Chrisy's in South Africa!

That's a photo of Chrisy's arrival at the Johannesburg's airport on Sunday morning, April 30th. Sean Fraser is the guy on the left in the "church lady" dress (don't ask, it's a long story, and what's done at Canyon Hills Church, stays at Canyon Hills Church, unless of course it goes to South Africa). From left to right, the two women between Sean and Chrisy are Lisa Jones and Maya Bowe.

I got a call from Chrisy this morning before church at 8:00 a.m., that's 5:00 p.m. Sunday evening in South Africa. She told me that their journey was long, but good. They had a braai or South African barbecue with the NieuCommunities staff. Chrisy and her friends were very tired and looking forward to going to sleep tonight. But, they sure look great in the photo, alert and pretty after flying around the world for two days! I was extremely happy to know my wife is there, safe and sound. She said Pangani, the CRM property in Pretoria is quite beautiful. It's a hundred year old homestead restored as a coffeehouse. I cannot tell you how pumped I am about this trip for Chrisy. I think the aforementioned organizations behind this mission are amazing. I know from first-hand experience that the guy heading this up, Rob Yackley, is a spectacular speaker that has a way for connecting people to God. While in South Africa, in addition to Rob and his wife, Chrisy and the others from Canyon Hills Church will be in community with Sean and Debbie Fraser as well as Mike and Lorie Taylor. If you really want to be a part of Chrisy's journey, I encourage you to click on all the links in this post. You should really check out Sean and Debbie's website, Fraserworld, especially the "whatznew?" page. They've already put up a really cool collage of photos from the first day. It includes pictures of the braai. You can see the collage by clicking here. Additionally, you should have a look at the Taylor Family Adventure as they've had some excellent posts that will give you a taste of what's in store for Chrisy over the next two weeks. It's excellent stuff.

A couple people have asked about mail. Remember it's a short trip. If you want to send a letter, card, or note of encouragement to Chrisy while she is there, time is of the esscence. If you wait too long, it will arrive after she leaves. If you send it out in the next couple of days, she should get it before she departs on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 14. Here's the mailing address if you are interested:

Chrisy Lynd
c/o Pangani
106 Emily Hobhouse Ave.
Pretoria North 0182
South Africa

Again, Chrisy and really appreciate all the support you have given us in regard to this trip.

Have fun clicking on the links and checking out all the details.

The Rainy Day

It's amazing to me just how much a mood can fluctuate. Okay, maybe it's just me, but yesterday after church my heart was an unfolding rose. This poem totally captures were I am at emotionally today.

THE RAINY DAY

The day is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,
But at every gust the dead leaves fall,
And the day is dark and dreary.

My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
My thoughts still cling to the mouldering Past,
But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast,
And the days are dark and dreary.

Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.

--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

David Crowder

It's taken me awhile to "get into" Christian music. Most of the stuff that moves me is secular. But, now I've really come to appreciate the David Crowder Band. I love his writing. His current album, A COLLISION, is really good. One of the songs I love is "Here Is Our King" because its lyrics totally capture why I am a Christ follower:

"And what was said to the rose
To make it unfold
Was said to me here in my chest
So be quiet now and rest . . . .
Here is our King
Here is our Love
Here is our God who's come
To bring us back to Him"

It captures the change within me. It moves me. Plus, the last part is what Christianity is really all about: reconciliation!

Help Me! I'm Lost!

I just want to confess that I am totally addicted to the television show LOST. It's been awhile since its been this bad. In fact, I know when it was: 1990-1991. That's when I could barely handle waiting for the next episode of TWIN PEAKS, thirty episodes of bliss. Now comes LOST. It's bad follks, I'd pay money to see the next episode today instead of next Wednesday. For example, that image you're looking at is the secret map from the episode, "Lockdown" that aired on March 29th. I'm obsessed with having them revisit the map, but did they do it in the following episode? Of course not! What does it mean? Somebody help me!

Did you catch the most recent amazing episode? It was called "Dave" and it aired on April 5th. It completely screwed with my understanding of the show's reality as I knew it (and that's pretty hard to do because anything goes). But, now we're told that Libby was a patient in the mental institution with Hurley! There's just absolutely no way it's as simple as they presented it! Hurley cannot be simply imagining everything. The other characters have to be real. So just what are the larger implications of last week's final shot? Somebody help me please!

The bottom line is, I could sooner give up coffee than prepare myself for a summer hiatus of LOST.

Back to the map. I think I may have figured this out, if the survivors of Oceanic flight 815 decipher the map, I'm convinced they'll find a ninth hatch; they'll open it and inside will be David Lynch and a dancing midget! Lynch and the midget will have a reel of film and a projector. The reel contains episode 31 of TWIN PEAKS and our screen instantly sees Agent Cooper saying, "Where's Annie?" All the lingering questions from 15 years ago are resolved.

A man can dream. Can't he?

Thank You For A Life

My wife, Chrisy is going to South Africa for a short term mission. She leaves April 28 and returns May 15. Seventeen days without her. I just received the terrific new Kris Kristofferson album, THIS OLD ROAD, for my birthday. Track 10 laid me out! It's called "Thank You For A Life" and I wish I had written it for Chrisy. I print these lyrics in tribute to the love of my life:

THANK YOU FOR A LIFE

Thank you for a life that I'd call happy
Overlooking all that we've been through
When it comes to loving I've been lucky
Everything I am I owe to you

Thank you for the little girls you gave me
Thank you for them bouncing baby boys
Thank you for the sadness
That you saved me from the madness, baby
All I'm crying now are tears of joy

Thank you for that burning sun that's rising
Golden in the air that smells so sweet
Thank you for that empty far horizon
That opens to a new eternity

Thank you for a life that I'd call happy
Overlooking all that we've been through
When it comes to loving I've been lucky
Everything I am I owe to you

--Kris Kristofferson

(New West Records, 2006)

A New Kind of Christian

I'm reading this book, "A New Kind of Christian," by Brian D. McLaren and I really dig it. It's making me think a lot. It's a bunch of conversations between a pastor, Dan, and his daughter's science teacher--turned Dan's friend--Neo. Here's a a great paragraph:

"Most modern people love to relativize the viewpoints of the others against the unquestioned superiority of their own modern viewpoint. But in a way, you cross the threshold into postmodernity the moment you turn your critical scrutiney from others to yourself, when you relativize your own modern viewpoint. When you do this, everything changes. It is like a conversion. You can't go back. You begin to see that what seemed like pure, objective certainty really depends heavily on a subjective preference for your personal viewpoint."

That quote is so important to me. It's from a lecture Neo is giving to college students in the book.

Giant Slab

I just love the phrase "giant slab" and I wanted to say it. You see, last weekend I went to Julian and got a slice of apple pie. The menu gave the option of a "giant slab" of vanilla ice cream for a bit more money. Weird, but "giant" is just an okay word and "slab" is okay too, but put them together and it's a thing of beauty. Giant Slab.