So at lunch today, I pull up at a stoplight behind this guy in a pickup. Next to him is a guy in a smaller car, and I notice they are arguing through their windows. Of course I don't think much of it. It's Dallas and traffic is crazy as usual. People have road rage. But then, the yelling escalates and before I know it, the pickup guy reaches in his back seat, pulls out a box of pizza, and starts launching slices into the other guy's car. You just can't make stuff like this up...

...that I wonder why on earth I have a ski jacket in my closet and it's 105 degrees outside
...that I am reminded of the importance of your actions mirroring your words
...that I question way too many things for my own good
...that I decide to make breakfast a more important part of my day (and tomorrow, we'll have waffles!)
...that I can't always explain how I feel
...that I am so thankful for good roommates and people that go out of their way to help others
...that I do still hope for that 'happy ending'
...that I would like to go on a roadtrip
...that I regret having fear and uncertainty
...that I am excited about painting, painting, and more painting
...that I know where to turn for the answers when I have none
...that I understand how important boundaries are yet don't always know how to set them
...that I can't wait to see what a certain newphew of mine will grow up to be
...that I need to listen more
...that I miss old friends
...that in a few short moments, life can change dramatically, for better or for worse (no pun intended Katy!)
...that it kills me to sit at a desk all day doing nothing
...that I'm an incredibly confusing individual
...that an early evening run can solve a lot of stress and provide a much needed escape
...that the ways of the world are unfair and wrong
...that it only takes ice cream going on sale to get me excited
...that I discover that the back glass window of my car does indeed open separately from the back door (just push the button underneath)
...that life has a lot of ups and a lot of downs, but we get through it one way or the other...

Hmmm... just some random verses from a few songs all jumbled together... seems odd, but hey, I didn't write them. I just find them interesting...

And all these lines fall short of what I had in mind,
A failed attempt to capsulize a feeling,
So I just try, fail and try and try again,
Someday I swear I'm going to get it,
Because I'm convinced that giving in is the worst thing there is...

We'll get over it,
Sad, strong, safe, and sober,
We'll move forward
And know where we went wrong,
But you can't go home again,
You can't go home again...

Taken in context, It's not a bad thing,
But when you start to pick it apart,
It gets depressed, It's that sort of thing,
That makes you think too much, It's that sort of thing...

Hmmm... What has happened since Honduras....? Well, let me tell you....

*fun birthday weekend with the parents
*girl's overnight camping trip at a local state park
*a new freelance assignment in Irving that might have future potential
*an Acappella concert at PC
*working on and presenting a video to the congregation on our Honduras trip
*my first viewing of Goonies at Victory park
*packing up my apartment

What's to come?

*signing a new lease and moving next week
*a weekend in Abilene with Wyatt Cody and his parents
*an interest meeting/dinner for a Kenyan street ministry
*White Rock or not?
*a possible trip to the Gila

Sounds promising...

Before leaving for this trip, I finished reading Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. (A must read.) Much of what Shane has to say in his book coincides with thoughts I have after seeing so much poverty in Honduras. Below are two quotes from the book that really hit home to me. What are we doing to love our neighbors?

"Two guys were talking to each other, and one of them says he would like to ask God why he allows poverty, war, and suffering to exist in the world. And his friend says, 'Well, why don't you ask?' The fellow shakes his head and says he is scared. When asked why, he mutters, 'I'm scared God will ask me the same question, for when I think about it, I can hear God whispering to me, 'You tell me why we allow these things to exist. You are my body, my hands, my feet.'"

"God did not mess up and make too many people and not enough 'stuff'. Poverty was created not by God but by you and me, because we have not learned to love our neighbors as ourselves."

One of the first things that hit all 65 of us travelers upon arrival in Teguc was how great the language barrier would be. I don't think any of us anticipated just how little we would recall from high school Spanish classes and how that would affect communication for the week. But in one of our first devos of the week, we were all reminded how far reaching a smile can be. For there are no boundaries with our tones of voice, our attitudes, and our actions. We soon discovered that much can be said without using words.

The children of Honduras were the highlight of the trip for me. We were able to visit an orphanage outside the city in the beautiful countryside and spend the afternoon with 86 boys who had been abandoned or given up by their parents. Also at the building site each day, many children came to help us and be around us as we worked on the house. They were so excited to play with bubbles, coloring books, and learn the game of 'Tag'. It was true joy to see their faces light up around total strangers that could barely ask their names.

Then there are the people at Baxter, the preaching institute where we stayed. Within an hour of our arrival, I had 'amigas en la cocina', the ladies who cooked for us all week. I was also able to meet a beautiful family (Sebastian, Rachel, and Hadid) who were students at Baxter. It was a great blessing to encounter these Christian brothers and sisters each day and be reminded that there are warriors for the Lord in such faraway places.

"Missions are less about the transportation of God from one place to another and more about the identification of a God who is already there. See God where others don't. And then you point him out. Be more like a tour guide. We don't take Jesus to people who don't have him, we just point out to the people a God who is already present in their midst." -Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis

And I believe that as we point out God to these people, we are able to glimpse His love just as much through them...