• Archive of "kids" Category

    Seeing into the Future

    July 15, 2010 // No Comments »

    Remember all those times you rolled your eyes at your grandparents when they started a sentence, “You know, when I was your age…” ?  I had one of those experiences the other day, but in reverse.  I felt like I was peering into the future.

    I rolled up to a stop light with my window down and noticed that the car next to me was shut off.  Just when I was about to ask if they needed a jump, I realized that it was a hybrid, which basically shuts off when it comes to a stop – the engine stops running so it’s completely quiet.  It struck me as quite weird – and then I fast-forwarded 30 years or so and imagined myself in this same scenario, but as a grandparent with a grandchild sitting next to me (I guess they were old enough!)  Here’s how our conversation went…

    Grandchild: “Grandpa, what’s that noise?”

    Grandpa: “The car next to us is making that noise because the engine is running.”

    Grandchild: “Grandpa, that’s crazy, everyone knows that car engines don’t run when cars are stopped!”

    Grandpa (with aged predictability): “You know, when I was your age…”

    Grandchild (with youthful predicatability): [rolls eyes]

    Grandpa: [smiles with exceeding joy that his grandchild lives in a world where the idea of streets filled with planet-destroying automobiles that all run on non-renewable energy seems just as believable as the idea that one person could own another did when I was their age]

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    Posted in creation, family, kids, sustainability

    A Kenyan New Year

    January 7, 2009 // 2 Comments »

    I am recently back from a 10 day trip to Kenya in Africa.  Though the entire trip was incredible from beginning to end, the highlight just might have been ringing in the New Year by participating in African tribal dances around a huge bonfire (which featured the stylings of Ben K. who introduced our Kenya friends to the timeless art of “the robot”).

    I am really at a loss for how to summarize the trip.  It featured stops in Lagos, Nigeria, Nairobi, Kenya, and Dakar, Senegal.  We got to go on safari and see all sorts of beautiful African wildlife.  We attended a crusade, visited slums, drove through a market (which, by the way, was meant to be walked through), visited with local pastors, enjoyed local cuisine, helped to run a summer camp, and entered into relationship with an incredible bunch of orphans.

    I had been dreaming about visiting Africa for a number of years and I’m already anxious to return.  The landscape, both cultural and spiritual, is something I long to further understand.  The marks of Western colonialism are painfully obvious and though I was overjoyed to hear one pastor speak openly against it (he preached a message about faithfulness being the mark of true success – a message I implored him to share with his bothers and sisters in the US), the prosperity gospel is sadly entrenched amongst African Christians.

    I loved getting to travel and serve alongside the other guys on the team.  I could go on for a long time about the great stuff I saw out of them, not to mention stories of all the various Africans I got to know while we were there.  But I think I will leave anything further to these pictures (which I have tried my best to add helpful descriptions to) and any specific questions you might have.  I hope to share more pictures and links as others on the team post them.

    Here’s some more from John.

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    Posted in africa, kids, living hope, travles

    Malone Thanksgiving 2008

    November 27, 2008 // 1 Comment »

    About 10 years ago some friends started a tradition of gathering the Saturday before Thanksgiving to cook a meal together, play football, and to share with each other all that we were thankful for from the previous year.  This tradition has become a linchpin in the life of our community of friends.

    More than simply attending, it is not uncommon for us as a group to do everything in our power to help others find a way to to be there to share in the day.  There is nothing magic about the day, but I do believe that there is something sacred about it.  It is perhaps the day of the year that I look most forward to.

    Yearly, this community continues to grow.  Many people in our community are in the season of life where babies are coming into the picture.  These little ones add an incredible dimension to our community.  We have had conversations in the past about raising kids together and it was really cool to listen to Caris, the oldest kid in the group (almost 4), refer to all these people as “uncle” and “aunt.”

    My friends Ryan and Heather have new born twins and I would venture to say that the rest of us cared for them more during the day – holding them, changing them, feeding them, and attending to their cries, than Heather and Ryan.  They are awesome parents, it’s got nothing to do with that, but everything to do with the fact that for us as a community there is no aspect of life that is not shared.

    As always, the day of feasting on food and fellowship was followed up by a big ol slumber party back in Canton at a couple different houses.  The event on Saturday is special enough in and of itself, but some of my favorite memories are created after as we play games, continue to share meals, have coffee, share stories, and visit local favorite spots.  Man, I am already ready for Thanksgiving ’09!

    Enjoy some pictures!

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    Posted in community, friends, kids, malone