ON THINGS CHANGING FAST

Twelve months ago, I was in New York with only the vaguest sense of where I’d wind up or what I'd be doing over the next year. 2017 looked like making plans based on little certainty, where faith and big dreams meet patience, putting in the work, and keeping joyful.

I spent a lot of the early months in contemplation, and those practices were so good for me.

Two months later I joined the Plant With Purpose team and made the move from Oregon to San Diego. So many things I hoped for were suddenly coming together all at once.

Quiet started to turn into hustle. It became too easy to focus on things that were yet to be accomplished.

My trip to Asia reminded me that taking things one day at a time was not only important, but it made everything more beautiful. More enjoyable.

Some things can change in an instant. For better. For worse. 2017 made that clear in both directions. But that only makes it more important to be patient with the things that take a lot more time and effort, to treat every day like its own journey, and not just a link in a long chain.

That was my year, at least, and I think I’m better for it.

ON THE PEOPLE AND THE FOREST

They could’ve spent this day working on their gardens and forest protection. After all, their gardens and forests are the source of their livelihood and every day that they’re able to work is critical. Instead, they spent the day all gathered together, waiting and taking turns to tell me their stories until we all got lunch together. I can’t overlook how generous they were with their day, and I want to make sure their stories are heard.

I always thought of environmental issues as noble, but they never struck me with the same oomph as human rights issues… but spending time in villages like Huay Lu helps me to realize that they are one and the same.

Most of the people I spoke to that day were originally from Myanmar. As a persecuted minority, many of them had to make dangerous and risky escapes into Thailand. That transition was just as challenging at times, especially when timber businesses had begun to extract the forest that they relied on for resources and survival.

Learning how to manage the forest as a community was the key to their survival, and person after person brought out their grandchildren and told me how they felt hopeful that this next generation would never know the terrible things they’d experienced in their lifetime.

That moment redefined sustainability for me. It’s not just “going green” cause that’s a good thing to do. It’s about living beyond yourself, for generations to come.

ON LOVE & ATTENTION

Today we saw Lady Bird and loved it. "Don’t you think they are the same thing? Love and attention?" Giving sincere attention to the world and the people around us gives us the space where we can love.
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Usually, this is the time of year when my ideas start racing for new projects and challenges to take on in the next year. Now I find myself thinking, "I just don't want to miss it." I'll probably seek to scale a lot of things back just to give more room to dive deep into the things right in front of me.

ON PASSPORT STAMPS

A happy retirement to this dear friend. Thailand/Malaysia marks the last trip I'll be able to take on my current passport. It's technically got two years left before expiring, but its beat up binding and lack of blank pages put me at risk of not being let in some countries.

It's kind of sad. I've had this passport since 2009, and that's the perfect window for it to tell the story of my most important journeys.

They're all here:

🇮🇹 🇦🇷 - My student visas to Argentina and Italy that left me with a lifelong desire to be a global citizen

🇿🇦 - My entry to South Africa that forever changed my perspective on helping others.

🇪🇺 🇫🇷 🇬🇧 🇧🇪 - The first trip I took with Deanna internationally around Europe.

🇵🇭 🇵🇭 - A pair of stamps from the Philippines- from the time I took her to meet my grandma in '14 and my grandma's memorial service last year.

🇹🇿 🇹🇭 - My first visits to Plant With Purpose's field programs this year.

Sometimes it seems like the world is in pretty poor shape, but each of these journeys remind me of all the good that's out there in people around the world. It's a good worth fighting for.

There's a miserable stat of more than half of Congress not owning a passport. But that's also a clear area for improvement. If you're gonna change the world, you've gotta make an effort to go and meet the world.

Of course, travel is a privilege. But it's one opportunity I don't think should be squandered by those who have it.

Hopefully my next passport arrives quickly. There are more stories to be lived and big shoes to fill.

ON DREAMS COMING REAL

I've long had this fantasy of visiting Vietnam just for the street food. Like, it comes with a mental image of sitting outside with a couple bowls of pho or something just eating streetside at night- not too unlike those pics of Anthony Bourdain and Obama a while back.

Flash ahead to the other week. Tui, our Thai director took me out for dinner in a quiet part of town with food carts and light traffic. He ordered me everything he thought I needed to taste and we sat outside at night enjoying it all. There it was. Street food. Thai traffic. Carts. Steel table. Just sitting, tasting, being. It wasn't Vietnam but the image almost matched.

It's crazy having not just dreams, but full on visual imagery come true. There's no doubt that my life is an absolute gift.

I love moments like this, and yet the parts that make me the happiest are some of the simplest- a good God, a loving wife, a fluffy Beignet. It's all good.

Happy Thanksgiving from Southeast Asia.

ON MAKING IT WORK

Obviously, I love travel and other cultures. It’s kind of how I ended up doing what I do. Deanna’s interest in it is a lot less than my own, and when it comes to work, being a social worker is a pretty location-dependent kinda gig. It’s probably one of our bigger differences.

Sometimes it seems like the easier thing would be for one of us to totally give up our path, but in the long run, that’s not what’s best for us as a people or as a unit. This difference is wired into our own purpose.

When you're with someone, learning to appreciate your differences and make them work out while sharing a life is probably one of the more challenging things. But it's a process, and if you're willing to put in the work while being patient, there's a lot of reward. 

It’s still challenging, but, we’ve gotten a lot better at making it work over time. Between clarifying expectations, defining our priorities as a unit, and genuinely wanting what’s best for each other, every episode of travel reveals a little bit more about what works and what doesn’t work. And over 2.5 years, I can confidently say that our ability to communicate and problem-solve has gotten better and better.

ON THE NEXT ADVENTURE

Here's to that next adventure.

Here's to the string of flights to get to where you need to be. The people you'll run into along the way. The swim holes you'll strip down for and the nights out you'll suit up for.

Here's to the bright lights of a foreign metro, or and the dim home lamps of a rural village. Here's to every flavor of every bite of every unfamiliar dish you'll come across.

Here's to the unlikely souvenir. The crumpled ticket stub in a pocket. The scuff mark from a subway platform. The bruise from the thing you did that hits the perfect balance between kinda dumb and still worth it.

Here's to the train cars, hillsides, Irish pubs, and rooftops that will host your next breakthrough epiphany. The subtle sacredness of an unexpected holy site.

Here's to going, looking to consume minimal materials, but to drink in new, diverse perspectives from the tap. To going in with a whole heart and open hands, humbly wondering what you have to offer back to the world.

Here's to experience, belonging, and purpose. And always going where the love is.

ON CREATIVITY & COMPASSION

Live compassionately, live creatively, and you’ll be the sort of person the world really needs right now.

Every time I see somebody who defies living by “the template” in order to make compassion a priority, I’m reminded of how much an impact that sort of person usually has without even realizing it. It makes me want to do everything in my ability to encourage everyone to develop these two traits in whatever way that looks like in their life. It really would change the world for the better.

ON RACE & INDIVIDUALISM

At the talking-race-symposium my church held over the weekend, the facilitator explained that no matter how individualistic our culture gets, we can’t break the connection that we have to other humans. “When I walk in a room, the drums of a continent beat alongside me, slave ships sail beside me, the gold tipped pyramids rise above,” our facilitator explained.

In pretty much every Christian tradition, there’s an understanding of sin as a part of human nature. People are culpable as individuals, but they are born into a broken world where sin has already severed the way things should be– perfect relationships between and among Creator and creation. This sets up the need for redemption to be experienced both as an individual, and then as a collective.

Racism is sin, and it fits that framework to a tee. It’s frustrating then, that a lot of Christians -and others- don’t confront racism with self-examination and repentance, but with defensiveness or turning-the-other-way. What’s with the defensiveness? Perhaps it’s out of fear of upsetting folks or even losing congregants or one’s standing with a church like Robert E. Lee’s great-grandson did, but you can’t expect to be part of a following that restores the world if you can’t take the discomfort. Love crosses lines.

To me, “I’m not a racist” sounds like someone saying “I’m not a sinner.” So you haven’t murdered or scammed anyone. Great. But you were still born into a world where our nature is to put ourselves before others. So you’re not in the Klan. Great. But you were still born into a system birthed out of the idea that darker skinned people are only 3/5ths human.

Even if you haven’t committed any horrific acts, you’re still born into a broken system that takes root within you, unless you practice repentance. People are people, and it’s what we’re in need of.

ON LOVING YOUR PARTNER

You want to show the world what love looks like. You believe in loving thy neighbor, heck, you even believe in loving your enemy. You want love to be the beginning, the end, and everything in life. That is incredible. Please don’t stop.

Also remember- that starts with those closest to you. Your partner. Your family. You will never get a better chance to love your neighbor than the one you share a world with.

ON SURRENDER

I recently had a moment where I started to feel a gap in between what I had and what I wanted. I wanted to get creative and make something with a bigger impact. I wanted to be more of a connector between people. I wanted to do well at work and see a movement grow. I wanted to do well at home and catalyze a happy family.

I said a prayer that seemed to make sense. “Whatever you’ve given me, I will grow.”

What I heard back was something more along the lines of– hold up, reverse that.

I had the right idea, but the wrong roles in mind. Remembering whose hands are more capable, more in control, was a rush of freedom. “What you give to me, I will grow,” God reminded me, removed all the burdens of effort and returned all the joy of doing.

ON HOPE AND FAITH

This is from an art installation called “A Religious Experience” and I couldn’t think of a better name. To get this view exactly, I had to lie on the floor in the middle of a totally blacked out room, trace the stray beams of light to its source, flooding in from the world beyond the exhibit, in spite of its overwhelming darkness.

There’s a thin line separating the meanings of hope and faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hope seems to fluctuate, at least at a cultural, social level. Ten years ago, all kinds of organizations were opening with ‘Hope' somewhere in their names. A presidential campaign was built on hope. Smartphones, hybrids, and social media started taking off, inspiring even more hope.

Fast forward to now and optimism is a lot harder to find. New buzzwords include phrases like “what happened?” But if faith gets to work when evidence of good is unseen, these are exactly the sorts of times when its wheels are in motion.

Beyond the darkness is light that will flood through even the smallest puncture in its skin. It’s a sacred experience, and it’s one that unites hope and faith in all those who believe.

Who gets the experience? Those on the ground. Those who will stand with the most vulnerable, even while nations turn their backs and close their gates. Those who continue to give generously to the most marginalized, while we show no signs of reducing our environmental damage that affects them the most. Those who believe that all this is worthwhile, even if it doesn’t always feel like a winning battle.

They’ll see a lot of darkness, but they’ll also be the only ones to see the light that pierces through.

ON KARIBU

Don’t miss a chance to let people know how thrilled you are they exist.

Months after the fact, and years down the line, that’ll be one of the big things I’ll have remembered from Tanzania. Every single village we drove into greeted us with cheers and shouts, songs in Swahili, waving palms, signs, and homemade noisemakers. I’d never been welcomed, accepted, celebrated like that before. It was like a party around every corner.

They call it Karibu and while that word means welcome, it’s also a word I think of when I think of the type of person I’d like to be. An enthusiastic welcomer.

There are a lot of people in the world who feel unseen. Invisible. Unimportant. What difference would it make if we suddenly pulled out all the stops to make them feel like the bee-eff-dee that they really are? I’m betting it’s a big one, and we can probably have a whole lot of fun doing it.

ON OPENING TO ADVENTURE

When you open yourself up for adventure, good stories usually follow.

I'm finding out that having a life full of good stories and adventures isn't just a matter of luck or being in the right place when opportunities come up, it's more about being willing to embrace little surprises with curiosity, openness, and creativity.

Do this and the smallest everyday activities will turn into some pretty wild times. Do this often enough, and you'll start to find yourself in the path of even bigger adventures that take you to far away places and bucket list quests.

Then when you've done that often enough you'll find that those were great, but the biggest adventures were the ones you've found in relationships built along the way, or in the ones you've had all along, or in the beauty of ordinary things in a God-given life.

ON DEEP BELIEF

Some people say it doesn't matter what you believe, but I disagree. Beliefs make you. You can be open-minded to all kinds of ideas, but you should also know what you believe in.

What we’ll ultimately be remembered for will be what we’ve given our time and energy to, the way we’ve responded to life’s challenges, and the small but meaningful changes we’ve made to the world. All those things stem from what we believe in most.

If you’ve never taken a fair amount of time to think about what you believe makes the world better, what the story of everything looks like, it’s so worth it. Is power and greatness what’s important? Giving hope? Helping others?

Down that rabbit hole, I’ve play a lot of connect-the-dots, trying to make sure the my decisions make sense based on those beliefs. Beliefs shape priorities, which shape habits, and before you know it, you’ve got a legacy in the making.

These thoughts brought to you by the juice of a fresh young coconut.

ON OUR RESPONSE TO HATE

So how do you do it? How do you look at pictures from Charlottesville, the ones that remind you of the black and white ones from a textbook’s chapter on the Jim Crow South knowing that they’re actually from yesterday, shot on iPhone and uploaded to Twitter?
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It’s a reminder of all the darkness that exists in the world. The hatred we thought we graduated from, only to learn that it just lurked in the shadows. Some of us weren’t even lucky enough to have that illusion. Poverty makes people vulnerable to spiritual despair. Fear takes over people, seemingly more than ever. Racism never went away.
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I’ve never really been good at being a spectator to this kind of thing. I’m one of those types who wants to find or build a solution. Fast. Sometimes that’s a good thing, other times it’s not. It’s important to be humble enough to know you can’t do it all, but hopeful enough to know you’ve got to do your part.
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There are ways to stand against fear, hate, and poverty that don’t look like bold heroic actions, but small contributions to a better world. Going to work and giving each task my best is my part to play in fighting poverty. Cooking meals that remind me of past trips and dreaming up future ones is my way to show people the beauty of diversity and cultures. And in my house, sweet date nights and healthy conflicts disprove the myth of racism.
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These are small things for sure. But the most lasting changes are the ones built by many people doing small things.

ON WEALTH IN GIVING

What if our idea of a wealthy person wasn't somebody who had a lot of value, but instead was somebody who gave a lot away?

What if we didn't dream of properties or holdings but instead, causes we could champion, or dreams we could make happen? What if our idea of philanthropy wasn't accumulating riches and giving away leftovers but giving no matter what and seeing all growth as more opportunity to give?

This is a romantic's idea, no doubt, but it's also not out of reach. Meet an OFW from any country sending 70% of his or her income to sick family members and you'll see. Meet the dentist I learned this idea from- he grew up on a Klamath Reservation where he was immersed in this value.

There's already a bunch of people living this way who impact a bunch of lives. And I think that sounds like the cooler goal.

ON A BEGINNER'S MIND

Do you often feel like life moves too fast? That's me too, most of the time. Lately, I've been getting a lot out of the idea of having a beginner's mind.

Paul Coutinho sums it up pretty well. "It means doing things as if you were doing them for the first time. So when you eat, eat as if you were eating for the first time. When you pray, pray as if you were praying for the first time."

Turning this into habit is the hard part. But I can imagine the dilated sense of wonder you gain when you develop this approach. Everything is mind blowing, humbling, time-stopping.

ON CHARLOTTESVILLE

I went downtown for a Sunday night vigil for Charlottesville. I’m so thankful to have been a part of it. I’m thankful for the many spiritual leaders and organizations I’ve followed and served under who have spoken up. I’m a little disappointed by the ones who haven’t.

In the words of Eugene Cho, "Everyone loves the idea of reconciliation… until it involves truth-telling, confessing, repenting, dismantling, forgiving, and peacemaking.” These aren’t easy things, but I’m going to give them my best shot this week.

There is a problem with racism in our country and world. A lot of us were shocked to see an unmasked KKK rally out in the open. But if you were surprised by that, then that likely means you aren’t among those who have to deal with it every day. Many minorities are far less surprised.

It’s easy to recognize racism when it carries a torch. It’s harder to recognize it when it denies a home loan, or passes over a job application. It’s easy to recognize on a television screen. It’s harder to recognize at a dinner table conversation. It’s easy to recognize on angry mobs. Harder to see in ourselves.

We need to listen a whole lot more. I’ve been in several conversations about these things where people have a lecture or long-winded anecdote prepackaged and ready-to-go. Never assume you have all this stuff figured out. Do the stuff they teach in pre-marital counseling instead. Don’t negate the experiences of someone else with your own. Listen and repeat back what you just heard. It’ll at least be a start to some better conversations that need to be had.

Peacemaking is so important; unfortunately, peacemaking is also a really misunderstood word. I’ve been reading Break Open The Sky, where Steven Bauman explains it really well:

“[It] means reconciler, one who having received the peace of God in her own heart, brings peace to others, and someone who is concerned with bringing a cessation of hostilities. Peacemaking is by no means passive. It involves taking risk. Peacemakers are not afraid to enter the fray in order to establish peace.”

I can really relate to the desire to not speak on hot button issues. It’s easy to think that by staying silent, you’ll at least stay “above the fray” and “avoid the pushback.” But there is nothing holy about being silent while others are oppressed.

It can also seem really politically correct to respond to events by saying “I see all sides.” In most cases, it’s good to be able to understand a diversity of viewpoints. But when it comes to something like racism, this mentality is dangerous.

It allows the oppression to continue. It dismisses the pain of the victim and allows the oppressor to feel justified.

Here’s a challenge to those of us who like to avoid confrontation. The affinity for peace that we have is a good thing, but if we aren’t aware and careful to avoid passivity and permissiveness, it can quickly allow more harm to people than anything else.

After the Charlottesville incidents, I was pleased to see many of the spiritual leaders whom I’ve gotten to serve under speak up and condemn white supremacy. I was glad to see social media platforms and Sunday Morning sermons pay attention, and I was also disappointed by the silence of others. It’s easy to be less interested in being a part of God’s vision for transforming the world, and more interested in making people feel good about themselves.

Martin Luther King once said that in the end, “we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

The belief that skin color makes some lives matter less than others goes beyond politics– it's simply sin. It's one of the oldest sins, one that remains persistently in the spotlight today, and one every spiritual leader must talk about.

Why? Because people aren’t just talking about it. They’re forming their thoughts about God, humans, and the world based on what is being seen. Conversations will happen with or without the Church, but when spiritual leaders stay silent, it sends the message that they have nothing to say about fundamental questions of how people should treat one another.