I’m alive …

For the two of you who read my blog, I promise to return very soon …

Tag

It seems that someone invented a geeked out version of freeze tag for bloggers. My missionary friends Nathan and Amber ”tagged” me. I know this is a little silly, but what the heck. These are the rules:

Each player starts with eight random facts or habits about him or herself.
People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
At the beginning of your blog, mention the person who tagged you. At the end of your post, choose eight people to tag, listing their names.

Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
Okay… Eight random things about me…

1. When I was 8 years old I lived on a small island in Georgia. One day I was riding my scooter and stumbled upon a KKK rally in the street.
2. Everyday, I carry in my pocket a paint chip of my favorite color, Kilz Dandelion Green.
3. In college, I had custody of my 16 year old sister. I took her to school in the mornings and Christa picked her up in the afternoons.
4. As a freshman in high school, I was cut from the soccer team, only to start the next three years. As a senior I became the leading scorer in the district and onced scored 2 goals in overtime to take our school to the state playoffs for the first time ever.
5. I traveled to Banda Aceh, Indonesia, days after the Tsunami struck the region and stood on the very beach it first destroyed there.
6. At my wedding there were 230 people, of which only 36 were from my family including my groomsmen.
7. I eat only one brand of ice cream, Blue Bell.
8. A random group of people saved my life and the lives of two of my friends when I was 13 years old. We were stuck out on a sandbar at the mouth of a river with a rising tide. Knowing of this natural trap, the group came out on jet skis and brought us back to shore minutes before the riptide was to rise above our heads and suck us out to sea.

I tag: The Rhodes Family, Christie Dillard, The Moores

Bigger than selfishness

I’m a selfish person. Paul says in Romans 7:15, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” I feel like in some way I make everything about me in. It really is frustrating.

Recently, a good friend of mine and fellow surfer purchased a new performance board, which is something I have wanted for awhile. I have a fish shape that I bought with my first paycheck after college. I couldn’t wait to buy a new board back then, and have enjoyed it very much. I was happy for my buddy to get the board he wanted and worked hard to purchase, and from here began my mental journey from “want” to “need.” You see, I’ve not surfed much at all since buying my board. I have many thoughts on why this is, but the reasons aren’t important. So, when I decided that I “needed” a new performance board, I began looking online for gently-used boards. I made my way to a local list serve and began clicking on various descriptions of boards. After about 15 different items, I saw a simple description that read, “surfboard.” When I clicked it, it read, “I am looking for surfboards in good shape to use for a Christian ministry. I can do minor repairs if needed. God bless.”

Wow. At this point I had made such a case for why I needed a new performance board, but could I give up the one I already have? This was on my mind for several days. I felt so materialistic, so worldly. I haven’t surfed in more than a year, and in my warped mind I thought:

1. I need a new board.
2. I need to keep my old one.
3. At the end of the summer, I need a wetsuit.

I am not saying that it is wrong to own a board. What I am saying is that I allowed myself, someone who already struggles with selfishness, to value worldly treasures over eternal treasures. Fortunately, further along in Romans 7, Paul says, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Today in the hospital …

For those of you who don’t know, I am currently in school to become a medical speech language pathologist. Right now, I am on an adult acute care rotation, which means lots of time in ICU. We see patients to assess their cognitive and language abilities and assess their overall swallow function (among other things). Anyhow, I had a very interesting March Madness discussion with a 70-year-old patient today.

This patient has dysarthria, which is a speech disorder caused by an injury to the nervous system. So, talking is not easy for him and requires a lot of repetition for anyone to understand him. Since he has been in the hospital for awhile, he asked my supervisor who is in the Final Four. My supervisor went to UNC, and, of course, she is a huge college basketball fan. She asked him to guess where she went to school (with absolutely no hints). Yep, he guessed it. He said that he figured it out by her North Carolina accent. I was impressed … keep in mind, he can barely talk and can’t move on his own. Anyhow, she increased the ante and asked him to guess where I went to school (again, with no hints). He looked at me for about 20 seconds, and squeezed out, “a hokie.” I was shocked! I told him when he gets better, he has a new career to try out

Pt and family interaction is one of my favorite parts of this job. People in the hospital are so interesting, and the way God designed our bodies to heal is so cool. It is awesome to see the way God has encouraged me throughout this endeavor. He is so real, and so good!

In the deep woods

For those of you who know me, you know I love trees. Seriously, I love them. It is no wonder that green is my favorite color (I keep a paint chip of my favorite color green in my pocket to cheer me up). Additionally, I love marsh grass, rivers, Low Country islands, pluff mud, mountains, rainbow trout, etc. Basically, if it is natural and outside, I love it.

This is why I hate cubicles. Hate them! I personally believe that cubicles are the downfall of Man. In my old job, I was trapped in one for a majority of the time. I went crazy. Of note is that this was the time in my life where aches and pains crept in. Yep, cubicles cause chronic pain. No it isn’t b/c I sat this way or that, it was because God designed me to be adventurous and active. I can write about this forever, but that would require sitting in front of the computer rather than being outside

I hope one day to constantly introduce kids, especially those in inner-cities, to the true outdoors. There is nothing like experiencing God in the outdoors. I love to daydream about this …

Anyhow, I want to share a song entitled “My Cathderal” by Chris Rice. I love the words to this song. They really speak to my heart …

“Sweetest days of childhood
Playing in the deep woods
Stomping through the creek and feeling oh so much alive
Camping in the forest
We’d join the cricket chorus
And hum our songs of gratitude around a crackling fire
And out here in the stillness
I found my house of worship
With column trees and canopy of stars
Here in my cathedral

It was beneath the blue skies
I ran down to be baptized
Felt the river wash me clean, and dried beneath the sun
And to this day believing
When wide awake, or dreaming
I scan the ancient sky and understand where I belong
‘Cause out here in the stillness
I find my house of worship
With column trees and canopy of stars
Here in my cathedral

This is where I find my soul
Out where holy men of old
First knelt in soil and thanked You for the rain
Wrote the psalms that fill the air
Herald angels sang their prayer
Out beneath Your darling constellations

So let me often wander
In robin songs and thunder
Surrounding me with stained-glass leaves that change with every breeze
And out here in the stillness
I’ll find my house of worship
With column trees and canopy of stars.”

Praise God for His creation!

New stuff sucks.

That’s right, you’ve read the title correctly. Who needs nice, new objects like the Pet Rock or the Digestive System Puzzle when places like Goodwill stores and freecycle exist for the acquisition of someone elses old stuff. I know, the Pet Rock and Digestive System Puzzle are not high on your list, but come on, they do show how silly people get when it comes to the crap we buy (though for those of you who know me, I’d gladly purchase a nervous system puzzle, even on my tiny student income). Seriously, have you ever stopped to look out how ridiculous we can be with the “new” things we buy just for the sake of buying them? Well, some friends in San Francisco decided to find out how bad their new-item consumption had become by not buying anything new for an entire year. Read about it here.

Basically, this couple and some of their friends, decided to not buy anything new in 2006 with food, essential toiletries, underwear and other items under health and safety categories as the exceptions. They used thrift stores, garage sales and Web sites to get items during this time. A user group of almost 3,000 people has started from this boycott which is named The Compact, after the Mayflower pilgrims.

I have to say that I am tempted to add this to my list of resolutions for 2007. If I do, that would bring my total of resolutions up to one. But, I am hesitant, and I don’t know why. I often tell people that I am not very materialistic, but I don’t know with whom I am comparing myself — certainly not the homeless or poor.

I like what the participants have learned so far. “One of the byproducts of The Compact has been I have a completely different relationship with the things in my life. I appreciate the stuff I have more,” said John Perry, founder of The Compact.

Now that is an appreciation I am willing to purchase.

Interesting …

Since 2004, Target stores banned the Salvation Army ringers at their entrances, stating “We have had an increasing number of solicitation inquiries from non-profit and other groups. To be fair and consistent across the board, we’re making the no-solicitation policy firm.” Initially, a lot of people were unhappy and it made news for about a day or so. Since then, not much has been mentioned. How has this hurt fundraising for the Salvation Army?

In 2003 (the last year Target allowed the ringers), they raised $8 million outside Target stores nationwide. This year, target donated $1 million to the Salvation Army (I wonder if this means they must donate to other non-profits “to be fair and consistent across the board?”). The difference this year alone is $7 million.

More impressive to me though, is the Salvation Army’s responsea at the time. “Target’s been a real generous donor to us in the past,” Jena Hubbard, spokeswoman for the organization’s Northwest Division, said. “We recognize it’s a privilege to stand outside people’s doors. We’re grateful for their support in the past.”

First day of winter and …

I have never been able to ignore the homeless.

Many of you may say the same thing. Whether it is because you have a heart for them or because they annoy you, make you angry, bring feelings of insecurity, etc. I’ll admit, helping a homeless person is a tough balance between assistance and abuse. Many people want to pass a quick buck or two, but fear that their hard-earned money will only further support a habit that made the person homeless to begin with. Another thing that often rings true is the fact that not long after a run-in with the homeless, we forget about them. We go on with our needs (which are usually just wants) minutes, maybe seconds, afterward. Have you ever thought about what happens to the homeless when they die? Do they have a funeral? Is anyone notified?

Well, not only is today the first day of winter (which means nothing here in Charleston since it is still spring weather outside), but it is National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day. I know, I’ve never hear of it either, which is almost appropriate, don’t you think? I mean most of us ignore the homeless when they’re alive, so why care when they die?

The National Homeless Person’s Memorial Day is designed to bring attention to homelessness and to remember those who died homeless. Many cities, including Charleston, are holding memorials for those who’ve passed away this year and to recommit to ending homelessness. You can read about Charleston’s service here.

Tonight is the longest night of the year. But, hopefully, for those still living on the streets, the memorial will provide them the oppotunity to not only remember their friends, but to show those of us who forget, that they need us.

Everybody’s Doing It

Well, wordpress is the latest craze in blogging, and so far I love it. It is very clean and relatively user friendly (which for those of you who know me, know that ease of use is crucial). I am recommitting to my responsibilites as a blogger. I will blog in a bit about something really awesome that happened yesterday.

Don’t just sit there.

Recently, I read about a book entitled 101 Things You Should Do Before Going to Heaven, and it got me thinking about making a list of things to do on Earth before I go to heaven. Christa and I are creating a list together and individually. However, our list will not only be about things we desire for ourselves, but one that incorporates truly living through loving and serving others with the hope of leaking the Gospel to others. A great guide for designing this list may be found in these vereses. I have included a few ideas below, and hope you will add some additional ideas in the comments section.

Give away something valuable
When our washing machine, which is on the 2nd floor, flooded our home, Christa and I realized how blessed we are to have a home, esp. one with a solid roof. While dealing with the incident, our “valuables” remained in storage. It taught us that most of the things we own are not only a blessing, but do not really mean anything. Think about it, if your home were to catch on fire, what would you reach for? What would you desire if you only had a few minutes to save some items? Now flip this … What would be burned? Would the items lost really matter? Think about taking one of those items, which has worldly value, and giving it up for someone who needs it (or sell the item and give someone, like a missionary, the money). After all, it would be an awesome thing to take something that has worldly value and give it eternal value!

Change churches for one Sunday
I have been thinking about this a lot lately. I have a passion for seeing Seacoast expand into lower socioecomic communities, but, though I have spent some time in these neighborhoods, I have never attended a church in these communities. I often drive by these churches admiring them for being where they are — it has to be tough to survive financially with the majority of the congregation being poor. However, God blesses them. These are the types of churches Jesus would visit if He came to Charleston today. Plus, Jesus often encouraged them in His Word.

Take a homeless person to lunch
Even as I type this, I get nervous. All kinds of excuses run through my head, but they are just that, excuses. Besides, who do you think will be more nervous, you or the homeless person? Jesus said that he came to preach the good news to the poor, and He continually encourages them … So, shouldn’t we? I have a feeling that spending some time with a homeless individual will prove to be an amazing time of love rather than simply a time of charity. Besides, how cool would it be to run into this person in heaven?!?

Discover your life verse
Ever since I was a little kid, my grandmother reminded me of my life verse. For each of her grandchildren, she prayed that God would lead her to a verse that she could give us as our life verse. I never thought much about it until I could no longer ignore God’s call. When I finally started giving my life back to God, those verses became my strength and continually resonanted in my heart and mind. God’s Word became real to me through the Spirit, and He knew it long before. Spend some time in God’s word and pray that God may lead you to your life verse … you can do this by …

Spending an entire day with God