Lincoln, NE

After those acid trip sunsets, that’s the thing about Lincoln that rocked my world. That you can’t really mess up too badly. You can marry too young, get a terrible tattoo or earn $12,000 a year, and the sky will not necessarily fall. The housing is too cheap and the folks are too kind for it to be otherwise. Moreover, when you live underneath a sky that big, it’s hard to take yourself too seriously. Its storms have a way of sweeping into town and jolting your life into perspective. That jolt was Lincoln’s gift to me. It comes in handy every day.

Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/Lincoln-Nebraska-Home-on-the-Prairie.html#ixzz1biya2pJ7

This article was in the Smithsonianmag.org and if you have a few minutes, I recommend reading it.  It made me proud; it made me sad.  I think you’ll like it.

Hitchhiking

The act of hitchhiking has nearly disappeared in America.  You can drive from Los Angeles to New York without seeing a single person "thumbing a ride" on the side of the road.  I ask the question, why is that?

Let's be honest, we all wish that we lived in a world where anybody was trustworthy enough to give you a ride somewhere.  It was not long ago that America was a country where hitchhikers were commonly seen.  What is the cultural shift that makes the "art" of hitchhiking nearly extinct?

Before I ask any questions, I'd like to share my personal experiences.  

In 2006 I started a social experiment.  I wanted to see if hitchhiking was a lost art, or if it was still alive in the world.  To start, I decided to hitchhike to class every morning.  I lived 1.5 miles from campus and it saved me money if I didn't pay for parking.  Biking was an option, but my bike was impounded by the city after parking illegally in front of a fraternity, so every morning I would start the walk to school, and usually within 5 minutes, I would be picked up by someone heading the same way (I always had my thumb in the air).  On various occasions, nobody would pick me up, and I would find myself on campus after walking the whole distance (only 20 minutes).

I decided to take this experiment outside of Nebraska, so in 2009 I hitch-hiked in Mexico, in 2010 I picked up a ride in Washington DC, and in 2011 in Michigan.  The story across North America is consistent: in 5-20 minutes someone will always pick you up.

The question is this: is it safe?

There must be horror stories.  I invite anyone to share a personal experience of either themselves or someone they know that was personally injured or wronged in this practice, but I would venture to guess that most of the prejudice against hitchhiking stems from fear and speculation.  In my experience (and reason would tend to agree), the people driving by you are a subset of the population.  They are just going from A to B, and they are just as likely to be looking for a fight as you are.  This always gives me a sense of security.  The "bad-guys" who would be looking for a chance to harm me are probably not driving down the road thinking, "Gee, I wish a hitchhiker would present himself so that I could steal all his money."

That being said, the question can be turned around.  Is it safe to pick up hitch-hikers? 

Again, my experiences tell me that it is safe, but in this arena, i would understand a slight hesitancy.  The person thumbing the ride is doing the act pre-meditated.  This means that if they had the motive for evil, they would be able to set the stage appropriately and disguise it in innocence.  For that reason, I understand a person who passes by me (as I'm hitch-hiking) without stopping.  

I could elaborate on this subject for hours as I find it both fascinating and highly revealing of today's culture and society.  However, I am very interested to hear what others think.  If you have a different experience, or if you want to challenge any of my comments, I fully encourage it.  Leave a comment if you want to join in on the discussion.

Until next time, happy trails.

Legacy

Think Different Campaign (Apple - 1997)

Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes.The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They invent. They imagine. They heal.They explore. They create. They inspire. They push the human race forward. Maybe they have to be crazy. How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art? Or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written? Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels? We make tools for these kinds of people.While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. 
Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.
Think Different. Apple.

Financial freedom

Here is a thought for the night.  Freedom can be thought of as "unfettered by constraints".  This is a useful definition when you think of what Matthew says: "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."  So if your treasures are tied up in assets (house, car, hobby, etc...) you will find your heart is tied up in those things too.

Now consider the command that Christ claimed was the FIRST and FOREMOST: "Love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, and mind."

Can you claim that you love the Lord with ALL of your HEART?

Where are your treasures?

When you have extra money, do you store up eternal wealth, or earthly wealth?

When you have free time, do you spend it pursuing God, or on Facebook/TV/books/etc?

To bring this full circle, if your wealth is tied up in assets, or if your heart is attached to temporary treasures, then you will never be free.  Your heart will be inextricably tied to this world.

WAKE UP!

What is needed in your life to wake you up?  Like a stack of books thrown to the floor wakes a sleeping student, I have been thrown from the status quo.  What will it take to move you?

We are called to step into the impossible, knowing that until we attempt to live in a way that requires God to come through for us, we are likely to stay on this side of normal.  I don't know about you, but I am not content with normal.

If you were aware that your neighbor across the street was suffering from starvation, because he could not afford a meal, would you not rush to his house with a loaf of bread and peanut-butter?

If it came to your attention that the child across your street was walking to school through the cold winter without a coat (while your children had three each), would you not rush to deliver a warm coat to that home?

It has been brought to my attention that in India millions of children are suffering under living conditions absolutely too horrendous to comprehend.  The woman in the picture below is a Dalit.  She lives at the bottom of society in India, which means her only means of income to ward of starvation and homelessness is to clean human feces from a non-existant sewer system.  (Don't look too closely, unless you want to have your heart broken for this woman.)  This is the future that Dalit children have to look forward to:

If you were given the opportunity to help children out of this oppression, would you accept?

I have been given that opportunity, and you had better believe I said "YES!"

We work for SpringHill Camps, and our mission is to create EXPERIENCES which enable children to KNOW and GROW in their relationship with Jesus Christ.  It is with that set of skills, and with that passion for kids to know their worth, that Liz and I partner with Granger Community Church to take the message of the cross to Kalavai, India.  We aim to partner with the local body of believers and train the leaders in how to create those same experiences for their children all year long.  Our goal, which is too big to accomplish on our own, is to help this village and its children, see their worth.

But I don't want to go it alone!  I want to take as many people through this journey with me as I can.  If you long to be a part of changing the HOPES & DREAMS of these Dalit children, the Scriptures promise that where your treasures lie, your heart will be also.  As I'm building this team of supporters, I ask you to consider joining me through prayer and support.

We leave in December, but before that, I need to buy a plane ticket, and get shots, and all of this costs money.  Thanks to Al Gore, it is easier than ever to give. You can go to GCC's Support Page, create an account (very easy), and you're set.  If you'd rather a simpler method, you can use Paypal through THIS LINK.  In either case, you MUST indicate Jay Taylor or Liz Taylor for the funds to be allocated properly.

My prayer is that you research more into the work the Lord is doing in India.  To aid you in your quest, I've included a few links for you to look at, if you have the time.  Thank you for your contributions, your time to read all of this, and your love for the Lord.  Happy reading...

Dalit Freedom Network - an organization building schools for Dalit children.

Kalavai video - a village transformed by GCC through planting a church and starting small businesses.

Life Mission International - the church planting organization working in partnership with GCC.

National Geographic - a gripping article on the oppression still present in the defunct caste system.

Hopes and Dreams

There is a quote in a DC Talk song that goes something like this: "The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is CHRISTIANS who acknowledge God with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle."

I've been on a kick lately trying to figure out what discipline looks like.

I've been talking about living simply, seizing every moment to experience God, and on occasion to stop caring so deeply about the world.

Let me delve slightly deeper into the thoughts going through my head lately, and then share a very exciting new development in my life.

1. God is ALWAYS at work around you!  I mention this in an earlier post (CLICK HERE).
2. To experience God you must daily place yourself in the middle of the impossible, knowing that you are completely in need of His intervention. (Step out in faith into areas that ONLY God can pull it off.)
3. Be prepared to make MAJOR ADJUSTMENTS to your life in order to follow God's will. 
4. If you believe that nothing significant can happen through you, you have said more about your belief in God than about yourself.
5. God is not our servent.  He does not make adjustments to our plans.  We are HIS servants, and we must adjust our lives to what HE is about to do.

If you've ever taken part in the study "Experiencing God" you might recognize these points.  If not, I recommend it.  As I work my way through each of the exercises and pray through each of the questions, I am challenged at my own disbelief.  God, help my unbelief.

So what is the exciting new development?  Maybe I'll save it for next time...

The Things We Leave Behind

I was in Canada for my grandfather's memorial service.  He passed away on September 13th, and the whole family made the drive from Nebraska to Ontario to celebrate his life.  It was evident throughout the whole weekend that he was a loved and esteemed man.  One person spoke of his faithful prayer life, while another spoke of his heart for the lost.  One mentioned his courage as a tribal missionary, while another mentioned his faithful care for his wife through Alzheimer's  and cancer.

I was impacted by a different fact.

When he passed away, the only items that he left behind were able to be packed into a single car.

This man lived simply.

I don't, but I want to.