a/k

To go AWOL

To go "absent without official leave" from the blogosphere may be necessary for a period sometimes. So...I might be back again.

Thanks for all of you who touched my life in the small ways by asking how I was doing or just letting me know you were there for me as I went through some difficult times and transitions. Relationships suck...and that's what church is all about. So until we get the relationships mastered, who are we to blame the church for messing up our life?

A few random notes:

• I will be attending Passion 2007 on August 16. Passion is an initiative by a few talented men in Conservative Mennonite churches to engage youth in dialog about tough things in life like "Perseverance, Authority, Sexuality, Security, Integrity, Obsession, and Networking". It promises to be a physically, emotionally and spiritually challenging long weekend in a camp at Virginia.
• A lot can be said about the Darfur genocide...but never can enough be said. Darfur is the church's test. It's the test of whether Christians can actually think outside their safety to meet oppression on its own front. After all, a church that preaches peace will sound supportive of selective violence if that "peace" only applies to America and our personal lives. For myself, I've been vocally and economically supportive of deescalating violence in Darfur, but it tends to get shoved off as some ethereal conflict. Here's a great little project we should consider supporting: Instant Karma: The Campaign to Save Darfur is a CD with greats such as U2,Christina Aguilera, Lenny Kravitz, Green Day, Ben Harper, and Aerosmith singing songs written by activist John Lennon. Promoting this campaign could go a long way towards promoting awareness of the Darfur crisis, not to mention discovering some great music. Buy it here.
• Head nod to the painfully true "Islam and Christianity" over at Homecomers.