Aren't We Beautiful?

Aren’t we courageous to deny what is before our eyes?

Aren’t we proud as we watch our loved one march off to “defend”?

Aren’t we winsome to laugh at the blindness?

Aren’t we superior to put them against a wall?

Aren’t we fragrant as we hear the screams?

Aren’t we loving to teach and admonish in our way?

Aren’t we humane to realize separation?

Aren’t we wise when we have attained the truth of “moral equivalency”?

Aren’t we progressive when we deny barbarity?

Aren’t we powerful to choose what is right?

Aren’t we charming to mock what isn’t us?

Aren’t we necessary when those around can’t…?

Aren’t we comfortable when we have our embrace?

Aren’t we right when we have broken every mirror?

Aren’t we God when we deny them humanity?

Aren’t they as animals?

Aren’t we beautiful?

IJM's VP of Justice Operations' Sharon Cohn Wu at Urbana 06

Please watch it here, it's amazing!

(click on Testimony: International Justice Mission):
http://www.urbana.org/archives/2006/session-info?session=5

July 4th in Washington D.C.

It's going to be crazy....

The day the Lord has made.

July 3^rd, 2009

Washington, District of Columbia—Today was a fantastic day. It’s almost a life-in-a-day for my time here in the District, which has been rife with laughter, walking, people, learning, and spectacle. I love this city.

Laura, my housemate, woke me up this morning to ask if I still planned to go biking down on the mall with her uncle Angus and two sisters, Julie and Betsy. “Heck yes!” I responded in a half-asleep stupor. I don’t get to sleep in much. You understand. I eventually was able to jump on Ben’s, Laura’s husband’s, bike and fly down to the mall. This was my first time riding a bike in the District. It was one of the best experiences of my being here. The weather was pristine, a few clouds, perfect humidity, wind rushing through my hair, avoiding wayward drivers. Only so close to death does one touch life.

I made it down to the Washington monument in record time (for me) and found Laura and Julie and then Uncle Angus and Betsy, who had ridden down earlier. We stood in the shadow of America’s own pire to its greatest leader. Flags fluttered and the flurry of humanity was all around us as the nation’s capital prepared for the insanity that is July 4^th weekend. Uncle Angus, Betsty, and I ended up riding up and down the Potomac on what has been the most beautiful day I’ve seen since being here. I was, for one of the first times, reminded, as I crossed over the Potomac, “This is the day that the Lord has made”. I remembered and thanked Him genuinely and deeply for the oxygen in my lungs and the privilege of being in this city serving at International Justice Mission. We stopped underneath the flight path of National Airport watching Airbuses and Boeings roar over us nice and low. We soon left to preserve our hearing, back on the narrow path being passed by those more serious at biking than us. It was awesome to just ride slow through the lush grass and willow trees that line the Potomac. I couldn’t help but marvel at what a great job the designer of D.C., L’Enfant, did. The city is truly stunning at many angles and has a peculiar feel to it. It almost never ceases to surprise.

The ride back to the Lincoln Memorial, where we were meeting up was made even better by the President’s helicopters (CH-53 variants) flying fast and low over the memorial bridge. This was continual all morning, and added a powerful backdrop to the serene beauty of the green space of the District. I remember riding in those quite often over the mountains of California, once taking off from the USS Tarawa to do an “embassy reinforcement” exercise in Orange County, California. I wonder if President Obama gets the same thrill as Marine One lifts off the White House lawn taking him to Andrews Air Force Base to board Air Force One headed to wherever he goes. It has to be exciting and empowering. I wonder if anything ever humbles those displays of power. I hope so.

We then met up with Julie and Laura, and after multiple failed attempts to carry them on the back of our road bikes (kids, don’t try this at home), we “settled down” near the Jefferson Memorial for a lunch of cold burritos and power bars. The funny jokes, quotes, stories, and handstand competitions quickly ensued. Above the fray, I merely photographed. Not really. No matter, from there Betsy and I rode to the National Gallery of Art, meeting Julie and Laura there. The NGA was simply fantastic. I sometimes forget there is art that’s 600 years old and that I can get 1 ft away from it. I saw a Salvador Dali painting. A real Dali. Dali once said “The only difference between me and a madman is that I’m not mad.” which is one of my favorite quotes He’s awesome. There was some really amazing installation art including a piece titled “Light Emitting Diodes, Mac Mini, and Aluminum Slats”. Mac, represent. After that amazing experience, Betsy and I rode back home where I learned why it is called Columbia “Heights”. You just don’t get the same speed going uphill. Betsy is a fantastic tour guide though and she explained some different parts of the dynamic city in which we live. Once home I made spaghetti with vodka sauce, we talked about patriarchy and global women’s issues (great lunch conversation). Then I took a nap. Now, I’m writing this…

All in all the day has been extremely satisfying (Laura, you knew it was coming ;-), much like this whole time in D.C. has been. I’m learning, slowly, to balance movement and repose. Ryan understands. I’m learning to take time for people again. I’ve lost that. I’m learning I have plenty to learn and plenty to be humble about. I’m learning what I’m good at and what I’m terrible at. I’m learning, again, how wonderful my family and friends are and how blessed I am to have them. I love people.

Since being here I’ve had more amazing experiences than I know what to do with. I’ve had an amazing burger at Five Guys and Tonic, I’ve walked to the Pentagon, I’ve met Gary Haugen, I’ve had a BBQ in the hills of Maryland, I’ve sent my resume to the State Dept, I’ve stayed a couple of nights at Keeferton Cabin, staying up late to talk of godly and manly things, eating meat for multiple days. I’ve seen lightning storms wreck the sky from the wraparound porch of our 1870’s home in Mt. Pleasant. I’ve met the #2 guy at Amnesty International, heard a book reading by Chimamanda Adichie of her book “The Thing Around Your Neck”, I’ve hit up the night scene on U Street with the other interns, I’ve had beautiful conversations with my boys here: Jonathan, Grant, and Brent (intern at the State Dept). I’ve walked late at night through Foggy Bottom listening to VNV Nation, I’ve seen deer at Rock Creek National Park in the city, I’ve met my friend and former professor Albert Celoza, attending church at Christ our Shepard, hearing one of the best sermons I’ve ever heard. I’ve been to Falls Church for an IJM prayer retreat where I learned much about joy, God, and the wonderful organization I work at, I’ve been thinking about what my next tattoo will be since I have to get one in D.C., I’ve talked with men much wiser than I about the mystery and wonder of God, I’ve been able to meet a houseless man who is truly an amazing soul, I’ve found out that an old friend lives like a block away. I’ve stood in silence at the necessary soul devastation that is Holocaust Museum. I’ve talked with Ben about the most random things, I’ve seen old battlefields where the North fought the South, I’ve waited for far too long for a Metro, I’ve stood without falling as the train car barrels down the tunnel just a bit shorter amount of time than Brent. I’ve talked with old diplomats and spies and those the CIA is actively trying to recruit who have seen the world through different eyes come to where it is now, I’ve walked around the city at night, sitting with Jonathan in front of the White House just taking it all in. I’ve stayed up late watching hilarious videos with my housemates of our computers quoting things that, in retrospect, are completely inappropriate. I’ve seen the Secret Service protecting an upscale café on Pennsylvania Avenue. I’ve traveled back to Phoenix, gotten sick, seen some close friends, and attended a wonderful wedding. I’ve even met, super-randomly, the girl who I replaced as Human Rights intern at IJM. I’ve had more coincidences here than I care to share. I’ve talked about Africa, and love, and loss. I’ve cooked and been cooked for. I’ve been in prayers where I hear of dozens of people being freed from slavery. I’ve met dozens of people who have done extraordinary things for the Lord at every corner of this earth, from Kazakhstan to Argentina to Congo. I’ve been riveted to the Iranian election crisis, and been able to talk to some wise people about it, I’ve been able to talk to people in India and Zambia. I’ve heard of miracles as people have returned from Africa. I’ve memorized mewithoutYou lyrics and found a fellow fan at IJM (super exciting!), I’ve eaten Filet Minon that cost way too much, I’ve hung out quite a bit with my housemates, I’ve enjoyed an Anglican church, I’ve pretended I’m a local when on the Metro, I’ve done a million things at IJM that I’ll simply have to talk about at a later time. I’m making plans to go to NY and Boston. I’ve done a lot.

More than anything I’ve been loved. Thank you God for the blessing of living here and getting to do all that I’ve done and getting a break from the desert, which I also love. I wish I would have been able to keep a better journal going on here, but it’s been busy as you’ve seen. I’ll get more on here about my work at IJM later J

I love you all,

~Dan~

Also, notable albums that have come out recently you should definitely consider picking up:

--mewithoutYou, “It’s all Crazy! It’s all False! It’s all a Dream! It’s Alright.”

--VNV Nation, “Of Faith, Power, and Glory”

--Emery, “…In Shallow Seas We Sail”

IJM DC Summer Interns

Dan, Jake, Grant, & Jonathan

The Male Interns.

Katie, Jonathan, Jordan, Dan, Jake, Monica, Kyrsten, & Tania

at the Healing's BBQ in N. Virginia

Click HERE for a link to all my Washington D.C. photos!

... more stories about my time here coming soon :)

_

photos from DC/IJM

photo1, my house here in D.C. It's actually a historic place and titled "The Oakwood House"
photo2, my metro stop, Columbia Heights, on the Green/Yellow line
photo3, the gallery at the International Justice Mission HQ
photo4, Brent (US Dept of State), Ally (IJM Zambia Legal Intern), Grant (IJM HQ Intern)

Washington D.C.

Washington D.C.

The past two weeks since the end of school have been crazy. The end of school was crazy. My life is crazy. That’s why all of today I’ve been sitting in my Lincoln-era house listening to mewithoutYou, reading “My name is Asher Lev”, and ironing clothes. I need to relax. But all the craziness has paid off: I made it to Washington D.C. And, it paid off in other ways too. I now have a 4.0 GPA which will help me get into law/grad school, and the craziness paid off because the past two weeks I’ve been able to spend a lot of quality time with a lot of my friends that I haven’t seen in a while.

A couple of days after school got out I was in a wedding for my friends Jake and Kelsey, which was awesome. It was a rich time with a lot of old friends like Bill, Rick, Tom and others. The next day I jumped on my bike and drove to San Diego through the beautiful mountains of southern California. There I saw Seth & Q at there place in North Park San Diego. We had fun doing stuff in the city, driving Q’s Fiat, and heading out to Jamul to hang out with Q’s Mom, Martha, and Robert Vavra, a famous photographer that is friends with the family. It was a beautiful time of talking about Africa, and traveling, and relationships, and life…. I cherished it deeply and was blessed to receive, as a gift, a signed copy of one of Robert’s books. He’s a truly kind and thoughtful man. While in SD I was able to hang out with Stacy and do a short ride with him as well. From there I headed up the coast and kicked it at E Street Café in Encinitas, one of my favorite places in the world (I have so many fond memories there of Jesse Hake rockin’ out during open mic night. Everyone would be there, Stacy, Ryan, Adam, Rusty, Justin, even my family once). Then I headed up to see my friend Oksana, whom I haven’t seen in years. She lives in Santa Monica now… although she misses SD, where I knew her from. We, along with her boyfriend, David, had a wonderful time catching up driving through the beautiful mountains of Malibu and eating fresh strawberries from a local market. I ended up staying at there place that night, and the next morning I got up early and headed to Santa Barbara, another beautiful drive up the coast, to see Dave Hassan, an old friend from the USMC. We had a cool time chillin’ in his city, and exploring UCSB, where he goes to school. I was able to experience Dave in his element at the physics lab too which was really awesome. I used to say “Dave, I don’t understand you” when he’s speak in Arabic to me, but now I say “Dave, I really don’t understand you” when he speaks in theoretical physics terms… I was blessed to stay at his apartment that night and we had a great time talking about life and everything while I was there. He truly is a dear friend. From there I took one of the most beautiful drives ever through the mountain highway __ through Santa Barbara and then all the way to Bakersfield, another gorgeous drive. While in Bakersfield I saw Josh Miller, always amazing, and caught up with him. I love that brother too! I wanted to make is somewhere that night so I drove that evening from Bakersfield to Boron (where I once spent a week doing an exercise in the mountains) to my final destination for the night, the famous Barstow California… It was the only night I had to pay for a place to stay. The next morning I was off! I drove down route 66 to Amboy (another place I did an exercise, it was like a trip down memory lane!) and through the beautiful desert as the temperature quickly rose. Eventually I was riding without a jacket… then without a shirt. It was insanely hot by the time I reached Blythe, California on the border with Arizona. The ride from Blythe to my house in Phoenix was one of the most uncomfortable experiences of my life. I had dirt embedded into my wind-dried skin. It was disgusting. Don’t ever ride a motorcycle through the desert in the middle of the day. It’s like living in a blast furnace. That evening I had my going away party at the Tracy’s which was awesome. I was able to hang out with some of my favorite people in one place and get prayer from those same people. Dr. Simmons, Peggy Bilsten, Steve & Celestia Tracy, David Creech, Kevin Gage, Abby Tracy, Annalise Sanders, Mandy Finley, and my sister all showed up. It was awesome. I am so blessed to have friends like that!

The next day was crazy, filled with packing… and then, I was off… taking a flight to Detroit. Ryan and Stephanie Anglin picked me up and we drove through the sad, despairing city that is Detroit on our way to Port Huron where we would cross into Canada. Crossing the border was hilarious because the Canadian border agents were taking their job so seriously that it was comical. Here three super-clean-nosed 20-somethings were crossing into Canada and we were getting the full treatment, a million questions: “do the people you know in Canada know you’re coming? , “have you ever smoked marijuana?” , “why haven’t you bought you tickets out of Detroit to D.C. yet?” among others. The answers to those were yes, no, and ‘because I don’t have to’. We finally got in, after the cuddly drug dog found nothing in our car. We laughed for some time about funny questions we could have asked them or funny responses we could have given. We knew we were going to get in, and if we didn’t we could have swam into the country… so it was all good. At least the border police were kind and professional and not cold and calculated like American border police usually are. I am usually appalled by the treatment I receive upon reentering my own country. Canada was not that way, they just took their job of protecting Canada seriously. Anyways… we headed to London, Ontario and met up with Adam and his fiancée Adriana. Ryan and I met Adam back in the day in San Diego as he headed back to Canada after going to school in Sydney Australia. He’s a phenomenal guy and his fiancée is awesome as well.
To keep a long story short we had a wonderful time in Canada, went to Toronto, saw Terminator: Salvation, the Americans made fun of Canada, the Canadians made fun of America, went to the lake, went to a horse show, explored London, talked about coffee shops and life, and had a wonderful picnic. Canada is so much like America it was scary. I never felt like a foreigner there, which was almost sad to me…. But it’s all good. I like that country a lot. The people are great, they are very multicultural, and it’s beautiful. Interesting “fact”: by my calculations Canadians drive a higher percentage of American cars than American’s do. Interesting… We had a wonderful time there! Thanks Adam and Adriana for housing us and being our amazing friends… we love you! Can’t wait for you guys to move to the states so we can hang out more!
Getting back into the US was a piece of cake and from there we drove, all night, to Mentone, Indiana, where Ryan and Steph are from. I slept over at Stephanie’s family’s house. I was able to meet a large portion of Ryan and Steph’s families, which was really cool. It was good to spend some time in the Midwest. It just has a different feel. It’s one I know very well. Ryan and I had a wonderful drive over to Huntington where he is starting his coffee shop with Adam when he (Ryan) gets out of the Navy. It’s a really rad place in a good location. The details I will keep on the DL as they are being fleshed out even now. But trust me. The name is tight and the concept for the whole coffee shop is music to my ears! That night we headed to the hotel in Indianapolis and the next morning I said goodbye and headed to Baltimore. It was time to start the summer. For real this time.

I have returned to the land of the halls of power for the first time in seven years. It seems like an entirely different place now compared to when I was here just after 9-11. Trust me, that’s a good thing. Housing is pretty much worked out. I live in a house built in 1861 that is awesome. It is built so much more interestingly than those things they build today. It has character, that’s for sure. Currently I’m sleeping on the couch as the family I’m replacing is moving out this weekend… and I’m taking their room. I live 20 seconds from Rocky Creek National Park (where there are dozens of miles of hiking/running trails) and a 10-minute walk from the Columbia Heights Metro. I love it. D.C. is a rad place and I’ve been exploring the city quite a bit the past couple of days. I went to the White House at night, which was awesome, and have walked all over this historic place. I’m excited to meet everyone at IJM on Sunday (casual!! Flip flops!!!) when the long process of training to be an IJM employee/volunteer/intern, begins. Thank you all for your prayers and support to get me to this place. new photos, stories, tattoos, friends, are coming… stand by. I love you all.

a cool thing I read online

Welcome to a bold new era of American automobile fuel-efficiency standards which will, by the year 2030, cause our great nation to achieve the fuel-efficiency most European countries already enjoyed in the 1990s.

“And that could mean danger for many Americans,” according to Jerome Corsi’s Red Alert, an online newsletter which publishes articles with headlines like “Obamamobiles may kill Americans ‘faster than Iraqi war’: Dangers of tiny vehicles required for CAFÉ standards cited” (you can subscribe for just $99 a year!!!

Some blogs have lit up with fears that car safety may be undermined by a push for energy efficiency. In fact, fears about safety and security figure pretty prominently in public debate. In that vein, I’d like to propose a tax on the words “safety” and “security.” Any time a Christian (for starters) uses the words “safety” or “security” on TV or in the blogosphere, they would pay a fee of, say $1000 (or $2000 if it turns out that the speaker is a fan of Fox’s TV drama “24”). It might make us think twice about having safety and security as our pre-eminent values.

If that works out, we could think about using the money to subsidize words like “justice” and “mercy.” This way, we could harness market forces to better align our public discourse with Scriptural values. It’s just a thought.

Rusty Pritchard

my send off at the Tracy's house!

Steve and Celestia Tracy held a little send off party for me tonight that was a wonderful time of food, friends, fellowship and prayer. Thank you Peggy, Celestia, Steve, Abby, Lisa, Kevin, David, Bill, Mandy, and Anna for all coming! I love you all so much!

photos from my cali road trip!

for about 5 days I drove my motorcycle all around SoCal seeing friends and spending some time alone, just me, God, & the road.

water bullets

"what is your worth?" they whisper to me
the outward voices are so much more profound,
but it's the inner i seek.
my worth, i no longer know.
she held it long ago,
but frail hearts collapse under the weight of respite
oh, but despite our longings, separation.
come, now, sleep...
I must now find who I am, who I will be,
whatever love, passion, befall me.

The continuing story of Grace...

after:

before:

From Christine Stephenson to all the Summer 2008 Congo Team:

Dear Congo 2008 Team:

Last year in Beni Steve, Celestia, Dan, Jeff and I visited CEPIMA – the mental health clinic in Beni and we met a young 15 year old girl there called Naama. Her name means Grace. She had been ganged raped by rebels when she 12 years old and for the past three years had been raped by man after man who took advantage of her – she felt the only way she could relate to men was to have sex with them. When we saw her in the clinic she was virtually catatonic, she rocked back and forth, had horribly physical evidence of her abuse on her body and was in a very bad state. Naama was the face that came back with us to the US for those of us who met her. I and others have prayed for this young girl day in day out since we met her. I heard yesterday from Honore in Beni. He said two weeks ago Christine from CEPIMA in Beni had visited him and brought a photo of Naama so that he could share with us what has since happened to Naama. In the words of the people at the clinic Naama “is completely healed”. I have attached two of the photos I took at the clinic and the third is a photo taken a couple of weeks ago of Naama. She is a beautiful, young lady. While I still see the pain in her eyes and know she still has a difficult road ahead of her, I see an amazing transformation. I see how God has brought about healing in her life and it is incredible to see her standing and not rocking back and forth. Our God is so good to answer our prayers for little Naama. Please continue to pray for her whenever you think of her.

God continues to perform wonderful miracles of healing in the DRC amidst all that is happening there. God is just awesome.

Blessings to you all. I do hope you are all well.

Christine

___________________________

God, in the darkest places, shows the most light. He is redeeming all things! He is worthy to be praised!

Jake & Kelsey's Wedding

Google even changed their logo for them...

how nice..

gnashing of teeth

Disturbing. The following is from Greg Boyd's blog concerning this new "bible". It can be found here

The Patriot’s Bible consists of hundreds of commentaries on various patriotic themes, ranging in length from one sentence to four pages, inserted at various points (and quite randomly) throughout the New King James Version of the Bible. It is, quite honestly, one of the most disturbing things I’ve ever witnessed coming from a Christian publishing house.

One of the more unsettling aspects of the Patriot’s Bible is the way it unashamedly glorifies nationalistic violence. Almost every nation and tribe throughout history has shared the idolatrous assumption that its military victories were evidence of divine favor. This has been a staple of pagan religion from the start. From its earliest days this same assumption has permeated American culture, it’s just that our tribal warrior god was called “Jesus” or “Jehovah.” In the Patriot’s Bible, this idolatrous mythology is given the appearance of divine authority by being interwoven into the biblical narrative.

From cover to cover, and in a wide variety of ways, the Patriot’s Bible is filled with glorified nationalistic violence. A good portion of its commentaries focus on America’s victorious wars (Vietnam, not so much) and on war heroes. Moreover, the introduction of every book of the Bible is accompanied with a montage of national monuments, symbols, stars and stripes, etc…that include, with few exceptions, images of armed soldiers, bombers and battleships. Most remarkably, each Gospel (The Good News ofJesus Christ!) opens with a picture that includes soldiers struggling to raise a flag under the words “In God We Trust.” All the subsequent books of the New Testament open with a montage that includes a flag waving behind the Statue of Liberty on one side and armed marching troops on the other.

When you consider the uniform and emphatic teaching of Christ and the New Testament authors that followers of Jesus are called to love and do good to our enemies, laying down our lives for them if necessary, this overt celebration of America’s violent victories over our national enemies is absolutely stunning. When you consider that Jesus explicitly repudiated Jewish nationalism (despite the fact that Israel, unlike America, actually had a special status with God) and that the New Testament consistently teaches that Gods’ Kingdom transcends national boundaries, the Patriot’s Bible celebration of American violence becomes more shocking still.

It testifies to how thoroughly the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been subverted by the Gospel of America among many Christians.

I really do love BMW.

so good...

Google, circa April 27th (of course) 2009

It says "Dan is awesome" in morse, I promise.

.-.. .. . ...

on quoting the greats...

Last night was just what I needed. I got to hang out with my friend David Creech (featured below, center) and just have some much needed man-time. If you don't know David, he is one of the most thoughtful and insightful and peaceful people one could hope to be around. His honesty, good nature, and commitment to the friendship relationship are truly amazing. I've had the pleasure of getting to know David more as he has returned from his cross-country adventure, and now I look forward to him heading to the Democratic Republic of Congo this summer to love the people there. I love you bro. Thanks again for being awesome.

(David is center)

home sweet home

(not my photo)

know.

We shall not cease from exploration.

And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time.

--T.S. Eliot

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