After a whirlwind of a tour through Asia, my wife, my youngest son, and I are back. So much has happened while we were gone, it seems like an eternity has passed. Linsanity, Whitney, the Grammys, Syria…just to name a few. In the backdrop of these headlines, I was meeting new people, hearing incredible stories of God’s work in “closed” nations, walking through red light districts, making new friends, revisiting old ones, praying, seeking, and learning.

Jet lag aside, my head has been swirling with images, sounds, stories, and experiences. When we landed in Chicago on Sunday morning, we got home around 10:30, and I took a quick shower, then headed off to see my church community. As people asked me the inevitable question, “how was it?” I really had a hard time answering. “Good.” just didn’t do it justice, but I couldn’t put together the words to encapsulate the entire trip (and if you know me, a shortage of words is never a challenge). I feel like I was exposed to some kind of divine radiation, but I still feel ignorant of the immediate and long-term effects of such exposure.

Amidst this radioactive fallout, a ton of competing emotions threaten to steal my attention. I miss my boys, am so in love with my wife, feel dizzy and tired from jet lag, and have some major decisions looming. My solace has been deep, rich, and meaningful times with God at all times of the day. I’ve been working through the Daily Office Lectionary, and have thoroughly enjoyed feasting on God’s Word in Genesis and John. God’s Word is such a delight!

Well, I’ll be posting over the next week or so several reflections from my time in Thailand and Korea. Stay tuned for pics and other echoes of the Myth.

In the meanwhile, here’s two interesting media artifacts that have grabbed my attention over the last week.

1. A humorous Middle-Aged White Guy’s Guide to Rap.

2. Francis Chan at Founder’s Week. This video’s a bit long, but worth listening to. Not the best example of expository preaching, but you can’t argue with his heart and authenticity.