I'm a statistic

So I was watching the usual liberal-bent media shows. And, the politicians and talking heads are bringing up the old battle that basically began the "permanent" (thank goodness) majority. That's right health care reform is being waved as a banner over the heads of the tired, poor, and huddled masses yearning to breathe free. While others parade and drag it around like .... well this part was going to include a not so obscure reference to a terrible time when American soldiers corpses were displayed behind moving vehicles. On second thought even as terrible as some people are arguing health-care reform its not worth desecrating the life of someone's son, brother, friend.
Sorry about that.
Some people talk about health-care reform as if it is a way to score points politically. And, here's where it hit me... I'm in the news. Now the only times I've been in the news are as follows: I read the 2nd most books of anyone my age at the local library one summer, I was a cub reporter at Riverbend two years in a row, my classmates and I did a study on fish"deaths" (moronic reporter) in the N. Oconee River, and I worked in the Botanical Garden wetlands with a class. But back to the point.

I don't have healthcare. Let me put that a different way, I don't have an insurance company to go to bat for me in the hospital. I could, while riding my bike in the bike lane, wearing a helmet, and obeying all the traffic laws, get hit by a car, break a bone or two (if I'm lucky) and then owe someone $50,000.
I am looking for coverage so that I'm not uninsured for long. But, when I get it I'll be paying the most of any country for 15th rate coverage. Yeah, America isn't even second-rate. That goes to one of those pinko-socialist countries that has "horrendous" healthcare.
In the meantime, there are some doctors who, out of charity, don't take the copay from their patients because they don't have money, yet need the care. Why can't we socialize our system so that we all get good, fair healthcare. We cannot leave anyone behind and we will help our fellow man instead of seeing him as a drain on society

I'm a statistic and I was on TV tonight.

namaste, vaya con Dios

Seasons of Mentors

As I look back on my life, I realize there have been men of God mentoring me at the right times to guide me where to go. And, as they come in like a mist they are gone.

Chad always wrote his lessons on the white board in the teen room. The bible lessons became more art, painted with different Expo markers, they flowed across the board, connected by sweeping arrows pointing the order of the lesson. He introduced me to the deeper meanings of those Bible stories I learned in Sunday school. More importantly, he cared about us the students. We each felt like we had our own unique relationship with him.

Steve's sermons were always didactic. He had great command of vocal dynamics. Crescendoeing towards his point with his hand drumming the podium. Forget finding the meat of Scripture, he sucked the marrow from the bones of the gospels, epistles, and prophets. Spending several weeks on the profundity of Jesus being a priest in the order of Melchezdik.

Jack spoke in more relational terms, preferring common sense and using did-you-knows to accent his lessons. Always using the Word as a two-edged sword to pierce to the heart. He never intended to make you cry, but you did anyway, and sometimes he did too. Mentoring me as one who always asked questions and not liking simple cop-out answers. He would show me any tidbit he would come across. I can ask him, "What have you learned recently?" and I will get an amazing lesson on God and life. When I asked what he thought of my desire to be a full-time minister, he didn't ask if I had thought this through. He gave me sound advice on how to be gracious and prepared. To this day, I think of him when asked for a reference because I know what he thinks of me.

Uncle Bubba has always been by favorite uncle, and he only grown more important. He stands in shaded contrast to the other men. He is one of the people I wish to emulate, because of his understanding of people, and more specifically my family. I can talk to him when I need an outside opinion on how to deal with my family because he knows our warts and hidden scars. His honest desire to meet people as they are impresses me.

Barrett took me as a frightened freshman and let me see the freedom God offered in His word. Through him I met Jim and Jake, who led me through that tumultuous first year away from all I had known. I remember the day I knew GCSC was where I would stay. I had a rough day, went to the center, and asked if they could pray with me. Each dropped what he was doing and we prayed together. The General opened his apartment to let me escape my roommate and his girlfriend, and introduced me to CS Lewis. Troy brothered me through Fiji and learning to engage people to lead them to Jesus, and ultimately took me as a friend.

Donnie asked me if I wanted to have a Bible study with him. We went through Luke and discovered that the Bible is all about Jesus, even the stuff about Jesus... is about Jesus. (I know it doesn't make sense, maybe that's another blog post). We spent an hour each Monday in Luke like a cotton gin, combing through it. But before that, we spent an hour talking out our weeks in our booth at Barbarito's where we were recognized as regulars.

But this entry was not brought on by any of these men. Each worthy of a solo entry, but the next man is honored because he won't be around me much longer. Yeah, there are influences I haven't put here, my dad, Chris, Mr. Ingram, Watson, and others. Many of those above did not recieve the review they deserve. But, I want to save the last space in this post for ...

Fred came to the GCSC at the right time. We wanted to delight in sharing with others, but we had no clue how to do that. He took me and increased my view of scripture. We rubbed the wrong way sometimes, and we called each other on the carpet. I could tell him he upset me and he could do the same so that we could work it out. He showed me how to disciple people and the importance of looking outside the church of Christ for growth spiritually and numerically (what a revolutionary concept). Fred never let us be lazy as a ministry, he knew we could keep going and had more energy than we thought. He always made sure to validate the way we felt even if that feeling was irrational. If he read this he would say that it God who did this and he was only a conduit of the LORD's blessings. But, I think God is proud of Fred and would want him to take a little credit for saving souls and lives at UGA. Fred, Alison, Ian vaya con Dios I hope God blesses your work in Amarillo and you are a blessing to that church. (Sentimental post over)

vaya con Dios
namaste

Empty

Paul told some Christians in a letter that he was being poured out like a drink offering. We sing a song, "Emptied Himself of all but love..."

I realize these men are rockstars of my faith (One being supremely greater than the other, though he did say imitate me as I imitate the supreme rockstar), but I kinda relate to that idea of being empty right now. The last three weeks I've slept in one day. Even this past Thursday I had off I had to wake up and do something I didn't want to. I tried to enjoy a hike that same day, but was rushed to get back into town for ridiculously early commitment. People in my life are having meltdowns or not going anywhere at all.

So I'm pouring myself out on them. I've saved up a pretty sizeable ammount of good juju so I'm offloading it. I think I did it too fast.

Now I'm going to Bible camp where I feel like I'm going to continue to pour myself out for an entire week. Except there's nothing left to pour. So, I'm going to leave this cup imagery and think of myself as a sponge. Squeeze a sponge and you squeeze out the water, yet the sponge is still damp. You can always squeeze out more.

Caution: Science Content Ahead
Or think of the soil. There are two water contents in soil that we look for. The first is field capacity. This is the amount of water a pedon (dirt clod) can hold before its pores completely saturated. At this point water can freely flow through the soil; rain falls down and feeds the groundwater, which feeds the river that fills the ocean. The other water content is called the wilting point. This is the water content in which plants can no longer draw water off of the soil because the minerals are holding on to water molecules much like a super magnet. There is still water in the soil but it is not usable. This water gives the soils its ability to maintain its structure.

So maybe I'm soil, I was a Water and Soil Major after all. I give life to plants by letting them all draw water off of me while I wait for rain and then I will be able to let the water flow through me so that I can fill the ocean. (After all I'm going to Bible camp and I should experience the fullness of God there, right?)

namaste
vaya con Dios

Facebook Hate

So, the incredibly anonymous blogger Fiyaman (to whom I'm related), left for paradise today. No Sarah, not Alaska! At approximately 1:30 tomorrow morning he will arrive on the island of Oahu by way of Phoenix and Maui. Yeah he's roughing it among the hula dancers, surfers, and ukuleles. I bet he gets lei'ed as soon as he gets off the plane.

I report this not only to wish him Godspeed and traveling mercies, but to use him as an inspiration for this post. His (as of late, silent) blog was dedicated to espousing his opinions on the political discourse of this country and his views on how this shapes our lives. That being said, some of his opinions are strong and not everyone agrees with them.

I've recently been asked by several facebook acquaintances to join groups decrying certain causes. Most of these groups do not line up with my political philosophy, but that is only one of the reasons I don't join them. The second reason I don't join these groups (including groups that do align with my philosophy), is that these groups demonize the opposing opinion. I recieved an invite this morning for "The Welfare Box" facebook group. The premise seems pretty benign and even innovative on the surface, until you read that these people will work for less than minimum wage. Curious, I looked at the rest of the groups my friend, who invited me, belonged to. It was a myriad of basically "hate" groups. Not skin head, KKK, Optomist International hate groups, but a couple of political I hate this person who is no longer running for presidential office, and a lot of "I hate this football team and question their sexual orientation" groups.

Next week, I will be a counselor at a rather conservative Bible Camp. It will be funny because, I won't be derided for my politics (which I try not to discuss), but for my choice of SEC football teams. Now, the irony of these arguments is that most of them will be perpetuated by 10-13 year olds who have never attended college. The major reason most of them cheer for this team is because of their parents, who most likely didn't attend the university they root for. I realize how convinient it is to dislike teams, especially since gator rhymes with hater (or in hacker termz g8r h8r). But, honestly why did one choose that school over your school. Simple, in-state tuition. I am going to support the Bulldogs because they represent UGA and the football team has no bearing on the value of my education.

But, while those kids choose their team based on their parents affiliation, I also realize they will hold world views based on their parents example. And while its kinda funny to join facebook groups like this, this, this (that's supposed to be a liberal hate link but just look up "I hate Bush", or this, what message are you spreading to your friends. Do we even think anymore when we say the word hate? Do we even remember what hate looks like when it manifests itself as discrimination, prejudice, gossip, and sophomoric facebook groups? Can we realize our worldviews are full of silent seething hate when we won't listen to the other side of the debate?
Honestly, this is what happens when you let little hate fester and pass it on to others.

What do you hate?

a boring post (absolutely no insight)

Well guys, its been two and a half months since I last spewed words onto a screen. Yeah, there are excuses, but who cares, right? I'm back now...ish. Campus ministry is a lot of fun and sometimes more work than you think. The majority of what I do comes in time-sensitive lumps. Which is ok, I guess but I'd rather have it spaced out.

Currently, I'm sitting in my brand spanking new office facing its fancy, red, accent wall. I'm supposed to take Thursdays off to prevent burn out and get stuff done. However, I have a desk and my laptop is here, so I think I'll stick around a bit. I really like having a space to go to. It gives a good definition to when I'm in work mode. Not only is it my office, its MY office. I had to clean out a junked up space, patch a couple holes, paint the thing, and put together the desk and chair. I have some serious ownership of this place. I'll be leaving it in a couple years and handing it off to another apprentice at the GCSC so that will be sad.

I like this space because it kinda validates me. It shows that I work and have a purpose. I like knowing where my place is in the world and that I'm doing something to effect it. I even have business cards now with the title "campus minister" on them. The first two weeks have been busy and I hope it continues. I like having something to do everyday.

Sorry kids that's it just another boring post. (But how about the new look, huh?)

If I had a hammer..

I am having a good week. Why? I have been working, smashing my fingers and wrestling with window blinds. I watched a really old movie in which a rich playboy is constantly sick. The doctor tells him that he needs to do some work. His butler remarks, "The hardest job in the world is doing nothing." I'm here to say that, "Yeah, it is" I find great joy in manual labor. My muscle tired and sore with the strain of the day. Let me say here that the past few days were not that strenuous but were appreciated.

Also, I received the most amazing gift Tuesday. I opened a graduation gift and discovered a blank, red Moleskine notebook. A blank book, the thought still shivers my spine. A blank book gives you the license to fill it with anything. What do you put in there? Do you dedicate it to one subject? Is it a multi-tasker? Will it only be filled with appointments and to do list? And the first page, how do you begin? I feel like having a ribbon cutting ceremony. The first page is the first impression of your book. I feel like I may overdo it and come off trite or overthought.

Our lives are blank books. Some are totally dedicated to one subject, others are merely a list of to-do and appointments. Some are filled with the wise sayings of others, or the musings of the owner. And a couple of us are missing a few pages. Sometimes our lives remain a blank book because we were too afraid to begin. There was no worthy cause found to fill the pages, or we worried we might mess up and the whole book would be ruined. Is that an excuse to leave a book blank? No! Now, the book is made useless through no fault of its own. It still exist, but it cannot live up to its true potential because it is blank. A blank book is only exciting because it is waiting to be filled. There is no joy in an empty book.

I look forward to caressing each leaf with a pen, caring for the spine and marking the latest entry with its bright red ribbon.

Passion and the Soup Line

Sorry that it's been a long time folks. I did return safely from Honduras, even though I made it seemed like I had been shang haied in the middle of it by not posting.

Too many things have happened since the last post to write them all. Every few days an idea for a post would pop into my head and I would wile away the time until I forgotten the post only to recount it right as I got in bed. Of course, then forgetting it by morning. This would continue for a few days until the passion for the post had gone. Thus, removing any desire for writing the post when it was remembered at an appropriate time.

I am a passionate person, and I am a thoughtful person. My ideas are my identity. If I am not passionate about an idea, then I really don't focus on it.

Although another problem is I am one of the millions of Americans that is a victim of this economy. Yeah, I said victim. McDonald's isn't hiring right now, that's a problem. Some fat-cat, ponzi-scheming, knuckled-headed, bull-pucky, Wall St. moron has killed the economy. And now we're all falling. Some 40% of Capitol Hill also wants the economy to stay dead. I really don't think any politician is reading this, but on the off-chance they are... PLEASE PUT ASIDE YOUR DIFFERENCES AND SOLVE THE PROBLEM AND DON'T COMPLAIN ABOUT THE SOLUTIONS PUT ON THE FLOOR. That's the job of anonymous bloggers like me. And, I'd much rather gripe about action than watch the House and Senate figure out which of the Big 3 to put down. (So long Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep)

I guess the big reason for that last convoluted paragraph and my lack of passion as of late is not having a job. Even though I claim I'm a free spirit, I need some structure in my life. I don't like getting out of bed when I have nothing to do. Sleeping late, watching TV, not going outside... I'm becoming what I hate. You get a little discouraged after three months of no's and some twenty or so applications later. (As an aside, why can't business just accept resumes instead of making me write down my address, phone number, and last three jobs? I mean good grief, my resume looks nicer than your crappy photocopied application that I will fill with my chicken-scratch. Just ask for a resume, which will tell you more, and give me a questionnaire.) Not only that, but I'm trying to start raising money for the Internship and everyone is losing their jobs.

Any way, I want to end on a happy note so that this isn't a completely depressing post. I did get to work today, cleaning out gutters and what not. So, I'm a little tired and I am motivated to post. See, I work and get to share with all you people.

namaste
vaya con Dios