Adventures in Context

The first time I went to Nicaragua two years ago, I found myself trying to make sense of all kinds of local and global inequalities and disconnects in the world as I knew it. I really came to wonder what a man or woman really needed to live. What is it that every human being, as a living member of the human race, really NEEDS? Not wants. Not luxuries. Just the bare necessities.

The answer to this question is so incredibly complex that I really didn’t even know where to start thinking about it. So I did what every reasonable person would do. I asked a kid. And not just any kid, a middle-school-aged Nicaraguan orphan. I presented my question to this child in broken Spanish and so enjoyed the philosophical thought on the child’s face, that I asked every kid I met in Nicaragua (at least the ones I could get to slow down long enough). Then I met a homeless guy on the streets of Managua, so of course I asked him. Let it be noted that not until much later did it dawn on me to ask my fellow-travelers (most of whom where middle- to upper-class gringo Americans).

I received so many varied responses from the Nicaraguans. Some kids told me a man should have a job, a house, a wife, several kids and a car. Some said money. Others said a family. One or two smiled and said love. Jose, the homeless gentleman I met in Managua said that everyman should have food, shelter and love. On a bus ride back to the orphanage one evening, I posed my question to a 8 or 9 year-old. Without blinking, he answered simply, “Jesus.”

It has been over two years since that trip and, every once in a while I find myself asking that question of a stranger or friend. I want to formalize that question a bit and record some of the answers I get during my adventures around town. If you feel like playing along at home, please feel free to post your answer to the question.

the question is: What do you think a man or woman needs to live?

Over the next week or so, I’ll be posting answers that I get as I adventure around town. Stay tuned to new posts…

From Humpback Rocks

The other day my friend James and I made the drive up to the Blue Ridge Parkway in the dark and hiked the short trail up to the top of Humpback Rocks. We arrived to the summit just in time to watch the first lines of light chase away the lingering stars. Fog clung to the surrounding mountains and reflected the changing colors of the rising sun.

As we sat and drank in the whole scene, we wondered aloud about the big questions in our lives: what were the next steps (more school, jobs, marriage, faith, etc.) for us? It was as if the grand scale of the moment drew our thoughts outside of that singular morning to the broader scope of our lives on this earth. As our conversation wandered (occasionally interrupted by awed comments at the slow-motion fireworks painted on the lightly-clouded sky), we challenged each other to never become stagnant in life; to never stop exploring (to steal from North Face).

Several weeks ago James and I made the commitment to meet up once a week to catch up and hang out. However, instead of just grabbing a bite to eat or a cup of coffee, we decided that we should go on a new ‘adventure’-something different (and outside of our comfort zone)- each week. This sunrise trek was one of these adventures.

So, as I rethought this blog and considered returning to writing regularly, I was drawn to this idea of adventures. I renamed the Blog “Adventures in Context” because I think every adventure gives us the opportunity to explore new reaches of ourselves and the worlds in which we live. I’m excited to be posting about my adventures.

Low clouds spill over surrounding mountains

*sorry, pictures are low-quality bc they were taken from my phone.

All men are interdependent. Every nation is an heir of a vast treasury of ideas and labor to which both the living and the dead of all nations have contributed. Whether we realize it or not, each of us lives eternally “in the red.” We are everlasting debtors to known and unknown men and women. When we rise in the morning, we go into the bathroom where we reach for a sponge which is provided for us by a Pacific islander. We reach for soap that is created for us by a European. Then at the table we drink coffee which is provided for us by a South American, or tea by a Chinese or cocoa by a West African. Before we leave for our jobs we are already beholden to more than half of the world.

Martin Luther King, Jr., The World House

there are moments i catch myself marveling at a sunset or smiling at the antics of a small child. sometimes i sit at a stoplight and let my eyes find faces in passing cars while imagining a destination for each smile or frown or stress-burrowed-brow. as i walk to my car on a crisp winter night the silent flicker of light streaming from a neighbor seems to beckon me . i’ve sat down with people i have only just met and, in a few words, excitedly realized infinite ways in which our worlds were interwoven. just the other day i fell and scraped my knee. i’ve done nothing to doctor the wound and it has already mostly healed. it’s astonishing to me that my body is so intricate and intelligent that it can heal itself.

in each of the moments referenced above i have asked the same question: why? why are sunsets and joyful children so beautiful? why does everyone obey traffic signals and, better yet, why will i never again see the faces in those passing cars? why do we live in such a ’small world’ where interpersonal connections are incredibly common? why is my body made the way it is?

when i try to answer myself i becoming increasingly convinced that i cannot and should not live this life alone. i am constantly affected by and have an effect on the environment in which i live. therefore i believe i can be a better person by closely examining my context.

i believe in absolute truth. i believe that the grandest context for creation is God’s redeeming love. in this blog i plan to explore connections between everyday life and the great story of God’s redemption. i invite you to join me on the journey.