Category: reflections

Our Zambian son

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We had a dear loved one pass away recently and someone asked, “Was it family or a friend?”

I had a hard time knowing how to answer it. Technically and officially in the light of the law he was “just a friend.” But to our family members he’s so much more than that.

“Friend” just doesn’t do the relationship justice.

In the same way, calling my best friend Matt, “my best friend” or just “Matt” doesn’t really do him justice either. Which is why we always refer to him as “brother” or Uncle Matt with our boys.

Have any “friends” like that?

All that to say, while it may confuse some, my “sister” Kathryn is living and working in Zambia right now and just sent us a number of photos in an email titled, “Your Zambian son.”

That does my heart good.

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Our family has sponsored Lupiya through Family Legacy thanks to Kathryn’s work. He lives with his grandmother and several cousins in Lusaka, Zambia.

Separated by thousands of miles and yet we can still call one another family.

Isn’t it good to know that family goes far beyond anything a law, a blood relationship or even geography can define?

There’s no blood or law uniting us – it’s something much stronger – love.

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Find out more about child sponsorship through Family Legacy.

Happy Birthday to my blog

Today in 1993 the first website went online. Also, today in 2005 I (officially) started blogging.

I started out on Blogger, moved to WordPress and now I manage four or five different blogs on a regular basis.

Surprisingly my first post was a little future telling:

So I gave in. I got myself a blog. I’ve been fighting this for some time, and I don’t really know why. Maybe it was because I hate fads — even though I love being on the cutting edge of everything. Is it just me or is that really ironic?
And despite what it may look like, this is actually my first posting on this blog. All the earlier entries are simply postings of my old columns that people seem to want to continue to read.
Anyways, I’ll start posting my weekly columns/random thoughts and maybe a podcast in the future.
I’m very intriguied by the whole podcast idea. If you haven’t heard anything about it, check out podcast.net to find a listing of what’s currently out there. I’m sure I’ll jump on that bandwagon as soon as I can find enough content to post a weekly show (sounds like my dream of writing a book). There’s so much I want to do — and so little time and content.
Well, so there you have it. I’m live in the blog world.
Peace!
-stranger in a strange land

Since then I have started a podcast (which has gone through it’s own changes) and written my first book.

As my time, schedules and interests evolve so does publishing online.

There’s no telling what the next eight years will be bring (or even 80) but I’m looking forward to it.

Thanks for joining me on the journey.

—

PS: I’ve had the privilege of being on Power Talk several times in the last few months. Always enjoy getting the opportunity.

This week we talked with Steve Knight and Phil Shepherd about issues facing the Church and how we can regain the trust of those outside the walls of the church.

Download the audio.

The gardener

Kildare - Saint Fiachra’s Garden [Patron Saint Of Gardeners]

I found the gardener sitting quietly in the grass by a large shade tree. It had been a long day of trimming trees, cutting grass and pruning flowers and the day was coming to an end.

He stared out across his garden. It stretches far beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I can tell his garden is his sacred space and he treats it as such.

He notices me and waves for me to come near.

After a few pleasantries i ask him how long he’s been tending the garden.

“Well,” he began as he wiped the sweat from his brow, “It wasn’t long after the great war that I started here.”

He picked up a fallen rose nearby and gently pulled away the bruised outer petals.

“I didn’t head off to war like many of my friends. It just felt wrong to me.”

He recounted how his friends and family began to distance themselves from him as he tried to make a stand against the violence.

“They called me a traitor and unpatriotic. They said I should stand up against the evil in the world. I argued that that’s exactly what I was doing — but they kept beating the war drums. The politicians, the celebrities, the talking heads — they all called for swift and dramatic vengeance against our enemies. They said it was a just and holy war. There was so much celebration and excitement as the men went off to war.”
Continue reading The gardener

A confession and a few questions…

Love is a weapon

As I’ve written before, I consider myself a pacifist and I want to see much stronger gun control in American because I believe the harder it is for people to get a weapon, the less likely they are to use it.

I truly long for the day when nuclear weapons, assault weapons, semi-automatic guns, muskets, pocket knifes and all other weapons of any sort are made into plowshares.

And I long for Shalom and Pax Dei.

And yet I confess that I understand that even banning all guns of all sort won’t stop all assaults or killings of any other sort. When a person’s heart is set on killing another human being – they’ll find a way.

So with this quandary at our doorstep, how do we as an American culture and society change the hearts and minds of our fellow countrymen where the life of a 1st grader is just as valuable as the life of the President, a movie star, a drug dealer or an imam living in Iran?

How do we change our mindset that murder is not an option – either in jealous rage, depression, governmental retaliation or by lethal injection?

How do we move from a culture of violence (and especially redemptive violence) to a culture of forgiveness and second chances?

Back to Class 2012

As some of you have noticed, my posting has been really lacking here (and elsewhere the last few months).

To catch everyone up to date – I started a new position with our district in the Internet Publishing Group, June 4.

My daily to-do list is a wide range of things but largely focuses on creating visual content (photos, graphics, videos etc.) for the district’s website and social media outlets.
Continue reading Back to Class 2012