back, kindof

my computer is still stricken with a sort of alzheimers due to an internal batter dysfunction, but i have managed to take it on a field trip to the internet today. Computers being down are a drag.
here is an update on me though:
it has been a really busy last 7 days. I have traveled to texas, myrtle beach, led a youth sunday, gone to class, read many articles on the matrix, gotten sick, stressed over the status of my Haiti mission trip and dealt with needing a new transmission in my Jeep.
My trip to Texas and the current retreat was Great. I got to see old friends like Jamie (Dudley) Allen, Linda Dudley, and Jake Hall. I also made new friends with lots of "young cbf ministers" and guys like David Burroughs of Passport. In case you didnt know, George Mason is a pretty good preacher and Dallas is a nice city.
My Mrytle Beach trip was to lead a Breakout session for a bunch of youth ministers at a CBFNC youth ministers retreat. My pastor Jack Glasgow and I rocked the room as we set up a hegalian "thesis+antithesis= Synthesis" idea for healthy staff relationships.
I got a cold from being run down but 12 hours of sleep last night has helped.
My Jeep decided it needed a new transmission on my way to our church 's mardisgras party on sunday night, that will cost about $1800. Again reiterating that Jeeps are fun about 8 days a year: 5 in the summer when it is not 150 degrees or raining, and 3 in the winter when i can drive through the snow with the 4wd. If you would like to contribute to a fund to help me pay for the transmission, you can send you checks and change to:
Chris's Jeep repair
c/o Chris Aho
PO Box 94
Zebulon, NC 27597

I am also supposed to go on a medical mission trip to Haiti in March, but it will probably be cancelled due to the govt problems there right now. I will not be near any of the violence if I do get to go, but getting out of Port-au-Prince will be a problem.

Finally, I have an outline for my Matrix and missions paper due on tuesday and have lots of work left to do, actually i need to get started.

Life is really busy, but I love it and hope you do too. I miss writing on my blog and hopefully I will find a solution to the computer problem soon so I can get back to a normal life schedule.
peace
aho
ps. any typos i contribute to the fact that it is almost 2pm and the only thing i have in my stomach is coffee. I got the shakes and need some food.

My politik: (see ben's blog)
I have not completely thought through my politik yet but here are a few preliminary thoughts:
I think our nation should be in the business of helping others like Haiti instead of always levying embargos on trade that keep people down. We could be likened to missionaries, but often we enforce before we listen.I think people should be less power hungry. (photo above is of refugees the us is turning away, even though their own national situation is terrible)
I think Christians should be more excited about movies that display grace in practical ways and not just excited about the biblical films that studios peddle to them.
I think people should think critically about the end times and not just read the gospel according to Jerry Jenkins and Tim Lahaye- read just a little about darbism and you realize some of the stretches he makes.
I think we need to think about the church's worship everyday and be critical so that we can always point people towards God- we dont need to just inherit the models of the "cool" or "tradiditonal" churches.
I think everyone should have the opportunity to study the christian faith seriously: i am grateful for the opportunity to study at duke and i think you might be cheating yourself if you choose to go to school in places like fortworth, new orleans and wakeforest, nc. Set your intellectual standards high for christianity, it can take it.
i think we need compassion, grace, love, listening, less talking, community...
thats all for now. more later