Weblog of Dustin Patrick

Poor Economics: A Review

2011-11-21T20:50:00.001-08:00

I just finished this book so its still fresh on the mind.

This is the FIRST book I've read that does a good job of explaining both sides of different important issues.

There are a lot of differing [valid] arguments when it comes to how to fight poverty. What everyone can [finally] agree on is that there is no silver bullet. It'll take multiple efforts in varying sectors to really put a dent in poverty. Most organizations and individuals represent one of two arguments.

The relief argument says that Africa needs more clothes, more food, and more money handed out to the people.

The development argument says that Africa needs to learn to make their own clothes, grow their own food, and produce their own wealth. How can we help Africa accomplish this self-sustainability?

If you've read my blog for any amount of time you know squarely where I fall. I've alway said we need to emphasize development and IF we use relief it must be to kickstart the development process.

This book does a good job of explaining why neither relief nor development alone can solve the problem of poverty. It cannot be either/or but both/and. It is a great overview of almost everything that is currently being done by governments and NGO's alike.

Food, health, education, family size, children, savings & loans, and politics are all addressed.

This book gives real examples of what has worked and what hasn't worked in the fight against poverty all over the world. Its written by two MIT economists that studied 18 different countries over the course of 15 years.

The basic conclusion of the book is that the policies and efforts to fight poverty have failed in the last 50 years because we haven't truly understood it. We filter poverty through our personal lenses and make policies or programs based on what we would want if we were in a given situation. The answer, is to understand it on a ground level and work our way up.

I appreciate that the book emphasizes the fact that true change will come from the bottom up, not the top down. I also like that it does not ignore the responsibility that those on top do have to advocate for those on bottom.

Its an all around good book, though it can be difficult to get through at times (both authors are professors of economics at MIT).

There are some shortcomings. It mildly addresses spiritual issues. The fact is witch doctors, the occult, and many false religions have a strong hold on poverty. Without truth in the form of a loving God that does not motivate through guilt and fear many people will never break the chains of poverty.

My conclusion: This book has had a significant impact on the world and on me personally when it comes to viewing and aiding the fight against poverty. Anyone involved in social justice issues that deal with the poor, must have this book on their bookshelf. If you give money to charities I would highly recommend reading this book to determine if your charity of choice is on the right track to truly put an end to poverty.

Random Gems

2011-09-06T23:27:00.001-07:00

I found this in a Craigslist Chat room and thought it was... hard to describe.

There was a rabbi who wanted to see both heaven and hell. And God gave way to his pleading.

The rabbi found himself before a door which bore no name. He trembled as he saw it open before him into a room where all was prepared for a feast. There was a table, and at its center a great dish of steaming food. The smell and the aroma inflamed the appetite.

Diners sat around the table with great spoons in their hands, yet they were shrieking with hunger in that terrible place. They tried to feed themselves, and gave up, cursing God. For the spoons God had provided were so long that they could not reach their faces and get the food to their tongues. So they starved because of these spoons, while the dish of plenty lay amongst them. The rabbi knew their shriekings were the cries of hell, and as knowledge came, the door closed before him.

He shut his eyes in prayer, and begged God to take him away from that terrible place. When he opened them again, he despaired, for the same door stood before him, the door that bore no name. Again it opened, and it gave onto the same room. Nothing had changed, and he was about to cry in horror. There was the table, and at its center the steaming bowl, and around it were the same people, and in their hands the same spoons.

Yet the shrieking had gone, and the cries and the curses had changed to blessings. And nothing had changed, yet everything. For with the same long spoons they reached to each other’s faces, and fed each other’s mouths. And they gave thanks to God.

And as the rabbi heard the blessings, the door closed. He bent down, and he too blessed God, who had shown him the nature of heaven and hell, and the chasm—a hairsbreadth wide—that divides them.

Two Pains

2011-08-23T04:08:00.000-07:00

Your entire life you will live with one of two pains.

No one likes to save money or eat healthy foods. Its painful to discipline yourself to do these things.

On the flip side if you don't save money or eat well you'll be broke and fat, which is also painful.

So today you will either choose a life with the pain of discipline or tomorrow the pain of regret will be forced upon you.

A genuine bad decision

2011-07-31T23:16:00.000-07:00

When I was in the 8th grade I started learning how to play the drums. Lucky for me, an old family friend happened to be a great musician. He not only played the drums but he also played the guitar and the bass and the saxophone and a whole bunch of other stuff. He was really good at all of those instruments too. So we saw them every once in a while and anytime I could I went to his house because he had a drum set in his basement. Once I was playing the drums in the basement for a while and then I went back upstairs. We were talking and I thought he said, "I just switched the drum heads so the pitch was probably changing as you were playing them."

I knew that I didn't hear any difference but I certainly didn't want to sound like I didn't notice something that was clearly supposed to be obvious. I didn't want to look like an idiot in front of a guy I may have idolized a little bit so I responded, "yea I thought I heard them dropping in pitch while I was playing."

He looked at me and said, "I haven't switched them yet, I said I need to. Those things are like 5 years old, they are totally dead."

All I could do was look at my feet and maybe mutter a soft, "oh." Remember, I was in 8th grade. Self confidence usually isn't an 8th graders biggest strength, I was no exception.

The moral of the story is that no one had to tell me lying was bad. No one had to tell me to not lie. I learned that lying was bad because I lied and it was embarrassing. Not ever feeling again what I felt in that moment was so much more of a motivator that anything else anyone could have done/said.

Perhaps a bad decision made genuinely can be better than a good decision made artificially.

Back from Africa

2011-07-21T06:36:00.000-07:00

So we went to Africa and it was awesome.

Seriously though, it was really cool. For real. We traveled from Phoenix to London to Nairobi. After 8 days working in the slums of Mathare Valley in Nairobi we went to the Masai Mara National Reserve for 2 days on a safari. We saw all kinds of animals, it was really beautiful for a lot of different reasons. You can find more than 700 pictures here if your into that sort of thing.

We spent the week with little kids and parents living in the slums. Most of them live on less than $2/day. We talked about all kinds of things with people. They all seemed so eager to learn. We talked about Christ with a lot of people and we educated people about HIV. It was really a great trip. We worked with Missions of Hope International the whole week which is a great organization that was started, and is run, by locals. They have a local staff of more than 400!

We saw a ton of really cool stuff including zebras, lions, cheetahs, hippos, wildebeests, gazelles, giraffes, elephants, and a lot more. The Kenyan sunrise/sunset is seriously the coolest I've seen anywhere, including the beach. It was an incredible trip, huge thanks to everyone that helped make it possible. Thank you!

Agnes (Day one in Nairobi)

2011-07-08T20:33:00.001-07:00

Agnes is a single mother of five kids. Three of them go to a nearby school run by Christians, the other two are too young to attend school. Her youngest is 18 months old. Agnes lives in Nairobi, Kenya in the Mathare Valley slums on the outskirts of one of the villages there. Previously, for work she walked from house to house and asked if they had cloths to be washed or dishes to be cleaned. In this world, most occupations that go from house to house are very risky. There has never been a dad around.

The most recent baby required a C-section and she still hasn't recovered. She hasn't found any type of work for as long as she can remember. Luckily, the Christian school her three oldest kids attend serves three meals a day. One of the other children walks the slums and begs for food. Agnes spends most of her days hungry as she is too old to beg but isn't so old that she can depend on family.

She asks us to pray for a quick recovery from her surgery so she can begin to look for work again. Her pain makes it impossible to walk for extended periods of time, much less work.

She has no idea how she is going to feed her kids this very night. The reality is, she probably won't feed them anything.

Agnes is one of 800,000 people in the Mathare Valley. She is one of 2 billion people that live in poverty around the world.

A dollar is a dollar but before its a dollar its nothing worth writing about. No one has a book out about great ideas that never made anyone rich.

2011-06-16T17:08:00.000-07:00

I like the idea of entrepreneurship. While I never would call myself an entrepreneur I have always thought of myself as fairly entrepreneurial minded.

That said there are a lot of great business ideas out there. Some of them I have seriously considered pursuing. Here's the hardest thing I've run into when considering starting a business. Its not a product or a service, those come to people hundreds of times a day. For me the barrier that has kept me from starting my own business time and time again is one question. Its on every business plan, its arguably the most important part.

How will your customers hear about you?

If you rely on your personal relationships you better be a really good salesperson. If you rely on word of mouth plan on it being slow. If you rely on money to buy advertising... well I wouldn't know. It definitely works for a lot of big companies though.

So thats the biggest question I ask myself when wanting to create my own service/product to sell. How will my customers hear about me? I have more than 1k friends on Facebook, maybe that will be enough.

Any tips? Whats your biggest barrier?

Trust 30 - Travel

2011-06-04T11:59:00.000-07:00

This post was inspired by a guy I know and a guy I wish I knew.

#Trust30 is an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages you to look within and trust yourself. Use this as an opportunity to reflect on your now, and to create direction for your future. 30 prompts from inspiring thought-leaders will guide you on your writing journey.

Pretty interesting stuff. I have no idea how to choose one place so I'm not even going to try. It is fun to read where other people would go and why they deem different places essential for different reasons.

I'd probably take a boat around the Mediterranean Sea because I could see a huge variety of stuff there. But, there are a ton of other places I want to go too.

Any other ideas?

The Radical Middle

2011-05-25T21:06:00.000-07:00

How can we reconcile the differences between the following passages:

Proverbs 22:3 - The prudent see trouble coming and hides himself but the simple goes on and suffers for it.

2 Corinthians 5:7 - for we live by faith and not by sight.

How do we know if we are being prudent or if we are living 'by sight' and ignoring faith?

What about these:

1 Timothy 5:8 - But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Matthew 6:19 - Do not lay up for yourselves treasure on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.

Keep going you say? Okay...

Luke 14:26 - If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

Ephesians 5:25 - Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

Wait... what? How can we do both?

Christians pull blanket statements over things that require more complex answers. We are judging people from our side of the blanket, forgetting that there's always more going on than we can see (even in our own lives).

It's time we seek a radical middle. This is not saying "what is good to you is good and what is good to me is good." This is saying there is a time for war and a time for peace. There is a time to break down and a time to build up. There is a time to mourn and a time to laugh and dance. There is a time to seek and a time to lose. There is a time to keep silent, and a time to speak.

This is sounding familiar.

Be very careful to draw absolute conclusions from scripture

I've received some contradictory advice lately in regards to moving back to Phoenix. All of the advice is great, rooted in scripture, and logical. Still these pieces of advice are in direct conflict with each other. How is that possible? The Radical Middle.

Sometimes we are called to give everything and have nothing in savings. Other times we are expected to work and save and provide.

Sometimes we are called to put God first by leaving family, or disagreeing in love. Other times we are called to put God first by being great family members.

There is a time for everything. The only way to know when is the right time for what is by having an ongoing relationship with God. The God who created you. The God who created family. The God who created happiness. The God who created work.

Do you have that kind of relationship with God?

The God I Don't Understand

2011-05-22T21:09:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy reading. Lately (I got a Kindle for Christmas) I've enjoyed it even more than usual. I recently read a book called, "The God I Don't Understand" by Christopher J.H. Wright. The basic premise is tackling hard questions within the Christian faith. Things like suffering and how God condoned such hateful actions throughout the Old Testament.

It gets a little slow at times but those parts are definitely worth pushing through. Honestly, the price of the book is worth the first few chapters, beyond that its not a must read. Wright is an Old Testament professor and it comes through in his writing. Its a lot like being in an Old Testament class. Not that it isn't incredibly insightful but its just a little dry sometimes. The chapter on how God could allow suffering gives the best explanation of how a loving God could allow such pain into this world. Below are some of my favorite quotes from the book.

Even those who claim to have final answers to the deep problems of life on the earth God created are living in some degree of delusion.

When Jesus set out to explain the atonement to his disciples, he did not give them a theory but a meal.

The evil we so much wish God would prevent or punish in others is right there inside ourselves.

If there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, are there not also tears in heaven over thousands swept to their death?

Stuff happens. And God is in the stuff, though we struggle to explain precisely how.

Those who know God best seem the most surprised by the undeserved generosity of his love.

When Helping Hurts

2011-05-15T20:54:00.001-07:00

I've read and re-read the book When Helping Hurts at least 10 times over the last 2 years in Mexico. There have been a lot of things that I've wrestled with. Its a hard book to get through as an American doing ministry. As hard as it is, its equally (if not more so) important.

Below are some of my favorite quotes from the book from my latest re-read. If you haven't read this book and you are doing, or will ever do, absolutely any type of ministry-to-the-poor you shouldn't even breathe another breath without ordering this book first... seriously, its that important.

Saving souls is only a subset of the comprehensive healing nature of the entire cosmos that Jesus' kingdom brings.

How useless it would have been if Jesus had only used words and not deeds to declare the kingdom.

While poor people mention having a lack of material things, they tend to describe their condition in far more psychological and social terms than our North American audiences.

The problem goes well beyond the material dimension, so the solutions must go beyond the material as well.

Poverty is rooted in broken relationships, so the solution to poverty is rooted in the power of Jesus' death and resurrection to put all things into right relationship again.

We are very prone to putting our trust in ourselves and in technology to improve our lives, forgetting that it is God who is the Creator and Sustainer of us and of the laws that make the technology work.

Development is not done to people or for people but with people.

If they need help, give it; but if they do not, your giving may do harm.

the North American need for speed undermines the slow process needed for lasting and effective long-run development.

Development is a lifelong process, not a two-week product.

...[it creates] the distinct possibility that the STM [short term missions] teams may have very different perceptions than the recipient communities about just how wonderful the STM dance really is.

This is just skimming the surface of how useful this book is for people doing ministry with the poor. No matter what you've done or what you're doing this book will probably change your perspective on how to facilitate development in a ministry context.

What is poverty?

2011-04-26T20:57:00.001-07:00

The whole team spent the whole day walking around the barrios asking one question: In your own words, what is poverty?

There were a lot of different answers but they all seemed to boil down to two concepts.

1) Poverty is being stuck.

Its not having control. Its not being able to do more. Its not having anything to give. Its not being able to see, or take advantage of, opportunities for personal growth (spiritually, physically, financially, etc...)

2) Poverty is not being able to sustain your family.

While this goes along with the first one quite well its essentially different. Its possible to not have control over a situation but still be providing for or sustaining your family. We chose the word sustain because 'providing for' can easily be distorted through culture. Not being able to sustain your family means basic needs; water, food, clothing, community, etc... I would put education on that list as well (at least in Peñasco).

We are still working through all of this as a team but it was pretty insightful. I'm sure there will be more to come soon!

What do you think poverty is?

Africa!

2011-03-22T12:09:00.000-07:00

Every year Christ's Church of the Valley takes a group of people to Nairobi, Africa on a mission trip. This year Brittany and I have committed to going. We'll do all sorts of things while we are there... medical, sports, education, even IT help. The total cost of the trip is $7200. A good friend has committed to matching any donations dollar for dollar. Please consider helping us go, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity at an incredibly reduced price due to a lot of people's generosity.

You can donate by going here and putting "africa" in the bottom box. Remember that every dollar you give really equals two!

Thanks for your consideration, feel free to comment on this post or email me for more details.

Something to think about

2011-03-07T13:31:00.001-08:00

I love talking about relief vs development in a third world environment. But how does that play out in our day to day lives. Those of us that don't live in a third world, does it apply? Yes, but its called something else.

Influence vs control.

Are you seeking to influence others. Influence comes through connectedness, friendship, grace, love, and a lot of other positive stuff. Control comes through fear, guilt, shame, manipulation, and a lot of other negative stuff.

To get an idea across, do you use influence or control?

To communicate do you influence people to make decisions for themselves or do you control the evidence?

To put it in Seth Godin terms - influence is the new digital revolution way of doing things, control is the old industrial revolution way of doing things.

Influence has multiple individuals achieving something together that benefits them all. Think 4x4 forums or groupon.com. Control has multiple individuals achieving something together that benefits a select few. Think factories or large corporations.

Did Jesus influence or control people? The way we've done church and christianity in general is officially flipped on its head when we start thinking in these terms.

Tired

2011-02-16T21:12:00.000-08:00

For whatever reason I'm feeling more tired than ever.

Go to ted.com and search for "novogratz" - everything she says is incredible in regards to how to solve the problem of poverty. It is all summed up by, "dignity is more important to humans than wealth."

Even though I live in Mexico and spend almost every day doing something that has to do with 'helping someone' I've been more motivated than ever to actually make a difference.

I have no idea what that looks like, what that means, or how it affects my day to day.

p.s. - its 10pm and I'm tired, that rarely happens. What is going on that I'm so tired?

Reading List

2011-02-01T18:59:00.001-08:00

I started a reading list. You can check it out here, or by clicking the link above called, "reading list."

I was inspired by this guy and this guy.

I got a Kindle for Christmas - hence the huge jump in the number of books read in January this year. I've discovered a new found love for reading. Here is how it has gone in the past:

I read like crazy for a few months and then I stop for a few months. So far since the middle of 2010 I've been going pretty strong so expect a lull anytime now. Though, with my Kindle I'm not sure there will be a lull. Only time will tell.

HEY!!! Thanks for reading my blog, seriously. Do you still read it? Let me know.

Self motivate

2011-01-18T17:29:00.001-08:00

Just read this post by a fitness expert who is into helping people who actually want to be fit, not people who just say they want to be fit.

The post is about fitness (surprised?) but it applies to everything. I think pastors would be smart to start explaining this to their congregations.

If you want to get better (in any aspect) you'll do what it takes to get better. If you want to get better but don't do anything about it, you don't actually want to get better. Here is a fact: You will do what your heart most desires.

If you want to grow (personally, spiritually, occupationally) but don't do what it takes to grow, you don't actually want to grow. Theres never been more information and easier access to information so its not a lack of information problem. Its not an access problem. Its a you problem. More specifically, its your problem. Expecting it to be your pastors problem, your favorite authors problem, or your friends' problem is just unproductive.

But aren't we all here to help each other? Yes. No one can help you if you don't own your problems, its just advice and friendship without your ownership. Take responsibility. You are responsible for you. No one else is.

Have you ever read the story of the talents in the bible? Even if you don't think the Bible is true it can change your life if you let it. Basically we all have resources we are entrusted with. At the end of our lives we will be held accountable for what we did based on the amount of resources we had. One of the resources you have is you. Your body, your mind, your self, your everything else... Are you doing anything worth while with it? No one else is going to be held accountable for you, only you. If you accomplish nothing, its no one else's fault.

The moral to the story? Its no one else's fault. I'm the only one to blame because I'm the only one I can change.

One Mission Blog

2011-01-15T14:13:00.000-08:00

Over the next few weeks we'll have some great things brewing over at the One Mission Blog. If you currently aren't following it, I'd definitely encourage you to. We're going to look at 3 of our 15 goals for 2011.

CHE vision seminar

Bumping up our volunteer hours

Implementing metrics to track progress more effectively.

Thanks for reading!

MISC

2011-01-05T15:24:00.000-08:00

Random things that have stood out to me lately:

Brittany posing as a "wisewoman"

Some quotes that have stood out:

Satan lies to the individual through culture and to culture through the individual.

When the church fails to guide the nation, the nation guides the church.

Christmas Letter 2010

2010-12-08T09:32:00.000-08:00

Hey Friends -

Check out our Christmas letter for 2010 at dustinandbrit.com.

Brittany had fun writing it and it being done by December 8th is the earliest we've ever had it done (though its not hard to beat considering last year it was done the 23rd).

We'd love to hear how your 2010 was!

Personal Interests

2010-11-29T18:49:00.000-08:00

My whole life I've been interested in a wide variety of things. As a result I've become a generalist instead of a specialist. Generalists are generally decent at a lot of different things. Specialists are really good at one thing. Specialists get hired by businesses, generalists do not. This presents a challenge. At this point in my life I seem to have a choice: start something or get really good at one thing. In an attempt to put off the inevitable (and do neither of those things) I've decided to narrow my fields of interest. Everything that I do/think must fit into one of the following categories (as a result, every blog post will fit into one of these categories as well).

Marriage

Music

Self development

Community development (locally and globally: church and missions)

Almost everything could fit into one of those categories anyway. I just need to feel organized for a little while.

Fake or not? Your call.

2010-11-23T19:18:00.000-08:00

Click here to watch embedded video.

Motivation for Missions

2010-11-20T10:27:00.000-08:00

Handouts usually make us feel good, but don't actually accomplish much.

For the last 20 years or so missions and charity work has been mostly based on what makes us feel good as the giver. Unfortunately after years of this we’ve expended an absurd amount of energy, money, and thought without accomplishing much in the realm of moving communities beyond poverty... but we sure do feel good about it.

Maybe what feels good to us is actually causing apathy and disinterest among the people we are trying to help. It’s holding them back from owning their own communities and being the change they (used to) want to see. What’s the point? If I work hard I can save money and can paint my house. If I do nothing but sit around and wait and look poor enough some organization will come paint my house for me.

Robert Lupton says it well in his book, Compassion, Justice, and the Christian Life,

“Doing for a community what it is capable of doing for itself is charity at its worst.” (PG 31)

The focus has to be on community members seeing themselves as the solution, not some government program or outside group that is going to be their salvation.

The richest man in the world is a Mexican. He doesn't believe in charity for some of the same reasons.

Without teaching capability and responsibility all the money in the world won't end poverty.

Moneyless

2010-11-12T21:22:00.001-08:00

I don't usually agree with this guy. But its interesting enough that I've been following his blog for a while now.

The last paragraph of the latest post was interesting. Again, I'm not in full agreement (and I won't be going moneyless anytime soon) but its definitely worth the read.

Some cynical joker with a stick in his or her hinder parts will invariably come along and say all these free things couldn't happen without the businesses that create them and caste them off. Never mind that nobody says anything when enough food is thrown away in the US alone to feed the entire starving world. Never mind that nobody considers that businesses couldn't exist without the sun and the clouds that freely give, expecting nothing in return, sending sun and rain on both the "deserving" and the "undeserving", or without the earth which nobody seems to have problems taking from beyond her capacity. And a separate entity like free meal wouldn't need to exist if we didn't have commercial civilization. Again and again, I say, freely giving and freely receiving, without thought of credit and debt, is the essence of all of nature.

Chronological Bible

2010-11-03T09:10:00.000-07:00

If you've never read the bible chronologically (as if it were a story written from beginning to end), I highly recommend it. Its pretty powerful to read the story as it unfolds instead of jumping around like we usually do.

Here's a good chronological reading plan that isn't too long. Well worth it.

Clarification

2010-10-31T09:07:00.000-07:00

The vague part (from my previous post) isn't whether or not Calvinism has legit backing in scripture. The vague part isn't whether or not Open Theism has legit backing in scripture. The vague part is that they both seem to. If we are honest with ourselves and honest with the bible (even Calvin said his view has some difficulties he can't explain), both opposing arguments are genuinely well supported by the Bible. I don't think the Bible is contradicting itself, I just think we're trying to operate on a level we're incapable on operating on.

Pre-destination and Freewill

2010-10-24T07:29:00.000-07:00

I've fought it for a long time. Actually I've fought it for as long as I've been thinking about this stuff (sophomore year of college). There is a lot of biblical evidence for Calvinism. Most of mainstream Christianity teaches Calvinism, albeit sometimes unintentionally.

It has five points.

Total Depravity - Original sin. You can't be alive without being a sinner. By our own power we are unable to choose good.

Unconditional Election - Before time began God chose who he would save, regardless of anything they can ever be, do, or say.

Limited Atonement - Jesus' death was designed to save some and not all, therefore, only the sins of the elect were atoned for by Jesus' death.

Irresistible Grace - If you're one of the elect, you can't resist. You will come to a saving faith before you die.

Perseverance of the Saints - Once saved always saved. You can't lose your salvation. If you think you did, than you weren't really saved to begin with.

If you read the articles linked you can see there is a TON of biblical evidence for all five points, sometimes overwhelmingly so. BUT (this is a big but) there is a lot of biblical evidence against it. I don't know if I'm an Open Theist, but the biblical references in that article explain a lot of the (solid) biblical evidence against Calvin and his five points.

I'm a Calvinist mixed with an Open Theist. But how? They are at odds. A person cannot be both.

What is impossible with man is possible with God.

We have to be done worrying about this. Its divisive and impossible to settle fully. If God is God, why would he operate on a scale that we created? Since the Bible leaves it vague, unlike somethings (like no murder), why do we have to define it? God didn't. Why should we?

Pretty cool

2010-10-19T19:27:00.001-07:00

Could a normal person pull something like this off? I think I'd like to try.

Stay tuned for some good posting... I'm feeling theological.

Fire Dancer

2010-09-28T18:08:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen those people who light sticks on fire and throw them around? There are quite a few people who do that down here and expect you to give them a few pesos after their show.

Last night I asked one of them if they ever get burned. He said all the time but he likes getting burned because it means he learned something new.

Its a pretty good way of looking at things I guess. Every mistake we make that blows up in our face is a reminder that we learned something new.

Useful Apps

2010-09-26T23:06:00.000-07:00

I like technology. Here are some of the apps (web apps, iPhone apps, and desktop apps) that I use every day. I use these apps for two main reasons 1)I love technology and these apps do cool stuff 2) these apps make my life easier every time I use them.

Evernote (Desktop & iPhone)

TeuxDeux.com (Web & iPhone

iCal (Desktop and iPhone)

Spend Lite (iPhone)

Mint.com (Web & iPhone)

I use a lot more than that, these are just my absolute favorites that I probably open and use at least once or twice (or a hundred) times per day.

Compassion, Justice, and the Christian Life

2010-09-21T15:03:00.000-07:00

This is definitely a book worth checking out. It talks about a lot of different things but one of the main things I got from it was the difference between relief work and development work. This author calls it betterment work vs development work. He points out the fact that doing relief work where development work is needed is actually detrimental towards community life. Its important to see because sometimes we do relief work (handing out free crap) to feel good about ourselves when really we're hurting the people we think we're helping. Its just another area of our lives where we have to be intentional and we have to be paying attention. The following are some of my favorite quotes from the book:

If you believe that either eternal bliss or eternal damnation awaits every person after death, then the most loving act is to present the truth of the gospel to as many people as possible and thus save them from everlasting destruction. It's a compelling argument. The problem, of course, is that it leads toward viewing others as souls instead of people. And when we opt for rescuing souls over loving neighbors, compassionate acts can soon degenerate into evangelism techniques. When we skip over the Great Commandment on the way to fulfilling the Great Commission, we do great harm to the authenticity of the faith. (PG 16)

Perhaps the deepest poverty of all is to have nothing of value to offer in exchange. Charity that fosters such poverty must be challenged. We know from 40 years of failed social policy that welfare depletes self-esteem while honorable work produces dignity. (PG 26)

From the time we insistently turned our heads away from our mothers' spoon-feeding to the day we left the nest, we have known instinctively that dependency is not for the healthy. How then have we created systems of dependency for those in need and thought it good? Or worse, established free clothes closets and food panties devoid of the dignity of exchange and called it Christian? (PG 44)

The focus is on community members seeing themselves as the solution tot he problem, not some government program or outside group that is going to be their salvation. (PG 131)

What hill will we die on?

2010-09-13T23:20:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been thinking a lot about something. As Christians what hill are we dying on? We have to pick and choose our battles individually right? Why wouldn't we as a whole as well. If we look at the world around us and identify where Christians are speaking up we can find what hill we are dying on.

Some hot topics are abortion, gay rights, war, and what to do with all these illegal immigrants.

Christians have a lot to say about all these things. Fortunately a lot of it is right. Unfortunately we've decided to die on the hill of being right. Being right is a good thing. Knowledge is a good thing. Can we move forward deciding to die on the hill of being loving instead of being right?

After all if we have knowledge (even if we are right) and we don't have love, we're just a clanging cymbal. I think we've all heard a lot of clanging cymbals lately. I think we've all been clanging cymbals here and there.

Lets die on the hill of being loving.

Road Trip (in backwards order)

2010-09-08T20:28:00.000-07:00

We officially arrived in Durango last night around midnight. More pictures to come of this great place soon.

We walked helped Katie and Curtis move into their new apartment and hung out with them for a little while. It was great to get to see where they are starting their new life!

YAY for Disneyland!
Brittany ran 13.1 miles. Its insane. She ran the ENTIRE time. She blew me away. Definitely a ton of fun.

Kevin Hoffman

2010-08-23T10:17:00.001-07:00

For those of you who do not know, my uncle Kevin died last Thursday.

It has been incredibly hard for my family to deal with something like this. He took his own life in my grandparents home Thursday morning. My mom (his sister) went to check on him that afternoon and found him there.

Please be praying for my family as this is an extremely hard time for all of us, especially my mom and grandparents, my aunts and my uncle.

Kevin lived a very full and interesting life never staying in one place for too long. He was not married and did not have any kids.

There will be a memorial fund set up to help with the final arrangements if anyone is interested please email me dustin (at) one mission (dot) com

A visitation is scheduled for 6-8pm Tuesday and a service at 10am Wednesday both at Hansen's Desert Hills Mortuary at 65th St and Bell in Scottsdale, AZ.

Thank you and again, please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

In memory of Kevin Hoffman
March 8, 1973 - August 19, 2010

Peñasco

2010-08-20T08:04:00.000-07:00

Every time we step back and take a breath we realize we live in a pretty nice place. Brittany took this picture from where we had dinner the other night. Might I comment on the photo skills as well... not to shabby.

A nice little prison community

2010-08-17T17:14:00.000-07:00

I had coffee with a friend last week who spent the last 3 years of the 1980's in prison in California (which eventually led to him not getting his visa renewed which led to him being here in Mexico). Knowing him now I can't imagine what he could have possibly done to end up in prison but that was then and this is now I guess.

In his few years in prison he knew a handful of guys that had been there for a little while before him, were released while he was there and they willingly came back before his time was up. I thought that it was a joke when he told me. There are people out there who would rather be in prison than be living in the world?

A few months ago my friends daughters (high school age) had to move from Mexico (where they basically grew up) to Phoenix. They hate it. They don't really feel like they belong there. They are white and clearly American but they hate it in Phoenix. I would say that it isn't because Phoenix is a worse place than Peñasco, its because of community. This is where their friends are.

Same with the guys in prison.

Community is so important (and so vital) that there are men who would give up every scrap of freedom just to have community. Its a great example of how community really is what life is all about. Its evidence that you aren't designed to live this life alone.

Just something to think about (and a good sermon illustration if you're into that sort of thing:).

Barrio Church

2010-08-15T15:46:00.000-07:00

We visited a new barrio church last Thursday. It was pretty good, the message was given by a "visiting pastor" who actually gave a solid sermon about being a hypocrite. If you caught on to the surprised tone, its because usually sermons here are more like rants about life as opposed to anything that has to do with the bible or even God. I think about 25 people were there and afterward the homeowner (Renaldo) served a wonderful little Mexican dish that makes me throw up a little in my mouth just thinking about it.

These churches are popping up out here quite a bit. They are all really nice families with good intentions but they really are kind of bad representations of anything that it seems like Christ intended with the church... still, its better than nothing, isn't it?

We've got two more of these little churches to check out this week.

Fatness

2010-08-13T13:10:00.000-07:00

Definitely an interesting article...

Everyone's body is different (its really not fair). I can get away with drinking a beer and eating french fries every now and then, other people eat a french fry and you can tell the next day. Its luck of the draw I guess but its important to know what you can/can't handle and then eat/exercise accordingly.

Law vs Grace

2010-08-11T21:22:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to lie. The concept of law vs grace is a hard one to understand. Supposedly it is by grace alone we are to live and it is by grace alone we are saved. BUT... looking at the Church and looking at Christians, it seems like the law is how people earn true life (which coincidentally is what Jesus had the biggest problem with in his day).

Anyway, I like how Skip Moen puts it in one of his Hebrew word studies - The following is copied and pasted from one of his articles:

What Paul means, from a Jewish perspective, is that a legalistic application of the Law justifies no one. Such an application is a mistake. The Law is a contract for enjoying life, not a set of rules for controlling behavior. That is why God can expect His children to keep His commandments, joyfully!

Am I supposed to follow the Law of God? Of course I am! God redeems me so that I can become part of His great family of those who are devoted to Him. And if I am devoted to Him, I will rejoice in His commands. They are an expression of the character of our Father, an expression that I can imitate. No Christ-follower sees the Law as a means of earning God's favor, but no Christ-follower sets aside the Law as a means of displaying devotion to the Lord. The Law helps me understand the nature of the God I serve. I keep it because I love Him. It is not a yoke around my neck. It is liberty in my heart.

I really like how he puts it when he said the law is a contract for enjoying life, not a set of rules for controlling behavior. At the end of the day you'll live a better life if you treat the people around you lovingly. You'll live a fuller life if you don't cheat on your spouse or lie to your friends, or yourself for that matter.

Nephilim

2010-08-09T18:15:00.000-07:00

What do you make of all this? (Wikipedia article about Nephilim)

Its a little strange and mythical, I'm not going to lie.

If nothing else it makes for some interesting reading.

Reading

2010-08-07T20:57:00.000-07:00

Its been a while since I've posted anything, but I'm still alive, I can promise you that. Things have been staying pretty busy. We've been trying to make it up to Phoenix as much as possible because once the summer is over we probably won't make it up again for a long time. Also we've got some really sweet new programs that are in the process of getting started, more on that later...

Lately I've been in a very studious mood so I thought I'd share some of the stuff I'm reading or stuff that I have read this summer.

Francis Chan - Crazy Love

Bill Hybels - The Volunteer Revolutions

Chuck Missler - Learn the Bible in 24 Hours

John Kennedy Toole - A Confederacy of Dunces

Skip Moen - 30 Days of Hebrew

Scott Belsky - Making Ideas Happen

Chip/Dan Heath - Made to Stick

Haruki Murakami - Dance Dance Dance

David Sedaris - Naked

Aaron Eby - Boundary Stones

I don't feel like I spend a ton of time reading but looking at that list it would seem like I do...

To those that enjoy reading, what are you reading? Anything worth checking out?

Starting Point / Youth Group

2010-07-17T22:14:00.000-07:00

We had our first starting point for One Mission in the barrios. We had about 40 people come out to tell us what they are all about and how we can be all about it too.

Me and Jesus had the opportunity to speak at a local youth group tonight. We spoke on Col 3:5-17.

Just a few updates for now and there should be more to come. Things seem to be happening at light speed right now...

The Dock

2010-07-11T17:09:00.000-07:00

When the tide is high here in Peñasco you can jump off of an old boat dock into the ocean. The tide was really high the day we went, but... when the tide is just right, the jump is about 15 feet. When we went one jump was around 8 feet and another around 5... it was actually pretty fun. I might try the 15 footer if I ever get the chance.

Jesus, Devon, and myself sizing up the jump.

Brittany doing a sweet karate flip.

I call this "leaping tiger flaming dragon."

Picture Update

2010-07-07T14:58:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of what's been going on lately and why we still really like living in Mexico.

Sweet birthday parties with sweet mariachi bands and awesome chips and salsa.

We live on the beach. This picture was taken 20 yards from my front door.

We helped throw a fiesta at the home for lost children.

Last but not least is the fact that our schedule allows us to spend most days together.

Its a pretty great life and we've still got a lot of life left. How could it be better?

Delivering Happiness

2010-06-26T09:11:00.001-07:00

I'm not much of a book reviewer. That said, Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh is one of the best books I've read in a long time. I'm not much of a reader but I read it in two days, I couldn't put it down. He has a lot of stories of weird businesses he tried to start when he was a kid all the way up to Zappos, which was recently sold for around $1 billion. He talks mostly about creating community throughout a team of co-workers and staff but the principles can be applied to any community. If you live in an apartment building, if you live in a neighborhood, if you have friends, if you have family that you spend time with, if you have anyone... this book can help you build a better community with them. Create a culture wherever you are doing whatever you're doing. Definitely worth the $15.

Full disclosure: Creating and building are my favorite things in the world and that is what this book is ALL about. If you're better at being a cog in the wheel than you are at creating the wheel, maybe you should read something else.

Marina Fest!

2010-06-16T09:28:00.000-07:00

So we finally made it to one of the Mexican carnivals. Every couple of months a new one comes in town and for some reason we kept not being able to go until now. I definitely didn't ride any of the rides but it was a lot of fun. Brittany and some friends that came with us rode some pretty serious rides that scared me a lot.

She had fun and we took a lot of pictures (full album here). Definitely worth the $1 dollar it cost for entry.

Love-Hate

2010-06-10T09:55:00.001-07:00

I have a love hate relationship with the Internet.

I LOVE that I learned about this (watch the video to understand it better). I HATE that I wasted 10 minutes learning about it.

For those of you who are wondering... I finally made the switch to Firefox. Safari looks better but at the end of the day Firefox works better. Safari is especially terrible at downloading PDF's and uploading Google docs, just FYI.

Movie Night

2010-06-05T14:03:00.001-07:00

We just started movie night. Every other Friday night we set up a screen and projector (thanks ccv) and we play a movie. Its that simple. We invite the neighborhood to bring a chair and just relax. We play different movies. This week we played Old Dogs. I thought it was okay, they thought it was the funniest thing in the world.

Watching two different senses of humor watch a movie is funny.

The point in movie night is two-fold. 1) To offer the community something free, easy, and fun to do on a Friday night. 2) To provide One Mission with a captive audience comprised of all different types of members of the community.

A Staffless Church

2010-05-31T03:32:00.001-07:00

Definitely worth thinking about...

Neighborhood ministry

2010-05-25T23:53:00.000-07:00

One Mission is in the middle of creating a neighborhood ministry specific to the barrios in Rocky Point. It'll probably look a lot like a bunch of small groups meeting throughout the week in homes. When we started to "create" this model the first question we asked was "what does a church look like if we take out the Sunday morning experience?" Its definitely worth asking at any church because maybe (just maybe) your church has put too much focus on Sunday morning and not enough focus on being the church the rest of the week.

Apparently I'm not alone. Don Miller has a similar question on his blog.

ps - Happy birthday Brittany - You are the best wife ever.

(the above is as much a birthday greeting as it is a test to see if my dear wife reads my blog)

Answer Part II

2010-05-14T08:41:00.000-07:00

This is part two of this part one.

Moving along... the answer isn't programs its community. What have we turned everything into? We've measured everything by seats filled. Because we measure things by seats filled we've focused on filling the seats. What's the best way to fill a seat? To put on a show. To entertain people. Movie theaters are full. Sporting events are full. Concerts are full. We combine all three to make a church service. If we changed our measurement from seats full to people sent out how would our methods change? Is this really what church has turned into? Every church I've been to in the last few years has looked eerily similar to it.

Instead of focusing on filling seats, lets focus on moving seats.

Did you know if we put every dollar that every Christian has into one pot we could end world hunger? Did you know that out of that same pot after we ended world hunger we could end the spread of malaria? After we did that out of the same pot we could provide clean drinking water for every person in the world to drink? Crazy to think about? We have the power to end the suffering in this world in Christ's name but because he believes in Calvinism and I don't we can't get along long enough to spread Christ's love. Maybe what really matters isn't what we've been running around worrying about after all.

The Answer

2010-05-12T08:28:00.000-07:00

I know it hasn't been portrayed on this blog but theres been a storm brewin' in my head for a few weeks now. Ever since I read (and wrote) about Chalmers I've been going over and over in my head what the answer looks like. Not just with helping the physically poor but the spiritually poor as well. Jesus seemed interested in both, so maybe we should be too. The answer is not programs. The answer is community. The answer is friendships. The answer is connectedness. When I started getting involved at church in high school it had little to do with Jesus. I didn't keep coming every week because there was this strange feminine swedish guy in the sky who I could talk to. I kept coming because I had friends there. I kept coming because there was a community that I couldn't find anywhere else. I stayed because they offered me development, progress, friendship, and movement. Girls had something to do with it too. Because there was community I was able to listen and learn about God that turns out isn't much like the picture I always had in my mind. Who knew he valued friendships and community as much (actually more) than I did. I needed it and he needed me to have it.

Does the program you are about to start having anything to do with community? Because I start programs regularly that is one of the first and most important questions I now ask myself. How does this foster the kind of community we are trying to build? Its important.

Theres plenty more to this post but I'll separate it... more to come in a few days... stay tuned.

Thomas Chalmers

2010-04-30T08:55:00.000-07:00

Theres a guy named Thomas Chalmers who, in the early 1800's, started a ministry. This ministry divided the city into parishes, and the parishes into quarters. Each quarter had a deacon that oversaw the physical and an elder that oversaw the spiritual development of its residents. At one point in his ministry the local government criticized his "moral machinery" saying that it was in competition with the municipal welfare system. Chalmers agreed and went one further saying that the church could do what the government cannot. The church could deal with the physical and the spiritual roots of poverty.

In his parish, using volunteers, he reduced the cost of "poor aid" from $1865/year to $375/year and essentially ended poverty at the same time.

In his parish, in his time, Christ-followers were known as the ones responsible for ending poverty. Nearby governments modeled themselves after what Chalmers had set up.

They fed anyone who was hungry, gave water to anyone who was thirsty, gave clothes to anyone who was cold, and gave education to anyone who was willing to go.

More to come...

Anticipate

2010-04-27T20:51:00.000-07:00

A storms a comin'

Think about it

2010-04-23T21:47:00.001-07:00

Every interaction may be the first interaction. Not only might it be the first interaction. Theres a good chance it'll be the only interaction.

Think about it when you get dressed in the morning.

Think about it when you order the drinks your order.

Think about it when you decide to forward emails to a group of people.

Just think about it.

Fo real.

2010-04-15T23:47:00.000-07:00

Our Christian habit is to bewail the worlds deteriorating standards with an air of rather self-righteous dismay. We criticise its violence, dishonesty, immorality, disregard for human life, and materialistic greed. "The world is going down the drain," we say with a shrug. But whose fault is it? Who is to blame? Let me put it like this. If the house is dark when nightfall comes, there is no sense in blaming the house; that is what happens when the sun goes down. The question to ask is, "Where is the light?" Similarly, if the meat goes bad and becomes inedible, there is no sense in blaming the meat; that is what happens when bacteria are left alone to breed. The question to ask is "Where is the salt?" Just so, if society deteriorates and its standards decline until it becomes like a dark night or a stinking fish, there is no sense in blaming society: that is what happens when fallen men and women are left to themselves. The question to ask is "Where is the Church? Why are the salt and the light of Christ not permeating and changing our society?" It is sheer hypocrisy on our part to raise our eyebrows, shrug our shoulders, or wring our hands. The Lord told us to be the world's salt and light. Therefore, if darkness and rottenness abound, it is largely our fault and we must accept the blame. - John Stott

A great week

2010-04-12T21:25:00.000-07:00

For the last 6 days we were home hanging out in Phoenix, Arizona... a great place to be.

We saw a ton of cool people, did a ton of cool stuff, had a lot of great conversation, and even ate a lot of great food.

Huge thanks to Christ's Church of Fountain Hills for having us out!

Hope everyone had as great of a week as we did.

We're cruising down early tomorrow morning to get back at it.

Thanks to everyone who makes it possible for us to do what we love day in and day out.

iPhone Apps and Market Research

2010-04-08T22:04:00.000-07:00

Did you know that 683 apps are added to the app store every day?

Thats craziness. I had some market research done for an iPhone app idea that I have (thanks Elance).

It was really cool stuff. If you ever need something done that you don't want to do and you don't have to be physically present to do it, sub it out. I used Elance and loved it (I used someone named Francis from Smartoffice).

I learned a lot about iPhone apps. It was pretty interesting. The process of hiring someone was worth the $5/hour I paid them.

Healthy Expectations

2010-04-01T09:01:00.000-07:00

People say that having high expectations is a point of pride for them, because they don't accept anything less than perfection. I've even said this before.

I don't think that its necessarily healthy.

Nobody is perfect. When I expect my wife to be perfect and she isn't, I become unhappy. When I expect our marriage to be perfect and it isn't, I become unhappy.

I don't think I should expect my wife to be terrible or my marriage to be miserable (thats low expectations), I need to have healthy expectations.

A healthy expectation sounds like this: I know my marriage won't be perfect, no marriage is, but our foundation is God and love which can withstand any problems or dry spells or whatever else.

Sometimes we need to recognize the difference between hope and high expectations. If I expect my wife to do the dishes there's usually a problem. However, if I know the dishes need to be done and I hope she does them, (because I hate them) that's different. The difference is my reaction when whatever I'm hoping for or expecting doesn't happen. If I expect her to do the dishes and she doesn't, we have an argument. If I hope that she does them and she doesn't its okay because I recognize that she doesn't have to (nowhere in our wedding vows did I mention dishes, I should have).

If I expect my life to go perfectly without problems I'm in for a rough road. If I hope my life goes perfect but understand how rarely that actually happens I'll be in a much better position to handle obstacles (they will come).

Whenever I've heard other people talk about this stuff it always sounds like they are telling me to settle for something. Don't shoot for perfection because its unrealistic. I disagree. Shoot for perfection but understand that if you don't get it its okay. Sometimes you will get perfection (you won't if you don't shoot for it). By getting perfection 1% of the time you're ahead of most other people who are too scared (or too cool) to actually aim there.

I know this post is vague and more philosophical than it is practical or useful right now.

The basic point is to start pondering the difference between expecting something, hoping for something, and having healthy (not necessarily low or high) expectations.

Cynicism

2010-03-28T19:50:00.000-07:00

I've never considered myself one but most people who even kind of know me think that I'm a cynic or at least I'm very sarcastic.

After reading this book and this blog post I started to think that maybe this is an indication of something in my life that needs to be worked on.

Why am I a cynic?

It keeps me from being too vulnerable.

It's easier to not try (because I don't care) than it is to try and fail

I doubt other's motives a lot

All three are at work in me but the second one probably the most true.

The closest things to a magic cure:

Gratitude

Perspective (not comparing one's situation, often these are confused)

Healthy expectations

Up next - how the recognizing the difference between cynicism and low expectations could make you (and the people around you) happier.

Fundraising

2010-03-20T21:36:00.000-07:00

My biggest struggle in what we do is fundraising. Its by far the thing I have the hardest time with. It is really hard to raise money every month.

A few weeks ago I had a conversation that went something like this:

Me: fundraising is really hard

Person: are you working according to God's will

Me: I'm pretty sure, I guess as sure as I can be, right? He doesn't necessarily call me on the phone to confirm, but I'm pretty sure.

Person: what does the bible say about God's provision for those in his will

Me: yea I guess.

I brushed off the conversation and moved on but now (a few weeks later) the line "what does the bible say about God's provision" has stuck with me.

It certainly doesn't raise the number coming in every month but it adds value to what's already coming in every month.

No real point to this post, just simple observation.

Inspiration

2010-03-16T16:40:00.000-07:00

Most people spend their whole life, or at least a lot of it, searching for inspiration. As it turns out, I'm inspired. I have it. I'm inspired. I'm inspired to do a lot of things and to be a lot of things but at the base of it, I am inspired.

Unfortunately, all I've ever read or focused on or cared about is being inspired. So now that I've arrived I'm lost. I've never thought about managing, pruning, focusing, or fostering my inspiration(s).

I'm inspired... now what?

ps - I've never been fully equipped to do what I've done, but I always do it anyway (and rarely without success).

I used to post a lot

2010-03-13T23:06:00.000-08:00

But lately a couple times a month is acceptable.

I want to post 2-4 times per week. No more (5 is spam) and no less (1 could mean a boring life).

I used to think that by putting my goals out there it would hold me accountable. This guy thinks otherwise and so far I can't say I agree or disagree.

At any rate - its near quitting time.

Check out my latest post on the One Mission blog to see what's going on there. Something pretty neat happened today.

Happy Birthday

2010-03-01T11:31:00.000-08:00

I missed it, but my blog's second birthday was a few days ago. I posted my first blog February 2008. I know in human years 2 isn't a lot but in blog years I think 2 is around 40 or something.

This guy has been blogging for two years, but he has a lot more readers than me (as he should, his blog is really good).

Weird I've been blogging for two years. Most bloggers post their good blog posts over the last two years but I went back and read mine and they were mostly pretty okay and I didn't feel like highlighting my mediocrity here with proof.

Happy two years! Yay!

Date of Death

2010-02-26T08:41:00.001-08:00

According to statisticians my date of death with be in February of 2062... how about you?

Simple Note

2010-02-18T10:37:00.000-08:00

If you have an iPhone and are not using Simplenote you are missing out. Its a free app that allows you to write notes and sync them to your computer. It syncs (wirelessly) through various desktop apps but my favorite is the dashnote widget.

It's seriously great and I've gotten a lot more done with it.

Hope it helps!

Thanks!

2010-02-10T16:19:00.000-08:00

For whoever is reading - Thank you. Writing a blog is boring if no one reads it, believe me, I know.

Background Music

2010-02-03T09:37:00.000-08:00

I've found myself working a lot at my computer lately. Consequently, I've found myself on a quest to find the perfect background music. If the music is too quiet (i.e. most acoustic music, norah jones/David Gray-type music etc...) its like its not even there. If the music is too loud (From autumn to ashes-type/Thrice-type music) it can distract from the work at hand.

The perfect background music (for me at least) has an upbeat tempo, is a full band, not too wordy, rocks a little without melting one's face, and can be played at a steady volume without much adjustments. Here's what I've come up with so far...

Anything with Chris Carrabba that is not acoustic (Further seems forever, Dashboard)

Juliana Theory

Jimmy Eat World

Explosions in the sky

Tristeza

Brand new

Twothirtyeight

Eisley

Most of Ben Folds' stuff

and (much to my embarrassment)

blink 182/fall out boy.

Do you have any good background music?

(going over that list makes me feel pretty outdated)

Progress

2010-01-27T16:37:00.001-08:00

Progress is a cool thing. Its fun to see, fun to track, fun to be a part of blah blah its just good (usually).

A few months ago I started a blog about running. When I started a couldn't crawl a mile. Now I'm running two (today I rode my bike 7.3 miles).

One more thing that has progressed lately, I started a web site making business. Today I got two clients (though neither have paid yet).

A humungous storm came last week and put about 6-9 inches of sand over our entire driveway. Today I shoveled and wheelbarrowed and swept (with the help of my lovely wife of course) and now it looks like a driveway to be parked upon.

Things are progressing. Time is always progressing.

You are closer to something now than you were when you started reading this post... what is it you're closer to?

Rain

2010-01-19T20:11:00.001-08:00

For the last two days here it has been crazy windy. Around 30 mph winds with dust flying around everywhere and now, its raining.

Its a tough life for a lot of these families that we work with. In general they have a hard time finding enough money to feed themselves and provide decent shelter for their families.

As you can see from the picture below these houses aren't set up for rain. Its usually scrap pieces of wood thrown together. It rains inside just like it does outside. Growing up in Phoenix I appreciated rain when it happened. Here it rains even less. The rain is pretty to look at and it smells really good but I don't think any of the families we work with will get a decent night sleep tonight. They'll be cold, wet, and worried that their house might blow over. Sounds like a terrible night.

Poverty is a terrible thing. Whether or not you've put a lot of thought into it, poverty needs to be stopped, and you have the power to do it.

Economy

2010-01-17T09:33:00.000-08:00

I'm by no means an economist. As I understand it, to have a successful economy you need businesses, customers, money being exchanged, little corruption, competition, and belief in the system. Mexico has a few businesses at the top that have little competition. They can charge the customers whatever they want usually driving the customer further and further into poverty. No one has any belief in the system, even the people who created it.

How can we change everything? Let's talk numbers.

We've heard of banks charging 300% interest. Let's look at an example.

Gilberto wants to start a tortilla business. It costs $200 for a grill, some flour, some manteca, and some propane. At 75% (a normal interest rate from a bank loan for a first time borrower) he'll have to pay back $350. And thats only if he pays it back within the first month (compounded interest every month). Basically its impossible for Gilberto to move forward. He's stuck hoping for a good employer that won't screw him over.

If he could take out an annual loan at 20% he'd have a year to pay back $240. Someone is still making $40 and Gilberto is actually able to build a tortilla business and climb out of the debt cycle he's been in for as long as he's been a Mexican in Mexico.

We've reserved $1000 to begin. Our first borrower was a guy named Gilberto (sound familiar?). Our second was a woman named Nena who makes hammocks. So far the loans have been out for less than 2 months. Nena has made her first payment and Gilberto's is due next Tuesday.

We're empowering a neighborhood to build their own future and providing the current lending institutions with some decent competition.

This idea isn't new (or mine) but it can change the world.

Education

2010-01-15T21:15:00.000-08:00

Most of the people we work with stopped going to school around 4th-6th grade. The majority of them can't read at all. It costs money to keep a kid in school in Mexico. They have to pay tuition, books, uniforms, supplies, classroom necessities, and much more.

Parents in the barrios of Rocky Point view school much different than most parents in America.

Parents in the barrios of Rocky Point think like this:

I can pay (at least) $100 a semester to keep my kid in school or I can make $20 a month by getting them to sell gum or wash windows. Plus, I stopped going in 5th grade so they'll probably be fine.

Successful societies always have one thing in common: education is highly valued.

Parents in Penasco don't value education. If the parents don't value education, you can imagine how much the kids value it. So the question becomes, "How can we get parents to value education enough to keep their kids in school?" The answer has to be to raise incentives. Somehow they have to get something they want by sending their kid to school through high school.

What if we gave each parent $20 for every good report card they brought us? What if a good attendance record meant we'd help a student get a laptop? What if for every student that graduated high school we helped them get a car?

You can see where this is going... somehow we need to give the parents (and possibly the kids) something tangible until they value education enough to do it on their own. How do we make report cards worth money? Thats how it becomes sustainable. Honestly I don't know how all this works. All I know is that without education becoming highly valued, Mexico will never pull itself out of the state its in.

Development

2010-01-14T05:00:00.000-08:00

Out of our three focuses (discipleship, community, and development) development is my favorite. That doesn't mean its the most important, I just think its the most fun.

Seeing people progress is one of the most inspiring (and mission confirming) thing I get to experience.

Its important to see that development only comes to those who want to develop. No matter what we do we cannot force people to develop, ever. So at the root of the issue is still motivating people, putting development on the table just gives them better opportunities.

How are we going to make it easier for people to develop? We're honing in on two pieces of development: education and economy.

Stay tuned for a break down of education and economy.

Why Community?

2010-01-12T14:37:00.000-08:00

Community always sounds great. Its this theory that people have floating around in the sky but rarely seem to ever achieve.

First and foremost, I don't think community is something to be achieved, its something to be experienced. You can't say, "I've attained community." You reading this means you and I are in community, but it doesn't mean we've arrived.

Community is ongoing. It is constant. Community can break down barriers of class, income, and even past grievances.

So many people in the barrios of Rocky Point don't trust their neighbors and don't believe in their government (locally, nationally, or even globally). This distrust keeps them as very separate individuals. Rarely do low class individuals of a low class society have much influence on anything. They barely control their own lives. By uniting neighbors to neighbors and citizens to governments we can give these people a voice. We can give these people the control over their own lives that they've never even understood.

One Mission just printed shirts with the words, "unidad en comunidad," which means unity in community. Unity is the state of being joined as a whole. As of now these neighborhoods are divided between every different type of group you can think of. Even the emo kids are starting their own faction. Through building trust, uniting people, and staying focused on what matters we can finally give these people the opportunities to make their community THEIR community. In the past its been the community of whoever has money.

Hopefully this sheds some light on why we chose community as a focus. Now, any questions?

Community

2010-01-08T12:27:00.000-08:00

Community is a good one. Community is all about uniting. Uniting people to a cause, uniting people to each other, uniting people to their neighborhood... the list goes on.

Defined by the dictionary on my computer community is: a feeling of fellowship with others as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.

Everyone desires to live in community. Arguably we were designed to live in community. Community is definitely a buzz word in our culture so of course it sounds good but how can we accomplish "community"?

sports leagues where people play together, a thrift store where people work together, service projects where people serve together, neighborhood barbecues where people eat together, and much much more. The cool part about community is that anywhere 2+ people are hanging out its happening. There's nothing anyone can do to stop community and its fairly easy to facilitate. What's the answer to community? Spend time together. Spend less time alone.

Most people want this anyway, we're just making it possible (and easier) to achieve it.

This post defines what community is. If you're wondering why community, stay tuned.

Discipleship

2010-01-07T09:03:00.000-08:00

Discipleship is not: gathering a group of your friends and meeting once a week to talk about spiritual stuff.

Discipleship is for churched america: gathering a group of your friends and meeting once a week to talk about spiritual stuff.

Seems odd eh? What if recorded in Acts or one of the Gospels it said, "So Jesus met on the mornings of Wednesday with the twelve regarding matters of the spirit." Sounds kind of corporate and organized and modern america to me.

Jesus didn't do that, and that isn't recorded anywhere in the Bible (if you were wondering). So what did he do? What is the biblical model for discipleship?

Jesus selected twelve guys to live life with. He did everything with these twelve. He taught these twelve everything that he knew. He spent his ministry giving these twelve the tools they needed to spread God's message. Therefore, discipleship is giving the people around us the tools they need to succeed in spreading God's message. In my experience the tools most people need are:

confidence
biblical knowledge
personal faith

Everyone needs different things, keep in mind the above are generalities.

**note:

Its kind of interesting to me that the concept of discipleship sounds a little bit like the message behind some of the web 2.0 movement. Instead of spending our resources spreading a message we should spend our resources allowing others to spread a message. Updated version: Instead of having one marketing guy we should cultivate a facebook page and have as many marketing people as we want. More people reach a bigger crowd.

New Year : New Focus

2010-01-05T18:55:00.000-08:00

With a new year comes a feeling of freshness. Kind of like a reset button. It's funny because its not like its any different than any other day but it feels different.

With feelings of newness I've decided to renew my focus. What will I focus on in 2010?

Discipleship

Community

Development

The next few blog posts will be going into more detail about these three. first up discipleship... check back soon!

Funny Picture

2009-12-24T17:44:00.001-08:00

Change the world

2009-12-19T22:44:00.001-08:00

This is the kind of thinking that can change the world.

Nothing isn't connected.

Are you getting tired of me linking to Seth Godin?

Its been a while since I've posted.

Condo Contest

2009-12-04T08:54:00.000-08:00

This has been three or so months in the making but...

We are doing a fundraiser.

You can win a 3-bedroom condo right on the beach in Rocky Point. Check out www.rockypointcondocontest.com for more details.

I'm asking people to give $100. In return I will enter them to win a weekend (3 nights) in a condo on the beach that normally rents for $400/night. Brittany and I have stayed there before, its a freakin' nice condo. 2900 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, humungous deck overlooking the ocean, and tons of fun!

Since my blog readers are my favorite people in the world (all 2-4 of you) you all can enter for only $80. The good thing about having a small blog is that when you enter I'll know all of you. Seth Godin couldn't do that... but I can.

Anyway, thanks for reading and being a part of the day to day stuff. I'll keep you posted with details on how the Condo Contest is going. Maybe we'll video tape the drawing and put it on blogger.

Remember go here for more information on the Condo Contest.

Chances are most of you are on our newsletter email list so if you are you'll be getting a flyer in your inbox soon regarding this contest. Please forward it to all your friends who may be interested. If you are not currently receiving our newsletters but would like to, let me know by commenting below or emailing me from the Condo Contest website.

Thanks.

Another great post

2009-11-28T22:41:00.000-08:00

If you don't read Seth Godin... you should.

This is another great post by Seth.

What really makes it stand out is the last line -

"Going with the flow is a euphemism for failing."

Thank you Mr. Godin.

Back home

2009-11-25T08:59:00.000-08:00

We're back in Phoenix. I think I've said it before, but this city energizes me. This is where things happen.

We love being back, even if it is for a short time. I started a blog about running, check it out.

Since we've been home we've been hiking, went for a long walk to fry's to rent a movie, I ran this morning, we've gotten two cars fixed, done a little bit of christmas shopping, seen a few people, wrote some thank you notes, designed some stuff for our next fundraiser, and a little bit more.

Its good to be home, let me tell you.

Thanks for reading, thanks for watching, thanks for doing what you do.

Thank you for being a part of what is going on.. here and everywhere.

Great Article

2009-11-19T10:50:00.001-08:00

This is definitely worth checking out.

Small goals produce small worries.

Most people's goals are small (sorry).

If your goals are small (i.e. fit in) than your worries are small (i.e. "she said WHAT?")

Eventually your small worries (produced by your small goals) seem like big worries and you lose perspective completely. It happens everywhere. It happened to me when some guy cut me off in traffic and I wanted to get out of my car and punch him in the face. That was a small goal (getting somewhere 1.3 seconds earlier) producing small worries (that piece of work just cut me off) and I lost perspective.

I never got out of my car, but my blood did boil.

What are your goals?

Camping Books

2009-11-11T19:31:00.000-08:00

At some point over the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday weekend, I'm going camping (or some version of camping).

One of my favorite things to do while camping is to read, however, I'm out of books... its quite a predicament.

Got any good suggestions?

Thanks.

Things are happening.

2009-11-11T07:56:00.000-08:00

Its true.

Beneath the ground, something is moving.

If it weren't for the push they wouldn't have taken the leap

2009-11-02T05:30:00.000-08:00

A great article, worth checking out.

I'd probably agree that if it weren't for the recession I probably wouldn't be in Mexico, probably. There are a lot of probably(s) there but you get the point.

Pretty cool stuff, eh?

My Favorite Non-Profits

2009-10-30T12:36:00.002-07:00

There are a lot of organizations in the world doing good things. One Mission is just one of them. Others to check out are: Project New Hope International and Bulembu (Partners in Action)

The idea of self-sustainability while creating community is incredible.

These are probably two of my favorite non-profits out there. Coincidently I've met a few of the leaders too, top notch people.

Acumen Fund is pretty cool too I guess.

Food For the Hungry isn't bad either.

My four favs.

Gold Canyon

2009-10-26T13:13:00.000-07:00

Gold Canyon Community Church came down and built a house with us for the Valenzuela family. Antonio and his wife Orfa have 7 kids.

Check out the video below.

Starting a business

2009-10-20T05:30:00.000-07:00

Okay so I'm not really starting a business, I apologize for the facetious title: I'm such a jokester.

Anyway...

Yesterday I bought material for my friend Ramon to make 5 hammocks. The materials (a bunch of string) cost me $60. Once Ramon makes these hammocks he thinks he can sell them on the beach and the malecon (kind of like a pier) for around $35. If he sells all five of them at $35 it'll be $175. I'll take the $60 I put into it which leaves us at $115. For now (until we see Ramon managing money well) I'll take 50/50 of the profit. He'll use his half to live on and I'll use my half to buy more materials. If it works it'll bring one family basically out of poverty with an initial investment of $60. Obviously this took a lot of time and is extremely specific to mine and Ramon's situation because he knows how to make hammocks. This won't work for everyone but if it works this time we can spend more time figuring out how to duplicate it other places.

I also bought materials for my friend Hector to make 90 bracelets. 30 of them say "One Mission" 30 of them say "Mexico" and 30 of them say "Pray For Mexico." We'll set the bracelets up and sell them with the One Mission t-shirts. I might take some pictures and put them on our website as well, we'll see. I bought each bracelet for $1, I'm paying Hector $1.50/bracelet and I'm selling them for $5. It takes Hector about 8 minutes to make one so if it took him 10 minutes he's making about $9/hour for 15 hours to make them. Through an initial $100 investment I could bring in work for Hector AND support myself in a small way.

If this idea works and becomes big enough I could support myself AND at least a few locals. Its certainly not changing Rocky Point right now but if it went on for 10 years it has the potential to change the whole city. Even look at the long term results generationally. If Hector is able to move into town and become "middle class" his kids (he has two) will stay in school (he didn't), and will have many opportunities he did not have. Just a side note on Hector, he walks the beach and sells jewelry... in three months he learned english. He's an intelligent guy. Given the right chances and opportunities this is someone who certainly has the potential to change his circumstances and eventually his community.

Its an exciting time. Now more than ever we need your prayer, friendship, and support.

Thank you thank you thank you to everyone for reading. Thank you.

Crazy Day

2009-10-18T09:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a crazy day... Let me tell you why.

We started visiting families around 11am. We were spending some time with the families we might be building for in November. The first crazy thing happened around 11:47am when I was sitting down and talking with Sylvia and Sergio. Sylvia just had a baby five months ago and there were a few complications with the birth. The baby (Mili) is doing fine now but they spent every cent they had on hospital bills and now have absolutely nothing. They sleep under a tarp held up by a stick. In mid conversation Sylvia's baby started crying, her solution? Lift up her shirt and begin breast feeding... right in front of me. I saw it all. I didn't know what to do, where to look, what to say... So I got up and left. That was a clearly a moment not meant to be shared with me (at least I didn't want it to be), so I told her I'll be back to visit soon.

After that we went with Edgar and Alma (who we built for last year) to a small community they've been ministering to (Edgar has started a church recently). This community is right by the train tracks which means the poorest of the poor (Its a long story but basically the land by the tracks is federal so no one can kick them off of it). The first place we went had a hollowed out train car as their home. Right next to it was a room (detached from the train car) where the son lived. I looked into the room (that had a gate instead of a door) and the son (Gama, 37 years old) has the mind of a 5 month old. He rolls around, makes noises, and basically does what a five year old does except he's not much smaller than me. It was probably the hardest thing I've seen since I've been living down here. His family is doing all they can to keep him comfortable but the only income is one of a taxi driver and its not consistent or much. In the states I imagine Gama would live in a hospital and would have a wheelchair. Here he sleeps on a small mattress set on the cement. He can only drink milk and formula because he can't figure out how to eat anything else. He can only wear overalls because its the only thing he can't figure out how to take off. I felt this sense of "something must be done." Then I felt a sense of helplessness. That was crazy event number 2.

Our friends from Phoenix (actually they are from Canada but they've been in Phoenix for the last 7 some years) have a house in Los Conchas (20 minutes away) and are visiting for the week. We went over to their house for dinner. After eating some really (really really) good steak we looked through the telescope. I saw Jupiter. I saw another planet. I know to most people this probably isn't that big of a deal, but seriously I saw it. I could see three of it's moons all in a row. It was craziness. It reminded me how humungous this world is. Its crazy how many lives are in the world. After watching the moons move around for a few minutes we went up on the deck and had some good conversations about high schools, youth groups, church cultures, and Mexico. Thanks Yochims!

Anyway, sorry about the long post but I figure if I'm going to get back into blogging (I'm determined) than I better make it a good one.

There is more to come, stay tuned.

Dear Blogger.com:

2009-10-16T08:45:00.001-07:00

I miss you.

2009-10-03T09:13:00.000-07:00

When I was in college not paying attention I used to play a game online called Bug on a Wire where you were a bug and the birds were bad (My best score was 1:11, whats yours?). Naturally, my interested was peaked when I saw a video called Birds on the wires. I assumed those evil birds were up to no good taunting innocent little bugs just trying to make their little way in this big world.

Anyway, its a really cool video.

And I'm excited for this project to come out of Ze Frank's.

Is it weird that this article starts off with the advice "keep it simple," and then goes on to list 29 steps... in my opinion, thats a lot of steps.

I probably have posted this here before, but I read it again and its still really interesting.

Have a happy Saturday.

A short conversation

2009-09-25T13:09:00.000-07:00

Dustin: Brittany, come sit with me.

Brittany: Okay, as soon as I finish washing my pennies.

Dustin: Silence.

Brittany: I know its only 18 cents but I feel bad throwing away actual money.

Dustin: Silence.

Brittany: Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Road Trip Picture Summary

2009-09-23T08:53:00.000-07:00

Its all in backwards order, but I think you'll get the point.

first things last, we finished up at the four corners area.

we rode quads on a mountain in bayfield colorado

we stayed with our friends Don and Ada for a few days

at their beautiful home in bayfield (near durango)

the second time in manhattan katie turned into a japanamation character for a picture.

we visited my brother and his wife vacationing in her family's indiana farm house

jill, ryan, dustin, brittany

welcome to cary illinois

i bought a boat

brittany, her cousin shayna, and her aunt nancy

the bean

playing guitar hero - sick.

hanging out at old stadium in manhattan kansas

on the way to victor colorado

we started our trip by visiting my dad in manitou springs colorado.

It was an awesome trip and we are so thankful for everyone we got to stay with and spend time with along the way.

An article worth reading

2009-09-12T07:54:00.001-07:00

Check it out.

Road Trip Update

2009-09-02T06:49:00.001-07:00

We've also been to Arizona (of course), New Mexico, and Colorado. We just didn't think of this totally original idea of taking pictures of the state signs in time.

It really has been a lot of fun of a trip. Brittany and I have felt so lucky to have family all over that is so welcoming. We've gone from state to state from city to city to great friends to great friends. Its kind of counter cultural to depend on other people but it has been a great experience so far. Thanks to everyone who we've stayed with for being the best of hosts and so willing to give up your time (and sometimes your own bedroom) to welcome us. You've made this trip one of our favorite for sure.

Today we woke up in Manhattan, Kansas after a long drive from Lake Village, Indiana yesterday. This morning sometime (after I finish my coffee and we take a walk away from our car) we're driving another 7 or so hours to end up in Manitou Springs, Colorado. From there we'll get up in the morning and drive (the supposedly beautiful drive) to Durango, Colorado where we'll actually spend a full day. After that we're headed back home and the great road trip of 2009 will be over.

Expect more pictures soon (we took over 1700), it's hard sifting through the pictures and deciding which ones to post.

Stop 2 - Manhattan (plus picture update)

2009-08-26T20:43:00.001-07:00

Its in weird order but I think you'll get the point.

We found a frog at tuttle lake in Manhattan.

We stayed with my Dad in Manitou Springs, Colorado

This wall was holding back tons and tons of waste from the coal mines in Victor, CO.

Brittany got an awesome milkshake.

Colorado was beautiful

Manhattan is a really cool place. Parts of Manhattan have a real cool vibe to them. We've spent most of our time there and little elsewhere. Its been great we've stayed with some friends and with Katie and Curtis while we're here. I do miss the color green being in the general landscape but I don't miss the snow so I guess its a tradeoff in the end anyway. I could live in Manhattan again I think, most likely.

First Stop - Manitou

2009-08-23T07:09:00.000-07:00

Okay so we got to Manitou Friday night. We spent all day yesterday cruising around these old mining towns in this part of Colorado. (See Victor and Cripple Creek)

After that we went over to Grandma Patrick's house and had dinner. Two things about that.

We put roasted green chiles on cheeseburgers and chicken which was incredible.

The second thing was my grandma turns 97 next week... thats old. She informed me that she has shrunk exactly 8.5 inches since she moved from Phoenix over 7 years ago.

Today we're walking around some more and cruising up to Denver and Boulder a little bit.

We took a ton of pictures but we forgot the cable to our camera. We're hoping we can find someone who has one in Manhattan (as a heads up, its one of these for anyone reading). Hopefully we can have some pictures to post later this week (Tuesday or so).

Cheers!

Interesting to note

2009-08-21T07:20:00.000-07:00

This is definitely interesting to look at. Where are you compared to the national average?

Click the picture for the interactive graph.

Be About It

2009-08-18T07:56:00.001-07:00

Pretty cool story of a church being about it instead of just talking about it.

Instead of pointing fingers over and over again this church has pointed the finger at themselves to do something about this injustice. How can we apply this concept to poverty, abuse, or sex trafficking?

This idea and ideas like this have the potential to restore the christian name from a place of judgement and guilt to a place of holiness and renewal.