Archive for October, 2008
Basketball Gulu style
October 25th, 2008. Published under Fun Stuff, Life in Uganda, TIA. No Comments.
Ever heard of a “professional” basketball game getting rained out? Neither have I. But that’s exactly what should have happened today. I’ve been playing with the Gulu Hawks, a team in the Federation of Uganda Basketball Association, or FUBA. Every game I’ve played thus far has been outdoors on sketchy courts. There are mini potholes on the courts, one rim might be six inches or a full foot shorter than the other, or the rim is slanted 30 degrees to the side. This actually describes our court in Gulu to the T.
So today we had a game. At the start of the game, everyone could tell a storm was brewing. Lightning was flashing in the distance, the wind was picking up and the sky was growing dark. Luckily it didn’t start raining until halftime, when it came down in buckets. There was an abandoned building not too far away from the courts, so players, refs and fans all ran inside to take cover and wait out the storm. It was actually fun, just joking around with guys from our team and the other team and getting to know some “fans.”
I should mention we do have a loyal support group of fans… that always show up drunk and harass the other team or referees. Its pretty sad and embarrassing, but they are hilarious when not trying to intimidate others. Today was no different, they actually brought a case of like 24 beers for the few of them. They were in a jovial mood today though and our halftime show involved them debating members of the opposing team about Jesus and drunkenness. It was hilarious and luckily everyone stayed friendly throughout.
Anyways, after about an hour of waiting in this abandoned house, the lightning and torrential downpour had passed, but it was still raining. People slowly came outside and stood in the rain, then made their way back to the court. The court literally had to be drained by digging miniature canals to divert water and once the small lakes were cleared the second half began. In the rain. The entire second half was played in increasingly harder rain on a very slippery court. At one point, standing there soaking wet, I literally pinched myself and remember thinking, “Is this a dream?! Am I really playing “professional” basketball, in Uganda, in the rain, on a court like this?”
I have to admit, I’m a pretty lucky guy.
Storming the gates
October 22nd, 2008. Published under religion, thoughts and questions. 2 Comments.
“Eternal life. Where is it? When is it? For a long time I have thought about eternal life as a life after all my birthdays have run out. For most of my years I have spoken about the eternal life as the “afterlife,” as “life after death.” But the older I become, the less interest my “afterlife” holds for me. Worrying not only about tomorrow, next year, and the next decade, but even about the next life seems a false preoccupation. Wondering how things will be for me after I die seems, for the most part, a distraction. When my clear goal is the eternal life, that must be reachable now, where I am, because eternal life is life in and with God, and God is where I am here and now.” – Henri Noewen
I heard this quote recently on a podcast and have been turning it over in my head a bit. I have to say I agree with what Nouwen is saying here. If you look at Jesus’ teachings and parables when he tells us what the kingdom of heaven is like, he gives us examples in the earthly realm. Or when people asked him how to inherit eternal life, he spoke of eternal life as being here and now, on earth. The parable of the Good Samaritan, part of Jesus’ response to the question, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” is a perfect example.
I know personally I can struggle with living “in the here and now.” Much of the time my thoughts go into the past and I dwell on what I should have said or done in a certain situation or I dream about the “what ifs” of life. Then I find myself wondering/worrying about the future and what it looks like. I worry about money, my health, or where I’m going to be in 5 years. Yet the end of Matthew 6 tells us not to do this. We’re not to worry about tomorrow and what it brings, but are called to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.” I think my thoughts and actions should be in response to the question what can I do, today, that will bring the kingdom of heaven to earth, today? Not what can I do today that will benefit the kingdom of heaven when I die. Or what I can do tomorrow. Tomorrow has its own worries, lets focus on the here and now.
But maybe I have a plan for the future, and some decision comes up that deciding one way affects that plan, but the other brings eternal life to earth today. I think I need to choose the latter. I don’t think planning in and of itself is bad, but I think we need to be fluid in our plans and know that we are to be living our eternal life out daily. We can’t let our plans, our friends or our possessions get in the way of living our eternal life right now. That was the case with the rich young ruler. He had too much stuff that stood in his way. Although he obeyed the commandments, he had too many things that kept him from following Jesus. For some people their hindrance may be their “need” to save for retirement. What about sliding into home at 65, 75 or 85, penniless but truly living and enjoying the ride? Completely trusting God each step of the way. I know some people think not planning financially for the future is immature and stupid (I myself used to think this way, but maybe I’m still immature and stupid) but what did the early church do? They shared everything, some sold land or homes and brought the money to the apostles and it was distributed to anyone as needed. If this is how the original church operated, how those who walked with and learned from Jesus decided to start, shouldn’t we be doing likewise? Just recently I’ve seen friends moving in that direction (www.loveisone.org) trying to raise money for their friend in need. But its happening with young, broke 20-somethings. What if this started happening with the millionaire and billionaire Christians out there?
Going back to the quote, our desires and dreams shouldn’t be on life after death. I know it’s going to be great and I will love that day when it comes, but I don’t think that the “afterlife” is the beginning of eternal life. I think eternal life begins when we are “born again” and we begin to let the Holy Spirit guide our life. I believe life after death is going to be amazing, but its not what we should be sitting around waiting for. We shouldn’t just be coping with this earth, dreaming of a better life in heaven and waiting for that magnificent change after we die. A friend of mine said she thought the biggest, most radical change in our life should be between our life before we started to follow Jesus and our life after. Life after is the beginning of our eternal life and we have to humble ourselves, admit that we know nothing and begin to learn anew. When we do this and we live with God in the here and now, we bring heaven to earth. Jesus said the gates of hell will not overcome the church. That means the church is storming the gates of hell, not the other way around. We’re not sitting around building up a protective wall for ourselves and waiting to go to heaven. We’re on the offensive, storming hell’s gates and bringing the kingdom of heaven to earth!
Prayer
October 15th, 2008. Published under religion, thoughts and questions. No Comments.
I’ve been reading/listening/thinking about prayer in the last few days. I have to admit, my prayer life has been a wreck. It’s usually very routine. Something like thanking God for the day, saying prayers for family and friends who I’ve told I’d pray for (mentally marking them off like a checklist), maybe asking forgiveness for things, and then asking God for things, to intercede on my behalf or to heal so and so. I’m sad to say but its felt so… dead.
Realizing the poor state of my conversations with God, I’ve been thinking about the why/what/when/how questions of prayer. I’ve just begun Philip Yancey’s book Prayer and in the first chapter he begins talking about these questions. He says, “We pray because we want to thank someone or something for the beauties and glories of life, and also because we feel small and helpless and sometimes afraid. We pray for forgiveness, for strength, for contact with the One who is, for assurance that we are not alone.” Now this isn’t some grand statement, but it holds a lot of truth. We pray when we are thankful, afraid, remorseful, weak and feeling alone. Yancey then quoted surveys showing that prayer was ranked extremely high on theoretical importance to people, yet ranks incredibly low on surveys of actual satisfaction. Why is that? Are we praying for the wrong things or become too structured and intellectual in our prayers?
Tonight I fellowshipped with the youth corps kids with all this on my mind. I realized about halfway through how “un-into-it” I was as I just stood with the kids clapping my hands (I find my mind easily wanders when every other song is in a different language). I was there physically praising God, but mentally I was in a million different places. When the singing turned to slower, more intimate songs I closed my eyes and just listened to their beautiful voices, silently speaking to God. Midway through the power went out, leaving us in a pitch black room. But their voices rose and they sang even louder. Then they started to pray. Deep, passionate cries out to their Father. It should be noted they pray out loud, all at once and speak incredibly fast. I joined in and just let my heart talk to God, my mouth and mind not even knowing what I was saying. It was… incredibly refreshing. I felt so close and known by God in those few minutes.
Then I thought about the kids. I doubt any of them would say they are dissatisfied with the “quality” of their conversations with God. Maybe Jesus said the kingdom belongs to ones such as these for a reason. They don’t have daily devotionals or read the Bible everyday. But they do sing and talk to God in ways I’m jealous of. If praying is my means of conversation with God, and I desire to love Him with all my heart, I should be pouring out my heart to Him every day with reckless abandon. Not marking things off a mental sheet, but wrestling with Him. Releasing all my fears and struggles, but also humbling myself knowing that His thoughts are not my thoughts. Giving Him the praise for any and every blessing or woe I have in my life.
Anyways, this is what has been on my mind the last few days. I thank and praise God for all the amazing things I’ve learned through these kids. Here’s to many more.
Biz-en-uss as usual
October 12th, 2008. Published under religion, thoughts and questions. 1 Comment.
I’m spoiled. I’ve been blessed with amazing friends. The last few months I have had the incredible opportunity to spend time with old and new friends from the states, both those living here and those here only a week or two. I feel a little guilty because of how much fun we’ve had, but it has been a great time of growth within our little unique community. I’m continuing to see how church isn’t confined to brick walls inside of a building. In fact, its hardly been that at all for me over the last year. My church has been the daily interactions with my fellow brothers and sisters, lifting each other up, encouraging one another and just having fun together.
Something that continues to astound me though is the quality of people I’ve befriended. No offense to my friends back home, I love you all, but I’ve met the brightest, most creative guys and girls who have this incredible drive to make the world a better place. A place where no young girl is forced to the depths and darkness of prostitution. A place where no child is enslaved behind the production of our food/clothing/tv/toothbrush/________(enter your consumer product here). Corporate and consumer responsibility have come up quite a bit, which has really hit home with me and my negligence to these issues. But whats best is that people aren’t standing idly by and talking about the next great idea or just complaining about whats wrong in the world… action is being taken. In the last 6 months I’ve seen friends start businesses and organizations, and I’ve dreamed with others about starting businesses, with a focus on more than the bottom line. Businesses that operate first and foremost out of love. Non-profits where the directors take personal losses to keep others employed. Individuals who live day in and day out a life of love and reconciliation. This is what the Golden Rule is about.
Through several conversations, brainstorming sessions and Bible studies I’ve seen that people at the ripe young age of 24 can and will make a difference on the global village that we live in. With Jesus’ principles as the guiding light, change will be made, there is no doubt about it.
I’ll write more soon with details on some of these businesses and how you can get involved…