Drawing Dirt Masterpieces

Portugal, the land where the sun puts away for the night. On a Thursday night in early May I found myself in Lagos, a quaint beach town in the Algarve region of Portugal. I was in the company of two great friends, Rob and Andrew, and fresh off a revitalizing road trip towards the west of Europe. Often times the paths you tread to get somewhere are quite fantastic- this was one of those times. The FIAT Panda, a shoe box with wheels slapped on the undercarriage, was the whip of our motion towards the coast. It was a spontaneous trip to say the least. Plans were pasted together hastily like a 2nd grader's art work. Packs were hastily thrown into the vehicle, known as the "gris mono", and we quickly set off towards a ink dot in Portugal. As Andrew hopped in the car he questioned Rob, "where are we going bro?" and Rob responded succinctly,"west".

Those directions set the tone for a liberating weekend of travel and fellowship. We got into Lagos late and found the hostel successfully with the help of the Lord and some very kind locals (a theme that continued the whole weekend). The Portuguese people are incredibly warm and friendly, quick to offer a word of help, and patient enough to make maps on bar napkins. I hope to make my way back the the land of navigators one day. We arose in Lagos the next day to a meal of fresh crepes, lemon tea, and great conversation with a Portuguese woman- who insisted on being called "Mama"... and we were her "babies" that she ended up christening the "banana boys". All this to say, she made us feel at home, far away from home. Something i did not expect and for that was greatly blessed by its presence. The day seemed as a walk through a fictional world - cliffs sprang out of the ocean like modern art statues, beaches played hide and seek with us, and a surreal experience provided for a nice close to the day. It was a little boy's heaven - every rock that found it's way into my vision, worked into my desire, which ended up with me on top of said rock after a nice scamper. It was "neverland".

As my feet rested firmly on top of these immense cliffs i wondered what inspired the explorers to reach beyond the horizon line in wooden ships - racing out into something wholly unfamiliar on purpose. Sounds great huh? The three of us spent a good part of 5 hours exploring the coastline, stopped in for a nice meal, and then headed back to base camp. On the way home we saw an open door, so we walked through it. You never know what will find you on the other side, so just put those treads on over that threshold. That is the protocol for open doors. And a mighty good strategy it can be. Upon our entry we met an awesome guy named Eduardo, the local director of the Football Club in Lagos. After some football talk he gave us a ball and let us go kick around on the pitch. Quite possibly my first and last time to play soccer in Portugal - a simple thing i hope to never forget. We played like kids who had never seen a soccer ball before - childish enthusiasm. Afterward, Eduardo led us to his car and gave a tour of the football stadium 10 minutes down the road. We will never forget his kindness and joy to let us in on his life. One day i hope to be that content with my life's work so much so that i want to display it to others like a trophy at show and tell. Later that night I ate my first burger in Europe. It was the size of my face and delish - Rob said it was probably one of the best burgers to make its way to his belly but proposed it could just be the Europe goggles talking. Amongst all those things the conversation and fellowship was rich. Getting to see Andrew's spirit for the Lord was unreal and i know God has put Him in my life to teach me a great deal. He loves God strong. The three of us shared about spiritual gifts and talked about the Lord a lot making the weekend like a traveling bible study, everyday should be like that. What is your conversation worth if it doesn't have any eternal value? We said a tentative farewell to Lagos the following morning after an awesome banjo concert from Matt, a guy we met at the hostel. We then fiddled our way towards Lisboa- the San Fran of Europe with three complementary banjo c.d's to ease our journey. You get a cd player in your rental car and dont have any music...no worries God will give you some music.

Spontaneity. Utter those syllables and you begin to feel a tinge of adventure creeping into your thoughts. Quite appropriately this whisper defines a liberating manner to enjoy the life you have been given. Often times the way in which you approach a certain moment dictates your perception of said event. We have the power to alter events in our life by simply fidgeting with our opinions, outlook, and overall disposition. Have you ever felt flat out giddy to clasp your pair of eyes on a national emblem like the Eiffel Tower or the Grand Canyon and stepped away with heavy shoes? Your thoughts laden with a tinge of disappointment like an unwanted trespasser permeating the halls of your mind. Your expectations, fair or not, mold your experiences. We have been given a great gift to alter our perceptions of what exist. A good friend of mine, Rob Treppendahl shared a quote with me from his boy St. Francis of Assisi, that grasps this firmly. He commented, "The man who expects nothing is blessed because then he may receive everything". Allow yourself to be surprised by everything and look to find God's master stroke in the seemingly simple and mundane. Be that little boy who takes a stick, dirt, and begins to use the one to create in the other. Children seem to be able to amuse themselves with the smallest of things that we disregard - they make napkins into paper footballs blankets into forts, and fingers into weapons. You can always learn something from anyone at anytime and here we need to learn from children. Make a masterpiece out of everything you are given in life - it will be more fun that way. No expectations is a solid way to live because you can not control the future, lets not try to.

I am on my way out to the park to lay around and read. I hope you enjoy reading about Lagos. I sure enjoyed being there. I love all of you and hope you are living life with a deep sense of joy in your heart, a keen appreciation for the gifts you have been given. Every one i know has awesome things to give. So keep giving. I will finish the story about Lisboa in the coming week. ***Tottenham just beat Chelsea*** and that is whats up!!!