Dan and Erin Holcomb

Racing with nephew Zach!

2009-05-06T22:37:00.001-07:00

My nephew and I went out racing about a month ago on the ol' gokart track. Great fun!

Dan & Erin enter May

2009-05-02T22:18:00.000-07:00

Thoughts on iPhoto '09

2009-01-31T10:46:00.000-08:00

I enjoy all things Mac, and am somewhat of a geek when it comes to Apple. Recently Apple announced iLife '09 - which is their suite of photo, music, movie and web tools. I'm playing with iPhoto '09 this afternoon - and it's just a little creepy...

iPhoto has some new face recognition powers that (with a little coaching) can start recognizing faces as you import them. My library took all night to set up (347 minutes) - with 20,000 photos it requires some processing on the ol' Macbook.

Now that it has processed the photos, you go through and label a couple of photos and then iPhoto will suggest faces for you that match the one you selected.

I was fascinated to see that my sister and my wife were often confused! Yikes. Some faces were easily recognizable (my friend Mark Kulakoff with his beard for example). My brothers and I were confused at times, and then there was a similarity between Joel Strong, Matt Martin, and my brother Doug.

Some people have similar poses from photo to photo - others (like Erin and I) are very different and unique in photos which makes it hard to match.

It suddenly opens up questions about how I make friends, the power of family resemblances, symmetry, poses, and how a unique face (or hair style) can be more memorable.

With this new version of iPhoto, you can also label the global location, and add keywords. Along with the date stamp, faces, and events, I can see in 20 years down the road - someone could login to my facebook account or my iPhoto library and with two clicks complete a very accurate life journey of where I've traveled, who've I've met, what I listened to, and (if you really want to take it far) could piece together purchases with a debit card... and wow - you could get an incredible picture of a person's life with this info. Not that I'm into conspiracies or anything - but power corrupts, and things fall apart.

Now I'll naively go back to labeling my photos.

10 Lahash highlights of 2008

2009-01-03T14:30:00.000-08:00

I just completed a video about 10 highlights from 2008 of our work with Lahash in East Africa. Thanks to all of you for playing a role in our journey and impacting the vulnerable brothers and sisters.

Snow comes to Portland

2008-12-14T22:11:00.000-08:00

We've had some beautiful unexpected snow fall here in Portland today! We took a break from hot chocolate to make a snowman with the buildup on the lawn.

And with Hattan's help we even made a SnowSaudi!

It's so easy...

2008-12-04T10:26:00.001-08:00

It's so easy to go through a day without listening to a great new song
It's so easy to forget to be creative in my love and appreciation of Erin
It's so easy to march on without pausing to connect with God in prayer
It's so easy to stay indoors rather than walking through a park and appreciating leaves
It's so easy to choose food that is filled with MSG, Corn Syrup, and pesticides
It's so easy to go through a week without doodling
It's so easy to be dishonest about doubts, sin, and depression
It's so easy choose stuff and status over people
It's so easy not to forgive

Wandering in the wilderness

2008-11-23T00:24:00.000-08:00

Erin and I got back in town today after a week away from email, phones, news, and responsibilities. We enjoyed time together in rural Washington. I usually recharge away from people and close to the natural created sanctuaries of this planet - so I'm back refreshed.

We got a chance to catch up on some reading - and we just burned through those pages. I have two high recommendations for people. One is a book called "Love Busters". Cheesy title - but great concepts for married people. I don't think Erin and I even knew of all of the lurking landmines in our relationship. Criticism, annoying habits, finances, anger, and selfish demands are all dealt with in detail. One fascinating recommendation by the author is to fix annoying habits that bug your spouse. I think I held this as a privilege of being an individual before I read this book. Now Erin and I are working through those tough old habits.

A second must read is Tribes - by Seth Godin. For anyone interested in our current culture and where we are headed (re: post-post-modern) - this is the book to read. It's an intersection of technology, leadership, and psychology. Companies, religions, and organizations are no longer led from the top. They are led by passionate people willing to sacrifice and communicate and be a heretic and lead. I listened to the audiobook from iTunes (super cheap download). Great stuff.

Shane Claiborne Conversation in Seattle

2008-11-12T22:04:00.001-08:00

On Friday Erin and I went up to Seattle to hang out with her brother and sister-in-law for the weekend. On Sunday we got to hear Shane Claiborne talk for an hour - and then share some responses to questions from the crowd.

Man. Shane is one incredible brother! His sincerity, simplicity, passion, accessibility, and deep wisdom make me wish I was a better follower of Christ. I'm challenged and inspired to live out my God-given calling of God Love and Neighbor Love. I got a chance to chat with him some at the break.
Shane's written two books - The Irresistible Revolution, and Jesus for President. These two books are essentials on my list. He mentioned that he's co-writing a book with John Perkins - and that will be another essential read. Here is a clip I took during the talk.

Blob Video

2008-11-11T17:44:00.000-08:00

So Matt Martin and I shot a video at Camp Eagle in 2002 over the Nueces river. The camp director Anthony Scott put some zip lines across the river and we filmed people shooting off of a Blob into a river. Matt edited the video with some DJ shadow and put it up on youtube recently. It just reached 1/2 million hits!

Viewing optionz

2008-10-19T22:40:00.000-07:00

Advent Conspiracy is a movement by Imago Dei Community - and now hundreds more churches around the world that are focusing on 1. Worshiping fully 2. Spending less 3. Giving more and 4. Loving all. Check out the video below and then head on over to AdventConspiracy.org to get you and your church and family involved.

The other day Erin and I watched an excellent documentary on America's use of corn - and some of the bad effects of this habit of ours. If you ever wondered what "High-fructose corn syrup" was - and the entire processing of growing corn (from subsidies to pesticides to industrial farms to caged-corn-fed cows to diabetes) is - watch this incredible film: King Corn

And a quickly spreading grassroots movement to highlight modern-day slavery is found in Call and Response. Erin and I watched this heartbreaking rockumentary the other night and spent an hour in silence before we could process it outloud.

Lake of Fire

2008-10-05T14:06:00.000-07:00

Abortion.
It's one of the most divisive issues of our time. Erin and I were settling down for a quiet evening last night and rented the movie Lake of Fire (rent it from iTunes here). The stunningly appropriate title should have been the first warning about it's content. I love documentaries and this has to be one of the best I've ever seen. I use the word"best" with caution. It is also one of most saddening, gut-wrenching, and graphic films I've ever seen. My stomach still feels like a "lake of fire."

Families, communities, and nations will easily split into hard line positions when the topic is raised. Recently it was one of the top issues asked about by Rick Warren of our two presidential candidates.

For many of my generation (say 15 to 35 year-olds) - the activist debate has lessened while the tough stances remain. For those raised in evangelical homes it is still an abhorrent practice. But most of us don't demonstrate or picket.

This film is extremely balanced in its presentation. Fundamentalists, professors, women, men, poor, rich, politicians, and pastors are all given a platform. It reveals the rediculous complexity of making political choices on the issue.

If you can stomach the film, I would recommend watching it. Then, you can come back and read my post-film thoughts:

Abortion has to be one of the most digusting practices humanity has ever been involved in. Watching trained doctors sifting through infant arms and legs is nauseating.
My niece Annika was born 3 months premature. Abortions are still performed on this age set around the world. Annika will celebrate her 9th birthday this month. It is hard to imagine that babies her size (2nd term) can be aborted.
I'm so proud of my parents and grandparents generations that kept this issue alive under fierce pressure. My wife's parents spent many years being a part of rallys and grassroots activism. They should be commended for their compassion and diligence.
There are no clear answers in this debate. Noam Chomsky raised the question about skin cells. With this era of cloning - skin cells from a woman could contain the basic material for another human being (with some modifications in the lab). When does life actually begin? Some orthodox Jews feel wasted sperm and egg are against God's design.
One human citizen cannot feel responsible for all the sin, sadness, and brokenness of the community, nation, or the planet. It is important to be engaged, but the guilt for all does not reside on the individual. We are each given our tasks and should be diligent with what is before us.
With all of that said, Christians need to step up to this challenge! We need a comprehensive attitude toward a seemless fabric of life. If we express concern for unborn babies we should be concerned with born babies, Iraqi kids, Darfurians, and our neighbors. Every Christian family should go out today and adopt a foster kid.

I believe that God is pro-choice, and he is also pro-life. God gives us freedom in life, but he asks that we choose self-sacrifice, love, life, and grace. So in some sense the pro-choice movement has a point. It is their choice. But what if Christians burst out of their closed communities and adopted kids, cared for the homeless and vulnerable urban poor, fixed their marriages, befriended those with pro-choice opinions and then - within a generation - abortion wasn't even a debate.

Those studying the debate have pointed out that abortions have actually increased during George Bush's presidency. We need a comprehensive attitude of compassion, love, and life. The battered single mothers struggling to pay bills, beaten by husbands, and ignored by Christians should be cared for first!

Any thoughts? Have you guys seen this film? What are your feelings about the issue?

Peace.

More Sabbath thoughts

2008-10-01T14:33:00.000-07:00

This last month I wrote out some thoughts on the Sabbath in the Holcomb Update. Erin and I have thought a lot about it recently. I've continued on the conversation with some of you, but thought I'd share some of the Biblical and historical background on the Sabbath.

I believe that the Sabbath concept is an idea that is foundational to human existence. It is a transcendent value communicated by God throughout all of history to humanity. Before I go into more depth on God's value of Sabbath, I'll define what I understand Sabbath to be:

Definition: A "Stop" time that comes after a time of work or being engaged in activity. The Hebrew root means to "stop" or "rest". The period should come after six periods of non-stop activity. It is a period that is a blessing for humanity and should be used for the following activities: rest, prayer, worship, renewal, healing, feasting, and time with God. It should interrupt our usual activities.

Here is the Biblical and historical background for this concept:

Before Israel was a nation or humanity chose to rebel against the creator - God spent six days (or periods) working and creating. He then chose to rest on the seventh day (or period). Humans are made in the image of God and are therefore given this example for life (even before man technically had to work). (Gen 2:1-3)
The Israelites were given the Sabbath as a covenant-sign (pointing back to Creation) that would be a day of the week to stop work, rest, not collect food, and remember God. (Ex 20:8-11)
The people of God celebrate the Sabbath using Psalm 92 - which is a Sabbath Psalm. The prophet Isaiah encouraged the Israelites to not break the Sabbath - and pointed to blessing if the day was observed.
Jesus observed the Sabbath while he was on earth. His critiques of the practices of the time were to do with the myriad of rules that at that time trumped love. Jesus healed on the Sabbath - to show that we should love people over following rules. The disciples were allowed to eat grain - to show that enjoying food was more important than following rules. "The sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath". Jesus never said that the Sabbath was unimportant or should be ignored. Instead, he affirmed it's existence and importance by redeeming it from the confines of the Pharisaical rules.
The disciples and apostles continue to observe the Sabbath after Jesus' death and resurrection. Paul preached on the Sabbath in synagogues (Acts 17:1-3) - and the believers continued to hold a day of rest and prayer - although it often switched from Saturday to Sunday. The exact day of the week was unimportant - rather it was the principle. This following of the Sabbath is woven all of the way through scripture until Revelation 1:10 where John is caught up "in the Spirit on the Lord's day".
The church has observed a day of rest and worship from the earliest days of the church up till the present day. Those in leadership of the Catholic church - through to Luther - and onto the present day have taught the importance of a day of rest. It often is ignored by people by is rarely preached against.

So, there are six points to ponder on the Sabbath. Now I think I'll give my fingers a break... What is critical is not the details of this day - but rather the principle. Little rules should not be piled up to frame a period of frustration, tension, and stress. Rather it is a day of blessing, rest, and recovery that is foundational to our existence.

Mmmmm.

The Story of Stuff

2008-09-22T17:39:00.000-07:00

Doug and I enjoyed our Monday lunch together and he mentioned a website called "The Story of Stuff" - OUTSTANDING... We have a ridiculous system set up as human beings - and especially as the military industrial complex that we've branded USA.

Let's change the system - change our lives - and change the world.

2008-08-30T23:51:00.000-07:00

Our weekend at the beach.

Some Summer Shots

2008-07-31T17:41:00.000-07:00

Phil and Rea got married this summer (3 times!). Here's the wedding party on the lawn of Garden Vineyards outside of Portland.

Our college student and friend Hattan with his mom, sister and host parents (Dan and Erin).

Erin and Dan in Dodoma with Joseph Deus - one of the Lahash sponsored kids.

Little Kingdoms

2008-07-31T17:03:00.000-07:00

I recently have been enjoying John Ortberg's thoughts both in print and online. His book The Life You've Always Wanted has chapter after chapter of good solid advice for living a full life for Christ in the Kingdom. But something he mentioned online really resonated with me.

He was talking on a panel of speakers and mentioned that each of us has been given dominion - we each have been created in God's image and so own a small kingdom that we are responsible for. We all have relationships, responsibilities, gifts, time, and resources.

I think I've had a hard time understanding this in life. Early on (in grade school and high school) I just neglected my "kingdom" - did a poor job at managing the things in my life. During college as I read about Jesus I found that he preached a message of the Kingdom of God - a vast, international, eternal, network of people and beings that loved God and their neighbors and enemies.

Suddenly I jumped from poorly managing my Kingdom to trying to manage the whole Kingdom of God.

As I traveled in East Africa this past year it was clear to me that my abilities and reach were limited (thank God for that). I am not responsible for the salvation, care, and hope of the world. I am part of a team of followers of Christ and we all have responsibilities or kingdoms that we are called to rule and take care of.

Thankfully this epiphany was given to me and I feel like I have a second wind right now. I want to understand the simple responsibilities that God has called me into and then do those really well.

Prepare for a streamlined Dan.

East and west.

2008-06-30T15:57:00.000-07:00

June was a busy month for the Holcombs. We spent two weeks with the Lahash partnership in Tanzania, and then I (Erin) returned home while Dan went on to Kenya, Uganda and Sudan. Dan is returning to the U.S. on July 12th.

This was our first Lahash trip as a married couple, and it also happened to coincide with our first wedding anniversary. We celebrated by going out to a curry dinner at a local restaurant and having a delicious dessert of mixed fruit and vanilla ice cream. Yum!

Now that I am back in the U.S., I am trying to finish up a bunch of projects that I have put off for inexcusable amounts of time. Out of the fifty items on my list, I’ve probably only finished two of them. Most of them have to do with organizing various areas around the house.

I am extra motivated to get the house in order this week since Hattan’s mom and sister are coming to stay with us on Saturday. Wafa (his mom) and Hatoon (Hattan’s younger sister) will be with us through the end of August. With their room about to be occupied, I’ve discovered that we are facing a shortage of storage space in the house. Time to get rid of stuff. Anyone want to combine efforts on a garage sale?

While Dan is gone, I’ve been enjoying the company of my sister Bethany who is staying with me. Over the weekend we went to the Oregon coast with our parents and enjoyed a Roland Reunion with my paternal grandmother’s family. It was a beautiful weekend at the beach, and it was fun to go on a Willett family road trip again.

For those of you who want to know more about Dan’s travels with the Lahash staff, make sure you visit HopeIsAlive for the team blog. Please be praying for this last leg of their journey in Sudan.

One weekend to go

2008-05-29T14:58:00.000-07:00

Erin and I are getting busy with preparations for travel to Tanzania this summer. We'll be going with a group of wonderful friends from Vibrant Church in Portland (Trip website here). We'll have some updates here - as well as some group updates on the HopeIsAlive website. Here's our itinerary for those of you interested:

June 2 5:10 PM - leave from Portland - stop in Salt Lake City - Arrive at JFK (New York)
June 3 11: 20 AM - leave from JFK (New York) - stop in Dubai
June 4 3:20 PM - Arrive in Dar Es Salaam - See the beach - Spend the night at a hotel
June 5 Bus to Dodoma - supper at the Pastor's home - Sleep at the MAF guesthouse
June 6 Orientation - Break off into homestays
June 7 Home Visits (Interviews with AIDS clients)
June 8 Church Service - Adam preaches
June 9 Visit the Ntyuka Health Center
June 10 Home Visits (Interviews with AIDS clients)
June 11 Visit the Village of Hope/Home Visits
June 12 Msalato Bible Camping
June 13 Msalato Bible Camping
June 14 Children Ministry Day - Sleep at MAF Guesthouse
June 15 Church Service - Leave to Dar Es Salaam - Sleep in a hotel
June 16 5:20 PM - Lunch at a restaurant (Debrief) - Leave Dar Es Salaam - Arrive in Dubai
June 17 9 PM - Arrive in Portland (After a stop at JFK and Washington DC)

I'll be staying on and traveling to Kenya, Uganda, and Sudan after the Vibrant group and Erin head back to the U.S.

Here's a shot of Portland that I took the other night...

On rallys and presidents

2008-05-20T13:41:00.000-07:00

Erin and I parked our car and walked across the Hawthorn bridge the other day. We merged with 75,000 other people in what turned out to be the largest rally of the U.S. political season so far.

It's been fascinating to watch the elections this year - and the new directions the campaigns are going in. We have elderly John McCain who has been quite moderate in his past - facing a tough woman, and a Kenyan-American man.

I'm currently registered as an independent - and have a sickening taste in my mouth for politics after the past decade of politics.

As the nation has gone through the election year - I've been savoring the latest book from Shane Claiborne "Jesus For President". I whole-heartedly recommend this book - especially for those of us attempting to follow Christ and wondering how lobbyists, war, politics, religion, and our devotion to the Messiah all fit in the picture.

As far as the rally? It was fun being there - there is a lot of excitement over Obama right now - and the crowd was filled with a lot of hope. Obama did seem tired - he slurred words and made mistakes. And I got a little sunburn on my neck!

Here's a video from our view in the crowd:

Newly armed.

2008-05-08T21:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Dan came home with his hands behind his back. He had bought me a new digital camera. I've been hoping to get one before we leave for Africa in June.

It feels great to have a way to document the world around me in higher resolution than my cell phone camera provided. Today we took a walk in Portland's Hoyt Arboretum, and I was able to test it out a bit.

Things to blow your mind.

2008-05-06T08:23:00.000-07:00

I've been enjoying some really amazing perspectives recently. First - this is especially interesting for those who follow Christ and are in the media - check out Shane Hipps.

MP3 sermon at Mars Hill in Michigan

MP3 talk

Shane was in the advertising world (and worked on the Porsche global account). Then he became a pastor. His insights into the impact of the medium on the message, the isolation and individualism that literacy and electronics bring, and the message of the cell phone are all making me rethink a lot in life. He's also written a book called "The hidden power of Electronic Culture." I hope to read that soon.

Also, check out Ted.com. On this website you'll find an amazing trove of current insights on religion, development, media, technology, entertainment, culture, and globalization. Amazing stuff. While you are at it - click over to WeFeelFine.org - a website that monitors the collective feelings of our planet by mining through blog entries!

And finally, I've also been interested in the findings of Willow Creek on the effectiveness of their church. Head over to RevealNow.com and watch the lead pastors of the church talk about their failure in guiding members of their church - and lessons that they'd like to share with the general public.

Pieces of Portland

2008-04-27T22:18:00.000-07:00

Interested in a fascinating MP3 discussion? Click on over to "Speaking of Faith" and listen to a panel discussion by Chuck Colsen, Greg Boyd, and Shane Claiborne about the relationship between Christianity and politics as seen by 3 very different generations.

It's been a great past several weeks! Today we enjoyed a nice little picnic in the park in Portland with Douganya and Hattan. We're pretty addicted to Carcassonne now, and got a couple of games in on this fine Sunday.

In the evening Leisha and Annie came over to share in a meal and some Bocci ball. At that point our neighbor girls came over and we had Spanish, Arabic, and English all swimming around our home!

Doug's Birthday

2008-04-15T15:01:00.000-07:00

Photo's from Doug's 26th Birthday! And our growing family...

Rest at the river

2008-04-02T16:19:00.001-07:00

Our Saudi housemate

2008-03-22T18:25:00.000-07:00

Erin and I have had an extra room in our home. Recently we matched up with a university home-stay program to host a college student. Hattan Alolayan arrived Thursday night from Saudi Arabia and we've had a great time getting to know him! Within 24 hours of arriving he was up for our annual Easter vigil at St. Tim's church with Anya's parents. He's been really cheerful and flexible and was up for an egg hunt and several hours of liturgy.

Anya's family lets the younger kids (those under 30 who are single) fill up sacks with candy and plastic eggs. It was a beautiful day to be outside with friends and family.