Home...alone.

My family is currently spread across three continents. I am blessed to be holding down the fort (i.e. watering the flowers, mowing the lawn, and chasing the dogs) in Milford, IN. It's 92 degrees and 46% humidity today, yet each member of my family is probably dealing with more of each.

It is humbling to write that my family is all over the world. I realize we are very fortunate to be able travel, see, and experience so much. I understand that many cannot do the same (or maybe have no desire). But, I know that through these experiences we have been changed a lot. We have seen poverty, hunger, filth, hurt, and sin all over the world. Likewise, we have seen beautiful mountains, gorgeous lakes, endearing smiles, hopeful energy, and Christ at work.

We've seen joy. We've seen sadness. All of these things have affected the way we view the world and the way we view people. These experiences have affected the way we view our neighbor.

Hopefully, we will never take for granted these experiences or begin to feel entitled. I know that I am grateful.

If you get a chance today, pray for my family. You can check in to see how things are going in the Dominican Republic and Nepal/Bangladesh at the sites below:

Kory, Alison, Mom, and Dad
Kalyn Marie

May every experience you have to see more of the world alter the way you view your world, your neighbor, your family, your life.

C&U: Eastern University

Photo courtesy of Vernetta Mickey's Picasa Web Album

Eastern University is located just outside of Philadelphia in St. Davids, PA. Talk about a unique looking campus. I'm sitting* in the "Student Union" which holds the dining commons, coffee shop, post office, campus ministries offices, and several classrooms. This place is an old Mansion donated by a man back in the middle part of the 20th century. Old buildings everywhere. All of them made of stone. Sports fields are tucked in between buildings, ponds, hills, and trees. At this time of year, it's quite beautiful.

Eastern is known for its commitment to social justice. Its students have gone out to make incredible differences in the world in the name of Jesus. Shane Claiborne, author of Irresistible Revolution and Jesus for President, is most notable. Speaker and author Tony Campolo has been a faculty member at Eastern for quite some time and is well known for speaking out on controversial evangelical issues.

All that to say, Eastern is a cool place. If you're on campus, talk to some students. You're likely to see a student walking around barefoot. Ask them why? It was intriguing. Or you might see a student that just got back from downtown Philadelphia. You're likely to see students from all over the world. Eastern is a school with a history that has lent itself to vast influence. They truly push students to move beyond themselves. It's a cool place.**

*I wrote most of this like 6 months ago and am actually sitting Payne's.
**I'm done with my thesis and am therefore going to, occasionally, write some stuff here.

The College Series

I've been sitting on my haunches trying to determine if I wanted to write anything on here related to what I've been thinking. Truth is, my mind has been on overdrive the past month or so. The problem is that I've had little time to parse through the meanderings of my brain which, unfortunately, can leave me numb at times.

So, for now, I decided to start a series about all the colleges and universities that I've visited (or want to visit). I am in the latter half of a masters program in higher education and student development at Taylor University. As I've done some recruiting for our program, I've realized how few people realize what this type of degree prepares one for. Well, my pad answer for why I do it is: "I just wanted the opportunity to invest in the lives of young people who are at a key crossroads in life."

The truth is that I just like college campuses. I just never want to leave them. (Slight exageration). But, they are unique places. They are alive with energy, promise, hope, and spirit. That's the positive side. They are also alive with lots of problems. Who ever thought of the experiment that would throw thousands of 18-22 year olds into a medium sized city, with minimal rules, and less rule enforcement to fend for themselves. If you think about it long enough, it's crazy!

But, it's also the reality. It's my desire to step alongside students who are asking questions of meaning, identity, purpose, future, justice, forgiveness, hope, reconciliation, truth, etc.

This series, however, will simply highlight certain institutions and some things I've discovered while I've been there.

prayer + distraction

"When he was on the faculty at Yale, Henri Nouwen converted a walk-in clothes closet into a prayer closet. 'The simple fact that I'm in the closet means I'm praying,' he said. 'I might have a thousand things to think about while I'm in there, but the fact that I'm sitting in the this physical place means I'm praying. I force myself to stay there for fifteen minutes. I do my best to center my mind and clear it of distracting thoughts and get down to prayer, but if after fifteen minutes I haven't been entirely successful, I say, "Lord this was my prayer, even all this confusion. Now I'm going back to the world" ' ". (Yancey, 2007, Prayer)

I love this quote from Nouwen because I think it hits home with each of us, at least those of us who struggle, at times, with prayer. Do we give God space to speak? Do we step into a quiet place (in heart, mind, and location) in order to be with God? These are good questions, but they don't necessarily mean "results" (whatever results in prayer means).

5 year old Eduardo can teach us a lot about prayer. He just did it. Whenever and wherever he was.

The best part about Nouwen's explanation of his prayer time is that he offers up his confusion as prayer.

Sometimes I hear people saying that their thoughts in prayer seem to easily wander. They say that distraction in prayer runs wild. While I think there is something to say for being focused and setting our mind on Christ while praying, I also think there is something to say for letting your mind and thoughts wander. This may well be where God is taking you (obviously, there are holes in the argument if your thoughts are taking you to crazy places).

But, why not offer these "thoughts" as prayers. Learn to pray through your thoughts. Learn to let the "mess in your mind" be a sacrifice to God.

Don't let distraction lure you away from the chance to surrender that distraction as a prayer.

Are you confused yet? Then pray...confused.

are they back?

Only time will tell, but this highlight excites me about the possibility of things to come. Oh, what a little music and solid video editing can do.

Chicago (3): Life that is truly life & 1 Timothy 6:17-19

A house we helped rennovate, to be used to raise funds for a local Christian school.

In my previous Chicago posts, I've been reminded that God desires to respond to the needs in our world, but he has decided to respond through his people (his sovereignty plus our frailty make that seem kind of crazy, but it's true). That excites me...and makes me feel a bit overwhelmed at times.

So, what is one way that we are to respond? A couple simple words found in 1 Timothy challenge our motives and thoughts as we consider this question.

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

Some questions stemming from this passage...

Who are the rich in this present world?
Are we putting any of our hope in wealth?
Do we believe God provides us with everything for our enjoyment?
Are we truly generous and willing to share? Everything?
Are we taking hold of the life that is truly life? Do we believe that life is as good as promised?

You see, I was convinced after spending time in this passage in Chicago, that 1 Timothy 6:17 is speaking directly to us. We quickly say that can't be us...but what does it mean to be wealthy? A thought...being broke does not equal being poor. I am not saying that the current financial struggles of so many in America are not serious issues, but the reality is that many of us still have relative wealth (maybe easy for me to say, I know).

A challenge to our view of wealth. Here are some things that make me wealthy, that may be a bit contrary to our normal view of wealth:

• Education
• Health
• Options
• Stability
• Sense of hope
• Past experience
• Friends
• English
• Literacy
• Network
• Spiritual Life

I have these things...even if I lose all my money. Specifically, my faith in Jesus provides a hope and life that so many don't have. But, the most interesting one to me was the network that I have (and the network that many of you have). Think about the people you know. The doctors. The teachers. The businessmen. The construction workers. The financial advisers. If you have a question about how to get something accomplished (i.e. how to do taxes), you probably have someone you can ask.

My point: Our network, in a serious sense, makes us wealthy. The exciting thing relating to the command in the passage in 1 Timothy to be "generous and willing to share" is that we can share these other aspects of our wealth. We can share our NETWORK. We can creatively connect those who have less wealth with people in our network who can help them. If we can't help them, we probably know someone who can. Our network is just one example. Think about how you can give away these other things in your life. We were created with spiritual gifts...for the good of others (1 Corinthians 12). This applies to EVERYTHING we have. How can you share your gift of English with someone else?

Bottom line: Around 40% of the world lives on $2 or less per day. The fact remains that we have to be out interacting with the world (everyone in the world) to have chances to make these connections. We have to connect in relationship with people who are different from us.

How can I embrace the life that is truly life by sharing generously ALL that the Lord has blessed me with? How does being wealthy affect my spiritual life? Questions I'm pondering. What are your thoughts?

Many of these thoughts come straight from Joel Hamernick with my interpretation.

To Gram: A Tribute

While my Great Grandmother may never read this, I must pay her tribute on this, my blog. My voice to masses. About 2 weeks ago my family trekked over to Grabill, IN, home of the Leo Lions as well as several of my dear family and friends.

Our purpose was clear and simple: Hang out with the coolest 93 year old woman on the planet!

Gram Wisner, or "Gram" as we like to call her, has something special about her that just makes you want to sit down and shoot the breeze. I've found myself wondering where the time went as I sat in her sun porch watching the birds and talking about life for several hours. Gram was born in 1905 (or thereabouts). Despite the passing of many years, Gram has a unique ability to relate to people where they are. She is sincerely interested in what I'm doing. She genuinely cares. Often, she'll just laugh at all the travels we're doing or the new gadgets we use. But, she has the ability to remember and care about you. She wants to know what you've been up to, and she's usually just filling in the gaps of things she has remembered so vividly.
So, here are my 10 favorite things about Gram:

1. She loves to laugh.
2. She loves sports.
3. She's gorgeous.
4. She dresses to kill.
5. She loves head rubs (so do I!)
6. She's got a great, witty sense of humor.
7. She loves food.
8. She loves her family.
9. She's lived well through adversity
10. She loves God.

You know those people in your life that you might often take for granted. Sometimes, I feel like I do that to Gram. I don't want to. I can't help but think back to my heritage and realize that she's a big part (directly and indirectly) of shaping me to be the person I am.

Here come the Irish...

It's that time again. And, today, I sat on my own couch and watched the Irish trudge their way to an ugly win. Now, I'm not a guy who's gonna sit here and overanalyze the, for the most part, ugliness that we saw today, but I am going to answer the question my roommate (Ben) asked me today.

Kyle, why do you love Notre Dame football so much?

I hate to say that I love Notre Dame football but the sad reality is that I really really like this program. Some of my earliest childhood memories consist of sunny afternoons with my dad, brother, or other buddies on one of the most beautiful campuses in the world. The University of Notre Dame is truly a unique place. Many will say this, but I've felt it and I love it. The SEC may boast the rowdiest fans or the craziest tailgate parties, but nothing compares to the tradition experienced at Notre Dame. I know, they are sort of the Yankees of college football, and I certainly don't care to convince you, or anyone else, to like this team, but they have this reputation for a reason.
Great coaches. Great players. Great movie(s). They graduate players. They paint diagonal lines in the endzone. They wear the same gold pants and helmets every year. No names on the jerseys. Well spoken kids. Many years of all of this. I live an hour from South Bend and I can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday.

Granted, sometimes this program represents a lack of priorities for a university. Or they handle a situation immorally. Or its fans are a little overconceited. This, I understand.

But, I still like this team a lot. I just do. You probably won't convince me otherwise.

Enjoy the Fall, whomever you like or don't like.

"Nothing matters...

...in this life accept for relationships. And a relationship Jesus Christ is the most important of them all."

This was something that Will Franklin Chapman shared at his sister's funeral. He was the one who was driving the car that tragically killed his little sister. In the middle of this intensely painful time, this was his conclusion about life. Nothing too deep. But actually, it might be the most central reality of all.

I know that I have to be reminded of this daily. As I feverishly work toward a Masters degree, I must remember what it's about. As I wake up in the morning with a list of tasks to accomplish, I must remember what those tasks need to be about. As I sit here typing on a computer, I must remember that relationships, most notably with Jesus, is what this life is all about. How sad we would be if we ventured through life and looked back only to say, "I spent way too much time worrying about stuff to do and things to accomplish."

Relationships. This is where we must center our lives. Can we lose focus in relationships? Yes. Can we be involved in unhealthy relationships? Yes. Can we mess up in relationships? Yes. But still, it is in these that true life can be had.

Portions of the memorial service can be viewed here. Also, a friend showed me this sweet site about adoption called Shaohannah's Hope. It's well worth checking out. I believe adoption has to be something that Christians are aware of and potentially involved with in some way or another. A good way to start is to understand more about the process.

Maria Chapman's Family Speaks Out

I just finished watching the first interview since Maria Chapman's tragic death by Good Morning America's Robin Roberts since. An album by Steven Curtis Chapman was the first I ever owned (a cassette tape), and while you may not love his musical style, he has lived a life boldly, honestly, and courageously for Jesus Christ in front of an audience of thousands. Already having three children of their own, he and his wife have adopted 3 Chinese girls, and they are champions for adoption all around the world. It is so cool to see the compassion and love they have for their children. Maria was a beautiful girl and her story just hit me harder than most tragedies.

Check out the interview here. It's worth 10 minutes. Watch for the unique perspective, albeit honest, that these people possess.

Also, his most recent hit song, "Cinderella", was written for his 3 adopted daughters and it means something wholly different since his youngest died.



"We grieve with hope."
"That's what faith is. It's living with the questions."