lauren laughs

God is light, but He calls us to be light too… and salt. in chapter 5 of matthew, verses 13 and 14, Jesus tells the crowds, “you are the salt of the earth… you are the light of the world.” were the people Jesus spoke to really living as the salt and light of the world? probably not. Jesus spoke to humanity, the good and the bad. but Jesus could see something in these people and He sees something in us as well. it is our potential. in calling the people salt and light, He was not evaluating them but encouraging them. He was speaking to their potential, and ours as well. “you are the light of the world…” this is what we are called to be. and we’re capable of answering and living that call. if God sees the potential there, then it’s there… we are created in His image. have faith in the potential God has granted you… be light of the world.

and just as God sees potential in us and calls it out, we can encourage one another to realize the potential granted us. this doesn’t mean we should go around telling people what we think they should be or take one another on as projects. but we can speak to one another and treat one another with the potential we see in one another in mind. we can reflect back the light we see in our friends so that they may see their own light as well.

“treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them become what they are capable of becoming.”
~goethe

if you live in charm city or the surrounding areas, you may have noticed a change in your fuel. or maybe you didn’t notice since it won’t affect the performance of your car. basically, the epa has identified certain areas (usually urban centers or coridors between major cities) that must use fuel meeting a higher air quality standard than the fuel used in… say… small town lex vegas. we call this “rfg” or reformulated gasoline. in the past, fuel suppliers were using an additive called mtbe, but have since switched to ethanol for a number of reasons. all you need to know is that ethonol burns cleaner, is less toxic to the environment, is a renewable fuel (usually made from corn, so we can just keep growing more!) and is domestically produced (though we’re getting some from brazil right now too). a 10% blend of ethanol (or E-10) has been approved for use in all vehicles, so you don’t have to make any modifications to your car. pretty seemless transition, eh? you may have seen the “live green go yellow” ads gm has been airing. these vehicles can run on a higher concentration of ethanol (E-85) and therefore do a lot for our environment, our farmers, and our energy independence.

in john 8:12, Jesus says, “i am the light of the world. whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” the greek word for “light” in this passage is “phos” (phi omega sigma) and means light, anything emitting light, or brightness. in chapter 1 of 1 john we read that “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all,” and “if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another.” this is my greatest desire: to seek light and to be light.

i wanted to leave you all with some thoughts before the weekend, but i wasn’t sure what to say. i figured a picture would be a good place to start, so i checked my archives and came up with this little gem. if you’re from around here, you may be able to tell that mags is running around federal hill (note harbor in the background) which dates this pic because mom and maggie both moved to texas a month-ish ago. hmmm… maybe that’s a talking point… though it doesn’t go well with the “lauren laughs” theme. shoot, i’ll do it anyway.

maybe you’re used to living far from your parents, but i’m not. when i broke up with a boy a few years ago, my mom hopped in the car and drove to my place for the weekend… mostly so i wouldn’t have to search for a church on my own (i wasn’t that broken up about the boy). when someone in the family has needed something, we’ve always been able to drop what we’re doing and get to the person in a few hours drive… usually with little to no interruption in the normal routine of work and life.

now i saw my mom a month ago, and that’s do-able, and we’re both peachy. but if i wait until one of us needs the other person, then i’ll have to buy a really expensive last minute plane ticket and probably miss several days of work and school. can i do that? i don’t know… so maybe i need to act preemtively and buy a ticket now even though i don’t feel the need to just yet? and maybe i should plan to get out there before school starts since it’s impossible to travel when it’s in session? but i know mom is coming up here later this summer or fall to pack up her baltimore house… so would that be a prudent use of time and funds considering i will have just spent some time with her. ahhhh… it’s not that any of these thoughts are overwhelming (really, mom… don’t worry as you read this) but they’re just new to me.

but isn’t the pic of maggie the best? ha…

it’s hard to know what pics to post from this weekend (hence the delay). it’s one of those “inside joke” kinda times. but i’m just going to post my favorites since this blog is really about what makes me laugh anyway… haha…general li’s namesake… love for the oc and everyone’s favorite family…the view from dinner on the porch… no, really…. *sigh* legs flying in goshen…brian pre-splash…dad showing how to use a blow torch for creme brulee. yummy. most of the weekend was spent napping, reading, eating, napping, reading, eating, and of course laughing. a big thanks to mike, erin and brian for coming to lex and making the weekend so fun and special. a HUGE thanks to my dad for a beautiful home and delicious food and the best company!! y’all are the poo and a blessing too.

every once in a while, i get out from behind my computer and get to do field work. yesterday my “chief” (who also happens to be “the hammer” noted in previous blogs) and jasmen and i took a field trip to the blackwater national wildlife refuge on the eastern shore. we learned about wetland loss and degradation (blackwater nwr has lost nearly 7,000 acres of wetlands since 1933), proliferation of invasive species, and the fragmentation of fish and wildlife habitats. our office is helping to fund some marsh restoration in part because it will aid with carbon sequestration in the area.

so yesterday we stomped around marsh lands, used gps to map and mark specific points for data collection, and analyzed soil samples. we got to wear great big boots and try not to sink too deep into the mud. it makes really excellent noises.

we saw lots of wildlife too, including a family of bald eagles… personally, i feel a sense of patriotism when i see a bald eagle take flight. apparently others (ehem, my non-southern co-workers) don’t get that same feeling. oh well.

yesterday… out of nowhere… i got a present.what it was or who it was from is not important (at least not for you, my loyal readers… clearly the person is important to me). it was just such a joy to come home to a little package for no particular reason. a reminder that i am indeed a special person and very loved. can you imagine what the world would be like if we all practiced random acts of kindness?

the clipper city (one of the tall ships in the inner harbor) has this amazing deal where you can sail on the ship for two hours, enjoy an abundance of frosty beverages and hot dogs, and then go to the baseball game… all for $35! and the seats were good too! here are jenelle, anna, jamie, laurel and megan… which is only one third of our total group. we were definitely outnumbered by the red sox fans, but we put up a good fight.

after a long and grueling season of loss after loss after loss… shouts of victory rang out from riverside park saturday morning. the other team was so intimidated, they didn’t even show up to play. yes, our one win of the season was from forfeit. minor details. our record: 1-7. but we’re dedicated. and next season will be a winning season. we all celebrated the big W at michelle and erin’s preppy popped collar taco party. delicious. well done, ladies.

thanks uncle lynn and anonymous (mr. stinky pants) for responding to my last question about being a contemporary of Jesus. now i have another for you… what is love? (no need to do the SNL side head bop, thanks). last night marked my final two classes of the philosophy and theology segment at st. john’s. for many weeks now, my preceptorial class (pictured) has discussed love in the context of plato’s dialogues, the Bible, poetry, etc. i enjoyed the discussion thoroughly, and the company too. note mr. kutler’s garland laced with ribbons… reminiscent of the drunken alcibides crowning socrates in symposium.