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Nov 22 2008
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f-f-f-frigid

last night 23 high school kids made shelters from cardboard boxes on the front lawn of our church. our first official lock OUT. the idea was to sleep outside in boxes in an effort to bring attention to homelessness in our community the night before the annual homeless awareness walk. the idea came about last spring or summer, though, in much warmer weather.

i don’t think anyone expected the 16 degree chill.

parents called the church saying their child couldn’t come (that’s fine). our numbers dropped a little.

but 23 brave souls still showed up.

and so did 4 news trucks.

awareness accomplished.

a few events in the evening that helped drive the point home:

1. mark, a homeless neighbor, came to the church to share his story and answer the kids questions. he gave us pointers on how to set up our boxes. he told us the key is to keep your hands, feet and head warm. he said he had no idea we were actually going to sleep outside ALL night, and he was so touched by what we were doing. gayle, a homeless lady i ran into at the coffee shop said the same thing, as did the mother of a homeless family sleeping IN our church last night. their appreciation made it a little easier to bare the cold with my kids.

2. one of our youth has been interviewing homeless people for two years, working on her gold award project for girl scouts. we watched a documentary she had put together. it was cool for the kids to hear from one of their peers how they can make a difference.

when all was said and done, 1 kid went home early, 13 kids went into the sanctuary (all curled up around the altar… pretty cute), and 9 kids braved the cold all night… along with 3 adults.

and then we walked 5k.

and then i went to class, fell asleep during the lecture, and got sent home 🙂

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Nov 20 2008
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you are my sunshine

i’m at caribou right now… working on my LAST theology paper (for this term anyway) and procrastinating (obviously) as i wait for one of my 10th grade kids to meet me for coffee (to discuss a recent break-up). good times.

and i’ve been working on my paper the better part of today, as i will be doing tomorrow, because the material is so dense that i can hardly make hide nor hair of it, despite my love for karl barth.

anyway. whenever i’m feeling down… like i’m failing as a writer… i look at this:and all my sorrows and self-doubt melt away. keegan has that effect on me. the little boy i call my nephew, who (whom?) i love to no end.

thanks keegster.

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Nov 17 2008
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who needs sleep?

well you’re never gonna get it.
who needs sleep?
tell me, what’s that for…
(lyrics from a bare naked ladies song… where in the world did that band get their name anyway?)

friday night was our middle school lock-in. we had 84 kids. sometimes i forget the magnitude of our youth program, but it’s hard to ignore when you have to rent TWO charter buses just to get to the mini-theme-park at the mall (after it closes) so the kids have their run of the laser-tag, go carts, games and climbing wall. oh, sure, we did the more traditional lock-in stuff too… like playing sardines… nothing like hide-and-seek in a big dark church!

ah, memories.

what i had forgotten, though, is how COOL it is to stay up at that age! one kid came up to me toward the end of the movie we watched (cheaper by the dozen) to ask what time it was. i looked at my watch and said, “almost 3am…” her face lit up in wonderment, “wow… coooooool.”

the following day i watched a kid tell his mom, “we had church at 1 in the morning!!!”

awesome.

needless to say, none of us were very rested for the service projects we participated in the following morning. hundreds of church peeps did work all over the city. pretty cool.

and this weekend will be our lock-OUT, when the high schoolers sleep outside in boxes. me too. good times to come.

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Nov 12 2008
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religulous

i went to see religulous last night with a group of friends from various faith backgrounds. it was about what i expected from bill maher. some parts were hilarious (everyone had to put up with my snorting), some parts were offensive, and some (especially the ending) were extremely depressing. i definitely wouldn’t tout it as a documentary. the cuts and editing were way too much in favor of bill and his agenda.

and what is bill’s agenda? to put an end to religion before it puts an end to the world. to take up the banner of doubt. this assumes two things: 1) faith and doubt don’t mix, and 2) doubt would end all conflict.

i think it’s sad that bill is under the impression that faith leaves no room for doubt. that faith and certainty are synonymous. isn’t it the opposite? is it not certainty that leaves no room for faith? yes, hebrews 11 says, “faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see,” but this is HOPE we’re certain of. faith is the beginning of knowledge, not the the end of it. st. augustine says “i believe that i might understand.” the theologian paul tillich says, “doubt isn’t the opposite of faith; it is an element of faith.” the scientist dr. francis collins says, “doubt is an unavoidable part of belief.” speaking from personal experience, the two go hand in hand… creating this back and forth conversation with God that grows me as a person every day.

and how would pure doubt end all conflict? is it not doubt that sends our economy spiraling downward? doubt that causes paranoia? faith in nothing? hope in nothing?

overall, i wouldn’t suggest watching religulous to learn anything. but it does spark some great conversation. so if you do go, make sure you follow up with beer and pizza.

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Nov 06 2008
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my butt hurts

i went to my first spin class today.

i may have mentioned that i’ve fallen into a very athletic group of friends… mostly triathletes… lots of them “ironmen.” it’s just the thing to do here. and after months of saying i wouldn’t get sucked in, i’m now saying i’ll start training, and maybe one day do a little baby triathlon. i bought a new pair of running shoes that i actually do enjoy running in (amazing the difference a good set of shoes will make!) i have plans to buy a roadbike later this winter… maybe february? but in the mean time, it’s spin class for me. so i went with my girlfriend julie this morning, and it was… boring. other than the fact that i got to talk to julie here and there. that IS why i’m falling for all this nonsense–the social aspect of it. i think i’ll maybe warm up to spin class eventually. in the mean time, i can at least enjoy the fact that i think it’s building up the muscles around my knee, which will really help me run.

now i just have to buy a swim suit.

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Nov 04 2008
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useless blither

stealing that one from furst.

i feel like i should post something today since it is election day and voting is important (get out the vote!)

i did vote, and my ballot would confuse just about anyone.

so rather than confuse you all as well, i’ll tell you about how much i like to go to the park.

i was dogsitting this past weekend. ollie is the best dog. i should take a picture next time i stay with him. for one, ollie is a great cuddler. he keeps my feet warm, but doesn’t get in my way… perfect. secondly, ollie sits and contemplates important things while i’m reading. he can be so stoic. he’s also my muse. he sat on my feet while i typed a paper sunday, and i’m convinced that’s why i finished the whole thing in one sitting.

ollie is also a smart ass. at one point, as i stretched out on the couch reading homework on a friday night, loving my class and the reading, but lamenting how it encroaches on my social life… i turned to ollie and said, “you know, even if i were to really like a guy… i don’t have time for a boyfriend.” ollie, in his infinite wisdom, rolled his eyes at me.

but this is supposed to be about parks, not dogs. ollie lives 2 doors down from one of the entrances to a great park. it is so much fun to walk there, and ollie is the perfect excuse. the breadth and depth of humanity you encounter at the park is amazing! all different people, all different shapes and sizes and colors. and dogs. everyone is so different, and yet they all come to the same spot. a spark of commonality between us all. and this weekend, with the especially lovely fall weather, i couldn’t help but be awed by the beauty of all God’s creation… the people, colors, smells, animals, sounds, feels… like it was one great big church.

and now i’ve said something about parks.

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Oct 31 2008
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just be

wednesday night we held a candlelight vigil for kids that had come in town for greer’s funeral. we weren’t sure how many to expect… maybe 15? maybe 150? over 200 students showed up. over 1200 attended the funeral the following day.

at the vigil, each person was invited to come to the front of the church and light their candle from the pascal candle, the candle used in easter tide to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. john left a small mic (the kind you attach to your shirt) at the candle for people to speak into if they wanted to share a blessing from greer. because the mic was small, people had trouble finding it and getting it to work. lisa (another of the clergy) turned to me and said, “why don’t you go up there and hold the mic?”

so i did. which isn’t saying much. but i got to look into the faces of every person lighting their candle, whether they spoke or not. what i found was that just standing there was actually a huge deal. people wanted to make eye contact. to be acknowledged. they sought from me looks of empathy or encouragement, even without knowing me. some mouthed ‘thank you’ as they passed by. others, including greer’s mother, reached out and touched my arm or squeezed my shoulder as they spoke. what might have been a mundane job of holding a mic turned into a meaningful and totally needed means of connecting. this is a need we share. and all you really have to do is just be there, be aware, and be open.

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Oct 28 2008
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and sometimes it sucks

it’s no secret i love my job. who wouldn’t love a job that requires you to eat pizza 4 times a week… minimum! but sometimes even the best of jobs can get you down, like when someone dies.

i met with a group of 12th graders sunday, and the topic on everyone’s mind was a guy named greer who had fallen off a mountain ledge, punctured his lung, and was in critical condition. i didn’t know greer, since he graduated from high school before i came here, but all the kids knew him. just as we were ending our time together, the phone rang. the voice on the other end told me greer had just died, and then i turned to the kids to give them the same news. kids i’m only just getting to know. it sucked.

yet, there’s something beautiful about watching a community come together to cry and laugh and be angry and remember. i didn’t know greer, but i’m touched by him as i hear the kids share stories. and i’m touched by the kids, too, that they’d let me into their space during this time.

so yeah, sometimes it sucks. but even then, and especially then, i love my job.

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Oct 24 2008
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b’more & buffalo

okay here it is… the weekend roadtrip synopsis.

it started in baltimore, where i landed just in time for a lovely dinner with christina and andy (soon to be married) at pazo. sadly, christina’s car broke down, so i had to leave them to wait for the tow truck while my friend john picked me up and took me to the ole’ neighborhood standby, ropewalk.

From 2008 Fall

if you don’t know it already, ropewalk is a “republican bar” which really just means that the owners are republicanists and they aren’t afraid to show it. doesn’t really describe the clientele, though. anywhoo… a picture with the gipper is a must. lots of great friends came out to catch up (laurel and david came up from dc!) and that was awesome.

mike and i hit the road early saturday, bound for buffalo. we arrived just as mollie’s plane from denver landed, so we picked her up and drove to canada (yes, we all had our passports) in time to see niagra at sunset.

From 2008 Fall

we did get lost on the way. we accidentally drove north of niagra, but didn’t realize it until we were crossing the (wrong) bridge into canada. there was no way to turn around, so we just waited in line. the security was so chill (and cute!! mollie and i wanted to steal the guard and take him with us!!). he laughed once he figured out we were lost (such a cute laugh it was, too) and pointed us in the right direction. the drive was beautiful! all the changing leaves and rolling hills, ahhh. finally we made it to niagra falls.

From 2008 Fall

one thing about canadians… they love their snails. snails have the right of way!

we drove back to buffalo for a little party at the “love shack” (the bride’s maiden name is love… it’s cute) where we caught up with lots of friends that i hadn’t seen in months. awesome.

sunday we stopped by the anchor bar, birthplace of buffalo wings, for some yummy finger lickin’ food.

From 2008 Fall

this came at the recommendation of susan and others, and i have to say, it is a must when in buffalo. my mouth is watering now just thinking about it!

finally, the big occasion was upon us… the start of adam and bethany’s marriage. i have to say, this was one of the neatest weddings i’ve ever witnessed, even before it started. their invitations were thoughtful, true, and humble. no response cards were used, saving lots of paper and expense. over and over again, throughout the engagement, wedding and reception, adam and bethany continually pointed to Christ in their relationship.

From 2008 Fall

it was (and is) beautiful.

then dancing ensued…

From 2008 Fall

and the shenanigans began.

eric, the best man, did an awesome toast. our table was literally reeling with laughter, though some of it might have gone over the general public’s collective heads.

From 2008 Fall

i have since learned that you can look at best man speeches on youtube… this is apparently how the modern best man gets all his toast material. very unoriginal, and yet hugely successful! i imagine eric was the only one to quote both emily post and amy vanderbilt, though, paragon of etiquette that he is.

monday we made our way back to baltimore, so excited to stop at sheetz, the best gas station in the world, along the way.

From 2008 Fall

where else can you order a side of mac & chili? yum. erin and i had lots of girlie talk and catch up time in the car, which was awesome.

we came home to keegan!

From 2008 Fall

the best little nephew in the world.

christina joined us all for dinner and then she and i went back to her place for hours of uber productive wedding planning (she’s the bride, i’m the maid of honor) and just good ole’ sister time.

it was, by far, the best weekend ever. and there you have it.

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Oct 16 2008
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so excited

this time tomorrow, i’ll be on a plane to BALTIMORE! the city that claims my heart. i’m headed to adam & bethany’s wedding, which is actually in buffalo, but i’m flying into b’more JUST so i can get an extra 20 hours of quality time (in the car) with my friends. AND i get to do some wedding planning with the lovely christina, due to be married in may! i’m so excited about his weekend, i can hardly stand it!!!! start warming up the beer taps at ropewalk… lau’s coming home.

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