last summer i read in the 4th of july newspaper that the active ingredient in watermelon is the same in viagra. yikes. this tidbit crosses my mind with a laugh when i see people loading up their plate with some watermelon at cookouts.
this summer i have been reading a little bit more substantial material. last week my mom and i went to borders bookstore. who, like me, is thankful for a store in the south that really does end in a "s"? anyway, this event was fantastic. my brother, patrick, recommended two books to me earlier on in the year that i've been wanting to read: pedagogy of the oppressed by paulo friere and death and life of great american cities by jane jacobs. they were both in stock and ready for me to read. as we moseied around the store, the sale aisle revealed 4 treasures at $2/book. These 4 books all have a forward by bishop tutu describing the word ubuntu and how each person embodies the idea. this video is funny because he's so goofy, but he describes ubuntu here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftjdDOfTzbk. the short in his words, ubuntu is the essence of being human, i'm a person because you're a person. and, i am who i am because of who we all are. the line up of the books is this:
love: mother teresa
dream: martin luther king, jr.
believe: bishop tutu
peace: mahatma ghandi
these books could not have come at a more perfect time, just behind the book that i'm reading now mountains beyond mountains: the quest of dr. paul farmer a man who would cure the world by tracy kidder. this book is so good. a few of my favorite snipits:
'remember, serving the poor is more important than soothing your ego. it's called eating shit for the poor.'
'people read the Gospel as if it pertained to another place and time, but the struggles described there are in the here and now. the oppression of the poor, the abuse of the vulnerable, and the redemption that comes with fighting for what is right-what ideas could be more relevant than in our dear haiti?'
check out the book. i am currently waiting for my visa to go to the bahamas, the airplane to be airworthy, and since dr. harold peeples jacked four teeth out of my head, i'm waiting, reading, writing, and enjoying the sweetness of watermelon. peace.
welcome!
'shine your eyes’ is a phrase that I picked up in liberia, west africa. it means to open your eyes and see the Truth. this is my hope for people everywhere, myself included, that we will continually be transformed to see and be the ideals God has set forth as the Kingdom. the book of isaiah says it this way:
'see, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice. each man will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land. then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen. the mind of the rash will understand, and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.’ isaiah 32:1-4
currently this is taking shape in my life working with bahamas habitat. we are working to provide aviation support to bahamas methodist habitat, a hurricane relief/sub-standard housing repair organization based in the bahamas. know that we would love for you to come spend some time with us as we take part in all the beautiful ways that God is loving His creation.
in the words of mother teresa, “pray for me that i not loosen my grip on the hands of Jesus even under the guise of ministering to the poor.” and i pray that in all that you do, whether coming to the bahamas, serving in haiti or celebrating life in your part of the world that you will simply love and come and see all that God has for us. let this place be a place of celebration and conversation for us to greater understand life with one another.
‘and because of our faith, He has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand. and we confidently and joyfully look forward to actually becoming all that God has in mind for us to be.’ –romans 5:2
peace.
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you are the funniest person i know.
ReplyDeletelove.peace.joy.