Leaving on a jetplane...

Outside my own little world...

The longer I stay in the United States, the more I am hit by reality when I leave. Each time I leave the confines of this country I realize how spoiled, comfortable, and easy I have it in America. If you know anything about me, you know that I love to travel. I enjoy being on the move, taking in the beauty that God has created, and seeing the world. While a lot of those travels have taken me to breathtaking places, gorgeous sights, and indescribable beauty, rarely do my travels take me somewhere like the last place I visited- Medellin Colombia.

For those of you who don’t know much about Medellin Colombia, it was known as the most dangerous city in the world less than 25 years ago. Murders, Crime, and Drugs were commonplace. Streets were filled with people who carried semi automatic weapons and the Medellin Cartel ruled the city. Today Medellin is much safer. Aside from being one of the only white people in the country and speaking a small amount of the native language, I didn’t feel any less safe than I would if I was walking around in queens at night.

What people don’t tell you about Medellin, Colombia is pretty much everything else about it. Honestly, the only thing most people know about Colombia is that its really dangerous, a lot of people die there, and frankly you shouldn’t travel there. That’s a really sad reality. The truth is that Colombia is actually a really safe place these days. On top of that, its absolutely beautiful, its in desperate need of financial resources, and the people are some of the most unbelievable people Ive ever met.

I spent 7 days in Colombia and each day I was drawn closer and closer to the people of Medellin and as a result I felt myself drawn closer and closer to the God that created us all. The people and the kids we interacted with every day had so much less than us from our standard American view point. Less clothes, less cars, less food, less property, and of course…. Less money. With that said, I think these people have more than I could ever want in the categories that matter. More joy, more love, more faith, and an all around better grip on what truly matters in life.

Im blessed beyond measure. Some may even call me spoiled. Ive been given more than I will ever need. Ive never been in need of food. Ive never lacked a place to live, a fresh pair of clothes, or a few dollars to get “that next thing” that I don’t really need but somehow convince myself that I do. Ive also been blessed with so many of the intangibles that we sometimes take for granted. People who love me, friends I can count on, a job that I love, and most importantly: a purpose for living.

I spent a lot of time talking to the people of Colombia in some form of Spanglish while I was down there. A recurring theme in our conversations seemed to be how much they appreciated that we were there and that it was such a blessing to have us in their homes and their country. What I could never convey is that they were the ones who were the true blessing. I left Colombia changed for the better. Im not sure I went to Colombia knowing exactly why I was going but looking back I realize that God had some work to do in my heart and Colombia was the place to get it done.

Life is so much more than the bubble we live in. So many of us, myself included grow up in a world where the only thing that matters is what we can do for ourselves or how the world can serve us. What we don’t realize is that outside that bubble is a world that’s in desperate need. Our own little world is really not about us at all. The paradox of life is that its not until we realize that we are here to serve and not be served that we can fill the empty hole inside of us.

I think Leeland puts it best in their song “Follow You"...

You lived among the least of these
The weary and the weak
And it would be a tragedy for me to turn away.

All my needs you have supplied.
When I was dead you gave me life.
How could I not give it away so freely?

And I'll follow you into the homes that are broken.
Follow you into the world.
Meet the needs for the poor and the needy God.
Follow you into the World.

Use my hands, use my feet
To make your kingdom come
Through the corners of the earth
Until your work is done
'Cause Faith without works is dead
And on the cross your blood was she'd
So how could I not give it away so freely?

Colombia is a special place. Not because its beautiful. Not because it has overcome so much. Not because it opened my heart to new and exciting things. But because of the people. Who they are, where they are going, and the way that they live…….the way we are all supposed to live.

Later days,

Unanswered prayers, answered prayers, and the inbetweens...

Faith is a funny thing. Sometimes we ask for it. Sometimes we want it. Sometimes we have it. And we always need it. Hebrews says that “Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” I think we all love the idea of having confidence in what we hope for. Assurance about what we do not see....thats a little harder.

It seems to me that faith is the glue that holds us together. Faith is what we need when we don’t have the answers to the prayers that we’ve been praying. Faith is what we need when the answers we get aren’t the answers we want, and faith is what we must exercise when the answers we’ve been asking for don’t look the way WE want them too even if the answer is exactly what we need.

The reality of life is that we run into challenges, and decisions that we dont want to deal with and frankly dont know how to deal with. We pray about them, we ask for guidance, and we try to figure them out. Sometimes the answers we get are clear, and other times they are like driving a car in a snowstorm. You cant tell where you are headed or if youre even on the right road anymore. Unfortunately in life we dont have the luxury of simply pulling the car over and stopping. We must continue to press on. The beauty though is that while we may not know where we are headed, someone else does. It is there that we find what it really means to walk (or drive) by faith.

We all have plans for what we think our lives should look like. I cant even count how much time Ive spent trying to figure out what I want to do with my life, where I want to live, or how I can figure out the answers to who Im going to be or how my life is going to end up. Don’t we all want that? Don’t we all want the answers? Direction? Life is so much easier and safer that way. The more we know the less we have to risk and the less difficult everything is. While life may be easier, safer, and more convenient when we have all the answers, it also can cause us to lose our reliance on faith.

God doesn’t call us to live safe lives in which we know all the answers, don’t need Him for anything, and can figure it all out on our own. Not everything in our lives is meant to make perfect sense, go exactly how WE want things to go, and be lived without struggles and challenges. Perhaps if we try really, really hard we can achieve the life of minimal struggles, painless decisions, and comfortable choices but we'd lose more than we gained in the process. Even if it were possible it wouldn’t be the life God has planned for us. Jesus said that He came so that we may have life and have life to the fullest. That life means taking risks, dreaming big, living outside our comfort zone, and taking steps of faith…..even when we don’t know how things are going to turn out.

Im sure im not the only one who needs to learn how to step out in faith and trust that God wants us to live our life filled with excitement and adventure. Its not easy. In fact, some days its really really hard. However, “When you have come to the edge Of all light that you know And are about to drop off into the darkness Of the unknown, Faith is knowing One of two things will happen: There will be something solid to stand on or You will be taught to fly.”

Lets not get bogged down in the unknown, the unanswered prayers, and all the things inbetween. Instead, lets live the life we were called to live...one of trust and faith.

Traditions and Second Chances

Stories

Every day millions of people pass by each other and dont say a single word to each other. Maybe its in a grocery store, maybe its in the mall, maybe a busy city, maybe even at church. If we think about it, I think we can all think of plenty of moments that we walk right past someone and dont even say a simple hello. The reality is that we all like to live in our personal bubble. Some people have a bigger personal bubbles than others but at one point or another we all draw a line and decide that its too much to stretch that comfort zone. Who am I to blame anyone? I prefer my comfort zone too. Id call myself a bit of a social introvert and rarely go out of my way to meet new people. Why should I? Ive got plenty of friends and know tons of people. Or so Ive told myself until last week.

So one of my best friends and former teammates Jevon and I decided about a month ago that we both wanted to take a long weekend and just get away and have some fun. We ended up deciding that it would be fun to take a 3 day cruise to the Bahamas. We would fly to Florida on Thursday where we would meet up with one of my old high school buddies that I havent seen in quite some time and then we would cruise from friday-monday. If that sounds like the vacation youve been looking for to get out of the winter chill......it probably is.

So Jevon is without a doubt an extrovert by nature. Me being a tweener leaning more towards the introvert side decided before the trip ever started that I was going to reinvent my personality for this trip and become an extrovert. I also knew going in that this plan was a guaranteed success because all Id have to do is follow Jevon's lead until it became natural (which didnt take long).

Early in the trip Jevon and I decided that a goal of our trip was to meet some new people that we normally wouldnt ever meet. After all, if we refused to meet new people that would mean we would be stuck only talking to each other. Now dont get me wrong, I love Jevon but to be on a boat with 2,000 other people and only talk to one person seems a bit ridiculous.

So off we set. Between the pool, the hot tub, dinner, the casino, shows, and random other nooks and crannies of the boat we were able to found new friends left and right. We met flight attendants, vacation planners, black jack dealers, professional poker players, sales associates, students, business owners, waiters, social hosts, and much more. So many professions, so many stories, and so many locations.

At times I think we caught people off guard. Why would two 24 year old guys want to sit down and talk with random strangers without some kind of hidden motive? Is it possible for these guys to genuinely want to get to know me and hear my story? Like I probably would be, people tended to initially put up a bit of a shield. However, once we convinced them that we genuinely wanted to know who they were, where they came from, even where they were headed, those walls began to come down and friendships were born- even if only for a weekend.

As the cruise continued we were able to find a couple of groups that we spent a considerable amount of time with while also finding time to meet new people and hear new stories. We even had a chance to spend one night in the fine dining room with a group of seven new friends. By the time the last night of the cruise rolled around it was hard to walk around the boat without seeing one of our new friends within 30 steps. If that seems like an exaggeration you can ask....

Rafael, Job, Ferra, Carolyn, Joanna, Francesca, Gabby, Rob, Patrick, Bob, Lauren, Shelly, Juan, Brandon, Lila, Letell, Nicole, Lilly, Katie, Ty, Marty, Chloe, Dubs, Sadia, Sam, Nicolae, Julia, Henry, Edger, Tom, Anthony, Jennarose, Martin, Fifi, Catalina, Stephanie, Maryjo, Marcia, Ashley, Fred, Marcy, Mindi, Fred, Mary, James, Rodney, Sarai, Josh, Rhonda, Bill, Nicole, Jared, Crystal, James, Nigel, Oliver, Les, Tracie, Lindsay, E, Joel, Anne, Calvin, Rob, Jen, Jen, Chris, Kevin, Greg, Tony, Dede, Bebe, Bus, Keith, Charles, Kevin, Stan, Thomas, Lou, Danny, Tino, Mike, Adrian, Chico, Karen, Alex, Alex, John, Norman, Jenine, Jake, Scott, Paul, Donald, Andrea, Amanda, Tia, Lisa, Lenour, Sandra, Ericka, Casey, Nikki, Candice, Paul, John, Mike, Travis, Jimmy, and Shaquille.

So whats my point? That we had a fun weekend and met a lot of amazing people? Not quite. I think it goes deeper than that. I think its an attitude to take interest in the lives of those around us. Until recently I dont think I did it enough and Im sure there are people out there who dont either. Its not always easy. Whats easy is to live in your own personal bubble with the people that you are comfortable with and refuse to meet or invest in new people. Ill be the first to admit that Im not the best at having this attitude nor am I saying that we should all just go around talking to every person we see. What I am saying though is that if we go around living a life of self absorption we will quickly begin to miss out on the lives of others and things we can learn from those whom God puts in our path. Everyone has a story, its about time to start hearing some of them.

The road to....

So often in sports a game is referred to as a battle. Sometimes teams are complimented on their ability to battle. Athletes are asked to battle the elements, the game, the other team, and even themselves at times. Every close game is a battle or a fight. Its one person vs. another or one team vs. another team. Nothing else at that time matters. Only the contest at hand.

Throughout NCAA soccer playoffs and even in my own season at Navy in the last few months the idea of battling or fighting has been an interesting concept to wrestle with and explore. Some teams know how to battle and fight, while other teams struggle to understand what that means or how they can embrace the concept. The interesting thing about this concept is that just like any other skill in life or sports its something that can be learned, developed, and cultivated.

As Ive watched Messiah’s soccer team this year Ive seen a team that has learned what it means to battle and fight for not only a win but for one another and for the continuation of a season. After a loss in the first game of the year, they’ve rattled off 21 straight wins and have managed to find a way to win in all circumstances.

As NCAA’s have approached and progressed in the last month its been interesting to hear people talk about how this years run to the final four has compared to other years and how this year the team has had a relatively easy road. The beauty of the whole situation though is that Messiah did exactly what they were supposed to do. They fought their battles and won each one. What other teams were doing, who they could have/should have played that was better, or who had a tougher road wasn’t their concern- they focused on what they needed to do. Now they are right where they want to be, in a position to spend as much time together as possible, battle for two more games, and hopefully win a National Championship.

Another example of this concept occurred today as I was running a 10k on Thanksgiving morning. I have been wanting to run in a race for a while but haven’t really been looking overly hard nor have I had a lot of time to find a race to run in. Well since I was home this thanksgiving I figured I could find a race this morning and give it a shot. Heading into this morning I didn’t do much to prepare ahead of time, nor have I really been running any kind of distances to be in “racing shape”. With that said I didn’t really know what to expect from the race (other than freezing cold temperatures since its Rochester, NY) or how fast I was capable of running.

I told myself at the beginning of the race that I had to run my own race and not worry about anything beyond that. For me that meant that I wanted to be able to run faster in the last mile and a half of the race than the rest of it. For that to happen I knew I had to run at MY pace and not react to anybody around me. That is sometimes harder than it sounds when there is a person 50 yards away and you want to catch them or when a little kid passes you and every fiber inside you wants to pick up your pace and catch him. This race had to be about my battle and what I could control, not what other people were doing or the battles that other people were fighting. Those weren’t important. They were only traps to keep me from accomplishing my purpose. I had to decide if I was going to fight my battle and run my race and end up in a position to attack the last mile and a half or if I was going to get bogged down in other people’s battles and react to the race around me. In essence it was a choice of doing what was best for me or letting the race dictate how I would feel and how I would finish.

Isnt life a lot like sports when it comes to this? Arent we faced with a lot of battles in life that force us to make a decision? Either face the battle head on and put ourselves in the best position possible or let ourselves be affected by everyone else’s battle, caught up in the roads that aren’t ours. Soccer teams, runners, and other athletes are not the only people that must learn to battle and fight. Everybody has battles from time to time. Sometimes it’s a sporting event, other times it’s a career decision, maybe it’s a academic struggle. Whatever the fight may be, there’s always two ways to handle it and 9 times out of 10 one is better than the other. The problem is that we usually choose the 9 wrong answers before we choose the right one. We take a look around at everyone else’s fight or wish we had a different situation well before we rise above the battle and embrace the One that has overcome anything we will ever face. Its only then that we really can block out the distractions and battle the competition that stares us in the face and win.

In the end, life isn’t really that different than athletic competition. We learn to battle, and fight, and we have to rise above the challenge. The road we get put on in life isn’t too far off from the road to the final four. In each one we must battle one thing at a time and we must not get sidetracked by someone else’s bracket………the best we can do is to try to win our own.

One of those days....

"It’s just been one of those days, one of those days
Every glass half full, every drop lemonade
Just one of those days, one of those days
All my worries to bed
And my faith wide awake
Hey, hey, hey
Just one of those days
Just one of those days

There’s a smile I can’t turn down
For a dance across my face
And the way I see things now
A frown would just be out of place"


These lyrics are by Shaun Groves and I think they seem to fit this blog perfectly. Let me explain...

You know when you have one of those days where you look back and simply smile? Im talking about a day where everything in the world seems to be right for a brief period of time. Even though reality is right around the corner, some days are the perfect break from all stress, worry, and anything that can get us down in this world. Days like these are the days when we truly feel alive.

I had a day just like the one I am referring to this past week. As most of you know I am living in an apartment attached to the house of one of my friends from Messiah. Well, due to the fact that he is still in school and is going to be a US Marine Officer after college, he hasnt been home hardly at all. Well the past few weeks he has finally had a chance to have a real summer vacation and this past Tuesday we decided that we were going to take advantage of living in the same place.

The day started at 9am. We left the house and headed to the PA border where his family has a membership to a shooting range. I had never been shooting so it was a sweet new experience. If you are reading this you probably know that Im all about trying new things and new adventures so this was right up my alley. We spent about two hours at the range shooting pistols and rifles. I think I held my own for my first time. I wasnt the most accurate marksman in the world but it was a start. As Dan put it, "you did really well for your first time, I just wouldnt let you shoot an apple off my head."

From the range we headed back to Califon, NJ (home) to move onto our next activity: Dirt biking. This was another activity I hadnt done before and there was a slight risk of death/injury so naturally I was stoked. I had two issues with dirt biking. First, you have to understand the workings of a manual car to ride a dirt bike. I have a decent understanding of how that all works but I like to stick to automatic cars. Needless to say this made it a little tougher. I caught on pretty quick though. Second, I have little fear of injury so I wasnt too concerned about my body or the fact that Ive never driven a dirt bike before. I had a few nice crashes but overall it was a blast.

Once we put the dirt bikes away we gave ourselves five minutes to change our clothes and hop into our bathing suites. We were back on the road in no time and on our way to Penwell Mills. Basically its like the yellow breeches of New Jersey. It was a creek with some spots to swim but more importantly it had three different rope swings. It also had a few trees we could climb and jump into the river. Dan and I both took our fair share of turns on both the tree and the rope swing. Personally, Im partial to the rope swing. While Dan and I discussed the dynamics of doing a backflip of the rope swing, our brilliant maturity and wise minds decided it would be more fun to enjoy the rest of the day with all our body parts where they belong.

On the way back home from the rope swing Dan and I took a look at the clock and discovered that we were going to get home around 4:00pm. If we moved quickly we could make it to the golf course in time to get a good round in before dark. So upon arriving at the house, we took 15 minutes, changed our clothes and hit the road yet again for the golf course. At this point in the day both Dan and I were a bit worn out and I think it showed on the golf course. As I mentioned before, it was one of those days where the glass was always half full. In this instance it was a good thing because both of us played some less than desirable golf.

After a quick dinner at McDonalds we arrived back at the house at 9:00pm. A mere 12 hours after we left the house for the first time that day.

Needless to say, when our heads hit the pillow that night it didnt take long to fall asleep. Word of advice for the day. Make time to rejuvenate not only your body but also your spirit. We all need a break from the stresses of day to day life. We all need a day to feel alive (whatever that means for you).

Later days

Brett