A Hill Called Double Cure

Don't you worry kids
Haiku Friday has returned
Just for Good Friday...

A gesture of love
That kiss started in motion
The true sign of love.

We call this day Good
But those who were there that day
Might have disagreed.

A carpenter's son
Created great things from wood
The best from a cross

I say I love Him
Yet often I disown too
The rooster still crows

Three hung out to die
Two for crimes they did commit
One for all of us.

A stone rolled away
Like he said, he is risen
Now go tell others.

Songs to go with the post:
B. Bennett, D. Daugherty & J. Miller - Beautiful Scandalous Night
Keith Green - Easter Song
Delirious? - Message of the Cross
Third Day - Thief

Running Up That Hill

I'll be the first to admit that waking up in the morning and running a marathon just isn't my idea of fun. The thought of doing that six times in a week would make me consider my sanity. Toss the idea of doing this crazy running in the Sahara desert and I personally would be begging for mercy.

But that is just what two of my friends are doing right now. Albert and Mattheiu are out running the Marathon des Sables. It is a 243 kilometer race across the Saraha that goes from April 7-13. If that is not crazy enough, each runner has to carry all the supplies they need for the race, only to be supplied extra water at each check point. This explains why they are asking people to pray for them on this adventure.

Both of these guys are doing it to raise money and awareness for medical ministries in India and Nigeria, so I would encourage you to check out their individual blogs. And if you want you can even drop them a note. (They are number 282 and 299).

Did I mention that the next stage they run is double the distance? They will be running 82 kilometers in a day. Heck, I haven't even driven that far in a while.

Currently reading:

Where Angels Fear to Tread

At four in the morning I should be in bed.
But something interesting in a book I read,
Plus some words that were recently said
Are still running through my tired head.
This lack of sleep I would like to shed
And to be horizontal on my pillow instead.
Here is a self portrait by guy named Fred.
Why do British call the last letter a zed?

What Do You See?

I must thank you all for the feedback I got from my India posts. Perhaps more of the journals will show up later, including some of the passages that prove it wasn't all great thoughts hitting the page.

So this weekend, I continued to process what I learned and continue to learn from the trip. Thanks to some amazing friends who were kind enough to listen to me ramble and even caused me to think deeper. Sure, I might blame one great conversation for my lack of sleep and a stubbed toe. But even in the lack of sleep, I found ways to be challenged, and to challenge others. Isn't that what it is about?

In all this, I decided to start TV turn-off week a little early. It might come as a surprise that I unplugged the television and shut down my torrent program. Do I really need to know who wins the Amazing Race? Do I need to watch yet another episode of Law & Order? And eternally speaking, does it really matter what is on that island? GASP - did he just say that?

When I explained this to my parents, my mother told me not to get too radical. I don't think I'm going too radical, but I am tired of being too complacent.

So who is with me?

Currently reading: A Cry in the Wilderness: Twelve Bold Messages About Uncompromising Faith by Keith Green

I'll Remember

I have really been trying to figure out what is the best way to explain the week I had in India. I've read the accounts of three friends who were there, and wondered why can't I express similiar thoughts.

So, instead of trying to come up with new words, I decided to post some of the thoughts I scribbled out in a little journal I kept during the week. I've posted them on the dates that they were written to keep them separate. And for the curious, not all my thoughts and writings are being posted. There are some things I'm still not ready to openly admit on such a public forum. But I do think I've tossed enough out for you to really see what was happening around me, and in me...

Here are the posts in order: The Chase is On, Don't Leak, Don't Speak, I Don't Have A Reason Anymore, I Am Poor, He Said It With Devotion, Come With Me, I'm A Legal Alien. And be sure to look at the photos. Oh those photos still bring tears to my eyes.

Finally, thanks to my friend Dave for letting me pour out my thoughts the other night. You are a good man. And as you can see I wimped out when it came to the poetry. Perhaps it will show up later.

Those of you who are not Dave, take the time to read his thoughts based on our conversation. For this is what I'm hoping the posts from the trips cause... people to stop and think for a minute or more, because that is what I've been doing for two weeks now.

Currently reading:

Thank You India

I'm back and still processing everything that occurred this last week. Words can only scratch the surface of all that I saw, felt, thought, and experienced under the Indian sky. Photos might do a little better at giving you a feel for this last week of my life.

For hours I've tried to make this post more than the three sentences above, but at this point that is all I have. My heart grows heavy looking back on those photos, and I can not find words to tell the stories. Maybe tomorrow...

Currently watching:

I'm A Legal Alien

I've got two hours before we meet and I would be content spending it here with my trusty cup of chai. Sure it would be nice if someone would join me and chai, but for now I enjoy the solitude. Cup number two arrives. The services is great, the music pleasing, and for the moment I'm the only foreign looking person in the joint.

There is something I really enjoy about being a foreigner. Even more so when it is starkly noticeable. Sure it was nice to blend into the crowd in Europe, only to be outed by my accent. But here and in Korea, I don't have to do anything to tip people off. My large build and whiteness broadcast it. I still enjoy it though when Korean children walk up behind me to compare how tall they are to me, or when they get that shocked look on their face when they first see me. I love that kids in India and Philippines have called me "Big Show."

Oh sure it would be nice to fit in, to speak the language, to buy the clothes off the rack, to fit into the shoes, but that just won't happen soon.

Perhaps I love this feeling because it reminds me that this place is not my home. The countries I'm in are not home, and never will be. And it is a good reminder that until I end up on heaven's shores, I'll never be home. I'm just an alien and stranger in this land. My nomadic life, my vagabond attitude puts me in good company of Biblical characters who also longed for a home. I just wish I longed even more for that heavenly home...

Songs to go with this post: Rich Mullins - What Susan Said,
Johnny Cash - I Am a Pilgrim