The Prodigal Life

It's funny what memories we become attached to when we return from foreign cultures. One of the fondest memories of my time in Haiti was bathing. Every morning Helyn and I awoke around 7 am and stumbled down the path for a splash/bath in the ravine. In the cool of the morning the water, running from the mountains a few miles away was cold and refreshing. The ravine in which we often bathed. Life is very communal in Haiti and bathing is just another group activity. Women bathe and wash clothes together, chatting and socializing. Children splash and wash in groups, enjoying the simple pleasures and adventures of childhood. I quickly took to bathing multiple times each day--usually a full "bath" in the morning, a splash of cool water in the heat of the afternoon, and another full "bath" in the evening to wash off the sweat and dirt of the day before crawling into bed. When it was too late to walk to the ravine, I took bucket baths behind a curtain next to...

We live in a unique age. This generation is uniquely concerned about social justice and righting wrongs. We also live in a world of media and information where we can educate ourselves about injustices all over the world from the comfort of our lounge chairs. At the click of a button I can view horrible images of starving men, women, and children in the horn of Africa, stricken by a famine and fighting for survival. This afternoon I flipped on CNN and watched Bono and K'naan (a Sudanese refugee) talk about the famine and what should be done. As I consumed my daily dose of media I glanced at my calendar. The first thing that I saw was "Slip-N-Slide Outreach," an event on campus involving a 50 foot slip-n-slide and general water-based mayhem designed to invite college students into our InterVarsity community. My initial response was repulsion--I arranged an event that will "waste" gallons of water while millions are starving and thirsty. Suddenly Slip-n-slides d...