"He liked as he liked; he seems to have like everybody, but especially those whom everybody disliked him for liking." ~ G.K. Chesterton on St. Francis of Assisi

"For the Son of God, the incarnation meant a whole new set of relationships: with his father and mother; with his brothers and sisters; with his disciples; with the scribes, the Pharisees and the Sadducees; with Roman soldiers and with lepers and prostitutes. It was within these relationships that he lived his incarnate life, experiencing pain, poverty and temptation; witnessing squalor and brutality; hearing obscenities and profanities and the hopeless cry of the oppressed. He lived not in sublime detachment or in ascetic isolation, but 'with us', as 'the fellowman of all men', crowded, busy, harassed, stressed and molested. No large estate gave him space, no financial capital guaranteed his daily bread, no personal staff protected him from interruptions and no power or influence protected him from injustice. He saved us from alongside us."

It's been about two weeks since I've been back and it's taken me this long to sit down and write about the trip. Probably part of that is because I wrote so many blog posts during our trip (you can read them all here) that I got blog-posted out. Part of it is also that I'm working 25 hours a week and taking three grad classes so that pretty much consumes all my time. But I think part of it is also that I don't really know what to say. I've done these kind of trips so many times that I don't feel like I've returned with anything terribly profound or life-changing. Not to say that it wasn't a great trip, in fact it was, one of the best short-term trips I've helped lead. The team was phenomenal, willing to open themselves up and get to know complete strangers, incredibly flexible to serve in any capacity needed, and awesomely adventurous, willing to try new things and experiences. But in helping lead teams like this I put more and more of my attention on how things go for the team and less and less on my own experience. I've been there before and I'm fairly confident I'll go back again, so I do everything I can to help the team have the best trip possible. I help plan fun and meaningful activities. I engage in conversations asking questions to help them evaluate what they're learning and experiencing. I spend hours updating the blog and posting pictures while they're off doing ministry. I do these things because I'm a team leader and the trip is not about me. So when people back home ask me about my trip I have very different answers then they might expect if I had gone on this trip for me. I talk much less about what we did and what I learned and much more about how the team did and what they learned. My highlights are when I can share things that I've come to enjoy with the rest of the team (like rusks and strawberry heavenly bars!) and they enjoy them too. Those are the kinds of things that have become far more important to me. But I don't think supporters and friends back home always understand that, so for me it's been a process of coming to terms that that's ok. So yeah, it was a great trip. Yeah, I wish I was still there. But for now I'm here and quite content that everyone else on the team had the best trip possible. That makes my trip a great success.

The countdown couldn't have gone any slower but it's finally time! Bright and early tomorrow morning I head out to the airport on my way to NY where I'll converge with the rest of our team heading to Namibia. In total there are 13 of us from 5 different states who make up the Nam2010 team. I won't be able to keep up with this blog while I'm gone but you can follow along with our trip at http://nam2010.blogspot.com. We'll make updates about our latest ministry activities and stories along with pictures and hopefully some videos. Please join us on the blog and leave me some love in the comments section!

On Friday we took the Club kids to the zoo for the afternoon to traipse around through the heat seeing all the different wildlife. We only had a few hours so, being with the boys group, we wanted to see everything that has teeth. We saw bears, cougars, lions, gorillas, gators, anything that could kill something. For the most part they were all pretty lazy just chillin in the shade, hiding from the heat and the endless gawkers. The polar bear was the exception, escaping the heat in his arctic pool, showing off for the crowds with his ball. The difference between the zoo and a place like Etosha Wildlife Park in Namibia is that at the zoo the animals are in the cages and the people wander around. In Etosha, it's the people who are in the cages (cars) while the animals wander around. This is the first time I've been to a zoo since I first went to Etosha. The animals themselves are no less captivating. I'm sure I could sit and watch them for hours. But I found myself feeling kinda sorry for the animals held captive in cramped enclosures for the viewing pleasure of endless tourists, especially for the solo ones like the polar bear who had no one around to play with. It makes me glad to have a purpose in life. It reminds me that I'm here for more than just eating and sleeping and entertaining. It challenges me to make the most of the time that I have. It encourages me to look beyond myself and make a difference in the lives of others. And if I get all that from a trip to the zoo, then maybe these animals have more purpose than it originally seems.

Sometimes you can't help but laugh out loud. This conversation took place during our afternoon devotion time in the un-air conditioned chapel...

Kids: It's sooo hot in here!
Don: I know a place where it's even hotter.
Kids: The desert?
Don: No, the place where the devil lives.
Josiah: Mississippi?

:)

I ran across this article by Jonathan Dodson that offers some great, practical ideas on how to be purposeful about interacting with non-Christians and sharing life with them. Mostly I think they're great ideas because at one time or another I've done them all and know their value from personal experience. You can find the original article here. But for everyone else, here's the list...

1. Eat with Non-Christians. We all eat three meals a day. Why not make a habit of sharing one of those meals with a non-Christian or with a family of non-Christians? Go to lunch with a co-worker, not by yourself. Invite the neighbors over for family dinner. If it’s too much work to cook a big dinner, just order pizza and put the focus on conversation. When you go out for a meal, invite a non-Christian friend. Or take your family to family-style restaurants where you can sit at the table with strangers and strike up conversations (Mighty Fine Burgers, Buca di Peppo, The Blue Dahlia, etc). Have cookouts and invite Christians and non-Christians. Flee the Christian subculture.
2. Walk, Don’t Drive. If you live in a walkable area, make a practice of getting out and walking around your neighborhood, apartment complex, or campus. Instead of driving to the mailbox, convenience store, or apartment office, walk to get mail, groceries, and stuff. Be deliberate in your walk. Say hello to people you don’t know. Strike up conversations. Attract attention by walking the dog, taking a 6-pack (and share), bringing the kids. Make friends. Get out of your house! Last night I spend an hour outside gardening with my family. We had good conversations with 3-4 neighbors. Take interest in your neighbors. Ask questions. Engage. Pray as you go. Save some gas, the planet.
3. Be a Regular. Instead of hopping all over the city for gas, groceries, haircuts, eating out, and coffee, go to the same places. Get to know the staff. Go to the same places at the same times. Smile. Ask questions. Be a regular. I have friends at coffee shops all over the city. My friends at Starbucks donate a ton of left over pastries to our church 2-3 times a week. We use for church gatherings and occasionally give to the homeless. Build relationships. Be a Regular.
4. Hobby with Non-Christians. Pick a hobby that you can share. Get out and do something you enjoy with others. Try City League sports. Local rowing and cycling teams. Share your hobby by teaching lessons. Teach sewing lessons, piano lessons, violin, guitar, knitting, tennis lessons. Be prayerful. Be intentional. Be winsome. Have fun. Be yourself.
5. Talk to Your Co-workers. How hard is that? Take your breaks with intentionality. Go out with your team or task force after work. Show interest in your co-workers. Pick four and pray for them. Form mom’s groups in your neighborhood and don’t make them exclusively non-Christian. Schedule play dates with the neighbors’ kids. Work on mission.
6. Volunteer with Non-Profits. Find a non-profit in your part of the city and take Saturday a month to serve your city. Bring your neighbors, your friends, or your small group. Spend time with your church serving your city. Once a month. You can do it!
7. Participate in City Events. Instead of playing X-Box, watching TV, or surfing the net, participate in city events. Go to fundraisers, festivals, clean-ups, summer shows, and concerts. Participate missionally. Strike up conversation. Study the culture. Reflect on what you see and hear. Pray for the city. Love the city. Participate with the city.
8. Serve your Neighbors. Help a neighbor by weeding, mowing, building a cabinet, fixing a car. Stop by the neighborhood association or apartment office and ask if there is anything you can do to help improve things. Ask your local Police and Fire Stations if there is anything you can do to help them. Get creative. Just serve!

"Either we ought to stop spreading the gospel or conform to its teaching amidst such a needy cloud of witnesses as Central Africa presents."
~ from A History of Christianity in Africa by Elizabeth Isichei, regarding missionaries' extravagant living conditions while their congregations remained in poverty

"Much of their time and strength was devoted to the maintenance of a quasi-western lifestyle."
~ from A History of Christianity in Africa by Elizabeth Isichei, regarding early European missionaries to Africa and their failure to attract many converts

Finals are finished, semester's over!  Assuming I pass everything (no reason I shouldn't baring some unknown heresy) I'll be a third of the way through my program, which means at this rate I'll be here another 2 years. Hopefully making some progress with online classes through my summers will drop that to a year and a half. Not too shabby!

I would like to say a special thanks to all who have been faithfully praying for me to find a job since I came to North Carolina. This coming Monday I will start as a Program Aide for the after-school programs at the Boys & Girls Club! I'll stay on through the summer and work with their day camps. When I interviewed for the position a few weeks back they had me stay after to observe their program a bit. The whole thing was so amazing! It'll involve some tutoring, teaching a workshop here and there, and just hanging out. It's pretty much all black kids so it totally reminded me of hanging out at the Ark in Namibia. Not only that, but the four remaining classes I need to take in the fall are all scheduled for the morning or evening, so I can both work and still take classes next fall! God totally provided just the right job for me. He is faithful! Thanks again to all who've been praying.

I was out doing homework at the park the other day. A couple walked up to the lake shore with their dog, near to where two geese were minding their own business. The guy bent down and took the dog's leash off, to which the dog promptly bounded into the lake after these two geese. Despite desperately trying to call him back the couple spent the next few minutes watching helplessly as their dog swam away after these geese. When he finally determined he would never catch them, he turned back to his calling owners. I have just one question, What'd you think he was gonna do!?

__________________________________________

I was utterly surprised and overjoyed this afternoon when I discovered one of my favorite songs was finally available for download! David Crowder's independently released album called "All I Can Say" has up until now been safely hidden in the CD collections of those dedicated fans who've been following him from the very beginning. But now it's available to the masses, much to my glee. There are a few original versions of songs that he has since released on other albums and a few precious gems you won't find anywhere else. I encourage you to check it out!

"You can read night time books in the day too."
~ some random kid to his dad at the library

I've been waiting for something extra special to use for my 100th post so I guess today will fit the bill. Today wasn't the kind of day you go through thinking this is phenomenal, but looking back it's the many little joys that make up a great day.

This morning we had a guest speaker, Alistair Begg, for a lecture series at the seminary. His messages were about the posture of a leader, things like humility, a sense of personal inadequacy, and the strength of weakness. He challenged us, in his Scottish accent, not to have everything figured out but to rely on the sovereign God of the universe, along the way taking some stabs at a few of todays popular Christian authors. I got to chat with him personally for a few minutes during the coffee break and his disposition exemplified that humble confidence of which he spoke.

After the lectures I hit Chick-fil-a for lunch on my way to a job interview. Chick-fil-a in itself makes any day a good day, but on top of that I had a coupon for a free sandwich! The job interview was for a position as a Program Aide at the Boys & Girls Club. They asked me if I could stick around for the after-school club so they could see how I related to the kids. For three hours I hung out with a bunch of west-side black kids helping with homework, watching them on the computers, playing pool. It almost felt like I was back in Africa. I felt more at home with those kids then I do in some of my seminary classes. Even if I don't get the job, I've found a place where I'll go back and volunteer for sure.

Eventually I had to tear myself away from teaching Briana and Gavin how to play pool to head to my evening class. Even class tonight was pretty good. We started in on talking about the NT canon, how we know the books that we have are really the right books. Tonight we went over the Roman Catholic view. Talks like that make me a little overwhelmed at how much our congregations need to know regarding the attacks they'll face from the world. But on the other hand, it stirs in me a passion to teach the truth. And that's exactly how I know there's no other job I would rather do.

So today was definitely a good dose of contentment and worthy of my 100th post.

Yesterday the weather was sunny and 70s so I decide to hit the park for the afternoon. I grabbed my guitar, a picnic dinner, and a book to enjoy the sun and the peace and quiet. I settled in on a bench off in the corner of the park away from most of the action.

A short while later this older blonde lady with too much makeup startled me from behind asking, "Have you seen Norman around?" Her eyes darted amongst the trees so I quickly gathered she was looking for a squirrel whom she had affectionately named. I assumed once she didn't see him she would move along to another bench. But no, she started making small talk about her squirrel friends, pulled out a jar of peanuts and began sprinkling them around on the ground and on the bench.

Now I'm thinking, 'Lady, are you serious? The last thing I want is a bunch of squirrels crawling around while I'm trying to enjoy the peace and quiet! As soon as she leaves I'm chucking those nuts in the woods.'

Then she sat down on the other end of the bench and made herself comfortable waiting for her squirrels to show up.

'You've gotta be kidding me. Do some people really not realize how socially awkward they're being?'

She asked me, "So, how'd you happen to pick this bench?"

"Cause it's away from people," I replied.

"Oh me too."

'Can't even take a hint?'

"For weeks I used to see a guy sitting over here all by himself. Finally I came over and asked him if he was depressed." He was the one who introduced her to the squirrels. 'Great, two people that talk to squirrels.'

"Are you depressed?"

"No."

She proceeded to tell me her story of how she was waiting for her daughter to go walking and how she had been widowed twice but her current husband thinks the world of her. 'I would hope so.' I got the rundown of the kids but unfortunately ('Fortunately.') she left her wallet in the car so she didn't have the pictures. She asked me questions here and there and by this time I'd resigned myself to the fact that she was staying put so I politely played along. Not long ago a guy had broken her heart (coincidentally his name was Mike too) but he said upfront he wasn't marriage material so she should've known better.

"If he broke your heart, why do you keep thinking about him?"

"That's a very good question," she replied.

Eventually her daughter came and they went for their walk, but I couldn't help thinking, 'Some people really have no idea, do they.'

Yet in the course of our conversation I came to realize that she didn't join me because she thought I was lonely. It was her. Maybe she just needed somebody to listen, somebody who hadn't written her off yet. Maybe sometimes the heartbreak gets to be so much you just gotta let somebody know, even if it's a complete stranger. Sure, I know some people are just crazy and some really are socially awkward, but maybe it would make a difference if we were all a little more socially awkward. Maybe not a difference to the world, but maybe a world of difference to that one lonely person.

A few times she said she felt sorry for me having to sit there and listen to her life story, so I think she did realize. I just don't think she cared. I think maybe she was just lonely.

Have you ever tried Googling your name? Apparently I'm quite famous in a number of venues. I rock the daytime soaps with a leading role in "All My Children." As an unsigned R&B artist from Seattle I put out an album last year called "Chasing the Lights." I'm an Atlanta-based fashion designer and was a finalist in Season 3 of "Project Runway." I have a used-car dealership and a double-chin down in Waco, TX. I race cars during my free time which won me the 2007 Eriez Speedway Championship. My groundbreaking novel titled "The Taqwacores" started an underground Muslim punk rock subculture. I also stay involved in ministry as a church planter with my home-school family over in Clayton where I named my ministry after myself. My hobbies include abstract painting, playing minor league hockey for the Johnstown Chiefs, and of course driving around in my wicked cool car saving the world. It's nice to know the real me is safely hidden somewhere past search results page 10. Don't forget to buy a t-shirt!

Every now and then everybody needs something in life to remind them they're not perfect. As one of my professors says, "It's for your sanctification." Well for me, that was today....

When you're low on income you try to take every shortcut you can. So when the "Oil Change Required" warning came up on my car, rather than spend $25-30 at a Quick Lube place I swung over to Walmart to pick up a filter and enough oil to do the job myself. This warm sunny day I gathered my tools and equipment convinced I could score an easy victory and call it a successful afternoon. After all, I've changed my own oil before so I knew what I was doing, and plus I was being financially responsible. I emptied my oil pan without too much of a mess. The filter was off and the new one back on easy enough. I confidently refilled the tank with my new oil proudly considering the efficiency of my accomplishment. I started the engine and hit the system check button on my dash. That's when I heard the awful sound. It was just a computerized beep tone, but it was a beep that meant something was horribly wrong. The message read "Oil Pressure Low" and a glance to see the pressure gauge bottomed out confirmed it. That could only mean one thing. I quickly turned the car off and went around the passenger side to see, sure enough, 5-quarts of brand new oil streaming down the inclined parking lot. I quickly spent a whole roll of paper towels mopping up as much as I could hoping nobody would drive by.

A humbling hour and another 5-quarts later I finally got my car back in working order. It turned out I didn't notice the old gasket was still stuck on when I screwed the new filter on so it didn't make a solid seal. Fortunately, it was an easy fix. Unfortunately, I didn't end up saving any money after all. At least it's a mistake I won't make again, so maybe it will pay off in the long run.

The first week of my second semester ends with that overwhelming feeling you get when you receive all your syllabi at once and realize how much you actually have to do. I have four classes this semester which all seem pretty cool. I have Hebrews-Revelation with a professor who talks faster than John Moschitta. I have Genesis-Joshua with my professor from Archaeology last semester which I really enjoyed. Then I have an Applied Apologetics course which is somewhat of an extension of the Apologetics course I took over our winter term. And lastly I have a class called Advanced Biblical Exegesis which is basically a fancy way of saying how the Bible works together as a whole. Overall it should be good material and the papers I have to write seem interesting enough. In Gen-Josh I have to compare and contrast the blessings Jacob gave to his 12 sons with the blessings Moses gave to the 12 tribes of Israel before they entered the promised land. In Applied Apologetics I'll write a critical book review of a book written by someone with an anti-Christian worldview. And I haven't picked my Heb-Rev topic yet, but since I get to choose I'll make sure it's interesting. Then come May 18th and I'll be over a third of the way through my program!

“With regard to Jesus there are only two possible modes of behavior: either to believe that in him God encounters us or to nail him to the cross as a blasphemer. There is no third way.”
~ Horst Georg Pohlmann regarding Christ's claims to divine authority

"If you're not rich then you're not eccentric, you're just weird."

I just posted a new song up on my Pure Volume page. You can follow the link under the music tab above to hear it. On the profile page click on the Christmas album and it's called "When God Came Near." This is one I started writing last Christmas, but then put it on the shelf for the year. I pulled it back out last month and added the finishing touches. It speaks to some of the great oxymorons of the Christian faith. Hope you enjoy it. Come out to a Christmas show sometime and you might get to hear it live!

Well, I suppose I have to do one last entry to wrap things up. I've decided it's easier to watch a well fought game and lose in the last seconds then to watch the entire game knowing you're going to lose. From 4 and a half minutes when we went down 14-0 I knew it was over. They had no spirit, no fight, and it showed. I knew after the Saints game that this wasn't gonna be a year for a Super Bowl run, but it would be nice to at least make it past the Wildcard Round! I guess this just goes to show we were the Team of the Decade in the 2000s. So far in the 2010s, we're 0-2. Glad to get to the offseason. Time to retool for another run.

You know what the problem with microwaves is? Besides, of course, that you can’t put silverware in them. The invention of the microwave oven has destroyed the concept of a good old-fashioned work ethic. It’s the reason I have to describe work ethic as old-fashioned. Work ethic is the idea that anything worth having is worth working for. But who needs that when now we have the microwave oven and a ready-made meal takes two minutes and the touch of a button. Psychologists call it “instant gratification.” Your parents probably call it impatient and lazy.

I never was one for hard work. My freshman year in high school I was thinking about trying out for the basketball team. That was until somebody told me the coach made the team run to the top of the four-level parking garage and back down, over…and over…and over. The most dreaded conditioning for soccer tryouts was the infamous 5 mile run at preseason training camp. I had never run anywhere close to five miles in my entire life. My first two years I was convinced the coaches just wanted to torture us and weed out the weak. But eventually I came around to see it as a challenge. The conditioning wasn’t just torture, but it was to make us better. By my senior year, I was no longer trying to get out of it, but trying to beat my previous best time.

If you look at the people that are the best in their particular fields, it’s because they worked hard at it. Michael Phelps didn’t win eight gold medals by deciding one day, ‘Hey, that’d be cool.’ Olympic athletes train for years and work hard to become the best in the world. A musician never stops learning his instrument. He is constantly learning and working hard practicing and refining his skills. All the best athletes, musicians, actors, lawyers, doctors, whatever, they study their specialty and work hard so they can be the best. They understand that there’s something on the other side of the work that makes the pain and long hours worth it all. They won’t settle for ‘good’ just to get out of a few workouts or rehearsals. They know that ‘great’ is only found on the other side of hard work. Why should it be any different concerning godliness?

People don’t work hard for anything anymore, least of all a relationship with God. We seem to think that godliness will spontaneously spring up out of reading a 15 minute devotional and offering up a few prayer requests about our personal needs. And then we wonder why our Christianity seems so shallow and inauthentic. Are there any left who would say their relationship with God is worth working hard for? Real godliness doesn’t just happen; it takes work. It takes the investment of time, of study and prayer, of suffering and doubt. It’s through the discipline of hard work that we find the joys of vivid faith, undaunted trust, true peace, love for our enemies, and so much more.

I’ve always been inspired by the stories of the faith of past saints. It was said of one great preacher that if he knew he would be preaching for 2 hours the next day, he would spend 4 hours in prayer. If he would be preaching 4 hours the next day, he would spend 8 hours on his knees. If he was to preach 6 hours the next day, he would spend 12 hours praying! That takes a discipline and dedication I can only dream of. Paul, arguably one of the most faithful followers of Christ, writes of his own spiritual journey, “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:13-14). That’s the language of self-discipline, of commitment to do whatever it takes to reach the goal.

It’s tough. It’s a struggle. Just like lifting weights isn’t easy at first, but over time you begin to add more weight to the barbell. The muscles get more firm and start to take shape. You may not even realize your progress because it’s slow and gradual. But given enough time you can flex in the mirror and see how much your discipline and hard work have paid off. And that’s something no microwave could ever do for you.

I feel like Bill Belichick in his postgame press conference, I really don't want to talk about this game. Other than a goal line stop, defense was just bad. Granted they didn't have 3 defensive starters playing, but they gave up 21 points in the fourth quarter. You gotta close out games in the playoffs. How we do this month all depends on what defense shows up. Offense was reasonable. Brady, Edelman, Hoyer all did pretty well. It's good to have Fred Taylor back especially with Maroney and Faulk out on the injury list today. All in all, obviously the biggest story is Wes Welker's knee. From his reaction, it looked bad. I'm guessing he's probably done for the season, but we'll find out in a few days. But we've played without him before. Edelman is a good backup. He won't command the double team that Welker would, but he can catch the ball and move the chains. Yes, I think the Patriots can win without Welker. Yes, I think it will require a better all around effort, especially from the defense. That's all there is to say about today. Now we just sit back and see who we get to play next week.

A thought provoking article from Jon Foreman, the lead singer/songwriter for Switchfoot. We all know it's high time we redefine the "heroes" of our culture. He just puts it eloquently, like only a poet can do. It's a movement from the bottom up. Give it a read and comment here with your thoughts.

Goodness Precedes Greatness: A Call For New Heroes In Troubled Times