a slight musing on various themes

A delightful musing, on a completely unrelated note.

Books, music, poetry, flowers, love; My thoughts have been fixed on such things in the past few days. I have been in Kampala for a week and a half. I was, until yesterday, fixed on the renewing of my Visa. Now that the task has been fulfilled, I have a few days of leisure before returning to Kapchorwa for the second half of my adventure here. It's strange that one of the first actions that I took on arrival to Kampala, two weeks ago this thursday, was to go to a bookshop. It was on friday. I was dropped off at shop-rite, one of the few "supermarkets" in Uganda. I walked for perhaps three kilometers to get into the center of town to a bookshop "Aristoc." I proceeded to buy some books. They have a very small selection, but, fortunately, they have the "classics." I purchased a few books for a discount price of around three dollars a book. then, i went to another bookshop and procured a long sought-after book "St. Francis of Assisi" which i could not recommend more highly. But, I digress, Books. one of the first instinctive actions, upon the ability to procure such things, was to buy books. And what books i did buy. bram stoker- dracula, dostoyevsky- crime and punishment... etc. chauncer, milton and a lovely book on 18th century poetry.

I read, within today, just, crime and punishment. all i can say is "wow." that is a powerful book. I can't believe i read it all in one day, a day devoted to reading, and in the end if it, i am left free to muse about what I have read. 

books

I went to a charity concert the first saturday here. It was great. one piano, one person who entertained us for an evening, there was also a gospel chorus. The pianist played Liszt, Chopin, and a number of others, from memory! he was incredible. He has been studying at the royal school of music in London for years and is just preparing to graduate. I had the distinct pleasure to speak to him at length after the concert. There is something, as i muse for the umpteenth time, in music. (whilst at the moment, i listen to switchfoot) It is not that it pacifies, or that it entertains, or relaxes, or constricts, or aggrevates, although it has all of these abilities, but it is the fact that it, when properly done, has a profound affect on the spirit. imagine, for a moment, good music. now, i'm not talking about the latest "trend" music, but really, truly, fine music. Music that you can listen to over and over again, without growing weary of it. i know of some, sometimes it is classical, romantic era music, but other times it can be contemporary. For example, right now i'm listening to an album, which, by conservative estimations, i've perhaps listened to more than two hundred times. I'm not joking. But, have i grown tired of it, in the four years that i have had the album? by no means, I find that it gets better with time. It has ministered to me in so many different times of my life. There is something about truly good music that goes deeper than the ear, further than the brain. Something within us is revealed. It's like, without this music, without the song "twenty-four," there would be a part of my life that I didn't truly understand. Because of this music, this song, I know myself better, i can come to a true understanding of who i am. Does this resonate with anyone else, or am I the only one who feels this way about music?

music.

I've been reading poetry and i find that when i read some poetry, it is like looking at a beautiful picture or landscape. Poetry is great. Reading poetry gives one a better understanding when reading the psalms.... check it out.

poetry

in the past week, i've run into flowers often, for the first in a long time. at a restaurant, i found a fresh lily on my table. it smelled simply intoxicating. it was beautiful. White, peppered with yellow pollen, and opening up to the world. Flowers are splendid, and testify to a creator God who simply loves his creation(including Us!!)

flowers.

I've decided not to discuss this last one. I have found God's love too amazing for words. I can't discuss nor describe, at the moment, because words are so empty in comparison to His Love. The Love of God is often a point of contemplation for me, but I could think about it for the next sixty years and not come to a firm conclusion. It is simply too amazing to be simplified into words. Even the most eloquent poetry seems base and vulgur in comparison to it.

God loves.

a note on ugandan governmental policies

have you ever gone to the post office and thought that the service was slow? or the DMV/secretary of state? I think that american government run buildings operate at their own wavelength. I thought it was bad in america. Being raised to dread waiting more than thirty minutes to get something accomplished. How about Ugandan government?

My visa renewal process:

monday: went to ministry of internal affairs (aka ministry of redundancy) they asked for seven different forms and printed documents and such.

Tuesday: returned with all the forms and documents waited 30 minutes, they took my passport told me to return on friday.

Friday: returned. was told i needed a "special pass" went to cashier, got a bill, went to bank paid bill. 1 hour. was told i needed a receipt for bill, another hour. returned to ministry and again handed over passport. told to return on monday.

Monday: went to ministry of redundancy, closed, was told to return later.

sitting in coffee shop, waiting to return.

one week, and a lot of walking. sait la vie.

So, next time you wait an hour to get your liscense renewed, thank God you are not in Uganda!

simplicity

So, i've been trying to learn simplicity. I've been walking most of the time, since being here. I'm learning to take food for nourishment, not for pleasure, to love deeply and share with those in need and to hold nothing back for myself but to realize that all i have has been given by God, entrusted to me as a good steward. 

So, because of all of that... i've decided to start making my own clothes.

can anyone teach me how?

.... seriously.

night flight

So, I’ve been planning a trip from Kapchorwa to Kampala for a few reasons. For one, I need to get my visa renewed so that I’ll be able to “legally” stay in the country. Basically, I have to pay fifty dollars for the privilege to stay here for another three months. Which is exactly what I want to do… Stay here 3 more months. The 18^th will be my 3 month anniversary of being here and the 16^th will be my half way point. I can’t believe that I’ve been here for three months already. I’ve grown so accustomed to the life here that I am capable of forgetting that I lived somewhere else. I can use the squat toilet like a pro (which takes a lot of practice, but salmonella gives you that opportunity and it become a much more difficult situation when you have the runs! Sorry, too much information) I’ve grown accustomed to taking baths in public, which makes one feel a bit awkward. I’ve learned to enjoy the food and the constant opportunities at tea…. Basically, life. It has been a learning experience, especially with church and community here.  I’ve been reading a lot from a book called “celebration of discipline” by Richard Foster. It is one of my favorite books and has shaped a lot of aspects of my spiritual life. Especially what I’m about to talk about… meditation. Christian meditation is, as Foster puts it, not the emptying of your mind, or the loss of self, but the filling of your mind with Christ, and finding yourself in Christ. So, I’ve been focusing on that a lot. I’ve said all of this as a precursor to the following.

In order to travel from Kapchorwa to Kampala, you have few options. Either you can ride in a private vehicle, which costs about 100,000 shillings (more than fifty dollars) in petrol; or you can ride a taxi 15,000 shillings(less than 10 dollars). I chose to ride a taxi. Unfortunately/fortunately (it depends upon your viewpoint) The taxi that leaves at 7 a.m. was broken down, So the only option was a taxi at 2 a.m., or as I like to call it, “the night flight.” So, seeing it as an opportunity to invest in new experiences, I chose the 2 a.m. I woke at 1:30, and boarded the taxi (a mini bus taxi) at 2:30. We finally left at three or so. I was wide awake, and in no mood to sleep, so I decided to commit my time to meditation. I started to think about the problems in Myanmar [previously Burma] (there was a terrible cyclone that has killed tens of thousands). I started to think, not about the natural disaster, because that is unavoidable, but of the response by the Myanmar Government.  The government has refused to allow aid workers to come into the country; they have also refused most foreign aid. The foreign aid that does reach the country has been pilfered by the government and military before actually getting to the people. The response… Thousands are dying of starvation, because of their government. Thousands are dying of preventable diseases such as diarrhea, dysentery and other disease because of rotting bodies and terrible sanitation. All of this has happened because of a lack of government help and a lack of international aid because the government will not allow it.

We, in Uganda, in America, in the whole of the world would say that the government of Myanmar is unjust, unethical and is murdering their citizens by not allowing aid. If a parent were to allow their child to starve, they would be arrested for negligence, but this is an entire country allowing its people to starve, for no reason. The aid is there, but they are not allowing the people to have access to the aid.  This thought got me thinking about the ethical code of countries. It is easy to condemn a country because of its outrageous disregard of human life, but do we look at what our country (America) says about ethics?

There are a lot of laws in America. From traffic laws, to “thou shall not murder,” we have laws for just about any aspect of human life. Strangely enough, for most ethical questions, our government is strangely silent, or it encourages people in a wrong direction. We can’t murder people, but it is perfectly acceptable to hate someone. We can’t steal, but coveting a neighbors wife, or possessions is perfectly acceptable. We are actually encouraged to make as much money as possible and spend all of that money on ourselves. This is, in fact, the “American Dream.” A dream of doing whatever is necessary to get to the top. There is no law against betraying your friends in order to get ahead. In truth, when we look at how society puts it, it is fine to betray another’s trust, or confidence in order to make yourself look better, or to backstab someone to get to that one higher rung on the corporate ladder. It’s actually encouraged in some ways. Phrases like “it’s a dog eat dog world.” Or “I’m looking out for number one,” form excuses for us to mistreat others to our own advantage. That is just in America. I’m not even mentioning what Americans and other westerners do to the impoverished in third world countries without even thinking about it. Things like keeping people in slavery and starvation just so we can have a cheap pair of jeans or a cheap cup of coffee. Does that really make sense? Don’t get me wrong on this next thing, I’m not saying it to condemn anyone, but let us look at the facts. Our government is virtually silent on the issues of Abortion, homosexuality and mistreatment of other human beings for our own financial gain (petroleum, coffee, fruit production, clothing...etc.) our society, for the most part, endorses alcohol abuse and misuse of drugs, free sex and consumerism for pleasure. The government has no say on what we do with our money, but they encourage us to spend it on ourselves, as long as they get a chunk of the profits. There is no encouragement on giving things away or helping others if there isn’t a benefit for oneself. Hospitality in America is terrible. You don’t expect to be treated like a guest, and you don’t treat your guests like guests. If a visitor arrives unexpectedly at one’s house, the first thought is more likely “how can I get rid of this person quickly,” rather than “a guest, I should make some tea and food before we enjoy some fellowship.” 

Tea break (black tea with tangawizi[ginger]) yummy.

So, we find silence, or conformation within our government, according to the “American dream.”

But what is the difference between our government, which most people support “to the death” and the Myanmar government, which is negligibly killing tens of thousands, which we would condemn as terrible? What is the difference between a gross outward showing of human rights abuse, or a sneaky consumerism based human rights abuse done by a government?

This is what I was meditating on for some time and couldn’t find a good answer to the aforementioned question. Then I started thinking about what I can do, what the government is silent on.

Love. The American government does not have much to say on the topic of love, or brotherly affection. I find that to be my answer. It is a worldwide thing too! To love indiscriminately, that should be the political goal of a Christian. It is a catch all answer. It was the fulfillment of the Ten Commandments. Love God, Love Others. The way Mars Hill says it: Love wins. This is such a powerful statement. Usually the most profound truths are simple. In the words of Switchfoot “Love is a movement, Love is a revolution.”

Lets unpack that last thought just a little bit. It’s too big just to say “love everyone.” It seems too hard. It seems unfair. It seems to go against everything we have been taught in school, at work, at home, in society. We are not taught to love. We are taught to take revenge when someone wrongs us, we are taught to hate people who betray us, we are taught to put ourselves first and not give a darn (imagine a stronger word, if your conscious allows) about anyone else.  

Love is difficult. There are some parts about love that come easy, like loving oneself.  We might not like ourselves, but we do a pretty good job of loving ourselves.  We take care of our own needs. We watch out for “number one.” But the challenge is to move on from there. We need to learn, to understand how to love God. Once that is taken care of you will find that “number one” becomes God. Then you find yourself taking a back seat. You will also find that you are fulfilling the first two commandments “love the lord your God, and don’t take his name in vain/ have no other Gods but YHVH.” Ding ding. So, for the rest.  It is best put this way “all the laws and prophets are summed up in this saying “love your neighbor as yourself” Here is the crux. It isn’t enough to love your neighbor, but to love him as yourself. To value his or her life as equally valuable as your own. This is gynormous! It’s huge. It is the fulfillment of the law (rom. 13) To love your neighbor as yourself.

This asks one question… The text screams it. Who is my neighbor?

Well, I got some good and bad news. Your neighbor is everyone. It is the Al Quida operative  who wants you to die, it is the drunk who beats his wife next door, it’s the drug dealer who sold the lethal dose of cocaine to your brother, it’s the prostitute that ruined your parent’s marriage, it’s the Muslim/Jew/Atheist/Buddhist/Wicca/Baptist/Pentecostal/church of Christ/ Dutch reformer…etc.  down the street, it is the person in the Philippines who made your tee shirt, whom you are starving to have the “up to date fashion, at a low price.” It is the child in South America who picks coffee from dawn to dusk for pennies a day, just to help feed his family.  We have a global neighborhood and we are called to love our global neighbors. We are not to love people because of charity, or to pity them, but to truly love them. It is hard to love someone who isn’t worth loving though. That again, is easy to overcome. If we truly believe in the reconciliation that Christ made on the cross, we will understand that by his love, he has made us, the entire world, worth loving. If Christ can love us, We should be able to follow his example and love each other.

So… That is my meditation of the morning. I could tell you how it went on and how I started to think of other aspects of the Kingdom of God and how, as Christians, as the church, we are called to manifest the kingdom among us. To proclaim it’s glory, to cast our allegiances upon Christ’s kingdom. A kingdom of love, peace, hope, faith, grace and mercy.

So, after leaving around 2:30 in the morning, I arrived in Kampala at 6:45, to see an African sunrise (beautiful) and to promptly get distracted and miss my stop on the taxi. I ended up having another half hour meditation as I walked the 5-10 kilometers back from where the taxi finally dropped me, along with my pack, weighing about25-30 kilos!

Peace endures. Love wins. Grace is scandalously unfair.

luke

a brief and scattered update.

so here i am, sitting at the Kapchorwa postoffice. I have been here before, many times, it is a place of refuge for me. I can come here and find solice and comfort because i can get internet and reach back home for a few moments of forgetfulness and encouragement from home. It is the only place in about 100 square kilometers that i can get internet. So... needless to say, i'm here on occasion. that was my intro. now for some pictures.

I think that this tree looks awesome. like a huge bonsai tree. it's really cool huh? I was hiking a lot on this day. i visited 23 houses and prayed for a ton of people.

people decorate their houses with all sorts of posters and things. They really don't care much about the content, as long as it covers their bare mudhut walls. This poster is about saddam hussein and his "mighty men"  I always get a kick out of posters like this, or newspaper articles that are pinned on the walls.

So, i preached at a conference with many people(1000plus)  and this is a picture from one night, of only a few people the hall goes further back, beyond what you can see. It was intense time.

The village you see down there is the village center of piswa. I was there for 4 days and i was preaching and visiting/encouraging brothers and sisters in the lord. I visited more than 50 houses in 4 days.  I probably hiked more than 50 kilometers! it was an intense time. 

within piswa town. the kids are always following you!

So, you see, for the past ten days i've been in the mountains. I went first to piswa and visited believers and prayed for them and fellowshipped with them in homes and such. It was a fun but draining time. After that i went deeper and higher into the "bush" and visited a place i've been before. Mengya. There was a conference where i was one of the main speakers. I preached to over 1000 people and we did a lot of dancing, eating and just plain revival fun. so it was a week there and now i'm back. What a time, what an experience, what fun. I'm a bit sick now, and really still tired. I was praying for the sick a lot and caught a bug from someone.(no surprise) being in a foreign country for a long time, you soon learn that you'll get sick a lot. your immune system isn't accustom to all of the bugs and things in the country. Oh well. God is an amazing healer.

Let's focus on one verse gal. 2.20.

Crucified with Christ, I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. 

that is the jist of it. We have been crucified with christ. it is in the past. our old sinful selves have been killed, on the cross. We are no longer slaves to sin but slave to righteousness (rom. 6) So, we find the next part. I no longer live but Christ lives in me. This is such a profound truth. It isn't my life that i'm living. I am part of Christ's body, the church. I am IN Christ. and vice versa. Christ is in me. He is leading my life and now I have Christ in me. Ruminate on this for a moment. Marinate on the fact that Christ lives in you! it is an amazing truth.

so that is my short "brief and scattered update" enjoi.

So, when people build houses and buildings, they don't go into debt. They build as they have money. the building you see is one under construction. it has been "under construction" for some time. Interesting huh?

The town/village of Kapchorwa. It's a nice place. really. No traffic lights but plenty of traffic none the less. Roads are less complicated when there is only one paved one!

So, this is me being a goof with the camera. 

hmm. Sometimes you have to have a little fun in life

This is IKE, my mint plant. He is a new addition to my life. It's a nice pasttime and very enjoyable to keep him cleaned up and watered. Like a little garden. Plus, i get to take mint tea instead of just regular tea. Yummy.

This is me, smiling, I took this picture to show you that i'm smiling my way through life over here! in the back, my mosquito net. I don't use it because it's too cold here for mosquitos!