Joy

Kid being rescued from the rubble of Haiti. Makes me laugh and cry. Thank you, Father!

My Heart Is Torn For Haiti

I just heard about what happened yesterday in Haiti. From what I have read, this disaster will be felt for years. Tens of thousands of people were physically crushed and the rest maybe even more so psychologically. It seems as though everything in the capital was destroyed. Schools, government buildings, houses, shops, everything, in a matter of seconds. My mind can’t comprehend the trauma this would create in a community. No matter how many pictures I see or what words I read, I will never be able to understand. I want to be there. Not because I want to experience pain or be a hero (I wouldn’t even know how to help people in a feasible way). I want to be there because they are humans, they are suffering, and they are crying out for help. It is in times like these that God moves more visibly to my eyes.

So what can we do? Nothing seems like enough. Can we actually help or are we helpless to aid? We can be a part of the healing process. We can do little things. And for followers of the one who fed thousands with a handful, that is an encouraging thing. We can send a $10 donation to Red Cross’ relief effort by texting HAITI to 90999. And we can ask God to multiply our gift. We can ask God to comfort those stuck in this mess. And perhaps most importantly, we can keep this issue on our hearts. Like I said earlier, this issue is not going to fade quickly. It will fester and when it does, somewhere down the road, we can be ready to help. One example of this is adoption. This earthquake has created multitudes of new orphans. This is one of many problems that will arise. For now, talk to God, donate money, do what you can do to help your neighbors from Haiti.

Saying Goodbye to Mexico (For Now)

I’m back from another amazing trip  to a foreign country. This time it was Mexico and despite it’s extremely close proximity, it was my first time there. Going into a trip like this, I try not to have many expectations. I try to be prepared to engage in a new culture but that is about it. I just ride the wave that God’s pushing.

We went to Rocky Point and let me tell you it is kind of a sad place. It’s a city saturated with awesome ideas that were never able to come to fruition. It is riddled with skyrises that have done nothing but rust for the last couple of years. Apparently, when the American economy stepped in sinking sand, we all stopped traveling down to the rocky point that was fantastically popular only a few months before. Because of that, all of the people, who came up from other parts of Mexico to get an easy job in construction, brought their poverty with them.

With that as a backdrop, God did some really great things on this trip. The reason we went was to build a house for a family but the purpose of the trip was far more expansive. Originally, we were to build a single house for a certain family but because another church group was there at the same time as us, we constructed a double-wide home for another family. The two-and-a-half days of construction were filled with hard work, futbol (and football) with the kids, and an incredible cross-cultural fellowship with our Mexican neighbors. It was an amazing experience to work alongside dozens of Mexicans who deeply care for their neighbors as Jesus commanded. There was a very distinct sense of hope and joy and an incredible ability to communicate silently through that. The construction ended with a dedication and expression of gratitude that was awe-inspiring and tear-jerking.

God is doing some crazy things through our facilitating organization, One Mission. They are empowering the people to be able to provide for their needs by using their tools and working alongside them. Plus, they enable Americans to be a part of it, thus knitting the two cultures together. The Body of Christ as it should be. An amazing thing.

Once we were done with the house, we were able to visit a family for whom another New Valley group had built a house about a month ago. The family had added on to the house, converting it from a single to a double. They had completely furnished it and considered themselves wonderfully blessed. They new they had so much and have committed their lives to giving. “To whom much is given, much shall be required.” Seeing this, I had two thoughts. 1: It’s really cool to see what has happened because a group was able to come down and build this family a house. They have capitalized so well. 2: If he knows much is required of him because he was given a house that’s not even as big as my parents bedroom, then how much more is required of me?

The last morning, we had a debrief time on the beach in which we all shared highs and lows. The lows were admittedly trivial and sometimes humorous. Among the highs were building alongside the Mexicans, playing with the kids, seeing the other house, communicating through the language barrier, and experiencing the beauty that can only be found in simple places.

I am so thankful that I was allowed to go on this trip. As is His way, our Father accomplished mind-blowing things while we were there. And He hasn’t stopped since we left. He continues to work yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Going to Mexico

Wednesday, I’m headed to Rocky Point, Mexico with a friend from school and his church (New Valley). We will be building a house alongside a local community for a family of four. The trip is facilitated by OneMission, an organization that sets up three to five day trips for churches and other groups.

 It’s gonna be really cool to provide this family with a home but it will be an even greater experience due to the mindset we are going in with. We are very purposefully not going in as the privileged giving aid to the less privileged. We are going in to build community by serving people who aren’t all that different than us. We’re not gonna work our butts off with power tools as they stand by and watch. We’re gonna learn from them, work alongside them,  and use their tools. Hopefully, along the way, we can create friendships and bonds that will be more powerful than anything else we build.

Like all the trips that I’ve gone on, it is a mystery as to what God will do during our time there. I’m willing to bet though that whatever it is it will be extremely meaningful and deeply entrenched in compassion. I am very excited to learn another culture, meet new friends, and gain a greater realization of my Father’s love for me. If you would, please ask God to constantly remind us why we are there (to serve as Jesus served and to shair love unconditionally).

Switchfoot Concert (And Some)

Friday night, I went with some of my good friends to see Switchfoot at Martini Ranch. It was quite the adventure. We left right after our play practice ended and picked up everybody. Hungry, we stopped at McDonald’s because we all wanted some sweet tea. While there, we heard that the concert was sold-out. Bad news because two of my friends were planning on getting tickets at the door. We went back to school to drop them off and then sped (within the legal speed limit) of course) back over to Scottsdale. We waited in line for about twenty minutes in order to enter the venue that is about as big as my living room. The place was packed to the brim. Because we were so late, we were stuck in the back. As people moved around though we made our way closer to the stage using the classic wedge formation.

The show itself was spectacular. They played the full set from Hello Hurricane, their new album. If you haven’t heard their new stuff, check it out. It really is quite good. True to form, the songs are both hard hitting and soul searching. Jon’s lyrics are vulnerable and relateable, filled with hope and the power of real love. One of the standout songs was Needle and Haystack Life, which Jon sang from the middle of the audience. The Sound, one of the harder songs, sounded amazing live. Raw energy just flowed through the room. At the end of Free, Jon pounded the rhythm out of a bass drum. The addition made an already emotional song that much more powerful. Red Eyes brought the set full circle with the echoes of “We are once in a lifetime”.

Switchfoot played seven of their older songs as an encore. It started with Meant to Live, then a Stars/The Shadow Proves the Sunshine medley (I loved it when he sang “My shadows prove the sunshine”). After that was 24 followed by Oh Gravity! Then they dedicated Yesterdays to a soldier who was at the show. To end the night, they played Dare You To Move. It was a wonderful greatest hits style ending.

After the show, we bought some merch, including two fedoras and a golf hat. Then we went over to the trailer and met Tim Foreman, the bass player, and his brother Jon, the lead singer. I got them to both sign a cooker wrapper from McDonald’s. Jon lead a crowd to the other side of the street and started a little acoustic concert. After a few songs we were asked to leave by the police because of the noise. It was really cool that Jon would do that. We went back over by their bus and I listened to all of the conversations people were having with Jon. One in particular was really cool. A guy who was very emotional explained to Jon how thankful he was for his lyrics and how the gave him hope. The guy was just so genuine. He even sincerely apologized to the crowd for being kind of drunk. That is why Switchfoot’s music is so amazing. It gives hope to people who may not be exposed to the idea on a regular basis. I also listened to Jon explain his faith in a God of love. It was really inspiring to witness a regular guy who has been given an incredible platform to reach people with love and hope. Listening to Jon talk about Jesus on the street with a couple of dozen people around him, I couldn’t help but think that I was getting a little taste of what it would’ve been like to follow Jesus around and hear him talk to the crowds. It was a really cool experience.

Thanks Jon, Tim, Chad, Jerome, and Drew for doing what you’re doing!!!

Here’s video from Jon’s impromptu acoustic concert.

Late Night with Random Thoughts (#2)

It’s 12:34. I can’t fall asleep. My body is exhausted but my mind is in midday stride. I have a test tomorrow that I need to study for but I can’t concentrate on the material so I find myself delivering my thoughts to you.

Just finished reading a book called Tribes by Seth Godin. It’s all about leadership and it’s importance in today’s world of movements and tribes (groups united by a single vision/motive/product). Really enjoyed it and got a lot from it. Need another good read now.

Sometimes I get behind on stuff and it overwhelmes me. It happens with schoolwork. Today, it happened with my room. I was supposed to clean it (we just moved into a new house and are in the process of unpacking boxes) but I didn’t know where to put anything so I just didn’t do anything for awhile. After some time of doing nothing, I felt behind and overwhelmed. My mom gave me some practical/obvious tips and You gave me some much needed encouragement. I was able to get a lot done. I hate being immobilized.

Regarding the new home, it is quite amazing and fits our needs perfectly. It is a lot smaller than our previous behemoth of a house but I like that very much. It forces us to be closer as a family. We can no longer all go into separate corners of the house (all the kids rooms are about five feet away from each other). We have a huge (by East Valley, Arizona standards) backyard with a pool and patio with fireplace. And we have numerous parks and fields in our neighborhood. I love it. Thank You so much!

When someone encourages me, it’s one of the best feelings in the world. I want to give other people that feeling.

Sometime soon, I need to apply to college.

Packers. Ouch! Losing to the previously winless Bucs? They only had to go about ten yards everytime they touched the ball. Our offensive line is stinky.

I’ve been listening to Switchfoot’s new album Hello Hurricane and it is really good. Sound is rocking, anthemic, and ambient. Lyrics are full of hope in the hard times. Really, really like this album!

Wondering, if I had the chance to go back to either Morocco or Rwanda, where would I choose?

Goodnight. I hope I dream about freedom.

The First Ending

Friday night was probably the last time I’ll ever play competitive tackle football. It was a hard way to go out, losing in the first round of the playoffs to a team we had beaten in the regular season. We weren’t really ready to play and they were. Throughout the entire game, I had a feeling that it would be the last one but it didn’t come home until after the coaches talked to us. They gave us their speech, walked away, and it hit. Hard. A wave of emotion, like a slow tsunami, rolled through my body and out of my eyes despite my best efforts to keep it in. Even though I was sad the season ended the way it did, the tears weren’t full of sorrow but joy. I was so thankful for my teammates and all the leadership they showed throughout the season, as well as all the stupid things we did that made us laugh. I was thankful for all the encouragement from everyone throughout the bad years. I was thankful that we even had this season to remember (we almost didn’t have a football team this year because we didn’t have enough guys). I was thankful for everyone’s hard work that gave us more wins this season than we had had in our previous four years combined. I was so thankful for You and the way You made me so that I could be a valuable part of the team. Like we said before and after every game (win or lose) “to God be the glory!” Thank You!!!

Me and my little bro who became the starting defensive end. He was awesome!

Being a senior, I’m starting to understand the concept of The End. Football ending is just the first of many endings to come. At some point in the near future, basketball will be over and I’ll be in my last play and soccer will end with baseball and track & field. And then one day, high school will end. And then what? I don’t know yet but I’m excited and thankful at the same time.

Late Night with Random Thoughts

There is something intrinsically joyful about certain colors. Colors invoke feelings that are bottled up. Same thing with different shades of light.

A good creek bed is possibly the most peaceful place in my mind. Sometimes, that is where I go when I’m tired. That is where I am right now.

Life changes. Places move in and out. Things float by. Memories come and go. One thing stays constent. If it were not for Him, there would be no reason to hope.

I cannot remember the last time I watched a movie all the way through. This is weird to me.

Ever since I read that Matthew Thiessen (Relient K, lead singer) and Adam Young (Owl City) might have a side project in the works named Goodbye Dubai, I have been writing the name everywhere.

Ever since I can remember, I have been under the impression that God has something incredible planned for my life. I do not know why I am thinking about this now. It is just one of those things that I think about a lot.

I remember the last movie I watched all the way through. Simon Birch. If you have not seen, go see it. You will love it, no matter who you are. It is equal parts funny, sad, sweet, and inspiring.

Ok. I think that’s it for now. I am going to bed.

Love/Courage/Wisdom

Love without courage and wisdom is sentimentality, as with the ordinary church member. Courage without love and wisdom is foolhardiness, as with the ordinary soldier. Wisdom without love and courage is cowardice, as with the ordinary intellectual. But the one who has love, courage and wisdom moves the world.

 - Ammon Hennacy (Catholic activist 1893-1970)

Amish Man in Marijuana Land

Family friend, Josh Willis, is still trying to get that internship with Jimmy Fallon. I think the results will come tomorrow. Whatever the outcome, this video is hilarious. The Amish Intern goes to a Cannibis Revival Festival to figure out what it’s all about.