Life. Mind. God.

Alive October!

2011-10-25T08:54:00.000-07:00

Greetings Rafikis!

There's excitement in the air, simply because it's October. Now, I understand that many of you do back flips when the chilly wind blows a yellowed or reded leaf into the palm of your hand. That's not why I love October. I also understand that some of you can't wait to don the mask of your favorite superhero, the dress of you favorite Disney princess (or french maid), and proceed to pan handle for your next cavity. Granted that none of my readers are children, I'm slightly disturbed. But I guess if I really thought about it, and given guts and the chance, I would put on a yellow and red racing helmet and fire retardant Onesie with a giant #22 and knock on doors. When they ask what I am (in the midwest or south, they would just beat me up #JrNation) I will say with confidence, "I am the next NASCAR champion!". And when they say "haha you wish", or "aren't you a little old for this?", I would have to slump and agree. But no. That's not why I love October.

October, for some reason, is the hallowed month that many artists, across all genres drop their new albums...er...mp3s. At a time when I've been DESPERATE for some new music both my favorite bands seemed to have bugged my apartment. Or at least my jogging route. Switchfoot has "Vice Verses" and Downhere has "On the Altar of Love". Christmas came early!

I know I'm the only one in the world with this problem, but sometimes it takes a second to let go of the favorite anthems and embrace the new stuff. My way of getting into the music is to NOT put it in iTunes straight away. Instead, I put it in my car's CD player and just listen to that new album until I've had enough. That used to work REALLY well, but now that I'm a sophisticated yuppie, NPR competes for the attentions. Okay okay. The A.M. all comedy channel does too. Guess I'm not so sophisticated.

As October is almost gone, there are dents, small dents, left by the new music. In the past, when a new album dropped, it assaulted me, knocked me out, and revived me, all at the same time. But not this time. The new music is good, great even, but it wasn't speaking to me yet. As Jon Foreman explores spoken word and robotic melodies, and as Jason Germain hits notes only Marc Martel should dream of, I ached for the impact. And some songs hit me right away (Afterlife and Dark Horses on "Vice Verses" & Let Me Rediscover You on "...Altar..."). But the rest were taking their sweet musical time. Still born.

And so I bought tickets to their shows. The first time in a long time I would be showing up at a Switchfoot show or Downhere concert without knowing almost every word to every song. But it gave me a fresh perspective and the blank slate was colored by live music. In the past, when new albums dropped I was always in some kind of transitional semi-crisis state. School had just started. I had just spent a summer in Greece/Africa, I had just moved to Michigan, there was 2 feet of snow on the ground before Thanksgiving, I had just moved back to California and got reacquainted with my hot friend, The Sun. The new music was an anthem to my new lives. This October? Well. Not so much. And don't get me wrong, I'm tired of packing up my life every 9 months, 2 years, or so. I crave stability and all that comes with it, peace of mind, etc. But that meant that the sound of the songs had to reach deeper to find a track to my life. It took live music to get me there. The concerts performed surgery on my heart.

The songs now sound in technicolor. They came alive, slapped me up where I needed it, built me up where I needed it, encouraged, soothed and made me smile. The songs sound with meaning. And as God takes the hands and voices of the servant artist and crafts a Gospel, they heed His voice and deliver it to the masses. And with plastic and laser, or with mp3 and click wheel, Matthew 28:18-20 becomes a musical. As nature cycles and begins to Autumn, as leaves fall, as snow falls, or rain falls, or nothing falls, the music comes alive and baptizes me all over again. I love October.

- Fidi

www.switchfoot.com
www.downhere.com

Hey! Hey! We're the monkeys!

2011-07-16T15:11:00.000-07:00

Greetings Rafikis!

So I'm sitting here at home watching "Nature" from PBS, DVR'd. It's an episode about the intelligence of monkeys. Now personally I'd like to think that I have one up on monkeys, but looks like there's a group of them on the Island of Zanzibar that seem to have something figured out, potentially a little more than some humans.

The red colobus monkey eats a diet of horribly toxic leaves. The poisons from one day of their diet could kill an adult human. This monkey is not the only species or group to do the toxic leaf thing. Apparently they have a some friends down the road or on the mainland (I got distracted here) who also eat horribly toxic leaves. In fact, their diet is so toxic that most of their day is spent in indigestive misery (i'm sure you can imagine the flatulence) because of the amount of special bacteria it takes to neutralize those leaves (or something like that, like I said, I was drifting in and out of attention). But the red colobus monkey figured out a trick.

The red colobus monkey has realized that if it chews on the charcoal discarded from local human cooking fires, it helps to neutralize the toxins, so it spends less of its energy belching and tooting, instead jumping and playing and having more time to learn new things about its environment, putting it a step ahead of its miserable counterpart.

Hearing this made me think of great stuff, jobs, and opportunities we have that benefit us, but somehow have a way of becoming toxic. Some may be stressed. Some may be tired. Some may be workaholics. Still, some may be lethargic. Others may simply be unhappy, but still must ingest the "food" that brings the "toxins" because there's not much else one can do. That's just the way life is sometimes. My question is, what's your charcoal? Do you have one?

Do you have something you go home to that cures the day? Some folks may leave one toxin in the workplace and go home to more toxins, real and metaphorical. Not really the best escape. No, I'm talking about the things that make you giddy for all the right reasons, the things that make you who you are, the hobbies, activities, and fun stuff that are the common cure the all-to-common toxic day. For me? A DVR'd race will do the trick. A quick 5k or two with the iPod in is more than enough. A good song. Finishing a good book. Reading "Car and Driver" magazine from cover to cover in one sitting (I know that could be addictive behavior...also toxic). Some quiet time thinking on and focusing on my Maker. That's my charcoal. Cause when I don't have to spend the rest of my day dealing with the indigestion of life, it frees me up to be free to love God, love my neighbor, love myself and live life abundantly. And isn't that what God wanted for us anyway? (John 10:10) Looks like the monkeys have something figured out. So talk to me! What's your charcoal?

Peace

- Fidi

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, Home...

2011-03-27T04:58:00.000-07:00

Greetings Rafikis!

Today, Saturday, we had church and a happy Sabbath it was indeed. We finished up VBS with 71 children coming to Sabbath School! I said my goodbyes to the purple people eaters, my group, and after hearing a riveting sermon from Pastor Saul on how our ministries are fulfilled beyond the walls of a church, we had the rest of the Sabbath to continue to enjoy. We took a tour through some mangroves. At times it definitely looked like a Disney Land ride as we became surrounded by groves. One boat learned that the native Hondurans would paddle into the mangroves to get away from murderous pirates who's larger boats couldn't make it in there. That's an interesting fact! After the Mangroves, a van load headed out to the west end.

Now when I say west end, don't think theater, musicals, and a bunch of dramatic musically talented people walking around constantly enunciating and drinking gallons of water. No friends, this was not London's West End, but the West End of Roatan! What a quaint yet bustling little tourist district! One of the mission trippers described it like "Key West would have looked like 40 years ago". He hit it right on the head. It was a great little place right on the beach, but totally touristy and a whole different atmosphere than where we've been spending our time on this island. This is where the rest of the Americans were. We actually saw some fellow Adventist mission trippers from another group huddling in the back of a pick-up wearing their VBS t-shirts. As the sun set, we tried to find a great smoothy place so we could sit and enjoy the beach, but we quickly found out the best smoothy place in West End was owned by an Adventist and was not open on Saturdays (including Saturday night!).

As the night wore on we were continually worried about one in our group who made a side trip to a hospital to make sure some symptoms were not serious before getting on a plane tomorrow. As we waited and chatted, Lauryn asked us what spiritual insights we gathered from our trip. It was our "Sabbath Closing Worship". Brent said, It was definitely life changing. Austin Mock earlier commented that it (the mission trip) was way more than he expected. Joel remarked that it is good to be reminded what the important things in life are and that having more stuff is not that important! And with that we went to dinner at the Cannibal Cafe.

The Cannibal Cafe is an authentic Roatan restaurant with a heavy Mexican food influence. We had an assortment of different burritos, but even better than the food was the conversation. We all got to know each other better and spent the time being loud and laughing as if we were on something other than life. But today, life was just good enough to keep us all smiling. After the 1+ hour drive back to Paya Bay, we are all definitely exhausted and ready to hit the road tomorrow morning for our return trip home. What a wonderful Sabbath full of laughter, Jesus, and friends!

Please continue to pray for those in our group who are not 100% health wise and pray for our safe travels home tomorrow!

- Fidz

Zip it!

2011-03-26T08:18:00.000-07:00

   Greetings Rafikis!

   So today we all finally got the whole day to take advantage of Roatan! There was a crew of folks who took off to Fantasy Island Resort for a whole day of scuba diving! They got 3 1-hour dives in! I was extremely impressed and inspired to one day get licensed. For today, scuba I did not. The ones who did scuba reported some eels and a type of ray and got to observe the coral reef up close.

   The rest of the crew hit up a spot themed after Pirates of the Caribbean for an awesome morning of canopy hoping via zip line! 8 of them! The first one was probably as long or longer than 3 football fields. And the rest got progressively shorter, but not any less fun. Once you get over the shock of the height and realize that the harness and galvanized steel cables will probably not drop you 300 feet down to your death, it becomes a rather pleasing experience! It was a great release and an awesome cap for the week.

  After spending the morning blasting through the forest canopy of Roatan, we went to Fantasy Island Resort. My goal was to simply sit on the beach and read. Feeling a bit under the weather, I decided not to snorkel again. Instead I curled up with my copy of The Shack and blew through a big chunk of it. Joining us on the beach were two iguanas, two watusi, a monkey (that had a BIG crush on Lauryn Wild), and a peacock. I seriously have no clue where this zoo came from! The monkey stole a granola bar, unwrapped it and ate it. It also tried to take our soda, but we'd already drained the cans. Nevertheless it tried hard to open the cans and demonstrated it's skills, showing that it at least knew that a can of soda had to be opened in order for him to enjoy it. The monkey definitely stole the show.

  Tomorrow we are taking over the church service as special guests. VBS concludes with children's Sabbath School and Pastor Saul is preaching! Will be an awesome Sabbath and a perfect book end to a memorable week.

- Fidz

Get Over the Sun

2011-03-24T21:36:00.000-07:00

Greetings Rafikis!

Last night I went to bed on time, like around 9:30ish. Which meant that I woke up on time, like around 5:45ish. Which also meant that I had an hour to kill this morning. So I put on some flip flops, and explored the area around our living quarters. I had heard of a secret cove, and while I had nothing I needed to keep secret, I supposed it would be a good place to think. Past the signs pointing to the beaches with all sorts of options (clothing, tops, etc... luckily we're the only group staying here!!!), I found the secret cove, with a medium sized red hammock tucked under a wooden awning. If you can get down the razor sharp rocks in a pair of Reefs, then the reward of solitude can be yours as it was mine.

The thoughts of this morning centered much around the same subject matter as our Calitan worship thought this morning, delivered by Dr. Bonnie Nelson. The hook of her worship talk centered on Jeremiah 29:11 and how God has promised us a life full of purpose and also how God brings us back home when he sends us out (think of home in many different metaphorical ways). Worship was later in the morning, after my time at the secret place.

During my time at the secret place with the sharp rock doorstep, I was able to listen to some music, watch the sunrise, and ponder what I've been reading in Ecclesiastes while on this trip. The writer seems a bit dismal, talking about how everything is meaningless, under the sun. I haven't gotten to a point where the writer turns it around yet, but what echoes in my head are the words of a Shane and Shane song called "Get Over the Sun". What I get from both the song and from Ecclesiastes is the life is about getting through what's under the sun with a perspective that comes from "over the sun". Meaning that God's kingdom, even though here on earth (too!) is way above the sun and way above the things underneath the sun that are meaningless. Your perspective of life must be in relation to living a kingdom lifestyle that thinks of eternity as well as the here an now. Both "uber" important!

And so before I turn in for the night, I think of the people of Roatan and the children of Roatan and how a group of 30 some odd individuals decided to "get over the sun" for spring break and bring the kingdom of God to them. I think of 16 year old Austin Mock who gave up a week of sleeping in and doing pretty much whatever he wants, to come explore Roatan and the possibility of bringing more high school age youth this way. What made him go? "I've never been on a mission trip before", he says, "so I decided to go". Amazing. Simple, but amazing. Much of life is simply about deciding to go.

Well Rafikis, the Dental Team has packed up and the porch is just a porch again. The hummingbirds own it in the day, the bats own it in the night, and the golden retrievers just simply manage the space. The medical team has closed shop and the beach is just the beach again, ready for the next set of sun-tanning tourists. 13 houses, a shop, and a school now have access to purified water. 120 some odd kids know that God's word is "Surprising, For Everyone, True....". Tomorrow is a down day where some of us will sleep and recover, others will zip-line, go scuba, or snorkel. Others may finish a electrical job yet to be done. Much like when a political candidate is predicted to win by a landslide, I think even though we still have tomorrow and Sabbath (where we conclude VBS) as two more full days here, we can start calling our Roatan trip a success.

Please pray for four of our trippers who are under the weather! Pray for our safe return home! Pray for all the people we have connected with since Monday morning!

- Fidz

Water, water EVERYWHERE!

2011-03-23T21:06:00.000-07:00

Greetings Rafikis!

We had another fine day in Roatan! The dental team was full as always. Dr. Morro was pleased with the fact that he saved just as many teeth by way of root canal procedures as the rest of the dental team extracted today. He's on a "save the teeth" campaign! Glad to see the Dental team is jovial despite the fact that they are so overrun with patients. Quite a dental need on this island. While the Medical team's census is beginning to fall, they are still seeing a good amount of patients for most of the day. This evening, they went to the west end of the island to give a medical workshop to the local physicians on the island.

   VBS was once again phenomenal. Today we learned that God's word is for EVERYONE! The faces and voices of the children are the battery that charges me up every day. Best part of the day today was when a giant cardboard and paper whale swallowed Connor Church, A.KA, Jonah. Too Cool!! But for those who know me well, you will know that the sight of a giant paper whale has the capacity to creep me out just a bit... I know...therapy.

   And finally, we installed 6 water filtration systems in six different locations: 4 houses, a school, and a local business. We have 9 more to go and we're confident that we can finish these off tomorrow with two teams. These water filtration systems are pretty simple yet innovative. Basically, the water trickles down through layers of bacteria, sand and gravel. In the end, you get pure water! The set up includes importing several bucket loads of water, filling in the bottom with gravel, pouring in a 100 pound bag of filtration sand, then letting it all fester for 2 weeks while waiting for a bio bacterial layer to form (which kills all really bad stuff!). Each house takes about 30 minutes of set-up time depending on how far the water is coming from or how slow the water flow is. But each house has the opportunity to produce several gallons of clean drinking water daily to have and most importantly, to share with family, neighbors, and the rest of the community. So for those of you who donated and worked hard raising money (Calimesa SDA Children's ministries!) your labor is not without fruit!

Well friends! That was day 4! Stay tuned for more...

- Fidz

And they say I'm corny...

2011-03-22T20:10:00.000-07:00

Greetings Rafikis!

It's our third day on this island (nope, no polar bears. Holla if you get this reference!) and it was definitely full of action. The dental team is working non-stop and way into the evening trying to get through the score of patients that come daily. This evening, much like last night they had to ask some to return tomorrow. Lunch breaks come late and last only minutes. "We have seen over 60 patients in two days", say Bonnie Parker and Dr. Richard Parker. And when you see that number I hope you understand the scope. We are not in a dental office my friends, we are outside, just 30ish steps from the ocean doing extensive dental work. The Parkers report the dental team doing "exams, x-rays, cleanings, fillings, root canals, and extractions" on a regular basis. Mercy!!

The medical team had a successful day today too, although they began running out of medication. They have seen about 217 patients over two days! They are pleased to report that some of the doctors on the island have been instructing their patients to not drink so much soda and the patients have actually been listening! It seems like they’ve been listening to much more than their physicians. “ [I]…asked a patient if he’s still smoking during an interview and he said, ‘oh no. I was baptized a few years ago!’”, says Dr. Giang. The other phenomenal story of the day came from Dr. Church. He told the story of a woman who came in claiming that her son had a sinus infection with a foul smell coming from his nose for 2 months. When Dr. Church checked, he found something stuck up the nostril. When he couldn’t extract it, he pushed it through and the boy ended up spitting it out of his mouth. It was a corn kernel!! That was stuck in his nose for TWO MONTHS! I didn’t know what grossed me out more: The corn in his nose for two months, or the fact that he now had to taste it as it came out his mouth…

The VBS team had another successful night. Tonight we added more kids to our ranks and had an attendance of about 100 kids, even though about 15 didn’t return from the first night. Shout out to team purple!!

The community team also had a successful day, assessing the electrical needs at a school in Camp Bay and digging a trench (AGAIN!) to bury some electrical lines that had been dug up by the power company in order to relocate a pole. We have yet to install the water filters, but it looks like we’ll be putting some in tomorrow! Stay tuned for pics!

One of the things that excites me about mission trips is getting the opportunity to meet folks from far and away. Today I get to introduce you to my friend of a couple days. His name is Aren Rennaker and he actually did our worship thought for this morning. Aren came to know Jesus through Sacramento Academy and attended Carmichael SDA church. Aren is a senior at Pacific Union College and is graduating this year with a BA in Public Relations/Journalism and a minor in religion. He hopes to go into full time youth ministry after graduation! Aren was invited to Roatan by his friend and PUC basketball teammate Michael Giang. His spring break options included getting to watch the San Francisco Giants in spring training in Arizona but he skipped all that to be in Roatan! His worship thought for us this morning was from 1 Corinthians 3:7-9. His message: "The fruits of our labor may not be immediate, but it's our job to plant the seed and God's job to make it grow!" This Sacramento native knows how to motivate a group of missionaries! You can see him in the red hat in the video below!

Goodnight Rafikis!

- Fidz (FEEDZ)

...and the other one is hailing a Taxi Cab!

2011-03-21T20:38:00.000-07:00

Greetings Rafikis!

From Roatan again I write. Team Calitan has been doing amazing things here! I praise God for the willingness and sacrifice that professionals and students make to be here for a week doing a service for people who simply would have gone without.

The medical team and dental team are all set up! This morning we got our EZ-up equivalents up on the beach and the Medical Team got rolling on exams. I don't quite have stories from them yet but stay tuned! The Dental team has impressed by going above and beyond what someone would expect. They literally are practicing dentistry with lots of hummingbirds buzzing up and through their set up on the porch. Not to mention a Golden Retriever or two...haha. The ocean is the soundtrack for all things medical and dental, and even some on-site construction work! The water filters which we'll be installing had their platforms assembled and painted today. Everyone is bringing their "A" game and so far so good.

The VBS team, (which I spent most of my time with today) got the church set up for VBS. We're going on an ocean adventure, which we thought was funny cause these kids live right by the real ocean. Nevertheless, the Sanctuary has been transformed into an OCEAN with sea-worthy vessel at the front. About 80 kids showed up today, and the new system of having them have color-coded groups with leaders has streamlined the check-in process as well as giving us a solution to the late comers: Just send them to their group!! We laughed, we learned, we learned that God's love is SURPRISING! I can't say this enough...I LOVE VBS!!!! Especially on an exotic island.

A cool thing about today: Got a set of keys to a van and got to drive people around and play Taxi. I should've become CashCab - Roatan!!! LOL. If you know me (and my Calimesa Youth know me...) I'm a happy man when I'm behind the wheel of something! Haha!

Praise the Lord! It's bed time now folks. Till tomorrow, Goodnight!!

- Fidi

P.s. - Pics above are of Paya Bay and the local SDA church building VBS style (This was before the mast was up. Those pics tomorrow!!).

Calitan!

2011-03-20T19:30:00.000-07:00

Greetings Rafikis!

I'm currently working on my Calitan! No, friends, I don't feel like I need to be darker. Calitan is not the latest and greatest way to be bronzed, California style. Calitan is the moniker that denotes what I'm doing and where I am. I'm currently in the wonderful country of Honduras, on the island of Roatan, in the beautiful area of Playa Bay. Our mission? We're holding a Dental Clinic, Medical Clinic, VBS, and doing some construction and repair work. We're also installing some innovative water filters for the locals to use to collect clean rain water!

So I haven't really explained what Calitan is. The church is Calimesa SDA, the place is Roatan. If you haven't gotten it yet, then I'll give you a moment. Okay moment's over. We partner with this community and though this is my first trip here, the church has been involved for several years now. Instead of coming and making one mark and leaving, we have a lasting presence in this neighborhood and they know who we are when we come yearly. Therefore, Calitan!! Props, kudos and thanks, and praise the Lord for Saul and Isaac and their team that made this possible!

Today is the first day and besides falling asleep on a deck chair and missing the trip into town, I have managed to simply travel. Story of the day? Sat next to some awesome people on the plane. They seemed awful giddy, and those of you who know me in my element, I can tend to be giddy sometimes. So meeting giddy people is always fun! I asked them how they know each other and here is the short part of the story. She works for Missouri Crime Lab. He was driving. She thought he was cute (or something) and she looked up his plate and contacted him. The rest is history! How's that for a story?? How many of you would've freaked out??? Haha. They were great! The plane ride was a riot. Hopefully we'll connect again when they're out in the Cali part of the country. Anyway, time for bed!!

I always think I'll do a daily blog thing on these trips and it never happens. So no promises... but I am totally stoked just being in a new country ready to do what Jesus asked us to do. Okay... commanded us to do. :-)

- Fidz

...where God can't seem to shut up.

2011-02-18T00:50:00.000-08:00

Tonight, God yelled.

I went to a Matthew West concert tonight with my friend Ed. At the beginning of Matthew West's show, he played all his hits and I was having a great time and loving the music and getting into it. I had a meet and greet ticket, so I got the chance to tell Matthew that I appreciate his music, the lyrics and melodies before the concert began. I truly think West is a talented song writer. But little did I know...

I really went to hear one song, "You are everything". That song has been speaking to me and all I wanted to hear was the one song. I knew he had a new album out and I didn't own it or know any of the songs, so I thought I'd be entertained by the rest of the concert. At the intermission, Matthew said something about how the 2nd part of the concert would be like nothing I've ever experienced before. I thought to myself, "I'm a professional Christian concert goer. There's nothing I haven't seen before especially from a CCM artist. What's he gonna do, have fireworks and fly in from the rafters?" Newsboys and Skillet are masters of the glamourous Christian rock show. But Little did I know...

See to me, I thought that Matthew was gonna wow with what he "did" during the concert. Instead, Matthew wow'd from his heart. See, as a song writer I write from my perspective. I write from my experiences. Matthew opened by saying how this album was written by soliciting the stories from people outside of himself and writing songs about THEIR stories. Immediately I knew this was going to be epic, but little did I know...

The lyrics and music busted up all my understanding (as Toya would put it!). Matthew basically took the content of some of the most tragic and desperate stories one could tell and wrote a song speaking to that individual person or that one family telling their stories of how they persevered in God. As he travels throughout the country, he meets these families and sings them the songs he wrote to their specific situations. I can't do justice to this concert/tour. You seriously had/have to be there. Not a dry eye in the house, and none of this was sensationalism or pageantry. It was God speaking through a music-preacher, a man who decided that he was going to look outside himself long enough to write songs that will lift up the weary and broken hearted, those who have gone through things not even I would wish on my enemies. Those are the songs he wrote and performed. He didn't fly across the room. Nothing exploded. It was nothing but God and God's story in us. Someone related to EVERY song. It was nothing like I've ever experienced before in a concert. And I go to a lot of concerts. I can't say enough how you need to check Matthew West's Tour Schedule and if you can GO experience it. Yes, buy the Album on iTunes or CD or whatever. Do that. But GO EXPERIENCE IT. You won't be the same.

I seem to be at a season in my life where God can't seem to shut up. I have had a string of super spiritual experiences and events and conferences ranging from Cruise With a Mission in December to Junior/Senior Bible Camp and "The Journey" spiritual formations retreat in January/February. I just came from The One Project conference in Atlanta with 172 attendees focused on how to make Jesus the center of life and ministry. And now, on a random Thursday night, I got a concert, er, church service that was unbelievable. Lately, I have been stuck in a routine which has me on a 24/7 merry-go-round that doesn't play merry-go-round music. Instead, it plays God. I'm in a place where God can't seem to shut up. And it's the best place I have been in a while. And tonight, the music-preacher, Matthew West was God's amplifier. Yell Lord. I'm listening. And don't ever stop yelling...

- Fidi

Ding: You are now free...

2010-12-11T22:47:00.000-08:00

Greetings Rafikis!

So I'm sitting here in my hotel room in Tampa Bay, Florida, highly anticipating the boarding of the great ship Cruise With a Mission. Now, when I say hotel room, think apartment. Yes, this hotel suite has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a dining area, a living area, a full kitchen, and a balcony. It's literally bigger than my apartment. It even has a space for a washer/dryer. And it cost me less than $50 (sharing with my good friend Ed)!

This morning Ed and I were in California, in the dark when we left my apartment parking lot. When we arrived in Tampa it was dark. But in between, many illuminating things happened, and it all started with the Steak N Eggs breakfast burrito from an airport Carl's Jr. As we waited for our mini-stroke in a tortilla, a lady offered us drink coupons for Southwest Airlines. Not wanting to be rude, we graciously accepted our new found prize: A free specialty drink on our flight, alcoholic or non. And when we boarded and scored the exit row, I knew we had the world on a string.

As we sat in our seats, and stretched our legs just because we could, we discussed our specialty drink option (yes, singular: option). We studied the drink card with more intensity in our eyes than a kid who has just been told that if he simply believes, Santa clause will fit through the 8" pipe that vents his parent's gas burning fireplace. Disappointment rained down like a Florida afternoon thunderstorm: We could either have wine, beer, hard liquor, or a Monster energy drink. We were flabbergasted at the fact that the blessing of the specialty drink coupon would either get us drunk or hyper, both options less than desirable on a 3 hour flight that was supposed to serve as respite from a sleepless night. Not to mention that I don't drink.

When I began discussing the possibilities of a whip-cream topped cup of specialty coffee, the flight attendant walked by and said: "I see you're familiarizing yourself with the most important card, sitting in the exit row and everything..." Ouch. I tried to figure out a way to convince her that Ed and I were just fortunate and not drunks, but she moved on, probably to warn the rest of the passengers.

Sleep deprived, and firing on three cylinders (early 90s Geo Metro anybody??), we landed in Tampa and were pleasantly surprised by the awesomeness of our hotel. Even more, the awesomeness of dinner conversation carried us seamlessly through the night, even as we made a Target run. After dinner, I thought that if this was the prelude to the Cruisers, then the main event would be dazzling (not to be confused with jeans, purses, and denim shirts full of plastic rhine stones).

An airport run later, Ed and I found ourselves with a little time on our hands. Well, it was like 11, and at that time of night, you just manufacture the time and put it wherever it needs to be. In this case, we literally put it in our hands. We went bowling! Now, due to my lack of sleep, the night had already been filled with slight glitches in the Fidi Mwero processing unit. The waitress thought I was an idiot; I was having a hard time putting sentences together properly. A man named Tony became "Scott" out of the blue. My brain was mirroring my Sat Nav (which is apparently very out of date with all the new Tampa Roads), spinning out of control for many reasons and constantly saying "Recalculating". I was definitely in the right state of mind to be flinging a 15 pound bowling ball to and fro. More like fro. I lost. Horribly. Don't ask the score. Ed's a good bowler.

Now I sit in my hotel that's bigger than my apartment and wonder if I'll recognize mother sleep when she puts her head in the room. Oh look. There she is. Creepy. I didn't think I invited her in.

Goodnight from Tampa Rafikis. Tomorrow, Cruise With a Mission 2010 adventures begin. Stay tuned. I can't wait to see how God's face will be shown to the Cruisers and all we meet.

- Fidi "Fidz" Mwero

"Something To Die For"

2010-11-15T19:06:00.000-08:00

Greetings Rafikis!

Here is an article I wrote for compassio.net. I thought I'd use it as my return to the blogosphere after taking some time off to "get my life together". I know this is cheating, cause I wrote this a few weeks ago, but I do plan on flexing the muscle of the written word very soon, as I've been very inspired by what I've been reading lately.

Despite the fact that I haven't written since May, there won't be an "update" blog. Besides, like I've said before, this blog is probably more for me than you and...I know where I've been. So there. Long story short, I moved back from Michigan to SoCal, and am pastoring at Calimesa SDA church. Any questions? Alrighty then...

Something to Die For

If you knew that someone would die as a result of you gossiping, would you do it? If you knew that your passive-aggressive Facebook post would cause the final demise of an already fragile soul, would you do it?

As I’m writing, a story is breaking in the news. At this point, they’ve only found his wallet and some other belongings in the Hudson, but if he doesn’t turn up soon, the authorities are probably going to assume that Tyler Clementi made good on his facebook post - that he jumped off the George Washington bridge as so nonchalantly announced as part of his agenda for the day on his profile. Why? Because his “friends” thought it would be fun to put part of his personal life on a live webcast. You can read the story here (Student's apparent suicide linked to webcast of sexual encounter), but be warned it’s pretty graphic.

If you read the story, your Christian or Adventist radar is through the roof trying to figure out if you should be allowed to feel sorry for this guy who was apparently a homosexual. I want you to think past that at this moment and think of his humanity. Does anyone deserve what happened to him? In my humble opinion the answer is no. We are told often in Scripture that the basis of God’s kingdom is love; love your enemies (John 6:27) and love your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18). I don’t care how far off someone is as far as lifestyle goes. There is no justification for the actions of the two fellow students who did this to Tyler Clementi. What they thought would do little harm ended up being deadly.

So what does Tyler Clementi’s story have to do with gossip? It graphically depicts how personal personal lives can get. Sometimes for one reason or another we find ourselves with information that doesn’t belong to us. And “venting” it out to a couple of your closest friends seems harmless. But someone’s personal life belongs to them and no one else. While we are patting ourselves on our backs for not going as far as Tyler’s so-called friends, we are no different as we find more and more creative ways to post, tweet, text, and talk about other people’s business. And here’s the thing: You never know how far your one sentence or story of gossip can go. You never know what it could lead to. And even if your shared story doesn’t lead to divers looking for a body in the Hudson, what seems harmless enough now could later be deadly on many different levels for all parties involved, including the gossiper.

So next time you are tempted to share a piece of information without authorization, ask yourself this: Are you prepared to ruin that person’s life? Is that information really something to die for?

I encourage you to live your Christian life with as much love and integrity as possible. I believe that as gossip moves out of your life, you will find more room and time to have compassion on those who seek your trust in moments of vulnerability. And there’s nothing better than being there for a friend, in the name of Jesus.

Yes, it's Osh Kosh. No, it's not Camporee...but vote anyway

2010-05-17T14:55:00.000-07:00

Greetings Rafikis!

So, as it turns out, we need to be validated by the masses in order to compete for a wondrous prize in Osh Kosh, WI. Lifest is a Christian music festival that also gives artists a chance to perform a 30 minute concert by winning their talent competition. How does one win? Well, one has to collect enough votes. And guess what? I'm an one of those Ones. And when I say "I" , I mean, Fidi Mwero & the Greg Creek Band.

So friends, if you got a second please click here and go vote for us down at the bottom of the page. And can you do me a favor? Here's the link:

http://www.sonicbids.com/voting/Default.aspx?p=332

Copy and paste it onto your facebook, myspace, work space, forhead, hand, wherever you please so that I can get the votes needed! Remember to tell them to vote for "Fidi Mwero & the Greg Creek Band" down at the bottom of the page. Thanks guys. You're real pals!!

- Fidz

"What little I have, you can borrow..."

2010-04-14T00:07:00.000-07:00

Greetings Rafikis!

So this one is gonna be quick, but full of updates.

First and foremost, my gracious brother has tired of hosting all my new music and so he has bought me my own domain which will soon be developed into a fully functioning web site. FidiMwero.com is about to launch in the near future so stay tuned.

Meanwhile, you can click on the links below to access the NEW online home of my music. Feel free to listen to what has been recorded rough-shod so far. There's a brand new song too: "Render" (It and Rise Above ReMix were recorded live in the sound room at the Howard Performing Arts Center at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, MI. I'm on keys and vocals and my buddy Greg Creek is the human drum kit, playing Djembe, tamborine, snare, and some kind of cymbal all at the same time.

fidimwero.com is in the works, but if I have my way it will contain:

1. This blog (which will permanently move over there) which will contain my opinions on:

Life

Theology

Automobile Industry

NASCAR (Don't hate)

Tennis

2. Photography projects

3. Music Projects

4. Writing Projects

5. Jogging/marathoning musings (Cause apparently I'm beginning to do the crazy marathon thing...)

Second and second most, as you can see by the photo above, I have run my first half-marathon. I'm super stoked about it because it was on my "midwest bucket list", meaning one of those things I wanted to do before I left the midwest. I specifically wanted to run the "holy-half". Don't ask me why, I think I just liked the name. My split time (half way through) was around 54 minutes, but my overall time was 2hrs 7mins. I have two feet with two large blisters to blame. Actually the blame should be on the 3 year old shoes. I know. Real runners, please try not to crucify me...huh?

Third on the totem pole is! There are many things a-happening this coming weekend too and hopefully you will be updated with pictures and stories and songs. There's even a wedding involved!! (Not my own...calm down folks).

And on that note, I'll leave you with one of my favorite song lyrics ever. The context: A guy who seems to be full of regret at his female friend's wedding. This song is by "Sister Hazel":

[The] wagon's been hitched to a star

now he'll be your thing that's new

what little I have you can borrow

cause I'm old and I'm blue...

p.s. - this does not reflect my feelings in anyway, I just think it's an incredible piece of song writing.

Holding Your Hand (Better Recording!!)

2010-02-02T21:13:00.000-08:00

Greetings Rafikis!!

This is the better (almost) full band recording of Holding Your Hand. Trust me folks...it's worlds apart from the video. I'm posting the lyrics below too if you're curious about some of the spelling of the words (Son Vs. Sun, etc). The only thing that's really missing is the lead guitar (which carries the leading hook guitar lick solo thingy...the one that makes everyone recognize the song, including me...haha). Hope you enjoy friends. It was really fun to make this.

Written and sung (all parts) by yours truly, Fidi Mwero

Guitar: Kasper Haughton

Keyboard: Fidi Mwero

Drums: Greg Creek, then Kasper Haughton (LOL)

Thanks Greg (and Gina) for letting us use your Mac, your skills, your basement, your equipment, and take over your Sabbath afternoon and evening. This was really fun. We must do some more.

Verse 1

Walk through the door (and)

Fall on the floor (and)

Bre-athe Out the day is over

Look up past the ceiling

To the heart of life’s meaning

There is the place I belong

Chorus

Carry me home where I am safe from the night

Don’t let me go your arms are holding me tight

In this place where I don’t know who I am

I will be the one holding your hand

Verse 2

Run out the door (and)

Forever more

Breathing hard my life just started

Look past the sky and

Eternity flies

The Gold reflects the Son in the night (chorus)

Bridge

And I know this Earth is rockin’ my world

And I know one day your time will come

When the things I do can’t follow me through

As you fly me through the pillars of time

Skipping Sabbath

2010-01-30T06:46:00.000-08:00

Greetings Rafikis!!

So I'm a fan of John Grisham's writing, you know, the legal thriller guy: The Pelican Breif, The Firm, A Time to Kill; all these works were books before Sandra Bullock and Sam L. Jackson were a casting thought. Every so often he steps out of the mold of legal thriller and writes something like Bleachers (which I have yet to read), A painted house (which was an awesome John Steinbeck-like look at early mid-century rural cotton farm life), and Skipping Christmas (known to most as the movie Christmas with the Kranks...yeah it was a book first too!!! READ PEOPLE).

In Christmas with the Kranks, this family decides that Christmas was something they did more for other people - their daughter, neighbors, etc.- than themselves. So when daughter decides she wasn't coming home for Christmas, they decided to skip it and go on vacation instead. No tree, no lights, no presents, no parties.

This morning I woke up and began to list my day in my head, before I even opened my eyes:

Clean my room

Vacuum the house Fold my laundry

Workout (HA!)

Homework

Australian Open Men's Final (GO FED!!)

No trees, no lights, no presents, no parties.

Then I opened my eyes, shot up in bed, and opened my curtains. It was for this reason I chose this bedroom. Even though it was the smallest in the house, it is bright and the view is phenomenal and I was paralyzed by what I saw.

I am privileged to have a 2nd story bedroom that looks eastward over a magnificent view. When the day is not blanketed with snow bearing clouds, I look out. This morning, over the farms and barns and farm houses, through the branches of the giant bare cottonwood tree in my front yard, I watched the sun rise. And in a subtle, gentle way, God said to me, "Ssshhh. It's Sabbath".

Today I tried to skip Sabbath. But as I write, I'm basking in the glow for the sun as I prepare to bask in the glow of the Son on His Sabbath made especially for me. I'm throwing two fingers up in the peace sign at that WHOLE list above and I'm going to church. I want my "Trees, lights, presents", and a God party that lasts the whole day.

Luke 4:16 - He went to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day He went into the synagogue, as was His custom.

- Fidz

Holding Your Hand Lyrics

2010-01-22T01:44:00.000-08:00

Hey there Rafikis

I posted a video on Facebook. Here are the lyrics to the song, "Holding Your Hand"

Walk through the door and

Fall on the floor and

Breathe out

The day is over

Look up past the ceiling

The heart of life's meaning

There is the place I belong

Carry me home where I am safe from the night

Don't let me go

Your arms are holding me tight

In this place where I don't know who I am

I will be the one holding Your hand

Run out the door

Forever More

Breathing hard

My life just started

Look up past the sky and

Eternity flies and

The streets of gold reflect the Son in the night

Carry me home where I am safe from the night

Don't let me go

Your arms are holding me tight

In this place where I don't know who I am

I will be the one holding Your hand

And I know this earth is rockin' my world

And I know one day Your time will come

When the things I do can't follow me through

As you fly me through the pillars of time

Carry me home where I am safe from the night

Don't let me go

Your arms are holding me tight

In this place where I don't know who I am

I will be the one holding Your hand

More Mee-Yoo-Zick

2010-01-17T17:48:00.001-08:00

Hey Rafikis,

Here are two more songs that were put together in Greg's basement. Once again...rough, but functional. They've totally got that live acoustic feel going for them. Can you feel it?

It's me on the keys, but I've never claimed to be a pianist, so listen at your own risk. At some point they will be re-recorded with a real piano guy (Stephen Lee??!!). Alright friends. Enjoy!

No Condition Love

Rise Above

Mee-Yoo-Zick

2010-01-17T10:51:00.000-08:00

Hey there Rafikis!

Some of you have been asking to hear some of my music. These are what I've been working on lately. These recordings are super rough, but Greg and I had some fun putting them together. I would love some feedback from my musician friends.

The first one is called Legacy. It was written in reflection of The International Pathfinder Camporee and how it really left a mark on me as a volunteer and as a spectator. That huge and awesome event reminded me that it's important to leave your positive mark on the world as you go through life's "stuff". If the player doesn't work, click the links.

Legacy

The second one is a simple song about a relationship with God called Redeem

Redeem

Before February Comes

2010-01-15T20:57:00.000-08:00

Greetings Rafikis!

So there is this thing that's happening. It seems that the world decided to change and/or be changed while I was on vacation. I returned to Berrien Springs to find all sources of water frozen in snow and ice form. It should be called Brrrrien Springs (*insert belly laugh here*). In fact not only was it frozen, but apparently someone thought it would be funny to leave it all in the driveway for Marco and I to deal with upon return from our perspective vacation destinations. And so for the first week back, we had to slowly dig our way through 2-4 odd feet of snow that had accumulated in front of our house. Underneath it we found a pickup truck, someone's child (alive), a deer (alive), and last semester's assignments (alive) that had not been turned in. They hid because they saw a big monster coming. I would run away from this monster if I could too. They say that Loch Ness monsters and Abominable Snowmen are scary. I saw the Lake Effect (snow) monster. A determined one it is...

Alright. Snow I expected. It's Michigan. However, I didn't expect everyone to suddenly make good on 30 years of weight-loss new year's resolutions . OMGoodness!! I'm convinced all of Berrien Springs, Niles, and other surrounding towns and townships come to the YMCA every night. They come to walk a mile in their own shoes. The rich ones have Nike Shox: These are the ones who decide they are gonna start working out, go out and spend hundreds of dollars on shoes and matching workout clothes, more dollars a "Y" membership, and proceed to work out next to you while wearing every single item of their new workoutfit along with a gallon of the most gaudy cologne or perfume - you know, the one that gives you the headache, a most welcome friend during mile 5 or six. I digress... But seriously. Parking is a mess, and the pool is ALWAYS at capacity when I'm lifeguarding.

But in all honesty, this is the best problem ever... much better than the other way around. I mean, I do still need a job. It's just that life guarding is not supposed to be this hard. As one person was leaving the pool area, another lady asks me, "Can I come in?"

"Yes, ma'am", I said. "I have room for one more".

"Well I'm here with my kids". And she proceeds to point to three kids, all threatening to overthrow her position as a vertically superior adult.

"Well, ma'am I can only have 25 people in the therapy pool. I'm already over capacity. I can only let one more in".

"But my kids are with me"

"There's four of you"

"So..."

Another scenario went like this:

"Excuse me sir!" I said. "During family swim you must be in the pool with your kids".

"I have to be in there?"

"Yes Sir"

"Can I just sit on the side?"

"No sir, you must be in the water with them"

At this time he proceeds to gesture for his children to just walk in as he begins to walk away.

"Ummm...sir?", I said. "They can't be in there unless you are in there with them."

The look on his face said things that can't be repeated on this page.

This whole conversation was had while I held a gallon of a chemical we call pool shock. Why? Well, an earlier conversation went like this:

"Excuse me sir!"

"Yes?", I said.

"My daughter just threw up over there". She pointed to the pool deck by the benches near the entrance. "She likes to swallow lots of water while in the pool".

I looked over at the benches and saw chunks of things that didn't look like just "lots of water". At that instant the woman and all 20 members of her family disappeared from the pool complex. How convenient. I had to clean up vomit as 20 more people clamored for positions in the therapy (read WARM WATER) pool. You'd think it was 1999 and N*Sync tickets just went on sale.

As I approached the HAZMAT control area all I could make out was shredded mozzarella cheese and something else that had discolored by the time it hit the pool floor. As I poured "pool shock" over the contents of this little girls stomach, I thought to myself, "She didn't throw up because she swallowed water. She threw up because she swallowed her dinner whole!"

It is a perfect New Years storm: A ton of new members + brrr outside + Holiday Hips + The New Years Resolvers + the regulars = A Chunky YMCA. It's totally awesome.

You know there are some revelations about myself that I've had recently amongst all this change. I recently had a moment to do some self reflection, in a bout to follow Socrates' advice. While examining my life over the last year, I realized some things about myself lately. Wanna know what they are? No... then do not read on. But if you want a small picture into the life and mind of Fidi, read on, rafikis.

1. I was always that guy who, when at the gym, would put on his Ipod and proceed to look as angry as possible so that no one would even think of striking up a conversation. NOW!? I go to the gym at strategic times in order to see those with whom I've developed community. I often remove my earbuds to have breezy conversation, catch up on weekend activities, and complain about how much we hate the gym, when none of us really does.

2. I used to be able to stay up all night to study and finish assignments, most of the time with the aid of the most used drug in the world. However, lately, since I stopped using (read drinking coffee), when night comes, and bed time comes, Fidi goes. To bed. Assignment done or not. And seriously at that point there is no point in staying up, because whatever I turn in that was generated in those wee hours of the night is subject to causing the professor to wonder how a ten year old got into the seminary in the first place.

3. I have become more critical of everything: Sermons, musicians, cars, music, etc. This is good sometimes and by paying attention I hope I've become a better speaker, singer, songwriter, whatever. But I gotta be able to turn it off and just get the "message" sometimes.

4. I used to say I don't have time for big hair. But in this cold Berrien weather, I refuse to be bald. And so I've embraced big hair. And it's soo much fun. yeah. Really.

5. I apparently look a lot like Tiger Woods with my most recent hair cut (not pictured) and a smile. Um...I need him to fix his image. Meanwhile, all those sponsors looking for a new "endorserer", look no further. Watches and cars I can do, but Gillette will have to figure out how to make my beard grow faster before we can get something going there.

6. I used to be one of those guys who thought making a new year's resolution was stupid. But now I feel like it is an extremely valuable tool, forcing me to crane my neck backwards for a second, peering into the past to see what I can fix, adjust, develop as I lean forward to the future.

And that's my main point today rafikis. Use this season of newness as a way to look inside yourself and fill those empty holes with that which is timeless. Get to know Jesus and let Jesus get to know you. Resolve to make your life count. At the same time don't let new year's resolutions become cliche. Make realistic goals that actually make a difference, a change in your world. Most of all, seek to grow as a person, a child of God, a follower of Christ.

Let 2010 pass by. But don't let yourself stay the same. If you haven't already, start planting your legacy. Before February comes, have a moment with God. Have a moment with yourself. And embrace the rest of the year with a newness of an examined life that is graded by the most unfair Teacher; a Teacher that won't give us what we deserve, but life abundantly instead.

- Fidz

Of fireplaces and songs...

2009-11-25T07:19:00.000-08:00

Greetings Rafikis

This week has been an absolutely unusual one for me. I've slept in on three different occasions. And when I say sleep in, I mean waking up any time after 7:30. Most of the time I'm supposed to be somewhere by 7:00. I don't like that my body won't let me sleep until 10 A.M. unless I drove home with the sunrise. But I do like waking up gently and not being jolted awake by an angry alarm every morning. I think I really should get a clock radio with a nicer alarm. Mine is verbally abusive and it's beginning to scare me.

Speaking of beginning to scare me... So we got our gas fireplace working thanks to GC of GCB ;-) who finally figured out how to light the darn thing without blowing up the whole house. It's really warm and inviting and feels great on me as I write and finish reading "Holidays on Ice". The only problem is somewhere between five and ten minutes after it's on, the metals in the fireplace expand enough to make a loud BANG as they adjust to the heat. Not only does it give me a heart attack but...Umm...can you say flash back to childhood in east side Loma Linda where loud bangs were usually guns and everyone hits the floor while mommy calls 911??? Gotta love Van Leuven St.

This week was cool because it was kicked off on Saturday night in Chicago, watching Mickey mouse and some of his friends (Plain White T's, some children from some Disney show) light up the Magnificent Mile on Chicago's Michigan Ave. Christmas parades are fun except for the helium filled balloon floats that were straight up creepy. I will never see frosty the snow man the same again. And he needed to stop waving at me.

This week was not so awesome because Sunday hosted the finale of the NASCAR season. What shall I do with my Sundays now? Work? Homework? Football? OH YEAH!!! Definitely football.

This week was awesome because I got to spend time doing homework that's due next week as opposed to homework that's due in five hours.

This week was super awesome because I went down into the basement (Read MAN-CAVE *Grunt*) and worked on a couple songs song I wrote. One was inspired by an article that was read to me from Relevant magazine. In the article, they talk about a Christian band that got plastered after a show; them, their management, the promoters, err'body. The writer later goes on to say something like, "When I was talking about the drunk Christian band, what were you thinking? Did you want to know who they are so you could pray for them? So you could delete their music? So you could buy their music cause they're cool now?" And me...I totally wanted to know who was making a mockery of CCM!!! (Contemporary Christian Music). And so after being called out by the author of this article (for wanting to judge them and not help them), I was inspired to write a song from the perspective of the guy who's like "Yeah...I need to change my life, but this God journey is just beginning so don't let your "good intentions ground this flight". He was talking to me.

This week off has given me a chance to just sit down and do things I've been promising myself I'd do, like writing more music, sitting down in front of the fireplace and reading a book, flossing, combing my hair...

Thank you Jesus for family, friends, a cozy home, music, and life. Amen.

Please, please don't look in here!

2009-10-25T18:51:00.000-07:00

Hey there Rafikis!

How is everyone doing? Does anyone even read this thing? It doesn't really matter. Like I've said before, writing probably helps me more than anyone who stumbles onto the word vomit of this blogger's site.

Today I raked leaves. I came home from work and had some energy to burn. Instead of going for a jog, I chose to rake leaves, which seem to cover ever square inch of the front yard (read football pitch, "soccer field" for the Americans). Yes sirree the front yard is big and takes forever to mow too. I could use the self-propelled feature, but it causes the thing to bounce over the mole hills uncontrollably and I'm jealous of my straight lines (gently curved if I'm bored and have time). But I digress...

Today I raked leaves just because. I started late in the evening and due to the sheer size of the lawn, I didn't expect to finish. The weather was nice and I just wanted to be outside. I didn't do much with the leaves. I just stood in the middle and rake the leaves into piles around my ankles. When I stood back and looked, it was as if some extraterrestrials had descended onto my front yard and had nothing better to do but make crop circles with the fallen foliage of the giant cottonwood. I suppose I should gather them and toss them in the forest/swamp behind the house at some point, but for now they linger. It was just great to be outside; totally therapeutic.

This last week was pretty intense. Lots of things "happened", both awesome and awful. My first reaction is to bottle everything in until I can unleash all the emotions at an appropriate time. The problem is often my emotions are bottled with preservatives from the wrong side of the periodic table, making them very unstable. Last week was no exception...

And so it was while driving to Pioneer Memorial Church, trying to warm up my voice, getting ready to sing with the praise team, Mark Schultz was able to uncork the bottle of "STUFF" from the week. Some of the folks who are close to me know that I am a sucker for songs about the cross, resurrection, the 2nd coming, and especially heaven. They just remind me that it'll get better and one day it'll be perfect, that He'll be back again.

And so Mark irked out the tears with "The Holy One" off of his Song Cinema album. Here's a snippet of what it says:

Early morn
Break of day
Came in time to find the rock You rolled away
I found Your robe
An empty grave
And as I fell upon the ground I cried out
Holy One, You are the Holy One,
and You came and gave Your life away

I just heard the news today
I just came to find you but they said You'd gone away
I just wanted to hear You say that you had to go
But that You'd be back again

And that was enough. As I navigated the traffic circles of the Andrews campus, and as the skies threatened to rain, the waterworks flowed inside the vehicle. Everyone outside my car looked eager to get into church or to get to their own cars to get on with Sabbath activities. But inside my car, I was having an impromptu moment with God, where I felt broken by His Spirit and convicted by His love. As I drove past all the church people all I could think was "PLEASE, PLEASE don't look in here!". I pulled into a parking space, blew my nose, wiped my eyes, and cried some more. After rinsing and repeating a couple times, I prayed and kept it moving, feeling nestled in the presence of God. It was a truly happy Sabbath that primed me for this week. And after some "leaf therapy" I'm ready to go head first.

- Fidz

A spectrum of responses...

2009-09-23T21:42:00.000-07:00

Hey There Rafikis!!

The following was written as a response to this article. It is an interview between A. Allan Martin, co-founder of GODencounters, and Rachel Davies of Spectrum magazine. Bon-Appetit.

I believe that GODencounters is a movement that can be used to remedy some weaknesses and affirm strengths among believers, seekers, and sitters (you know...the one's on the pew). To me, the 7 themes of GODencounters allows for two things to happen:

First, it reaches the believer within their area of passion and nourishes and enriches that portion of their soul. If you are a born worshipper (which essentially we all are, but some do it more freely than others...) then perhaps the Worship, Prayer, and Celebration portions come easy. If you are service oriented, then the missional aspects come easy and we rejoice in the opportunity to partake in the familiar that feeds our soul like our favorite food feeds our stomachs.

Second, GODencounters challenges persons to reach beyond their own passions and attitudes to begin a formational and/or healing process for damaged parts of our spirituality. If you are not missional, or do a lot of "sunlight checks" on Sabbath afternoons, or have issues with feeling, nevertheless, BEING compassionate, GODencounters will challenge you to grow maturely in the portions of your 24/7 spiritual life that are weak and/or ignored.

The question is how willing are we to be transparent and admit that we do not really know how to pray and listen? Are we vulnerable enough to raise our hands in utter response to the holy spirit's conviction? Are we humble enough to admit that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are better known to us as the first names of our favorite movie stars than the witnesses and/or recorders of the greatest story ever told?

Unfortunately, spirituality is messy. We discover things about ourselves that we would rather leave in the netherworld of our minds. GODencounters (the gatherings, the book) helps us to make sense of it all within the experience... It's the difference between reading about a roller coaster or getting on and riding it. You will never lose your glasses or flip-flop sandals while sitting on your recliner reading "Coasters Today". But, when you ride one...

We Were Only Observers...

2009-06-15T16:33:00.000-07:00

It was another day where I did not know what to expect. My trip to the Mosque drew quite a bit of anxiety prior to it. John Kim and I as well as another friend decided to go together and experience an Islamic worship service in the context of South Bend, IN. This is my own personal response to the experience. I went in with some presuppositions. About 90% of those presuppositions were wrong.

We were told the worship started at 1:00 p.m. We arrived at 1:02 and thought we were late. The parking lot was empty save for 6 cars. “I guess there aren’t that many devout Muslims in Michiana after all”, I thought. I thought that the building would be like a mini Islamic cathedral of some sort. I thought that as we entered, we would be told to take off our shoes by the shoe police. I thought that there would be a “woman” police outside ready to siphon our other friend in through a separate “woman’s entrance”. I thought we would look much different from those inside worshipping. I envisioned flowing white robes with fancy white embroidery. Why? I don’t know. I also thought that there would be chanting and that we would have to sit on the floor with our legs crossed in the midst of it. I thought we would be looked at strangely for not participating. I thought that Muslim worship had no sense of “conservative” and “liberal” only Sunni and Shia. I thought I knew something.

My thoughts were first obliterated by the fact that I almost walked in with my shoes on because I was so surprised that no one was guarding the rug like Fort Knox. After we removed our shoes, we were led by a young stout Muslim youth to the Imam who he called “our leader”. The Imam welcomed us and gave us brochures that showed the order of service and explained the prayer postures. He also directed us to our seats. Yes, seats. As I sat and looked around, I noticed that the building was modern and there was hardly any adornment. There was a man already chanting prayers from an unseen place and the six people who beat us there were reading the Koran by a window or kneeling, standing, then kneeling again in prayer. I turned to the Imam to ask him which part of the service we were observing. He looked at me with a strange glance and said, “We haven’t started yet”. And that is when I realized that there are some quirky similarities in this Islamic worship that every Southern Baptist (read “typical”) good ol' protestant Christian would recognize and some things that surprised me and obliterated my misconceptions about Muslims in the United States. These were my observations.

1. While the women were separated, they were not disrespected. They actually had visual sight of where the men were worshipping as they passed through to their worship area and some looked as though they passed inches away from the prayer rugs. There were no police anywhere.

2. Most everyone arrived about 15-30 minutes late. As we left 1 hour later, there were people still arriving. There were misbehaving children, and an old lady in the back ready to straighten them out. Sounds like church to me!

3. Most of the women had traditional garb. Some men did too. But most of them wore jeans and a nice shirt. The brochure said that many leave work to come to the service and may not be able to socialize with us afterwards because they were returning to work quickly.

4. The children love their fathers to death. The relationship between father and son(s) was clearly a large part of their culture. Most of the parents of young children looked older and well established. Out of the 150 (maybe more) people there, there was not one young couple or single teenage mother that I observed.

5. The sermon was about making sure to study the beliefs of Islam often and a warning about being too loose or too strict about pop culture. Too strict?

6. To get an idea of the socio-economics of the congregation I paid attention to the thing that often becomes a reflection of a bank account: The cars in the parking lot. There was a good mix of normal cars in the parking lot and “status symbol” cars. Probably a little more “status” cars than in a typical Adventist parking lot.

7. There was a chanting, prayer actually, but by only one person at a time and it only happened twice. And no, we didn’t have to participate in anything. We were simply observers.

Long Lake Rd. was his Kryptonite...RIP Edmuston "Mashavu" Woodhouse III

2009-06-13T17:30:00.001-07:00

Hey there Rafikis,

So after an extremely busy Friday, which consisted of a visit to a mosque (More on that some other time...) I came home and was mowing the lawn, racing the sunset to get my yard in shape. It had been a particularly long and stressful day, but it had some awesome parts which included broadening my experiences at the mosque (not to be confused with worshipping there...) and sitting outside Chipotle and eating lunch with Toya and John Kim (from the sermonary).

I came home and while mowing the lawn, I was doing a lot of thinking and was kind of stressed out and then the lawn mower ran out of gas. This is not an unusual thing; while mowing the football pitch (read soccer field) that is my front yard, I usually have to refill the mower twice for it to last the 2.5 hours that it takes me to get the grass' life together.

So the mower runs out of gas, and I'm frustrated with many things including the mower (which has been acting up lately) and something in the grass catches my eye. And before I could fully turn and focus on the object, I already knew what it was.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am sorry to announce that the squirrel from my backyard, Mr. Edmunston "Machavu" Woodhouse III was tragically hit by a car sometime between thursday morning and friday morning (It definitely wasn't fresh...). He was found by me, lying just off the side of the road on my lawn, while I was cutting the grass on Friday afternoon. He wasn't particularly loved, but I did enjoy watching him (or her). And it could be unusually entertaining to watch it gather leaves for its nest (or something...). He will be missed, sort of. I often wondered how long he could last, running across the street for goodness-knows-what; I often came close to taking his life too. Long Lake Rd. was his Kryptonite. Oh well.

I carefully kept on mowing around his body and left him for the crows...(GROSS!). Those of you who participated in the contest to name him have priority seating at his funeral (TBA).

- Fidi

Grown Up Christian Shoes

2009-05-27T20:13:00.000-07:00

Hey there Rafikis!

I suppose it's time for some semblance of an update. I hope you guys know that these posts are my own way of gathering my thoughts sometimes. I guess today is one of those days.

So much has taken place in the last month or so. I had one of the toughest semesters in the history of my college career (...but nothing can beat my go-to-three-universities-at-the-same-time-so-I-can-graduate last quarter at La Sierra U...), and I learned quite a bit about myself and what my limits are.

There are lots of things I'm realizing about this 24-year-old-self.

I'm getting old. While the two gray hairs that insist of growing back in gray haven't multiplied, despite all the warnings about pulling them out, I finally gave in to the fact that I cannot do all-nighters anymore. Those days are over. I get to about 11:00 p.m. and I yawn. By 1:00 a.m. I'm comatose. And those are the critical days. On a regular day, unless something's off, I yawn at about 9:00. I know...how geriatric of me. But tonight, I couldn't sleep..so I write.

Another, more poignant, thing I am learning about my 24 year old self is that for a long time I did not know how to walk in my "adult Christian" shoes. And to say that I've got the hang of it now would be the overstatement of the century. I'm still trying to get the picture, to see what an adult Christian Fidi looks like. And at times it's just easier and more comfortable to go back to what I was before; An unchallenged, comfortable, teenage/undergrad Christian(ish). But God wouldn't let me and he's taught me a couple things during my stay here at the famed Seventh-Day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University.

First, I have to come to the point where I simply "REALIZE". I never used to do that whole "look deep inside you" thing. I thought that was for people who walked around with Yoga mats just in case they had a spare moment to do a Sun Salutation during rush hour traffic or in the cafeteria line. I used to think that the "odd" people needed to look inside themselves. But when I started living the "examined life", I found lots of things that I was initially scared I would find. Lots of flaws. Lots of dark corners packed with things that had been consciously and subconsciously pushed back there. Uncovering those things had potential for pain...and I'm not masochistic in any sense of the word. Furthermore, I realized that my world view had changed, but I had never reconciled it with the Lord. But REALIZING was not enough...

I had to REALIGN myself under God's "new" will for my "new" adult self. While the old picture of Christianity and God and Faith was still valid, it was immature (1 Corinthians 13:11 - When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things). And realigning myself was something I definitely had to do after the shock of looking deep inside myself. As I grow and change and move physically and mentally, it's really important that I constantly check myself with the Spirit and check myself with the Word, and ultimately check myself to see if I'm still aligned with the Lord, or if I have begun to carve my own path.

The hardest part about realigning for me was surrendering. I've been talking to some of my friends and colleagues who I consider spiritual partners and mentors. I've been telling them how perplexed I am about this thing called "conviction" (more on that in another blog sometime down the road) & "surrender" and how scary it is to do it ALL the way. As I realize that I have an issue, then realign with God to see what He has to say about all this, I have to be willing to surrender it all and accept my new identity, and all the responsibility and freedom it affords. And for this Christian who is just learning how to walk in his grown up Christian shoes...it's turning out to be quite an adventure...!

There is a song by my buddies "Downhere" that I've been hearing for the last 3 years, but never really listened to until I heard it live a few weeks ago. I was in (and still am) the middle of this whole surrender thing and they played this song from their "Wide Eyed And Mystified" album. It's called Surrender. You can read the all the lyrics here. The lyrics that particularly touched me were in the bridge and I'll close this unjustly long blog with these words by this awesome band that describe my current view of "surrender".

I end where you begin
Lose it all to win
A constant realign
Beneath Your love divine
In this fall without a bottom
The deeper my surrender
The higher we will rise

Jeremiah 29:13 (God Speaking) - You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Psalm 139:1 (Me Speaking) - O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.

Goodnight friends...time for bed.

Thank you for the fish!

2009-04-01T18:45:00.000-07:00

Hey there Rafikis!

So there's a song I've been singing a lot lately. It goes something like this: "How do they find the time and energy to do all this?"

There are days I wake up and for some reason I get stirred into a frenzy. These days usually take place when I'm stuck at home (Berrien Springs Home) for a break (spring, christmas, you name it). And I figure that since I'm stuck at home, I should turn my house into a palace fit for a king. And so I clean: Laundry, dishes, bathrooms, vacuum...and it takes forever. And when I'm done I'm thoroughly exhausted. Granted, this house is really made for a whole family and cleaning three stories (basement, main floor, upstairs) is not something that someone should ever have to do alone, but unfortunately it happens. Often. The people who take care of us, or took care of us, spent many hours on hands and knees, pushing a Hoover, and wondering if those Scrubbing Bubbles would really come to life and magically clean the whole bathroom (BTW...they don't). It really is HARD work!

There are days (like today) when I decide that I won't poison my body and actually have real food that's more or less from a farm or ocean somewhere and not a lab. I'll use today for example. I decided to cook; brown rice, salmon, and spinach. By the time the food was defrosted, marinated, cooked, and ready to eat, I was not only STARVING! (I gave in and snacked on apple juice while cooking....a MAJOR NO NO!) but I was just plain tired. Granted, this exhaustion is a compilation of the morning homework, the afternoon classes, and the evening workout, BUT STILL...it really is just easier to order the number 6 at Wendys. And so, I thank the folks who took care of me since I was a wee little boy, and taught me how to make at least one dish, but freely fed me so many more without complaining.

Here's to the ones who take care of us. Many times when you should have taught us to fish, you gave us the fish anyway and simply said...I love you. We love you too...

Sex: Party of 2?

2009-03-25T19:30:00.000-07:00

Hey there rafikis!

It's been a while since my mind has urged my fingers to grace the blogosphere. In that time I've managed to get behind on homework, go on spring break to Cali-Vega (don't get too excited, they are both home to me), and conjure up some righteous indignation.

In fact, this blog has nothing to do with sun or casinos, but everything to do with a phrase I keep hearing in movies or on television. The conversations loosely go something like this, and usually take place on the day of someone's wedding:

Friend: "So you're finally taking the plunge...getting hitched..."

Groom: "Yeah...what can I do? I love her!"

Friend: "Are you sure you want to go through with this? Are you sure you want an old ball and chain for the rest of your life?"

Groom: "I'm pretty sure"

Friend: "I mean, are you okay with the fact that you will only be having sex with this one person for the rest of your life?"

Groom: "I'm pretty sure..."

So if I listen to the friend, the ideal would be for a dude to NOT be okay with having sex with his wife for the rest of his life? So what should be desirable is to have multiple sexual partners, manifold different encounters, and to risk becoming bank of "insert your name here" for the next 18 years (at best!!) or at worst becoming a petri dish for all sorts of interesting things to have a doctor check out...

The concept of monogamy hit home when I came back from spring break. This spring break was interesting because for the first time in a long time I became a pedestrian. My Isuzu Rodeo back in Vegas is down for the count and so I was left renting cars and asking my wonderful friends for rides.

Long story short, I had the chance to drive a Chevy Aveo, a Toyota Yaris, a Nissan Xterra (ala 'rents), and to ride in many other fine automobiles. When I came home and drove Bertha-Blue (my Honda Pilot) I thought to myself, there's nothing I love to drive better than her.

Having multiple sex partners is like waking up everyday and finding a different car parked in your driveway or your garage every month, week, or day (!!!!). At first it could actually be kinda exciting trying out all the different makes and models, driving them to the max. Each one feels different, each one handles different, and each on has its good and bad traits, but you get to drive nonetheless. However, one day you see a car that's just right for you and you actually don't drive it recklessly because you want this one to last...but alas, after a couple days you're bored, cause you're used to having a new one every day (week, month,... you get the picture) and you spiral into a semi-schizophrenic state of wanting stability but yearning for excitement. That's what happens when you invite too many people to a party that was meant for two.

I read about a study that poled people looking for the demographic that was having the best sex. The research showed that old church ladies were having the best sex. I would say it's safe to say that they were doing it with their husbands too...and their husbands alone.

We were created to be intimate and some would argue that since having multiple partners is something normal for the wild animals, it's okay for us too. Great! Let's stop cooking our food, or using the toilet...sorry friends, that argument really doesn't work; we were designed differently...just like we can't really digest raw grass our bodies can't really digest rampant promiscuity. The results are clear all across the world, in our backyard, and alot closer for others...

Some would say that men in the Bible had multiple partners and wives. Great! Show me something beneficial that came out of ANY of those relationships...

While my car metaphor may fall apart, the Truth of the matter won't. Don't make life more complicated than it already is. When your friend (whose friendship is questionable at best; he just called your bride a ball and chain...) asks you if you're ready to have sex with one more person for the rest of your life, you can answer with a resounding YES, and join the ranks of the super SATISFIED church ladies. God is super satisfied, and you will be too.

Governmental Encounters 2 - The Abbreviated Story of DC

2009-01-29T18:38:00.000-08:00

Hey there Rafikis,

This is a story of four popsicles; Asian, American, African and Colombian. This cast of 4 endured 12 hours of driving. We stood in 30 degree temps, at the front of a line of thousands for 5 hours. The NY Times guy heckled the Associated Press guy, and they both kept us entertained for a couple of hours....and we didn't get into the security check point.

So what was the point? I asked myself this question only once. Then I moved on. This was the point. I went on a road trip and renewed my friendship with Phephi, started a friendship with Kevan, and dug up a friendship with our gracious host in Silver Spring, Nate Gemmell. I was privileged enough to be in the Nation's Capital when our new President was sworn in. I experienced the energy of thousands of people who have hope for a better American future under our new president. When all was said and done we still watched it on a large HD monitor in a WARM museum room with about 65 natives and travelers. We were warm, we were in DC, and we were within reach of President Obama, just not face to face. Everyone else who stayed and waited for the gate to open got to do the parade route. We decided that we could not commit academic suicide twice, only once.

It was totally worth it. I will one day tell my kids that I was in DC when it all went down.

13 hours back to Berrien Springs, 5 hours of sleep, 3 classes where I was a zombie, and a lifetime of inside jokes and crazy memories.

Governmental Encounters...

2009-01-19T15:37:00.000-08:00

Hey there Rafikis!!

So lately I've been having run-ins with the government; Chicago government, and soon, the Federal government.

Sorry friends, we can't blame Blagojevich for this one. I decided I'm done telling the story of the traffic ticket, but long story short I was pulled over for making an illegal u-turn in the city of Chicago. Apparently they're not allowed in the city unless someone's having a baby on top of the Sears tower at the stroke of mid-night on July 45 (there are many ways to get a ticket making a u-turn in chi town. There are no signs that tell you not to. take my advice...just don't). Anyway, I came back to Chicago on January 15 to fight the ticket.

I parked. I didn't really contemplate that there could be restrictions other than what was on the meter, but I should've known what the locals do: When they park, they check the meter, check the curb, check the street, check the poles, walk around the block, check for tics, then walk away from the car. I also realized that they wake up every 30 minutes through the night to make sure their cars are still there.

I didn't know all this. So I parked. On a snow route. Where they tow cars in the wee hours of the morning (between 3 and 7 am). The next morning, I ventured out to retrieve my car (so I could go to COURT!) and it was gone. Like yesterday is gone. Like history is gone. Like Elvis and his mom...well, you get the picture.

I walked around the block for a sign to tell me where they took it (whoever they were), and for once, Chicago failed to post a sign (do you sense the sarcasm?) I called 311 and they said they held Bertha (my '05 Honda Pilot) somewhere in Saudi Arabia (far east).

We rode a bus for half an hour. We walked half a mile. The temperature could freeze you in half a second (-40 wind chill...yah!). Minus three toes, I arrived at Chicago impound lot 2, open from 9:00-5:00. Lot 3 is 24 hours, yet they have the same office building...I'm done trying to figure Chicago out.

I proceeded to chop of my right arm and my left leg and handed them over in exchange for Bertha. She had been kidnapped, mistreated and abused, and did I pay for it!

I parked her again... this time across the street from the scene of the kidnapping. Apparently it doesn't snow THERE between 3 & 7 am.

Remembering that I was already in Chicago to fight the law, I (and my accomplice and ever ready Chicago city born friend, Toya) began the trek to Chicago city traffic court. There was no way you could convince me to drive farther into the wilderness. We took the Red Line.

UPON ARRIVING...

...I discovered that they had spelled my name wrong in several different places, in several different ways. So I didn't know where I was supposed to be. After a court clerk pointed me in the right direction, I checked in, sat down, and prepared to be entertained by all these clearly guilty people looking for some semblance of grace from the judge. Oh...wait. That was me.

So apparently this U-Turn thing is a big problem in Chicago; two people before me pleaded guilty and guilty-with-explanation. After they both pleaded guilty and gave the same explanation as I would have given, they were pardoned with reduced fines ($5 for one of them), and astronomical court costs ($135) which the judge had "no choice but to administer. It's the cost of doing business". So...pleading guilty was not an option. I figured I'd plead "not guilty", get a chance to explain myself to the judge in a trial, and see what happens from there.

While the judge fumbled over my name, I fumbled over how I was going to explain myself after my "not guilty" plea. When my "trial" came up, the prosecutor and the judge decided not to "proceed with prosecution" or something like that. I turned and hopped out (remember no leg) a free man, without any fines. And that was fine.

Brothers and sisters, I write to you from the family room of the Gemmell's house in Maryland watching a TIVO'd episode of Man Vs. Wild with Nate. I'm getting ready to be in DC for the inauguration tomorrow. What's funny is, this is about to be a pleasant encounter with the government. After this last Chicago fiasco, I could really use one. The pics that are posted are from our trip here (TODAY!) and our arrival in MD. I'll write later and let you know what it was like to be in the Nation's capital while Barack Obama is being sworn in as the 44th president of the United States of America. Have a good night friends.

- Fidi

Hi Fidi! Welcome to Blogspot

2008-12-28T06:14:00.000-08:00

Greetings Rafikis!

So I'm sitting here in my room, in my house with one soul. Me. My housemates have been gone, doing wonderful things during the Christmas break, winter break for those who are PC (Politically Correct).

I'm not at home in Vegas. I'm not at home in California. I'm at home in Michigan. For me to even say that phrase shows tremendous growth. I'm learning to love the skin that I'm in despite the snow drifts and wind chill factors.

What did I get for Christmas? I got the ocean, the Caribbean, the sun, a high of 80 degrees, a cruise ship, friends that will be for a lifetime, and the chance to serve.

What did I give for Christmas? I gave some music, I gave a cleaner Key West, an academy basketball court with fresh lines, a school with new paint. And for me? I gave myself a tan (I know I'm African, but work with me here...), a finished novel, 8 hours of sleep, good food, a vegetation (vegging out on the top deck!!). I gave myself fulfillment.

Cruise With A Mission is out of this world. It's loving your neighbor as much as you love yourself embodied.

Hey friends, this is my transitional blog from myspace.com/fidus to mwero.blogspot.com. I figured it's time for me to get a real blog so I can get real..er. Take care friends.