Here is a great site featuring photos of the japanese cultural scene. Produced by a certain blonde-haired English teacher in Mito, Japan.

Last Tuesday I went to a guys accountability group, and even though I didn't know anyone there, they let me tell my entire story of life lately, which was really therapeutic. We all talked for about two hours and then prayed for another hour. I've definitely been missing that kind of thing.

Right now I'm just burning some time before I go to the ORU library to see if I can track down some readings that the HUGSR library failed to send me for the final exam I have to take today. ACU is looking more and more attractive all of the time. I fail to see how a few people seem to think that HUGSR is a more prestigious institution. But enough of the attitude problem.

I know it doesn't hit home with many of you like it does with me, but I hope that you have a sense for what is happening in Ukraine right now. It may be a little cliche to call this a revolution, but for these people, what is happening is truly revolutionary. I've never known a people in my life that have been so content to just accept that they are pawns of a twisted and corrupt system --- until now. Honestly, if you told me that hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians would take to the streets for weeks at a time, barricading government buildings and exerting a forceful voice for fairness and democracy - I would have said no, not these people. Not yet, anyway. But here they are, making it happen. They must know that we support their cause. Click here for some great info on what is happening. This is also a great, and wonderfully biased, support site. Also, download my own computer wallpaper - 800x600 or 1024x768.

Now, onto more important things personally. God answers prayer. That is hardly a shocking statement, until we actually run into the situations where we realize on a practical level that it is true. This morning was probably one of the truest devotional times I've had alone since life took a weird turn a couple of months ago. Accordingly, Johnny Coleman called me up tonight and, in true form, asked me to pray with him. This is what I need, and what I prayed for, and what God provided. Why is it so rare that even the most "faithful" of Christians (in my Christian world anyway) rarely step just one step outside the box and do stuff like this regularly? Of course I am talking to myself here. God has brought me a long way on that, but I definitely have a thousand miles to go. I remember suggesting prayer over instant messenger one time to a friend of mine who considers herself to be a believer of believers. It shocked her. Why?

One big obstacle to me is being spiritually real with my family. I've overcome a thousand spiritual obstacles, but never with my family yet. Perhaps I need to pray about that more.

That's it for now. I'm now crawling out of bed at 5:00am every day for work. Yikes!

Ok, folks, I'm back in black after a dramatic and unexpected suicide attempt by my laptop hard drive. Extended warranty to the rescue, with a new drive, but had given all of my old data up for dead (All my digital photos -everything.) A $10 adapter and a little tender loving care provided enough life support to rescue everything, though.

Now that a massive research paper is out of the way, my regular reading habits are resuming. Continuing the saga of Narnia in book three now (The Horse and His Boy) and have also started When God Writes Your Love Story, which I hope will make a good companion to Josh Harris' work. Only into chapter three so far, so the jury is still out. The Greek Way is on hold for now - I loaned it to my dad for the time being.

The future is being written. I can tell that almost everyday now is one of those big "fork in the road" kind of days. What will I do, or what will happen, that will alter the course of my life forever today? I say this because the people from the John 3:16 Mission called me yesterday about their publications assistant position. I want to have faith to accept God's way in everything, but truthfully I really want this job, mainly because it involves getting back into working for something more than myself. Is that a paradox? Wanting something to be given to me because it helps me be less self-centered? Hmm.

In any case, even with the prospect of a job like this, currently I still want to get out of Tulsa as soon as possible.

Oh, Sarah and David, how I want to come to your wedding next weekend. Not because I am crazy about weddings, but I want to be around you guys and the Alabama crew. I grew so much from those people.