1 OBSERVE BLACK HISTORY MONTH BY READING AFRICAN-AMERICAN LITERATURE
February is Black History Month. This year, try to observe it in a slightly different way by intentionally reading some of the most moving African-American literature. Some good places to start: Beloved by Toni Morrison, The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, Strength to Love by Martin Luther King Jr., Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. DuBois and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou.
2 ATTEND MLK DAY EVENTS IN D.C.
Each January, there are multiple observances and celebrations during Martin Luther King Jr. weekend (this year, it’s Jan. 14-17). Check out concerts in various places around Washington, D.C., reflections on the civil rights movement and a closing service at the National Cathedral remembering King’s life.
3 THE ALIENS, FAITH QUESTIONS AND WEIRD HAIR OF V
What do aliens, conspiracy, religious themes and Elizabeth Mitchell have in common? You might say “Lost.” But this year, the sci-fi-with-some-twists show returns for its second season. The aliens are clearly bad, but it’s the characters, themes of good and evil, the manipulation of the media and what humanity really is that you’ll want to return to.
4 ATTEND A POWERFUL CONFERENCE
The month of January is pretty much packed with great 6 conferences to take in. The International House of Prayer’s onething is Dec. 28-31 (not quite January) in Kansas City, and Passion 2011 is in Atlanta Jan. 1-4. Meanwhile, Campus 7 Crusade is holding conferences all over the country in January. Check out http://bit.ly/4olpSq to see if any are in your area. Conferences like these are a powerful way to experience and see firsthand what God is doing in our generation.
5 WATCH BOWL GAMES AT YOUR LEISURE
One of the more annoying parts of college bowl season is the need to be planted in front of a TV with ESPN and all the networks for hours on end. Well, this year, free your body from the sofa and get online. Most of ESPN’s games will be streaming for free online at ESPN3.com (sorry if your cable operator doesn’t carry it) and most of the networks are finally realizing what the Internet is. This year, you can watch whenever you want and wherever you want. As long as you’ve got Wi-Fi, of course.
6 DO THE JESUS LEAN
The dance sensation that will sweep the Christian nation. The Soulja Boy was so 2007.
7 GET CREATIVE FOR VALENTINE’S DAY
This year, go all out with your Valentine’s Day card. Address, stamp and seal it like always. But this time, put the addressed envelope inside a larger envelope and send the whole shebang to:
Postmaster Valentine Re-mailing 446 E. 29th St. Loveland, CO 80538
The post office in the romantically named Colorado town will then remove your addressed envelope from the larger one and stamp your valentine with a love poem before sending it on. It’s kinda cheesy and takes some work… but we guarantee your significant other will appreciate the gesture.
