I found this video while looking at some blogs on China. I really can't say anything else about this. These are someone's little girls. Heartbreaking.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Back From Brasil
Well, we made it there and back again. We looked for the Southern Cross, saw the toilet water drain in the opposite direction, and enjoyed Winter in July. We had a good time learning about cross-cultural experiences and made a lot of new friends who are going all over the world. The area we were in was just beautiful with mountains and rainforest and a nice warm sun. We also experienced a little bit of Rio. Here are some shots of us around town:
Felicia and I at Christ Redeemer. That was impressive.
Me at Copacabana.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Off to Brazil
Well, we are leaving today to head to Brazil. We'll be gone for a little over two weeks, but our kids will be staying with the grandparents here in the States. Please pray for our travels and for the kids to be safe. Thanks, yall, for remembering us!
Sunday, July 6, 2008
"Life Should Be Full Of Joy"
I heard this line recently.
On the radio.
In a Walmart ad.
Nothing wrong with the line, life should be full of joy. I'm not exactly sure how Walmart makes my life full of joy. I could make a long-winded response of how western culture tells us that the accumulation of things makes us happy and full of joy, yet always fails at doing it. It really seems to do the opposite. But anyway.
On the radio.
In a Walmart ad.
Nothing wrong with the line, life should be full of joy. I'm not exactly sure how Walmart makes my life full of joy. I could make a long-winded response of how western culture tells us that the accumulation of things makes us happy and full of joy, yet always fails at doing it. It really seems to do the opposite. But anyway.
(photo of Chinese walmart to tie into the blog)
But hearing this on the radio added to something I was reading in the book mentioned below and I thought I'd share it. (I guess I should give the book I'm reading more credit, bc it has obviously got me to thinking, and, sadly, I don't do that enough. At least about things of relevance.)
I was reading in the book about joy and the author was speaking of how we try and numb the pain inside us and where we look to for joy.
Then he asks this question, "Do I love my life?"
Boom! (that's what I heard when I read it, at least)
Do I love my life? I like to think that I do, but I know there are aspects of it that I don't. I haven't really loved my job(s) for the past four years. I never grew up wanting to be in construction. Someone once asked me what my dream job was, and after saying being a NBA player (not on the bench, but a player) I said it was to be in China. Some people may not think that is a dream job, but it is for me. I love that. I love being a husband and a dad, but do not love how poorly I fill those roles most of the time. I don't love the compromises I feel like I make everyday.
I guess my thought goes to this: When I close my eyes, does the life I picture match the one I lead? Has what I dreamed life would be when I signed up for it come true? Obviously, being 6'1, fat, slow, uncoordinated and a bad shot has and always will keep me from being in the NBA. And my occupation will change from time to time. But have I found joy? I don't know.
Is joy a choice I make? Can I just decide to be full of joy? Should I just shop at Walmart more? Maybe a Chinese Walmart. I don't think I can just make it happen, but I can posture myself to be more open to joy.
Of course I want to love my life, and I want it to be full of joy.
But do I? and is it?
Thursday, July 3, 2008
What I'm Thinking...
I'm reading this book by this guy and some of it is good but some of it just seems weird and not too applicable to my life, or really Life in general. However, I did pick this little bit out of it recently and thought it was something to share.
The author talks about busyness and how we all do it and blah, blah, blah, I've heard it a hundred times. I try to think of myself as not busy (some have termed it 'lazy') but I do it, too. With jobs here in the States, I produce this overwhelming sense of responsibility from inside me that forces me to spend tons of time and energy focused on getting stuff done. None of this is new.
The new part is thinking more on what purpose the busyness serves. The author mentions that it gives us an illusion of security, that by tackling projects and being busy with stuff makes us feel like we are keeping the world spinning (at least our world) and thus, we are secure.
Another point that stood out and really resonated a bit was the idea that busyness provides us with 'purposeful distraction'. I do not have to face my self, my wife, my world if I'm busy, right? We can hide behind what we have to do and then be exhausted when we come home so we don't have to talk about things. I just need to sit down, watch Sportscenter/the game/American Idol have a drink and relax from all the important things I did at work that day. Busyness is an excuse to escape from life. and people. We aren't escaping from work, we really are escaping from life. (I don't know how to write the sound of gagging, but if I did, it'd go right here.)
It utterly amazes me that I try to escape from what is supposedly most dear to me. It's like I sit there and say, 'I could lead an exciting and fulfilling life where I engage people and ideas and I will spend my days with my goals being quantified by my relationships with others. Or, I could lead a terrible life where I overwork myself and then try and hide from the people around me.' Its preposterous that I would choose the latter, but I do, we all do. It's like we are running from freedom and hiding in a prison cell. Great choice.
What if we chose not to be so busy but rather decided to engage people? What if I didn't bring work home with me? What if I turned off the TV and talked to my wife? and my kids? Is this the life I want my kids to grow up and think is 'normal'? You might think it is easy to write this since we are moving to China soon, and I will have hours and hours of free time a day to engage with the world around me. But it happens there, too. Because this notion of busyness is ingrained in me. Days get more easily filled there. Sure life isn't on as strict a schedule, but if I have to go to the market and then to this other store and ride the bus here and there, it is hours later. Washing clothes, dishes, children all take longer. I can fill my day with busyness and not really get much accomplished. Even going out and meeting street kids can become something to do to keep busy.
The idea of busyness isn't that you are spending time doing worthless tasks. They might be pretty good things to do. A lot of it has to do with where your heart is. Lets try not to escape from the best things we could possibly have.
The author talks about busyness and how we all do it and blah, blah, blah, I've heard it a hundred times. I try to think of myself as not busy (some have termed it 'lazy') but I do it, too. With jobs here in the States, I produce this overwhelming sense of responsibility from inside me that forces me to spend tons of time and energy focused on getting stuff done. None of this is new.
The new part is thinking more on what purpose the busyness serves. The author mentions that it gives us an illusion of security, that by tackling projects and being busy with stuff makes us feel like we are keeping the world spinning (at least our world) and thus, we are secure.
Another point that stood out and really resonated a bit was the idea that busyness provides us with 'purposeful distraction'. I do not have to face my self, my wife, my world if I'm busy, right? We can hide behind what we have to do and then be exhausted when we come home so we don't have to talk about things. I just need to sit down, watch Sportscenter/the game/American Idol have a drink and relax from all the important things I did at work that day. Busyness is an excuse to escape from life. and people. We aren't escaping from work, we really are escaping from life. (I don't know how to write the sound of gagging, but if I did, it'd go right here.)
It utterly amazes me that I try to escape from what is supposedly most dear to me. It's like I sit there and say, 'I could lead an exciting and fulfilling life where I engage people and ideas and I will spend my days with my goals being quantified by my relationships with others. Or, I could lead a terrible life where I overwork myself and then try and hide from the people around me.' Its preposterous that I would choose the latter, but I do, we all do. It's like we are running from freedom and hiding in a prison cell. Great choice.
What if we chose not to be so busy but rather decided to engage people? What if I didn't bring work home with me? What if I turned off the TV and talked to my wife? and my kids? Is this the life I want my kids to grow up and think is 'normal'? You might think it is easy to write this since we are moving to China soon, and I will have hours and hours of free time a day to engage with the world around me. But it happens there, too. Because this notion of busyness is ingrained in me. Days get more easily filled there. Sure life isn't on as strict a schedule, but if I have to go to the market and then to this other store and ride the bus here and there, it is hours later. Washing clothes, dishes, children all take longer. I can fill my day with busyness and not really get much accomplished. Even going out and meeting street kids can become something to do to keep busy.
The idea of busyness isn't that you are spending time doing worthless tasks. They might be pretty good things to do. A lot of it has to do with where your heart is. Lets try not to escape from the best things we could possibly have.
Monday, June 30, 2008
The Air I Breathe
Maybe you've been couped up inside all day, or you live in a big city and the air quality is not so good. You think everything is okay, no problems. But then you walk outside or you take a trip to the beach or mountains, and you realize that the air you had been breathing was polluted and stagnant. Your lungs burst with new life. The clean air is so much better than what you've had.
Today I breathed that fresh air again. I met a guy named Larry who has had a hard go of it recently. I got to talking to him and we continued on and I was able to help him and his family out some. It was like I got to breathe again for the first time in a while. That fresh air hitting my lungs and remembering that this is what I am supposed to breathe. It is what I am made for. My lungs were meant to breathe fresh air, not smog-polluted, coal-sooty air. It is so good to breathe that fresh air.
Yet, we always seem to return from our vacation in the clean air and return to 'life' in the midst of the thing that poisons our lungs. Why do we return to that which we know is no good for us? It'd be nice to breathe fresh air all the time. It's what we were made for.
Today I breathed that fresh air again. I met a guy named Larry who has had a hard go of it recently. I got to talking to him and we continued on and I was able to help him and his family out some. It was like I got to breathe again for the first time in a while. That fresh air hitting my lungs and remembering that this is what I am supposed to breathe. It is what I am made for. My lungs were meant to breathe fresh air, not smog-polluted, coal-sooty air. It is so good to breathe that fresh air.
Yet, we always seem to return from our vacation in the clean air and return to 'life' in the midst of the thing that poisons our lungs. Why do we return to that which we know is no good for us? It'd be nice to breathe fresh air all the time. It's what we were made for.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Brazil
Why are you reading about Brazil on a China blog? Well, because Felicia and I will be traveling there in July for a few weeks of training. We will be in a town outside of Rio, and will be taking some field trips into the favelas in the big city. Favelas are the equivalent of slums there with squatters living in crammed homes on public land and are run by organized crime. I saw a program on Discovery Channel about Brazil and learned the life expectancy of males in favelas is 25 years old. Sad.
The town we will be in is Teresopolis and, although it will be the middle of Winter, the highs will be around 70. I have been trying to convince Felicia that this is our 10-year anniversary get away, but she isn't falling for it, yet. Anyway here is a photo of the town we will be in:
The town we will be in is Teresopolis and, although it will be the middle of Winter, the highs will be around 70. I have been trying to convince Felicia that this is our 10-year anniversary get away, but she isn't falling for it, yet. Anyway here is a photo of the town we will be in:
And here is a photo of Rio de Janeiro from above Christ the Redeemer. The statue is 120 feet tall:
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