Relfections On An Image Sent By Derek Roberts

So my buddy Derek sent me this photo on Wednesday August 5 with a note attached that said, "The Beginning." And it got me thinking, a lot, about the last seven years. Back in 2008, when the above photo was taken, Nuru International was an idea. My friends Jake Harriman, John Hancox, Andy Cogar, Trey Dunham, and I had been in conversations for about a year while Jake was at grad school at Stanford working on the concept of Nuru with about 30 of his classmates and a half dozen professors.

At the time of this photo we were in a coffee house in Morgantown West Virginia called so.zo, and we were meeting and dreaming about changing lives in a place called Kuria, Kenya. We had not placed our first team on the ground yet. And seven years later, thanks to the help of many of you who read this blog, more than 80,000 people in Kenya and Ethiopia have lifted themselves out of extreme poverty for good!

And as I write and reflect on that day seven years ago when Jake and I met with a passionate group of volunteers in Morgantown who helped us spread the word about this idea in its nascent state, I am filled with gratitude for the way this idea has spread and grown. It has grown because people like you have chosen to do something instead of choosing to do nothing. Either one is truly a choice. And because you chose to do something, thousands of our global neighbors are lifting themselves out of extreme poverty for good.

It's kind of wild to be reflecting on these last seven years, because as I write this, I'm sitting in the Pittsburgh airport en route to meet up with Jake and witness first hand just what has happened over the last seven years. I'll be in both Kenya and Ethiopia, and I'll have an opportunity to meet some of the brave Kenyan and Ethiopian men and women who are leading their communities out of extreme poverty together with Nuru. I'm excited and a bit emotional as I think about what the next few days may have in store.

My heart is overflowing with gratitude. Gratitude for the opportunity to serve. Gratitude for the transformation I've been able to be part of, together with you. Gratitude for an opportunity to reflect with Jake on the last seven years. And gratitude for an opportunity to continue to dream, together with you, about seeing the end of extreme poverty in our lifetime. At the same time, I feel a longing. I long to see more lives changed, I long for more of my friends to join in this fight, I long for more people in our world to have hope, choices, and opportunities. May we, as a global community, not rest until it is so.

Listener Project Video

Ozark Empire, or a snake oil salesman comes to your town. from DAN SMITH on Vimeo.


Ok, before you hit play, brace yourself. This video is a little Different. My friend Cameron introduced me to this band about a year and a half ago when he had them come to Sozo, the coffee shop we opened in downtown Morgantown back in 2006. It's hard to believe how far Sozo has come since then, but I'm super grateful for the opportunity to be able to start something quality with my friends.

Ok, so back to the video. The guy who does the "talk music" portion of the video is named Dan Smith, or listener. The other guy, (whose name escapes me right now), goes by the name of fienix. The washing machine in the background goes on tour with the band. They actually beat the washing machine on stage, just like in the video.

The song is called, "Ozark Empire, or a snake oil salesman comes to your town," and the concept of the song as I see it is that we tend to look constantly for cure-alls that make life easier. And because we are constantly looking, there are always people who are willing to sell us what we think we want, whether the solution actually works or not.

The style of music is a bit different for most people, but in my experience, each time you hear the Listener Project, the sound grows on you. Listener has a unique sound, and I'm really excited that they now have a video for people to share the sound and images of listener with others.

As you listen, pay attention to the words. Think about the things that you might be putting your stock in that just don't do what they claim to do. Take a moment, and step back from some of the snake oil you may be buying.

And beyond that, enjoy the tune and share it with others.

Rick Varner

There I was sitting in sozo monday afternoon, when this guy Rick Varner came into the shop. Rick is one of the people who volunteers at sozo. You see, we have a lot of people who work here, and most of them are volunteers.

So Rick comes in, and he says Billy I've got to tell you about this miraculous provision God has made. Needless to say, my interest was piqued. So I invited Rick to sit down and join me at my table. He began by telling me a little bit of his story. Twenty-one years ago, he was given five years to live after he had a heart transplant. He should be dead, but he's not. And then, four years ago, he found out his kidney was failing. He was told that it was next to impossible for him to get a kidney, because the wait lists for donors were so long. Part of the reason wait lists are so long is because it takes a long time to recover from giving a kidney. At least it used to take a long time. Now, Rick says there's a procedure that takes about a week for both the donor and recipient to be back on the mend. Not only that, but Rick's wife was tested for the possibility of being a donor. Spouses usually don't make great matches for organ donations. Children, parents, or siblings maybe, but not spouses. Rick's wife is able to donate.

This means that rick (who is already a very energetic guy) will have even more energy very soon when he has better kidney function.

Rick is thoroughly excited to be part of the sozo team, but he hasn't always lived in Morgantown. For a long part of his life he lived in Parkersburg, WV where he was a youth minister at North Parkersburg Baptist Church. I had a roommate by the name of Jimmy Shreeves who went to that church and was involved in the youth group. As Rick and I talked, I discovered that he was Jimmy's leader. Small world.

Aside from the miraculous work God is doing in Rick's life, I have to remark on the profundity of our meeting and sharing stories. If I hadn't talked to Rick, I would have missed out on this remarkable miracle. I would have also missed out on his connection to my old roommate Jimmy.

Now picture this. There are people in your world who have profound stories, miraculous stories, tragic stories. Until you stop and listen, you'll never know, and you'll never be able to learn from them or share in their story.

Beyond that, none of us are as far apart as we seem. We're connected in a way that probably won't make sense to most of us on this side of eternity.

So as you read this blog entry, you can choose to sit silent and secluded in your own private world, or you can begin to share, You never know what God may be able to do with your story if you are brave enough to share it. Or maybe you just need to listen, because someone else has a story that you need to hear. Don't live as an island. Life is too short to miss out on all it has.

Sozo Smiles

Sozo Smiles, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

I took this photo a couple of weeks ago at sozo. I just thought it really captured what we are all about down here. Actually there were about a half dozen conversations just like this happening all over the shop, and I thought--wow--somebody should document this for posterity's sake. So there I was, camera in hand . . .

What we are shooting for here is a living room environment, a home away from home, a place to come before, after, and between classes to hang out.

Sozo is a place for coffee and cereal for sure, but it's also about connecting. From the free wifi that many use to check and update their emails (and a few use to blog), to the conversational environment that emerges as people come into this comfortable space and begin to relax and enjoy one another's company.

That's what sozo is really about--it's about connecting. It's about smiling and laughing. It's about tears and compassion. It's really about people. Without people there would be no sozo--we would just be an empty storefront in downtown Morgantown.

We all long for community, for a place that's safe, and a place where we can share our ideas and our time with others. I realize not everyone who reads this lives in Morgantown, but every one of us have the same longing. May you find a space for connection, for community--and if it happens to have fair trade, shade grown, organic coffee, then it's all the better!!!

Sozo Coffee Shop

Sozo Coffee Shop, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

It's a beautiful day in Morgantown, and I had an incredible night's sleep in spite of an onslaught of allergies all week.

Right now, I'm sitting in sozo, a coffee shop we were able to open not too long ago in downtown morgantown. It's sooooo cool to see this space getting inhabited by people from all over town--kind of a dream come true.

You know, our space is really about three things and they all kind of wind into one big goal of making our world a better place, but here's the skinny.

We are a coffee shop located at 473 High Street Morgantown, WV. Our goal is to provide a space for people to experience community, to enjoy creativity and the arts, and to pursue making this world a better place..

First off community. There’s something about a coffee shop that allows people to relax, to be themselves, and to spend time talking, laughing, and crying with friends.

Then, the arts. We host art installations on a periodic basis, and host an open mic every Friday night. We also have a variety of local, regional, and national acts make their way to our stage and perform here.

And finally, making the world a better place. To start with, we offer a variety of fair trade, shade grown, organic coffees, so simply by having a cup of coffee here you are helping to make the world a better place. We also recycle. Last year, hundreds of pounds of paper, plastic, aluminum, and glass were recycled because of sozo's work toward being a green business. Lastly, we host a number of special events that showcase local, national, and international non-profit organizations likeInvisible Children, International Justice Mission, and Nuru International.

During this whole venture I feel like I've really been learning the value of team, and of doing things together. It's an amazing space, and it's value comes from the people who inhabit it, and the many hands that contribute to it's successful mission.

If you find yourself in downtown Morgantown, come on in and be a part of all we are doing at sozo. Hope to see you real soon!

Floating for the Fourth

Oceanside Pipeline, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

I took this photo while I was staying in Carolina Beach helping out with GCM's Leadership Training (LT) program. I took the photo while I was floating across the Cape Fear River on my way from Fort Fisher to Southport on a Ferry.

Speaking of floating, I feel like that's a lot of what I've been doing lately. Tonight after speaking to our summer canvas group at sozo, I'm going to float down towards Winchester, VA to connect with my friends Brett and Amanda Jo Huffman and spend the night at their place.

From there, I will float on towards Springfield, VA where I will participate in a rehearsal and wedding for my friends JR and Christy. In the middle of it all, I may float into DC to see some fireworks too! After the wedding and reception, I'm going to attempt to float towards columbia, MD to attend a church that Great Commission has in the area and sharing with them a little bit of the vision of our coffeeshop here in Morgantown, Sozo. Then I imagine I will be floating back towards Morgantown.

I imagine you might be floating somewhere to celebrate the fourth, or perhaps some people are floating towards you. Wherever you are, be safe, and make sure to take time to reflect on the ultimate freedom that was won long before the revolutionary war in the United States. The war that was fought on a cross in 33AD and the victory that was won as our King marched forward three days later. Now that's worth some fireworks and more if you ask me!

Global Village, Raleigh NC

Global Village, Raleigh NC, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

About a month ago, I had to run a friend of mine to the Raleigh-Durham Airport early in the morning. On the way back from the airport, I stopped in Raleigh to grab a quick bite to eat for breakfast and a cup of coffee. That's when I found the Global Village coffee shop.

This place had a great atmosphere and a ton of concrete furnishings. It also specialized in fair trade, shade grown, organic coffee. (Kind of reminded me of another place I know.)

I love coffee shops. From the corporate simulacra feel of a Starbucks, to the local vibe of places like The Grind in Carolina Beach, there's something special about the slowed down pace and community feel of these spaces.

As I sat in this space, I waxed a bit nostalgic for sozo, our little coffee shop in Morgantown. It's pretty amazing when I think about it. When I started college, I never envisioned myself being part of opening a coffee shop. I never pictured myself working with a Leadership Training program in Carolina Beach. I never pictured myself even becoming a Christian.

When I take time to sit and reflect, I am amazed at the beautiful life God has given me. Sure, there have been rough spots, but whose life doesn't have rough spots. The one thing I've grown more and more confident of through the years is God's goodness. He has always carried me. Even when I didn't know Him, He protected me from harm that could have come my way. Even when I've been in dangerous situations, He has always journeyed with me.

I don't know what you are going through today, it may be worse than anything I can imagine. You may have read this blog and found it a bit trite, given your circumstances. But God is GOOD; it's His nature. And He listens. Just like He listened to David in the Psalms and Jesus on the cross, the Father listens.

Maybe He listened to some people half way around the world who were suffering injustice, and as a result He stirred folks like the folks at Global Village and other places to consider fairly traded coffee. Call out to Him from wherever you are! He is GOOD!

Sozo Stories

Sozo Stories, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

Friday Morning, I stopped by sozo one last time before departing for Wilmington, NC. I was dropping off the award we had won from Mainstreet Morgantown, when I witnessed an interesting conversation between Sam, sozo's day time manager, and a guy who I had seen in the business next door to our space on a few occasions.
This gentleman was talking to Sam about Jesus. He was testifying to the greatness of Jesus in his life and his desire to give Jesus everything. He talked about how Jesus had changed Him, and makes his ultimate free gift of eternal life available to all. He continued talking about how Jesus would never leave or forsake anyone. So as I was listening, I couldn't resist stopping to take a photo of this storyteller.

I was encouraged by hearing this brief snippet of a story of faith as I walked out of sozo for the last time in a while. What a pleasant gift to receive on a Friday morning early in the day. (Another pleasant gift I received was a delicious sample of a smoothie Sam had blended just before I walked through the door. Yum!)

Best New Signage

Last Wednesday, Ryan Huffman and I attended the Mainstreet Morgantown Annual Meeting at the Hotel Morgan. Ryan works for The Sign Factory, Morgantown's premier sign and graphic design company. Over the last year, the Sign Factory staff have been tremendous partners in our endeavors at sozo. The reason the two of us were invited to attend this annual meeting was because sozo, our coffee shop on high street, won an award for the best new signage in downtown Morgantown.

My friend Trey designed the sign, but Ryan and I were encouraged to accept the award on behalf of the sozo team. Trey is an incredibly talented individual, and God has given him an amazing eye for design and innovation. It's a real joy to work alongside of someone so talented. Actually, our whole team at sozo is tremendously talented, and it's really cool to see how the last few months of this coffee shop have come together.

Receiving this award from many influential leaders in the city of Morgantown was a huge step for us as a team, and one that we are really excited about. We are looking forward to becoming members of Mainstreet Morgantown, and see the award as a testament to the great work we've been able to do in the city already, as well as a milestone to encourage us toward even greater steps of faith in the future.

As I walked up to accept the award, I couldn't help but think about the long hours of work that many of us put into the build out of the space. I couldn't help but think of the countless volunteer hours that have shaped the space both morning and evening. And of course I couldn't help but reflect on the fact that no man is an island, what we can do collectively always will exceed our contributions as individuals.

Dr. Martin Luther King once said "Any man who believes he can go through this life alone is sleeping through a revolution." I can't help but think how God has spoken to me personally through this coffee shop endeavor about the value of team and the powerful impact that comes from working together.

May we not live such isolated lives that we miss out on the great endeavors that we can be part of for the glory of God.

Listener Project and Holy Eyes

Saturday night we had a couple of really interesting bands playing at sozo. It's really cool to see what my good friend and coworker Cameron King has done with regard to the concert scene at sozo. I spent Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights in the space taking in a variety of events, from a night of social activism with the people fromBead For Life to our weekly open mic on Friday. I am simply blown away by the events and opportunities we have been a part of over the last few months. I may do a future blog post on some of the amazing local artists who have been featured at the space, but for this entry I want to let you know about a couple of great bands I was able to hear Saturday night. Listener Project and Holy Eyes.

The first band, featured in the video above is Listener Project. This group comes out of Arkansas, and they call their genre of music "talk music." They are definitely a unique sensory experience. While at sozo, the group used a trumpet, a bass, the human voice, some loops, and even a washing machine for creating their distinct sound. I had never heard anything like them before, and I really enjoyed their show. While they performed, they had images from an old cartoon playing in the background that added to the eerie and idiosyncratic style they brought to the stage. If they come to your town I recommend checking them out. They are humble, colorful, and provocative. The song above explores the way products are marketed to us with a claim to meet our every need and our every whim, but in the end they never satisfy, and so we should want our money back. I like the idea, because it ties in nicely to our recent h2o message (I tried to get the band to come to h2o, but they were rolling out of town before it started). Anyhoo, give em a listen if you like music and a message that's a little off the beaten path. They are definitely innovators.




The other band, Holy Eyes, is on a two week tour here in the states. They come out of Holland, around Utrecht. Actually, as I talked to these guys I recommended that they check out the church my friends are part of in amsterdam, Zolder50. When I pray for churches and for communities, I find myself praying with fervency for my friends in Amsterdam. So Holy Eyes has more of a hip hop sound, and they rap about faith and life, and try to share lessons in their songs. They bring a lot of energy to their shows, and they rap in both dutch and english. (If you've never heard a bi-lingual rapper, it is a beautiful, but largely unappreciated art form). For all of my friends at the zolder, you should definitely check em out. And if they come to your town before the return to the Netherlands, go to a show and support 'em.

Music is a powerful medium for carrying a message. And these folks bring such a rich and eclectic performance to their music that it can almost feel like an Andy Kaufmann-esque experiment with music with all of the tension, humor, and thought provocation.

Check em out and give em a listen, and let me know what you think!

Glaciers and Icebergs

Over the past few days I've been reading and thinking about glaciers and icebergs. I've never actually seen either, but I am just finishing a book by Eugene Peterson called Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places and during the closing pages of the book, Peterson talks about an article he read about glaciers and the environment.

So I decided to go online and read a bit about glaciers. A glacier is a river made of solid ice. It is formed as snow slowly accumulates over time. A little bit, day by day. Patiently, the snow falls. Maybe one day it is two or three inches. Another day is a dusting. And yet another day is two feet. Slowly, the sheer mass of snow causes it to compress and solidify. It becomes solid ice, and over time, the ice gets thicker and thicker. One day the ice is 50 feet thick. And then, it begins to move. Gravity begins to pull this huge mass along as it seeks to find sea level. Nothing can stop it or get in its way. In Peterson's words it is the most powerful force on earth. Glacial ice is the largest source of freshwater on the planet too by the way.

And when a glacier gets to the ocean, bits of the glacier break off and become icebergs. Icebergs are interesting because you only see the "tip of the iceberg". 90% of an iceberg lies beneath the surface of the water. So icebergs have all of this potential that no one really sees, and yet they are extremely massive and powerful.

So I was thinking about icebergs and glaciers, and then I started thinking about us. It's really easy for us to get impatient. As I think about the nearness of the opening of our café, sozo, I get really excited about it, but I also would love for everything to be in place--right now. That's not how glaciers work though. Glaciers are part of a patient process--and once they get started, they are unstoppable. I think that's what the community of faith should look like, a patiently flowing ice river that changes the landscape. My buddy Sam told me that Glaciers carve a U shape out of the valleys where they flow. Wouldn't it be something if God took all of that mass of the faith community, and all of the mass of a project like sozo, and used things like that to begin a transformation of the whole community for the better? Or what about your community--what would it look like there for that kind of transformation to take place? Are you willing to wait for it and work for it?

And more specifically, what about you? I was thinking that as individuals, we are often like icebergs. We are mostly submerged with about ten percent of us available for the world to see. Yet we have all of this potential that's hidden below the surface. What if you began to live out your potential and live out your calling in such a way that the world around you began to take notice? Just some thoughts I've had in recent days about water, and us.

See ya in the funny papers!

This morning, our new cafe downtown made it in the campus newspaper. We were on the front page. THe guy from the Daily Athenaeum here at WVU came in yesterday afternoon and took a bunch of pictures. He had a really cool tattoo on his left shoulder, and I would love to see more of his photos, because this one was really great.

Anyhoo, it is pretty sweet that we were able to get some free publicity directed around this new space. And the picture says so much about how relaxed and connecting this little cafe is.

It couldn't have come at a better time either. This week, we are showing a film, "Invisible Children", Thursday night @ 7PM, and we are formally opening the artspace portion of the cafe this Friday during morgantown's annual artwalk.

Although I probably won't be around for much if any of this stuff, it is pretty cool to see this little space at the top of high street start to come to life, and find some resonance within our campus community.

Chillin'

Chillin', originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

These are some cool cats who kick it down at so.zo. I just met Jonathan, but JR, Ricky and Andrew I've known for a while. (left to right)
Andrew is actually my newest roommate.

I just love this place. It is filled with life. I think it might be because the people who frequent it are also filled with life.

connecting

connecting, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

I think this is one of my favorite pictures, although it is a little blurry. I forgot my ultrapod III that my brother bought me. People are talking, people are eating, people are surfing the web, and most importantly, people are connecting.

This week at h2o, we talked about our desire for relationships. Here people are embodying the message. Beautiful stuff!!!

So.zo potluck

So.zo potluck, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

I've forgotten my camera on many excursions recently, and I've developed a habit of blogging photos. I feel like it makes things a bit more interesting.

Anyhoo, this is a sweet shot of our community space coming alive with food. There was plenty for everyone, and no one went away hungry.

But, there weren't 5000 people there . . .yet.

Inhabitation

Inhabitation, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

And we did it! Three days, and lots of sweat, energy, and sacrifice, and we pulled it off. We transformed the space. I think Ben Harper’s song is appropriate.

I can change the world
With my own two hands.
Make a brighter place,
With my own two hands.

When we step out in faith, when we are willing to work hard, God meets us, and does the unbelievable through people like you and I.

What amazing feats have you been part of? What amazing feat is God calling you toward right now?

Pleasant Painting

Pleasant Painting, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

Thursday night, we began to put finishing touches on the walls, as we transformed the atmosphere through the use of paint, lights, and prayer. Jeremiah was among the many smiling faces who spent lots of time in our little café space this week.

Sacred Sunbeam

Sacred Sunbeam, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

Wednesday night, we gathered to pray and plan for the future of the new space. It has been cool to gather and pray and dedicate this space. Very much prayer has gone into this space, and very much celebration as well. Actually, on the night of this gathering, one of the people present made the comment—“we’re planning to be in here Friday? That’s pretty ambitious!”

Ambitious indeed.

The Labor Begins

The Labor Begins, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

So many people came together, and we commenced a tremendous undertaking. These are just a few of the many who dedicated long hours and lots of work to transforming the space.

Sozo deconstructed

Sozo deconstructed, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

Well, there has been a lot of work going into the development of so.zo. This little image gives a good idea of our starting point. It’s hard to believe that we got it finished in time for open mic Friday night. There was a professional crew doing demolitions on the space, and when I talked to them Tuesday afternoon when we started, they were convinced it would take them at least a week, but it could take up to a month to restore the space—we had 3 days to restore it and inhabit it.