Indy Immersion

I had a really great day today immersing myself into all things Indy. Mitch and I headed to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to hang out and watch the Driver's meeting. They also had an autograph session with the drivers and I got to meet Dan Wheldon, my favorite driver! It was fantastic!

After that, we drove downtown to watch the Indy 500 Festival Parade. Along with seeing the drivers, we also got to see "Meredith" and "Jan" from The Office, "Chloe O'Brian" from 24, the Geico caveman, and a few others.

Now, I'm so stoked for tomorrow's Indy 500 race! It's going to be a blast. I rented my radio headset so I can listen in on Wheldon's communication with his team...gotta get the full experience! Can't wait! Go #4!



"Good luck Dan"

His Last Night

I had the honor of going to Jerusalem a couple of years ago and it was hands down the most amazing experience of my life. I can't even describe to you the feelings and thoughts that flood your mind as you literally walk where Jesus once walked. It is a feeling of wonder and awe, yet eerie at the same time.

As Easter approaches, I am reminded of one of the most impacting things I saw there. I will never ever forget the heaviness of my heart when I walked into an underground holding cell just outside of the walls of Jerusalem. Nothing off course is certain about where exactly Jesus spent his last night, however, archeologists and scholars are pretty convinced that this is where prisoners were taken to await trial the next day if the city was closed down for the night. The dungeon is just a mile or so away from the garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus was arrested.

Below are some pictures I took of the dungeon and the garden. This is where Jesus spent his last night on earth before he was crucified.

This is the roof of the holding cell where they would lower prisoners in through.

This is the cell room.

Here is the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives.

Here I am on the roof of the building where the dungeon lays on. Above my head, slightly to the right you can see the Mount of Olives, where the garden of Gethsemane is.

My Trip in Photos

Mauritania Trip from Jared Ulrich on Vimeo.

Finally Here

Many of you have asked when I am going to blog again, if ever, and here it finally is. I apologize for the hiatus, but many of you know I recently went on a global connections trip to Northwest Africa for two weeks. Though I have been back for two weeks, I am still processing my experiences and did not want to blog on anything else until I talked about my trip. Thanks for being patient :-)

I feel like I learned a lot on my trip and I am definitely still processing things to this day. People are always asking me, "how was your trip?" I never really know how to answer that question. It's just impossible to put an experience like this into words. Nevertheless, I have attempted to do it. The following is a journal entry of mine that I wrote when I got home. Hopefully it will give you a glimpse of what God taught me in Africa.

February 22, 2009

The theme I adopted for this trip was "to see the world how God has to see it everyday" [this will make more sense as I explain]. Going into this trip I knew a few things. First, we were going to be in an extremely poor area - one of the poorest regions in the entire world. It is also considered to be 100% muslim and hostile to Christianity. We would be going into a world of spiritual darkness and extreme poverty - a reality that God sees and is heart broken over each and everyday.

I have been to many places in the world and have seen poverty, but this time it was different. This time, God spoke to me and simply said:

"you have been greatly blessed with many things and I have opened your eyes to the reality of the rest of the world. As you have seen and have now witnessed, you have a responsibility to help be the solution."

God's voice was clear. I kept hearing "you have a responsibility," as I walked the dirty streets filled with trash and filth everywhere, complete with smells far less than pleasant. "What will you do to bring my Kingdom to earth?" This is a scary question for me and I have no elaborate answers yet. However, I know that I must do something. And no, I'm not talking about being some sort of heroic savior like the Western World often see;s itself as. I'm not talking about selling everything and moving to Africa either. But, there must be something more that rich, wealthy, healthy disciples of Christ can do to bring God's Kingdom of hope, peace and restoration to ends of the earth.

I read Brian McClaren's book, The Secret Message of Jesus, while on the trip and I believe it was not a coincidence. In it, he suggests that Jesus' sole message is that the Kingdom of God is at hand - that Jesus came to bring life to the full, not for the future, but NOW! His intention was never that "eternal life" would be limited to "life after death" where we just wait around till it came. He gave us the Holy Spirit as a guide to a new way of life, life to the full, that is Christ in us the hope of glory, in order that we may experience the Kingdom of God HERE and NOW. God wants to restore His broken world NOW. He has a SOLUTION and it is "Christ in YOU." God is not wanting to bring us up in to heaven right now. He wants the Kingdom of Heaven to invade the earth.

God wants to work in and through us. It is a big responsibility! Again, I don't entirely know what it means specifically, but it means we must do something. Going to church, singing praises, soaking up messages, giving our tithes is not enough. Jesus commands:

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

"and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."

Will we be the solution?
Will we be the light to the darkness?
Will we be the hope for this hurting world?
Will we bring the Kingdom of Heaven to the earth?

God has given us an incredible opportunity to partner with Him in the restoration of the world. He wants to use us. He is choosing to need us to bring His Kingdom to earth. He wants us to become like His son. The apostle Paul knew and understood this, saying "I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in his death, and so somehow to attain to the resurrection from the dead." (Phil. 3:10-11)

Highlights of 2008

I got to do some cool stuff in 2008. Here are some favorites...

Travel:

- in February visited my friend JJ in LA
- in March I lead a mission trip to Salamanca, Spain
- in April the 3F team went to New York for the Q Conference
- in July I visited friends on Nantucket Island and spent a few days in Boston
- in November I visited my Grandma in Boise, ID which is where I grew up



Favorite Books:

- Lone Survivor by Marcus Lutrell
- The Shack by William P. Young
- Jesus Wants to Save Christians by Rob Bell
- Following Jesus by NT Wright


Favorite Movies:

- The Dark Knight
- James Bond: Quantum of Solace
- Ironman
- 21
- Get Smart
- Valkyrie
- The Spirit - NOT!

Top 5

Lately I have been in conversations about movies, tv shows, bands, songs and such. So, I thought it would be cool to do a "Top 5" post. I would also like to know what everyone else's Top 5's are so if you feel like it then post yours on your blog as well. Well here we go...

Favorite Bands:
1] Coldplay
2] Dashboard Confessional
3] The Fray
4] John Mayer
5] Jimmy Eat World

Favorite Songs from those bands:
1] The Scientist by Coldplay
2] Swiss Army Romance by Dashboard Confessional
3] How to Save a Life by The Fray
4] Why Georgia by John Mayer
5] Sweetnes by Jimmy Eat World

Favorite Movies:
1] Gladiator
2] Braveheart
3] The Patriot
4] 300
5] Elf

Favorite Trilogies:
1] Star Wars [the original 3 - episodes IV,V,VI]
2] Back to the Future
3] Beverly Hills Cop
4] Indiana Jones [the original 3]
5] Rambo [the original 3]

Favorite recent/current TV shows:
1] LOST
2] 24
3] The Office
4] Seinfeld [technically this is classic but I put it here to b/c it fit!]
5] Anything on the History Channel

Favorite classic TV shows:
1] Macgyver
2] Quantum Leap
3] Cheers
4] Save by the Bell
5] Leave it to Beaver

Favorite Resturants:
1] Native New Yorker
2] PF Changs
3] BJ's Brewery
4] Tum Nuk Thai
5] Sullivan's Pier

Favorite Fast Food:
1] Chick Fil-A
2] Filaberto's [yeah that's right and it's not cat meat!]
3] Wendy's
4] Jason's Deli
5] Pirate's Fish and Chips [thanks Mitch!]

Favorite Places I've been in the World:
1] Switzerland
2] London
3] Kenya
4] Rome
5] Australia

Favorite NON-Fiction Books [other than Bible]:
1] Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell
2] Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller
3] Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster
4] Lone Survivor by Marcus Lutrell
5] Sex God by Rob Bell

Favorite Fiction Books:
1] The Grail Quest Trilogy by Bernard Cornwell
2] Byzantium by Stephen Lawhead
3] The Shack by William P. Young
4] The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell
5] The Iron Lance by Stephen Lawhead

And I Think I'll Go to Boston...

Yesterday I spent the whole day in the heart of Boston and I must say it is a fine city indeed! I started the day out by walking the famous historical Freedom Trail. This trail is a 2.5 mile path marked by red brick and paint. It takes you around to 17 different historical sites throughout the city. For more info about the different sites click here.

Here are some pictures from my walk:

Park Street Church, where William Lloyd Garrison gave his first antislavery address on the Fourth of July 1829.



The Old Granary, right next to Park Street Church where Paul Revere, Samuel Adams and John Hancock are buried. This isn't the only Sam Adams I saw this day :-)




Paul Revere's House



Bunker Hill, where the first battle took place between the Patriots and the Red Coats.



Some other interesting sites I saw include The Old South Meeting House, where on December 16, 1773 Samuel Adams gave his famous nonimportation speech that started the Boston Tea Party. Also, The Old State House, where just outside the Boston Massacre took place.

And to top off this eventful day I retired to a place "where everyone knows your name" - Cheers! Although I am pretty sure no one had a clue who I was :-)

Harvard

Well, I finally made it to the Boston area today. The journey consisted of an hour ferry ride, a two hour bus ride, a 30 minute subway ride, and another 15-20 minute bus ride. Nevertheless I finally made it to Arlington (12 miles West of Boston) where I will be staying with a friend.

After resting a bit I set out for Harvard which is just 5 miles from where I am staying. It was interesting, but not nearly as big as I thought it would be. The area has a college town feel but its nothing too special. Honestly, it felt like a cheap imitation of Oxford. It doesn't even come close to Oxford!





Harvard is the most prestigious university in America and a lot of brilliant minds have come from there. Interestingly enough it was started in 1636 by Puritan leaders to educate future generations of clergy. When young Charlestown minister John Harvard died two years later and left his books and half his money to the college, it was renamed Harvard.

John Harvard





As I was heading home this is what I saw in Harvard Square. It blew my mind and I still don't know what to think about it.



This is the most bizarre street evangelism I have ever seen to this day. They are a group from a Menonnite church despite looking like pilgrims fresh off the Mayflower. The Pastor is shown here speaking about how the "Good Lord" hath saved our souls from hell. "Thees" and "Thous" and all the other stuff you would hear a century ago. I couldn't tell if they were putting on a play or if this was the real deal. It was sad to watch them speak about the Lord while young people walked by laughing and mocking them. It made me cringe. Is this really what following Jesus looks like? Funny enough there were two mormon missionaries talking to one of the guys there. They both looked the same except the Mennonite didn't have an elder badge on. Again, I don't know what to make of this experience. All I can say is that God is sovereign and He can defend Himself if He so pleases.

Nantucket Adventures

Well, so far it has been a blast on Nantucket Island! I'm here with Ryan and Jen Russell and we are here visiting our friends, Dan and Shellie Dunlap. On the first day we went fishing with some extraordinary people. No one caught anything but seaweed. Nevertheless, it was a good time and I finally got to step foot into the warm Atlantic. The beach was beautiful and the weather has been absolutely gorgeous. Everyone complains about the humidity here, but I definitely prefer it to the 110 degree dry heat :-)

Yesterday we boarded Dan's boat "Journie" and headed out to sea for a little cruise. We went to the Northeastern tip where there is a lighthouse, but it was so foggy we could barely see it. Here is a picture:







Last night we had one of my favorite meals of all time! LOBSTER! And this wasn't something you get a Red Lobster either. This was the real deal and it was the best seafood I have ever had. Words cannot describe how good it was. For lunch I had the best New England clam chowder I have ever had too!





Tomorrow I am heading into Boston for 3 more days before I come home. Can't wait!

Welcoming "The Grey Lady"

Today I will arrive in Boston where I will be taking a bus to the coast and then boarding a ferry to Nantucket Island. I will be there visiting some friends and am extremely excited to have some R & R (rest and relaxation). Nantucket is nicknamed "The Grey Lady" because of occasional intense fog. It is also made famous by the TV show, Wings, which I thoroughly enjoyed in my junior high years. For more info on Nantucket Island click here.

I am looking forward to eating loads of lobster, New England clam chowder, and just hanging out on the beach. The weather is in the 80's so I will be living it up :-) I have never set foot in the Atlantic Ocean so I am looking forward to that as well!

I will try to keep you updated on all my travels and adventures.