I recently went to the House of Blues for a Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers show. What a great band. Somewhere in the middle I was struck by the really deep level of friendship those guys shared. Stephen asked how many people came with friends that night (to lots of cheering), and then proceeded to talk about the importance of having friends that you can call on at any moment, friends without pretense, where worrying about what they'll think of you is the last thing on your mind. There was a song that went along with that sentiment. It was a lovely moment.

I agree with Stephen. Having friends like that is really the motivation behind everything I do. I think about what it would be like to hit the road with my amigos and just go play music all over - really, honestly, there is nothing in this world that sounds better to me than that, no other experience I would choose over that one, if I had the option.

Maybe someday I will.

This blog's 2 year anniversary is fast-approaching. It began in November of 2005 as my "second guess at what life is all about." A place to reconsider inherited suppositions was it's sub-moniker. Suppositions: things assumed to be true. Inherited, from where? My family, my church, my entire Bible-belt upbringing. I was simply second-guessing what it was really all about.

Two years later things are different. And they are the same. I'm still second-guessing those suppositions. But in the journey I'm uncovering something deep and dense, subtle and silent, something that is good but hard and unsettling and reassuring all at the same time. Faith is requisite in a god-ly pursuit, but problematic, to say the least, for the mind of man and woman. To walk by faith, to believe in the unseen, to trust in ultimate good, to surrender - these intangible, mysterious acts of the will and the heart and, yes, the mind are so incongruous with the perceived experience of life.

Do I believe there is a God? Yes. I do. It's foolish not to believe in a concept as abstract as "God." God is whatever helps make sense of life. Goodwill, compassion, love between enemies, love between friends, charity, selflessness, good decisions, luck, fate, harmony, peace - these things are God, or influence of God, or evidence of God. You don't have to attribute personhood to God, or a name, or anything at all. But if you know that there is a wrong or bad way to live life, and you also know there is a good and helpful way to live life, then whatever influences you to choose the good way is God, whether she be a force, a spirit, something within, sheer will, conscience, a deity, a supreme being, the metaphysical, that is the thing that is God to you.

There are other questions.
Do I believe in Jesus?
In heaven? Hell?
The Bible? Other holy books?
A personal relationship with a savior?
That prayer is effective?

Lots of other questions. Some with answers, but none with resolution. Everything's unresolved, always unresolved, even if there is an answer. It's late tonight. But over the next couple of weeks as the 2 year anniversary of The Second Guess approaches, I'll talk more about these questions and their (unresolved) answers, in my experience.

Sad, so sad...

We camped in Julian this weekend. It was phenomenal, a great time. But it's hard to be glad about the trip when the weekend has ended so tragically for so many. As of the writing of this blog, there are 8 fires raging throughout San Diego County. This link has several pictures, including some from a hiker on Volcan Mountain - a hike that we did on Saturday morning, just 24 hours before the photo was taken.

Honestly, it's becoming a little scary. Several people I know now are affected, one of the people in our company may have lost her home. My friend Ben, who gave me a place to live when I first moved down here, was evacuated from his home in Rancho Bernardo 20 minutes north of downtown where the fires have consumed several houses. He saw it creeping over the hills as he was leaving. Fortunately he made it down here safely, but how many homes are going to be lost before this thing is over.

Not that I didn't already, but now more than ever I have a great appreciation and respect for the men & women who volunteer to fight these flames. Have you hugged a firefighter today?

It's time to celebrate Rob's existence. To do so, I am posting the only picture of him I have on my work computer. Love those curly golden locks.

Today is Blog Action Day.

Bloggers all over are highlighting the need for green living, environmental awareness, and the role each us plays in building a sustainable future.

Facebook users: did you know you can make your page "green"? Simply by adding the "Greenbook" application, you can help generate advertising revenue that goes toward reducing the amount of CO2 emissions that come from the energy it requires to run Facebook.com. Check it out here.

Thanks & I hope you'll recycle today! :)

We've got a good thing going and so we've got to protect it
Because there's nothing better, baby - don't you forget it
I don't worry 'bout us
-Carolyn Arends