bcquigley's Blog

Realizing Your Potential is a Dangerous & Beautiful Thing
- Posted on 07.01.09
About 3 days, 900 miles, and 12 Red Bulls ago.....

.....I arrived in DC tired, grumpy and ready to get the heck out of my overcrowded coupe. Mostly though I was ready to start on an epic journey, to be a part of something great.

Now I could go on for days about the amazing speeches we heard and the people we met (I mean the head of the ICC, John Prendergast, Ugandan Parliament..... there were some important people there) but mostly this past week was about a movement and about helping the children of Northern Uganda. I've got to start that I earnestly believe Africa has had more of an impact on me than I could ever hope to have on Africa. Hearing from leaders in Uganda and how hopeful, resilient they are; you cannot help but doubt you would be that hopeful in their situation. That you would react with the positivity and determination that these people have. It is both inspiring and encouraging.

Now one speech we heard the first night must be brought up, and if Uncle Tom ever reads this he'll try and weasel his way out of these compliments, but It's got to be done. This hippie looking guy gets up onto the stage and starts talking about how as a people, as a church we are dangerously complacent. We surround ourselves with so much crap, while people all over the world starve to death, and the saddest part of all is that we are much more lost and sad than the people living in poverty in these third world countries. The words struck a cord with me, especially the part where he spoke about the frustrations he had with a church that at large acts nothing like Jesus (the most reckless, radical, and crazy peace love and happiness hippie of all time. I mean after all he INVENTED "Jesus" shoes and lived homeless in tents his whole life with long hair a beard and a robe. He was raised in a barn, this guy was one crazy dude and sure as heck didn't fit in with the people around him. Not that he cared, he hung out with the prostitutes, lepers, tax collectors, imagine Jesus getting a ham sandwich with Bernie Madoff.) When you look at the church today, wearing jeans a lot of the time, will get you weird looks and if you wore what Jesus would have worn you might not even make it through the front doors.

Later on in his time on panel, I discovered he was a Hollywood producer who was responsible for Evan Almighty, Ace Ventura, this guy makes bank. His name is Tom Shadyack, whom I would soon know affectionately as Uncle Tom. This guys lived in Beverly Hills and looked at his life one day and asked "what am I doing? What do I need all this crap for?" Now he literally lives in a trailer, bikes to work, this guy is the real deal, living it out every day. Meeting people like Uncle Tom who will walk barefoot down Constitution with you barefoot and buy you a Popsicle while talking about Jesus and politics, it sticks with you, it affects you, meeting people like Tom messes up your life because you see how you could be living in a more reckless way for Christ. Three days later, he's already messed up mine.

Several things on this trip really messed up my life, messed up my ability to feel complacent with the life I'm living. Another was life living on the floor of a church with 400 other people. When someone in the church needed a cell phone charger there were four people ready with their's. One guy got screwed over on gas money and a bunch of people chipped in so he would have enough money to make it through. The environment developed in this community of ordinary radicals who didn't even know each other, was a more loving and effective community than many church families have. It was beautiful and frustrating at the same time to see the potential we have as brothers and sisters in Christ to truly live like a family, even if you are meeting a brother or sister for the first time to treat them as if they were any other member of your family. It was simply beautiful, it messed me up, it changed my life, I was only there for two days.

Lastly seeing the power of the littles, seeing the power we have as young people when we're believed in and empowered inspired me and made me hopeful for the future of the world. On my own I would never have been able to affect this kind of change. To be a part of something greater than yourself when people believe in you, tell you to your face YOU are going to END the LONGEST running war in AFRICA. I know most people don't believe in you, but I do and I'm going to invest in you and watch you shine. It's enough to bring me to tears because to realize your own potential is a dangerous and wonderful thing. Life will always come with great challenges but to quote Nelson Mandella "It will always seem impossible until it is done" and to end with a quote from my new big brother in the Lord: "In an insane world, the sane will always seem insane" -Uncle Tom.

Tags: invisible children, lobby days