Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Favorite April Moments

1. East Bay exploring with The Hus on a hot day (breakfast at Brown Sugar Kitchen, sewing shops, drinks at Bing Crosby's, BBQ on the porch of Bo's)
2. Bette Davis movies at the Stanford Theatre with Jus & Dan after New Orleans' Nola
3. A beautiful, warm Friday with Manka (Daimaru for lunch, Cafe XO to write and read, Helmand for dinner, then Le Club & walking shimmering Russian Hill with Anna)
4. A rooftop discussion of literature, faith and life with Manka, Jus & Dan atop our roof, under the stars, with a sparkling red and cigars
5. A rich group heart-to-heart discussion at Pilgrim's Place
6. An unexpected few days with dearest kindred Anita (Japanese gardens, tea, tea, flowers, roses, Arboretum, Anita flowers, wearing red, naps in the grass, driving the winding roads of the Russian River Valley, prayer on the water of Sausalito at sunset... running the shore)
7. Tashee's riotous 40th birthday party singing, her joy at engagement to Sax; sitting in Alive's magical, heated patio under the lights and stars with her
8. Immersing myself in the food world with dinners and parties with my editor, for "Feast", at the Taste of Asia event, meeting my favorite local food writers
9. With Amanda: late night car talk of trust & love, then another night of long, sunset Crissy Field beach walk
10. After SF BeerFest, another warm, radiant night, sitting on the water looking out at Golden Gate Bridge, up at the shimmering stars, lights of boats on the water, of Alcatraz, gentle lapping of the waves... in silence, talk and tears of thankfulness... a talk of profound effect with my Dan
Current Reading : There Is a God: How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind - Antony Flew

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Reading Walter Wink

From Wink's, "The Human Being: Jesus and the Enigma of the Son of Man":
p. 30 - "Jesus incarnated God in his own person to show all of us how to incarnate God. And to incarnate God is what it means to be fully human."
p. 89 - "'We will have to give account on the judgment day of every good thing which we refused to enjoy when we might have done so'."
p. 95 - "Does Jesus serve in order to find life, or does he serve because he has found life? Is serving a way to life, or is service the overflow from having discovered life? Christians have too often performed acts of service in order to 'earn' eternal life... Jesus served not in order to get somewhere but because he had gotten somewhere... You serve out of joy, not obligation. Service is not the way, but a consequence of having found the way."
p. 104 - "... Jesus hammered out the first consistent critique of domination that we know of since the world began... Jesus was setting captives free, and the captors were not pleased. Thus his death was consistent with his life. He shows us not just the liberating God, but the consequences of following such a God in a world organized for exploitation and greed: ' If they want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me' (Mark 8:34)."
Currently watching : When the Levees Broke - A Requiem In Four Acts (Documentary)