critical.

I am critical. Those who know me well know this about me. And I am equal opportunity critical... I find fault in everything, even myself.

I had a four hour meeting today with four pastors and a hospice coordinator. And in spite of my propensity towards ministry (why I was invited, anyways), spending time with preachers is not my favorite activity. The churchy language, the insider jokes, the attitude towards the unchristian elements in society makes me uncomfortable. And four hours?

That was about four hours ago.

What did I find at the meeting? These pastors, who are chaplains in different regions than myself, were not at all as I had feared (outside of the neck-ties). They were genuine. Servants. They spoke openly and honestly about their own losses and grief. They each shed tears sharing from their own experience. Authenticity was everywhere.

And I am now sitting in a coffee shop, around people who have little religious pretense... the type people I would have chosen to be around instead of the meeting, in fact. And I do not find the same authenticity in the conversations around me.

How do I want people to perceive me? What kind of human am I to become? I want to become one who can fully feel both the joys and pains of life, with confidence and hope. I want to be poured out, unrestrained, authentic. I want to live with reckless abandon, not because life is meaningless, but because of its immeasurable worth. And I want to welcome people into peace, contentment, assurance, and true identity.

And I want to transfer my critical spirit toward corny Christmas music... BAH HUMBUG!!!

Here is a test everyone should take... the only test I know where you can get 10 out of 10, and still fail. Full details after the jump...

by WorldVision

Halloween pictures (not really)...

shanta requested some halloween pictures. these are pictures taken of Josiah in costume leading up to halloween:



Josiah the harley toddler...




Dr. Josiah...




and pretty in pink (note princess natalie porter in the background).

Update on the Baileys:

On their drive to Mwanza, the Bailey's had a rollover accident, which ejected Marisa from the car. She was airlifted to Nairobi, Kenya, the nearest advanced medical facility.

The doctors have treated her for some broken ribs, a broken shoulder, and have successfully completed a surgery on her ocular bone (surrounding the eye). She is now out of the hospital, recuperating at the home of the Conway's, Christian Church missionaries in Kenya. They hope to be able to return to Mwanza by the end of this week.

Please continue to pray for us and the Millers, as we will be moving to Mwanza in the next few weeks. Without going into all the details, the history of missionaries moving to Mwanza suggests that we are almost guaranteed to face adversity, either through vehicle accidents or through major health issues. Is there a spiritual cause? We don't know. But whatever the cause, your prayers are the answer.

prayer calendar...

our hopes for Mwanza and the Sukuma are dependent on God hearing our prayers. Charity has invested some time into prayer calendars, and you download the calendar for November and December (0.27 MB) by clicking here.

Specifically, pray for our teammates, Aaron, Marisa, and Trey Bailey. They are pictured with us below. They, along with their son, Trey, were in a rollover accident on their drive from language school to Mwanza.



Marisa was banged up pretty badly; she was flown to Nairobi where she is stable, but apparently suffering from some broken ribs. Aaron and Trey are fine, but shaken up, naturally. Please remember them in prayers; we will update you soon.

Jimmy Carter for president...

okay, I'm sure everyone will think this is cra


the rest of this blog has been deleted by the author. the author realized that he had no idea what he is talking about, and that the world has enough ignorant backseat drivers without my contribution online.

I was struck by Jimmy's honesty, his bias towards peace, his opposition to abortion, his concern for the poor, and by his genuine faith and desire to emulate Jesus with his life. So, instead of simply reflecting on this, I made some political argument that illustrates how much I don't know. Forgive me if you visited earlier.