A Little Off

Africa has not been exactly what I thought it would be. I am staying in a house that is nicer than mine at home, yet I live in a city far different from Oshkosh, Searcy, or Jacksonville. The place that I'm staying at is truly wonderful, however, not just because I have a toilet, shower, and bed, though they are a blessing that I'm grateful for, but more so I'm blessed because of the people that live in the house.
I have had the experience of going to a village, learning some Kabiye (local dialect), climbing mountains, and meeting new people. I have never been more grateful for the resources I have in the states. We are so rich, physically. We are rich in medicine, shelter, clothing, and food. Yet in Kara I feel like they are rich in ones way that we are not. They are rich in relationships, because they actually have a community that communicates. Many neighborhoods in America have lost a sense of community. The Kabiye people eat as a community and garden as a community. They understand how to work together and that is powerful.
Relationships are greater than accomplishments. This a concept that I have always believed in, yet in Kara, Togo I am truly learning this. The power went out at my house yesterday night and the six of us in the dark room had a meaningful conversation and I loved it. Too many times I have lost the ability to talk with people that I do not know very well. However, starting this point in my life I want to take time to get to know more people deeply. When I have conversations i always try to look people in the eye. I want to truly care about all people, not just the ones like me. The children and and people in Togo have such big smiles and kind words. They want you to embrace them and love them, as they do to me. I pray I can continue to learn as I meet more and more people of God.

Watsing Time

I'm waiting, waiting,waiting.

In a matter of days I will take the trip of a lifetime. Now a few years ago I went to Greece for three months and it was amazing, it was a trip of a lifetime as well, but I have to say I am more excited about my trip to Africa then the previous one. I have been wanting to travel overseas every since I came back. This trip will be even more of a challenge than the Greece trip for many reasons.

1. I will be away from indoor pumping, for the majority of the trip. (yeah, sweet huh?)
2. I do not speak the culture of Togo, Africa. (I am an American)
3. I do not know French. (the language of Togo)
4. It's close to the equator. (I'm a white boy from Oshkosh, Wisconsin)
5. I have a high chance of getting a terrible disease (but I did get my shots)
6. I will be away from family,friends, and of course, Mallory Barcus.

Yet, this will be an extremely rewarding experience and am blessed to have the ability to go to TOGO. I'm grateful for the God I serve. He will teach me as I continue my journey, called life.

being right

As I was visiting with Grandpa Frazier tonight I was moved by his smile,laughter, and overall manor. He was filled with joy. He was so kind to the people around him. He did ever make a rude comment or gesture even though he disagreed with what was being done to him. He was being forced to do something he did not want to do. He did not need help, in his opinion. Yet, he was obedient and submission. He had an attitude of humility even though he did not want to. This attitude is lost to many of us. We often have people in our life that understand what we are growing through better than ourselves. My grandpa did not want to admit that others around him knew better than he. Unfortunately, most of us do not take up my grandfather's attitude. Most of us, myself included, do not want to admit we do not know the answers. We do not want to admit we are inadequate. People do need to be more submission, even if we think we have all the answers, we must be willing to accept the fact that we could be wrong.

When situations come in life, often it's the attitude,motive, and actions that determine the outcome. Now ideas and words do matter, but to use an old saying "it's not what you say sometimes, it's how you say." We need to have a opinion of submission in all things. We need to have adapt an attitude of humility, because this is the way mankind was meant to live. Mankind was created, I believe, by a being smarter,wiser,stronger than himself. Now being the lesser is difficult at times, but having the attitude of a lesser is the way God lived, when he was he on Earth. He did not "consider equality with holiness a power to be grasped, but took the attitude of humility, being in the very nature a servant" (Phil. 2). I believe this is how we should live as humans on this earth.

Being right, is not the point of life. Getting our way is not the point in life. Life is not about me, it's about "we". I truly believe that my attitude of not wanting my way has increased my days of living on this earth. I am not overly concerned about getting my way, because I do not care. I really have enjoyed life a lot more when I am not concerned about my wants all the times. Sometimes just being humble and giving up my pride goes a long way. I would not have the relationships I have today if I did not give up and let people do what they want sometimes. We must be willing to sacrifice to truly have a life worth living. Until we learn this, I'm convinced we'll be unsatisfied and stressed.

Take a page from my grandpa and simple let the other person have their way and just be joyful to live. Joy can go a long way. Humility can go a long way. I have always found that it's more blessed to give than receive so be blessed and give of your time, and your right to always be right.

connectors

As I continue to read Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point I am inspired. The chapter I read today discussed connectors, who are people that bring people together. I was educated on how people really are connected to each other. Malcolm shares a story of how a friend conducted an experience of sending an individual letter to 160 people in Omaha,Nebraska and told them to send them as close as they could to a stockbroker in Boston,Massachusetts. Through the story it turns out that 24 of the letters made the trek all the way and the letters all were given by three common individuals- Mr.Jones, Mr. Brown, Mr. Jacobs. Gladwell calls this the "law of the few".

He conducts tests like this all over America, but he has come to find that some people have a knack for remember people and knowing people. He discusses how "connectors" remember names better and longer. He tells of how some people just know everyone. He runs tests of a list of last names and sometimes the "connectors" can match the names, of faces, of up to 90%. Some people just are amazing with people. It's as if they were designed to meet and greet. As if something within them focuses them to be a people-person and to love all kinds of people, know matter what social class they are in.

This a talent that few people have, but I believe this is probably one of my talents. As I think about my life I have fell in love with all types of people. I am impressed by the white and blue collars of the world. I'm interested in discovering all types of new environments, cultures, and ideas. I have traveled all across this nation and to other nations, such as Israel, Turkey, Egypt, Greece, Italy, and Austria. I am about to live in Togo, Africa and visit Morocco. I feel like I was built to connect people. I have worked job that travel all over the states and spent time in all parts of the world. I love people whatever I go.

Now, I write this, because I want us to all be "connectors" if we are Christians. Christians and all humans, are meant to be relational and to be all about the people. After graduating from Harding I realized that I have left a large group of friends,professors, and family that I will miss dearly, yet I am excited to continue to meet and greet new faces. God has created me to be all about people; my prayer is all people will learn to value relationships as I have come to value them and ultimately as God has created us to value them.

As much as

Confidence in yourself is a must-have.

I see the ads on TV for “must-have” items and they usually are for some knife that cuts through a shoe and I mean you got to have that. How could you live without a knife that can cut through a shoe? A “must-have” item in life is confidence in you. Without confidence in you, you die or at least you walk around dead. When I say “dead” I mean you have no real way of happiness or joy. However, I used to view this philosophy of walking “joyfully” as a worldly answer. I should not live for joy. I should have live to please my own happiness. However, I picked up my Bible the other night and I was reading Philippians and Paul said something like this “take care of others AS MUCH AS yourself...” Wait a minute?

Paul is saying I must take care of myself. That is lost in my philosophy. Part of taking care of me is having confidence. I “must-have” confidence in myself or I will not be about to take care of others. If I’m here to serve God and others, THEN I must take care of myself first or AS MUCH AS. Science comes to mind when I heard an IF.THEN statement and life sometimes is as simple as science, math, equations, and formulas. I wish I could simple get this equation memorized. If I do not memorize this one, I will never LIVE. PERIOD.

MEMORIZE THIS EQUATION: CONFIDENCE = GOD LOVES YOU.

Now as I flip a few pages through my Bible I read in 1 Timothy “for God did not give us a timid heart”. I should not live in fear or insecurity. I turn to Hebrews to read this, “approach God’s throne with CONFIDENCE”. God wants us to come to him in confidence and God wants us to live with CONFIDENCE.

TO WALK WITH CONFIDENCE.

“to not be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ”.

Paul even says “I am nothing without Christ”. Paul says “I’m the worst of sinners”. I, too, am a sinner. However, I also hurt God when I live a timid life, when I live in fear of others, when I walk in shame, and when I live WITHOUT confidence in me.

When Peter walks out on the water he wants to be like Jesus. He is being a good disciple. A disciple “DOES WHAT THE RABBI DOES”. Peter is doing right. He walks on water as Jesus does. Then Peter sees the wind and waves and doubts HIMSELF. Jesus asks him “why did you doubt?” Jesus is saying PETER DON”T DOUBT YOURSELF I HAVE FAITH IN YOU. I love the fact we have faith in God, but guess what? God has faith in YOU and ME and US. God calls us to be his disciple and “DO WHAT HE DOES”.

THAT IS WHERE CONFIDENCE COMES FROM. Confidence comes from being a follower of Christ.

"FOR WE KNOW AND RELY ON THE LOVE GOD HAS FOR US." John 4:16

The last two weeks

Tonight as I rest and relax in the comfort of my own home I am at peace. Recently, as in the past 24 hours, I have graduated from college and taken a 14 hour road trip home to visit my friends that helped mold me into the young man I am today. Life can be pretty overwhelming at times and as I sat through my graduating yesterday I hardly felt that it was real. I felt as if I was in a dream and I was going to wake up from it soon. The past two weeks have blur of packing for Africa, studying for final exams, and writing papers. Also during the past two weeks I said farewell to my best friends, who consist of professors, roommates, and family members. The weeks were exhausting and stressful, yet joyful and inspiring. I spent many hours researching the purposes for the Gospel of Mark, post-modernism, and Luke's view of reversal theology. This moments were stressful yet I was inspired by the lessons I learned as I wrote my thoughts down on paper. Also I felt a sense of joy as I walked across the stage to receiver my degree in the college of Bible and Religion from Harding University. I have loved my life to this point and everything in my past two weeks have been a summary of my life thus far. I have worked, studied, laughed, cried, and wrote my thoughts on paper, to be read by friends in my life. Now it so happens that the past two weeks I have been working on writing the story of the end of my college life. Some say the college years are the "best years of your life", but I sorely disagree. I have only just begun my story and I will continue to write my story as I travel to Togo, Africa this summer and then start graduate school in the fall in Memphis, Tennessee. I have to embrace by new experiences lately, such as graduating college and saying goodbye to my extremely cute girlfriend, and I have many new experiences to look forward to, such as graduate school and interning in Africa. Yet, life is constantly moving and I can't wait to keep writing my story.