I’m around teens all the time and I have to tell you… I wish I had their schedules. Take the idea of Spring Break for instance. They get a random week off school to do whatever.

So say, just for a moment, that this practice where to permeate the adult world. April rolls around and you hit Adult Spring Break. Everyone exits work for a freebie week (or if you’re a homemaker, someone takes the kids).

So if such an occurrence happened… how would you spend it?

Today we embark on a journey. A journey for a hamburger. 6 students, 2 leaders and over 1000 miles over 2 days. Madness? Probably. But it should be a memorable spring break for the youth.

Please keep us in your prayers for safety and spiritual growth. Yes, spiritual growth! This is actually a contemplative journey for 6 high school students that happens to involve fast food, visiting churches as we drive, prayer, questions and camping on the Oregon coast. I’ll tell you how it goes when I get back.

I’m headed to Cali. Later.

For more about our epic road trip, go here…

It’s almost April and a week ago we were having temperatures in the high fifties. The Chacos were out and I was  enjoying life. Then this week hits.  Tempeartures are back in the 30’s and we’ve got frickin’ snow! SNOW! Gimme a break!

The kids are out on spring break and we’ve got snow. Grrrr.
So currently at latitude 48.11 (48°6′) and longitude -122.17 (-122°10′) [Marysville, WA] the weather is less than satisfactory.

How’s the weather in your neck of the woods? [If you feel like being precise in your answer go here to find your exact coordinates. ]

I’ve been asked over and over lately about where I stand on the issues of the presidential race. Usually I try to change the subject or avoid it all together. I’ve said before that I don’t like politics and don’t trust anyone running today. But if you have to know where I stand… I think that a bumper sticker I saw the other day sums it up. “Scared as Hell in ‘08″. Or apathetic as hell in 08.

I don’t consider myself Republican or Democrat. Both have points and both miss the mark greatly.

I’m pro environment and anti big business. I’m pro choice, but anti-abortion.

I support our troops, but I think war makes sense only in certain circumstances and we haven’t seen those circumstances in decades.

Christians who blindly vote Republican, are certainly not thinkers. They’re pro war and anti abortion. So the message is it’s okay to kill some, but not others.

I’m pretty anti-political. I don’t have much faith in the process, feeling that money and companies run most of it. So I choose to do the best with the time I have. I believe in helping the poor and those in need. I just do what I’m called to do and not worry about politics.

And who do I like for president? Hilary is scary. McCain is creepy. And Obama is good at sounding good.

So that’s where I stand. What about you?

I feel like I’m hearing the same conversations and the same arguments about the same things lately. I’ve gotten ear fulls. And it’s always about the same two things. The two things that have been making me sick are: religion and politics. Needless to say, I’ve been pretty cynical lately. Then, I heard some quotes from founding father, Thomas Paine, over the radio today that only spurred me on further.

Thomas Paine on Politics:

Society in every state is a blessing, but government, even in its best stage, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one.

Thomas Paine on Religion:

All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.

So, I’ve come to these two conclusions: 1) religion and politics just don’t work and 2) there’s not much difference between the two.

They’re both about conviction, power, control and being right. Both involve pushing forward a certain dogma of beliefs and practices. The problem with both is that they’re all too human and easy to define. They both seem to boil down to “what we can do.” And the more I follow after Christ, I find out that life has less and less to do about me. It’s not about power or control, but giving those things up. The more I walk, the more I find myself being farther and farther from those two things. So I could care less about religion and politics, thank you very much.