When in Rome...

It is hard to expain Rome really. It is such a a paradox. I suppose it could be sumarized by picturing the several thousand year old ruins of the Roman Forum or the Pantheon with brand new 2007 Smart Cars zooming around it. It is such a romantic city though. I can hardly help feeling like I am in a movie as I walk around the cobblestone alleyways with my lover.

Some of the highlights so far have been the Trevi Fountain, the basilica of St. John Lateran with its sculptures of the twelve apostles, and the ancient capital hill, and a small, out of the way church dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi. St Peters Basilica was amazing as well, and far superior artistically and architecturaly, yet I enjoyed St John Lateran much more. St Peters seemed to celebrate the glory of Popes more than the glory of Christ, though it was still very moving. I must admit, being surrounded by the most awesome Christian art and architecture in the world has made this feel a bit like a pilgrimage for J and I. No matter what we do, somewhere in my head the thoughts that St. Paul and St Peter were here, the early church had its beginnings here, and hundreds of Christians were martyred here always are in the back of my mind. It has been a very prayerful and deeply spirtual time for me, as well as being romantic and fun. Words cannot describe the feeling of walking arm and arm with my new bride for hours and hours around the ancient streets of Rome.

On the Cusp

Jenny and I are currently in Ventura, California for the wedding of our dear friends Scott and Natalie. We stopped to see the Grand Canyon on the way here, and all I can say is "breath taking." Things are going great, and we fly out for Rome on Monday morning. We are on the cusp of the greatest adventure of our lives...

Thought of the Day: It is a wonderful thing to be in Christ Jesus. There is no wrath remaining for those who are. Even if the worst should happen, it is for your good. All of the omnipotence in the universe is working for you good if you are in Christ Jesus.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. -- Romans 8:1

We know that for those who love God all things work together for good... -- Romans 8:23

The Myanmar Example

There is a wonderful example of active non-violent resistance and protest going on in Myanmar right now. Of course, our western media is too busy telling us about OJ Simpson and Brittany Spears to say much about it, but don't you miss it. It is one of the most amazing and hopeful things going on in the world currently.

Check it out here.

Books to Look Forward To

Some books that will be coming out soon that I am looking forward to:

The Supremacy of Christ in a Post-Modern World by Piper, Voddie Baucham, D. A. Carson, Tim Keller, Mark Driscoll, and David Wells

Vintage Jesus by Mark Driscoll

Pierced for Our Transgressions by Jeffery, Ovey, and Sach

The Future of Justification by John Piper...this is Piper's response to N.T. Wright, a man I also look up to tremendously. Wright and Piper are both tremendously Godly and wise men, and this book should be worth your time. I might suggest you read some of N.T. Wright first before reading this book.

Also, rumor has that Tim Keller just finished writing his first book since the '80s! His new book, which is still without title, focuses on "defeaters" that float around in many people's minds that keep them from seriously considering Christianity. I can't wait to see it in print form within a year.

Poverty and Terrorism

African Anglican Archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu weighs in on terrorism and peacemaking:

"The global "war on terror" can't be won if people are living in "desperate" conditions. You can never win a war against terror as long as there are conditions in the world that make people desperate -- poverty, disease, ignorance, et cetera...I think people are beginning to realize that you can't have pockets of prosperity in one part of the world and huge deserts of poverty and deprivation and think that you can have a stable and secure world."

Sam Adams

A dear friend of mine (Sam Adams) is doing an internship in Rwanda with Food for the Hungry and will be sharing stories and thoughts on his blog Be Prepared to Lose a Hero. It should make for interesting reading.

Flesh of my Flesh

As of September 2, 2007, I am now a married man. At long last, I entered into blessed union with the beautiful Jenny Uhre (now Jenny Ballard!) and we began our pilgrimage together. It is the highest honor of my life to be married to such a beautiful, charming, talented, compassionate, and godly woman. I do not know of a man more fortunate than myself at this moment.

On September 24 Jenny and I will leave for our honeymoon and vision trip from Las Angeles. The first two stops (Rome and Switzerland) are for a more traditional honeymoon, and the last two stops (Nepal and Indonesia) are to pray and think through the possibility of doing mission work in one or both of those countries in the future. We will be using this blog to post pictures, updates, and thoughts about our travels and sojournings. That's right, I said we. As of this moment this blog is no longer mine alone, but also belongs to Jenny. You should get pretty excited about seeing some posts from my foxy little lady in the near future. Also, please offer up prayers for us as we travel and and make decisions about our future.

Peace and Love,
Jason