Safe Arrival
Friday, December 21, 2007

I made it back to Yakima, WA and am enjoying lots of fresh snow and mountain views. I picked up the piano music to the "Charlie Brown Christmas Special" on my way up from town, so that's keeping me occupied with lots of exciting Eb9#11 and D7#9/F# chords.

It's crazy seeing the whole family together again - 8 Washams and one little one on the way. (My sister is due January 14th.) This morning we had apricot scones and the traditional Orange Julius for breakfast. Right now Nathanael and Jacob are locked in their annual Stratego board game duel, while Heidi and Mom are working on more Christmas cookies. I've been working on "quality assurance" for the kitchen.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 1:25 PM 2 comments  



Confusing E-mails

Dear Blogarithm subscribers,

I apologize for the technical e-mail that was sent out to you from my "blog post reminder" service. Don't worry - the service should continue uninterrupted and you shouldn't have to do anything.

For those of you who don't know what this is, if you'd like to read my newest posts without having to constantly check the page, you can enter your e-mail address in the box to the right and it will send you a basic e-mail every time I post anything new. Thanks for reading!

Posted by Benjamin Washam 1:16 PM 0 comments  



I'll Be Home For Christmas - You Can Count On Me
Monday, December 10, 2007

Barring a catastrophe on Sun Country Airlines Flight #283, I'll be arriving home in Washington State for Christmas on the 19th and staying through January 4th. I have little doubt that God and the aerodynamics of a Boeing 737 will safely reunite me with my family, who together hasn't shared a Christmas in 2 years!

If you're looking for me, I will probably be holed up at Camp Ghormley most of the time enjoying family and the mountains, but you just might catch me on a foray into Yakima.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 9:34 AM 0 comments  



Touring DC, and Thanksgiving in South Carolina
Saturday, December 01, 2007

Washington, DC - our nations capital! What this really means for the average visitor is that all of the museums and major attractions are free. (For those of you using the W-2 EZ tax form because you are below that beautiful standard deduction, it's truly free.)

With friends for tour guides I hit all the major attractions, as well as an added stop to get a library card at the largest library in the world - the Library of Congress. Did you know that they hold a hard copy of every book, CD, magazine, map, photo or movie published in the United States? (Many other countries also send them copies of their yearly publishings.) They receive over 22,000 articles every day! It blew me away that so much of the worlds knowledge existed in one place, and that it fairly accessible to the public (with a library card).

For the actual holiday feast I journeyed south to Tega Cay, South Carolina to spend the day with some Wheaton College friends. I was overjoyed to find that warmth and fall leaves were still in office! (I had left Minneapolis with cold air, gray skies, and naked trees.)



A note about the DC subway - the stations look like something straight out of a 1970's Star Wars movie, or even better, from Disneyland's old school Star Tours ride.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 12:53 AM 2 comments  



Breaking News(papers)
Tuesday, November 06, 2007

*phone rings*

"StarTribune news room, how can I help you?"

That's right friends, my newest temp job has taken me straight to the top! I'm answering phones at the news desk of the biggest paper in Minnesota!

It sounds more glorious than it really is. The truth is, the paper has been seriously restructuring itself and slowly alienating readers over the past few months. The last straw (the kind of straw that brings in a temp reinforcement just to help answer complaint calls) was the sudden cancellation of the weekly TV guide. This handy insert was the staple for thousands of Minnesotans' home entertainment. With winter rushing upon us, home entertainment is becoming primary entertainment, and readers must now find some other way to navigate the long hours stuck inside the house until May.

This shrewd business move is especially disappointing for my long lived, less mobile neighbors. Without this handy paper-and-ink TV Guide, and without the internet savvy of younger generations, they are being marooned on a nasty, snow covered desert island, doomed to eternal channel surfing (or should I say, cross-country skiing?).

The universally accepted Journalist's Creed is framed and hanging on a wall in the StarTribune news room. One line reads:

"...the supreme test of good journalism is the measure of its public service."
-Walter Williams
StarTribune, I hope you're listening.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 5:21 PM 3 comments  

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Naval Gazin', Guitar Pickin', and Unemployment, Or, When Adventure Comes Knockin'
Wednesday, October 24, 2007

For the past month I have been living in a cloister at the Olson Institute for Advanced Studies (a.k.a., my bedroom at the Olson's home in Minneapolis); thinking deeply, reading good books, pondering the soul, playing guitar, and reflecting on my life, all while trying not to be a complete bum while I am unemployed. I have been looking for jobs, but these have eluded me in the strangest way. I'm still unsure what kind of job I'm looking for, but I'm anything but picky about temp work. I was planning on a debut tomorrow as a customer service rep in an incoming-only phone call center; a solid month of full-time, great paying work. But, as it would happen, the contract was suddenly canceled today at the last minute! Back to the drawing board.

These are the moments in life when adventures come knocking at the mind's door with the most convincing stories: never has that trip down the Mississippi in a canoe seemed so safe and dry; never has the bike trip across the country seemed so short and affordable; never has the month in a wilderness shack seemed so cozy and worry-free. I get the feeling I'm walking in the hallowed shoes of my great-grandparents who lived through the unemployment of the great depression and the dust bowl. Only the demands of duty and family kept their door shut against the insistent knocking of adventure. In other families, either from lack of family or simply disregard, they took flight on the wings of adventure and traveled the rails or moved out West. It would do us well to remember that every one of us of European descent live here in North America because somewhere in our family line, an ancestral adventurer risked everything to cross the great expanse of ocean to the "new world."

I feel the faint pounding of that pulse of adventure even stronger now that I am unattached, unaffiliated, and unemployed. Where will it take me?

Posted by Benjamin Washam 11:17 PM 9 comments  



It's Been 1 Month and 2 Days Since I Last Wrote You

Excuse #1: My computer died, then was resurrected, but now the information super-highway portal will not work on it.

Excuse #2 : In the last month and two days, nothing has happened.

Excuse #3: I am lazy.

All three of the above excuses are true, but they move from objective to subjective, the way conversations with myself often do. I have discovered that, for me, writing generally moves from the subjective to the objective, while thinking moves in the opposite direction. Writing moves toward concrete axioms or lucid questions, while my mind, freed from the structure of lines and planes, moves toward the abstract and theoretical. I attribute this to my successful training in essay writing and my failed attempt at subjective thought patterns. As I am "writing" this, I inevitably come to a rational conclusion - I should start journaling more to clear my mind and find direction.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 10:29 PM 0 comments  



My Room Is Painted!
Saturday, September 22, 2007

I finally got the painting done! Check out the Bedroom Makeover page to see some pictures.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 12:48 PM 1 comments  

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Political Satire, Facts, and Numbers
Thursday, September 13, 2007

I figure I'm allowed one polarizing political post every once in a while; besides, what good is freedom of speech if we don't use it?

"War is the means by which Americans learn geography."
-Ambrose Bierce


I checked the Washington Post for a "lefter" side take on Bush's speech tonight. They did a fact check with some interesting results. Also learned about the *above noted* civilian casualty rate. Good to know, right?

God help us!

Posted by Benjamin Washam 11:50 PM 0 comments  

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New Bedroom Makeover Site
Thursday, September 06, 2007










I've decided that all of the work I'm going to be putting into my room is too much fun to keep to myself. Now you can see photos and follow along with my progress! (Design and decorating advice is always welcome.)

Click on the link, or use the new link at the top of the page.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 1:01 AM 3 comments  



A Celestial/Terrestrial Nuptial
Saturday, September 01, 2007



















Two weeks ago my older brother and I took a backpacking trip up Burnt Mountain in Washington State. We planned the climb intending to see the sunset over Mt. Ranier, but instead found ourselves witnessing a divine union of titans. This is what I saw:

The Sun flew, unhesitating,
Towards his rendezvous with the horizon.
The Mountain, demure,
Blushed a deep violet as the sun approached her.
She had veiled the fiery old man every night since her birth,
Yet still she cowered, fearing tonight be the night he reach her sides
With a kiss that would melt away her covering of snow and ice.

The Sun bent towards her
And the Mountain reached up in response.
Upon contact, sunbeams dispatched across the sky
Leaving a wake of gold behind them.
The clouds, ordinarily blank pawns against an azure background,
Were pierced by the beams and leapt to vivid life
In response to this courtship dance.

The dance continued for a few minutes
Until the Sun's grip on the Mountain began to weaken.
He slid lower and lower over her shoulders
As one sunbeam at a time would snap and fall lifeless to the earth.
Finally, it appeared as if she had consumed him.
In a parting act of chivalry, the Sun settled a glowing tiara of flaming clouds upon her head.

The Mountain's face grew dark at the departure of the Sun,
But an orange smile glowed around her
That stretched from horizon to horizon in gratitude.










Posted by Benjamin Washam 8:47 PM 3 comments  

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Huge Bridge Collapses in Minneapolis
Thursday, August 02, 2007


I was at a neighborhood softball game last night just over a mile away when we first heard news about the bridge collapse. Thus far, no one we know personally was hurt, but the school bus of 60 kids that dropped with the bridge was headed back to Waite House Community Center, a mere 100 meters from my house! This means that there are a lot of families on the blocks surrounding me that are pretty shook up, and some of their kids are in bad shape. Please keep them in your prayers.

If you want to hear the local story, check out the Star Tribune page.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 11:49 AM 0 comments  

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Harrowing
Thursday, July 12, 2007

I have entered a season of reflection on this past year and my life before it, as I decide what to do next year. This is a time of prayer; of listening to God and listening to my life.

In the midst of it all I found this treasure of a poem in a small book recommended to me by a friend. I like it because it speaks to my present condition and offers hope to those seeking renewal and direction after a long, hard year.








HARROWING
The plow has savaged this sweet field
Misshapen clods of earth kicked up
Rocks and twisted roots exposed to view
Last year's growth demolished by the blade.
I have plowed my life this way
Turned over a whole history
Looking for the roots of what went wrong
Until my face is ravaged, furrowed, scarred.

Enough. The job is done.
Whatever's been uprooted, let it be
Seedbed for the growing that's to come.
I plowed to unearth last year's reasons-

The farmer plows to plant a greening season.
from Let Your Life Speak, by Parker J. Palmer

Posted by Benjamin Washam 7:25 PM 1 comments  

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What Are We Inviting People Into?
Wednesday, June 27, 2007

I often wonder what we are inviting people into when we invite them to live for Jesus Christ. In a sense, we are inviting them first into our own lives as individuals and communities. Do we invite them into a kingdom of guilt-driven, over-committed, stressed, distracted, busybodies? This is the typical picture I have of people involved in full-time ministry, and it is a tragic picture. It seems than in many Christian circles, burnout has become an accepted side-effect of ministry, even a battle scar worn proudly by those who have learned to burn the candle at both ends. This too, is tragic.

One of the main differences in being a part of an order like InnerCHANGE as opposed to a missions agency or organization is that our people (interns, apprentices, staff, etc.) are more valuable to us than the task. In other words, the spiritual and personal formation that is taking place in each of us in the long run is as important as the "work" itself. This is a value that I have seen modeled over and over again throughout my life with InnerCHANGE. My spiritual, physical, and emotional health are not simply private matters that I am personally responsible to care for outside of, and top of my regular ministry.

Is it possible to minister out of fullness? Is is permissible to build into our ministry schedules times of solitude and prayer? Is it profitable to invest as much time in our own spiritual formation as we give to others? Is a sabbath worth what it costs? For the sake of those who must look to us to see the kingdom of God, I pray the answer is yes.

Lord Jesus Christ, make our communities and lives into winsome parables. May we demonstrate the reality of the peaceable kingdom you said was near at hand. Keep us from trusting in hurry and success rather than in your Spirit "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." John 3:8

Posted by Benjamin Washam 12:48 AM 2 comments  

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Dancing With Dirty Dan

Dan is a short middle-aged man with a large mustache who used to race cars in his younger days. Dan has also been addicted to crack for many, many years. He lives behind me in a house that has become a haven for drug dealers and prostitutes. His house is a real problem in the neighborhood because people are always stopping by for drugs, and younger girls are showing up each week. The police have a huge file on Dan, but nothing has been done to shut the place down yet. So many 911 calls have been made about his place that the police simply refer to him as "Dirty Dan."

If this were the end of the story on Dan it would be nothing new - you read about a 'dan' every day in the newspaper; you see him on TV; maybe you've met a few of them. But the amazing part, the part that requires new eyes to see, is that this isn't the end of the story. You see, Dirty Dan has another name; a name that he himself does not even know. This is the new name that God is prepared to give Dan and everyone else who repents and perseveres. Is Dan rightly labeled and condemned by his actions? Yes, and so were we. I was Selfish Benjamin, and along with Arrogant Andy, Money-Loving Mary, and Violent Vince, we were all in the same shoes with Dirty Dan before the kindness of God brought us to repentance.

Here is where the story takes a turn: the house next to Dan has recently been occupied and renovated by a Christian family further down the block. Two young Christian men have moved in and are reaching out to Dan. We have started meeting together each week to pray for the neighborhood, and especially for Dan and the dealers and prostitutes that they would be shut down, but at the same time that they would meet Jesus in a powerful way. We pray that the power of evil in that house will be destroyed, but also that God would reveal to Dan and his friends the reason why they were created - to worship God and enjoy life with him.

It was during one of these prayer times a line was spoken that has shaken me to the core, and has altered the way I look at other people.

"Lord, when we get to heaven we want to be dancing with Dan."

Posted by Benjamin Washam 12:04 AM 0 comments  

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Balogna Beats and Lunchroom Rappers
Thursday, June 07, 2007

I laughed so hard at lunch today I almost choked on my sandwich.

It all started when I was sitting with the 4th grade class of Hope Academy in the cafeteria. The class is only 11 kids, so we easily fit around one large lunch table. On a normal day these lively 10 year olds make enough noise to rival a freeway and carry on enough lunch food trading to give Wall Street a run for their bologna.

At some point after a slight lull in the cafeteria noise, as if on cue, Daniel starts beat-boxing like a madman, spraying saliva all over his, and his friends' lunches. Elijah is sitting next to me and adds his own beat and background rapper commentary. As soon as these two get going, Collin runs around from the other side of the table and starts freestyle rapping behind them like his life depends on it. (Not before taking a few deep whiffs out of an empty Lay's chip bag for added effect.)

Now the whole table is getting into it, jumping and swaying. Even the girls who usually just roll their eyes at the boys' antics join in. I glance over at Shanna, the teacher, and we just smile and shake our heads at what we are letting happen in the lunchroom. Tomorrow is their last day of school, so we let the dam burst. Just when the frenzy of energy is reaching it's crescendo, Marqeece finds an open slab of floor by the table and starts attempting to break dance. I throw in a couple of turntable scratches as Collin finishes up his fourth verse, something about walking down the street in the hood and other mostly unintelligible yet rhyming lines.

And just as soon as it started, it is over - the first ever 10 year old hip-hop show in Minneapolis, and I'm rolling on the floor laughing.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 6:20 PM 4 comments  

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Back in God's Country
Sunday, May 20, 2007



















One of the reasons I've taken so long to post is that I've been out of internet contact for most of the last two weeks. I finally was able to get home to Washington for a visit with family and my home church. I hadn't been home since August, so it was long overdue!

The first week I went on a backpacking trip with my sister and cousins in the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area/Mt. Hood Wilderness Area. It was a four day, 42 mile loop starting at sea level on the Columbia River and taking us up to almost 5500 feet. We were blessed with four straight days of blue skies and 70 degree days, an anomoly in that part of Oregon! At one point on Shinadere Mountain I could look north and see Mt. Ranier, Mt. Adams, and Mt. St. Helens in Washington, then turn around and see Mt. Hood, Mt. Jefferson, and the peak of the tallest of the Three Sisters in Oregon. Six Pacific Northwest Volcanoes in one breath - that floored me.

After the trip I headed up to Camp Ghormley to hang out with my family (last picture) for the week and share in my home church about my apprenticeship here in Minneapolis.

To see more backpacking photos, visit here.


























Posted by Benjamin Washam 2:18 PM 3 comments  

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A New Job and Ministry Opportunity!

God has provided a fantastic job at just the right time! Two weeks ago I was really frustrated with the way my meter reading job was going, and started asking God to lead me to a new part time job that would allow me to invest in peoples lives, not just bill them for their electricity use. Soon after, a friend called me from Hope Academy, a Christian K-8 school right in my neighborhood. She told me that a certain 10 year old boy needed a helper to accompany him throughout the school day, and I was their first choice!

Hope Academy is really an amazing school that offers an impressive classical education and a Christian environment. They are sponsored by so many donors, that a family from my neighborhood can pay as little as $50 a month for this!

I basically have the opportunity to do one-on-one discipleship with this boy every school day. I sit next to him in class, go to lunch, recess, art, and gym class with him! I help him stay focused on his work, and when he gets upset or has a meltdown, I am there to take him out on a walk or to the library to continue working.

Praise God for this provision, and for the opportunity for this boy to have a male in his life that will invest in him! Please pray that I would have wisdom and patience with him, and that God would use this relationship to bring healing in his life, and in the life of his (my) classmates. :-)

Posted by Benjamin Washam 1:57 PM 2 comments  

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I Got A Car! (a.k.a. Cruze Wit Me)
Thursday, April 26, 2007


Remember how my Jeep broke down about 6 weeks ago, and I didn't have any money to buy another vehicle? Well, someone donated their old ride to a Christian organization that knew I needed a car - and they sold it to me for one dollar! (That was at the upper end of my price range.)

I went to check out the vehicle, half expecting an ancient, rusted out Corolla with dog hair everywhere. Instead, I found a snazzy '95 Suzuki Sidekick in full working order (sans speedometer/odometer) with great gas mileage and four-wheel drive!

Thank you to all of you who have been praying that God would provide a car for me! I'll be honest - I had half given up hope and resigned myself to borrowing cars every week for work when I got a phone call out of the blue with this vehicle!

If anyone is near the Twin Cities give me a holla and we can go for a cruise in it (crankin' up the tape deck with Dolby noise reduction and bumpin' it with my 3 1/2 inch paper woofers). No doubt.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 9:40 PM 8 comments  

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Arroz Con Pollo and Tabouleh
Sunday, April 22, 2007










Every Monday morning the InnerCHANGE Minneapolis team get together to pray, worship, share communion, discuss articles, reflect on our weeks, and of course, HANG OUT! We rotate meeting at different people's houses, and this month has been at my place. The host has the pleasure of fixing a tasty lunch each week.

I started off with a Venezuelan arepa feast the first week, followed by the more Minnesotan crock-pot beef and vegetable stew. This week I'm using an arroz con pollo recipe from my neighbor downstairs and also throwing together a nice cold tabouleh salad for a Venezuelan/Mediterannean Fusion! Let me know if you want the recipes for any of these, in case you're hungry!

Posted by Benjamin Washam 4:31 PM 2 comments  



Mississippi Adventure

I've had a crazy idea in my head for the last couple of weeks. It is one of those ideas that comes from deep inside a person where it is hard to trace the roots; an idea rarely accompanied by a practical plan to execute it.

The idea is this: to float down the Mississippi river from the headwaters here in Minnesota at Lake Itasca to the Gulf of Mexico at New Orleans in a raft or canoe like Huckleberry Finn and Jim. I don't know where the inspiration came from. Perhaps this "father of all rivers" for America that flows through Minneapolis just over a mile from my house has been calling to me for an adventure. Or at least telling me to come up with an adventure of my own. I've ordered every Mississippi River journey book I can find at the library, the two best being River Journey by Clarence Jonk (1933) and Mississippi Solo by Eddy L. Harris (1988). Eddy sums up my feelings in his introduction to his river journal:

Once they have reached a certain age, dreamers are no longer held in high esteem. They are ridiculed instead, called loony and lazy, even by their friends. Especially by their friends!

Dreams are delicate and made of gossamer. They hang lightly on breezes and suspend as if from nothing. The slightest wind can tear them apart. My dream was buffeted by my friends. What the hell for? they asked me. What are you trying to prove? Why don't you just go over Niagara Falls in a barrel?

...Putting a canoe into the headwaters of the Mississippi and aiming it for New Orleans is not something a man is supposed to do. It is not considered normal or sane. Perhaps it is the danger involved, or perhaps it it too much an act of desire and determination, an act of passion and volition, or simply too out of the ordinary.

For whatever reasons, my idea met with disapproval, and instead of childish jubilation I approached conoeing the river with doubt and sorrow - sorrow because the glory with which I first came upon this adventure was dashed by friends. Like Galileo before the Church, I was ready to relinquish my radical approaches and be normal.

But this dream of mine, still suspended on the breeze and delicate as ever, was just as real as those flimsy summer spider webs hanging in the air, and just as clinging. Once the webs attach themselves to you they are hard to get rid of. And so it was with my desire to ride the river.

I doubt I will ever float down the length of the Mississippi, but what other gossomer calling is attatched to my life? I intend to find out.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 11:40 AM 5 comments  

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Keepin' It Real, Keepin' It Fresh
Wednesday, April 11, 2007


The blog had a big facelift today in hopeful preparation for the funkiness of spring to come. Right now there is two inches on snow on the ground and it is still falling fast, but I've decided to deny the obvious and believe that warm weather is right around the corner.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 10:24 PM 1 comments  



Dog Attack!!!!!!!!!

As many of you know, I work part time as a utility meter reader to help pay the bills. Dog attacks are the number one occupational hazard for meter readers, and up until yesterday, I had been fortunate enough to avoid them!

On Tuesday I was out working in Ramsey, right on the border where suburb turns into "the country." Most people had a sizeable parcel of land with their house, and most of the houses had dogs; big ones; multiple ones. For some reason this neighborhood also liked to keep their dogs outside, untied, and all the kennel doors open!

Early in the day I approached the back side of a house looking for the electric meter. I saw the back garage door slightly ajar, and before I could think twice, two large golden colored dogs came out of it and were tearing across the property towards me with the hair on the back raised, barking like mad. I froze for a split second and then started running backwards, remembering not to turn my back on an aggressive dog. The dog in the lead ran straight towards me and was lunging at me, so I put up foot to block the teeth, but that only made me flip over backwards. Somehow in the shock and adrenaline rush of it all I ended up doing a sort of backflip/summersault and landed on my feet with my pepper spray in hand, ready to fire. After my unplanned acrobatics the dogs continued to bark but kept a slight distance, so I spared them a painful spray in the face, though I really wanted to do it. I was able to back up all the way to my car, but not before two other large dogs from the neighbors came running over to join in the barking assault.

Let's just say I was a little jumpy the rest of the day whenever I heard anything that sounded like a dog coming (a LOT of things sound like a dog coming when you've just been attacked by some) and I really wanted to go home, but knew I should probably finish the day of work. I had several other encounters that day, including an owner letting her huge dobermine pincher out into the back yard with me! (She hadn't seen me enter the yard.)

That was probably my worst day on the job so far. Something else you can pray for - safety on the job!

Posted by Benjamin Washam 10:03 PM 2 comments  

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Where Do They Keep All The Children During Winter?
Monday, March 26, 2007

Today the dam broke - as the thermometer passed 70 degrees for the first time this year, the gates of people's winter hibernation chambers (homes) opened and overflowed into the streets, populating the neighborhood. The car I've been borrowing was unavailable today, so I ended up walking everywhere. A week ago my street was practically deserted all day, now it seemed every other house had a group of people sitting on the front porch relaxing, most with a radio blaring. One house would be pumping B93 rap hits, and the next would echo back with the oompapa-oompa of Mexican rigaton, only to be followed by classic rock in the next.

The biggest surprise for me was the sheer number of children! I hardly saw any all winter, and wondered how they could all have been contained inside when now the streets are filled with their shouting and laughter! There are at least 25 kids just outside the houses around me, and the trend continues down the block.

It is now that the incredible diversity and tension of the neighborhood becomes obvious. Because of the historic housing shortage in this area, ethnic groups are forced to spread out to wherever housing is available, preventing the usual ethnic neighborhoods and pockets from forming like they do in most other large cities. An American Indian family on my left, a Mexican family on my right, a well-to-do Caucasian family beside them, a Venezuelan family below me, and an African American family across from me! Welcome to Phillips Neighborhood, and to the summer months to come!

Posted by Benjamin Washam 9:46 PM 2 comments  

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What Do The Backstreet Boys, ACDC, And Benjamin Have In Common?

What we have in common is one glorious night at Wheaton College during the Senior Banquet. Me and 8 other guys from the French House fullfulled our life dream of playing a live rock show in front of all our friends. I feel it is absolutly necessary to post this video for posterity's sake, for your enjoyment, and so that other people can back me up when I'm 60 and tell my grandkids that yes, I too was once cool.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 9:23 PM 3 comments  

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Opportunity for Leadership
Wednesday, March 14, 2007

I have a cool opportunity to co-lead an internship here in Minneapolis with my fellow InnerCHANGE apprentice, Janelle. It looks like we will have three young adults coming out for the summer to experience life and ministry among the poor, and to join the rhythm of InnerCHANGE as an order.

I don't know many details, but I'm excited about the chance to take a leadership role with the team to share the difficult joy of working incarnationally among the poor with new people. I'm being flown out to San Francisco this weekend for a few days of leader orientation, and I should have some more details to share after that.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 2:37 PM 1 comments  



Golden Eagles
Saturday, March 10, 2007

This past week I joined Golden Eagels, an after school program run by the Minneapolis American Indian Center. The MAIC is the social and cultural "hub" for American Indians in south Minneapolis.

Each Monday from 4:30-7:00pm I get to hang out with a group of 5-12 year olds from the neighborhood. After a cafeteria style dinner together at 4:30, we split up the time with homework help time, game time in the gym, and a talking circle with special guest speakers and activities.

The theme this month is Alcohol, and the guest speaker for my first talking circle was Mike the cook, who told the kids his story of struggling through alcoholism and how it had affected his friends and family. A bunch of the kids chimed in with stories of their own about family members dying as a result of alcohol. At 7 and 8 years old it was normal to have multiple family members dead as a result of alcohol. At one point Mike was explaining how alcohol was introduced to Indians with the arrival of white people and their "whiskey." I was sitting in the circle nodding my head in ageement when I realized I was the only white person in the room! It was an ironic moment that was not so much awkward as it was meaningful. After that a little girl raised her hand and innocently asked Mike "what would it have been like if the white people had never come?" Again I looked around the room, but all eyes were on Mike. He explained how the environment would probably be in much better shape, and that you might be able drink straight out of the rivers and lakes. I thought that was a terrific answer, considering his audience. :-)

This is a fantastic opportunity not only to meet local kids and have regular interactions, but also to learn about Native culture and values alongside them.

Please pray that I can form relationships of trust with these kids, and that my presence with them would be the presence of Jesus. Pray that I would have compassion and discernment in how to love these kids well, and how best to respond to the issues they face everyday.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 10:39 PM 2 comments  

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Ice and Light
Monday, March 05, 2007


Is the above picture

A: a moutain range
B: the trough of a huge sea swell
C: a waterfall frozen in time

If you guesed "c," you were correct. Saturday I visited Minnehaha falls, a 60ft. frozen waterfall located only a few miles south of my house that I didn't even know existed! Here are some shots I captured.








Posted by Benjamin Washam 4:09 PM 7 comments  

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The Death Of A Car
Wednesday, February 21, 2007

My Jeep, Mary, is dead.

In just over nine months she twice carried me and all my physical possesions across the country without a fuss, until, at the ripe old age of 210,473 miles, she passed on. That was yesterday - I was on my to read meters for work when she popped out of gear, never to go back in again. It seems she died of a severe case of disagreement between her many gears.

To find out why she was named Mary, you have to watch this Irish tv commercial where the inspiration came to the former owner, my college roomate, Mike. The phrase "come on, Mary!" was used often enough to get the car started or to make it up a big hill.

The picture at the top is of Mary and I at the Badlands in South Dakota during my road trip from Chicago back to Yakima, WA after I graduated from college. If you look closely in the picture (click on it to zoom in) you can see all my stuff crammed in the back and the tip of a lone close hanger sticking up in the passenger seat.

This is sad news as it feels like I have lost a long-time friend. But more than that - it puts me in a predicament as far as transportation goes. I just started this new meter reading job last week, and I need a car to continue working. (I can't afford to not be working right now!) I have been overwhelmed by the amount of people who have said I can borrow their car when I need it. I am hugely grateful to them, but at the same time, I am still praying that God would provide a more permanent form of transportation. I am thankful for the extra years that God seemed to stretch out of this vehicle when she should have stopped many miles ago.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 9:44 PM 2 comments  

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All In A Day's Walk
Wednesday, February 14, 2007

A few snapshots from my first two days on the job as a meter reader:

-Having a lady call the police on me because she didn't believe I was a meter reader. (The neon reflective vest that says "meter reader" and giant meter reading PDA that looks like a cell phone from 1991 weren't enough to convince her.) And don't worry, I outran the police.

-Seeing numerous pitbulls, bulldogs, german shepherds, and rottweilers, along with a million other dogs out in yards I was supposed to enter - and none of them attatched to my body! Why do people buy these dangerous guard dogs when in the same neighborhood people also leave their garage doors open all day when they're at work????

-Getting stuck in the snow in my Jeep

-Being gone for work from 7:30am to 7pm and realizing most people who commute do this every day....

Posted by Benjamin Washam 8:47 PM 2 comments  

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Eureka! A Job!
Saturday, February 10, 2007

u-til-i-ty, (yōō-tĭl'ĭ-tē); n. pl. u·til·i·ties, from L. utilitatem (nom. utilitas) "usefulness, serviceableness, profit,"

  1. The quality or condition of being useful; usefulness: "I never imagined myself finding utility in working for a utility company" -Benjamin M. Washam (1983- )
  2. A commodity or service, such as electricity, water, or natural gas, that is provided by a public utility.
This is not a desk job, or a warehouse job, or a retail job, or even a delivery job! I have entered into the nebulous field of a "meter reader." You might have seen one of these curious men or women sneaking around your house during the week with a PDA in one hand and pepper spray for aggressive dogs in the other. Please don't harass them; better yet, why not offer them a glass of hot chocolate and some warm cookies? It could be me....*

The biggest challenge at this point besides rabid dogs will, of course, be the cold. With average daytime temperatures still negative, I am having to outfit myself with fancy equipment like "wool sox" and "three layers of long underwear." One neat little trick they recommended is called yaktrax, which is basically a pair of removable snow chains for your feet. Pretty cool.

So I'm now employed with RMR Services, a independent contractor that works with utility providers in the Twin Cities Metro area to install, repair, and read meters for gas, water, and electricity. Basically, I'll be doing a short commute out to the suburbs, parking my car and walking 10-12 miles a day house to house recording gas, water, or electric meter reading. The pay is great, and the hours are flexible! If nothing else, it will help get me in shape to hike the Pacific Crest Trail in the summer of '08 if for some crazy reason I decide to join my cousin. (Why not?)

(photo credit 1) (photo credit 2)

Posted by Benjamin Washam 7:26 PM 2 comments  

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OK Computer
Monday, February 05, 2007

The power source WAS the problem, and I am now back in business! (The business of keeping this blog updated, that is.)

Posted by Benjamin Washam 5:12 PM 1 comments  

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