Spring Break Camp-out ‘08

The idea was simple. Gather a bunch of friends, some tents, firewood, and go sleep outdoors for two nights. It all started sometime last year on the brink of Spring Break and the conversation between my sister and I went something like this:

hey rene,

i’m thinking of planning a campout over spring break. you interested? -jan

You should really just take some time to relax.-Rene

yeah…camping would be relaxing and my friend chelsey wants to go. so i’m going. – jan

Somehow she ended up in the tent next to me this past weekend. Perhaps it took a year to get her used to the idea. We didn’t making it for Spring Break ‘07, but ‘08 is recoup time for me after starting my break off at Fort Parker State Park in Mexia, TX (that’s Ma-hay-uh).

So let me tell you about this trip. We had a master plan and a potluck of camping gear gathered from each of our parents’ houses and Walmarts across the state. Here’s the crew of inexperienced campers:

Chelsey – law school buddy, first time camper (Houston)

Nkechi – Chelsey’s friend from middle school, first time camper (Dallas)

Sherene – my sister who was wise enough to suggest camping ≠ relaxation (Waco)

Sid/Courtney – my bestest friend, aka the happy camper (Austin)

Daniel/Steve/Bryan – my best friend & professional driver (Houston)

Shadae – churchmate of my sister and I, first time camper who earned the “Most Prepared” award (Austin)

Me – coordinator, the one who pretended to know what she was doing (Houston)

Aborting the Pro-Choice Idea

I am currently in a seminar course at law school covering major constitutional issues.  Let me tell you it’s not easy being a minority in every way. I am the only Christian/black/female in this course.  I’ve had to be quite vocal, but it’s good to defend my faith in this arena.  I’m not really all that politically charged on some of these issues, but I’ve felt compelled to advocate the more Christian views for some reason. A few weeks ago, I had to defend my personal views on abortion and  listened to Scott  Klusendorf’s message which simplistically conveyed how to address the issue with nonbelievers. Anyone can at least plant a thought in the pro-choice mind just remember SLED, here’s a quick outline.

Little Obama

As he came to center stage, the audience chuckled at the sharp little boy with the demeanor of a young gentleman. He represents the nation on a critical issue – sickle cell anemia. I’ve bragged on him a bit before on this blog, but this past weekend he made us all proud as he addressed a crowd of thousands. Gabriel George was a speaker at the North American Division Youth & Young Adult Leadership Summit this past weekend at the Adams Mark in downtown Dallas, TX. He spoke with ease not a tremor in his tone, and the message he brought was one of hope. Gabriel has used his disease in powerful ways and addressed men and women of great respect and authority. “And I hope someday to meet future President Barack Obama…” he ignited congregation in hysterical laughter. After the uproar, came the pitch – Praise God from whom all blessings flow. As Gabriel advocates for sickle cell research, he’s multitasking as a vessel God is using to bring real solid hope we can believe in – the powerful healing hand of God.

**PHOTO TAKEN BY JAVITS**