I’LL HAVE A BLOODY MARY, A STEAK SANDWICH AAAND A STEAK SANDWICH
Easier than writing lots of individual emailsArchive for April, 2007
UPDATES 4/30/07
1) Displace Me was outstanding…click here for a quick preview! We had over 20 students in our group there, a couple parents, and we rallyed with almost 10,000 other people for the internally displaced men, women and children of Uganda. Our debrief with the ICU CORE was amazing! They were so impacted! More on that later!
2) Real Estate is one of the ways that enables me to be involved in ministry that I care about. My roommate Zach is supportive and would like to draw your attention to my custom plates (note his fingers)…do you know what the plates mean?
3) In the ‘LORD provides’ category, today, I redeemed the ‘Free lunch’ that I won in the fish bowl drawing from Chipotle. They allow the winner to invite 9 associates…so, Kristin, Zach, Esther, Siona, Jeff, Nadine, Sarah Jane, Jacob, Holly, Jennene, and Mike all enjoyed lunch on the Chipotle house! Thanx!
4) Jennene and I are in the midst of doing the ICU CORE members quarterly leadership evaluations. Some are harder than others. We have some great students that are willing to look at themselves honestly and hear our positive and negative feedback. It’s just another opportunity that the LORD is giving us to try and be involved in their lives and we’re grateful! Feel free to pray for us-that we follow the leading of the Spirit and that we fear Him as we seek to be good stewards of these precious lives!
5) I learned that my cousin Pete Huttlinger was invited back to Carnegie to do a SOLO show in the main hall…so, looks like January ‘08 will be in wintery New York!!!
6) The Harveys have a few houses they like in Hanford…looks like they really intend on moving…I don’t like it, but am excited for them and for what the LORD has in store for them!
7) I rented The Last King of Scotland…wow! In addition to the movie being outstanding, I also found the special features to be incredibly educational about Amin. It was very interesting to see how Amin is still impacting (positively and negatively) the people of Uganda today…the older remember and shudder (it was only in the late 70’s that his reign of terror ended) while the younger generation who didn’t live directly under his brutal regime, view him as a hero. One of our old family friends was on Amin’s staff and ending up fleeing for his life and the life of his family-this movie just gave me a little bit more insight into their lives and into why Uganda is where it is today, how Amin’s politics shaped the world’s view of African leaders, and more. In fact, I somewhat see Amin as a Herodesque dictator: paranoid, maniacal, charming, powerful, deluded, wealthy, detached from his people, etc. While there are a few moments that I would look away, it’s a film I’m glad I saw (and actually am going to watch again tonight before I have to return it…I think I dozed in a scene or 2 last night…Displace Me took it’s toll 
).
IS ANYONE GOING TO UGANDA-SOS?
Are you or anyone you know going to Uganda between now and August…particularly to SOS (Shannon Hurley’s ministry)?
Our ICU club wants to send supplies to the orphans before we break for summer and thought we could send more quantity via a human rather than the incredibly expensive postal service. Any leads? Please comment…it’s for the kids!
REMINDER: I AM A REALTOR (R)
I was pondering the concept of blogging the other day (hence my address including ‘musings’) and I thought about all the things that I don’t share publically on this blog on the world wide web. I wanted to highlight something…just because I don’t reference something specific does not mean it’s not happening…
For example, I work for a living and I just want to remind everyone that I am a Real Estate Agent in the Santa Clarita Valley and if you or anyone you know is in need of someone to guide them through the deep waters of real estate, please feel free to call or write. .. When You’re Ready!
LINKS
www.SamNeylan.com Do free property searches, read testimonials, etc
www.WhenYoureReady.wordpress.com Real Estate blog
VALOR-A HUGE HONOR
So, my uncle George will be returning from Iraq in the next few weeks. If there’s a war, trust me, you want Commander George leading your team. Evidenced by the following…I heard through the family grapevine that upon his return, he will be awarded a Bronze Star Medal for valor… described by Wikepedia as…
The Bronze Star for Valor Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration which may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. When awarded for bravery, it is the fourth-highest combat award of the U.S. Armed Forces and the 9th highest military award (including both combat and non combat awards) in the order of precedence of U.S. military decorations.
You can imagine my routine outrage when Bush is opposed by fellow leaders about the war, when the troops are minimized, etc… How about we just say ‘Thank you’ instead?
All that to say, I think you have to do more than routine drills to earn this award. So, to George and all the men and women who really are giving their lives for our freedom, I say a sincere and indebted ‘thank you’! General George Patton said, “Freedom has a taste, and for those that have fought for it, the taste is so sweet, the protected will never know.”
Amen.
BEST POST OF THE DAY
My friend Nate Murray is so funny. He and his wife Ashley have those understated types of humor that I love so much. Please CLICK HERE to partake in Nate’s incoherent antics whilst under ’wisdom teeth pulling’ medication. Technology has brought me so much joy today!
FAREWLL PREPARATIONS
As many of you know, I LOVE my current living arrangements. I live with 2 friends from college (who are now married to each other, Ken & Kristin) and who have a hilarious 2 year old son and another one the way. This June it will be 3 years that we’ve lived together in laughter, honesty, sharpening, etc. When I Read the rest of this entry »
GROWN UPS WHO LOVE UGANDA & HUMANS
Hi friends…Jennene and I are, once again, joining the massive effort that Invisible Children is doing to raise awareness and end a war in Uganda. We will be taking at least 22 Valencia High Schoolers to the ‘DISPLACE ME’ event on April 28-29, 2007. Are any of you interested and available to join us? CLICK HERE for the post on our club blog.
Last year at the Global Night Commute, we got all night to hang out, talk, share the gospel and build our relationships with our club members. Want to join us? We could really really use your help, your compassion, your evangelism, and your example! So far we have me, Jennene, and Siona. Who else is in?
PETTY. AND I HATE CATS.
A friend from church needed a ‘fill-in’ receptionist at her work while the regular receptionist is ‘out’. So, with some fancy balancing of my schedule, I am able to do it this week, on a very part-time basis (it’s slow at her office and I have permission to do my own business while I’m ‘working’).
I write this post from the reception desk…I just wanted you to know that the receptionist that I’m filling in for LOVES cats. Everything is cats, cats, cats. Maybe the most intrusive cat ‘tool’ at the reception desk is not the cat coffee coaster, not the cat pictures in the cat picture frames, not the cat erasers, not the cat stickies, not the cat coffe mugs, not even the silver cat jewelry box…nope. The most intrusive cat ‘tool’ is the cat cursor. Everytime I do anything on the computer requiring the mouse…yep, the cat ate it, I guess. Entering into someon else’s world can be pretty ‘hidden camera show-ish’
I’m petty. I know. My last post was about the continent of Africa’s paramount sufferings.
I’m petty. And, i still hate cats.
SOBRIETY
Gunner is in Uganda collecting their new son, Judah, whom they’re adopting. As God does, He’s given Gunner and Cindi humbling opportunities that can devastate and cleanse the soul…if you haven’t read THIS POST yet, do yourself a favor.
I am continually moved by this masterfully written (and lived out) account. I pray that the Spirit brings deep comfort and hope to this mom, these workers, to all of Uganda and to the continent of Africa. There is so much work do be done…Gunner, thanx for again saying yes to His work by saying yes to the afternoon funeral.
GOT MONEY? ICU DOES…$2,279.07 MORE!
READ HERE for an update on how the concert went!
Special thanx to Eric Margrave, Jeff L, Esther K, Siona Savini (and his guys), Mike B, Heather H, and Holly Worsham who all came out and showed support! It meant a lot…please continue to pray for the kids in our club, the kids in the bands, the kids in Uganda…that all would see the love of Christ through our efforts and that they would be saved because of Christ’s great sacrifice!
UPDATE: IPOD WATCH-2007
For those of you closely following my Ipod journey, I just wanted to let you know that I have not yet purchased the little jewel. It’s not a lack of desire…now, in the 4 minutes/week spare time that I have, I’m simply scouring for the best deal posible. So, I thank you all for your fine fine contributions to my baptism into Ipodville. I will surely keep you posted as to how the Spirit is leading in this area of my life.
Other quick updates
1) Holly and I are ushering a black box event on Thursday night. Yay!
2) The Friday the 13th…It’s For The Kids concert is this Friday at Valencia HighSchool. Yay (?) Please come!
3) I will be temporarily filling in for a vacationing receptionist at Mary Jo Powell’s work…my 1 hour tutorial today had all the makings of the finest hidden camera show yet! Surely, more posts to come on that!
4) I have given in to Google (Google everything: Google reader, Google Docs, Google Food, Google Air, Google Salvation…) and I am a big fan who is intensely foolish for waiting this long. Fool. Fool that I was.
NOT MUCH TIME TO POST, BUT…
I didn’t even read the story…the headline on my Google homepage seemed to say it all ‘Predators Scarf Up Endangered Rabbits Released Into Wild‘. Now, THAT’S news, my friends.
oh…and this just in Fleeing suspect caught after fake leg fell off 
Really?! Really?!
FRIDAY the 13th and YOU!
It’s THIS Friday! I can think of NOTHING better for you to do than join Jennene and I and the ICU club as we host an awesome 5 band benefit concert at Valencia High School in the MPR this Friday night at 6pm-10:30pm! Almost every penny earned will go to our Schools For Schools fund, wherein we are currently ranked 4th…we need about $6,000 to be first!
Here are some quick facts…tix are $5 pre-sale or $10 at the door; we’re also selling food/drink, limited edition T-shirts, Invisible Children Merchandise, raffle tickets and more. This event came about after one of the bands saw the screening that we did for Black History month and they asked if they could play a benefit concert and give ICU the money… we said, ‘YES, please!!’
In addition to helping the Ugandan kids, Jennene and I find club events to be an awesome time with our Valencia High Schoolers…we get time to build relationships, invite them to church, share the gospel, have fun, teach leadership skills, etc. We would LOVE it if you came!!!! Feel free to ask any questions, click here for our ICU MySpace and HERE for our ICU blog. IN addition to all that… it’s just going to be funny…these high school rock and roll bands take themselves pretty seriously and there’s nothing like traveling back in time to when we were in highschool and tool ourselves pretty seriously!
Also, another way to help…we’re collecting donations for our raffle. If you have or anyone you know has cool new stuff that would entice highschoolers to buy raffle tix, we’d love your donation asap (gift cards, ipods, tv’s, etc.)! At our last meeting, many of our club members went through their wallets and found gift cards that they didn’t use or that have small balances…we’re going to consolidate…do you have any to contribute? Please let me know.
please come to the concert ‘FRIDAY the 13th…it’s for the Kids!’
ps-for those of you who might be concerned…we have 5 big LA County Sheriff and Police scheduled as security
I’D LIKE TO COME VISIT
SO, how many of you have asked me to come visit you and I’ve said, ‘Seriously, I’d love to, but…’?
Believe me, I’m usually telling the truth…I do want to visit everyone…I love to travel. However, the ‘but’ stems from the nagging reality that my creditors love it when I don’t travel and instead pay my debts. (Pesky creditors…pesky economy that pulses to my interest payments.) And, in an effort to be a semblance of a good testimony, I feel like I need to pay the pesky ones before galavanting across the globe again, as if I were back in college.
So, in the last few months, the LORD has allowed me to be at a spot where I only have 1.5 major debts left…and you guessed it…the big one is school loans. Once the majority of that debt is paid and stricken from the record, I will feel free to visit you. (In the meantime, maybe some wealthy do-gooder will find, in me, that long-lost cause to which he/she can donate a substantial amount of money…knowing that it’s going to a benevolent and trustworthy individual )
Anywho…so, lately, as the travel bug is attacking me and I am constantly conversing with God about what He wants me to do with the current life that He’s given me, I’ve been thinking about where I’d travel and how much it would cost (and now that Scott V directed me to TravelZoo.com I feel like I can go anywhere for a fraction of the retail cost!), the pondering overwhelmed me and I had to…make a list…to get it out of my brain and on paper, in order to make sense of it. So, I made a list of domestic and international destinations…most destinations made it on the list because I know someone there…some are in a particular order, some not. So, here are my short term travel goals over the next few years…please note that these are just the ‘immediate’ travel destinations…I want to eventually travel everywhere possible on the globe that I’ve not yet been (and some returns too!)
Domestic
Most of these I’ve been to, but not with the current residents there that I want to visit!
Washington, Texas, Hawaii, Alaska, Indiana, Arizona, Idaho, Massachusettes, Kansas, New Mexico, Tennessee, Illinois, Florida…
International
I’ve never been to any of these countries, except India (but it’s a pretty big country) and the African country of Egypt, but most don’t count that as ‘African’ -not sure why…it’s technically on that continent.
Uganda, New Zealand, France, South Africa, Spain, India, Phillipines, any South American countries, any African countries really, Yap, Turkey, Afghanistan, Amsterdam
If you have an interest in being a part of any of those travels, or want to add suggestions, please clicky click to comment and do what you need to do…
