WHEATSTONE FORUM

Please join us for a Gingerbread cookie Christmas party!

What: A free alumni event with dessert

When: Saturday, December 13, 7:30 - 10:00 p.m.

Where: Wheatstone mentor Chad Glazener’s house

15367 Las Flores Avenue

La Mirada, CA 90638

After decorating cookies, we will read and discuss Milton’s Nativity Ode.  Alumni and friends of alumni are welcome.  You are in for a treat!  We look forward to seeing you there.  RSVP to Chad Glazener no later than December 8!

You can email chad[dot]glazener[at]gmail[dot]com, or call 480-231-0317.

KAT ZILKA DIRECTS
PETER PAN
or The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up
produced by
TORREY THEATER CLUB
at
BIOLA UNIVERSITY

November 21, 22, & 23

One of our very own Wheatstone Mentors, Kat Zilka, is directing a performance of Peter Pan at Biola University this weekend.
Don’t miss this opportunity to see live theater and support young artists.
You’re sure to catch other Wheatstone alumni, staff and faculty at these performances.

See attached flier for details.

TO PURCHASE TICKETS:
Buy at the door before the performance
~or~
Call this number to reserve tickets: 916-704-5505 (recommended)

Located at Biola University
Mayers Auditorium
13800 Biola Ave. La Mirada, CA 90639

I’m grateful that this week’s Southern California fires are fairly far from my home.  They came within about three miles of my church, though, and certainly came nearer my home than any other major fire I can remember.  We were pretty nervous on Saturday and Sunday.

We packed a suitcase and gathered all the important papers we could think of–just in case.  It felt so surreal, trying to decide what absolutely must be saved and what could be left behind.  After several hours of nervous pacing and discussion I thought I had a pretty good idea of what we should be sure to grab in the event of an eacuation, and what could be left behind.  Then I realized I hadn’t taken any of my books into account!

I think if we had been evacuated we would have loaded our packed bags and files into the car, and then would have frantically shoveled as many books as possible into the back seat.  It’s a good thing that didn’t happen!

Books aside, I was startled to realize that, in the event of a true emergency, the number of items that we really, truly would need to grab were very few.  I realized that nearly everything in our home could be replaced with relative ease - not an attractive prospect, certainly, but not an impossible one, either.

It’s important to take some time to ponder this, especially at this time of year.  We get so wrapped up in our belongings that we forget about the important things - our priorities get messed up very quickly. I know that sounds trite, but I want you to try an experiment: Set your timer for 5 minutes.  Pretend that when the time goes off, everything not in your bag will be destroyed.  What do you grab?  What does that tell you about your priorities?  Do you live up to those priorities in your everyday life, or just in a crisis?  Why?

Chris Leigh, a Wheatstone Mentor from years past shares his thoughts on the subject here.

Please pray for the many hundreds of people who have been affected by the fires that have torn through southern California over the past couple of days.  Many homes are still in danger, and those people would doubtless appreciate your thoughts and prayers right now.

Does anyone know of any alumni who have lost homes in the fire?

Sometimes the best way to be productive is to stop, rest, and try a change of scenery for a time.  Sometimes the easiest way to find this change of scenery is to pick up a book you enjoy.

I read two books this week that certainly provided a change of scenery - and a refreshing change at that -but not in the way you might expect.

The first book, Once an Arafat Man, was written by a former muslim and PLO sniper whose life was turned upside down and inside out when he became a Christian.  Tass Saada was a young and bloodthirsty Fatah fighter when a series of events led him to the United States, then eventually to Christ and to a vibrant ministry in the Gaza strip.  The book chronicles the series of events that took Saada from being Yasser Arafat’s personal chauffer to founding Hope for Ishmael, an organization that seeks to reconcile Jews and Arabs to God and to each other.  The book helps put a human face on some the conflicts in the Middle East and is a poignant reminder of the thoroughness of redemption.  It’s a beautiful story, clearly told and refreshingly honest.

The second book took me not to the Middle East but to a maximum-security prison cell.  Bill Dallas, CEO of the Church Communication Network, was a self-described “Real estate entrepreneur.  Male model.  Breaker of women’s hearts.  Golden boy the Bay Area.  Self-centered jerk.” when he was convicted of embezzlement and sentenced to five years in prison.  Expecting to serve his term at a relatively comfortable fire camp, Dallas was devastated when he was instead placed with the maximum security prisoners at San Quentin.  In Lessons from San Quentin Dallas describes his transformation from a self-indulgent big-shot to a much more contrite man, eager to be used by God and full of hope for the future.  The book will be released in February, 2009.

Each of these books is a solid reminder of the depth of God’s love and the amazing power of His redemption.  Neither of the books is very long, and they are both interesting and uplifting.  Thank you to Tyndale for providing me with both books.  Now go read them!

In the middle of a discussion of Plato’s Phaedo last night one of the guys in my reading group referenced a movie that came out recently.  Rather than letting Josh finish his analogy, our fearless leader announced “let’s go see it!” So, in the middle of a discussion of the proper relationship between truth and love, Socrates’ relationships with his various students, and the military imagery found in this week’s reading, we all packed up and rushed to the dollar theater.  Random?  Yes.  Appropriate?  Absolutely.

We watched Walden Media’s newest film City of Ember. Based on the book by Jean Duprau, Ember is a charming film about the escape of three children from an underground city that has long passed its expiration date.  As the leaders of the city try to block their escape, the children learn that the legendary “Builders”, far from abandoning their city, provided a complete and ingenious means of escape, clues to which are scattered throughout the city.

This is the story of a city that has lost its history.  The “Builders” built the underground land in the hopes that, given enough time, the earth above would heal from an apparent nuclear holocaust.  They provided their descendants with enough materials, machinery, and food to last for two hundred years, and safeguarded their secrets to ensure that no one would try to leave the city too early.  They even left behind a sort of national anthem and a pledge praising the wonders of Ember and its status as ‘the only light,’ lest anyone become too curious.

Eventually the builders’ secrets were forgotten, and when we enter the city far more than two hundred years have passed.  Leave it to a couple of enterprising teenagers to unravel the problems of the decaying city, and to the local government officials to try and halt the spread of the liberating secrets, and you have a fairy tale that is a sort of visual cross between Horton Hears a Who (the movie) and the old school Playstation game, Final Fantasy VII.

Tweens will love this movie, which, so far as I can remember, contains virtually nothing objectionable, unless you object to gigantic mutant star-faced moles, in which case (1) It’s really strange that you’ve thought that through and (2) You’ll be happy to know that said gigantic star-faced mole is portrayed in a decidedly negative light.

Thank you to any of our readers here who are veterans. We appreciate the work you have done and the sacrifices you have made for the rest of us.

Thank you to my brother-in-law John, who ships out to Iraq for the first time in just a few days. Thank you also to my other brother-in-law, Joey.

Today I am thankful especially for the service of a very dear childhood friend, Lcpl Darin Thomas Settle. He died in Iraq 2 ½ years ago.

Thank you, veterans, for allowing us to honor you. It is good for us to remember your service, and you do us a great service by permitting us to do so.