Where is God When It Hurts

I read this book, by Philip Yancy, years ago, when Beth was going through her Chemo and Bone Marrow Transplant. Although it has been a long time ago, the book has stayed with me.

We have some dear friends who are pregnant with their first child. They found out several months ago that their son will probably only live a few hours after birth. Although the baby is moving and kicking as usual, they know that all is not well, and that has been the source of their "hurt" for several months. Anyway, they have scheduled a c-section for the 16th, and now that the time is here, the pain is intensifying.

I have been humbled by our friends reaction to this situation. They have continued to trust the Lord throughout the pregnancy, and have been faithful servants to Him and friends to me.

Philip Yancy writes that God allows suffering so that people can see how His children react to the suffering. My friends have been living this out, showing their trust, while being strengthened by God's grace. My prayers are with them during this time.

Facebook

So we have become Facebook people at our house. It has been fun finding people from my life, and seeing what they are up to. It has been intersting to think about the part that all of these people have played in my life.

When your little girl grows up, look out!!

Becca left on Sunday, Mother's Day, for a week in Mexico. She travels with some dear friends of ours from Evanston, as well as from our church here in Cheyenne, and they travel with an organization called International Family Missions. They stay in Texas and go over the border into Juarez each day and visit orphanages, rehab centers, neighborhoods, and whatever else comes up. Becca has been several times on these trips, and each time she comes back a changed woman, yes, you read that right, my little girl has turned into a young woman. These trips have not only allowed her to see and experience another culture, but also to see what God can do through her and through other people, if they just let Him, an extremely important lesson for anyone to learn. It has truly given her the confidence to take on the world.

Things We Learn in Kindergarten

Beth had a little girl come up to her at school the other day, obviously with a bloody nose. She said, "Mrs. A, guess what? If you stick your finger up your nose far enough there is blood up there!" This is a lesson we should all remember.

Enjoying being Expelled

This weekend we went a saw a documentary. On purpose. That may not sound like an enjoyable way to spend a Friday evening, but in the Ayen household, that is how we roll, especially if it is about a topic that really makes us tick. If there is one topic that gets conversation going in our house it is the creation/evolution discussion.
This weekend we had the delight of seeing "Expelled" the documentary about Intelligent Design starring Ben Stein. If you have not heard about this movie, it is essentially a discussion of professors, doctors, and journalists who have been fired, and in some cases blacklisted, for questioning Darwinism and suggesting the possibility of an "Intelligent Designer." Along the way there is a pretty good explanation of Darwinism, its history and its flaws, and the impact that Darwinism is having on our society. The main point of the movie is not really to prove that Darwinism is wrong, although there is plenty of evidence to that in the movie, but rather to make the case that Intelligent Design is a valid scientific option.
I know that the "audience" for "Expelled" is probably pretty narrow, although I feel very strongly that the information contained in this movie is incredibly important for everyone to hear. There are some incredibly moving parts, including a visit to Dachau (the Nazi concentration camp), and some funny parts as well. I will give one warning, at times they talk about scientific things (like chemistry) and it may be a little overwhelming, just hang tough, you will get what you need out of it. Over all though it is a generally entertaining movie, with a fantastic message.
This is a movie that I know we will own at some point, and we will use it as a resource for years to come. I am happy to see that it was number 9 at the box office this weekend, even though it only played in about 1000 theaters. I hope that its success will encourage theaters to keep it around for a while, so that more people can see it. If you get the opportunity I can definitely give this movie 2 thumbs up.
The pressing question is this, if "An Inconvenient Truth" and "Fahrenheit 9/11" can get Oscar nominations, what are the chances that "Expelled" will get one? Not very good I am afraid, and that is kind of the point.

Random thoughts on the World

It has been a crazy week, I was almost in the office for the whole week, except for a day trip to Casper for a meeting and another meeting here in town. It is amazing how productive I can be if I am actually at work. It was a big news week (at least concerning the things I think are important.)

American Idol: This week was kind of painful for me, mainly because I am not a huge Mariah Carey fan, I'm not even really a little Mariah Carey fan, but hey, she has a new CD out so the producers subjected us all to her music - whatever. I wish I could could say I was sad that Kristy Lee got kicked off, but I really wasn't, I mean, she was not going to win, or even be in the top 3, so it was just a matter of time. Next week is Andrew Lloyd Weber week, it can either be amazing or painful, we will see. I am having some fun trying to predict what everyone will sing. I admit it, I am kind of a musical geek, so I have very stong opinions on what they should sing, so if the contestants want to give me a ring, I have excellent advice.

Politics: While I personally find it entertaining to watch Senators Clinton and Obama continue to destroy each other at every opportunity, I am even getting a little tired of it. I am ready for the Dems to get their poop on a group and pick a candidate so we can move on with the real election. I do not plan on being anywhere near Denver this summer during their convention, it could be REALLY ugly.

News: The saddest story I have seen in a long time is the Polygamist Compound mess happening in Texas. When you have about 400 children, and no one can really determine who the parents are, that is sad. I hope that they can figure some way to do something, but I do not know if it will happen. Not that Texas is the only state with polygamy issues (cough, Utah, cough) that need to be taken care of, but this one is a little extreme. I want someone to try and explain to me how they think that it is in the best interests of any of the kids, and by kids I mean most of the "wives" as well. Sad.

Weather: We had a typical week, 70 one day, 36 the next, oh well, the weekend looks nice.

Travels

The Ayen's have been on the road this spring, in fact we have covered both coasts in the course of our travels. Beth went with a couple of teacher friends to Washington D.C. and had a great time. You will have to ask her about how they "snuck in to" the Pentagon!!

I went on a work trip to a conference in Portland, OR. It was an interesting trip, to an interesting city. I did not get to do a lot of sight seeing while I was there, but Portland is kind of a cool city to wander around in. And if you are kind of geeky, there are alot of bridges to look at.

We also had a family trip to Las Vegas to celebrate my 40th birthday (I know, hard to believe, right?) We met my folks out there and spent some time with them, when they were not at the basketball tournament (Mountain West Conference). We basically just hung out and relaxed. I have some pictures, and when I find them I will put a couple up.

Here are a couple of Pics that I found (or got - thanks Mom).