Tai'shar Skywalker

New Blog Address

2011-03-04T08:39:00.000-08:00

Housing, Work, and All Things Nice

2011-03-02T16:40:00.000-08:00

Exciting news...We have an apartment, and I have a teaching gig! Bad news, Amanda is still waiting for a contract and we are unsure how all the money is going to work. Since we've had no orientation, I keep pushing on our boss for information. I think he is a bit frustrated with me for pushing so hard, but I need the details.

Yesterday was great, we nabbed the boss for a few hours in the morning to nail down the apartment situation. We looked at 4 apartments and found one that really looks nice. It's a one bedroom with a courtyard view. The only trouble with apartments in China is that they want three months rent up front, a month deposit, and an agent fee (this was news to us). For our apartment, this means 18000 yuan or $2800. I'm glad that I have been saving for the past two years, because as a result of the past few days, our savings and budget have been smashed. The company agreed to pay the three month fee and to continue each billing cycle so they could keep the apartment after we leave.

After apartment hunting, we had an interview with the Beijing Normal University. I landed a teaching job for students who want to learn to write well enough to attend American Universities. It's about 8 hours a week and pays pretty well.

Things to think and talk with the Captain about:

Teaching jobs for Amanda and me (although I have one, we need to be at 20 hours each and I'm at 8)
Income - we will have it, I just don't know how it will all work yet.

One Night in Beijing

2011-03-01T06:16:00.000-08:00

After a full day in Beijing, I've learned a few lessons:

Although it says Starbucks, it doesn't mean they take Starbucks cards, even when they advertise the exact card you are trying to use.
Just because your general manager says you will figure out the housing situation when you get here, doesn't mean that anyone will help you find lodging in any real way.
Not knowing Chinese really makes doing anything tough.
Pedestrians always cross at their own risk, but when you have 22 million people, you can make even the most aggressive driver slam on his breaks for a green light.
Sometimes you just need peanut butter and chocolate Skippy.

More things to think and talk to the Big Guy about:

Lodging - still numero uno
Bank - we will be getting a Chinese account, hopefully it will be one that allows international transfers
Interviews - we have one tomorrow and Saturday

You can email us at our normal accounts and Skype at zachary.banker and speedboatgirl.

China - The Grand Adventure

2011-02-28T17:51:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what each day will bring, but one thing is for sure, Amanda and I will have grand adventures. We might not know where we are living or what we will be doing exactly, but each day will bring excitement and frustration. If this company doesn't work out for some reason, no worries, we will just get jobs somewhere else.

This morning, Amanda went running and I made sure our connections with the world were working right. As you may have already seen, we can connect to Facebook thanks to a wonderful secret connection, but unfortunately we cannot make the Google phone calls we were hoping to make. Our Voice numbers do work for texting and voicemails, so please call and leave a message. We will call when we get Chinese numbers.

Things to think and talk with the Boss about:

Housing - Our immediate need is to secure living space
Grocery Shopping
Subway and general mapping of the city
Curriculum
Set teaching schedule
Chinese bank
Cell phones

Adblock Plus Subscription

2010-09-12T22:44:00.001-07:00

You can add these to Firefox by creating a txt file and importing it.

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Spirit

2010-05-25T18:44:00.000-07:00

SPIRIT

Spirit. It cannot be broken and it cannot be stolen away. A victim in the throes of despair might feel otherwise, and certainly the victim’s “master” would like to believe it so. But in truth, the spirit remains, sometimes buried but never fully removed.

The physical powers of the body cannot be separated from the rationale of the mind and the emotions of the heart. They are one and the same, a compilation of a singular being. It is in the harmony of these three – body, mind, and heart – that we find spirit.

How many tyrants have tried? How many rulers have sought to reduce their subjects to simple, unthinking instruments of profit and gain? They steal the loves, the religions, of their people, they seek to steal the spirit.

Ultimately and inevitably, they fail. This I must believe. If the flame of the spirit’s candle is extinguished, there is only death, and the tyrant finds no gain in a kingdom littered with corpses.

But it is a resilient thing, this flame of spirit, indomitable and ever-striving. In some, at least, it will survive, to the tyrant’s demise.

Spirit. In every language in all the Realms, in every time and every place, the word has a ring of strength and determination. It is the hero’s strength, the mother’s resilience, and the poor man’s arm. It cannot be broken, and it cannot be taken away.
This I must believe.

-Drizzt Do’Urden (paraphrased exert from part 5 of

RA Salvatore's Exile, Book 2 in The Dark Elf Trilogy)

Life as an Admissions Counselor

2010-05-21T15:58:00.000-07:00

Don't question God's provision. Sometimes, this is the best you get.

James 2, for the Post-Modern Era...

2010-05-19T16:52:00.000-07:00

My friend Donny re-wrote James 2, and I found it very interesting. I would love to hear what my avid readers think about his editing.

James 2, for the Post-Modern era...
Pretentiousness Forbidden
written by Donny Kunzer

1My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't be pretentious. 2Suppose some dude comes into your post-modern church wearing designer jeans or maybe, god-forbid, has no social skills, and then a poor man covered in tat's or in shabby clothes also comes in. 3If you show special attention to the man wearing shabby clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you dude, you remind me of that '90's guy Kurt Kobain or the totally righteous Shane Claiborne, that's so f-in' sick Brotha'" but say to the GAP-jean-wearin' boy or girl, "You stand there you nerd" or "Man, what a freak," 4have you not discriminated among yourselves and become fashion judges with evil thoughts?

5Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are socially inept (look at Moses or Gideon) in the eyes of the world to be healed in fellowship and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6But you have insulted Jesus through Mr or Mrs Socially Awkward. Is it not The Buffalo Exchange who is exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into 1980's Fashion Court? 7Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of Him to whom you belong, through MTV and the consumeristic garbage on television for starters?

8If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love (even your socially inept, or God-forbid: RICH) neighbor as yourself,"[a] you are doing right. 9But if you show favoritism to the dude who bought over-priced, used-up jeans at the Buffalo Exchange himself, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11For he who said, "Do not buy $100.00 designer jeans from the GAP,"[b] also said, "Don't do the same for re-treads at some trendy second-hand store."[c] If you hate the non-hip but forget that you were once "uncool" in the eyes of God yourself, you have become a lawbreaker.

12Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, and not the Fashion Police all around you 13because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!

Thoughts?

Star Wars: Crosscurrent equals SW: Book Fail

2010-03-10T23:03:00.000-08:00

Jacket Description:

"An ancient Sith ship hurtles into the future carrying a lethal cargo that could forever destroy Luke Skywalker’s hopes for peace. (Really?)

The Civil War is almost over when Jedi Knight Jaden Korr experiences a Force vision so intense he must act. Enlisting two salvage jocks and their ship, Jaden sets out into space. Someone—or something—appears to be in distress.

But what Jaden and his crew find confounds them. A five-thousand-year-old dreadnaught—bringing with it a full force of Sith and one lone Jedi—has inadvertently catapulted eons from the past into the present. The ship’s weapons may not be cutting-edge, but its cargo, a special ore that makes those who use the dark side nearly invincible, is unsurpassed. The ancient Jedi on board is determined to destroy the Sith. But for Jaden, even more is at stake: for his vision has led him to uncover a potentially indestructible threat to everything the Jedi Order stands for."

My Thoughts: (SW Book Fail)
For Amanda's birthday, we decided to get out of the house and go to Barnes and Noble. While there, I finished reading Paul Kemp's Star Wars Crosscurrent. All I can say is that I was mildly impressed. As an avid Star Wars reader and one who knows his way around the expanded universe, I am always a little leery of one shot novels that don't really advance the story line. Needless to say, I was not disappointed in my skepticism. Kemp's plot seemed out of place in the SW Universe and it felt clunky. His characters were hard to fall in love with and when some came to an unfortunate demise, I was left mildly apathetic. This story failed to capture me.

For the first time in SW history, a couple of beings travel through time mixing Star Trek and Star Gate in a way that was very out of place in the SW timeline and didn't seem to advance current SW plots. All the while, the Jedi wrestled with a Force philosophy that discussed genetic engineering, a person's inherent Force nature, and whether a Dark-sider has uncontrollable urges. Given the nature of mainstream Force philosophies (Living Force and Unifying Force), I'm not sure what Kemp was attempting to prove other than his apparent lack of Force understanding.

Their was no definite conclusion to the book which leads me to believe that Lucas Books is attempting to create a new story-arch with all new characters outside of the current Classic Trilogy and Prequel Trilogy characters. If my suspicion is correct, since I am a glutton for punishment (I did read all the Bantam series), I will probably read the next book in the series hoping for different results.

Any Encouragement...

2010-02-07T02:23:00.000-08:00

Philippians 1:27-2:4 (TNIV)

"Whatever happens, as citizens of heaven live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together with one accord for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."

Since I was 10, there has only been one thing I have ever wanted to do with my life - missions. It is quite funny because I didn't even become a believer in Jesus until 4 years later. At that point, my life took a dramatic turn. Everything I did was preparation for the "calling." I studied hard and started taking short term trips anywhere I was given the opportunity all in the hope of finding that one field, one people group, one love.

20 years later, I am still taking short term trips. I have a seminary education. I work for my school, and still the only thing I want to do and feel like I am supposed to do is to serve internationally.

Amanda and I send out newsletters chronicling our adventures and to so many it seems that we have an exciting life. In everything we do, we seek a greater purpose. She reads adventure books, biographies telling about what others have done, and I get lost in Fantasy and SciFi. On the outside all is well, and it seems as though we are struggling like everyone else to live the American dream of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

The truth is we have one problem and in the eyes of missions organizations, it is a HUGE problem. Since I am from a middle class family who made too much money to receive aid from any school or grant issuing institution, I was unable to finance my education by any other source than student loans. Most missions organizations require at least 30 credits of bible and theology. To do this, I had to add onto my undergraduate student loans to get my Masters from Multnomah. Now we are strapped with inequitable debt and we are the lepers of the Missions community.

Dreams squashed. Hopes failed. Nowhere to turn.

The trouble is, I can't help but hope. That's why this hurts so much. If I have any of what is mentioned in the verses above, I must hope...Hope that God really is doing something. Hope that my loans will not always hold us back. Hope that my dreams have not been in vain.

A month ago, I read this:

"Dare to hope—in a world full of change, there are fewer words of stronger courage then these. To dare to hope is to dare to truly live, to live in all of one’s tenses: not simply in the past, or the present, but also to live in expectations of the future. Hope implies a desire within a person for something which might produce happiness, joy, or some sense of fulfillment in a person. So it also implies the lack of something, for who hopes for what one already has? So, to hope implies a state of privation and necessity along, possibly, with the presumption that what one hopes for may not come, or may not come as the person would have it come. These implications all make hoping an act courageous, for who knows if our hopes will be left empty and unfulfilled."

--Daniel Dormaier

(Listen to Everyday Sunday's Holding On)

These words challenge me to hope all the more. Some things are just worth fighting for.

This past Tuesday Alisha read about Paul's First Missionary Journey and asked our Life Group where we need encouragement and prayer. I can't stop thinking about it. Any encouragement...any comfort...any tenderness and compassion...

"Lord, come quickly..."

(Listen to Plumb's In My Arms)

A Million Miles In A Thousand Years

2010-02-04T00:30:00.000-08:00

Pigs flew and Satan donned a parka the day BD handed me Donald Miller’s new book, A Million Miles In A Thousand Years, and it excited me. To say our respective choice of literary readings is bipolar seems a meager explanation. However, as depicted by Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam, sometimes the divine reaches hard to touch humanity.

Two chapters into A Million Miles In A Thousand Years, I was shaking my head in perplexion. My preconceived notions that this was another memoir written similar to Through Painted Deserts, on a bike instead of a Volkswagen van, were being shattered. Ironically, the bicycle spoke cover mis-portrayed the pages within its bound.

Overcoming my disappointment, I trudged forward; little by little being swept into the story about the concept of stories. As one who enjoys writing and storytelling, I found myself relearning the basic concepts of a story; reliving my days in Ms. Grantland’s classroom. As an individual who is clutched tightly within the grasp of a crappy economy, unemployed, eagerly anticipating the ‘next thing’ yet bewildered by the sluggish response, I found myself enamored by the stories of getting up and going. Miller’s practice story of hiking Machu Picchu captivated my adventuresome self. The tales and lessons of riding across the United States made my legs yearn for a long trek. It is not a surprise that his most poignant writings (to me) involved a kayak, a paddle and lots of water.

“The night we left Bob’s dock, I didn’t want to paddle through the night or across the wide inlet. We didn’t leave his dock till after midnight, and we had to paddle for hours through the pitch black, and the middle of the inlet was so large and the dark was so dark we couldn’t make out either shore. We had to guide ourselves by stars, each boat gliding close to another, just the sound of our oars coming in and out of the water to keep us close.

I think this is when most people give up on their stories. They come out of college wanting to change the world, wanting to get married, wanting to have kids and change the way people buy office supplies. But they get into the middle and discover it was harder than they thought. They can’t see the distant shore anymore, and they wonder if their paddling is moving them forward. None of the trees behind them are getting smaller and none of the trees ahead are getting bigger. They take it out on their spouses, and they go looking for an easier story.”

When I closed the book in the wee hours of the morning having read the 250 pages, I said to myself that it was a good book but not one of his best. Days later I have proved myself wrong. I continue to mull over its contents, process it among friends, and even shared snippets of it during our life group.

One of the main thoughts I continue to ponder is: Many times we get caught up in the purpose of going, when we really need to just go and purpose will come with the trek.

The downside to the book is that I will probably never watch the film, Blue Like Jazz. Not that this is surprising to those who know me. But, this book made it apparent as to why books rarely transfer well onto the screen and is demonstrated effectively in the screenplay conversations written on the pages.

State of the Union Address

2010-01-27T23:20:00.000-08:00

It will be an amazing day when the country can come together in post-partisan politics. Although I am no political analyst, I felt that Obama's remarks tonight were some of the most pointed words in the history of State of the Union addresses. These may be naive words, but in my 29 + 1 years of life, I cannot remember a single speech like it. Like many presidents of the past, Obama pushed his agenda, but it seemed his resolve left for a hopeful tomorrow. He was honest, factual, and realistic.

Two years ago, I first heard Obama speak on 'Change You Can Believe In' and I said then and I still believe it today that he can and hopefully will be a great president. I am not sure in this political environment whether he will be seen as such, but he carries the ability to instill hope in the people of this country.

To the President, I say, "Fine Speech!" To my (ahem) avid readers, I say, "Write your Senator!" Pray for and support true reform in this country even if it kills you.

If you want to read past presidential State of the Union addresses and Inaugural addresses, click on these links - http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ and for video click here http://www.c-span.org/Executive/State-of-the-Union.aspx.

My Sister's Morning

2009-12-30T09:44:00.000-08:00

I received a series of text messages from my sister this morning:

Abby Thomas - A little good morning story for you....So the 350 lb beached whale of a woman flopped on the table next to me at physical therapy just exhaled and let not one but TWO catastrophically, monstrously EPIC farts rip that would have blown leaves off a tree, ripped her pants and startled King Kong...and then exhaled again with a gigantic "ahhhhhhh" of relief, pure content, and overall satisfaction. It was all I could do to not vomit while I tried to conceal my obvious embarrassment for being present at the scene of this horrific event. All the while, I have not stopped laughing. FML

She then chuckled and then acted as if she had no idea what happened. I'm just glad I witnessed it because I wouldn't have believed it otherwise. I do assure you though that in this instance, the blamer is most definitely not the flamer.

I kid you not, it was EPIC!!! I hope this was the story you needed to kick start your day!

Why this Jesus?

2009-12-24T09:49:00.000-08:00

My wife wrote a devotional, God of the Nations, that is being published on the Salem Alliance webpage on Monday, December 28 (we think). Ever since I read her story and since it is Christmas time, I have been thinking about the Incarnation and what it means. What would it be like if God came earth; what would happen? Here are a handful of videos that I feel truly capture my thoughts:

Bait and Switch Tactics

2009-12-23T14:28:00.000-08:00

Why does it seem that every Christian organization participates in bait and switch tactics? "Come to our Thanksgiving dinner!" "Homeless, come get your free meal!" "Hey hungry college student, come get some free pizza..." Why can't we as Christians just offer something without expecting to gain something in return? We talk about relational giving and being Christ to people. Why does this mean that when we have people over for dinner, we line up a speaker?

I for one am tired of it. I want to attend a pastor's breakfast without a sermon and the many pats on the back for those putting on the show. It would be great if we could invite our Christian and non-Christian friends over just to talk and share a meal. No agendas, no three points and eight poems; just good food, laughs, stories, and friendship that opens up true dialogue.

When this happens, what does this do to evangelism and discipleship?