i cannot wait.

41 days until my long-awaited adventure begins.

i beg of you days, be short.

gonzo journalist.

an inspiring and revolutionary journalist: Hunter S. Thompson.

do yourself a favor and read some of his stuff.

some angry thoughts.

where in the hell did this country get the idea that it has the authority to rule over all or that all should obey its commands?

american empire. roman empire. i can't tell the difference anymore.

p.s. if you ever get the chance, watch the film "why we fight."

give me one pure and holy passion: to know and follow hard after You.

john carl is wonderful.

another sweet video of our time in lynchburg.

thanks, friend.

we were in love from john carl on Vimeo.

why?

i don't want to be discontent.

i don't want to be unhappy with what You have planned for me.

thank you, lynchburg.

thank you, lynchburg friends.

you all were so welcoming and generous.

i couldn't have wished for a better trip.

i would like to visit again one day.

hopefully sooner than later.

hell...

C.S. Lewis understood hell not as a place where God locks people out of heaven, but as a dungeon that we lock ourselves into.

gates are not offensive weapons.
gates are defensive - walls and fences we build to keep people out.
the more walls and gates and fences we have, the closer we are to hell.

may we become familiar with the suffering of the poor outside our gates, know their names and taste the salt in their tears.

[Jesus for President, pgs. 292-93]

a little rumi for the day.

Love is reckless; not reason.
Reason seeks a profit.
Love comes on strong,
consuming herself, unabashed.

Yet, in the midst of suffering,
Love proceeds like a millstone,
hard surfaced and straightforward.

Having died of self-interest,
she risks everything and asks for nothing.
Love gambles away every gift God bestows.

Without cause God gave us Being;
without cause, give it back again.

-rumi

lynchburg, virginia.

i've been here for only three days, and i have fallen in love with this place and its people.

here's a little from our first night in town by a new friend, john carl.

A Night In Lynchburg / Canon 5D Mark II from John Carl on Vimeo.

some clarity.

i am confident that i have been called to serve and fight for the children of uganda.

for the widows and orphans.

thank you, ic:

http://www.invisiblechildren.com/april2009/index-en.html