Raising money for street children of Africa...

Last night my wife's band (Way of the Lakes) entertained us all at a garden party / fundraiser for the street children's charity Retrak. What a great night of diverse company, shared passion and great music.

Cycling round Manhattan

You can't really beat spending a Sunday morning cycling round Manhattan. My Brother and Sister in Law were off playing softball in upper Manhattan so I borrowed a bike and cycled all the way round the 'Big Apple' before catching the Puerto Rico parade down 5th Ave, back through Central Park in time for lunch.

Come Monday it was off to UN Plaza for the week....

...before flying back in time to catch a flight to Geneva for the following week of meetings. Its been a crazy few weeks so I was glad to find two weekends at home, in this weather than means 1 thing, into the wild.

Into the wild; Wales

Dare to pray this prayer...

Proverbs 30: 7-9

 ⁷ "Two things I ask of you, O LORD;
       do not refuse me before I die:

 ⁸ Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
       give me neither poverty nor riches,
       but give me only my daily bread.

 ⁹ Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
       and say, 'Who is the LORD ?'
       Or I may become poor and steal,
       and so dishonor the name of my God.

Return to Cambodia...

It's been 8 years since I left Cambodia, the invaluable and under appreciated opportunity I had then played a crucial role in my life and career. The wilderness adventures will probably never be matched as the Cardamon mountains become tamed by eco-adventure tourism and my life moves in a different direction. To return and walk the same streets aroused great memories of 2002-03 when I landed an assignment with Conservation International tracking Elephants and Tigers. We slept wild in the jungle, savored wild nights in Phom Penh and battled Malaria. I wasn't able to meet with old friends with whom I shared this journey, its when one enters the developing world that we're reminded that Facebook and email aren't that effective.

How it was and how it is (2002 to 2010);

Crazy Love...

“Do you realize that if you make $4000 a month, you automatically make one hundred times the average person on this planet?

Which is more messed up—that we have so much compared to everyone else, or that we don’t think we are rich? That on any given day we might flippantly call ourselves “broke” or “poor”? We are neither of those things. We are rich.”

The above was written as an update on my blog, posted today 08/03/10 – last night I wrote a rather down beat entry, frustrated with God, confused, tired tonight I have been reviewing Crazy Love, learning about Francis Chan and how he lives (e.g. gives 90% of his income away, radical, laid back) and things seem to be clearer than they were.
What if I am being called to Crazy Love – certainly I edge to the side of caution in life, more so in latter years….what if this project God wants me (with others) to start, what if meeting with Diarmuid [guy in church CEO of street childrens Charity] is about Crazy love – something radical. What if my prayers for faith, Gods will to be clear, break through with Burnley [the rental] are all part of 1 plan, 1 lesson God has for me? What is my commitment to seeing Good as the enemy f the great as a purpose in my life is also thrown in there in order to get it done and done in style, what if my desire’s for recognition, for acknowledgement are all none sense and God wants something started that is about Him, about something that would be undeniably about God and about something Crazy…I have no idea what that might be.
Time to pray, learn and seek.

Welsh mountians in winter...Pete survived