three years now, I've had some time to test out different answers and this is what I've found to be the most effective in communicating who and what we are...

We are a non-profit community in Berkeley that focuses on aspects of humanity such as spirituality, self awareness, relational intelligence, leadership and creativity. All of these things, along with our core values and convictions, are based on the life of Jesus. Our main goal is to empower people to live the life that only they can... and we partner with them in all kinds of ways in order to do this. We host events around social justice, photography, foodies, spiritual activists, etc... whatever interests and passions our participants share, in hopes of serving the greater community in which we all live. We are an inclusive community that values relationships and character above all else. Only our volunteer staff are required to commit to a certain set of values, in the same way that other organizations require. Please feel free to come check us out or stop by at one of our weekly meetings, held on Sunday nights at the Gaia Arts Center at 5pm.

Disclaimer: These thoughts are solely my own, based on my experience and interaction with Mosaic as a volunteer, and based on my own spiritual and personal journey through life.

A Question Worth Asking...

(The Shack, page 185)
"Just because I (God) work incredible good out of unspeakable tragedies doesn't mean I orchestrate the tragedies. Don't ever assume that my using something means I caused it or that I need it to accomplish my purposes. That will only lead you to false notions about me. Grace doesn't depend on suffering to exist, but where there is suffering you will find grace in many facets and colors."

(The Shack, page 165)
"(God) has never needed evil to accomplish his good purposes. It is you humans who have embraced evil and (God) has responded with goodness."

It seems to me that most Christian theology/religion is based on the understanding that God required a sacrifice in order to forgive us (aka. Jesus). If God is only good - why would He require a murder in order to be able to give us forgiveness? If God does not need evil to accomplish his will - then why would He need Jesus to be murdered?

If God needed a murder, that would lead me to conclude that God needed payment or revenge for our lack of trust in him. That would make God more like me, a human... and less like God - the all forgiving, all full of grace, all full of love, God. It could be argued that His holiness required the murder - but how does that make Him any different from any other god? There are tons of holy gods out there - but a God that finds holiness in love... that would be something different.

It could be argued that God needed Jesus to live and that, in order to be fully human, Jesus had to die. He died because he was human. His life and resurrection is God in him. Could people follow Jesus not because of his gruesome death, but because He lived and lives? Is it possible that Christians have over glamorized the death of Jesus and underestimated the power of his life?

What if the sacrifice wasn't the death, or murder, but in Jesus coming and living as a human? What if Christians stopped saying "I am a Christian b/c Jesus died for my sins," and instead said "I follow Jesus because he loves me... and He shows it to me over and over again." Are we sin-obsessed in that we find our identity in our sin and not in our freedom and healing?

What do you think?

Refugee Adoption

I am reading a book called How Does It Feel To Be A Problem? by Moustafa Bayoumi. It is a collection of stories from American Arabs post 9/11. I find the stories of immigrants to be fascinating and significant. I know so few personally, so I am dependent on books such as this and Interpreter of Maladies to share them.

I think what I find so compelling is their perspectives - they see America and the world in such a different way. I find it refreshing. It is so easy for me to get lost or stuck in my own world - in my own interpretations and opinions.

So far the story of Rasha is my favorite. A young, independent Muslim that found a balance between her faith and the new culture. It was difficult and she faced a lot of obstacles - but she was determined and never lost heart. She became the president of her high school - wearing her headcovering and all in a secular public school in Brooklyn. Her eventual success wasn't able to make her conform. She stood firmly in who she was - an Arab Muslim - and crossed cultural divides and common misunderstandings with her courage.

Her story is powerful and inspiring. The other stories are as well. Another story is about a woman whose entire family was abruptly arrested after 9/11 b/c of suspicious neighbors. They spent three months in "detention" with no clear idea of what their charges were until finally released. Another story is about an American solider - called upon to flight in Iraq and the internal conflict he faced being Arab and fighting Arabs. And there are even more stories... but I can't write about them all.

It seems they all struggle intensely to discover who they are in a culture that assumes the worst and encourages fear. At the very least, it reminds me that we are humans - capable of inflicting pain on one another. We don't get to choose what country we're born in, the color of our skin, what language our family speaks, or what our culture will value. I could have been born as anyone... but here I am. American, Caucasian, and wealthier than most of the world. Like the people who shared their stories in the book, I must embrace who I am and make the most of it. And I hope to help others do the same - whatever ethnicity, culture and beliefs.

And so, of course, this leads me to think again of adoption. It is one possible way that we can contribute to the world. We recently heard of this program through the United Nations that finds families to host refugees, ages 10 to 18, in order to help them get educated. The main commitment of the family is to help the child get to college. To help break the cycle of poverty and war their home country now faces. I love this idea and like to think about how it might work out.

Berkeley could be a great place for this. It's diverse enough that an international youth would hopefully have the freedom to find out who they are without feeling pressured to conform one way It is home to the best public college in the nation. The child isn't a baby so we could keep working while they're at school. We could finish out the ground floor so they'd have a bedroom. We could show them what we know to be American and see what they think.

It's a great idea.

The hope that we have.

"I still struggle with a spiritual belief system that pitches an afterlife as its brightest reward, its light at the end of the tunnel -whether it's Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, whatever. Especially when that afterlife is entirely impossible to prove; it must be accepted on faith. Yet they talk as it if were a fact, and not just for themselves but for the people who don't even share their faith! And facts can be based on a lot of things, but faith isn't one of them."

"So, if heaven, an afterlife, an all-powerful God, and biblical truth aren't happening for you, what is" I asked Casper.

"Personal truth, Jim. And people realizing that their beliefs are just that: beliefs And that their faith is just that: faith. It's not factual, not visible, not tangible; it's just something they have chosen."

"So if you wanted Christians to hear one thing, what would you tell us?"

"I guess I'd just like Christians and church leaders to be more honest. Not just with me, but with everyone in their churches. Stop treating faith as a fact. Call it a hope. Call it confidence, not certainty. I guess I'd like some straight-shooting; 'Hi, Life is challenging. But we've found that being followers of Jesus has helped us. Maybe it could help you too.' That'd be refreshing. And I'd be interested in hearing more and asking questions. In short, I'd be interested in having a conversation."

(Jim and Casper Go To Church, pg. 145)

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