1. Make a cup of coffee (or in this case, pour a cup from the hot pot already waiting).

2. Check my phone for missed calls and emails.

3. Jump on craigslist to scour for housing.

4. Usually use the bathroom about then.

5. Check out the job listings.

6. Send out some resumes and other misc. emails.

7. Sit on my ass and listen to some music, while I think of what my great breakthrough film is going to be.

8. Do nothing with the great idea I came up with, not even write it down. I rationalize it but telling myself the vision is to pure for words…bullshit. Really.

9. Proceed to waste my day.

So, all this said I think it is time to start to document all of this. There is a lesson to be learned here, somewhere. The only real way of learning it is learning about it, so let us start to record. Shall we…

Well I am coming to the end of my journey here in Africa. It is kinda bumming me out, but at the same time it is a relief to know that home is just around the corner, well somehow. I don’t really have a “home” when I get “home,” but I am sure it will be fine. I just am not really looking forward to trying to find an apartment and a job. I really came here with better intentions for this entry, but hey, it’s 4 am.

The MV Leimba, formerly the Graf von Götzen, is a passenger ferry which runs along the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika. The ship was built in 1913 by the Germans, and used as a war vessel on Lake Tanganyika during World War I. , formerly the Graf von Götzen, is a passenger ferry which runs along the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika. The ship was built in 1913 by the Germans, and used as a war vessel on Lake Tanganyika during World War I. When the Germans were retreating from the British invasion of Kigoma, the captain, in fear of having his ship destroyed, sank the ship. It was later resurrected by the British, renamed, and then put back into action as a war ship. Today the great MV Liemba has been disarmed and is nothing more then a ferry owned by the Tanzania Railways Corp. It servers the villages and towns along the lake shore as a passager boat, running between Burundi, Tanzania, and Zambia.

Now back to my story…
The ride there proved to be a delightful event. We boarded alone in the port of Kigoma on a warm breezy day and set sail on schedule. It was smooth sailing as we left the port and made our way south along the shoreline of Lake Tanganyika. The ship atmosphere was light and airy up on deck and the soft melodies of Tanzania dance videos played on in the lounge. We all made our way up to the top deck and relaxed as the sun set slowly over the smokey Congo horizon. The moon was almost full and the fishermen were out, the lights from their boats bobbing with the lifting of the waves like floating water village. It really was one of the more peaceful and beautiful sights thus far on my trip. The cabins were a bit tight with all the gear we had packed for our outreach but it was easy to fall asleep to the soft rocking of the ship over the gentle motion of the waves. The next morning we woke around 8:30 AM and had a nice egg and bean breakfast before packing up and preparing to disembark. There are only a couple of ports on Lake Tanganyika so we had to have a water taxi meet us out in the middle of the lake so we could transfer our luggage, and ourselves, onto the smaller boat to be taken ashore. As prepared to board our water taxi I was a bit nervous after hearing horror stories of people falling into the water and being crushed between the two boats but when the time came all ran smoothly.

Village life to follow…

Today I realized how sad I am with something I used to love so much. Apple. What happened to the company who went by the slogan “Think Different.” What an amazing concept. Think different. However, after working for the company for almost two years and with recent decisions in the company direction I no longer think they believe in that revolutionary statement. In fact I think Jobs wants you to forget it was ever said. The idea is now “Think This Way.” Apple has beome the poster child of corperate greed and the destruction of the individual. Sad really. When was the last time a new Apple user thought different or was even encouraged to think period. Yes, there are still thousands out there, including myself, who love Apple design and use their product to think different, but we are far and few between. Apple has forgotten us and left us on our own. With the millions and billions of iPod users (yes, I also am guilty) the computer has become second to the new product push. My heart is broken. I know that I will be an Apple user for life, I still love the computer, but I just wish that the forward thinking company would step forward again and stop telling me what to listen to and what to watch and what to buy. To buy an Apple computer used to be a counter culture experiance, it was an act of defiance, but now you are only “cool” if you have the latest and greatest iPod or iTV or whatever. Jobs take note, I am still a user but a very disgruntled and fired up one.

I could not agree with that article more. Seriously what happened to peaceMAKERS!?! It seems even those who are in search of peace are finding not so peaceful ways to bring means to their end. It is such a lost virtue. We live in a time where it is no longer enough to be an advocate of peace, you have to be a creator of peace. How? I don’t know maybe start be resolving the hurting relationships in your own life or maybe think about the words you use before you use them. Anyone can get angry and yell and scream and say hurtful things, but all that does is stir up more violence. When someone lets their emotions take control they lose rationality and begin, often times without intention, hurting those they disagree with. Soon after, what seemed like a simple disagreement has turned into an ugly dispute full of hatred and violence.

Especially those of us who claim to be followers of Christ. “Blessed are the peaceMAKERS.” That is what Jesus said. He also said, “Love your neighbor as yourself”, also something quite profound and honorable. We, as Christians are blowing it here. Bible thumping, gay bashing, sinner condemning, finger pointing, religion slandering, and so many more of the “traditional conservative” way of Christian living do nothing but ensure that peace will not have a change to exist. We are part of the problem. If only we could take the time and energy we spend stirring up trouble and “fighting sinners” and poured it into loving people I believe it would be revolutionary. It would be be revolutionary in the world, in our lives, in our church, and in our relationship with God. I truly believe in the message of love. As a follower of Christ and His word, I believe “if you have not love you are but a clanging symbol.” WOW, what a thought. If we do not use our words to convey love and peace then our words mean nothing. We preach a gospel of love, why not try to act like it. Our words penetrate deep into the hearts of everyone we meet. Like it or not we are judged by what we say. So speak with truth, speak with love, and speak for peace. Like it or not we are judged by what we do. So live out the truth, live out love, and live out peace.

We all like to think that we are “fine.” We all think we are perfectly capable of making it on our own and we don’t need anyone’s pity. We hate it when someone feels like it is their obligation to help us. But you know what, half of life is obligations. School, work, bills, taking out the trash, baby sitting siblings, are all obligations. The truth is we are obligated to do things. So we don’t have to be everyone’s friend and we don’t even have to like everyone but like it or not we are all humans living on the same piece of earth the least we can do is help each other out. It is our obligation.

My beautiful and wonderful Melody sent me this link a couple of days ago. I finally visited after three days and was so encouraged and happy to see what is happening back home. For about the last 2 years I had, while not entirely, written off church and God. I was doing my own thing and experiancing life for myslef. During this period I periodically would attend and check out churches around SF, you know to see if I was missing out on anything. While I found a church or two that half held my interest, most times I would return home reaffirmed with my decision to leave the church. I left for many reasons but, looking back on it now, to sum it all up I left because of the faults of man. However, when I checked this site out today an excitement started to grow inside me. An excitement, which I had not felt in such a very long time, began to grow inside of me. I was encouraged to see a community in SF making positive strives in living out the life of Jesus in my home town. I am excited to go home and check this church out. I encourage you also to check it out. They look like a wonderful and creative community interesed in the community and Jesus. A real desire of my heart is to live out the creative life that God has created us to live. We were created in God’s image and he has the most wonderfully creative mind to ever exist. He created the world! And if I was created in His image how much more should I also be able to create. I am really excited to see that movements like this are growing in the Christian community, it truly brings joy to my heart.

Originally uploaded by derek on flickr.
I would like to take today’s post and dedicate it to a wonderful young lady who is both an inspiration and a joy in my life. This person is faithful to pray, even when you do not ask, for you no matter the situation. She always has sweet little forget me nots that she leaves on your bed the day before you leave her house. She a master of craft, both the stealthy kind and the artsy kind, and I am totally jealous of her creative mind. Her sense of humor will always keep you guessing but always have you smiling. She is a beautiful young woman, just look at the picture, whom God has blessed me with the privilage to know. She is the one, the only, the sister of my beautiful girlfriend…Janelle Gates!

Janelle,
Thank you so much for my support while I am over here and for just support in my life in general. I think you are a wonderful, amazing, super, rad, cool, dorky, fun, silly, and blessed human being. Thank you so much for allowing me to love your sister and for including me also as a part of your life. You have always, whether you know it or not, have been able to bring a little smile to my face. Thank you for telling your friends about my trip over here, you should give them this link to see this note, and ralllying slash leading the troops in Georgia to pray for me. And most of all thank you for being my friend. I would like to let you know you are loved and have a nice little place in my big ol’ heart (right below God/Jesus, then under my parents, and my brothers, and Mel, but right there next to all my friends and above my late dog Tessa (RIP 2k7)). I pray that God continues to do wonderful things in your life and that some day you will become a super famous designer who can make me a sweet limited edition suit or maybe even just a tie. Thanks for being a good friend.
-Derek-

I realize that it is quite strange to sign my name in my own blog but it will just have to go as is for this one. Sorry if that doesn’t really fit the blogging protocal but sometimes acceptions just have to be made.