This weekend we (the summer interns and our coordinator) went to the shore. We stayed in Cape May at Julie's uncle's house...Julie has connections. It seems like she has a cousin for everything. Want some free dirt? Julie can find it. Want a great recipe? Hold on, she'll get her phone. Need directions to a sporting event in another town? She's got somebody who can get you there.
Ok, enough of that tangent. Julie is great.
This is really about the weekend. We spent Saturday at the shore and, despite multiple applications of sunscreen, we all came home crisped. Bad. High on our priority list Saturday evening was finding aloe. But we are doing well now. The sunburn has lessoned. Tenderness should be gone in a day or so. For most of us, at least. I, being the fairest of them all, managed to blister. I know, not good. Especially when one has a history of skin cancer in the family. But at least I know what borderline sun-stroke feels like.
I'll be fine. Just don't touch me. Or my aloe.
Another tense situation came up this weekend as well. This one, between the two most opposite personalities in our group, has actually been building all summer. The one is a planner, likes to know what's going on when, likes to have at least a skeleton schedule set out. Still, despite the appearance of Type A organization, he really isn't as structured as he seems. He just isn't as loose as the other person. (Wow, I'm being rather vague.) Person 2 is the most spontaneous (and liberal) person here. She likes to go do rather than stand around and make decisions. She doesn't do the whole let's-make-a-plan thing. The fact that Person 1 likes to have plans drives her crazy.
Hence the problem at the shore. Persons 1, 2, and 3 were on the boardwalk making a decision. Person 1 wanted to decide and then act, Person 2 wanted to act and decide on the way. Person 3 has a problem with conflict. Person 3 decided they were both grown adults and stepped aside because I didn't want to get in the middle of it.
It has been interesting to watch their interactions this summer. I think both have been doing a lot of compromising. Frankly, I'm surprised we didn't have problems earlier. I keep thinking, though, of that verse--the one about being all things to all men--and how it's not just important for witnessing to non-believers. It is important in fellowship with believers as well.
I'm still chewing over this one. More to come.
Monday, August 02, 2004
Friday, July 30, 2004
I think I've lost something somewhere along the way and I'm not exactly sure what it was. If I happen across it again, you'll be the first to know. For now I'll just keep on and hope that it shows up again.
Really.
There have been quite a few things lately that I've missed that I didn't know I had lost. Like when did I stop posting things that required any thought? Or when did I stop being so avid in my reading? When did some of this "norm" become acceptable?
I am determined to prevent some things from dripping away. I still love walking in the rain. I still love sitting on the steps. I still cry at some children's books (like The Lorax).
I love my life. I'm excited to serve where God has me. There are just some things I don't want to see slipping away.
Really.
There have been quite a few things lately that I've missed that I didn't know I had lost. Like when did I stop posting things that required any thought? Or when did I stop being so avid in my reading? When did some of this "norm" become acceptable?
I am determined to prevent some things from dripping away. I still love walking in the rain. I still love sitting on the steps. I still cry at some children's books (like The Lorax).
I love my life. I'm excited to serve where God has me. There are just some things I don't want to see slipping away.
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
Dr. Hummer said, "Hmmm!"
I love my bed. Really, I do. To the point where there has got to be some sort of psychological diagnosis for this sort of thing. My bed and I, we get along swell. First thing I do when I go up to my room at night is say "Hi bed." My housemate can attest to this.
Monday, July 26, 2004
Country Girl, City Girl
I could get used to this whole so-many-cultures-and-opportunities-at-your-fingertips thing.
Saturday we went to a great little Korean market. I managed to find some rice milk (which I love) and white peaches (which aren't quite ripe yet but I can't wait to try). The market was followed by dinner at a soft tofu soup place. Korean food rocks. Although I have a feeling that my number 3-medium spicy was mixed up with the number 4-more spicy at the table. It was good, but I think I'll enjoy it more if I go down a step.
Yesterday we went to Jomar, a great discount store in Kensington (Kinsingten, Kensingten...um, yeah). Vintage fabric for $2 a yard. Good deal. I think I went overboard a bit. But I'll find something to use it for. I mean, there are tons of things that orange paisleys are good for.
Saturday we went to a great little Korean market. I managed to find some rice milk (which I love) and white peaches (which aren't quite ripe yet but I can't wait to try). The market was followed by dinner at a soft tofu soup place. Korean food rocks. Although I have a feeling that my number 3-medium spicy was mixed up with the number 4-more spicy at the table. It was good, but I think I'll enjoy it more if I go down a step.
Yesterday we went to Jomar, a great discount store in Kensington (Kinsingten, Kensingten...um, yeah). Vintage fabric for $2 a yard. Good deal. I think I went overboard a bit. But I'll find something to use it for. I mean, there are tons of things that orange paisleys are good for.
Thursday, July 22, 2004
To: Erika Lee
And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.
--Kahlil Gibran--
Of course, I have no idea who Kahlil Gibran is/was, this was just on the e-card my mom sent me. I love my mommy.
Tuesday, July 20, 2004
Update
From the "truth is stranger than fiction" category:
My brother is home safe from Iraq. Now he gets to clean up the mess that has been waiting for him. Seems his wife (who may not actually be his wife at all because she may not legally be divorced from one or more of her previous 3 husbands of whom my brother knew only of 1) went off her rocker (if she was ever on to begin with). Not that I can really judge her as I've never met her and know only that which my brother relays to us.
The woman did give away my brother's dog, which is unforgivable. You can do a lot of things to a man, but never mess with a man's dog. That's just wrong...especially when it is a Weimaraner he's had since it was a pup.
My brother is doing well. He got a new puppy, this one is a bloodhound.
My brother is home safe from Iraq. Now he gets to clean up the mess that has been waiting for him. Seems his wife (who may not actually be his wife at all because she may not legally be divorced from one or more of her previous 3 husbands of whom my brother knew only of 1) went off her rocker (if she was ever on to begin with). Not that I can really judge her as I've never met her and know only that which my brother relays to us.
The woman did give away my brother's dog, which is unforgivable. You can do a lot of things to a man, but never mess with a man's dog. That's just wrong...especially when it is a Weimaraner he's had since it was a pup.
My brother is doing well. He got a new puppy, this one is a bloodhound.
Friday, July 16, 2004
Yes...maybe...I think.
It seems I live in a state of constant confusion.
Nothing is ever really finished, or started for that matter. The more I try to figure out what is going on, the less I ever understand.
Randomness, utter randomness.
Notice these things are only a problem when I try to sort things out on my own. Probably a great way of keeping my pride in check...imagine what I would be like if I wasn't faking and really did know what was going on half the time.
Nice to know that God has things under control and that they do make sense in some round about way. Eclectic is good.
Nothing is ever really finished, or started for that matter. The more I try to figure out what is going on, the less I ever understand.
Randomness, utter randomness.
Notice these things are only a problem when I try to sort things out on my own. Probably a great way of keeping my pride in check...imagine what I would be like if I wasn't faking and really did know what was going on half the time.
Nice to know that God has things under control and that they do make sense in some round about way. Eclectic is good.
Monday, July 12, 2004
Pulling together (aka: I should teach my kids this story.)
I spent and hour watching ants Saturday night. Actually, that wasn't the main focus of my time...we were talking to "Sly." He befriended our group last Tuesday, I think, and has been around a few times since then. He's had marital problems and is now (from what he says) living in a van a few blocks away. He is always so glad to run into us, especially his "buddies" (the guys in our group) and, while he has been intoxicated each time we've met, it is amazing to know that God is working in his life.
So back to these ants...while we were talking with Sly I noticed a group of ants on the porch trying their hardest to deal with a piece of a potato chip. I thought, as I watched those ants, what a great model that is for fellowship, for the Christian body, especially for the situation we are in with Sly. (I was thinking about a lot more but there is such a thing as too personal to blog...)
Anyway, back to the analogy. Now I know it is probably elementary and I know that the comparison has to have been made again and again...but bear with me.
When I started watching the ants there was one ant tugging at the chip. He would pull for a while, stop to check things out, and then get back to work. He really wasn't making much progress. But then another ant came over, and another, and soon enough there were quite a few working to get the chip into the hole. They got it there in no time.
Great, so working together, supporting each other we can bear our burdens more easily. We can pull through when it seems hopeless. We can encourage each other to accomplish that which is set before them.
That's not where the ants stopped, though. The next problem was getting it into the hole. The chip was far too big to fit. The only way to move on was to break the chip into smaller pieces and deal with one bit at a time.
Things seem so overwhelming to us that we feel there is nothing more to be done. What we need to do is break the problem into more manageable chunks.
Right, so that's the ants. It's simple, and maybe even pointless, but I love the way things work in God's kingdom. I love that so many things are mirrored in the world around us.
Like how trees reaffirm my faith. When you look at something so massive as an oak, especially when you know how it works, what it takes for that tree to survive even a day, you know it is too perfect to happen by chance.
Wait, tangent, sorry. I know it's simple, I know it's childish but when you've been working with 7 year-olds for a week, simple = good.
So back to these ants...while we were talking with Sly I noticed a group of ants on the porch trying their hardest to deal with a piece of a potato chip. I thought, as I watched those ants, what a great model that is for fellowship, for the Christian body, especially for the situation we are in with Sly. (I was thinking about a lot more but there is such a thing as too personal to blog...)
Anyway, back to the analogy. Now I know it is probably elementary and I know that the comparison has to have been made again and again...but bear with me.
When I started watching the ants there was one ant tugging at the chip. He would pull for a while, stop to check things out, and then get back to work. He really wasn't making much progress. But then another ant came over, and another, and soon enough there were quite a few working to get the chip into the hole. They got it there in no time.
Great, so working together, supporting each other we can bear our burdens more easily. We can pull through when it seems hopeless. We can encourage each other to accomplish that which is set before them.
That's not where the ants stopped, though. The next problem was getting it into the hole. The chip was far too big to fit. The only way to move on was to break the chip into smaller pieces and deal with one bit at a time.
Things seem so overwhelming to us that we feel there is nothing more to be done. What we need to do is break the problem into more manageable chunks.
Right, so that's the ants. It's simple, and maybe even pointless, but I love the way things work in God's kingdom. I love that so many things are mirrored in the world around us.
Like how trees reaffirm my faith. When you look at something so massive as an oak, especially when you know how it works, what it takes for that tree to survive even a day, you know it is too perfect to happen by chance.
Wait, tangent, sorry. I know it's simple, I know it's childish but when you've been working with 7 year-olds for a week, simple = good.
And the heavens were opened.
All day long we've been fighting the floodwaters here at FDCS. It's been raining the whole day long; canceling some people's morning run as well as (yikes) our Monday trip to the pool.
The basement classrooms have also flooded and the flood is creeping through the halls and into the very office from which I write. The door has been sufficiently barricaded, I think, to prevent far greater catastrophe--we all know just how well water and electronics mix.
Ask any parent or teacher and they will tell you that a child's behavior is often directly correlated to current weather conditions. Today was no exception. I was, however, able to harness the opportunity, take full advantage of the downpour, and teach my kids the Water-Cycle song and dance.
They think I'm crazy.
I'm ok with that.
The basement classrooms have also flooded and the flood is creeping through the halls and into the very office from which I write. The door has been sufficiently barricaded, I think, to prevent far greater catastrophe--we all know just how well water and electronics mix.
Ask any parent or teacher and they will tell you that a child's behavior is often directly correlated to current weather conditions. Today was no exception. I was, however, able to harness the opportunity, take full advantage of the downpour, and teach my kids the Water-Cycle song and dance.
They think I'm crazy.
I'm ok with that.
Thursday, July 08, 2004
Today's post brought to you by:
the words boldness and sincerity.
They've been sticking out to me lately, those two words. They come to mind at random times, they are sometimes all I hear in a conversation. (Those and patience and frustration, but for five entirely different reasons.)
Anyway, there has to be some grand correlation between the two. I'm thinking both are essential for effective ministry.
More to come.
They've been sticking out to me lately, those two words. They come to mind at random times, they are sometimes all I hear in a conversation. (Those and patience and frustration, but for five entirely different reasons.)
Anyway, there has to be some grand correlation between the two. I'm thinking both are essential for effective ministry.
More to come.
Wednesday, July 07, 2004
Me and the boys
I'm still not quite sure what to think about what I wrote yesterday. It is true, but...I just don't want it to come across that everything is just peachy keen, not to say that it isn't because it is, I just...ok, I give up trying to figure it out. Something just isn't sitting right with me, probably more of a semantic rather than substantive issue.
Forgive me, my brain has already strayed from the ways of big people talk. I find that I'm having to correct myself and speak in complete sentences with at least some hint of a varied vocabulary.
For the past couple of days my class has consisted of five boys: three going into first grade and two into second. These boys are going to wear me out, but I do love them. One of them told me yesterday that Cocoa Puffs and Reese's Puffs were brothers. This is the same one who is determined that everybody is somebody's cousin. Ok, so that may be...but what he comes up with is beyond me.
My attention span must be shortening as well, I've forgotten what all I wanted to write. Next you know my speling is going to slip.
Forgive me, my brain has already strayed from the ways of big people talk. I find that I'm having to correct myself and speak in complete sentences with at least some hint of a varied vocabulary.
For the past couple of days my class has consisted of five boys: three going into first grade and two into second. These boys are going to wear me out, but I do love them. One of them told me yesterday that Cocoa Puffs and Reese's Puffs were brothers. This is the same one who is determined that everybody is somebody's cousin. Ok, so that may be...but what he comes up with is beyond me.
My attention span must be shortening as well, I've forgotten what all I wanted to write. Next you know my speling is going to slip.
Tuesday, July 06, 2004
By this they shall know.
There is this great song that goes: "I love to be in Your presence, with Your people, singing praises." I may have used it before, but it truly is one of my favorite songs mostly because it is absolutely true. My favorite places are in God's presence and with His people.
I love His people. Sure we have our moments, but there is that dynamic when you are among people who are truly seeking God, truly following after Him. It's like that X factor that Keegan talks about.
It is amazing, that we each other. Only His love, grace, wisdom would bring such mixes together. Take the summer intern group here in Chester--there are personalities, characteristics, idiosyncrasies that in any other group would have already led to discussion, conflict, and battle. True for many a group of Christians living and working together. But that we, bound and unified by His very blood, can look past so much and love through all so long as we hold this Truth..it is testimony in itself to His wonder and might. By this they shall know.
I love His people. Sure we have our moments, but there is that dynamic when you are among people who are truly seeking God, truly following after Him. It's like that X factor that Keegan talks about.
It is amazing, that we each other. Only His love, grace, wisdom would bring such mixes together. Take the summer intern group here in Chester--there are personalities, characteristics, idiosyncrasies that in any other group would have already led to discussion, conflict, and battle. True for many a group of Christians living and working together. But that we, bound and unified by His very blood, can look past so much and love through all so long as we hold this Truth..it is testimony in itself to His wonder and might. By this they shall know.
Monday, June 28, 2004
All packed up..
and ready to go. That's right. I'm off to Chester for the rest of the summer. Or just about all of it. I come home in August, have a week here, then turn around and move back up to Tech. My oh my.
As always, prayers would be wonderful. Pray for the ministry, the children, our sanity...
As always, prayers would be wonderful. Pray for the ministry, the children, our sanity...
Saturday, June 26, 2004
I say it's an art.
I have this uncanny ability to make a mess out of just about any situation.
Latest example: I bought a wireless card and router for my laptop, they had some amazing rebates with them. Two of the rebates asked for copies of the UPCs, two asked for the originals. So yesterday I made copies. I even made extra copies so I would still have some on hand in case I ever needed them. Yep, lots of copies. No originals. Left them in the copier at CopyMax. Didn't realize it until I went to bed last night.
Oh yeah, I am that good.
Latest example: I bought a wireless card and router for my laptop, they had some amazing rebates with them. Two of the rebates asked for copies of the UPCs, two asked for the originals. So yesterday I made copies. I even made extra copies so I would still have some on hand in case I ever needed them. Yep, lots of copies. No originals. Left them in the copier at CopyMax. Didn't realize it until I went to bed last night.
Oh yeah, I am that good.
Post 100.
Yep, this is the 100th post on this site (or so my counter tells me) and you would think there would be something special--maybe a "What I've learned thus far" post or something of the like--but, no.
Well, as I said, I've gotten a cell phone. As cool as it is, it is also a bit sad. See, not having a cell phone had been a matter of pride. I was holding out, not giving in to the mass communication frenzy. Oh well, next thing you know, I'll be walking around with one of these.
*shudder*
May it never be.
On the up-side of recent purchases, I found a whole bunch of DVDs for $0.99. I say His Girl Friday, The Inspector General, Road to Bali, and At War with the Army are great ways to start a DVD collection.
Well, as I said, I've gotten a cell phone. As cool as it is, it is also a bit sad. See, not having a cell phone had been a matter of pride. I was holding out, not giving in to the mass communication frenzy. Oh well, next thing you know, I'll be walking around with one of these.
*shudder*
May it never be.
On the up-side of recent purchases, I found a whole bunch of DVDs for $0.99. I say His Girl Friday, The Inspector General, Road to Bali, and At War with the Army are great ways to start a DVD collection.
Thursday, June 24, 2004
Just a phrase or two.
There are some lyrics that I just can't get out of my head.
"I am a soldier, trying to be one"
"And my eyes they look unto You always, and I am captured by Your majesty"
"Given a chance and a rock, see which one breaks a window; and see which one keeps me up all night and into the day."
"I am a soldier, trying to be one"
"And my eyes they look unto You always, and I am captured by Your majesty"
"Given a chance and a rock, see which one breaks a window; and see which one keeps me up all night and into the day."
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
Just because it's been a while.
|
Well, most of the stuff I've written is blank verse, or free verse, or some combination of the two. Not that it's that good or anything, or that I'll be subjecting you to any of it.
Grate Expectations
All the shopping I've been doing for my apartment has been very exciting. I'm getting all sorts of wonderful things, most of which are for my kitchen. (Well, not "my" kitchen, I will have a roommate.)
The hardest part of it all has been determining what I really need and what can wait. Example: I need a deep-dish pie plate, the 8 quart pot I want can wait. If you really think about it, I could probably get by with much less. I could probably manage with just a microwave, that's all I had last year and I made it through just fine. But I'm a girl. And I like to cook. So there.
The most exciting things I've gotten by far have been my canister set, my food/rice steamer, and my Rubbermaid Fold-Away(tm)grater, which is just totally awesome...I mean, it folds! How cool is that?
I don't really have that much left on my list of things I need. I still need a set of pans, a desk and chair, a dresser, a bookcase, a barstool...Ok, so maybe I need a bit more than I thought, but I've got a while before moving in, so I'm good, really.
The hardest part of it all has been determining what I really need and what can wait. Example: I need a deep-dish pie plate, the 8 quart pot I want can wait. If you really think about it, I could probably get by with much less. I could probably manage with just a microwave, that's all I had last year and I made it through just fine. But I'm a girl. And I like to cook. So there.
The most exciting things I've gotten by far have been my canister set, my food/rice steamer, and my Rubbermaid Fold-Away(tm)grater, which is just totally awesome...I mean, it folds! How cool is that?
I don't really have that much left on my list of things I need. I still need a set of pans, a desk and chair, a dresser, a bookcase, a barstool...Ok, so maybe I need a bit more than I thought, but I've got a while before moving in, so I'm good, really.
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