Come listen to jazz!

If you like jazz, plan to be at Tigard High School Sunday 4/27 as The Mel Brown Quartet holds a benefit concert for the THS band program!

The group, a regular at Portland's Jimmy Mak's, will play at 7 p.m. in the THS auditorium. $10 for adults, $5 for students.

See you there! :)

Living in a post-Christian world

If you didn't see the latest issue of the George Fox Journal, check out this article called "Rethinking Evangelism." I thought it was very interesting and insightful. Here's a short passage:

"Our mechanistic approaches worked when you had a vaguely Christian world. In some of Billy Graham’s latest interviews, he says he realizes in hindsight that he basically went around to the Western world saying, “Come on home to what you know to be true.” Back then he could say, “the Bible says,” because everyone knew the felt-board Sunday school stories of the Bible. But now in a more post-Christian world, we don’t have the luxury of doing that anymore. People don’t know our story or doctrine. There’s no Christian home for them to come back to. So it requires us dropping approaches that seemed sensible in a Christian world and adopting post-Christian ways of doing evangelism — which has more to do with faithfully being the people of God."

I immediately thought of a friend who didn't know the story of the Good Samaritan. She understood the concept that it was someone, perhaps a passerby, who helped out someone else. But she didn't know the story. She was raised completely outside the church and had never heard the story. I was truly shocked, but it really emphasized where she was coming from in her personal and spiritual life.

Interesting....
-Liz

Tired legs

Today's outing took us up the BPA access road in Portland's Forest Park. It's a favorite training hike for us because it's close to the city and gains lots of elevation very quickly. Brad, Steve and I strapped on our weighted packs and trekked from Highway 30 to the top of the hill. While the clouds were higher we could see Kelly Point, Sauvie Island and Vancouver. Several times the clouds lowered and a snow shower moved through. One shower brought giant, wet flakes. It's almost May. I'm so confused!

-Liz :)

Progress

I've spent more than 16 hours in Dave's yard over the past two weeks. My back aches and I have blisters on my hands from shoveling bark. My knees are caked with dirt from crawling around in the mud. But it looks great!!! No pictures until it's done... very soon :) Here's another "before" shot.
-Liz

Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica.

I love "The Office" and am SO happy it's back.

-Liz :)

Happy Birthday, Dad!!!

We celebrated Dad's 54th birthday last night with homemade enchiladas, a movie on the big screen and angel food cake. The flick was "Rendition" -- about an Egyptian bombing and the interrogation of a suspect. It was very powerful and had a couple great twists. It got 10 thumbs up from my family :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!
-Liz

Yay!

Buying lots of plants with someone else's money is really fun! :)