The Salvation Army Alegria is launching a new HIV/AIDS campaign called The Red Balloon Walk

The Red Balloon Walk is an awareness campaign to be launched in Downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday December 1st 2010. Held on World AIDS Day, the walk is a fun and creative way to educate the public about current issues surrounding HIV/AIDS.

Hundreds of volunteers will spread out Downtown distributing education material. Each volunteer will be carrying a large red balloon. Serving as a visual reminder and a fun ice breaker, the Red Balloon is also a symbol of hope. Hope for a cure; hope for more resources to expand prevention and treatment; Hope for people living with HIV/AIDS. Volunteer participation is totally free.

We are holding the event because around the world poverty, inequality, and mental health conditions are obstacles to treatment for many people with HIV/AIDS. Their hope rests on our willingness to overcome these challenges and invest our time and resources in improving access to treatment and medication. The Red Balloon Walk is a creative and fun way to let people know what the needs are and how we can work together to improve the quality of life for people leaving with HIV/AIDS.

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With all the election-year nonsense being spouted about the Islamic Cultural Center in New York, I thought it interesting to see the emergence of another cultural influence on the other coast. This fall, Zaytuna College is opening its doors as a small, faith-based institution in the San Francisco Area. Faculty hope to assist students to integrate faith and learning, the curriculum includes intentional spiritual formation, and the College’s vision extends to the shaping of American society.

What, another Christian college? Don’t we already have plenty of those around? While it might sound like your typical Evangelical college, it’s not. It’s a Muslim College, with the Koran as a firm foundation. The stated mission of the college is to “educate and prepare morally committed professional, intellectual, and spiritual leaders, who are grounded in the Islamic scholarly tradition and conversant with the cultural currents and critical ideas shaping modern society.”

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Andrew Peterson Interview from

Andrew Peterson Interview from CJ Casciotta on Vimeo.

I’ve mentored a lot of girls through seasons of engagement, but meandering through it myself has affected me with a new lens and set of perspectives.

1. The ring meant more than I thought it would (for both my fiancé, Micah, and me).

2. Prioritizing “marriage” over “wedding” has kept our feet on the ground most weeks. The weekend we got engaged, in fact, knowing our first impulses would jump to wedding plans, we intentionally set it aside to consider God’s views of “marriage,” “union” and “life together,” versus the glam of one day.

3. We’ve savored having friends give gifts in the form of their “giftings.” From photographer and flowers, to favors, cake and design, we’re thrilled to have our friends and families handprints all over this beginning celebration of our marriage…and it's cost effective!

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Fall into the gap.

No, this isn't "The Lovely Bones" meets trendy Gap jingle.

This is what happens when I go on vacation.

Relaxation. Intoxication. Loneliness. 

Words. By themselves can mean one thing, but put together in a sentence with meaning and purpose, another.

This week I flew up to Seattle for the Catalyst One Day in Seattle. Loved it. I was already feeling intoxicated from the crisp Mountain air, pretty green trees and lovely coast. I think God knew I needed a relaxing vacation away from the typical, Eat. Pray. Respond. See: Dallas.

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Last week our family went camping up in the mountains - our last hoorah of summer. The drive was gorgeous. A few hours into our trip, we passed a sign informing us we were 16 miles from our destination. Twenty minutes and we’d be there.

As I looked around at the mountains I noticed an odd plane flying low in the foothills. We’ve had a dry summer in Idaho with many grass and forest fires. I wondered if there was a small fire in the area they were trying to put out.

The road wrapped around a curve and we saw it. A huge cloud of smoke was pouring out the side of the mountain (actual photo from iPhone above). It looked like the beginnings of a forest fire. The crews were arriving, assessing the situation and awaiting their orders. It was an eery feeling as we drove closer and closer. My first instinct was to turn around and head back towards Boise.

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