Livstrong and the Tour

I saw this Livestrong/Nike video yesterday, and I just had to share it with you. To me, Lance Armstrong is an inspiration. I know he has affected many lives through his Livestrong campaign to fight cancer, and raise funds for research toward a cure.

But there's something more about this video to me. When I watch it, it reminds me not to take the life I have for granted. I'm reminded that every single one of us has critics. There will be people who don't like you simply because of your faith, or your ethnicity, or your hair color, or the place where you come from, or your wealth or lack of it, or for countless other stupid reasons. It doesn't matter.

What we do in this life, we don't do for our critics and nay-sayers. We do it for others. As a Christian, I am challenged by this video to live more passionately for my God and for other people. Lance Armstrong shames most people with the passion and the discipline he shows in his workouts, and in his life. Maybe you are a nay-sayer. Maybe you are a critic of Lance. But maybe there's something you could learn from this guy.

I'll be cheering Lance on in the Tour this year. But I'm not just cheering Lance on. I'm cheering on the cancer survivors and the others who have been knocked around by disease and poor circumstances. Keep on fighting and pushing.

And I'm striving to live life with a similar passion. I know there will be critics--I'll probably be chief among them toward myself. You probably do the same thing to yourself. Stop it. Get out there and ride, and serve, and live, and care, and pour it ALL out for the glory of God, and for the betterment of this world.

May you stand strong in the face of criticism, be resolute in your discipline, and serve and inspire others through your life today, and everyday.

Water For the World

BH2O+ Day of Recap Video from Nuru International on Vimeo.

This video highlights Nuru's first nationwide awareness event; it was called bh2o+ or Be Hope To Her. It was pretty amazing to see students on eleven college campuses take steps to increase awareness, and also experience directly what it is like DAILY for women and girls in the developing world to get water for themselves and their families.

This event did a lot to raise awareness and to inspire folks to confront not only the water crisis, but the crisis of extreme poverty. There is more work to be done though, and there's always opportunities to take new steps to join in this endeavor to end extreme poverty. The task of ending extreme poverty is enormous, but the steps to get there can be small and simple if many join in making them. I just found out about one of those small tasks recently. It involves writing your congressional representatives and signing a petition. Like I said, the steps toward ending extreme poverty can be small and simple.

So here, give this a read, and decide whether you will take a small step. There are over a billion people who hope that you will. I stand with them in their hope.

So here's the action step.

Sign this petition this petition for support of the "Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act of 2009."

This act has a goal of helping to provide 100 million people with sustainable access to safe, clean drinking water by 2015.

This petition is something that everyone can sign, but it would be phenomenal if folks took an additional step. Write your congressional representative a letter. Let them know about the great need for work to be done in the area of clean drinking water. Tell them about the work Nuru is doing, and about the opportunity they have to join in Nuru's efforts for holistic sustainable development, by supporting the "Water for the World" bill.

Want to read more about the act itself? Follow this link.

This is a great opportunity to take action and encourage our elected representatives to do the same. Who knows, maybe your letter will be what inspires them to confront the crisis, not only of clean drinking water, but of extreme poverty!

Beautiful days in Almost Heaven

Since my best friend Willie gave me an iphone, I've been trying to use it for some photo opportunities on the fly. The other day, I was heading down the road, and the sky and trees just looked too incredibly crisp to not take a photo.

The weather over the last few days has been beautiful here in almost heaven, West Virginia. After my trip to visit my buddy Seth's church, I made a journey toward Parkersburg to see my dad since I hadn't seen him in three weeks.

He was having a rough evening, but I think it meant a lot to him to have a visitor. The next day, we took a walk (he walks almost daily). He walked over two miles with me and my friend Derek, and averaged slightly under 3.5mph during that walk. He went out for a second walk with my sister and brother-in-law later that evening, and walked another three miles.

My best friend Willie was planning on getting in shape while my dad was on the mend. I hope Willie is being disciplined, or else he may be in for a rude awakening the next time he walks with my dad.

It' pretty amazing to see the progress my dad has made since his surgery. He's lost five pounds since he returned home, and I believe that it is as a result of eating a much healthier diet than he did before his surgery.

Tomorrow, he's going to see the surgeon who performed the four way bypass. I can't wait to hear what the surgeon thinks about dad's progress, and what his next steps will be.

Unfortunately I won't be able to join my dad and sister on this trip to see the Doctor, but I look forward to hearing the results (and sharing with you).

In the meantime, I hope you can get out to enjoy some of this unseasonably beautiful weather in WV (and if you don't live here, I hope you can come visit soon!).

South Ridge Church

Yesterday, I had the distinct pleasure of seeing and talking with several friends as I visited South Ridge Church, in Fairmont, WV. If you are looking for a church in the Fairmont area, I highly recommend this little faith community. They've been at it for about five years now, and the community has grown TREMENDOUSLY in the last five years. South Ridge Church has a gret community of small groups, awesome youth programs, and great messages that help people understand and apply the scriptures to their lives. SRC was started when a team of people from Chestnut Ridge Church, led by my friend Seth Broadhurst, stepped out in faith to care for a new community.

I shared a little bit about Nuru during the church's Mission Sunday. As Seth introduced me, it brought me to tears. He could have just introduced me as a friend who was going to talk with folks about Nuru. Instead, he told about how God used me to help him grow with God nine years ago. I had no idea the significance of my impact on his life.

And the truth is, most of us rarely realize the impact we have on other people's lives. In the lobby, a gal by the name of Twyla came up and introduced herself to me. We went to Governor's Honor Academy together MANY years ago. She recognized me, and told me how great it was to see me there serving. She works at my former employer, Mylan Pharmaceuticals. As we talked, and shared a little bit of our respective life journeys/adventures, she pointed across the room to her husband, Brian. And then she nearly brought me to tears as well. She said, "That's my husband over there. He just got saved about 18 months ago. Seth led him to Christ. Thank you for pouring into Seth, because God used your friendship with Seth to reach my husband with the gospel."

I was floored. I had no idea. We rarely do have any idea. I wonder how many people we all impact in significant ways through our care for other people. Here was a guy who I had never met in my life, and yet, we were connected through God's work in my life, in Seth's life, and in Twyla's life (and many others). No wonder Paul said, "One plants, another waters, but God causes the growth."

My friends at South Ridge had a profound impact on my life yesterday. They were an encouragement that I can't put into words. They were a reminder that the little things we do can have significant impact beyond what we see presently.

As you go about your work today, as you go about your relationships today, I want to ask you to be considerate of one thing. Love. Love deeply. Care about the people you are serving. Whether those people are family, co-workers, or customers. Speak the truth in love. Take time for them. Be mindful that your work, your time, in whatever you are doing, is NOT insignificant.

God has blessed each of us with wonderful people made in His image that we can love them and love Him. May you walk in that love. You may never see the impact of that love in this SUPER SMALL segment of our eternal lives, but WOW! When we pass from this life to the life eternal, what rejoicing and delight there will be as we see the fruit of our love, and even more so, the GREAT OBJECT of our love, Love Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Wrong side of the road

Just passed through Louisville and got this sweet picture of a bridge.
It wasn't the image I was hoping for though.
What I wanted was a sweet picture of the Ohio river.

I love rivers, and the Ohio is my favorite. Probably always will be.
But being on the wrong side of the road, I missed this potential pic
of the river and got a bridge instead.

And so the travel continues... May you find yourself enjoying the view
whatever side of the road you are cruising along.

On the road

After three humid days at a conference near the gateway to the west,
our team is now making the return drive to Almost Heaven.

Usually when I travel, it happens with a frequency that breaks any
habits I start while back home in Morgantown. This time was different.
I was able to continue to eat healthily and exercise each day.

Usually the limited selection of food and time for exercise derails
positive habits, but as I awoke each morning I was reminded that God
didn't give me a spirit of fear (or laziness) but of power, love, and
self-discipline. That can be a huge motivational truth wherever you are.

No matter where you are or what you are going through God has given
you self-discipline.

May you walk in this Spirit today wherever you are. These are my
thoughts from the road.

River Water

For the next couple of days, I will be staying in the gateway to the West, St. Louis. The photo above was actually taken over two years ago on a similar trip for a conference out here. The water on the Mississippi is much higher right now. In fact, much of the area below the trees appeared to be underwater as we drove by yesterday.

It's kind of wild to look at a river, and think about the flow of the water. I live near the Monongahela River, and the water that flows past Morgantown goes into the Ohio. The Ohio River starts in Pittsburgh, and travels past where my best friend in the whole world, Willie grew up, and on down past where many people in my tribe lived, and goes past my dad's house in Parkersburg. And then, that water, travels around Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois as it makes its way to the Mississsippi, a little south of st louis.

All of that water is constantly traveling, and it stays it's course. That water that runs in Morgantown, eventually makes it's way near St. Louis. It's hard to imagine in a world of planes, trains, and automobiles that travel by water was once a fast and convenient way to travel.

There's a lot that can be learned from river water. It's pace is steady. It's goal is clear (even amid it's twists and turns). It has a power to carve through the landscape and leave an unforgettable mark on the land it covers, as well as the land that surrounds it. Maybe you can think of some other lessons too?

Regardless, may you be purposeful in your flow today as you impact the landscape around you, and may you have a positive impact at that!

Hunger for God

Over the last few months, I've been slowly working through one of the best devotional prayer books I have ever read. The book is actually set up to walk you through it's pages in eight weeks, but it has taken me closer to eight months. Maybe that means I have just attempted to do WAY too much over these last few months. I'm slowly working my way through the final parts of this book. It's called Developing Intimacy With God. I know, catchy title. Every time I've opened this book, it has guided me through some powerful encounters with God. The week by week practices have challenged me, and I have been striving to spend a few weeks on practicing the concepts that emerge in this little book.

My friend JR Woodwardrecommended this book to me a year ago, and I'm immensely grateful. I was wrestling through a big life decision, and I was looking for guidance, and my friend recommended this book as an aid to growing in my awareness of God's direction in my life.

So as I was reading a wee bit today, I came across this quote, and it made me think about my tendency (and I don't think I'm alone), to indulge in treats of various types as part of my dietary habit. The quote is actually from an article written by a guy named Cornelius Plantinga. Here it is.

"Self-indulgence is the enemy of gratitude, and self-discipline is usually it's friend and generator. That is why gluttony is a deadly sin. The early desert fathers believed that a person's appetites are linked: full stomachs and jaded palates take the edge from our hunger and thirst for righteousness. They spoil the appetite for God."

After this quote, Alex Aronis, the author of the book says, "By experience, we know that culinary pleasures have a seductive power. They can take over and choke the word. (Mark 4.19).

Perhaps there is a connection between our general spiritual malaise in the West, and our indulgent lifestyles. I've thought about this a few times before, especially when considering verses of scripture like Ezekiel 16.48, but it's just been impressed on my mind again, so I thought I'd share it with you.

As we go through our day, may we all learn the self-restraint it takes to resist indulging in a culture that flashes alluring indulgences at every turn, and may we at the same time grow in our hunger for the Creator of the Universe.