A Real Life Hero.

I just listened to a story on NPR’s Storycorps (a very cool segment) that I thought I would share. Talk about going the extra mile! This story inspired me and reminded me of the kind of person that I hope to be. This man’s simple actions in the midst of his daily life have probably transformed a life forever. Changing a life - that can not be overstated. It is why we’re here on this globe. Some may not believe in greater purpose. But stories like this inspire me to keep striving to be more like Christ, to be less consumed by my own life, and to be aware of each and every tiny moment with the power to change the course of history.

We so rarely think of our daily decisions as impacting anything substantial. But when you turn around one day and ask how you got here, how you ended up at this point in your life, I believe you are forced to look back and see the impact that each tiny decision had in bringing you to your current state. Writing a letter to a stranger can lead you to your best friend. Turning left instead of right can save your life. Going to one meeting can introduce you to your future boss and put in place a path for the rest of your life. Live each moment as if it matters. Because, believe me, it does.

God, in his sovereignty, has orchestrated our lives into a complex puzzle of choices and "coincidences" that we cannot understand because we cannot see the complete picture. So it is up to us to simply be faithful and carefully consider each step along the way. We often will not understand. But I am grateful for a God that is so high above me that I cannot fathom his ways. If I, in my limited mental capacity, could figure him out... well, he would not be God.

Anyway, I didn’t mean to ramble so much. Listen to the story here.

Update on Kenya.

This blog is a follow up to my earlier blog, "In Common Bond United." If you didn't read that one, I basically gave a very brief overview of the situation in Kenya and posted a couple of relevant articles. For those of you who have been faithfully praying for our brothers and sisters there, I wanted to provide an update. The government and opposition leaders have signed a power sharing agreement brokered by Kofi Annan. This is wonderful news, and will hopefully allow the country to put the violence of the past two months behind them. But there has been so much damage done. Last I heard, over 1,000 people had been killed and hundreds of thousands have been displaced. Please continue to pray for this beautiful country, that they will reconcile and come together as a nation and see each other as people made in the image of God. We thank God for this victory, and pray that it is the first of many to come. Below is a link to the NY Times article on the peace agreement.

Kenya Rivals Reach Peace Agreement

The Story of Stuff.

I thought this was an interesting video that others might like to see. It's about 20 minutes long, and it deals with issues that we should all care about as consumers, and most importantly, as stewards of this earth. Make sure you click on the resources link after you watch the video to find out what we can do about issues like these. Let me know what you think!

The Story of Stuff

Lincoln article and quiet time input.

Going through my seemingly infinite amount of daily e-mail subscriptions, I came across a good article written by John Piper yesterday in honor of Abraham Lincoln's birthday. My favorite part of the article is actually a quote he includes by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, a man who was imprisoned in Joseph Stalin's "corrective labor camps." It's a great article, so check it out here: Abraham Lincoln's Path.

Not only did I want to share that, but I wanted to ask all of you a question. I am nearing completion on a three year long study reading through the whole Bible in my quiet time, and I'm trying to decide what to study next. Unfortunately, the plan was only for one year, but I'm a horribly sinful person who often prioritizes things like the snooze button over my quiet time. Plus, I tend to want to read one verse over and over and think a lot about that instead of reading chapters at a time like they suggest. Anyway, I wanted some help from you guys as I decide what to do next. So here are my questions.

Do you have a regular quiet time?
Is there a basic outline for what you do?
How do you pick what you read in your quiet time? Do you go book by book, topic by topic, verse by verse?
Do you use external materials in your quiet time?
How the heck do you get out of bed in the morning?

I really do want you guys to answer. You can send me a message if you don't want to leave a comment. Happy commenting!

In common bond united...

For those who may not be aware of the horror that is sweeping the nation of Kenya right now, I wanted to post a couple of the more recent articles I've found.

Right after a botched election almost a month ago, hundreds of people were killed as anger and political unrest divided the country along tribal lines. The violence in Kenya is continuing, and appears to be increasing after a few weeks of smaller scale protests and attempts at peaceful demonstrations. The elected government and the opposition, who claim to have won the election, still refuse to work together to put this behind them and move forward.

Please continue to pray for Kenya. The first article paints a picture without much hope, but read on to the last sentence. There is always hope to be found. We just have to remember where to look for it. The second article provides an even more up to date look at what the violence is doing to this beautiful nation.

Ethnic Violence in Rift Valley is Tearing Kenya Apart

19 Burned to Death in Violence in Kenya

These are some of the lyrics to the Kenyan national anthem, and a fitting prayer in this time of struggle.

Oh God of all creation
Bless this our land and nation
Justice be our shield and defender
May we dwell in unity
Peace and liberty
Plenty be found within our borders
...Let all with one accord
In common bond united
Build this our nation together

Super Bowl Contest Essay.

So, Lindsay sent me a link to enter a contest to win a trip to the Super Bowl if you can make a case that you are the Giants' biggest fan. I entered even though I didn't feel quite worthy, having never even seen the Meadowlands. This is the essay I included with my submission. I thought I should at least get a blog out of it, since it will likely not make it past round one of a contest with people who paint their bodies ane wear next to no clothing in freezing weather. Oh well. Go Giants!!!! Here's the essay.

I love football, and I was very impressed by Gibril Wilson when he played at Tennessee (where I went to college). When he got drafted to the Giants in 2004, I started watching them. I loved Eli Manning, too, and they went to the team at the same time. Thus began the passion. The more I watched, the more I loved this team. They went through adversity and countless challenges, but still managed to work hard enough to keep their heads above water. Eli Manning has more pressure on him than probably any other player in the league. Not only does he have all the pressure of a quarterback, but he has the world's biggest shadow to live in. Make that two shadows. He has borne the burden with class and dignity, never taking a cheap shot when it presented itself, always choosing to keep his mouth shut and let his character speak through his actions. He has a strong, quiet leadership and a tremendous work ethic, and we are seeing that pay off. The Giants may not have the talent that the Patriots have (although that point could be argued), but they have the hearts of champions. This season is the stuff of legend. No one thought they could do it. But regardless of the prospects of the team in any given year, if you're a true fan, you stick with them. And now here we are. At the Super Bowl. Playing the yet unbeaten Patriots. Win or lose, I am proud of this team and the amazing journey they've begun together.

I can tell you all about how I'm the only person I know who's a Giants fan, how I stopped a complete stranger in a store because he was wearing a Giants sweatshirt, how I huddle around my computer watching live scoring updates on Sundays when no one in Tennessee will broadcast a Giants game, how my dog has a Giants jersey that he wears religiously in the playoffs, how I skipped out on a baby shower to watch the Giants play Dallas, or how I refuse to invite people over to my house to watch the games because not only are they not cheering for the Giants, but I'm afraid they'll talk through the game and make me miss an important play. But the fact of the matter is that I love the Giants because of the great men that make up this team - men that are worthy of the stardom that they have earned play by play. And that's why I am the Giants' biggest fan.

Happy MLK Day.

There is something very sad to me about Martin Luther King Day. It's not simply the fact that this day forces me to remember that my heritage lies in a faulted people who have endlessly abused their power and forced many beautiful, unique, people made in the image of a God that should unite us to endure hatred stemming from our self-righteous ethnocentrism and ignorance. I cannot help my heritage, however much it grieves me. I can only strive to fight ignorance and injustice in myself and those around me, working forward toward the heritage that I wish to leave and not living helplessly in the one from which I came. So ultimately, that is not what saddens me on this day. It's the fact that now, in a time when our culture is supposedly "enlightened" and "unified," we do not celebrate this day the way that we should.

This day should be a day to rival all holidays. This is the day to honor a man who went on to change the world. This is a day to remember what he stood for, and what happened because of him. This day proves that each of us, when we follow the path God has ordained for our lives, can make a difference. A difference that matters. A difference that can reach the corners of the earth in its impact. Yet many do not celebrate. Some justify their abstention saying that this man was flawed, and he was. All of us are. "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." When all of us are imperfect, is imperfection any reason not to celebrate the good that can come from this world of bad?

A friend sent me this link to a blog that John Piper wrote about MLK Day. You can view it here. Also, you might want to take about 20 minutes and watch the entire "I Have a Dream" speech. Many of us have probably never seen the whole thing. You can watch that here.

Take a few minutes today and think about what you stand for. If you don't know what you stand for, think about the fact that the ability to not know what you stand for is a luxury in and of itself, when so many of the people in our broken world are born into a position where they grow up having to stand for something or else being stood upon. People say that ignorance is bliss. That may be true. But at what price does our bliss come? Who pays the price while we ignore the injustice in the world?

Ask God what your purpose is. Ask him to help you to fulfill that purpose. Know what you believe. Act on it. "Be the change you wish to see in the world."

Happy Martin Luther King Day.