Married!

Hello all!

Well, she showed up. I know, I was just as surprised as you are. But there it is. Family and friends, some from as far away as Indiana, others from as far away as Europe, came to jump aboard the California Princess and watch me get married. Although we are still gathering up an inventory of all the ways in which people loved us, gifted us, and sacrificed for us so we can send out an official thanks, let me give everyone right now a preliminary thanks for everything! It could not have been a better day. 80 degrees. No wind. No problems. Out on San Diego harbor enjoying friends, food, and fun. Here's a shot of the bride and groom. Ain't she pertiest thing you've ever seen?



I could not be married to a better woman. As she has been over the past year, Jennie remains a woman of profound beauty and grace, who loves God, and for whatever reason loves me as well. We had a great time in Kauai snorkeling, hiking, and just plain relaxing and spending time with each other. Surprisingly, we didn't have too many tiffs for the first week of spending every waking moment together! I thought that was a good sign. Here's a shot from our hike up the Na Pali coast on the north shore of Kauai:



So now we are getting settled into our new life. It's been nearly a month and we are figuring out life's fun little logistics, such as, who takes out the garbage? Who gets the mail? Who does this, that, and the other? My vote usually lies with Jennie. She finds that not to be so funny. I guess I don't blame her.

So that's it, really. Thanks again to all the people who in any way directly or indirectly helped make the wedding a success. And a special thanks to God for bringing me the gift of Jennie.

Wedding Day Approaches

Hey all,

So I haven't written a lick since I moved out of my old place...and let's just say a lot has happened since then. For starters, on August 15th, 2008, I asked my lovely girlfriend Jennie to be my wife...and she said YES!!

Now, she soon questioned (probably after many disappointed visits to the blog) why our engagement wasn't immediate fodder for an already neglected and dying blog. Her point was a valid one, but the more I pondered her question, the more I realized that a.) everyone in our immediate sphere knew we were engaged within 45 minutes of it happening and b.) probably 20% of that sphere is my actual blog traffic. Given those statistics, any visitor to the blog would hardly have been ingorant of our recent engagement. But lets drop it.

Today we are 3 weeks out from being married. Since I would expect most of my readers to be educated in basic mathematics, I will let you guess the wedding date by noting the date of this blog posting and adding 3 weeks. For those of you who are struggling, it is November 15th...:)

And that is really all I have to report. Things are moving along nicely, the usual female psychoticism about weddings notwithstanding.

Aside from that my movement toward truth is still underway. I look forward to getting back into school once we are settled in as a married couple and continuing to dwelve deeper into both the irrationality and illogic of atheism and naturalism, as well as move closer to Jesus Christ in my personal life.

See you at the wedding!

C

End of an Era

So tonight is officially my last night of beach living (at least for now) in San Diego. My roommates have moved up north to Hemet, CA, patiently living with relatives until John graduates from college and begins to teach. I will be moving about 15 miles inland to be closer to school, church, friends, and a certain little lady I happen to love. I have been here between the bay and the ocean for about a year and 3 months, and as amazing as it has been, like all good things it must come to an end. In case you never visited, here are some pics of the quaint little place I've called home for better than a year:









This place has been a special experience for me. It's not everyday you get to live on millions of dollars worth of real estate at a dirt cheap rate with two great people and a beautiful baby girl. It's actually a little depressing sitting here in the empty house, whose old wooden frame echoes when you move around in it because there is no furniture left to absorb the sound. Whether is was the summer BBQ's, the late night poker games on the porch, or the quick outings across the street to have a dip in the Pacific, this place has just provided some great, great memories.

But the greatest value of the place were the people I lived with, who too often went neglected because of my tendency to lock myself up in my room and bury my nose in books about the Bible. The times we did hang together certainly had a profound effect on me. It isn't too often you meet a better guy than John Luzzi, who is as laid back and humble as they come, and who has a true heart of a servant.

My other buddies asked me why I didn't try to stay here, get new roommates, and keep hold of this place as long as I could. I suppose I could've fought harder, but the truth is, besides the practical matters for leaving - closer to school, church, etc. - this place just wouldn't make sense without John and Holly. It wouldn't ever feel right without Remi the big black dog chasing skateboarders down the fence, or little Izzy giving those big smiles when you walked in the door. As the great theologian Dave Matthews rightly pointed out: "Turns out, not where but who you're with that really matters...."

And so from here I head East. Out to the blazing hot summer days with no A/C. Out to more city livin'. No more "good life" on the beach. But honestly, without the right people, this is just a building on the sand. I'll happily move to the heat to be in closer community with my other brothers in Christ and my lovely young lady.

Yep...hopefully I'm still singing that tune when I'm sweating in bed 20 miles from the ocean that used to be my backyard....

Dale Jr. Wins!

For those of you who don't know I'm somewhat of a Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan. Now, there are bandwagon Jr. fans who jumped on board with him because of his name, and there are fans like myself who followed him through the Busch Series and watched him come up through Cup. Either way, his (points) winless streak has ended. I'm ready for another one.



Happy Father's Day

C

Now...

...as a skeptic and cynic by nature I would question who exactly "heard" these guys pray, but assuming they did, this is pretty funny.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24765324/?GT1=43001

The question is, what about all the people who pray for deliverance and die? Any takers?

Snapshot: Email Response

My brother-in-law shot me an email yesterday commenting a bit on "Mere Christianity," the famous Christian apologetic book penned by C.S. Lewis. He had just read the chapter on "The Great Sin," which according to Lewis is the sin of pride. My brother and I have discussed pride in the past, so the chapter sparked his interest and he sent a snippet of it over for me to read. I am in full agreement with Lewis on the issue of pride as the deadly of the deadly sins. Pride is the source of every other type of sin, and on which Lewis comments is "one vice of which no man in the world is free; which every one in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which hardly any people, except Christians, ever imagine that they are guilty themselves." I agree, minus the "except Christians," which I suppose is true if we weed out those only claiming to be Christians. But that is neither here nor there for now.

Upon re-reading this chapter on pride, I immediately was convicted to the core. Pride is a sin that I have always struggled with and one that God is addressing currently in my life to a large degree, and which prompted the following email response from me almost immediately. Before I post it here I would just like to throw out a disclaimer. I have wanted this blog, for the most part, to be a transparent and genuine reflection of my spiritual journey and not just a commentary on books or acquired theological knowledge. That being said, the following response is as pure and honest as it comes. I never intended for it to become fodder for this blog when I wrote it, but upon reflecting more on my pride after the fact I felt it was a good "snapshot" of where I am, hence the blog title. You could almost say I'm proud of it, which would be ironic, huh? That is certainly possible. At any rate here ya go...forgive the coarse language:

"Pride is my absolute mortal enemy - especially as a seminarian who is acquiring all this knowledge all while ignoring the point of it. I flat out think I'm better than people on most days and am constantly being destroyed over it. It is a battle I fight everyday in my head. It is the catch 22 of living in a nation that celebrates competition more than anything else. I hate arrogant people so much that I want to beat them at whatever causes them to be arrogant, thus accentuating my arrogance twice as much as theirs. It destroys everything in its wake; from my Christian witness to my relationship with my girlfriend and other people. Some days the only thing I can cling to is the fact that through grace I'm constantly being broken down - often painfully - and despite the fact that I would have been one of the assholes who happily nailed Jesus to the cross he still constantly wants me back. This is where Christianity becomes more pragmatic and less "other worldly." It allows for people who are broken to be gracefully put back together knowing that they are forgiven and giving them the ability to move back into a relationship with God.

We are working our way through the prophets right now and this verse just popped out at me, which is a basic summary of man's duty:

"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8

I'm thoroughly convinced of the truth of Christianity, but that often presents its own catch 22 - because in that certainty there is temptation to be prideful in "being right." I agree with Lewis that there are millions of "Christians" whom Christ will say, "I never knew you." My goal now is to just accept the grace for where I currently stand (as a pride-ridden butthole) and be discipled toward Christ's image and truly be broken and admit fault.

Mere Christianity is a great read. I really want to get some of the other books in the series like "A Grief Observed" and "The Problem with Pain." I heard the former is tough because its about when he lost his wife.

Ok I'm done."

It is amazing the way God works. Again tonight we talked about pride in class while working through Obadiah, although the theme was not just God's displeasure with individual pride, but the pride of nations as well. It is amazing how quickly we may be forgetting that in America. As we talked about Obadiah, who was speaking his oracle against the Edomites, our professor happily reminded us that just when you think you are all that...you ain't:

"The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, 'Who can bring me down to the ground?' Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down," declares the Lord. Obadiah 1:3-4

Hopefully I can keep that in mind for myself as well.

Final thoughts on Antony Flew's book. You could call this Commentary Part 2, but I sorta finished it....:)

Antony Flew is an honest man - and one that I wouldn't mind having a conversation with, as long as he spoke slowly once we began to speak philosophically. I've recently finished his book, "There is a God: How the World's Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind," and it is a great read for an agnostic looking for further reason to believe God exists, and conversely a disaster for anyone holding to a strictly atheistic worldview. The reason? When one decides to innocuously follow the Socrates' exhortation to "follow the argument wherever it leads," you will inevitably end up at a Divine Mind.

From the outset Flew throughout his career operated on the above Socratic principle. This is a wonderful principle on which to evaluate the world, and also a great tool to weed out people who refuse to follow it. As I mentioned in the previous post on this book, the New Atheist camp continually fails to address the bigger issues of the existence of God. Given the popularity of their collective books, however, it is not difficult to see why. To illustrate the point we could liken Richard Dawkins to say, the shock rocker Marilyn Manson. Manson has so dug himself into the image of the Antichrist that for him to ever have a true awakening as to the truth of gospel and go public would in essence cause him to admit to legions of fans, and the public, that he was wrong. Now, as a guy, I have a hard enough time admitting I am wrong to my girlfriend. Additionally, when I am very blatantly shown to be wrong my immediate reaction isn't humility, but defense. And might I add a defense that wants to brush the issues presented aside and move on.

So it is in my opinion with the New Atheists. Like Manson, they are now slaves to their image. Someone like Dawkins can no longer afford to be wrong because his entire identity is now wrapped up in his insistence on atheism - from his Out Campaign to his books and DVDs. Indeed, his entire career demands his atheism, and just like the defensive measures I employ when I am shown to be wrong, he brushes aside any perceived threat to the security of his worldview. The New Atheists cannot afford to engage in debate with the current philosophers of science, because they know they will be danced around intellectually and will be forced to face their own dead ends.

This is what I find the most inspiring about Flew's book. It isn't just his mental prowess as a philosopher that led him to a belief in God, but his willingness to be open and honest after being one of the leading atheist philosophers for more than fifty years. He did not allow himself to become a slave to his own image, but rather followed the evidence and held tightly to the fact that he was searching for truth - not agenda. Indeed, you could say he was doing exactly what our Lord states is right and true: "Search and you will find."

Flew's search, over time, had to come to terms with the following questions:

Who wrote the natural laws?
Where do the laws of physics come from?
Why is it that we have these laws instead of some other set?
How is that we have a set of laws that drives featureless gases to life, consciousness and intelligence?
Did the universe know we were coming?
How did life go live?
Did something come from nothing?

Within the context of these questions Flew addresses other issues with God, such as omnipotence and the like, and also addresses the current atheistic science answers to the questions as well, which I must say, are unsatisfactory at best (if they are even addressed at all). Following the evidence, and taking us with him, Flew comes to believe - through reason - that we are a product of a Divine Mind.

Along these lines one thing I should clarify is that Flew is not, to my knowledge, a full fledged Christian believer. Flew clarifies his current position on the topic of whatever religious viewpoint has come about since his "conversion:"

"My current position, however, is more open to at least certain of these (divine revelation) claims. In point of fact, I think that the Christian religion is the one religion that most clearly deserves to be honored and respected whether or not its claim to be a divine revelation is true. There is nothing like the combination of a charismatic figure like Jesus and a first-class intellectual like St. Paul. Virtually all the argument about the content of the religion was produced by St. Paul, who had a brilliant philosophical mind and could both speak and write in all the relevant languages. If you're wanting Omnipotence to set up a religion, this is the one to beat" (Flew, 186).

So as we sit, Flew is in limbo with his newfound belief in the Divine, which is certainly both understandable and expected. It is interesting that his book ends with an appendix interviewing Bishop N.T. Wright, the famous Oxford New Testament scholar. Flew has Wright spell out a case for the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which he does so rather convincingly (as most NT scholars can) and which Flew concludes by commenting that he is "very much impressed with Bishop Wright's approach, which is absolutely fresh" (Flew, 213).

So what's the point? Why am I writing a pseudo-book review about an atheist philosopher on a blog that no one reads? Well, I suppose the answer is two-fold. First off, I like to hear myself talk, and when no one is around the best way to do that is to write your thoughts down and then read them back to yourself. Second, however, is that when you are faced with the fact of God's existence based on reason and not merely on faith, all of a sudden life takes on a certain beauty that you take for granted everyday. You realize that the best minds on Earth aren't destroying faith based on their discoveries, but supplementing it. And in that lies the hope that despite the measured chaos of the natural world, it was never intended to be the status quo of eternity, but a temporal existence in which we get to find, know, and experience God.

And also, in the unlikely event that someone stumbles onto this blog who is searching, maybe they will be inspired to grab a copy of the book. After all, it says a lot about the search when a man who searched and reasoned his entire life finally came to discover divinity. Such an event should keep the search alive for those searching, and for those not even looking, should be motivation to start.

Ya know...

...studying for OT mid-terms and reading two books simultaneously about God, truth, philosophy, and atheism will leave you mentally drained. Sometimes I kick myself for not harnessing interesting theological mental nuggets I often get and transmitting them to the blogosphere. As of late I'm usually too tired to articulate a nugget into a worthwhile read, anyhow, so these little blogo-vent sessions will have to do.

But when all else fails and you've got nothing interesting to say, just post a picture of a damn fine day with a damn fine lady.



...and don't let her tell you she beat me to the top. That's just nonsense.

Ain't she perty?

C

Commentary on Antony Flew's Book, "There is a God: How the World's Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind." Part 1

People are often fascinated when I tell them that simple logic will lead you to a belief in God. One thing that is true of all humans is that we are loaded with presuppositions about anything and everything, and most people carry around certain simplistic Sunday school presuppositions about "religion" that removes serious religious thought from their mental discourse almost immediately.

One of the more nonsensical ideas is the old "Science = Fact" and "Theology = Faith." The most easily identifiable issue with this equation is that science and religious faith are about equal on matters of both fact and faith. That Jesus was a real person who lived in 1st century Palestine and was crucified under Roman occupation and whose followers all believed he rose from the dead is fact according to most believing and non-believing scholars alike. That we can account for the beginning of the universe, consciousness, purpose, love, morality, and the "self" given only the naturalist principals of life as a "random, purposeless, slow-moving sequence of biochemical processes" requires as much or more faith as believing the witness of 500 + people seeing the resurrected Christ (1 Cor 15:3-9). And indeed this same Christ - out of a slew of would-be first century Messiah's - that split history and changed the course of humanity.

Yet the issue isn't with the logic "finding" God, it is with the bias against such a possibility. Most of the "new atheists" don't want the inconvenience of a Divine Maker and I cannot say that I blame them. He's quite a mangy fellow, interfering with our illusion of true freedom while all the time offering us....um.....true freedom.

It is encouraging then to read about just how much the scientific and philosophical communities actually do take God seriously. As the title of this blog indicates, I'm reading Antony Flew's new book on how he became a theist. He simply followed the evidence and - quite courageously - was honest in his assessment. For those of you who do not know, Flew was an atheist from his teens and a well-respected leader and author in atheist philosophy. Of course, he was immediately crucified by the High Priests of the new "Enlightened Atheism" when it was announced he came to the conclusion God does indeed exist. Always ones to support rational and free thought, we read about a not-so-uncommon response by the current "brights":

"Curiously, the response to the AP story from Flew's fellow atheists verged on hysteria. One atheist Web site tasked a correspondent with giving monthly updates on Flew's falling away from the true faith. Inane insults and juvenile caricatures were common in the freethinking blogosphere. The same people who complained about the Inquisition and witches being burned at the stake were now enjoying a little heresy hunting of their own. The advocates of tolerance were not themselves very tolerant. And, apparently, religious zealots don't have a monopoly on dogmatism, incivility, fanaticism, and paranoia" (pg. viii).

Now just to set the record straight, as I have previously, there is no shortage of mindless fundamentalist fanaticism from religious people all over the planet. Yet it is interesting how the celebrants of such wild tolerance and open-mindedness would immediately turn on someone who had devoted his whole life to their very ideals and understandings, only to follow the evidence with an honest heart. In fact, given his age and influence, Flew probably shaped many of the thoughts of the people who are now kicking him. In my mind, the human stupidity on both sides - religious and atheistic - reinforces the age old biblical principal that humanity is fallen indeed. It seems our default state isn't one of utter tolerance, love, and support, and the evidence overwhelmingly shows this time and time again. Chalk another one up for logic leading to an understanding of humanity's need for God.

This book has already grabbed my fascination so don't be surprised to see more commentary as I read through it. What I seem to be enjoying the most is how many scientists and philosophers do take God seriously at higher levels of academia, and how the new atheists "refuse to engage the real issues involved in the question of God's existence" (pg. xvii).

No kidding. They may have to face down their own angry mob if they come to any rational conclusions.

Malawi Wrap-Up and Final Thanks

Hey all,

So I lost my internet connection after my final post in Africa and have been too lazy/busy to follow up. I know you are all ("all," that's funny) disappointed.

The week ended up well with my team making another village visit, this time to an orphanage run by "Children of the Nations," and a final day relaxing after a long week. The time spent in Malawi will not be forgotten nor will the people, but I must say it is good to be home. It was exciting to get off the plane in Atlanta and see the Starbucks sign right next to the McDonald's sign. Aaaaah, America - like no place else on Earth.

We did get delayed for a night in Jo'burg on our way home because of weather, and then were on standby for the one and only Delta flight that actually leaves the country. It wasn't all bad, however, as South African Airlines put us up in a five-star hotel for the night. Getting home, however, and then having finals later in the week as well as a few papers to turn in was exhausting.

But......I made it through. I would like to again thank everyone who supported the trip. I will probably be collecting all the photographs from the trip and forwarding them on to all of you.

Key lessons from the trip? God is good and appreciate all you have. Done deal.

Take care,

C

The Adventure Continues....

Wow. That is about all I can say about the past 48 hours. I have much to tell and many more pictures to post but I'm not sure where to start.

Monday we met with our prayer group for the first time at 8 am before morning chapel. It was myself, Brett, and Kelly. Kelly is a missionary who lives with his wife here on campus and opened his home for small groups during the week. He is also in charge of the music, so several of the students we prayed with were part of the band.

Afterwards, we had chapel. Chapel is at 9:00 am every morning and is where Carlton brings the sermon on whatever sin is going to be addressed that day and then we break for tea. After tea we break the students up into groups for discussion. Here are some pics from the morning tea.








And here is Brett kickin' it with Yami post tea on the way to discussion group. Yami is a cool guy. He's kinda like the troublemaker, punk kid of the group. We loved him immediately.





*A quick sidenote, the best pictures so far have come from Jennies camera but for some reason blogger does not like their high resolution, so you will have to wait for those. Sorry!! (These include the action shots of Carlton, group photos, and our panel discussion)*

So far the groups have been cool. It's tough to get the students to open up at first but they eventually get goin'. One thing that I'm learning on this trip is that people are people. We all struggle with the same stuff, we all desire the same basic things, and Christ knows no cultural, ethnic, or economic boundaries.

The core of the message and discussion is usually over around noon and then we have the rest of the day to goof off before we reconvene for chapel at 7pm. Monday Jennie drove us into the city and we basically cruised the streets of Malawi. It is amazing to see how many people are around. People will just cross the streets in front of you, children will stand on the side of the highway, goats will run across the street, and people will be bathing and doing laundry on the riverbanks of an otherwise normal (yet poor) looking town. I did not snap many photos on Monday as I was too terrified by Jennie's driving a vehicle on the left side of the road while talking on a cell phone and dodging goats. Just kiddin' Jen, you're the best...:)

Tuesday was marked by the same schedule. We are getting to know more of the students and some have amazing stories. One gentlemen we met, named Thompson, has a family 400 miles away that he only gets to see twice a year on Spring Break and Christmas. He has a great heart and is training to be a pastor but lacks the funds to get home more often. Some of the workers that are employed by ABC walk for hours to get here from villages.

I will probably be posting more about our free time than the meat of what is happening here with the students. One reason is that you all want to see pictures, and I'm not exactly snappin'em off while we are all sitting around talking about anger. But be encouraged that the students seem to be very excited we are here, are being challenged by Carlton's preaching, and have a genuine thirst for God that we don't often see in the states. The week is also impacting my own spiritual walk immensely.

Tuesday free time involved going to a local orphanage where Jennie used to tutor when she lived here. I do not have the name logged in my memory, but it is an orphanage/farm where they house about 35 children - most who are in school- who also help out with the farming. They gave us a warm welcome by singing us songs:





After they took us by the hands, they showed us their rooms and then it was off to see the farm.





Jennie remembered quite a few of the students from when she lived here. The living conditions at the orphanage aren't too bad but it is definitely unlike anything I've ever experienced. The children here are beautiful. You've never seen bigger, more grateful smiles full of white teeth. It's really amazing.

Although the experience so far has been a good one, nothing compares with what we did today. As I noted earlier the college employs Malawian locals for landscaping and housemaid duties. When Jennie lived here she befriended one of the houseworkers named Caroline. Caroline lives in a village about 3 miles from the school and still works for ABC. Jen asked if we could walk with her to her village and she very excitedly said we may.

So today around 1pm we hooked up with Caroline and made the trek down to her local village. This was where we seemingly stepped back in time. Apparently when you cruise through a village a few of the younger locals take notice.





That is Caroline and Jennie in the front, Carol (Carlton's wife) and myself in the back, a bunch of highly interested children all around us, and Brett taking the picture. Carlton stayed back to study for the nights sermon.

After we marched through the village, which was extremely impoverished, we ended up at Caroline's home. Many of the shots of the village are (once again) on Jennie's camera so unfortunately I won't be able to load some of the amazing shots of the marketplace.

Here is a family portrait of Caroline, her husband Yona, and the entire litter in their front yard - along with Jennie. We brought them some food from the kitchen in the house we were staying in, and Jennie brought them some gifts from America. They were very grateful.





While we were there we decided to play a game with the kids. The game is called pizza cutter (I think) and is basically a version of duck duck goose where instead of chasing someone who tags you, the "tagger" splits two people in the circle who have to run in opposite directions and race around to fill the hole first. Did that make sense? Try explaining it to 3, 4, and 5 year olds in another language! They eventually caught on.





Although we have captured some beautiful pictures of both the landscape and people here in Malawi, I must confess the most amazing picture I've seen so far has to be this one.




Can you say beautiful foreign diplomat? That picture belongs in an issue of Time magazine. Sorry, I’m just sayin’.

Romantic tidbits aside, today was an amazing day. What was amazing is how walking through the village brought the story of the Gospel alive. Not to imply that myself or anyone I was with were anything like Jesus of Nazareth, but when the gospels talk about crowds gathering as he entered villages I could not shake the sense that this is how it was. People stopped to look at us and all the children began following us. It really helped me contextualize how similar that had to be when Christ walked into a village in 1st century Palestine.

Aside from that, it was the humbling experience I longed for. The sense of community in the village was amazing, and most everyone had a smile on their face. I get the sense that some people think I should be “shocked” by what I see – but the truth is I’m not. It is not really a sad way of life as much as it is their way of life – a life to which they know no alternative. Granted, impoverished living conditions can be worse than what I saw, with health and sanitation issues that far outweigh my experience here, in which case a broken heart would be in order.

Still, the people here are the most hospitable I’ve ever met. I was thankful that Yona allowed me into his home today and let me sit. It was also amazing to see the joy that he possessed over the little he did have and the amazing family he is raising. He didn’t seem too disgruntled over freeway traffic, his next mortgage payment, or not being the first to get the new iPod.

Not that this is going to turn into some anti-America rant – I love my country and am very grateful, especially now, that I live there. But it is interesting to see the joy of people who essentially have nothing and contrast that to people I know in America who are miserable and have everything.

Today was a day of great joy and laughter and probably in the top 10 of the best days of my life.

God Bless You All,

Cory

Greetings from Malawi

Hey all!

We've made it safe and sound into what is often called "The Heart of Africa" - or Malawi.

We left San Diego at 6:30 am Friday morning and arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa at 5:30 pm Saturday evening. After eating at what was probably the best steak house ever just next to our hotel, we called it a night. After breakfast the next morning we went back to the airport and left for Malawi at around noon. Needless to say I've had my fill of airports and airplanes for some time (a week to be exact).

Upon arrival, we were greeted by a caravan from the African Bible College that included its founder, Jack Chinchen and his son Paul. Alongside Jack and Paul were several students, two of which myself and Brett rode to the campus with. Henry, who is a Kenyan, and Yami, who is Malawian, were our drivers.

One thing to note is that vehicles are driven on the left side of the road, which is always terrifying for the first few minutes as you think everyone you are going to pass is head-on collision waiting to happen. Eventually you get used to it. As we made the 9 mile journey from the airport to the school we saw some amazing things. The landscape is similar to the midwest. I kept thinking of Alabama with the red-clay soil but there are also mountains in the distance and some distinct shrubbery that is very "African."

Landscape aside, the lifestyle along the highway was fascinating. People walking, riding bikes, carrying baskets on their heads, etc. We did not stop any place along the way but we did see villages in the distance as well as marketplaces just off the highway. At one point I looked over and saw dead animals which I believe were goats hanging skinned off to the side of the road. We didn't have the presence of mind to snap too many photos as we were talking a lot to our drivers and taking in the landscape, but here are a few shots from the road.








We came in and got settled into our house which is oddly very nice. The campus is extremely well maintained and offers up employment to many local Malawians. There is a wall and electrified fence all around the campus. Years ago before the wall was up the campus was stormed by local criminals with AK-47's who beat down one of the pastors and tried to steal a few things. Since then the wall was put up and security guards were hired. They've had no such problems since. All they have to do now is beware of the spitting cobras and black mambas. Here are a couple of shots from the campus. The first is off the back porch of our house.





And another of the sky between two of the homes on campus. Note the wall in back ground. It's interesting to know that behind that wall is so much poverty.





After we settled in and rested we had our opening chapel service at 6 pm where we were welcomed by an acapella song from the "Kingdom Boys." The song was amazing. These were some of the best singers I've ever heard, and they sang live - to us! Think "For the Longest Time" by Billy Joel, only about a hundred times better and directed at welcoming you to Africa! It was sweet.

After Carlton preached and we were introduced to everyone it was off to Jack's house on campus for a pancake dinner. I guess it is a traditional thing they do on Sunday nights. It was really cool.

Tomorrow is when we will really start to develop relationships with some of the students and getting into the meat of the message. Carlton is preaching first on anger. It's interesting that the people I've met are some of the most chill and nice people ever. I feel like I'm going to get just as much out of this week as they are - perhaps more.

Suppose that's it for tonight. We are here, we are safe, and we are still taking it all in. I'll hit you up again with hopefully more and better pictures and stories of what God is doing.

Peace,

Cory

T-Minus 6 Hours

I'm sitting on my buddy Brett's couch right now, sleepy, not really knowing of anything profound to write about. I just witnessed a desperate search for $160 cash that he had misplaced and will be needing to exchange in Malawi for Kwacha. You don't exactly swipe a debit card for a chicken if you know what I mean.

I'm waking up in approximately 4 hours to board my 20 hour flight. Since my biological clock is going to be jacked anyhow I'm not really all that concerned about sleep at the moment. I've plenty of time to make that up - or not - or whatever.

People have been asking me if I'm excited, and although I claim to be pumped up, I'm really not sure how to answer that. I'm excited to see another continent and way of life. Sometimes I do question my motives for going. Is it for me or for them...or for God? Is it altruism or is it an excuse to say "I've been to Africa..."? Is it exciting to watch people live on $2/day? I dunno.

I've heard that their zeal for God is awesome, and that when you go to church in Africa there are no time restraints. It's not a succinct 45 minute sermon, benediction, and then home to watch the Chargers. They get together and worship God with dancing and tribal African drumbeats.

Oh well, no need to speculate anymore. In 2 days (yep that's how long it takes to get where we are going) I'll get to see it all, take it in, and see how God begins working in myself, my crew, and the new people I will be meeting.

I'll keep you posted. Talk to you again from Africa.

Cory

Quote: Pastoral Theology

"But the scope of our art is to provide the soul with wings, to rescue it from the world and give it to God,......"

- Gregory of Nazianzus

This quote jumped out at me tonight in my pastoral care class. If that is the art of a pastoral counselor, then I must be a janitor at that art institute. But hey, you have to start somewhere.

T-minus 4 Days

So I'm sitting here, high on coffee and graham crackers, half-heartedly studying for a PC501: Pastoral Counseling quiz, and thinking that in four days I'll be on a plane...for a really, really, really, really, really long time.

Yes, friends, I'm heading out to the continent so aptly described by Chuck D as the "Bass Mutha Land, the Place of the Drum." For those of you who have sent me money I can only say a warm thank you. For those of you who rolled your eyes and threw the letter in the trash...wait, none of you would do that...:)

In all seriousness though, I am getting pretty pumped. My longest plane ride was to Australia in 2004 and I don't remember it being all that bad, but this one trumps it by two stops (one in Atlanta and one in Senegal) and an additional flight from Johannesburg to Lilongwe, Malawi. That my internal clock is going to take a pounding is an understatement, especially considering that when we come back we will have "sprung forward" our clocks in the states.

But these minutia concerns are but cobboldia on the massive elephant that is going to Africa for a week! My great desire is to be humbled beyond all capacity, meet some great people, strengthen relationships between myself and my team, and let God do His thing. Again, I will try to update the blog while I'm there, although I'm not sure if I will be able to upload pictures just yet.

And on a slightly tangential note, Dale Jr. and the #88 team finished second yesterday in Vegas and moved into the top 10 in points. Team's lookin' pretty good, I'm just sayin'.

So that's about it. I'm going to attempt now to fall asleep after two cups of Starbucks, but I'll keep you updated as the trip progresses.

Thanks again to all who have given or are going to give support to this trip.

Peace,

Shiz

A Message To Malawi Supporters

First off I would like to thank each and every one of you who took the time to just open and read my support letter for the upcoming trip. If you decided to support the ministry either through prayer, financial backing, or a combination of both I offer up my deepest thanks. My hope and prayer is that you will be richly blessed by your decision to give support not only to me, but to the people of Malawi.

I mentioned in a previous blog that selections from Proverbs would be taught and discussed on our trip but this has subsequently changed. The theme for the week will actually be the "Seven Deadly Sins." This is actually a better theme for me to facilitate a small group on since I lack most of the wisdom in Proverbs and have committed - and still struggle with - pretty much all the Seven Deadly Sins....:) Here is a flyer printed up for the event (click it to enlarge):




Pastor Carlton will be providing chapel services and preaching on each of the 7 sins each day we are there. Following his sermon(s) and a brief pause for tea (hey, it's a British colony what'd you expect?) myself, Brett, Jennie (see blog below), Carlton, and his wife Carol will be facilitating separate small group discussions where we will unpack the sermon message. It will be interesting to get African perspectives on these topics since the culture is so much different than our own. My only "job" is to facilitate discussions, possibly guiding certain questions into other parts of Scripture or setting up examples from my own life. I personally want to be a brother and not play some pedestal role as a teacher.

While I'm excited to meet and share my knowledge with the Malawians, I'm under no delusions that I'm going to Africa to somehow "enlighten" the people there. If anything, I believe the opposite is going to happen. From the stories I've heard and the pictures I've seen, I will have much more to learn about humility, joy, fellowship, love, and simplicity from the people there. In this sense I feel more like the student and the one needing true enlightenment - although I believe God will work it in both directions.

Right now I'm hoping to have access to the Internet so I can continue updating this blog while I'm there - hopefully uploading stories and pictures. I will keep giving updates on this before I leave.

I suppose that's it for now. Thanks again for your support! Let's see what God does.

Cory

P.S. Here are the links to African Bible Colleges and Malawi as mentioned in your support letters. Happy surfing.

Celebration of Jennie

So over the past few months I've had the pleasure of getting to know a certain young lady, mentioned briefly in a previous blog, who seems to continually be growing on me. That she epitomizes both grace and elegance is surmounted only by the fact that she is beautiful and kind-hearted. Since it is around Valentine's Day I thought it only fitting to celebrate her as such and immortalize her into the world of the blogosphere. The picture below was taken after a visit to see the San Diego Symphony.




It's nice to meet someone who allows for my often hidden interests - such as classical music, art, and good coffee - to be brought to the surface and shared. She doesn't know it yet, but the same is going to happen to her with NASCAR and classic horror films.....ok, maybe not.

But for now, Jennie, thank you for being a good friend who loves things of eternal value and wears fuzzy socks.

C

Happy Birthday to me...and to those who look like me.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish myself, my brother-in-law, our mutual friend that I don't know where she is now Kristen, and my little high school buddy Wheeler from CABC a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

More importantly, I'd like to point out that we all have blonde hair and blue eyes, and that my little buddy Wheeler is often mistaken for my brother.

Same birthday. All look the same. It's amazing how our universe, a natural cosmic accident to begin with, continues to astound me with overwhelming coincidences within it's closed, random, purposeless system of slow-moving biochemical processes.

That was a joke for the godless....:)

Malawi and the Imminent Blog Resurgence

For my faithful two readers of this blog who are consistently disappointed in the lack of posts I wish to offer up my sincerest apologies. School, work, worship band, youth ministry, and a lovely new lady friend (no I'm not kidding) are making me understand why God needed eternity to do anything - cause there ain't enough time in a damn earth week.

Self-flagellation over my lack of blogosphere contributions aside, I will announce my excitement over an upcoming trip I am taking with a team from my church to Malawi. Won't waste my time telling you all about the country. If you are here you can obviously 1.) Navigate the web and 2.) Read, so if you want more info on the country here ya go.

I will be part of a team of five, myself included, and will be heading over for about 10 days in March to help out at the African Bible College. My responsibility will be to facilitate a small group after a main chapel message each day from our senior pastor. Right now it looks like the messages will be centered around Proverbs which should be cool.

My other responsibility will include not getting malaria, typhoid, or hepatitis A - which is why I had the distinct pleasure of getting stuck with needles today. As much as I enjoy getting multiple shots, I'm thinking that my future vacations will probably steer clear of any potential endemic nations. In other words, I'm a big wuss.

As an added bonus to those of you who were holding out for more posts to this blog, I'm beginning to feel somewhat inspired to go on more mindless theological rants. So stay tuned and don't rip me out of your bookmarked pages yet! Wait, whuddya mean I'm not in your bookmarked pages?

Stay wit' tha Jesus,

C