three words.

I challenged a friend to tell me three words that describe me.

Seattle- Starbucks Mariners Mt. Rainier, He thinks Seattle when he thinks me.
Focused- He says when I am passionate about something I'm hard to stop, when I am in groups I am task orientated.
Learner- He says I value learning, teaching, pursuit of knowledge.

I found the explanation quite accurate.
So, then what would I choose as three words to describe me?
Learner- I like this one, I love learning things myself and helping others learn
Joyful- I have so much fun playing, laughing, being childlike though not childish, looking on the bright side etc.
Timely- I like efficiency, I don't like tardiness, I'm usually 5-10 minutes early everywhere, and I plan out tasks to accomplish them within a reasonable timeframe.

Okay now your turn What are three words to describe you?

rock lessons continue

Wednesday: Inconvenience is how I would describe my rock today. First forgot it on the way to class and had to go back for the rock. I considered leaving it at home, but as I was going to leadership ministry, I felt necessary to retrieve my rock. During class, we had a group project, one of the members challenged me to go with the flow. My rock, my flo, sitting in my pocket, and here is some one with no knowledge of my burden speaking the truth of my growth need. I am making it a practice in the group this week of going with the flow. In the Evening at the baseball game, I tentatively took my rock with me, thinking is it okay to take a nice sized rock to SBC stadium? It set quietly in my bag, which was heavier because of the rock.

Thursday: I have a bruise from the rock in my pocket. Burdens are painful. I want to get rid of my rock. Throw it off the bridge I walk daily. The week is almost half over. I am however remembering to relax.

The rock in my pocket.

It is a burden, both tangible and figurative. It stems from an object lesson on Sunday. I began carrying it not because I wanted to, but because if the students were going to, I knew I ought to or I'd have to share that next Sunday. I'd carried a marble and a rock before with the same lesson. Surely I'd learned it and would just be going through the motions. Yet, God moves in mysterious ways. See my reflection from the first three days of the Rock in my pocket.


Sunday: I am trying to decide just what specific burden my rock would represent. Jeremiah said it is not good enough for it just to represent burdens, we must personalize it by naming our burden. My rock represents my need to not let structure, rigidity, and unflexibility reign in my life. While structure, rules, and plans are important aspects of life, they are not the sum of life. When I am flexible and practice the art of going with the flow, I have such an enjoyable time. Disneyland- fun time, family camp with Joanna- fun time. So, why do I have so much trouble relaxing, and letting things just be as they may. I think this is what my rock should represent.

Monday: The rock is heavy. I carried it all through work today in my pocket. It weighs on my and I wonder if it will bruise me. Do I really need to carry my rock on the hike? No, I think it can stay with my cell phone, in the car. With Jason I am flexible, he leads, I follow, wherever the wind may take us. I often wonder how far in advance his brain plans. spontaneity seems to come natural to him. I plan and list and structure nearly everything.

Tuesday: They rock is still with me. I'm starting to feel the metaphor on a deeper level. The physical burden in my pocket has become part of my life. I know that they weight is there. I have begun to compensate for it, working around it, taking it out and sitting it in front of me while I type, carrying it down the hall to check mail, wearing pockets to accomodate for it's small potato sized mass. I think we do this with the internal burdens. We carry them until they appear comfortable. We get used to the figurative limp. We adjust our schedules and paths to compensate for the burden. After a while the burden is integrated into our life so intricately, that we have a hard time releasing it. Will I miss my rock come Sunday?

Ode to fauxturtle a true loyalist.

Okay, so I was surfing blogs and found a whole blog dedicated to my beloved baseball team and then I posted and earned an entire post devoted to me. It was thoroughly enjoyable and if one is a Mariner's fan, the entire sight is thoroughly enjoyable. Check it out.

Mariner's Ode
http://marinermagic.blogspot.com

Installation prompts action

Okay so I own a drill, It's a black and Decker and I asked for it as a Birthday gift few years back as I was tired of traipsing across town with my father's drill every couple months for my random project and installation needs. Anyway, now it sits high in cupboard with a broken charger. This has been its status since August. Poor drill. I've turned down many requests for help because my drill is current the little drill that couldn't. Yesterday my dear friend needed some light installation help, and having concluded we would need a drill, I realized while borrowing one would be could for me, I really needed to either remedy my broken drill situation or get rid of my broken drill. So to eBay I have gone and hopefully I will soon acquire a charger. For traipsing across campus to borrow a drill when I own one is silly, and keeping useless stuff is also silly. Finally I act upon a plan that has rumbled in my brain for nearly a year. Indeed, we did borrow the drill, bore the holes, screw in the screws and now dear friend has a light in her room where before there was none. How's that for an accomplishing day. I feel victorious.

Now if I can just finish book three... Leading in Times of Change. Which by the way is only 20 pages from completion, and a great book if you come into a leadership position that has been recently vacated. I picked it for it's length and yet I think I'll keep the title in my file for referring back to when I slide into a recently vacated leadership position. Okay off to read 20 pages before work... : )

Rest

Highly under rated. I challenge all to spend an extra hour in rest this week, two if you can. Just be for a couple hours. Don't try to accomplish anything on your to-do list, clean house, work on job stuff, or all those other things. Try napping, taking a bubble bath, vegging in the sun or shade, reading a book for pure enjoyment's sake, listening to God, music, or silence, watching the ducks swim... you get the idea. Most people I know do not rest enough, but I tried about four hours of this Saturday afternoon and wow, rejuvenating.

So there's the challenge for this week.

Creativity wanes and other meanderings...

Right now I feel a bit empty on the creativity. Maybe it is the post 15 hour semester, or the heat, but I just cannot think of related activities for my youth lessons. I mean I can figure out that Judah is a great example of disobedience in Genesis 37, but I desire to bring in more than lecture and discussion. Anyone have ideas of activities?

On another note can I say how blessed I am to be living in one of the most gorgeous places I have ever known. Literally beautiful majestic scenery at every turn. I am amazed consistently about how intricate God;s design is. He could have created one tree to serve the purpose of trees or one kind of flower, but instead he created plethoras of vegetation to dwell amongst. The diversity of plants is astounding. I am truly blessed.

created a quiz

Okay for those of you who know me beyond cyber land Icreated a quiz. It is 10 little questions about me. What is your turtle power? My Quiz . Yes for those who wonder I am procrastinating. An I only have 1 and 1/2 chapters left in the book I planned on finishing today.

Quote for the day:

"When leaders believe anything is possible, their followers will come to believe that too."
~Blackaby

Ducklings

I finished reading Unlearning Church and wrote my five pages. For those who are curious the book was nicely written, but not overly revolutionary. I believe that genre of books is a bit flooded. I'm now flying through Spiritual Leadership by the Blackabys. I'm feeling less resentful to the course with one book finshed and one books almost half way read. I even painted a lovely response to Unlearning Church which I am planing on attatching to the review/essay.

I went to the library as a money saving option to pick up an optional book and returned with a pile of hopeful books from the library. The only location more dangerous to bookish me is a bookstore, because they charge me to take books home. I think I must find the public library to suppliment my book list. The seminary library lack in fiction, though rightly so, and since Paradise Lost was read in Jan-term break I think I will attempt some more contemporary texts. I picked up God in Search of Man by Heschel. Though the fact that it was his largest book on the shelf nearly convienced me to try a shorter one first. I'll let all know how that book turns out.

Apparently I have become recently interested in Philosophy. Abraham Joshua Heschel's book is subtitled a Philosophy of Judaism. I read Bonhoeffer's letters from prison, Keirkegaard's book on faith, and some Heidegger essays in the last few months. The thing is I hated my college philosophy class. It was my poorest grade. I think back to Dr. Wester days and wonder if it was the proffesser, the time (8 am), the age of me, or something else that caused such dislike, when I now willingly have philosophical dialogues.

So, back to the ducklings for all those wondering what this has to do with my title, I was rushing from reading at the park to meeting with my pastor when I saw a mama duck and seven ducklings swimming in a fountain. Oh for my digital camera. This was not any fountain. It was a fountain in the middle of the road. I wonder how she managed to get her ducklings to the fountain across three lanes of traffic and how she got them back safely to the side of the road. The conclusive I prefer is the man on the bicycle spontaneously directing traffic away from the crossing duck family. REgardless of the precarious life of a duckling they created a smile on my face and still do as they swam peacefully amidst the afternoon communters and soccer moms, though I think currently it is mostly lacrosse and baseball.

Summer altered.

SO here I was looking forward to a great summer filled with work of course, but also Latin studies and work on my huge pile of desired authors and texts to read, when I find information on a prerequisite for my fall Field Education class. No worries, how much time can a summer school class really take. After the J-term class was fairly easy. Then, the dreaded Syllabus arrived. There is a tremendous amount of work and all my summer fun has been pushed off to the 26th of June. Maybe I can squeeze a little Latin chapter in, but as for reading it will first be the two required texts as well as an additional choice text.

Nonetheless, as I read Micheal Slaughter's book I find myself stirred by his passion. As of chapter 6, I've read nothing new or unknown. However he reaffirms beliefs I have and inspires action upon those beliefs. Here's one gem "A lot of Jesus' followers try to get through life on a pass-fail basis, at a deep level we don't enjoy mediocrity." There is a desire in my deepest parts to soar with eagles, but as Carl Sandburg would say, sometimes wallowing with hippos is easier. I wonder what would really happen is I started living authentically, where I was an unshattered reflection, Not scattered shards of glass attempting to make my own way in life, but rather a whole person fulfilling my greater purpose.

Suffice to say one book part way down. Knowing I will get through the class and I that will glean something applicable from the subject, I'm dealing with the changes to my summer in step.
July is books, Latin, sunshine, and of course Starbucks.

Okay Music survey why not.

Total volume of music files on my computer :
5.4 GB on WM player. I wonder if that is excessive?

Last CD I purchased:
Dave Matthews Band- Stand Up

Song Playing Right Now :
The Love of God- Mercy Me

5 Songs that I listen to a lot :
Beck-Girl from Guero
Darci Cash- Faithful cynic from In The Company of Stangers
Chris Tomlin- Indescribable from Arrving
Blue Kazoos- Sky Breaks Open
Stacie Orrico- Genuine from Genuine

Goats on the hillside near the President's house. 

The goats have arrived.

Annually my school rents a goat herd to graze and in essence mow the super steep areas of campus. They have arrives and it amazes me. A herd of goats chilling out in the middle of town right next to the baseball field, right next to chapel hill. It is bit indescribable. So I'm attempting to upload an image. For those ex-students you'll appreciate the reminder and for you others well, it's pretty fun.

still running

I ran again today. God is good. I ran in the coolness of the day, while the sun is out, but the clouds and the gentle breeze keep the heat from overwhelming this novice runner. Summer is on the way and the fragrences which fill the air rewarded my route choice. A floral potpourri filled my senses. The bay's waters were smooth and enjoyed by a group of fishing ducks. It was a good day for a run. Tommorrow I will be sore, but today I am well rewarded.

Running

Running is a common excersice on my campus. People appear to continually go on runs. I have been saying I do not run for months. Yet for some bizarre reason, I decided to run first thing monday morning. It was not as bad as I had always envsioned. In fact all monday I was quite proud of my accomplishment, but Tuesday morning, the pain the pain. Now I remember running equals pain where I didn;t know I had muscles. Does it get easier? I'm not sure I plan on finding out.

Papacy Funeral, historic, but not exciting at 2 am...

So here I was at 2 am in the morning one hour into the longest funeral I have ever witnessed and I begin to feel real sorry for all the dignitaries who were sitting in the Vatican April heat. They looked a bit warm in their suits and formal wear. Now, the pageantry was an interesting aspect, the simplicity of the coffin, was surprising, and the amazing amount of world leaders from around the globe crossing ethnicities and religions, was a statement of the former pope's world influence. The event was historic, but after an hour of listening to people I did not know speak languages I did not understand, I decided my bed looked better than finishing the funeral. So, I doubt I will forget this late hour event as George W sat by Iranian and Syrian leaders, and leaders paid their respects to the man from humble Polish roots, who changed much of the face of the Catholic Church. However, I think I will tape the next papacy funeral rather than try and watch it in the middle of the night.

TCK

I am me. I am a third culture kid. As much as I have heard that phrase tossed about, until I read Pollack and Van Reken's book Third Culture Kid, I believed it was a phrase that was reserved for children growing up internationally. My experience of 2 1/2 years in Great Britain could not be considered a lifetime. However, I am learning while their are degrees of of so many part of life, the challenges may be less, but the disconnect, the relational challenges, the missed pop culture, they are all there. I remember the looks upon asking who John Bon Jovi was. Having been a military brat, the very culture we lived in required a high mobility subsistence. In a hi today, bye tommorrow culture you made friends quickly, but never went deep into friendship. The authors frequently quote from Military Brats by Mary Edwards Wertsch. Every line of their referencing strike a chord on a deep level. If you have ever lived internationally as a child, read the book. It validates the difference which are both strengths and challenges.

Shalom

“He imagined the sun.” God in his infinite creativity imagined the gases, the form, and function of the sun and spoke it into existence. He created an earth on an elliptical orbit and set it at a tilt as it orbited the huge ball of gas setting it a spin, in order that we might have day and night, winter and summer, fall and spring.

All my creations come from my schema of my experience, knowledge, and are in actuality a conglomeration of things I already know. Said is there is nothing new under the sun. How interesting that once again it is the sun in its overwhelming power and size to which we refer. To imagine means to “form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case." Yet, I am beginning to understand that my imaginings will never succeed in grasping the truth of God’s imaginings and subsequent creation. To create has multiple meanings: to make or cause to be or to become, to bring into existence, and as we often limit it, to create by artistic means. Before God created, there was nothing but God. The only way I can create is to use what is around me, which are the very items God created from nothingness.

I realize nothing is new in the knowledge of what is above, but the awareness I have of God’s power and the fullness I feel of his presence is very new. It is unlike anything I can recall feeling. The immensity of God’s love for me is overwhelming. Yet here I have been living, as if Christian living is a chore. Making practices of community something of a checklist. I can see my mental list now. Ask for help, check. Listen to friends, check. Give your problems to Christ, check. This is not how we are to go about living at all. In fact the very term practices, has been misleading, or at least misused. It is not a new item for my checklist; rather practices are life style changes that I can begin as I try to live more like Christ.

I desire with everything to live in community. To refer to an earlier image, I desire that my stick be bundled rather than left alone fragile and at the mercy of this world around me. However, I have not focused on Love. I have focused on activity. I desire to accept the transformation God wants to be in my life.

Concerning the new feeling inside that is a fullness, a wholeness, a contentment that I cannot remember having before, the word Shalom is constantly echoing in my head. I am not “shaloming” enough. The extension of peace from me has not been whole-hearted. It is time for my life to be an extension of the love of Christ. The experience of allowing others to shalom me is stilted. In fact, I have been going about accepting help all wrong. I have been looking at help from fellow Christians as a willing inconvenience. This is that they help me out of an obligation or pity. I had it all wrong. The outpouring of shalom within community is a step towards a society such as Augustine’s City of God. The presence of Shalom is what defines a healthy growing Christ-centered community.

My newfound joy is filling every nook of my life. People keep asking why I am smiling. I feel a deeper desire to listen to hurting hearts. I cannot keep Christ quiet; rather I want to shout to everyone about the love, the power, the joy, and the truth of God’s presence in my life. I look around to see whom I can tell about me and them being wholly and dearly loved by the all-powerful creator of the universe.

Some questions need not be asked.

So this guy comes by and looks into my room, sees that I am the only one here, and still says, " So, your roommate is not here?" My first inclination was to say actually she's hiding behind the door, but I smiled politely and confirmed that she was indeed not home.

Christology as I best understand it.

Okay so after getting the comment, concise and comprehensive, I felt great about my most recent theology assignment. Which I have pasted below.

Christological Doctrine:
Christ is completely divine and completely human. Only God is able to accomplish this paradoxical duality. He has always been and always will be. Within the Godhead, Christ is the son, one third. He is equal in essence to Father and Spirit. Christ is the first born over all creation and therefore is sovereign over the universe. He was with the Father and the Spirit in the beginning as the word by and for which all things were created.
Taking on a functionally submissive role, He humbled himself, taking on human form. Indeed, he then allowed that his own knowledge and ability would be limited by his human body living. In addition, that he would dwell only within the Father’s will and power. He came to earth on a mission to redeem humanity from our morally corrupt existence where we could not rise above the law and live reconciled with God. He provided atonement by living a perfect life and then dying on the cross in a moment of separation from God the Father as he accepted the sins of the entire human race. He conquered death that we might have life eternal. In this Christ is the only way to reconcile our sinful selves with a perfect God.
Christ is the head of the church, which is the body of Christ. As our savoir He rightfully reigns in sovereignty over the church which is both his bride and his fellow children of God the Father. Now in heaven, he is preparing a place to receive his bride, the church and acts as an intercessor for us to the Father. We, who believe in Christ as our Savoir, will be called up to heaven at the appointed time to dwell eternally in the presence of God.
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Selected Verses: Mark 15:33-34; Luke 1:30-33, 19:9, 24:1-7; John 1:1-14, 5:19-20, 14:3-13; Romans 5:8, 8:1-4, 8:34; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Colossians 1:15-20, 2:9; 1 John 4:7-11