I returned today from Anaheim, where I attended the Evangelical Press Association's national conference. While there, I roomed with my friend Diane McDougall, who works for Journey Group in Virginia. (She was one of my Israel buddies, a two-time Calvin Festival co-attendee, and is the editor in chief of Ethiopian Airlines' inflight magazine.) The big take-aways from this conference came from idea swaps about what resources people are using. Did you know you can get free photos off the UN photo site?

I sat next to Sarah Drew ("Grey's Anatomy") at dinner Sunday night. She seemed pretty reserved…until I asked her about Christianity and the arts. After that, it was as if I'd hit her DVD's "play" button. She has much to say about how we interact. Lots of room for improvement. One thing we both love: The film "Lars and the Real Girl" and its portrayal of community.

Later in the evening, I watched a preview of her forthcoming film, "Mom's Night Out." It was LOL funny, and her acting was fab. But the flick disturbed me in its portrayal of male/female division of labor. (Dads babysit, moms parent.) I expect you'll hear more from me on that one soon.

This is commencement weekend at DTS, so I have five events coming up, not counting the bridal shower tomorrow night. Then I teach Creative Writing in May. I'd still love to have one more student in there. Might that student be you?

One more movie recommendation. Have you see "The Lady"? It's a true story. One of my sharp students recommended it to me. Based on real events, it's a narrative about Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma's fight for democracy reform. She was held under house arrest for fifteen years while her English husband labored for her release. I watched it twice. The video art makes it look like a "B" movie, but don't let that fool you. The film is quite well done.

Happy Spring!