Yesterday I experienced my first county fair. To be more precise, I attended the longest running country fair in the state of Indiana! Here is a list of my accomplishments (and yes, I'm calling them accomplishments) for the night:
1) Rode ghetto carnival rides. I went with Christine, and she was telling me about how usually she sees duct tape on the rides. This year there was no duct tape, so I decided to "man-up" and go on three rides. She wouldn't let me go on the dinosaur ride though...probably because I would intimidate all the little kids on it. But I did ride two rides that went really fast in a circle and a Ferris Wheel.
2) Drank a Lemon Shake-Up. Do you like lemon when you order water at restaurants? Well, I do not. However, it seems that most of the time when I order a water, the waiter/waitress shows up to the table with a lemon in my drink. Last night though, I tried this drink where they shake up freshly squeezed lemon with some water and sugar. It tasted more like lemonade than lemon water, and it was really refreshing!
3) Watched a Demolition Car Derby. Nothing can really beat bumper cars...except bumper cars with no bumpers! I never thought I could get so excited about seeing cars run into each other time and time again until their car quits working. There were people above me that were having so much fun that four policemen had to come settle them down.
4) Watched People. Okay, I know this sounds a tad creepy, but everyone does it! People watching is America's 2nd Pastime (next to Baseball, of course). I'm going to try and not sound mean...but there were some interesting people out at the fair! There were three categories of "The Fair People": 1) People who live for the Fair; 2) People who live and go to the Fair; 3) People who make a living at the Fair (a.k.a. carnies). My personal favorite group of people to watch is group number one. These people wait all year long in anticipation for the week-long festivities. As Christine pointed out, these people probably pick out their outfit for the night in the dark with their eyes closed. I would like to think i fit into group number two. Now I would like to point out that there is no hierarchy of "The Fair People." So just because I am in group number two, it does not make me better than #1 or #3 people. With that said, I can move onto the last group...The Carnies. There was a vast array of people working at the fair. For instance, there was a cranky old man who was in charge of the Ferris Wheel. He almost bit off Christine's head because she was being to "slow" getting into her seat. There was another man sitting at a booth that was selling swords that lit up. He kept yelling at people to move away from his tent because they were blocking his customers...I didn't see one person buy one of the swords all night. Then there was the skee-ball man, who unfortunately, had a microphone. He would try to encourage people to try his game so that they could win a prize, but his voice was a little different. The best I can describe it is the voice of Jim Varney, who played Ernest (i.e. Ernest Scared Stupid, Ernest Goes to Camp), but in a higher pitched voice. All in all, the people watching was stupendous
5) Watching a Lawn Mower Derby. Earlier i said that there is nothing better than bumper cars without bumpers. Well, I would like to recant my earlier statement and replace it with watching guys in a lawn mower demolition derby is the best. And by guys, I actually mean girl, because the lone female entry in the derby won! Basically, the point of the derby was to disengage people off of their lawn mower, and the last person standing (I mean sitting) wins! One lawn mower even caught on fire, and a bunch of firemen rushed into the arena and put it out. It was amazing!
So as you can see, Going to the fair is probably one of the smartest decisions I have ever made. And if you have never been to a county fair, I strongly suggest you get up out of your seat and drive to the nearest fair. It is that awesome.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Hooray for Louse Day!
There was a day in my childhood that I looked forward to going to school. When i was in elementary school, I actually hated to go to school. I don't know if it was because I wasn't as good as the other kids at reading or because I loved being at home, but whatever the reason, I would do anything to stay home from school. However, there was one day of the year that I looked forward to with great anticipation. I would jump out of bed with a smile on my face, shove 2 brown sugar cinnamon toasterstrudels down my throat, run to the bus stop, and wait not-so-patiently for bus number 46 to take me to McEachron Elementary.
So what could possibly get 8-year-old Charlie so excited to go to school? It wasn't the annual Halloween parade where all the students would parade throughout the school showing off their costume (I'm pretty sure I was a vampire 3 out of my 5 years there). Nor was it the school carnival, talent show, pancake feed, or a field trip to the Topeka History Museum. It was...Lice Check Day.
There are three things I love in this world unconditionally: Jesus, Mom (this includes her homemade chocolate chip cookies...and the rest of my family), and Lice day. Let me take you through the Lice-checking process. First of all, Lice (or the singular version, louse) are small wingless insects that are scavengers of human skin and other debris found on the body. There are three different types of lice that live on humans, and the one they check for in school is head lice. So back to the process of checking lice at school. The school nurse would dismiss each class one at a time, and they would line up right outside her office for his or her turn to be checked. I can remember sitting in my classroom watching students walk down the hall to the nurse's office and being very jealous and anxious for my turn. Finally, it would be my class's turn, and I, of course, would run to the front of the line to lead my classmates.
As I stepped in the nurse's room, I would sit down on a stool and wait for the magic to begin. With gloves on her hands, the nurse would grab something that looked like a baton a conductor would use to lead a symphony. And I can almost swear that I heard beautiful music playing as she gently began to orchestrate with her baton a search through my scalp looking for any disgusting louse (remember...this is singular for lice). It was a moment of ecstasy that was over as soon as it began, as I hear her say, "He's clean. Next." I'm proud to say that during my entire elementary career, those were the only words I ever heard on Lice Day, but i think i secretly wanted her to say, "Uh oh. We got a code red." Then for the next hour she would have to just go through my scalp with her baton looking for lice...that would feel so good. But that isn't probably how it would go, so I'm grateful I was lice-free.
Looking back on Lice Day, I remember looking forward for something that wasn't going to last long. So here is the moral of the story: We all need to build time machines so we can go back into time once a week and do Lice Day.
Oh, and I here is a great sermon by Kyle Idleman on sexual temptaion...listen to it!
So what could possibly get 8-year-old Charlie so excited to go to school? It wasn't the annual Halloween parade where all the students would parade throughout the school showing off their costume (I'm pretty sure I was a vampire 3 out of my 5 years there). Nor was it the school carnival, talent show, pancake feed, or a field trip to the Topeka History Museum. It was...Lice Check Day.
There are three things I love in this world unconditionally: Jesus, Mom (this includes her homemade chocolate chip cookies...and the rest of my family), and Lice day. Let me take you through the Lice-checking process. First of all, Lice (or the singular version, louse) are small wingless insects that are scavengers of human skin and other debris found on the body. There are three different types of lice that live on humans, and the one they check for in school is head lice. So back to the process of checking lice at school. The school nurse would dismiss each class one at a time, and they would line up right outside her office for his or her turn to be checked. I can remember sitting in my classroom watching students walk down the hall to the nurse's office and being very jealous and anxious for my turn. Finally, it would be my class's turn, and I, of course, would run to the front of the line to lead my classmates.
As I stepped in the nurse's room, I would sit down on a stool and wait for the magic to begin. With gloves on her hands, the nurse would grab something that looked like a baton a conductor would use to lead a symphony. And I can almost swear that I heard beautiful music playing as she gently began to orchestrate with her baton a search through my scalp looking for any disgusting louse (remember...this is singular for lice). It was a moment of ecstasy that was over as soon as it began, as I hear her say, "He's clean. Next." I'm proud to say that during my entire elementary career, those were the only words I ever heard on Lice Day, but i think i secretly wanted her to say, "Uh oh. We got a code red." Then for the next hour she would have to just go through my scalp with her baton looking for lice...that would feel so good. But that isn't probably how it would go, so I'm grateful I was lice-free.
Looking back on Lice Day, I remember looking forward for something that wasn't going to last long. So here is the moral of the story: We all need to build time machines so we can go back into time once a week and do Lice Day.
Oh, and I here is a great sermon by Kyle Idleman on sexual temptaion...listen to it!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
I am trying to "Let Go My Eg(g)o"
Well I have been pretty apathetic when it comes to writing a new blog in the past week. I have literally opened up a window to write a new blog about 3 times, but I have never actually written anything. So here is my feeble attempt to get something written.
The name of the dad at the house I am staying with this year is Pat. He is quite a guy. He leads his family by example, and he will be the first to tell you that it wasn't always that way. When he first met his wife, his heart was hard towards God and refused to live for Him. However, Jesus grabbed a hold of his heart (and wife did a little tugging herself) and Pat is a completely different man now who loves his God.
Every Sunday night, Pat plays basketball in his backyard with a couple of his buddies. He has been doing this for about 30 years! He calls it his "mission field." You see, the types of guys that come out to play are just like the kind of guy Pat used to be thirty years ago. These guys cheat on their wives, they live for worldly pleasure, and Pat still loves them. Of course, there is the occasional "That wasn't a foul!" or "Your foot was on the line," but Pat still shows them Christ's love through conversation. He is always asking them how their families are doing or what is going on in their lives. And there is only one rule..."No Cussing." However, that rule is not always followed to the "T".
The first guy that always shows up is a man named Mike. He is about 58 years old, and he can straight up play basketball. He actually played for Coach Rupp at Kentucky University, and he went on to have a short career with the Indiana Pacers. The county prosecutor also shows up to play some basketball. There is a sixty-year-old guy who is nicknamed "Shake." I still don't know what his real name is...There is a man named Gary, who is deaf. He is not actually allowed to play any more, because he was playing too physical. So now he just comes for the community and watches everyone play. There are other guys who come to play too. There is Don, Steve, Wes, and still others.
I just thought I'd share with you guys what I do on a Sunday night. Its pretty simple and good exercise. Most of the guys that play are older and pretty good at basketball, so I guess you could say my ego gets a good dosage of humility every Sunday night on the court.
The name of the dad at the house I am staying with this year is Pat. He is quite a guy. He leads his family by example, and he will be the first to tell you that it wasn't always that way. When he first met his wife, his heart was hard towards God and refused to live for Him. However, Jesus grabbed a hold of his heart (and wife did a little tugging herself) and Pat is a completely different man now who loves his God.
Every Sunday night, Pat plays basketball in his backyard with a couple of his buddies. He has been doing this for about 30 years! He calls it his "mission field." You see, the types of guys that come out to play are just like the kind of guy Pat used to be thirty years ago. These guys cheat on their wives, they live for worldly pleasure, and Pat still loves them. Of course, there is the occasional "That wasn't a foul!" or "Your foot was on the line," but Pat still shows them Christ's love through conversation. He is always asking them how their families are doing or what is going on in their lives. And there is only one rule..."No Cussing." However, that rule is not always followed to the "T".
The first guy that always shows up is a man named Mike. He is about 58 years old, and he can straight up play basketball. He actually played for Coach Rupp at Kentucky University, and he went on to have a short career with the Indiana Pacers. The county prosecutor also shows up to play some basketball. There is a sixty-year-old guy who is nicknamed "Shake." I still don't know what his real name is...There is a man named Gary, who is deaf. He is not actually allowed to play any more, because he was playing too physical. So now he just comes for the community and watches everyone play. There are other guys who come to play too. There is Don, Steve, Wes, and still others.
I just thought I'd share with you guys what I do on a Sunday night. Its pretty simple and good exercise. Most of the guys that play are older and pretty good at basketball, so I guess you could say my ego gets a good dosage of humility every Sunday night on the court.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Listening to Christian Music out of Guilt
(This is a Blog post I just submitted to Stuff Christians Like Blog)
Christian music from the 60's and 70's was...okay. Nothing can beat great hits like Larry Norman's "I wished We'd All Been Ready" and Petra's "Judas' Kiss", right? Wrong. The secular music industry with The Temptations and The Beatles were sitting atop the throne of music during that era. Living almost two generations later, I can see that nothing has changed. The Christian music industry is still chasing behind those darn secular musical groups.
I bring this up because Christians love to secretly listen to secular music, and then out of guilt switching the station to the local K-Love. I have a co-worker who is a great Christian lady, but she loves secular music. She just doesn't enjoy listening to Christian music, and I judge her from time to time. I yell things at her like "Pagan" or "Heathen," but she knows it is all in good fun. This lady feels no guilt. Unfortunately, I cannot live life the same way. Every time I get done listening (and dancing...another Christian faux pas) to Black Eyed Peas or Justin Timberlake, this overwhelming guilt looms over me and urges me to listen something Spiritual and Christian.
I have a friend, who as a little child, who experienced this very thing. She had a small radio in her room, and she would listen to Britney Spears and The Back Street Boys. Her mom would come into her room and reprimand her for listening to ungodly music and make her turn the radio to a Christian station. After a little bit, my friend began to understand the system. She would be dancing (its okay...she has been saved since then) to the "bad" music until she heard her mother's footsteps. Quickly she would change her radio to the Christian station, and sit down in front of the radio just bobbing her head with the music.
What my friend learned when she was younger, I have failed to learn at the ripe age of twenty-two. The location is not my room but my car. When I am by myself in the car, I listen to the secular radio station, and I usually remember to change my radio to the Christian station before I get out of the car to make it appear I'm holy in my music listening. However, I forget from time to time and I get some weird looks, and I know what they are thinking in their heads..."you, Pagan" or "This guy is a Heathen."
I know guilt should not be the sole reason for listening to Christian music, but it is great motivation. Forget Katy Perry, Eminem, and Lady Gaga and bring on David Crowder and Chris Tomlin...at least until there is no one around.
And just to let everyone know...I am listening to Hillsong right now as I write this.
Christian music from the 60's and 70's was...okay. Nothing can beat great hits like Larry Norman's "I wished We'd All Been Ready" and Petra's "Judas' Kiss", right? Wrong. The secular music industry with The Temptations and The Beatles were sitting atop the throne of music during that era. Living almost two generations later, I can see that nothing has changed. The Christian music industry is still chasing behind those darn secular musical groups.
I bring this up because Christians love to secretly listen to secular music, and then out of guilt switching the station to the local K-Love. I have a co-worker who is a great Christian lady, but she loves secular music. She just doesn't enjoy listening to Christian music, and I judge her from time to time. I yell things at her like "Pagan" or "Heathen," but she knows it is all in good fun. This lady feels no guilt. Unfortunately, I cannot live life the same way. Every time I get done listening (and dancing...another Christian faux pas) to Black Eyed Peas or Justin Timberlake, this overwhelming guilt looms over me and urges me to listen something Spiritual and Christian.
I have a friend, who as a little child, who experienced this very thing. She had a small radio in her room, and she would listen to Britney Spears and The Back Street Boys. Her mom would come into her room and reprimand her for listening to ungodly music and make her turn the radio to a Christian station. After a little bit, my friend began to understand the system. She would be dancing (its okay...she has been saved since then) to the "bad" music until she heard her mother's footsteps. Quickly she would change her radio to the Christian station, and sit down in front of the radio just bobbing her head with the music.
What my friend learned when she was younger, I have failed to learn at the ripe age of twenty-two. The location is not my room but my car. When I am by myself in the car, I listen to the secular radio station, and I usually remember to change my radio to the Christian station before I get out of the car to make it appear I'm holy in my music listening. However, I forget from time to time and I get some weird looks, and I know what they are thinking in their heads..."you, Pagan" or "This guy is a Heathen."
I know guilt should not be the sole reason for listening to Christian music, but it is great motivation. Forget Katy Perry, Eminem, and Lady Gaga and bring on David Crowder and Chris Tomlin...at least until there is no one around.
And just to let everyone know...I am listening to Hillsong right now as I write this.
Monday, July 5, 2010
A Collision into Collide
Today, my good friend Cody Walker shared with me some important information. As we were watching The A-Team in the theater, he leaned over to me and showed me what someone had tweeted. The tweet read, "In 'Back to the Future,' Doc sets the clock in the DeLorean to a day 25 years in the future. Today is that day." Interesting? Oh yea. Besides learning about Back to the Future, I received some revelation after watching The A-Team. If the bad guys would just learn to aim when they were shooting, theatrical productions would only last about 5 minutes. But I thought the movie was pretty interesting, so I'm glad Liam Neeson and Rampage Jackson seemed to dodge the bad guy's bullets with ease.
I just got off the phone with my good buddy, David Heffren. He is spending the summer in Corvalis, Oregon. From what he has told me, it sounds like he is having a great time in the Northwest. The other day I was reading his blog, and I noticed that he had changed up the background of his blog, so I decided to do the same. I might not envy his curly hair, glasses or guitar playing skills, but I do covet his writing ability. He doesn't know this yet, but I am writing the foreword to his first and fourth books he is going to write. So check out his blog...it is worth it.
But on a Serious Note, I love God and the way He moves in students' lives. I just got back from CIY's Move conference in Holland, Michigan. It was blast getting to know the 29 high school students and six leaders I was able to minister alongside. The week was full of 12 inch ice cream cones, sunburns from the beach, sore arms from playing Red Rover on the beach, learning God's word, and lots of laughs.
You can learn somethings about a person by hanging out with them once a week, but it is something totally different when you spend an entire week with that person from 8 in the morning until 10:30 that night. There is just something to laughing and crying with someone that really accelerates the process of friendship. And this week past was full of crying and laughing. The high school group at Southeast is called Collide. I have only been at the church for about four weeks, so I have not had the chance to get to know these students that well. So I guess you could say that I had a collision with the Collide group this week.
I had the blessing to hangout with high school students for the week, and I met some awesome students. I met a kid named Nick who would not quit trying to take me down with some wrestling move. The first day of the trip, we went to Cedar Point, a huge roller coaster park in Ohio. I'm proud to say that I actually rode 4 different roller coasters! But the day was kind of sad because it rained off and on all day, and because of the rain, puddles accumulated on the walking paths. During the afternoon, Nick asked if he could have a drink of my pink lemonade, and I handed him my cup thinking I was doing something very nice for this young guy I barely knew. As soon as I handed him my cup, he throws the lemonade all over me. He thought this was pretty humorous, but I found it to be a little uncomfortable. So i thought I would make him feel uncomfortable, and I picked him up and threw him into a puddle. Its been a blossoming friendship ever since.
I also was able to get to know another guy that was in my small group throughout the week. His name is Shane, and he reminds me a lot of myself when I was his age. He is pretty athletic and all the ladies like him. Okay, the only thing we have in common is that we are athletic. But Shane's honest heart was very refreshing this week. We were able to talk throughout the week, and I had so much fun hanging out with him. He knows he tends to let his pride get in the way of his relationship with Christ, and he wants to be able become less so Christ might become more in his life. At the end of the week, he came up to me, and he asked if I would mentor him this next year. This blew me away!!! I am humbled to be asked to mentor Shane, and I cannot wait to see how Christ works through me to mold this young man's life.
There were so many other great students I got to know on this trip, but there is not enough time to tell them all to you. There was Jabriel, a.k.a. Mr. Alright; Emile, who shared the most insightful and genuine comments all week; and Nicolette who wouldn't quit smiling even when she threw up :( Like I said, I love all of the students I met, and I'm sure I will be posting more stories about these guys the more I get to know them. I love my Collide Family!
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