Didn't like the LOST finale? You don't know Jack!

IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE FINALE OF LOST, YOU SHOULD STOP READING NOW.



You can let go now Jack.
Rose says this to him in the first episode of the final season as he is gripping his armrest after some turbulence. It wasn't until after the finale that I realized that she was talking about a different kind of rest than one for your arm.

Rose had arrived and was awakened. Jack had a full season to go. He and his friends have been dead all along during the sideways universe. The purpose of the flash sideways(technically a flash forward) this season was for each of the characters to: remember, let go, and move on. The needed to remember their love for each other and let go of their past sins in order to move on into the light.

They all arrived at this at different times, Jack being the last to awaken and Ben, although remembering, has decided not to move on just yet because he cannot let go of his mistakes: I have some things I still need to work out - a reference to a bible verse(work out your salvation with fear and trembling) which was the inspiration for the book Fear and Trembling that Sawyer has been caught reading during the show.

Jack, you don't have a son.
Jacks relationship with his son started off rocky but smoothed out quickly and turned into a perfect father-son relationship. A little too perfect because, in the end, it was all fabricated in Jacks mind as a means to achieving his own redemption. If he could make this relationship work, maybe the failed one with his own father wouldn't still loom over his head.

Similarly, Ben created a world that included loving the daughter he killed. Sayid fabricated a place where he can make a sacrifice to prove his love for Nadia. None of this was sufficient enough for them to find freedom from their past. Desmond realized this and started gathering them together, realizing that they needed each other in able to remember, forgive, and move on. During their lifetime, although many of them died at different points, it was their time on the island with each other that was the most significant.

Jacks journey from season one as a man of science to the series finale as a man of faith was a truly inspiring and believable character arc. It culminates in the moment when he replaces the light that Desmond unknowingly snuffed out. As Jack completes this purpose, his face is filled with such profound joy even as he knows he is dying. Jack found his purpose in sacrificing himself for his friends.

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Random observations: (sorry if some of the things i share are obvious but they weren't to me.)


- The flash sideways world wasn't created by the bomb from the previous season. Nor was it a result of Smocke getting off or not getting off the island. And how did everyone die? Well, outside of Jack and previous deaths from this year and years past, probably by natural means. Hurley and Ben praise one another in making a great number one and number 2, respectively. It can be assumed that they protected the light on the island for years after what we saw.

- the reason locke could move his feet immediately after surgery is because he could always move his feet. he didn't need surgery.

- On the island, everything was real and neccesary. The light needed to be protected because if it went out, the island would be destroyed and the light that is in all men would be gone, leaving only evil.

-'vision remembering moments' is a perfect way to end because its a nice way to summarize and remember the 6 years in the lives of the characters, not the plot. thats why this has always been a show primarily about the characters.

My move towards girls and education

Im posting this just for my own self to have all my thoughts in one place on the topic. Feel free to read anyway. I'd be flattered.

My current passion/calling lies in educating girls. It's ever evolving and I imagine my feelings might be redefined in some years. In fact, the current state has come as a result of about 15 years of experiences, some random, some not. I think I'll do this bullet point style

1. It started when I was 19 in 1994 when I got to know an Indian family very closely for about 5 years. India and its culture was now slightly on my radar.

2. In 1996, I decided to volunteer for Action Aids. My motivation was Jesus. I was inspired how he always moved towards the outcast. In my mind at the time, the person with AIDS was an outcast of our society.

3. In 2004, I joined Vineyard Community Church in West Philadelphia. The church has played a pivotal role in my life as I was just starting to think more and more about the poor, which is something that is on the Pastors heart.

4. In April of 2005, I traveled to India for the first time, for 10 days. My interest in India remained from earlier and increased as I started reading about the caste system and 'untouchables'. These were now the outcasts that I was choosing to seek out as I attempted to follow Jesus. While there, I didn't experience the caste system much. I did however, have an amazing opportunity to spend a day in a slum area that changed my life. It was around two girls, maybe 11 and 12, who lived in a shack. They were filled with so much joy as they gave to us even though they had nothing(according to our standards). This day made me realize that what I want to do with my life is be around children from disadvantaged or poor backgrounds. Although it can seem like a hard calling, especially since I prefer to live among the poor, the poor(not regular poor but really poor) have so much joy that being around them makes me feel like I'm with God.

5. In November of 2005, I go to a JFCI(now love146) conference which talks about sex trafficking. During this conference, I felt like God gave me a vision. This was the start of things getting more particular of focusing on not just children but girls.

6. January 2006 - Start at Temple to pursue a degree to become a teacher. I felt like being a teacher is a nice way to put myself in the midst of the stuff. I didn't realize how much a few years later I would come to believe in education as a huge factor in rescuing girls from oppression.

7. In the summer of 2006, I volunteered at a camp that works with children who have HIV/AIDS. Still bent on the outcast thing but now honing in particularly on children. My experience here affirmed to me that I am going in the right general direction.

8. In the summer of 2007, I took a SE Asian geography class. Through this class, I became aware of some of the oppression happening in India to girls and women. One class highlighted an orphanage/hospital that would take baby girls from parents who don't want them. Without this option, the girls might be killed(either through gender selective abortion or infanticide). This moved my heart as well and things were starting to connect more for me from previous experiences - children, girls, oppression, India,

9. In the fall of 2007, I moved into a community house, partly motivated by trying to live more simply and share things. It was such a benefit to my life as I was in the midst of several life changes, The community really helped shape my thoughts around this stuff but also other meaningful things such as going through a really hard breakup and also the death of my Father.

10. In December of 2007, I started researching some possible schools/orphanages in India to go to the following summer. I remember vividly looking at many of the pictures, most of which focused on the education of girls(something very much neglected in India), feeling overwhelmed and repeating the word "Fuck" in my head because I knew what I was looking at was for me and I was to go there.

11. In January of 2008, I went to a photo exhibit at Princeton University entitled Beloved Daughters The focus of this exhibit was girls and women in India who have been abused or oppressed in some way. Surrounding myself with walls of these images and stories, again I felt at home and where God wants me to be.

12. In the summer of 2008, I had the opportunity to go to India with my friend Patti to spend about 5 weeks at an orphanage. A majority of the children at the orphanage were girls, partly because of the previous mentioned neglect thing. We spent time teaching and preaching and I felt so much peace and joy there. One of the highlights of that trip was on the way back we had an opportunity to visit the slum area from when I had first went to India 3 years previous. The two girls who changed my life were there and it was such a joy to see them again.

12. In the summer of 2009, I got married to a woman who has a heart for the poor and for children. She has worked on Native American reservations and currently teaches in West Philadelphia. We are planning to go to India this summer to see some more of what God wants to show us. It's been an awesome ride and I look forward to doing these things with Megan Dougherty


During this journey , I've tried to expose myself to some resources that would continue to move my heart into this direction: These have included the films: Born into Brothers, Trade, and Holly. It has included the books: Three Cups of Tea, Banker to the Poor, and Half the Sky. Much of the data in these books talks not only about education as the key but to focus particularly on girls. There are countless reasons for this, one of which being that woman pour back into community more than men due. As a result, educating women has more of a chance of lessening the effects of poverty. More convincing arguments here in this short video

Javaflix pictures

It's not too late

Last night, I saw Israel Houghton and Chris Tomlin in concert.

It was a tremendous worship experience for me and I feel like God spoke to me. The consistent thing he said to me over and over again throughout the night was "It's not too late."

See, before I heard those words in my heart, as I was attempting to worship, I was troubled with my own inadequacy. Over and over again I fail in my attempts to follow God with my whole heart. It's frustrating. It makes me feel like a hypocrite. As I was dwelling on this and longing for God, he met with those words - It's not too late. You can come back to me. I'm still here. I'm not going anywhere. Follow me again, over and over. I will help you. I wanna be with you. Here, let me show you what I have for you.

Thank you Jesus. I'm ready to follow you again. Where we going?

last nights dream

Last night I dreamt of India. In it, I was at the orphanage again, on the road trying to take a picture of a beautiful sunset.
The sky was red with shapes and when I attempted to take the shot, I noticed my camera weighed about one battery less than it usually does. As I started to search for the missing part, rockets started landing in the field in front of me. They were being shot at me from the kids at the orphanage. They didn't realize it was me.

Fortunately, these rockets had no explosive dynamic. If there were going to do any real damage, they would have to hit the victim directly or trap him under one. Because of the distance, I was able to see where the rockets were going to land and move accordingly. It was more discouraging than dangerous as I continued to attempt to find my camera battery.

It reminded me of how much beauty can be in the midst of danger. How suffering often coexists with joy. I think as I was spending time looking for my camera battery, I was missing out on the slowly descending sunset. Rockets had to come so I can redirect my focus on what's really important.

the george quiz

My India

I think it's a little ironic that my last post had a picture of a dude teaching in India, in an ideal setting for me. I saw that picture and longed to be in that setting. This past July, I had an opportunity to be in that setting. I am thankful to God for the opportunity and I'm excited about more to come.

I will post more thoughts soon. I plan to get back into blogging. Hope you all come back and read.