Praise - John C. Chandy

Praise God for all things green.

Lime jello, blades of grass, emeralds,
Chameleons, the neon river frog,
Heavy papayas begging to be picked,
Lilies, thrusting their tender shoots through dirt,
Love when it knows nothing more than hope



Praise God for all things brown
Hot coffee, sloppy mud, chocolate,
The warthog's tail and Stephen's hazel eyes,
Crafty cinnamon biting with its bark,
My mother's face, as soft as a baby skin,
Love leaving its stain on colorless days.



Praise God for all things red
Round bindi, rose petals, ladybugs,
A cardinal, sweet Hannah's dumpling cheeks,
Angry dried chilies waiting to set fires,
The line of blood that seals a healing wound,
Love giving with no promise of return.



Praise God for all things black
Umbrellas, peppercorns, ebony,
The zebra's stripe and Anna's curly hair,
Pungent fish tamarind seeping bitter truth,
The thick unseeing darkness of the night
Love struggling when it cannot understand.



Praise God for all things white
Shaving cream, smooth eggshells, buttermilk,
Albino pigs, rabbits romping in snow,
Steaming basmati rice humming a tune,
A waterfall half-glimpsed through forest tress,
Love reaching through darkness into light.

A job of sorts

I've finally been moved but not quite where I wanted to go. I was on the wing where the guy who assaulted me was staying. A few weeks ago I sent a request to be moved because we go to rec together and I wanted to be proactive in taking care of any trouble.

I was moved today and even got a new job. The only problem is that the dorm that I moved to has been going to rec with the other guy's dorm, so nothing has changed. I tried to explain this to the lieutenant that moved me, but he didn't seem to be accommodating. I talked to the major, too, and he said he would look in to it and see if there really was a problem. I hope it doesn't take weeks to sort out like this move did.

My new dorm and job are alright, though. The dorm only has ten people, so it's quiet most of the time (though the TV is in the same area as the bunks and is on all day.) My job is on the shower crew. We go to different dorms in the early morning (12-2 am) and clean showers. Not glamorous but at least I'm doing something.

Watching history being made.

Last night I saw two incredible events. The Olympics have been awesome and awe inspiring, at least as much as I have seen. Michael Phelps took his eighth gold of these games and Usain Bolt slaughtered his own record in the 100M while cruising into the finish beating his chest.



It was so cool to see Phelps get eight because so many were expecting him to do just that and I think he would have been quite disappointed to finish with any less. The best part about his golds is that he had to have support from his teammates for a few of them in the relays.



Usain Bolt is such a freak, in a good way. He looks way too tall to be a good sprinter and yet, fifteen meters before reaching the finish, he slowed, put his hands out palms up, and then beat this chest. Oh yeah, he broke his world record for the gold, too. Crazy!



Both of these athletes are so dominant in their sports right now and don't show any signs of letting up anytime soon. And I get to see the in their dominance.

"A true friend..." *

I had a great visit today. While I was outside running this morning I saw some friends from home drive up. I was doing a light run because I expected them and stopped to talk with a friend while I waited to be called in to the visit. When I was called, I just hurried back to the dorm to throw on some different clothes and set off without showering. I figured they wouldn't smell me through the glass (not that I smelled too bad...) and I didn't want to keep them waiting.

The couple that came to see me are really more friends of my folks than mine, but it has been cool to build a relationship through letter writing over the past year. They have been one of my biggest encouragements since coming to prison, real evidence of Christ's community.

We talked about all kinds of things: mission trips, work, school, my experiences here, their kids. Their curiosity and desire to know more about my situation made me feel so blessed. I hope that I gave an accurate picture and the details they were interested in hearing.

* "A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you just the way you are."

Everything Belongs - Part 2

Jesus tells us in the Gospels, "Don't be afraid."
He's saying it is radically okay.
You can trust yourself because God trusts you,
using your journey, your experience.
Nothing is wasted; all is forgiven.
Nothing will be used against you.
In fact, "I will even use your sins to transform you!"

...If that's not good news, what would the good news be?
...Your journey matters, and God's covenanted love toward you is always unconditional and usually unilateral.
Suddenly, it is a very safe universe.

Richard Rohr

Tonight we had the first chapel service that I've been to since I've been at this unit. All the previous services were unannounced and I was at recreation every time. A few days ago a flyer went up in the dorms from the new chaplain that announced a weekly service on Wednesday mornings.

I was the only guy from my dorm to go, but I was encouraged to see about 75 guys when I arrived mid-song. It was great to sing praise with fellow Christians for the first time in months. Without much singing in the recent past our voices didn't sound great. It may have been just noise, but it was joyful noise. SO cool.

The message was great, too. At my last unit the guy that organized chapel and gave the messages did so in a very elementary and watered down style that I found almost insulting, but this chaplain offered some thoughts to chew on. He spoke about our indifference toward God and His calling. I think I still struggle sometimes with just plain ignoring God or taking God for granted, so I found the message challenging.

I'm really excited about being able to come together with other Christians again and agreeing with God. It's a desolate place in which we live and the brothers around me are an encouragement as we spur each other on toward Christ.



"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds."
- Hebrews 10:24

No Hay Paraiso

You would think that for a bunch of guys who proclaim to love sports, the Olympics would be one of the biggest attractions. It is for me, but not so much for the other guys in the dorm. Instead of watching Michael Phelps run for the record of eight goals (or rather, swim), these guys watch reruns of Prison Break, Terminator, and the busty novella (Spanish soap opera) Sin Senos No Hay Paraiso
( Spanish for "without breasts there is no paradise".) Sin senos has been on for the past two months and cannot be overturned from its 9:00 spot because the guys go gaga over the females who play the prostitute protagonists. It's a stupid show if you ask me: terrible acting and story. I just stay on my bunk.



I would rather see records fall than silly Spanish shows. Hopefully I can catch the highlights in the morning. But even those aren't the same as watching in real-time as the action unfolds, rooting the athletes on with excitement jackhammering in your chest when it all comes down to the wire. The once-every-four-years events and history-making performances are a meaningful break from the otherwise monotonous prison life.