Educators rejoice, I admit my folly

You know, I’ve not always been this big-time.  Prior to my lucrative career in making videos, I was once a lowly student.  It would probably shock you to know that I was not the best when it came to the disciplines of study.  There were subjects I enjoyed. History and English were pretty fun to me, but as a student, I developed really bad study habits.  My goal was never to actually learn the material, but rather to put the least amount of effort into learning with hopes for a mediocre-to-sub par grade in return.  It’s something that I actually somewhat regret. I wish that I could go back and tell my fifteen-year-old self that in his late 20′s and early 30′s he’s going to realize that there’s a point to all the dumb stuff he’s being forced to learn…and subsequently, is quite resistant to. The grammatical and language errors in this post alone show the level of resistance I put up. (just ended a sentence in a preposition)

What I realized a few years back was that my lack of study habits as a kid didn’t just affect my immediate situation with grades and school, but it also had lasting ramifications. While I saw no value in memorizing the periodic table of elements, I denied myself the valuable development of learning skills for things that I thought DID matter…or at least things I think matter now.  I don’t often admit that I should have listened to people or that I regret my choices, but this is one instance that I will own my inability to see the big picture. In short, I had a mindset of “What’s the least I can do and still get by?”  That’s a bad habit to develop…and an even worse habit to kick.

So recently, I started reading Ephesians again and I realized that my study skills and attitude toward school carried over to the way I approached my relationship with Christ.

Paul starts the book by taking a moment to point out that we have done nothing to gain redemption through Christ.  Our salvation was planned and thought out long before man even walked the earth. Those of us who possess the life changing knowledge of Christ do so because God made it so. His revelation to us is materialized by our actions as much as the sun rises because we command it.  That, in-and-of itself, is enough to wreck your life if you really stop to think about it. But then he moves on to discuss how, then, we as the body of Christ should live and act.

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,

“Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

These are the characteristics of a Christ follower and, in larger part, the body of Christ as a whole.  Nowhere in those passages is there any inkling that we can get by on minimal effort from our part.  Paul is diligent to point out that our time is short and that we must make full use of it  “because the days are evil.”  We have no time to just get by on little effort.  The list of things to avoid, and conversely the list of attributes to pursue are there to show us how we can either waste our time trying to do things our way…or how we can best be used in God’s plan by turning from sin in our own lives first.

Does following this list of do’s and don’ts from Paul gain us salvation?  No it does not.  Salvation only comes by God’s grace. Does following that list of do’s and don’ts demonstrate and give evidence of our salvation? Emphatically yes! Must there be evidence produced for us to be saved?  Yes. (See James 2)

Making her laugh has always been my proudest accomplishment

If I was being an attention whore, she’d put me in timeout. If I was being arrogant, she’d be the first to take me down a notch or two…or three. If I was disrespectful, I’d get “the look” and my heart would break…and then I’d have to apologize.  (I’ve done a lot of apologizing)

When I cussed to be cool she’d have none of it, but when I was cussing mad she ignored the words and patiently listened to me as I ranted about whatever injustice had been done.

She loved me for who I was, but loved me too much to let me remain “just who I am.” When I was in trouble, she didn’t let me squirm or sweet talk my way out of it.

I’d try so hard to break her when she scolded me. I often succeeded and she’d remind me that her laughter was never approval, even if laughter temporarily delayed her disapproval. Making her laugh has always been my proudest accomplishment.

Spend five minutes with her and you’ll surely learn something. Everywhere she goes, she leaves a little piece of herself. Women all over the world know more about Jesus because of her.  She can’t help it.  She’s got the joy of the Lord and it shows. 

Of course, how could she not possess all these qualities?  She learned from a great mother too.

Mops, you’ve been a mother to more than just Julie, Aaron, Becca and me.  You’ve been a mom to just about anyone who needed one.  We’re all better people for it too.

And yes…I am a momma’s boy

Goat stew was a bad idea

In this photo: Roger Davis, Tris Chapman, Maasai father. Taken by @jrogerdavis

The Maasai people are a very proud people…and now I understand why.  I spent the day learning about life in Inkhito.  Oddly enough, that is where Martha is from.  She is back at boarding school today, but her family does not live far from the area we visited today.

Compassion has this cool thing that they do sometimes where they take you to experience a day in the life of a child.  So today, our staff went and visited families in the Maasai lands and learned how to herd sheep, throw spears, collect firewood, carry water…and I heard rumors of a cow dung smearing/wall patching exercise one staffer participated in.

As far as my personal experience, I got a chance to shoot some video with a Maasai girl named Paris.  She’s twelve, and as Drew says, I’m pretty sure she could already dunk on a basketball goal.

We had a great time with Paris.  Her family lives in three mud huts, the father has two wives and a cell phone with a traditional Maasai melody for a ring tone.  Nothing in that last sentence was exaggerated one bit.

I shoot video…I don’t take too many pictures.  Some of my buddies on the trip take good pics.  Plus they’re great writers…so check them out here:

Bo

Jared

Ryan

Meek yet direct

This is Martha.  She stole my heart…and my sunglasses.

Martha is the child that Amy and I have the distinct honor of sponsoring through Compassion International. She is the youngest of 12 children in a Maasai family.  Our hope is that through our sponsorship, Martha can break the cycle of physical and spiritual poverty that has plagued her family.  Compassion is working to see that she and her family know that there is a God and Creator who loves them dearly.  We are humbled that we have the opportunity to be a part of the whole thing.

Martha and I  spent the afternoon getting to know each other. She is so very quiet  and answers your questions with a mere “Yes” or “No.”  But she also knows what she wants.  We had spent only a few minutes together when she reached up, removed my sunglasses from my face and said “I want to see.”  As we walked around the Zoo in Nairobi, she would grow tired of being in a certain spot so Martha would simply  grab my hand and nearly whisper “Let us go…this way.”  I obliged.

If you’re interested in sponsoring a child with Compassion, head on over to their website.

What it takes

I held my camera tight against my body as we walked down a long row of shanty homes on the edge of the Mathare Valley. We filed down the hillside past women wringing out freshly washed clothes as their children peered out of windows to see the “Wazungu” with the fiery red head passing by. Our group certainly warranted stares as we ducked under the zigzag of crossing clotheslines strung between the shacks.  It was a continuous game of limbo as we followed our leader down the hill.

Finally we arrived at Diborah’s house.  We walked inside the one-bedroom home and sat down. Diborah introduced us to her family. She can’t be older than 16 or 17, but she’s built like a ten-year-old and she has a little baby girl less than a year old.  Her mother only speaks Swahili, so Diborah translated as we sat and talked.

She showed us pictures and letters from the American woman who has sponsored Diborah for over 11 years. We thumbed through her keepsake notes and photos as she told us about being in the Compassion program.

We asked Diborah what she enjoyed doing and what she hoped to accomplish some day.  She smiled and looked past us as if she was daydreaming of something wonderful.  You could tell that she had high hopes to one day leave the Mathare Valley.  She wanted to be a doctor, but after coming to grips with her inability to even look at people who are hurt or bleeding, Diborah decided that journalism was a much better fit.  Again, she looked right through me as she talked about one day having the opportunity to work as a journalist, researching and telling people’s stories from all over the world.

As I sat in the chair, holding my camera, Diborah turned and asked me, “How were you able to accomplish becoming a journalist?” I have no idea what my answer was, really.  What I wanted to say was, “Well…see…I’m not really a journalist.  That’s the first problem.  I’m just some dude with a camera who makes videos that go on the Internet.”

I don’t really know what I said in an effort to answer Diborah’s question but I couldn’t forget about it. Unknowingly, this young girl was holding a virtual mirror in front of me, asking me what I saw.

The truth about her question is that it took little-to-no effort on my part to become a “journalist” compared to what it would take for a determined little girl with a baby living in one of Africa’s largest slums.  As an American teen, I finished high school with an entire universe of possibilities ahead of me.  I could go just about anywhere and become nearly anything I wanted.  For someone like Diborah, to become what she wants, she needs an act of God’s mercy because she has the entire world against her right now.  She lives in an oppressive culture that chews up girls with big hopes, destroys their dreams and then spits them right back out where they began to live life as they have always known it.  Diborah must defy all odds to become a journalist.  She has to shirk the peer pressure and jaded cynicism that surrounds her.  She will certainly need God’s merciful hand to guide her in the quest to end the chaotic cycle of life to which she’s become acclimated.

Me?  I just had to declare a major and keep my GPA around a 3.0.