Andrew

I've been asked that question repeatedly since I made it known to friends and family that I want to become a criminal defense attorney. I have spent a great deal of time and effort wrestling with the most appropriate way to answer that question. Today I came across two blog posts that answer the question far better than I can. The first post is What’s A Lawyer (To) Do? and the second is Sorry, No Justice Today.

I just finished reading an article detailing the story of two families whose paths crossed because of injustice. I highly recommend you read this article. The story details exactly why I want to go to law school to help defend the poor.

I recently wrote an article about Intelligence in the church and I received some feedback regarding that article. The feedback was thoughtful and articulate, so I thought that I would address it because I thought it was important.

Why do Christians hate knowledge?

That question seems antagonistic, but it's a question that I've wrestled with over the years. When I was in High School I was isolated from the world in many respects. The church I went to was very anti-world and nearly all of my friends were professed believers in the Lordship of Jesus Christ. I always thought my friends were intelligent and I thought that the leadership of my church was intelligent. Looking back I realized I made a crucial mistake.

I've decided to try to write a novel for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). Last year I tried and failed to make it. This year I hope to make it. I already have a decent story arc and a few key scenes written. I'm deciding to write this novel entirely free form.

I've been wrestling with something for the last 9-12 months. I believe that God might have been speaking something to me. My problem? I'm not sure if, or how, God speaks to people. I know that God speaks using the Bible and that people can receive hope and joy from reading the Word. That's not what I'm referencing. I'm speaking of a specific message dealing with the future.

A prophecy.

I've made the decision to start helping with my church's high school ministry. It wasn't an easy decision, nor should it have been. I've always been hesitant to step out and participate in any spiritual leadership position (even minor ones) because I believe God makes great demands of people in those roles.

Note: This will be updated as I complete items. It can be accessed by clicking the "101" tab at the top of the page.

There's a guy that started a thing called 101 in 1001. It's a list of 101 things to do in 1001 days. I've decided to do it.

The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Start: 18 August 2009

End: 15 May 15 2012

My garden isn't doing well. I had a great bean harvest and a pretty good pea harvest, but my tomatoes and potatoes are doing terribly. The blight that is sweeping through the Northeast is killing my plants. I lost all my potato plants and managed to salvage a meager 7 potatoes. I should have had upwards of 20lbs of potatoes. So far I've managed to harvest one tomato and it looks like I might get about 20-30 tomatoes before my plants succumb.

Yesterday was the anniversary of my nephew's death. I still have vivid memories of being awakened early in the morning (0200-0300) with my wife sobbing loudly. She had received the phone call that would change our lives forever. My nephew died at 14 days old. I had the opportunity to speak a Eulogy for him at his funereal. In the past year I've been changed in subtle and non-subtle ways.