Welcome back. You belong here.

Perhaps you’re wondering what the new header is about, in case you can’t see it, it’s new.

The image is from Nicaragua, it’s the statue of “Miskito Indian” in the middle of the street in front of the central park in Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua where my father grew up.

To me it represents much of my background and make up. The pick axe speaks to my desire to work, provide for my wife and children, and for my family back home. The machine gun, although a symbol of war and violence, for our country (US folks don’t get this yet), it represents defending what is yours, standing up for your rights, being true to oneself. It would be somewhat similar to the pride associated with “God Bless America”, but different because it’s a reality I’ve literally lived through, the pain of war is all over my life and affects my family and thousand others still to this day.

In Christ, we are free, we are a new creation, I believe that. But this is about bringing culture and faith together, something that we all do, it’s just that for some of us, the connection was made early in life and in trying ways.

Perhaps you can identify images in your life that bring faith and culture together. Maybe it’s a childhood memory, a 4th of July party, some of the recent tragedies our country has been through, perhaps those things brought about in you a connection between different aspects of your life, faith, culture, passions, values, love.

That’s what this image does for me.

Oh yes, one more thing about the image, the abs! The dude is ripped! I’m not going to show you pictures of my abs, but I’m telling you, I’m in the ballpark. Fun, fun.

The self-portrait with the band aid on my face, is from Russia. All the children in our room wore the Nelly-like bandaid for a couple of days just for fun. I’m a serious person, so to see the band aid on my face, smiling, reminds me of how God made me smile like a child for the sake of the orphans in Moscow. It was a great God moment.

Into the future,

davidT