Sometimes I Forget Who I Am

I've been following Jesus for a long time now.  So long that I have a hard time remembering what life is like apart from Jesus.  I think after someone has been "living the dream" long enough they tend to forget just how great they have it.  They eventually stop comparing their abundant life with their previous life and the past mixes in with the present in one blurry mess.  And when I say someone I mean I.  Is it possible for me to have so much joy for so long that I'm no longer thankful for it?  Can a person be so blessed that it becomes a curse?  I think most of the time if someone were to ask me, "How do you have so much peace in your life?" I would think about it for a minute and say, "I don't know, I guess that's just how I am."  I forget that I haven't always had peace, that my life hasn't always been great.  I forget that I used to search for peace and couldn't find it.  I forget that everything I have, everything I am, came and continues to come from God. 

Today I was reading a little passage from the Gospel of John.   Jesus is talking to a big crowd and he says, "Don't work for food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternity."  What?  Talk about being counter-cultural!  Jesus is encouraging people not to work for their food!   Then he says, "The bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world…  I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst." 

I think the point Jesus is making is that we people tend to think that food gives life.  You need food to eat and air to breathe in order to live, if you don't eat, you die.  But it's really a misconception.  Food doesn't give life, God gives life!  We don't need food, we need Jesus.  It's like believing fish come from fish-hooks.  If you focus enough time and energy on gathering enough fish hooks you'll catch a fish!  But just because you take your fish from the hook doesn't mean the hook is what is providing fish.  Fishes don't come from fish hooks.  The lake is what provides fish.  In the same way it's not food, but Jesus who gives life.  "For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever."

It's a good reminder for me that everything that is life comes from Jesus.  Anything that is good in my life, any peace or joy or fruit is directly from Jesus.  Anything good in my life came because of Jesus, not because I was seeking something good.  Anyone trying to focus on obtaining food is missing the point.  If you just get to know the source of all life then you won't have to worry about food!  Not just metaphorically, literally you won't need to worry about food, you won't need to worry about a job, you won't need to worry about a spouse, you won't need to worry about purpose, you won't need to worry about death.  If you are looking for peace, if you are looking for life, then you need to stop focusing on peace and life and start focusing on the source of peace, the source of life.  Looking back, I guess that's what happened to me.  I never did try to find a way to "live the dream"; I never assumed I could find fulfillment or peace or joy by searching for them and I was much too skeptical to believe that income sustained life.  The hope that I found in Jesus lured me into sacrificing all of those things in order to follow him and then somewhere along the way I was surprised to find that he was the source of everything I really wanted anyway.  Sometimes I forget that. 

A Cheapskate's Guide to India: 8 Buys Sure to Blow Your Mind

You always hear that things in India are cheap, but what does that really mean?  Well, even a cheapskate like me gets shocked by some of the prices.  Here is a list I've compiled of 8 shockingly cheap buys in the Far East.

1. A night's stay on the beach in the most exotic Indian city (Goa) complete with A/C and lockers - $7

   

   This guy was so worried about looking good for his selfies that he forgot to don his swim shorts

2. Filet Mignon and King Prawns with a vinaigrette salad and glass of red wine - $10

   

   Not sure why they were served in a hugging position though

3. A ticket aboard a cross-country sleeper train (Delhi to Kolkata: 1100 miles over 38 hours) - $9

   

   This pictures was taken by Drea on the train to Goa 

4. A pound of fresh, organic, local tomatoes - $0.08

   

   This is the only picture I could find that had tomatoes in it.  I think Drea is arguing the price of those gourds. 

5. A custom tailored plaid business shirt - $4

   

   The one on the right is the custom tailored one

6. A couple hours from an electrician to repair the wiring in your flat - $4.50

   

   Our friend Corny was held liable for these damages but later we discovered it was actually a rat

7. A made-to-order, piping hot street food breakfast of Dosa (giant rice pancake filled with potato and onion curry with peanut and ginger dipping sauces) - $0.30

   

   Vlad is actually eating Baskin Robbins in the picture but you get the idea

8. A city bus ride to the city center (6 miles) - $0.20

   

   You also get free life experience and character development with every ride 

Unfortunately not everything in India is super cheap.  Boneless skinless chicken, though literally as fresh as possible, costs $3.50 a pound, cheddar cheese $15 a pound, an average laptop $1000, and land is crazy expensive.  Also there is no way to ever buy anything used, no Salvation Army and no yard sales; so there is no cheap option for furniture.  Overall though India is pretty much the ultimate dream of a cheapskate. 

You Have to Worship Your Mother as a God

"మాతృ దేవో భావ - Matru deyvo bhava - it means you have to worship your mother as a god."  said Varma this morning.  I raised my eyebrows and flattened my lips hoping to communicate "hmm that's interesting."  Varma is my language teacher and he is teaching me some sacred texts from the Vedas - ancient Hindu writings.  Basically this little part of the text outlines four commandments: Worship your mother as a god, worship your father as a god, worship your teacher as a god, and finally worship your guest as a god.  This core Hindu teaching reveals a lot about India.

First it shows the emphasis of strong family.  There is another Vedas commandment that says outright "don't leave your relatives."  For the most part in India children will not leave their parent's house until they get married; even if they are 35, and even when they do get married a lot of time they move in with Mom and Dad or at least next door.  I remember one time in Delhi a shopkeeper told me to go find a phone and call my Mother immediately; she said she would die if her son was out traipsing around a foreign country.  In the rural areas of India the divorce rate is less than 1% and even in the modern cities it is below 7%; nursing homes don't even exist.

It also reveals the Indian view of education.  Education and learning are priorities here and teachers are to be respected and revered.  My language teacher Varma knows more facts about geography and even my own calendar than I do.  India had universities before the Roman empire even started.  (Unfortunately only the higher castes can afford to take advantage of this)

The last line shows just how important hospitality is to India.  Most families will give you a meal worth weeks of wages just because you are a stranger and a guest.  They treat foreigners like they are Bollywood stars. 

Busy India street in central Hyderabad (just to break up the text really)

It's important to really try to get to know a people before you make assumptions about what they need or don't need, what they believe or don't believe, and why they hold onto their traditions.  Without having discovered these core beliefs it would have been easy to assume that because Indians live at home so late they are fearful and dependent, or that Indian teachers are prideful and condescending, or that Indians' over-the-top hospitality is because they find you exceptionally attractive; when really it is stemming from a tradition of honor.  Honor that extends to the point of divine reverence albeit, but that can be addressed later. 

This is just one tiny example, but immersing yourself as a foreigner and studying a different culture can be incredibly interesting and rewarding.  You can join me if you like…

First Week in India Photos

I finally made it back to India!  It's been amazing eating all my favorite foods and riding tuk-tuks around.  Here are some pictures from the first week. 

Waiting in the Atlanta airport

We made it to Doha, Qatar!  And found some creepy sculpture...

Finally in India!!  You can tell by the McDonalds menu.  "Try the new Maharaja Mac, the social burger"

Our new friend Suresh is about to get lemon in his ears.

Naveen explaining his special hand gestures 

Waiting for my order of chicken biryani and modeling my new shirt. 

Hyderabad as seen from the back seat of a tuk-tuk

The buffalo are using the motorcycle lane, but that doesn't slow us down.

Trading guitar lessons for Telugu lessons 

Me, Drea, and Sabrina - India Team!  Well the half that is here anyway

If you'd like to hear more about what I'm doing in India through my monthly newsletter, just send me your email address.  

Some Photos of My Christmas in Ohio

Some photos from my visit to Ohio to see family for Christmas.  Most of them are kind of ridiculous but that's just what happens in the Copen household. 

Dad and Grandma Bonnie waiting for the kids to wake up Christmas Morning

To Benjamin: A painting of Lenny Pepperbottom!  Oh boy!

Oooo, that's a nice painting

Nephew is unimpressed

All I want for Christmas is Indian Rupees!

The grandparents enjoying Christmas dinner.  They are happier than they look. 

"Time to do the dishes!!???"

Copen opens his presents late

A wild woodsman snuck in unnoticed

My sister Bethanie showing off her skills on one of many instruments

"STOP!"

Scuba Steve got locked out of the gingerbread house

Mom was getting sick.  Whether it was of the flu or her children is yet to be determined.

Ike - the mentally challenged family dog

Selfie time with Grandma!

Drama day 3 in Gratiot, Ohio - The mystery of the dead hawk

Uncle Benjamin feeds his willing but easily distracted nephew 

The head of the household - Bigtha

Watch out world.  The Copen kids are bored and on the prowl

Merry  Christmas and a happy new year from the Copens!

24/7 Prayer and Worship at the Washington Monument

I truly believe the US is going to see a huge revival within the next 10 to 15 years, similar to the Great Awakening of the 1700s.  Last weekend I went to Washington DC for a couple days to take part in a prayer movement in the heart of our nation's capitol.  Right next to the Washington Monument is a white tent with clear windows, a heater, and a sign that says, "David's Tent".  It is a place of 24/7 prayer and worship that began September 11th and will continue until the election in November of next year.  And by 24/7 I mean not a single minute passes day or night without somebody worshipping. 

A couple friends and I signed up for two-hour slots two nights in a row; from 3 to 5 AM.  We parked on an empty Constitution Avenue at 1 AM and walked up the Mall with our guitar cases and banjo.  Sitting and praying before our set began the first night I had one of those moments where you start smiling involuntarily and can't stop.  I was sitting in the center of the capitol of the United States, worshipping Jesus with a bunch of radical 20-somethings, praying for revival.  How could it even be possible that something big wasn't going to come out of this?

Two all-nighters of singing in the cold sandwiched between a couple 10 hour drives ensured that I ended up with a pretty bad cold to pass off to my family in Ohio but it was totally worth it.  Who wouldn't make such a small sacrifice to be part of something so eternal?  That first great awakening was preceded by a prayer movement and though it mostly consisted of churched Americans reviving the church, it led to what was called "the second great awakening" which was a massive turn of non-believers to Christ all across the country.  In fact, if you look back you'll find that most big movements of God have been preceded by revivals of prayer.  With IHOP in Kansas City, Bethel in Reading, all the Burns everywhere, and now David's Tent right on the Capitol Mall we are destined to see something big.  I felt so privileged to sit on that white fold-out chair in the presence of the Almighty God and sing until my throat was sore at five in the morning.  A perfect way to close out the year and usher in a new age. 

What Does Antifreeze Taste Like?

Last Friday I found myself underneath my car.  One side was jacked up with my little spare-tire jack.  My legs stuck out into the only free space on the driveway, the rest of which was covered in an assortment of brush guards, radiator fans, and other various parts and bolts.  I stared up at my coolant reservoir as I yanked and wiggled a slimy black hose.  It finally came free, simultaneously smashing the back of my hand and filling up my ear with a stream of bright green antifreeze.  Success!  It was almost completely dark and it had started to rain, but I was elated.  My coolant tank was free and now all I had to do was install the new one and figure out how to put back all the parts I had removed.  I had overcome. 

Near the climax of one of my favorite movies, Little Miss Sunshine, Steve Carell talks about one of the greatest French writers of all time.  "Total loser. Never had a real job. Unrequited love affairs. Spent 20 years writing a book almost no one reads. But he's also probably the greatest writer since Shakespeare. Anyway, he gets down to the end of his life, and he looks back and decides that all those years he suffered, Those were the best years of his life, 'cause they made him who he was. All those years he was happy? You know, total waste. Didn't learn a thing."    

I remember my first manager and professional mentor at Honeywell told me he preferred working with the small turbine engines as opposed to the larger, more prioritized and funded projects.  "There's more obstacles" he said, "I like the challenge."  I wondered if maybe the path of least resistance wasn't always the most obvious choice.  What if I started choosing paths that had more obstacles, just because they had more obstacles?  Maybe life isn't about creating safe environments free of hardships for yourself or avoiding all suffering.  Maybe spending time overcoming obstacles in order to be free of them is counter-productive.  Maybe overcoming obstacles in order to get to a place where you can find bigger obstacles is more fulfilling. 

Every once in a while I question why I chose to work a job that I have to pay to do.  Why did I leave a job that pays me lots of money to do something I literally have to beg on the side just to sustain myself?  I look at my seemingly insurmountable fundraising goal and feel a little queasy.  How am I ever going to find 30 monthly supporters?  But then I remember that in the right context, even antifreeze can taste like delicious success, and I know that that queasy feeling in my stomach is actually a good indicator that I'm on the right path.