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  

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