Welcome to RuinedForLife.net, Chris Van Velzer's site and blog on Relational Christianity, and a whole bunch of other, unrelated things that we can share on the journey together.

You're here, so you might as well come on in.  Since we're ruined for life, good conversation and community aren't just nice ideas, they're bread and water for the spirit. It doesn't matter if you've got a few minutes or a few hours... but here are a few starters to get you acquainted with the house - which is yours by the way.

You'll notice the following 'rooms' can be accessed through the menu bar at any time, and the scrolldown menus will give you an idea of what you'll find there. Where to go first? It all depends on what you're in the mood for. Wondering what the heck I mean by naming the site RuinedForLife? Visit the entryway. Feeling conversational? I'd recommend checking out the latest blog. Need a laugh? Stop by the bathroom for some humor. Wherever you end up, make yourself feel awesome!

New Blog: Life Updates
11/9/07 (Living Room)
Not going to spend time with the usual, "haven't blogged in awhile" stuff. Not even going to promise I'll be blogging every week starting now. Just felt inspired to write a bit here, much like I'm occasionally inspired to take a shower every month or two (whether I need it or not). What can I say? We love living here... go there

New Photo Album: Holla Back Hainan
8/30/07 (Garage)
The Backewicz-s were officially our first friends to come visit us in China. We rewarded them with an all-expenses-paid (by sharing) vacation to Hainan island, China's 'TAKE THAT!' answer to Hawaii! Bundles of beaches, sunsets, monkeys, and cullinary adventuring. Look at these pictures while sipping on some Goat Placenta Wine, and you've practically been there with us... go there

I'm Kind of Big Deal... People Know Me (In Shanghai)
8/30/07 (Garage)
Well, we made it to Shanghai just fine, and three weeks later are basically settled into our new apartment (a 13th floor 3br. 2ba. with great balcony views), and almost adjusted to our 4 hours of Mandarin class every day. As many of you know, we fled the United States to escape from the spotlight of US media coverage - like so many before us (TomKat, Brangelina, and CarrotTop ...) we were known as "Coch" (Corrie/Chris) in the tabloids. The hole we left was, of course, immediately filled by Vidaham (David and Victoria Beckham), who soon became the new victims of larger-than-life stardom. All we wanted was a calm, peaceful, and secluded life in rural Shanghai, where we could roam amidst 21 million people without being recognized. We should have known better... go there

Totally Unspiritual Post: Learning Chinese
1/28/07 (Living Room)
In anticipation of our move to Shanghai, I have been working hard on making sure I have some basic phrases down, and I thought that I would share some of those with you here. In learning any language, you really want to make sure that you've always got the basics covered - especially since meeting people tends to be comprised of the exact same conversation - something like, "Good to meet you. My name is Chris. I am American. Did you know your squatty potty is overflowing? Yes, that is what smells." There are lots of other useful phrases though, some of which people don't think of. If you only memorize the basics, it can be very limiting in early conversations... go there

The Comings and Goings of Life
1/20/07 (Living Room)
Okay, so blogging has been really, really non-existant. It's not that I've had nothing to write about in China - on the contrary, there has been a lot happening here. But the longer it's been since I last posted a blog entry, and life stacks up more and more - until before you know it, the pressure of your "I'm baaaaack" blog builds like a stomach full of mentos doused with a few big gulps of soda. So don't expect anything great or incredible from this entry - it's just me forcing myself to break the ice after a long, unintentional break... go there

New Photo Album: Good Morning (Afternoon & Goodnight) Vietnam
1/04/07 (Garage)
Christmas began for me with a severe bowel attack led by the Vietcong Gastrointestinal People's Liberation Army. Despite my bowel's best efforts to hold supply lines, the enemy's power was too great in the end, and flushed out invading forces throughout the week. It was an appropriate prelude to our trip to Vietnam, where incidentally, the "American War" took place. Before our trip there after Christmas and over the new year, I knew little of this country other than hippie war-era images and the half-dozen American-Vietnam war tragedy movies that have been made. The country is not quite like anything I would have expected, other than sharing the rest of Asia's problems with pollution and population. Inside are a picking of images from the trip, including Hanoi, Da Nang, and side-trips from both those places. ...go there

New Photo Album: Beijing Bonanza
11/01/06 (Garage)
Beijing is a rural village of about 15 billion people. It is one of the cleanest cities in the world, and on an average day you can see all the way to Antartica from a high building (or was it the most polluted city on earth, and on a good day you're lucky if you can see the blood you just coughed up in your handkerchief...). Last weekend, the Zacharias and Van Velzers headed up to explore this large, wild city. Because of a very sensitive political delegation in town, the weather was actually great, since the Chinese government routinely shuts off all factories leading up to such visits. The Forbidden City, the Great Wall, Tianamen Square, and some Peking Duck are among the photo-tacular adventures within...go there

The Church I Know...
10/2/06 (Living Room)
I think by now we can all acknowledge that I'm a slacker when it comes to posting on my blog here. No, no - don't try to defend me... it's true. If it makes you feel any better, I will spend at least 2 hours tonight verbally flogging myself with really difficult Mandarin words. If that doesn't make up for it, then either this posting will, or it REALLY won't. A little over a week ago, a friend and I launched TheChurchYouKnow.com. It is the project that has been sucking up all of my creative web energy that would normally go into RuinedForLife... and I think that although this site has suffered lately for it, it was worth the wait ...go there