tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58447272011-04-21T16:07:20.344-04:00The Soundtrack to a LifeDavidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comBlogger1211100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-21512375653862228652007-03-25T05:00:00.000-04:002007-03-25T05:02:15.908-04:00

Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers; but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night. They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper. The wicked are not so,

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-65944146494326552842007-03-18T09:30:00.000-04:002007-03-25T05:55:39.900-04:00

From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation;

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1156907156316464032006-08-29T22:52:00.000-04:002006-08-29T23:17:23.966-04:00

Okay . . . it's been forever and I know that. Updates on our wedding and honeymoon, the youth mission trip to San Diego, and the move to Durham are in the works (I promise). In the meantime, below is my belated sermon from our Youth Sunday service on August 6. It was a wild and holy day, featuring communion, the reception of new church members, and an order of commissioning for theological

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1149138631379893252006-05-27T15:10:00.000-04:002006-06-02T21:07:35.573-04:00

Dear Friends, Family, and People whose email addresses we bought off of a spammer,Our months of recommendation letters, admissions essays, campus visits, praying, worrying and crying are finally over, and April and I can announce with certainty where we're headed this fall!A couple weeks ago, I accepted an offer of a Divinity Fellowship from Duke University, so in mid-August we'll be moving to

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1147292457746522462006-05-07T16:13:00.000-04:002006-05-10T16:23:29.836-04:00

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away--and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1146614023988106492006-05-02T19:50:00.000-04:002006-05-02T19:53:44.003-04:00

DV: Hey, let's check out our fortunes.BV: I don't usually get one.DV: You get empty cookies?BV: No, it's usually like commands or something.DV: Well, what does it say?BV: "It's not the best who are always the happiest, but the happiest who are always the best." What about you?DV: "The mood is right for a friendly chat to lead to romance."BV: Let's switch.

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1133398122962574002005-11-30T19:47:00.000-05:002005-11-30T20:44:07.086-05:00

Right now I am boldly, blindly, blissfully doing the very last thing in the world that I should be: sitting in a carrol on the first floor of Clemons Library, with 25 pages waiting to be written by Friday on the theological controversies of Bush v. Schiavo, drafting this post. But when I ran home this afternoon for a quick bite to eat between classes and saw Matt's lament about his recent lack

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1130324893878421922005-10-26T06:52:00.000-04:002005-11-30T21:09:59.566-05:00

"Four years. If I had them now. Like gold in my hand." --Joe Versus the VolcanoI remember:--Reading Homer outside Bonnycastle dorm until 3am--Finding any excuse to take a walk around grounds--Anxiously anticipating the arrival of the new course offering directory--Pulling multiple all-nighters a week and discovering the joys of second dinner with the men (and women) of the Community--Ditching

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1128025602293946692005-09-29T17:09:00.000-04:002005-09-29T17:13:47.596-04:00

Last weekend was one of the rare ones when I found myself preaching twice, before markedly diferent congregations in services with intentionally diverse aims and visions. I began the journey toward the weekend with lofty intentions--I would prepare and preach distinct sermons from different texts for the student service at Wesley Memorial UMC in Charlottesville and the youth night of Rocky Run

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1125674506772613572005-09-02T12:07:00.000-04:002005-09-02T23:17:09.910-04:00

"I don't want to see anybody do anymore goddamn press conferences. Put a moratorium on press conferences. Don't do another press conference until the resources are in this city. And then come down to this city and stand with us when there are military trucks and troops that we can't even count. Don't tell me 40,000 people are coming here. They're not here. It's too doggone late. Now get off your

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1125552837674304922005-09-01T01:33:00.000-04:002005-09-01T01:35:07.396-04:00

I mentioned last week that a good friend of mine from high school had persuaded me to fork over the cash (a whopping ten bucks, but still . . . ) and join his fantasy football league. I managed to carve out some time beforehand to do some research over the Internet, which served to temper the desire simply to select a team of former Wahoos and hope for the best. So I left the draft, which was

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1125313057092860102005-08-29T05:51:00.000-04:002005-08-29T07:05:56.236-04:00

Last night I dreamed that I swam all the way from south Florida to Virginia with a school of dolphins. Perhaps it was merely the result of a stressful but joyous weekend (we hosted our Youth Missions Celebration Dinner on Saturday night and the Charlottesville District Youth Rally on Sunday afternoon and evening). More likely, I watched a little too much cable news coverage of the New Orleans

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1124851361430570692005-08-23T22:42:00.000-04:002005-08-23T22:43:48.116-04:00

Today has been one of those unexpectedly stressful days. Into the joy of major tasks completed (I finally claimed and framed my diploma today) and new projects begun (I spent much of the morning finalizing my class schedule, dealing with course action forms and such) came an occupational roadblock. I've mentioned before that our church is experiencing some financial challenges this year, and

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1124767642267974822005-08-22T23:26:00.000-04:002005-08-22T23:44:22.506-04:00

So it seems that all you need to do to energize your social life is announce that you're getting married. I think more people have talked to me, and about me, in the past few days than ever before in my life. Many of you have offered kind words of blessing in response to Saturday’s post here, and many more messages have come in as the word has spread through our church and campus ministry

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1124559139254289562005-08-20T15:17:00.000-04:002005-08-20T15:30:03.930-04:00

A couple weeks ago (Wednesday, August 3 for the romantic or curious among you) April and I went on a date to celebrate and recoup from her first days as a nurse at the University of Virginia Medical Center. For a while I had been wanting to take her to a little family diner in Staunton called Mrs. Rowe's. Gene Tatum, the pastor of the Ocran United Methodist Church and a good friend of mine, and

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1123516450987593662005-08-08T11:58:00.000-04:002005-08-08T12:04:16.400-04:00

Last weekend I preached at Salem UMC for a joyous homecoming, bringing Hinton Avenue's Youth Sunday on the road and uniting our hearts in worship with the family of God there. This weekend the invitation was much more somber, as I preached for Salem's pastor Gary Sims, whose wife Donna lost her battle with cancer on Thursday. It was an important weekend of mourning and resurrection for the

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1122866525573405482005-07-31T23:25:00.000-04:002005-07-31T23:36:27.920-04:00

So we managed to bring our entire group home from Buffalo last Saturday, tired but blessed. A full update on the goings on of the mission trip is in order---until the schedule allows that, though, do know that it was an amazing, grace-filled journey, one that we would all gladly repeat. After all the craziness associated with a trip like this, the past week has been a chaotic attempt to catch

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1121463283954474492005-07-15T17:41:00.000-04:002005-07-15T17:41:26.953-04:00

We just sent our first group of youth missionaries off on their journey to Buffalo, and I'll be joining the second group in just a couple hours. Our trips to Johnstown and West Palm Beach were both frightening, fun, holy experiences, and already I'm experiencing a little of each of those this year. God is with us, though, and God is good. If you're interested, here is our best guess at an

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1121176336671772592005-07-12T08:05:00.000-04:002005-07-12T09:53:52.146-04:00

And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God. --John 3:19-21Let anyone among

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1121129424210377332005-07-11T23:48:00.000-04:002005-07-12T09:54:56.346-04:00

This has been one of those extremely rare days that has actually turned out to be as productive as I had hoped. I've managed to finalize a complete itinerary for the youth mission trip, nail down transportation plans in New York as well as to and from the airport in Baltimore, and return the last remaining borrowed things from the yard sale, in the midst of countless other errands and

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1121046576123871132005-07-10T22:23:00.000-04:002005-07-10T22:24:05.260-04:00

Wow! It's taken me seven weeks post-graduation to return to the old blog, and even now it's only to share a sermon. Perhaps this is a good thing, though, indicating that life as a college grad has been peaceful and busy and good (can those qualities go together for non-English majors?). Since my last substantial post I've completed my 45-page thesis on John Wesley's vision of evangelism, spent

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1117231748798697032005-05-22T10:00:00.000-04:002005-05-27T18:17:45.393-04:00

The University of Virginia writes her highest degree on the souls of her sons. The parchment page of scholarship--the colored ribbon of a society--the jeweled emblem of a fraternity--the orange symbol of athletic prowess-all these, a year hence, will be at the best mementos of happy hours--like the withered flower a woman presses between the pages of a book for sentiment's sake. But... If you

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1117231100581183022005-05-21T23:19:00.000-04:002005-05-27T18:20:29.793-04:00

Tonight was the Wesley Foundation's annual Baccalaureate service. This truly is my favorite moment in the Wesley calendar, and tonight was even more special because my parents, grandmother, aunts, and cousin made the trek to Charlottesville for the occasion. Last year at this service, I was blessed to offer a reflection on behalf of the continuing community; tonight I spoke as a transitioning

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1113957483125381292005-04-19T20:37:00.000-04:002005-04-19T20:49:13.093-04:00

For the longest time the finish line wasn't even in sight. I knew intellectually that I was scheduled to graduate next month, but there were so many proejcts and papers between here and there that I couldn't imagine actually making it. In the last week, however, I've been something of an academic machine, cranking out 47 pages of writing on an ethic of death in end-of-life decision-making, my

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1113805393063325632005-04-18T02:23:00.000-04:002005-04-18T07:11:11.480-04:00

I mentioned briefly in last week's post that things were not looking good for the incoming Wesley Residential Community. The final Trustees' meeting at Wesley Memorial was today, and it seems that they're unwilling to strike any compromise with next year's residents. Apparently, this means that, if the Community exists at all in the fall, it will be wounded and incomplete. Unfortunately, due

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1112981646898214222005-04-08T15:05:00.000-04:002005-04-12T20:07:27.703-04:00

Sketches of grace from the past week:--After youth group on Sunday night (which included a great discussion of suffering and even death as gifts from God, rather than evils to be delayed at all costs), April and I came back to the Dwelling and were planning to hang out there for a little while before heading over to the library to do work (you have to watch The Simpsons before you can really get

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1111630406566494592005-03-23T21:11:00.000-05:002005-03-23T21:14:58.020-05:00

(the following article appears in the April, 2005 edition of the Hinton Herald, announcing our youth group's summer mission trip)New York, New York!!By David VaughanPrevious youth mission trips have taken us to the foothills of western Pennsylvania and the beaches of south Florida. We’ve traveled by van and by plane, down the world’s steepest vehicular incline plane and through the swamps of the

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1110937374420467702005-03-15T21:32:00.000-05:002005-03-15T21:40:47.546-05:00

The Plunge is Wintergreen Ski Resort's 10-lane, 900-foot snowtubing hill, which catapults riders down the mountain at speeds approaching 40 mph. After worship on Sunday, March 13, the UMYF will provide lunch in the fellowship hall and then we will travel together to Wintergreen to experience these thrills. If you're feeling brave, please join us for this exciting adventure! Registration forms

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1110584992196480482005-03-11T21:14:00.000-05:002005-03-11T21:40:34.716-05:00

When the spring semester of my first year at UVA began, I had become friends with quite a lot of my hallmates and classmates and fellow students. I was deeply (and wonderfully) connected to random groups of people from Robinson High School (not my own), Bonnycastle Dorm (also not mine), First Year Council, and the Wesley Foundation. If anything, in fact, I was beginning to feel over-committed

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1109129088815117762005-02-15T21:16:00.000-05:002005-03-02T00:52:09.216-05:00

In my family, much of the holiday gathering, gift-giving, and "healthy" candy-eating happens on Christmas Eve. Everyone goes to their in-laws' celebrations earlier in the day, so that at night we can have as much time together as we need---to unwrap presents and share stories and sing hymns and simply wait for the Christ-child's coming. Over the past several years, a new tradition has developed

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1106783093514996102005-02-04T16:03:00.000-05:002005-02-04T16:34:17.056-05:00

One of the great injustices in life is that each moment is filled to overflowing with stories that deserve telling and celebrating, while few of us have the time or energy to hear even a few of them. Our days are too rich to be captured by the pen or the camera or the canvas. Even the widely-worshiped devices that seem to mark our days, the cell phones and palm pilots and laptop computers of our

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1107181777276433762005-01-30T21:20:00.000-05:002005-01-31T09:29:37.276-05:00

One of these days, I'll post something slightly more personal, I promise. In fact, I've even worked a little on a new post that should be ready soon. In the meantime, we braved the icy mess this morning for our Youth Sunday service at Hinton Avenue. It was a wonderful, warm, Spirit-led time of worship, and the youth did a great job leading us in it. Below is my sermon from that service,

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1103508441132715732004-12-19T21:05:00.000-05:002004-12-19T21:24:46.466-05:00

Tonight our youth led the congregation in its Advent Service of Joy & Light. Candlelit and serene, it was truly a wonderful service, with youth and adults offering inspired songs and articulate readings in anticipation of Christmas. What follows is the liturgy we used. The scriptures are taken from the NRSV, the numbers are those in the United Methodist Hymnal, and the other prayers, as well

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1102992965389447232004-12-13T23:40:00.000-05:002004-12-14T01:36:04.473-05:00

Let me tell you about my friend David Wernet. David is a committed, passionate Christian who devotes himself to sharing good news through music and testimony. When I spent a weekend last month serving as a reflection group leader for the Southeastern Jurisdiction's Exploring Ministries Conference at Lake Junaluska, his great energy and ideas enlivened our group's time together and helped us

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1101945772300880292004-12-01T19:02:00.000-05:002004-12-02T15:57:05.276-05:00

Today is World AIDS Day. I needn't tell you the impact HIV/AIDS continues to have on our global community (the numbers alone are staggering---5 million new infections per year; 30 million people have died and over 38 million people are living with the virus today). The less well-known, but more important, fact about HIV is that there is much hope for people living with HIV and for those of us

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1101161079666347152004-11-22T17:28:00.000-05:002004-11-22T17:30:38.596-05:00

Heading out the door for classes and a busy day this morning, I found myself completely unable to locate my right flip-flop. Mysteriously enough, however, I did manage to find two left flip-flops, and while I have no idea where my right shoe has gone, how I came to own two left shoes, or what right-wing conspiracy might be behind this, I've spent the entire day with the somewhat uncomfortable

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1099361334884444572004-11-02T06:00:00.000-05:002004-11-01T21:19:54.436-05:00

Well, we busted out of class, had to get away from those fools We learned more from a three-minute record, baby, than we ever learned in school Tonight I hear the neighborhood drummer sound I can feel my heart begin to pound You say you're tired and you just want to close your eyes And follow your dreams down Well, we made a promise we swore we'd always remember No retreat, baby, no surrender

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1099358021265869682004-11-01T20:56:00.000-05:002004-11-01T21:17:26.673-05:00

We have several Narcotics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous, Al-Anon and other support groups who meet regularly in our church. In fact, our brother Steve, who organizes many of these groups, has become a steady and inspiring presence around the office over the past couple years, bringing humor and hope and compassion to the life and work of the faith community. Many of my most poignant moments

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1098202728139394502004-10-19T16:23:00.000-04:002004-10-20T00:50:18.786-04:00

A couple weeks ago, I dreamed that one of the girls from my youth group had suddenly become my sister. She's a very sweet girl, with almost unimaginable energy and potential, but she's almost chimeric in the way her attitudes and behaviors mimic her surroundings. So at church on Sunday mornings and evenings, on youth group fellowship and mission trips, and in many of the other places where I

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1097692655822441492004-10-13T14:37:00.000-04:002004-10-13T14:38:56.356-04:00

Way back on March 1, Maggie was Visitor #5000 to these Musings. Unbelievably enough, we're now approaching 10,000, and I would like to know if you're that lucky visitor. So without cheating (I WILL know if you simply refresh your browser a dozen times), check the counter on the right side of the page and click 'Comment' below this post to claim your prize! Of course, even if you're not #10,000

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1095814973731329952004-09-21T20:29:00.000-04:002004-09-21T22:56:50.326-04:00

'Your neighbors are the channel through which all your virtues are tested and come to birth, just as the evil give birth to all their vices through their neighbors.' --Catherine of Siena, The Dialogue The Medieval Christian mystics (Julian of Norwich, Hildegard of Bingen, Bernard of Clairvaux, Catherine of Siena, and so many others) are an eclectic, curious bunch. While attempting to offer a

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1095461314851092522004-09-17T18:32:00.000-04:002004-09-17T19:18:57.370-04:00

In Charlottesville, we are blessed with a true cornucopia of local restaurants and eateries, as well as homegrown produce, meats, and cheeses. We live along side people whose ancestors have literally come from all over the world, and these folks have brought with them distinct and enlightening foods from their own cultures. At the Wesley Foundation, Joel Winstead leads a local foods small group,

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1095141728931119032004-09-14T02:25:00.000-04:002004-09-14T13:09:03.716-04:00

(You'll want to read to the end of this one, trust me . . . ) I climbed out of April's window tonight. Ordinarily, I would not have given such a thing a moment's thought. She lives in a basement-level apartment, after all, and has the external heating and cooling unit for her entire building blocking what little exit one might hope to gain from her tiny windows. But tonight, after much

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1094762701038128492004-09-09T16:36:00.000-04:002004-09-10T16:39:15.180-04:00

Early last Saturday, April, Andrew and I loaded into the van and headed north to Strasburg, where we spent the day praying and worshiping and chatting and feasting in celebration of Bethany and Kirk's wedding. It was truly a remarkable day----the weather was gorgeous, there was a beautiful collection of people from Wesley communities past and present, and we were sharing in the holiest of days

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1094007097238844832004-08-31T22:29:00.000-04:002004-08-31T23:00:11.253-04:00

I've stumbled across a discovery that I think will completely shake up this year's presidential election. It turns out that Arizona Senator John McCain--now brace yourself, you'll never believe this--is NOT a candidate! You see, ever since his opinion somehow became the official position of the entire American electorate, I've just been assuming that Mr. Bush and Mr. Kerry would simply defer to

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1093838580830723572004-08-29T23:59:00.000-04:002004-08-30T00:08:46.626-04:00

Hinton Avenue United Methodist Church, 29 August 2004 On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely...When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. "When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1093724364002841452004-08-28T16:07:00.000-04:002004-08-28T16:50:45.293-04:00

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. --Ephesians 4:4-6 Alex tells people I have a theory about the beginning of an academic semester. I'm not so sure it's quite that developed, but my observation is that the first weeks each semester are

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1092703124283458462004-08-16T20:20:00.000-04:002004-08-16T21:50:02.433-04:00

Like people around the world over the past couple weeks, I've found myself being swept up in the excitement and sheer vastness of the Summer Olympics in Athens. In fact, I think there's much to be learned from the (at least theoretical, if not always genuine) peace and goodwill with which nations from all parts of the globe come together, setting aside social, political, economic, and military

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1092465858753561062004-08-14T02:31:00.000-04:002004-08-14T02:50:41.006-04:00

Candler School of Theology at Emory University (Atlanta, GA) The Divinity School at Duke University (Durham, NC) The University of Edinburgh School of Divinity (Edinburgh, Scotland) Harvard Divinity School (Boston, MA) Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University (Dallas, TX) The Vanderbilt University Divinity School Wycliff Hall at Oxford University (Oxford, England) The Yale

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1092090923711144182004-08-09T18:21:00.000-04:002004-08-16T22:23:57.476-04:00

(Unfathomable as it seems, I managed to lose my calendar for two entire weeks and have only recently recovered it. As a result, my entire sense of time and order fell apart for a while, and this post, which I began on August 9, didn't appear until August 16. There is something of the eternal in the way everything seems to be happening at the same time here, though, and for that I'm deeply

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1091217643396210542004-07-30T15:46:00.000-04:002004-07-30T16:57:53.206-04:00

Sadly, dear persistent, patient readers, it has been so long since my last post that I have to pull out my calendar to remember just what HAS been going on for so long. Despite my best intentions of frequent writing during this wild, challenging, and thrilling summer, I've scarcely found time, in the midst of reading with the kids of Project Transformation in Charlottesville, hosting my

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1087857179777399602004-06-21T17:29:00.000-04:002004-06-21T18:32:59.776-04:00

I spent last week in Hampton as an at-large lay delegate to the Annual Conference of the Virginia United Methodist Church, debating resolutions, hearing and approving committee reports, getting first-hand accounts of General Conference from the Virginia delegation, and joining in fellowship and worship with sisters and brothers from all around our conference and throughout the world. We were

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1087059645256865022004-06-12T12:39:00.000-04:002004-06-12T13:15:23.410-04:00

I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up, and did not let my foes rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you healed me. O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit. Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1087005314654186182004-06-11T21:50:00.000-04:002004-06-12T00:18:25.123-04:00

When I think of 'The Presidency' (capital P very important), the image that immediately comes to my mind is that of President Reagan. I haven't yet decided whether this is a blessing or a curse. Certainly, it's not the Presidential image I would otherwise have chosen for myself. I likely would have gone for the bold liberation of Lincoln, the glamorous presence of Kennedy or the youthful

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1086275902056914282004-06-03T11:16:00.000-04:002004-06-03T18:30:21.683-04:00

This week, Andrew used a Best Buy gift certificate he'd received for his birthday to pick up the entire series (all 65 episodes) of Sports Night on DVD. Sports Night was Aaron Sorkin's brilliant and hilarious pre-The West Wing series which won three Emmys, but only lasted two seasons. So we've spent embarassing amounts of time the past couple nights watching episodes chronologically and gaining

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1086051313495382822004-05-31T20:26:00.000-04:002004-05-31T21:12:38.536-04:00

Yesterday was an amazingly grace-filled and rewarding day of youth ministry at Hinton Avenue. Each time a month has five Sundays (usually 4 times a year), we've designated that fifth one as Youth Sunday. The liturgical calendar has worked out so that the first Sunday in Advent, the first Sunday in Lent, and now Pentecost Sunday have been Youth Sundays. Pentecost is perhaps the season of the

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1085671215790413602004-05-27T11:10:00.000-04:002004-05-27T11:39:10.533-04:00

And he said, "Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet's home town." --Luke 4:24 While I was in high school, I became a Certified Lay Speaking Minister of the United Methodist Church. Basically, this meant that I had completed a number of hours' training in public speaking, church polity, worship, and liturgy, and was thus "licensed" to serve as a guest preacher in local

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1085319511120724462004-05-23T09:22:00.000-04:002004-05-23T09:38:31.120-04:00

If I had one of those live journals where each post is accompanied by your current mood, mine would probably be off the charts with excitement, happiness, stress, anxiety, relief and countless other emotions. The highlight of it all is that April's coming home tonight, and after youth group I'll actually get to see her. It's only been like five days, but they've been pretty tough, so it will be

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1085181218693869652004-05-21T18:56:00.000-04:002004-05-21T19:22:27.186-04:00

Astute readers of these Musings may have noted (in the What I'm Watching link to the right) that I recently watched the film 'High Fidelity', starring John Cusack, Jack Black, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Tim Robbins, and countless others. This was interesting for a couple reasons: first, because Andrew has been relatively obsessed with it lately (reading the Nick Hornby novel upon which the film is

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1085099445715226412004-05-20T20:24:00.000-04:002004-05-20T21:02:38.040-04:00

Mrs. Smith, my brilliant and thoughtful AP English teacher, wrote me a couple months ago to ask me to come back to Colonial Heights and offer the opening prayer for the retirement celebration for Mrs. Sandra Coleman. For 33 years, many of them at CHHS, Mrs. Coleman has worked as an English and Reading teacher, specializing in education with gifted students (back in my younger days, people

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1084678306686341232004-05-15T23:11:00.000-04:002004-05-15T23:58:27.210-04:00

Each year, the Wesley Foundation's Bacallaureatte service is one of the highlights of worship and fellowship life in our faith community. It's an opportunity for family, friends, and community members to come together to remember, celebrate, and look ahead. Tonight we gathered for that service, and I was invited to offer a reflection from the continuing community. As per usual, I found myself

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1083844690533951062004-05-06T07:58:00.000-04:002004-05-06T09:49:21.483-04:00

At least five Iraqi civilians and one more US soldier were killed in yet another suicide bombing yesterday. Of course, many people, including myself and most of the rest of the world, might understand these people to be still more victims of a senseless war insisted on by a thoughtless cowboy president with little foresight or compassion. Regardless of the senselessness of their deaths, however

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1083784677656978812004-05-05T15:17:00.000-04:002005-05-05T01:48:48.516-04:00

Okay, so I'm a dork. That I freely admit and embrace. But I also happen to be a dork who wants to become both happier and smarter this summer. So, because reading purely for pleasure is, well, a pleasure, I'm putting together a summer reading list and would like your help. I'm interested, epsecially, in learning about books from genres which I might not otherwise be familiar with (good science

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1083360242917963322004-04-30T17:24:00.000-04:002004-04-30T17:34:46.153-04:00

"Hammer and Nail" Clearing webs from the hovel, a blistered hand on the handle of a shovel I've been digging too deep, I always do. I see my face on the surface, I look a lot like Narcissus A dark abyss of an emptiness, standing on the edge of a drowning blue. I look behind my ears for the green And even my sweat smells clean Glare off the white hurts my eyes I gotta get out of bed, and get a

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1082693103943545142004-04-23T00:05:00.000-04:002004-04-23T00:50:14.450-04:00

. . . but this is my latest effort at literary brilliance. It may, in fact, be the first installment in the great American novel I'll soon write, which will be called Radio Land. This story is anything but perfect and could benefit from great amounts of revision, but it is what it is. And (for all interested plagiarists) it is now copyrighted, so don't steal...and I WILL know! But all

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1082426996676245362004-04-19T22:09:00.000-04:002004-04-19T22:14:00.763-04:00

Andrew Marshall has done an awful, costly thing to me! He introduced me to the world of I-Tunes, where I can *legally* download songs for only 99 cents a pop. In an effort to minimize my own spending and to ensure that I do still take into account what artists are doing with an entire album of work, I'm limiting myself to buying music which I would otherwise never own (i.e. one hit wonders,

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-10823378600340892004-04-18T21:24:00.000-04:002004-04-18T21:49:25.263-04:00

Jonathan Safran Foer's first novel Everything is Illuminated offers a brilliant, startling portrait of life in an eighteenth-century Ukranian shtetl. The villagers of his fictional Trachimbrod are hilariously human, with their competing synagogues (the 'Uprights' and the 'Slouchers'), their constant bickering, and their complicated relationships with art and life. They are also, at times, more

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1080948449117061142004-04-02T18:27:00.000-05:002004-04-16T22:26:03.496-04:00

On April 27 (this is the last day of classes for folks at UVA), Charlottesvile's Ben & Jerry's store is giving away free pints of ice cream for people who come to donate for Virginia Blood Services between 3:00 and 6:00pm. This is a great opportunity to make a real difference in our community and to go home with some very tasty dessert!! The catch is that they need 40 people signed up to donate

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1080881718556217202004-04-01T23:55:00.000-05:002004-05-22T15:44:32.603-04:00

"There's an old saying in Tennessee...I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee., that says fool me once....shame on....shame on you....fool me can't get fooled again." --President George W. Bush, 17 Sep 2002 Each year on April Fool's Day, The Cavalier Daily puts out a hilarious spoof edition. So these are today's headlines....they're not real, but might the world not be a better place if

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1080762596931927572004-03-31T14:49:00.000-05:002004-05-22T15:45:08.760-04:00

On the day I started Kindergarten, my mother began her college studies at East Tennessee State University, a large school near our home in northeast Tennessee with a wonderful education department which would enable her to live out her calling to be a teacher. The story of her University experience is truly a remarkable one, as she somehow managed to balance her life as a wife and mother of two

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1080615920064553212004-03-29T22:05:00.000-05:002004-03-29T22:08:55.373-05:00

Cuando El Pobre When the poor ones who have nothing share with strangers, When the thirsty water give unto us all, When the crippled in their weakness strengthen others, Then we know that God still goes that road with us, Then we know that God still goes that road with us. When at last all those who suffer find their comfort, When they hope though even hope seems hopelessness, When we love

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1079998496326755742004-03-22T18:34:00.000-05:002004-03-22T18:52:19.356-05:00

I'm Still Alive . . . Yes, I realize I haven't posted in ages. Apologies to all my faithful readers (both of you!) who I'm certain have been hopefully checking in several times a day for a word on my well-being. Initially my absence was due solely to the fact that I was in southwest Arizona (as well as parts of California and Mexico) serving alongside my sisters and brothers from the Wesley

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1078401103880706062004-03-04T06:51:00.000-05:002004-03-04T06:54:43.373-05:00

Newsgroup Posts and the Ascetic Life Okay, so I realize that I never actually followed through on that promise I made Monday for a real post early in the week. I'm still holding out hope, though, that after I head to Richmond for my brother's biopsy this morning and before we depart Friday afternoon for our spring break mission trip to Fort Yuma, Arizona and Yuma, California, I'll manage to

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1078169968132850242004-03-01T14:39:00.000-05:002004-03-01T16:25:58.466-05:00

Before You Leave . . . A real update is coming some time later today (I promise!), but until then, please check the counter while you're here, because visitor number 5000 wins the Worry Rock prize which went unclaimed last week ('Worry Rock' is in fact the title of a 1997 Green Day song, though Fraggle Rock was a pretty good guess, I suppose). Just click 'comment' below to let me know that

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1077792735029730992004-02-26T05:52:00.000-05:002004-02-26T06:25:50.390-05:00

A Portrait of the Artist Emerging from Yet Another All-Nighter Since I've been up all night working on this paper for my Medieval European Lit. class (a paper which, per usual, still isn't nearly as close to complete as I would have hoped at this hour), I thought it would only be appropriate to share some of my intense attempts at procrastination with you. I once again have one of those silly '

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1077723857344955952004-02-25T10:44:00.000-05:002004-02-25T10:48:16.966-05:00

Down in the Valley to Pray No doubt the world is entirely an imaginary world, but it is only once removed from the true world. --Isaac Bashevis Singer, 'Gimpel the Fool' Last Sunday, the Reverend Jason Micheli, who attended Hinton Avenue while an undergraduate at UVA before moving on to Princeton Theological Seminary and the ordination process in the United Methodist Church and is now the

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1077685691057372762004-02-24T23:58:00.000-05:002004-02-25T10:51:39.543-05:00

The Worry Rock He said to his disciples, 'Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And can any of you by

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1077227216208093322004-02-19T16:46:00.000-05:002004-02-19T16:53:50.856-05:00

Yep... Which 1990's Subculture Do You Belong To?

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1076971143708775172004-02-16T17:39:00.000-05:002004-02-16T23:04:00.246-05:00

Almost Heaven Almost heaven, West Virginia, Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River Life is old there, older than the trees Younger than the mountains, growin’ like a breeze Country roads, take me home to the place I belong West Virginia, mountain momma--take me home, country roads All my memories, they gather round her Miner’s lady, stranger to blue water Dark and dusty, painted on the sky

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1076743311698361432004-02-14T02:21:00.000-05:002004-02-14T02:34:43.483-05:00

When this baby hits 88 miles per hour . . . *WIZZZ* You're back to the future Which 80's movie are you??

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1076299708624191032004-02-08T23:08:00.000-05:002004-02-08T23:20:52.746-05:00

Gratitude, or Why I Want to Be a Jesuit Priest University of Virginia Religious Studies professor Eugene Rogers tells a far wittier and more eloquent version of the following story: One of his best friends in graduate school was an openly gay man who was studying theology and headed toward ordination as a Jesuit priest. One night, this friend went home and spent the night with a man he'd met

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1076082169664689672004-02-06T10:42:00.000-05:002004-02-06T10:45:38.590-05:00

Give Life! According to the American Red Cross, my blood type is A-positive. Does this mean that I'm just an A+ kind of guy? :-) Actually, about 34% of people in the US are A-positive, which makes it the second most common blood type, behind only O-positive (38%). How do I know all these random, but highly interesting, facts, you ask? Because I'm a blood donor, and the Red Cross regularly

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1075925804747859852004-02-04T15:16:00.000-05:002004-02-04T17:57:49.610-05:00

Fairweather Fans A couple years ago, the Virginia men's basketball team came into its home game against Maryland with a 14-4 record, ranked number five in the nation, and filled with hopes of a strong regular season finish and even a run at our very first national championship. We camped out in order to get good seats for this game, and were something like number 65 out of around 120 total

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1075824329288171292004-02-03T11:05:00.000-05:002004-02-03T11:07:48.390-05:00

Sludgy Ponderings I'm told that orbiting planetary bodies are actually in a constant state of falling. The gravitational pull of Earth, for instance, keeps our moon constantly rotating around us, when it might otherwise tumble endlessly through space. That's how I feel today, trying to master the sludgy mess around grounds. My momentum pulls me forward on the sidewalks and down the stairs,

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1075753223202676242004-02-02T15:20:00.000-05:002004-02-02T15:24:12.920-05:00

The Reason Why I Sing I have been blessed by several wonderful, if slightly random, encounters with God over the past few days. I haven't really been able to think of a logical, coherent way to maneuver them into any posts, so the best I can do is a wholly un-literary list. In any case, I invite you to share in some of these blessings: --Professor Hoyt Duggan teaches my Medieval European

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1075742264581519742004-02-02T12:17:00.000-05:002004-02-02T12:21:06.826-05:00

Wonders Never Cease So it turns out that Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi regime whose ousting (crucial to our national security and way of life, of course) continues to call for the deaths of young American service men and women, as well as Iraqi soldiers, insurgents, and citizens, probably didn't have any weapons of mass destruction after all. Apparently this revelation (which may or may not be

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1075566445768649822004-01-31T11:27:00.000-05:002004-02-01T01:54:27.403-05:00

Come Away With Me create your own visited states map Since everyone seems to be doing it, here's my own version of the Visited States Map. Surprisingly enough, I managed to be really honest with myself by only including states I have visited for meaningful amounts of time during the past couple years. This excludes childhood trips to California (and countless states between here and there)

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1075257059905154312004-01-27T21:30:00.000-05:002004-01-27T21:35:13.606-05:00

Then God spoke all these words: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1074746016599256802004-01-21T23:33:00.000-05:002004-01-21T23:48:55.983-05:00

I Love Wool Socks! For Christmas, my parents bought me a pair of Rocky boots with Gor-Tex and these Smart Wool socks, and they're just amazing!! I pretty much wear the boots all the time, and the socks serve as great protection on the worst days of this oppressive cold wave which has hit the entire east coast over the past few weeks. Now I suppose this could (and perhaps by all rights should)

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1074138026464803142004-01-14T22:40:00.000-05:002004-01-14T22:49:52.560-05:00

Grounded in Community Okay, so I'm willing to at least entertain the complaint that it has been far, far too long since I've posted anything here. Part of the reason for this has been that I spent all of last week in New York City attending a seminar at the United Nations Church Center, a building owned by the United Methodist Church which is located just across the street from the UN itself

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1073063155190474662004-01-02T12:05:00.000-05:002004-01-14T22:44:22.530-05:00

Let Hope Arise When I’m in my car, driving back and forth to work, running errands around town, or otherwise traveling alone, I listen to a lot of AM Sports Radio. A few weeks ago, in the middle of the outrageous debacle that ensued after the Big XII Championship Game, sports talk show host Jim Rome unapologetically declared that, “The BCS is a dog that needs to be taken out back and shot.” As

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1072842462637888462003-12-30T22:47:00.000-05:002003-12-30T23:19:04.006-05:00

So there's this girl . . . "...when all at once he realised that it was this: it was this:--she was the most beautiful person he had ever seen." ---Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse A walking tour of downtown, picnic in the park, Chinese Checkers back at the house, perusing the local paper, even an ambitious dinner with the parents, and dreams of setting out to find America and ourselves.....

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1072764518496323872003-12-30T01:08:00.000-05:002003-12-30T01:23:30.126-05:00

Heaven Shall Not Wait Merry Christmas, friends!! Okay, so perhaps there are two things that may seem wrong with that introductory paragraph. First, you might point out that, in fact, Christmas was last week and I missed my opportunity to extend that blessing to you at the appropriate time. Well, you're probably not thinking that at all, but if you are, I could not disagree more. Believe it

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1071704629351821502003-12-17T18:43:00.000-05:002003-12-18T11:56:09.100-05:00

"The Black Church" Whew! Final exams have finished, this rough semester has come to an end, and four weeks of rest and relaxation await me!! Well, okay, so that's not exactly true. The semester is over, and I'm thankful to be freed from schoolwork for a couple weeks, but this mostly means that church work, research for Lauren, and various other commitments can receive more attention for a

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1071373176284304782003-12-13T22:39:00.000-05:002003-12-13T22:39:49.320-05:00

On My Honor . . . On my honor as a student, I have neither given nor received aid on this assignment/exam. This, of course, is the honor statement here at the University of Virginia, which appears on most of the exams, papers, and other assignments submitted by students. Although we spend a lot of time talking up our honor system, and its attendant single sanction policy for dismissal from

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1070944525925528262003-12-08T23:35:00.000-05:002003-12-14T00:01:18.353-05:00

Youth Happenings (If you ever read the widely circulated Hinton Herald, our church newsletter, you might remember that this is usually the title of my monthly column, updating the faith community on the goings on in the life of our youth group. It may be that my entire life could be titled such, but this entry is all about our youth group....the coolest, most fun group of folks I know in the

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1070658519753637642003-12-05T16:08:00.000-05:002003-12-05T18:00:07.353-05:00

Blood Brothers One night a couple weeks ago, Andrew was up working while everyone else in the house was asleep (which, given our amazingly unhealthy sleep patterns, is actually quite an accomplishment!), and he printed out a copy of the lyrics to Bruce Springsteen's "Blood Brothers" for each of us and slid them under our doors. It was so great because it served as a small, simple reminder that,

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1070327737604690742003-12-01T20:15:00.000-05:002003-12-14T00:02:18.993-05:00

Days of Tranquility After Thursday's Thanksgiving festivities, my weekend was consumed by UVA athletic and academic life. I managed to work hard enough (or at least convince myself at the time that I had worked hard enough) during the day on Friday to justify a 3-hour study break in the form of the men's basketball game against Virginia Tech. Andrew, April, Lisa and I went and got amazing

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1070035798640536902003-11-28T11:09:00.000-05:002003-12-14T00:03:34.506-05:00

Family Ties I know, I know, I'm supposed to be hard at work right now, with no updates on here until at least next Thursday. Well, I wish I could say that I'm just so far ahead on all this work that I have the time to post rather than write English papers and all. That's unfortunately not true at all, but what better cure for writer's block than rambling on about myself? :-) Also, Deborah has

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844727.post-1069888495459011112003-11-26T18:14:00.000-05:002003-11-26T23:13:53.520-05:00

Affirmations Each year, on the Wesley Foundation's spring break mission trip (we're headed to the American southwest this year.....I'll buy you a cactus if you come with us!!), each participant has an affirmation sheet on which other people can leave comments sharing with that person ways in which she or he has enriched their lives and their experience of the trip. Both because of my tendency

Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03312301826691784057noreply@blogger.com