Walking Through The Neighborhood

I took this photo a couple of days ago while walking through my neighborhood with my friend Ryan Huffman. The view was actually pretty stellar, but my photography skills with the iphone are a little lacking.

The last few weeks/months have been lived at an incredible pace, and as a result, I have not been blogging as much--if you have been following this blog for a while, you probably noticed. I had a few moments this afternoon to reflect and write (and I'm looking forward to more time for this soon--lots to say!), so I thought I'd take a moment or two to talk about an experience I had Tuesday night with my good friend Ryan Huffman.

During his sophomore year, Ryan got involved with the college ministry I was leading at the time, h2o. He had grown up knowing about Jesus and putting his faith in Jesus, but during his time at WVU, his faith became more concrete and tangibly lived out. He served as an intern for a semester with GCM and volunteered much of his time to serving within the community. I can remember many great conversations with Ryan through the years as well as some pretty stellar times of creating music in a unique band we started with a couple of other friends. The music was a mix of shawnee vocables, percussion, keyboard, and guitar.

I officiated Ryan's wedding. Not like a referee but more like a reverend--that kind of officiating. Anyway, while we've remained good friends, we kind of lost touch over the last several months. This past tuesday, we were able to catch up a bit. Part of catching up involved a walk through my neighborhood, some good chinese food, and a little bit of caffeination from the local starbucks.

Walking through the neighborhood was simply a cool experience. Sometimes my life gets so busy that I forget I live in a neighborhood. Growing up, my neighborhood was really important to me. My neighbors were some of my family's closest friends and supports during times of trouble. Kids in my neighborhood would play kickball, wiffleball, basketball, or even jump rope in our street.

Is it just me, or have we lost touch with that sense of community? Have we lost touch with the idea of presence, of inhabiting a space? Maybe our spaces have just changed, and we inhabit in much the same way we always have. It just looks and feels a bit different.

My walk with Ryan made me nostalgic though. There's something to be said for a walk through the neighborhood. Maybe, if you haven't done it in a while, you could take a few minutes today to walk through your neighborhood. Visit a friend. Call a relative. I know we are all living incredibly busy lives, and you probably can't call everyone, but maybe you could connect with one person. Maybe you can't walk through the entirety of your neighborhood, but you could walk through a few streets.

May you find a space to connect today. Connect with people. Connect with God. Connect with the space in which you live. Be present, and enjoy the presence of others.

Rose Among Thorns

My brother was back on the east coast for a ten day period that ended on September 15th. Since it has been over two years since he or any of his family have been back home, you would have thought we would have gone crazy snapping photos, but that was not the case. We were so busy making memories over that ten day period that we hardly took time to capture them.

I guess we were relying on our minds to capture the memories, but every once in a while, it's nice to have a camera around to supplement those memories. This photo was taken on the last night that me, my sister, and my brother were together at my dad's house.

My sister get's a fair share of grief from her brothers (I think that's the way it typically happens), but you know what? My sister is an incredible lady. She puts up with me and my brother's teasings, but she also simply sacrifices her time and energy to help others. She's incredibly disciplined, and puts her all into anything she does.

It was incredible spending time with her and my brother, but I want to dedicate this post to her. She truly is a rose, and as much as I tease her (as most brothers do), she has my utmost respect for the woman she is. If you ever get a chance to meet her, you'll understand what I mean.

So this post is going out to all of you brothers who give your sisters a hard time. Maybe take a minute or two today and let your sister know how special she is. Call her. Write her a note. Blog about her. Whatever it is, just take a moment and let her know she's loved.

Seriously. Do it.

Why I Tweet

And what is tweeting anyway? Tweeting is both what a bird does (some of them also hoot and make other calls, but that's really not what this post is about. This post is about the rise of social media (like this blog), facebook, and of course twitter in the way people communicate, share ideas and the like.

This past weekend, I had two people point out this BRILLIANT John Piper article about why and how he is using social media. I highly recommend reading it, and more than that, I recommend considering how God may want to uniquely use the mundane activities of your life to bring Him glory and inspire His worship. In the article, Piper says that He believes that because God intends to use all things for His glory, that things as seemingly trivial as twitter are not an exception.

I would have to agree. When I first signed up for twitter in May of 2008, I thought, "this is it?", "this is what all of the hype is about?" I really don't see the point. Over the last year though, as I've experimented with the media more and more, I'm seeing it's benefits. I've seen a number of people, organizations, and even news channels begin to use the media. I've seen a mix of self-promoting entrepreneurs, and straight-up garbage mixing in with the world of twitter and other social media as well.

While it would be easy to write off such disembodied pursuits like twitter and facebook as a waste of time, I tend to disagree. As I write this, I think about all of the different things that people twitter about. While these social media forms are no substitute for face time with real people, there are some pretty amazing things that I'm becoming attuned to through twitter.

For instance, because I follow International Justice Mission's twitter, I was able to discover that they had a partnership with a coffee company that gave 100% of their coffee sales revenue to IJM for the month of May. That's pretty phenomenal. Also, because of these media (as I have blogged before), many friends were able to send words of encouragement and support when my dad suffered a heart attack.

There can be a tendency to shy away from new media because of the potential negative effects it might have. That happened with radio and with television in the past. And there is definitely a fair portion of garbage on the web as well as television and radio. But if and when you and I blog, or twitter, or facebook, or whatever the next thing is, we have an opportunity. We have an opportunity to be a message of hope or to point people to good things that are happening in this world. We can tell people about God, we can encourage folks to smile for a moment, or we can even bear one another's burdens in new ways.

I tweet for all of these reasons and more. Part of it for me is an opportunity to encourage others toward good things that I discover while sailing the waters of Spirit and Life. Part of it is to share new insights about life, and maybe an adventure every now and then. Part of it is to stay connected in ways and with people that I now live far from but who I care about very much.

But, my hope is all of it helps people grow in their joy, their peace, their patience, their love, and so much more.

And as you read these words today, I hope you will consider how you use not just 'social media' but all of your resources for the glory of the Creator of the Universe. For from Him, through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen.

Painting and Connecting

On Top of Bickle Knob, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

This photo was taken of my dad after he hiked and biked to the summit of Bickle Knob on labor day weekend. He was all smiles after a pretty exhausting climb.

Speaking of labor day, this past weekend me, my dad, and my friends willie, derek, curtis, and josh all put some serious labor into painting his house. And dad was all smiles again!

It was awesome because my dad had been a little concerned about painting the house by himself and possibly falling from the roof or getting hurt. He was also a little worried about having the time and energy to put into the painting work.

Enter our work crew. We drove from Morgantown and Columbus, and in a few short hours, we painted virtually the entire exterior of the house.

We also had a great time connecting with each other on Friday night. After powerwashing the house (and getting a lil haircut for me), we ventured out to Mineral Wells where my friend Derek's parents live. We ate some beans and cornbread, and shared some great conversation and laughter.

Most of the crew packed up for Morgantown around noon Saturday morning, but me, my dad, and Willie stuck around and enjoyed the mountaineers on television. It was great to see us get a decisive win after a rough little stint on the road.

The best part was the time spent with my dad. People love spending time with him. And, I think he enjoys spending time with them too.

Take some time to spend time with friends and family--serve one another--love one another. Good words and good medicine for the soul!

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!!!

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!!!

Kip

Kip, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

Hey, its my hip friend who has gone off to California, Kip! He and his family hosted me for a couple of days while I have been "out west"?

They are truly hospitable people and good friends. We miss them back east, but God has different plans for them.

It has been great being mutually a source of refreshment for one another during our short stint together.

100

Ironically, I tried to post this last week, and my internet stopped working.

As I reflect on my last 99 posts, it has been cool to check out the lessons God has been using to shape me, and also see where blogging has been very helpful for me to both reflect and connect with friends and family (and show off some cool pictures). I am looking forward to blogging a bit about my holiday experiences in the future, but right now, I am feeling the crunch that occurs before long travel.

In the midst of my travels, I am planning some extended time for reflection, solitude, silence, prayer, study, and meditation.

Who knows what God has in store for the next 100 blog entries? I am looking forward to finding out as we journey together into the new year.

I can tell there is something missing when I don't blog for a while. One of the main things missing is my connection with you. I hope that can be remedied as blogging becomes a more regular discipline in my life as the year wanes to an end.

Summer Reunions

Whitney, Billy, Brittany, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

While I was in Morgantown, I had the privilege of getting together with a number of friends at my house. I also had a great opportunity to put the ultra-pod (min-tripod) my brother bought me to use to take this picture on my deck with my friends Whitney and Brittany.

I am really excited to see the new faces God is bringing into our community in Morgantown, and I am looking forward to the fall!

Becky and Ray

Becky and Ray, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

After a wonderful day of surf and sand at Cocoa Beach. I journeyed to the West Coast (of Florida) for a day of relaxation and celebration with my sister and her husband.

Me and my buddy Joe drove over and chillaxed along the gulf coast under a sunny sky. (It was anticipated that there would be 3-5 inches of rain, but it was a beautiful day.)

My sister was celebrating her Birthday, and so it was awesome that we were all able to spend the day together. We spent a little time in the gulf, did some body surfing (at least Joe and I did), and had some great conversations and great food while we hung out together.

Unfortunately we don't get many times together like that, but this makes me cherish my times with Becky and Ray even more.

I think sometimes it is really easy to get caught up in "doing" stuff and we miss out on quality times relaxing with those we care about and talking about things that matter in life.

I think my sister had a great day, and it was a blessing to hang out with her and her husband. It always is.

If you get a chance, today might be a good day to call someone you haven't talked to in a while (maybe a family member), and try to get together just to talk and hang out together.