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!?

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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