The Daily Detour

AT 2009: The descent into misery (Part 1)

Tuesday, June 16th:

By about 4:00 a.m. the rain has quit. Stuck in my cozy quarters with my "roomie", Josh, I had been debating for about an hour or two whether I should get up and use the privy. By 4, my stomach has begun to churn a bit, making the decision a necessity. I managed to get down there before blowing my insides out with diarrhea. That helped ease the strain, but only for a couple of hours. By 6:00 a.m. I awoke again for another trip to the privy, only this time it was only liquid coming out. (This situation was more dire than disgusting, because it meant that the need to stay hydrated throughout the day was going to be a much greater challenge. I was a bit worried.)

Everyone else had started rousing and when Jeff asked me how I was doing, I responded, "Not good. My stomach churning something fierce." I stumbled around, trying to get my clothes and shoes on. And in the process, had to stagger off into the trees a couple of times to throw up. When Jeff found me next I was on all fours with my face in the mud, wretching. At that point, he asked if I wanted to get off the trail. I assured him that I did not (especially given all of the preparation I had done for this trip, I wasn't about to quit yet). As I was lying there on the ground, I wasn't sure how I was going to hike the mileage that day (which ended up being 12.4 miles). So, I just prayed, and prayed, and prayed, that God would sustain me, never imaging what what He had in store for us.

Jeff suggested that I divide up some of the contents of my pack and let some of the other guys carry some things for me, which I gladly accepted. They took some of the food, leaving me with a lighter pack (about 35 pounds). Given the sloppiness of the weather (and our desire to get moving), we decided to get started as soon as possible. Jeff brought the group around, explained my situation and referenced the morning's timely devotional topic of "Interdependence." We were living it out on my behalf, he said. And as much as I may have struggled with pride at the thought of being in a state of dependence on the other guys, God was already using it to teach me some valuable lessons.

We said a quick prayer, and decided to let me get started while the other guys finished packing up. Though I was feeling better after forcefully cleaning out my system, I was not feeling great. And I alternated between praying that God would help me make it, and willing myself to press on. As I climbed each mountain, I often thought about Jean and the kids, and harkened back to the admonition that little 2-year old Markie has shared with me whenever confronted with challenges from time to time, "Daddy, you can make it, because you're hooper tupp (super tough)!" Even as I struggled along, his encouragement brought me to tears, but I kept pressing on.

We had planned to meet down the trail at an intersection called Dickie's Gap. We thought it was merely 2 miles away, and that there would a gas station/convenience store or something where I might find some relief. It turned out to be 4 miles away, and when we got there, there was nothing of any real help to me. I was very disappointed. In my debilitated state that morning, I had failed to doctor up some hot spots on my feet which had now turned into full-blown blisters. And I also was wearing a different set of hiking shorts which caused some significant chafing which persisted throughout the day. I was in increasingly significant pain, but there was no alternative other than to keep moving forward.

Amazingly, I had been able to keep up a steady pace, much better than I had anticipated. Though I hadn't really had anything to eat all morning, I managed to stay hydrated and was able to keep going. We stopped to rest at Dickie's Gap, where I managed to keep down a couple of Nutri-grain bars. We then had a belated morning devotional time and set off again.

Throughout the day, I continued to improve, though I still felt less than 100%. Though my pace slowed, I was able to keep moving, and was rewarded with one of the highlights of the hike that day--stopping at a waterfall at Comer's Creek. It was beautiful, and I managed to get a couple of pictures.

Later that afternoon, I came upon a lady (from a group who had gotten on the trail as we were sitting at Dickie's Gap) and a younger gal who was her trail guide. This lady (who happened to be from Muncie, actually) was sprawled out in the middle of the trail, about ready to pass out. She was very overweight, and it was evident that she found herself to be in the middle of a experience for which she was vastly ill-prepared. I stayed with the two of them for about 20 minutes, offering help as I could, and even offering to hump her pack up to the next shelter (Hurricane Mountain shelter) where their group was going to be spending the night. They thanked me but adamantly refused the offer. After a bit (and an anti-anxiety pill), she seemed to be in better spirits and was sitting upright when I left. As I moved up the trail, Jeff S. and Levi were coming back my way to see if I needed any help. I assured them I was okay, but that they'd better keep going back to check on the lady I had stopped to help. (They told us later that when they got there, she was up, had her pack on, and seemed to be doing okay.)

Today, we also crossed paths with Group 3 who have been hiking north toward us for the last few days. They told us that of the original 9 guys in their group, two had gotten off the trail on the second day, and they weren't sure where a third guy was (Jeff Owen). He has been hiking at a slower pace than the rest of the group, and never made it to the shelter the previous night. Two of the guys from their group, Chad McCollum and Wayne Teipen, had gone back to look for him that morning, while the rest of the group started making their way to the next shelter (Trimpi). Later, we ran into Chad (who was having to cover about 18 miles that day, and was literally running the trail to catch up with his group). He said Jeff O. had spent the night alone in a makeshift shelter at a place called "The Scales." He had left Jeff at Hurricane Mountain shelter (were we were planning to stay that night) with the intent that Jeff would turn around and hike back south with us from that point on.

When we arrived at the Hurricane Mountain shelter, there were already a couple of other groups at the shelter (and at least one other group we knew of who was planning to stay there that night as well). So we opted to press on and see if we could find a place to camp about 3 miles further at Fox Creek. Thus, when I arrived at Hurricane Mountain shelter, two of our guys had gone to the shelter (which was off the main trail) to get Jeff and tell him we were moving on. He had been there for nearly an hour and had already unpacked his gear and settled in, so I imagine he wasn't too happy about having to mount up again.

As got to within about 20 minutes of Fox Creek, it started raining steadily. And what I had anticipated as an opportunity to clean off in the creek and set up a nice campsite was mired in the water and mud of the mess in which we found ourselves. Because I hadn't waited for Jeff and the rest of our group at Hurricane, I happened to be one of the first guys to our rest stop. There was a small parking lot there, with hardly an shelter that was even worthy of the name, so I recruited Josh to help me set up a tarp to provide a kind of makeshift shelter. The rain was really coming down...

(To be continued...)

AT 2009: Trekking to Trimpi

Monday, June 15th:

Had gone to bed last night at about 11:30 p.m., and awoke at 7:00 a.m. to the sound of rain hitting the outside of the shelter. Nice! As we were getting breakfast going, a few of the guys found that we'd had some visitors during the night. A few mice had attempted to eat through various food bags in search of whatever tasty treats they could find. I saw some teeth prints on the bag that had my trail mix in it, but no real penetration (and thus, no extra "nutrition" hiding down in my nuts, raisins and M&Ms. :)

We said goodbye to the youth group, and provided some of their inexperienced hikers with some of our hiking supplies (including the two extra trash bags I had brought along) since it was raining as they left. Jeff S. then led us in the morning devotions on the topic of "Purpose". Does life have meaning? What is our purpose? Our purpose is to bring glory to God in all we say and do (1 Corinthians 10:31). And more practically, am I bringing glory to God in that way? He included a great quote from William Shedd:

"A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for."

As timing would have it, when we finally got everything packed up and we were ready to head off to Trimpi Shelter (10.6 miles away), the rain stopped. We got off to a little bit earlier start this morning since we had longer mileage ahead of us. We hiked through a grove of rhododendrons, which were not in bloom, unfortunately. But the water come off of them, combined with the density of the foliage, made it seem as though we were hiking in the Amazon rainforest.

We hiked pretty steadily throughout the day, taking intermittent breaks to allow rest, and any of the slower hikers to catch up with the group. When we got to the Holston River in early afternoon, we crossed the 120-foot wooden bridge and found a nice little glade by the river to stop for lunch. (Lunch is never anything extravagant--mainly granola bars, trail mix, and tortillas filled with peanut butter and jelly, or whatever other hastily-created concoction we can come up with.) After lunch, the river proved so tempting that I decided to take a dip. No one else decided to join me (probably because the AT trail book said the water was contaminated with run-off and seepage from old mines where they used to mine magnesium, among other things. I guess no one else wanted grow any extra fingers or toes. I hope I'm not glowing a flourescent green tonight. :) The water was chilly, but refreshing. Then it was back on the trail.

We continued hiking through the afternoon, and finally made it to the side trail (marked by blue blazes) whic led about 2/10s of a mile to Trimpi shelter. It comfortably accommodates about 8 people. Given that the youth group of hikers had beaten us to Trimpi, as well as, what seemed like everyone else who was hiking the AT, there were about 30 people there that night. So, we made camp, setting up tents, and eating soup, Ramon noodles and other dinner food that we could scrounge from our packs.

The water source here was a small spring nearby in which the guys used their water filters to provide us all the water we needed for the night. The camaderie is growing, which is encouraging. (While we were down at the spring getting water, suddenly a baby's cry pierced the woods. Apparently, another couple was out hiking the AT with their 4-month old infant. They wisely decided to move on, recognizing that as much as we might love babies, the incessant cry of a baby was not conducive for a decent night's sleep after a long day of hiking, and would further hamper their chances at getting the the "AT Hikers of the Year" award. :)

Given that a storm was moving in, we quickly debriefed about the day and I facilitated a follow-up to the morning's devotional thought. Then we all hunkered down in our respective tents. Since I didn't actually have a tent, I managed to find room with Josh Logan (who is a lineman-sized fellow) in his small 2-man tent. It was cozy, but we made it. I was just glad to be in out of the rain, which started coming down in earnest, just as we all got under cover. My good intentions of spending the extra time reading and journaling were overcome with fatigue. And I drifted off to sleep. It's good to be horizontal, as I am beginning to feel the effects of hiking in my lower extremities (No blisters yet, thank goodness, but stiffness in my legs and soreness on my feet. Not too bad.) We'll see what tomorrow brings...

AT 2009: Sunday in a different kind of "church"

Sunday, June 14th:

Well, I slept pretty well in the Chatfield shelter last night. I got up at 4:00 a.m. to go to the bathroom, and the moon was shining through the trees--a good sign, which I took to mean hopefully no rain today. And indeed it was sunny throughout the day. Perfect hiking weather! :)

Our shelter-mate Tom had a long day ahead of him, and was up and heading out by 7:15 a.m. Jeff and I shook hands with him, thanked him for his company (and encouraged him to tell Group 3 about the steak from last night :).

Even though we had quite a time getting the fire started last night, this morning it was much better going. I managed to get a nice fire going to greet the rest of the group when they got up. A good way to start the day.

Jeff Shields led us in the devotional time this morning, on the subject of "Identity". We also had communion, which was a very fulfilling experience, particularly out in the woods. I always enjoy getting back out here, and have begun to recognize how much this is a part of me (and how much I've gotten away from it since spending so much time in the woods growing up). It's good to be back in a place where I feel so very much at home.

During the devotional time, Jeff encouraged us to spend some time reading from various Psalms. I happened upon some very interesting and encouraging scriptures in Ps. 34 (testifying that God is not a distant God) and Ps. 19 (which talks about how the heavens declare the glory of God). Good stuff!

After our devotional time, we got packed up and headed out by about 9:00 a.m. or so. We've had a big first climb this morning coming further south out of the Chatfield shelter. (We are scheduled to increase our mileage a bit and plan to stay at the Partnership shelter, which is about 7.1 miles from Chatfield.) I'm currently sitting here on a log at a great viewpoint of the distant mountains and the valley below. There is a slight breeze and the sun is shining on this amazing Sunday morning. I'm listening to some awesome worship tunes on the ipod, praising God, soaking up the scenery for a few minutes (and missing my family). The only thing that could make this Sunday morning out here better (even perfect) is if Jean and the kids were here with me. Aah well, I will see them soon enough.

Need to press on...

There were more climbs in the afternoon, but we made it over the rocky terrain and arrived at the Partnership shelter in the Mt. Rogers National Park at about 3:00 p.m.--tired, but in pretty good shape overall.

We had heard some promising reports about the amenities at the Partnership Shelter, and they proved true. It is like the Taj Mahal in comparison to the other shelters on this section of the AT. It has a loft and sleeps up to 16 people comfortably. There is actually a hot shower available (they've built it into the shelter), and a sink and faucet in the back (which meant no filtering water from a creek or other water source :).

Half of our group settled into the loft above, while the McNeeleys set up their hammocks and Jeff S. and I unpacked down below. (After getting everything situated, we ended up having to move all of our stuff up to the loft when a youth group of about 7-8 teens came rolling in at dusk. They had just gotten dropped off and were hiking south, as we are. So, it's likely we'll be seeing a lot of them over the next few days. It could get a bit crowded at the shelters each night.

The park also had a phone up at the office, which I was able to use to give Jean and the kids a couple of quick calls. I really needed that to recharge my batteries. :) Amazingly, we were also able to use the phone to actually order 3 pizzas (and some dessert concoction) from the local Pizza Hut. They delivered the goodies to us at the park an entrance, and when I got the pizza from the delivery gal, I told her she "looked like an angel sent from heaven". She did indeed, with all that pizza! We devoured it all. Steak last night, pizza tonight..this hiking gig is pretty tough. We're really roughin' it. :)

I facilitated our devotional debrief time tonight, recapping some of the thoughts from this morning's devotional time. Great discussion! The guys seem to be getting more comfortable and opening up more--which is encouraging. We'll see what the next few days bring.

Everyone was asleep by about 9:00 p.m., except Yours Truly. I stayed up for a while to do some journaling and reading (I'm trying to get through John LeCarre's "The Spy Who Came In From the Cold", as well as, C.S. Lewis' "The Screwtape Letters". So far, so good...) I'm about to hit the sack. Big day tomorrow. Everyone's a little stiffer today. I'm looking forward to the significantly longer mileage in the days ahead. All in all it was a great day of hiking. And I'm feeling good so far. Let's hope it lasts. :)

One last thing, I called Jean back tonight on the park phone and was able to talk to her and the kids again (especially Mark, who was asleep when I called earlier). We had a great, and much-needed chat. My tanks are recharged and I'm ready to tackle whatever tomorrow brings. :)

AT 2009: Let the adventure begin!

As I mentioned yesterday, I wanted to share some of my recent Appalachian Trail experiences with you. I'm posting excerpts from my journal as if they are in real time (only they're about 2 weeks after the fact). Pictures from the trip will be forthcoming, once I eventually get them downloaded from my camera.

Friday, June 12th:

We left Kingsway Christian Church at about 6:30ish after getting all of the guys (36 in all) loaded up. I said my last goodbyes to Jean and the kids, prayed with them, and boarded the vehicle (I already miss them terribly! :)

We drove through the night about 7-8 hours to Abington, VA. One of the KCC vans died on the way, which delayed us, but a quick call to AAA solved the problem in a relatively short period of time. As it was, however, we all trickled into the motel between 4-5 a.m. I managed to text Jean a few times throughout the night, thinking that it would probably be the last time I am able to communicate with her for the next several days. It was nice to have that little connection with home, even temporarily.

Saturday, June 13th:

Given our late arrival, I was up at 9:00 a.m. for a quick (last) shower, a very quick Burger King breakfast, and a final check of my hiking gear.

We met under a huge tree in the front yard of the Days Inn, where we had spent the night. Being one of the leaders, along with our discipleship pastor, Jeff Shields, I delivered the morning devotional on the subject of "completeness", a topic that will be framing much of our devotional emphases this week. There are currently 36 guys who are going on the hike (as we lost even 3 more--and 2 from our specific group--this week). Thus, we are divided up into 4 groups, and will basically be hiking the 60 miles north and south of Damascus, VA. I am a part of Group 4 and we will be starting about 60 miles north of Damascus, and heading south into Damascus. Group 3 will start in Damascus and cover that same 60 miles, only heading north. Thus, we should cross paths with eachother in a few days. Groups 1 and 2 will be doing the same kind of hiking arrangement only on the 60 mile section south of Damascus.

Anyway, the devotional went well, and I received some positive feedback, which was encouraging to me, particularly since most of the guys don't really know me yet. I am wanting to provide some solid and sound leadership within the larger group.

We left Days Inn @ 11:00 a.m. and arrived at the beginning of our section of the trail about about noon. The section started at a point where the AT crossed US11/Lee Hwy. There was a small convenience store/gas station there, so we recruited a gentleman to take a group shot, said a final prayer, and headed off up the mountain. Everyone was in good spirits. We were scheduled to hike only about 4.5 miles this first day in order to get everyone's hiking legs under them. There were a number of climbs which set the tone of the trail early. But I felt good and was thankful for all of the preliminary training I'd done. The views were gorgeous.

We got to our designated overnight spot, the Chatfield shelter, and got settled in by about 3:00 p.m. The other guys in our group were all doing well, though we all were feeling it, some more than others. :)

We had another hiker join us at the Chatfield shelter (Tom Sonntag from Annapolis, MD) later in the afternoon. He is a very nice guy who is out hiking for a few weeks. He's section-hiking bits of the AT.

I had a chance to wash off a bit in the nearby stream, which was nice after the build up of grime on that initial hike. The sound of the stream kept us company throughout the night, which had a certain soothing sound to it.

I had a surprise for all of our guys--a little "trail magic", as it is known on the AT. Unbeknownst to any of the guys, I had packed about 6 large steaks in my backpack and pulled them out for dinner. We cooked them "caveman-style" over the open fire (which was really hard to get started, by the way, since everything was damp. But with some considerable group effort, combined with extreme motivation and few fire-starting tricks from Yours Truly, we finally got it roaring.) We shared some of the steak with Tom, who said he had never had steak on the AT before--it was a first. And it was a huge hit all the way around--like Thanksgiving in June! I must say, it was awesome indeed! Everyone had there fill to the point where I was having to force everybody to take one last bite so we could finish it off (I had humped them up the Trail as far as I was going to.)

After dinner, a group of guys hung up their food in a tree (to keep the bears out of it), and finalized sleeping arrangements--some in the shelter (Me), some in tents, two in hammocks.

I facilitated the final part of the morning's devotional with our guys, and Tom was kind enough to join us. Basically, I posed the questions, "What keeps us from going "all in" for God?", and "What are some things we can do to get to a point where we can go all in for God?" We had some good discussion, though everyone is still getting to know eachother. My hope and prayer is that our discussion times will achieve a greater level of intimacy and vulnerability as the week progresses and we get more familiar with one another. We'll see...

Right now we're still feeling eachother out a bit. But it's a great group of guys, both from Kingsway and Ben Davis Christian Church. The guys in our group are: Jeff Shields, Me, Mike McNeely, Levi McNeely, Mike Jordan, Ben Strange, Justin McNabb, and Josh Logan. So far, so good. I hope to get a decent night's sleep in the shelter tonight. Jean very graciously put together a letter with pictures for each day I'm away from home (much like the 60 days I was gone last summer in Oxford). See the pix and reading the notes from her and the kids makes me miss them all the more. Lord, keep them safe tonight, and us as well.

We'll see what tomorrow brings...

I've survived the AT once again

But the transition back to civilian life is still ongoing. Unfortunately, I was unable to get a post up on the blog prior to my departure for the Appalachian Trail on Friday, June 12. So, if you missed my hastily transcribed memo over on my Facebook account, it's understandable that you'd come to believe that The Daily Detour is no more. No true, my friends, not true. It's just that getting an internet connection up on Mt. Rogers in Virginia can be pretty tough. :)

Some of you also have wondered if I was out hiking with the now-infamous governor of South Carolina, Mark Sanford. I got back and discovered that there was a question as to if/where he was on that AT. Well, it's no wonder we didn't cross paths in the remote wilderness, seeing as how he was out of the country at the time. (Another philandering tragedy that begs to be blogged about, if I had the time...maybe later.)

Anyway, I'm scurrying around trying to get caught up on everything that has gathered around me in my absence. Not to mention trying to spend some extra time with Jean and the kids. In fact, as a part of that transition back to civilization, we even had a "camp in" last night. As opposed to a campout, a "camp in" is where you actually set up the tent in your living room, complete with smores, movies, and pop (since it was our last night together for awhile--Jean and all the little ones left at 7:00 a.m. this morning for two weeks in Minnesota. Yours Truly is a reverting back to survival mode as a bachelor during that time, honing the finely tuned skills I acquired out in the mountains of Virginia.)

My apologies, as always, for the delay in getting back on to the blog. For the two of you still checking this thing, "Thanks!"

I'm off to the family homestead for a huge family reunion, but starting tomorrow night, I'll post the first of the series of journal entries from my AT trip. They will posted as if I did have blogging capability each day, but merely with a couple of week's delay in posting. I hope you'll find them interesting.

In the meantime, I hope you all have a good weekend. One of the things that is amazing when you're out of touch with the civilized world for even a week is how much you miss in the news. It's as if you've returned to a vaguely familiar planet and are trying to rediscover what took place in your absence. It is a very surreal experience. So many things to blog about, so little time. I mean to think that the King of Pop is dead...

Home gender test opens up ethical issues

A company out in California has now made it possible for pregnant women to find out as early as 10 weeks into the pregnancy what the sex of their unborn child is. The company, Intelligender, boasts a 78-80% accuracy rate.

The prospect of being able to determine the gender of one's child raises pros and cons on both sides. On the plus side, being able to know the sex of your child as early as 10 weeks into the pregnancy begins to personalize the little being inside the mother. No longer is it just a mass of human tissue, but rather a human being, and this understanding strengthens the bond between parents and child.

The potential downside concerns the ethical issues that are currently swirling around gender-selection debate. There is the possibility that a pregnant mother might be more inclined to abort the unborn child if she determines that the sex of that child is not to her liking. Because gender could be determined at an earlier stage in gestation it is psychologically easier to rationalize the termination of a baby when their development is not as advanced. (Of course, the knowledge that your child is either a boy or a girl personalizes the child even more, and thus, may make it that much more difficult to terminate the pregnancy.)

Often, many people (and many Christians) attempt to distance themselves from various bioethical issues (stem cell research, euthanasia, cloning, even abortion), assuming that those issues don't apply to their daily lives. Nothing is further from the truth. And especially with the continuing advancements in biomedical technology, bioethical issues will continue to pervade our daily experience. So it is imperative that we begin to think seriously and strategically about these various issues in order to know how we will respond when confronted with them.

For example, in this case, there are two issues to consider: 1.) If you could know the gender of your child even 10 weeks earlier in the pregnancy, would you want to? For those of us parents who didn't want to wait until delivery day for the surprise, the answer is presumably, "Yes!", 2.) But the more significant question to thoughtfully consider is, "If you could determine the gender of your child, would you?" The answer lies in that Pandora's box of issues which pursue the balance between "the things of God" and the things of man. And we cross that line at our peril. 

Transgendered man gives birth to a second child

A year or so ago, I wrote a post about Thomas Beatie, the transgendered "man" who made international news by becoming pregnant (and ultimately giving birth to a little girl). Since then, Beatie allowed himself to be artificially inseminated again and he and his partner, Nancy, gave birth to their second child, a son, yesterday.

While the birth still made national/international news, it garnered considerably less attention than the birth of their first child. The novelty has already begun to wear off. And this circumstance is indicative of the larger evolution that is taking place in our culture where such social and bioethical issues are taking place with ever-increasingly regularity. That is the nature of our human nature. If the evolution happens slowly enough, we hardly recognize how far we've come down the slippery slope. Like the proverbial "frog in the kettle" we have accommodated ourselves to the changing realities before us. Instead of questioning and challenging the implications of the scenarios like that of Thomas Beatie we have to come a point where we wish him and his partner well in our effort to be progressively more tolerant of those who are different then we are.

To even speak out and say anything remotely negative about such an arrangement in our society is to invite a fierce backlash and charges of intolerance. (Of course, I always find it ironically amusing that the professing tolerant among us are so intolerant of us, the "intolerant".) And yet, what is the other alternative--to simply sequester our beliefs behind the veil of unconditional acceptance? Our culture is better for its diversity, and it is in our divergent beliefs that we find convictions, which ultimately leads to Truth. But Truth will ever elude us if we fail to stand up for what's right for ourselves and our society. 

Pop goes the culture (and our obsession with it)

This is a recurring theme here at The Daily Detour from time to time--namely, our twisted obsession with all things pop culture. Who's hot? Who's not? Who's hookin' up? Who's breakin' up? Who's straight? Who's gay? Who's pregnant? Who wants to be? Who's too fat? Who's too skinny? What's everybody wearing?

And that obsession goes to the nth degree--when celeb magazines like US Weekly fill their regular "They're just like us!" column with sightings of celebs walking on the beach, buying their Starbucks coffee, taking their kids the playground, and generally doing the kinds of things that make us believe that the gap between the celebrated lives of some and the average lives of the rest of us is not as big a chasm as we once believed. And the onslaught of reality TV has only exacerbated that myth.

In today's Indianapolis Star, my former student at Marian College, Kirsten Sordelet, raises a very good point related to this obsession. In talking about the ongoing saga surrounding TLC's hit series, "John and Kate Plus 8", she points out how our pop culture is dulling our general awareness of the more important happenings in the world. It is difficult to know what the source of this unbalanced obsession may be. It is the age-old "chicken or the egg" conundrum--does the media feed us this steady diet because we desire it, or have we developed a penchant for it because the media continues to spoonfeed us with it? Who knows. But I think Kirsten is dead-on. As she points out, "The problem isn't that America is being misinformed, we're being uniformed." I simply wonder, have we asked for it? Unfortunately, it seems we have. And the situation won't change unless we decide to make it so.

Reflecting on the significance of the Tiananmen Square massacre

"One man with courage makes a majority," said former president Andrew Jackson. That idea was clearly illustrated in the Tiananmen Square demonstrations of 20 years ago this past week. And the man in question, "Tank Man", was forever immortalized for facing down a line of government tanks who had been sent to the square to quash the uprising of democratic dissidents. That iconic image became the defining moment of that day, symbolizing the clash between Democracy and Communism--freedom vs. tyranny.

As Chuck Colson points out in a recent Breakpoint commentary, Tiananmen Square illuminated the bankruptcy of communism. He quotes a Chinese pastor, Hong Yuijan, who brought a very interesting, first-hand persective to an audience at the National Presbyterian Church last Thursday evening. Yuijan said in his speech, "The massacre of ordinary people by the government fully exposed the barbarity of a totalitarian government under the rule of man.”

Pastor Yuijan went on to explain how the circumstances surrounding Tiananmen Square created the context through which the Chinese people began questioning the source of their oppression, solutions to that oppression, and the pursuit of truth. And that journey opened doors for the underground church to ministry to literally millions of people disaffected by Tiananmen Square. The Chinese people were ultimately provided the means through which to be exposed to the Truth of Jesus Christ.

There are a great many lessons to be learned from Tiananmen Square. First of all, we must not forget the importance of being willing to stand up in the face of tyrannical oppression as the "Tank Man" did. We never know when we may be called to face down impending evil.

Secondly, we must never take for granted the freedoms that we enjoy. As difficult as it is to comprehend in this perpetually digital age, a great many Chinese people have never even seen the famous picture of "Tank Man", because the communist government has attempted to crack down on any expressions of dissent against the standard party line. It is nearly unbelievable, but that is the reality that many people in the world face, as a whole array of despotic leaders have their way in the world.

Finally, it is imperative that we pay attention to the lessons of history--like the Tiananmen Square massacre--in order to keep from repeating them. Though we are theoretically aware of that caution against repitition, we seem to forget our history faster than we forget yesterday's news.

And on a more practical note, those of us who are inclined to pray can commit to praying for the persecuted people in places like China. Organizations like ChinaAid are working diligently to expose, encourage, and equip others in the fight on behalf of the persecuted in China. What are we doing to help? Are we "one man (or woman) with courage"? 

A thoughtful word for the next generation

I was made aware of this short video by one of our TDD readers which provides a very intriguing outlook at the future through the eyes of a young person. The accompanying description that was sent to me included the following:

This is very good - as you listen follow along with the words forward and backward...... Make sure you read as well as listen. This is a video that was submitted in a contest by a 20 year old. The contest was titled "u @ 50", by the AARP. This video won second place. When they showed it, everyone in the room was awe-struck and broke into spontaneous applause.  So simple and yet so brilliant. Take a minute and watch it.

There are some compelling issues raised in this video that are worth our consideration. Is the future predetermined? Or, do we have a say in what our future will look like? I'd like to believe the latter, but it's only possible if enough of us believe it too.