Reasons Friday will be better than today

1. Road trip with friends
2. The trip goes right through Amish country (I think).
3. The destination is a Derek Webb show.

This is the little ball of fur my brother adopted from the pound last week. He had been wanting a dog for a while so we took a trip to the animal shelter saturday. Her name is Maggie and I picked her out.

In this picture, she's at my parents house playing with one of the cat's toys. The cat's not really a fan of the dog.

Yesterday, Heather and I took her to the park. It's amazing how friendly everyone is when you have a cute puppy.

Plans

Next week is my last spring break as an undergrad. To celebrate, I will stay in the dorm and be on duty 4 days. Yay. This will allow me to finish some homework that I need to do. I'll have most of the weekend free and I'm in the process of planning what to do. I want to drive up to the Morgantown saturday and then go to the zoo in Pittsburgh sunday. Or possibly just drive to Charleston sunday and go see everyone at church. We'll see.

I'm a little frustrated with finding a good church. I told Katie this morning that I feel kind of spiritually homeless. A few weeks ago I backed out of joining my the church my parents and I have been attending because I didn't feel right about it. I backed out because I felt like I wasn't growing there. I'm also at a point in my life where I'm sorting out what I believe. I'm thinking a lot about Calvinism. I didn't want to marry myself to a church that didn't believe in it before I had a chance to figure out what my convinctions are.

I tried a church this morning that I won't go back to. The bulletin of this church featured a story about how all muslims want a holy war with the United States. The story also compared Disneyland in America to how a disney land would be in Baghdad.

Here's a quote from the story:
"I suppose the shooting gallery would have actual live human beings to shoot at instead of coke bottles or balloons. Maybe there would be a ride that simulated the joy of blowing yourself up while watching the proud smile on mommy daddy's face."

I have a problem with the people of God not knowing the difference between the truth and a lie. As Christians, we should value truth. The idea that all muslims are terrorists is a flat out lie.

Not ready to make nice

Saw the Dixie Chicks documentary over the weekend. I love the Dixie Chicks. Perhaps even more after the controversy. Not because I hate the president, but because they stood their ground even when everyone turned on them.

Inspired by my pastor's latest sermon, I'm getting my bank account in order. It's something that I've needed to do it for a while now; I think it's been probably two years since I've balanced my checkbook. I feel more grown up already.

On a completely different note, I'm reading "A mighty heart" about reporter Daniel Pearl's kidnapping and murder. It's consuming my thoughts lately. The title refer's to Danny, but it also describes Mariane (his wife and the book's author) whose strength is incredible. I decided to get into journalism because I believe in it. I believe that it has a purpose beyond ratings and advertising and money. I believe in the kind of journalism that bridges the gap between "us" and "them". It's a worthy goal but it comes with such a high price at times.