The Unexpected Evolution of a Day

Things change - a reality more often than not. It's amazing how plans can be altered with one phone call... or in the case of yesterday 90 missed calls + 1 received.

After I woke up Katie to get ready for the movie, my phone (which had been sitting in my shorts on vibrate at the foot of the bed) started buzzing. It was Kelly, Katie's sister. She had been trying to get ahold of us for about 3 hours. Katie's mom was in the hospital having an apendectomy. In a flash, we were both dressed and headed down to IU Medical Center in downtown Indianapolis - where we proceeded to stay for the next 10+ hours.

I'm a pretty flexible person. I can go with the flow most of the time, and this was definitely one of those times that flexibility was the order of the day. We sat with her mom all day long, even though, as I told Gloria, "You're really boring after surgery." She was in and out most of the day... mostly out. It's amazing what a little morphine can do. We are hoping that she'll be able to go home today.

Katie is taking a personal day, and is doing some work on her laptop at home. Unfortunately, I can't do the same. I have about 3 meetings all before noon today, and I have some big events to get ready for in the next couple of weeks, not to mention follow-up phone calls and appointments to schedule. That's the thing about being gone for half the month - there's so much more work to do, and I was about worthless from 1:30pm on Monday, so I didn't get nearly as much done as I was hoping.

Anyway. Still haven't seen The Dark Knight. Still have to do some cleaning for the people that are staying the night tonight. Still have to decide what to do about dinner. Oh, and by the way, Chris Carpenter is starting for the Cardinals tonight. We'll see how he looks. His return could be far better than any trade that they could have made at this point. Now, if only Wainwright would come back, Mulder would get back to form and Clement would get healthy....

A Day Off?

I haven't had one of those in a few weeks, but today, Katie and I both have the day off, and we are going to take full advantage of it. "So," I hear you thinking, "what does a pastor do on his day off?" Well, I'm glad you asked! Here's the lowdown.

I slept in until about 7:30am this morning. It was a struggle to stay in bed that late, but I finally stopped fighting it and decided to get on the computer and made my morning rounds.

First, I checked my email - very important to clear out those 20 messages of spam every morning... otherwise, you end up with 185 spam messages, just like I did when we got back home from our mission trip to Texas.

Next I got on Facebook - after all, I'm an important person, and people want to be my friend. Not to mention that I have 3 applications to decline this morning. I don't really like the Facebook applications all that much. They tend to clutter up my profile.

While I was on Facebook, I decided to pull up Peggle Deluxe 1.01. It's an exciting game. Kinda like pinball in some sense. It's addicting, and I'm already an uber-grand-master-champion-of-the-world, but I still play.

Next, I check out my Bloglines. It's a blog reader that helps to organize all of the blogs that I read semi-frequently into one easy window. I usually have quite a few blogs to read in the morning; only about 6 today.

In a few minutes, I think I'll go wake up Katie. Maybe I'll make breakfast, then wake up Katie. I don't know; haven't decided yet. In about an hour, we're going to go see The Dark Knight. Yes, at 10am, we are going to go to the movie theater. We thought about seeing it on the IMAX, but then decided that it would be best to save the extra $5.25/person and see it on a regular screen instead. I'm pumped about this movie. I've been waiting to see it since the closing scene of Batman Begins.

After we return from the movie, we're going to clean the house. We have some old friends coming to visit with us on Wednesday. We haven't seen them in probably 6 years - since the day after our wedding. They live in Michigan, and they're headed down to Texas to pick up their kids, who have been staying with the grandparents this summer.

At some point, I believe we're also heading down to the southside of Indy to visit with my family for a while. My sister is having a baby, and I guess Katie is going to go with her to register. Not too sure what I'll be doing, but I'm sure it'll be fun.

Okay, I've apparently spent so much time writing, that I'm down to the final ticks before it's time to get ready for the movie.

That is all.

Carthage, Texas

I know that so many people out there are already familiar with this town, but somehow, in my extensive travels, I have managed to miss it. Afterall, who hasn't been to the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame and Tex Ritter museum? Well, actually, I still haven't been there, even though I drove past it multiple times over the course of four days last week.

On Saturday, July 19th at 9:30am, the Emmanuel UMC youth group met to travel to the marvelous town. It was a two day peripatetic adventure that covered nearly 1000 miles, followed by a six day sojourn, and a return two day trek. Yes, somehow, that was squeezed into merely 8 glorious days. Big thanks to Lakewood UMC in Little Rock, Arkansas for putting us up on the 19th and the 25th as we journeyed to and fro about the region.

How do you sum up a mission trip that impacted so many young people? Quite frankly, I don't know. I was so proud of our youth group last week. They worked their tails off, avoided major issues during our time in Carthage, and got along for the most part. The week ended with a great service on Thursday night, which caused a mini-revival amongst our youth. It was amazing to see them all pray for one another, and to do so without the prompting of the adult leaders. The question now remains, "What's next?" We cannot go back to life as normal. We cannot ignore the things that happened on this trip. We have to be able to bring it home, to make it real throughout the Noblesville/Fishers community. My prayer now is that the fire doesn't die; that life as normal is no longer good enough, and that I can help to lead these youth, who are so fired up for God, to the next level in their life of faith.

Hopefully, we'll be able to post some reflections about the trip by some of our youth in the next couple of weeks on our youth ministry blog here. I've already uploaded a video there from the trip. It's hilarious. I suggest you check it out.

Softball

I love playing slow-pitch softball. I played for all 8 semesters that I went through seminary. Most of the people that I met on my own were because of intramural softball. I've played in just about every weather condition - sweltering heat, freezing cold, dead grass, rain-soaked grass, perfect crisp nights - you name it and I've probably played in it or something close. (I've never played in the snow, but I did play when it was about 40 degrees outside.)


My fitness goals are measured in terms of my softball playing abilities. One semester, I wanted to be in shape enough to go from first to third without getting winded. I accomplished it by the end of the semester... then promptly lost it before the end of the next semester. I had a rough night once, and that night has forever shaped my approach to softball equipment.


We were playing an exhibition game before the season officially started. I think it was actually at the end of the summer - we'd still get together and play on Wednesday evenings just because we loved the game that much. I was on second base and one of my teammates hit the ball into a gap in the outfield. I was running hard for home, and I knew that the throw was coming. My instincts took over, and I slid into home... wearing shorts... and tennis shoes. As you can imagine, this was not the best idea. I ended up tearing up the right side of my right shin - completely. However, I'm no wuss, and I kept playing.

In the outfield later that game, somebody hit the ball in my direction. I take off through the dewy night and stop to catch the ball on a hop. Remember that part earlier in which I said that I was wearing tennis shoes? Well, my body stopped, but my feet kept on sliding through the wet grass. I fell backwards and smacked the back of my head on the ground.

The next day I wake up with a severely stiff neck and an infected leg. It was on that day that I decided I might need baseball socks... and cleats. Sadly, I have since moved on, and only on rare occasions to I get to bust out this fine equipment. However, I have a scar on my leg to remind me to wear my baseball socks. Yeah, so they come up past my knees and they're black. I feel like and old man that is going out to get the paper whenever I'm walking around with them on before a game. But I know that they are important... and I'm bigger than most of the people that would make fun of me for wearing them in the first place....

Summer of the Movies

I've seen a fair amount of movies this summer. This is a relatively big deal for me. In the last four years living in Wilmore, living on a seminary employee's & student's retail paychecks, my wife and I have not gone to a lot of movies. Sure we saw a handful in those four years - Return of the King, Cars, the Benchwarmers, Batman Begins, the Holiday, 300 and I'm sure a few more along that way that I can't think of right now, but that is just a handful of movies in four years. This summer, I have already been to at least three movies, and I'd like to see at least a couple more before the summer is up. Here's what I've seen so far:

Wall-E
Very interesting movie. I wonder how many people at the theater realized that they were being slapped in the face with its dig on our over-reliance on technology and total disregard for the environment. I thought about that quite a bit as I sat back, ate my Sour Patch Kids and drank my soda, then threw it all in the trash...

Get Smart
I was interested in seeing this movie for the sole reason that Steve Carell is in it. I find him to be absolutely hilarious. The Office is one of my favorite shows, and I was looking forward to his unique form of comedy coupled with some pretty good action. I wasn't disappointed. This movie had me laughing throughout, and the action sequences were pretty cool. Bill Murray had a cameo that had me rollin' in the aisle... not literally, that would make too much of a scene, but I was laughing for a few minutes after his bit was done.

Hancock
This was the blockbuster-Will Smith-Fourth of July release for the summer, and overall it doesn't disappoint. I will say that for a PG-13, I thought the language was a bit strong; however, I don't believe it was frivilous cussing for the sake of cussing, which you will see in so many movies these days. I think it was a very subtle way of showing the depths to which Hancock had sunk in his booze-filled, careless, selfish way of life. Without giving too much away, Hancock encounters a person who believes in him and wants to help reshape his public image. When finally somebody takes the time to care about him, he starts to shape up. He voluntarily goes to prison and turns things around. After he turns that corner in his life, his language is significantly better. Some people, usually those of a less than desirable personality, continue to cuss throughout the rest of the film, but it is significant to note that Hancock does not - at least not nearly as bad. It is a story of redemption, and it's worth wading through the muck at the beginning.

As the summer draws to a close, there is one more movie that I want to see while it is still on the big screen: The Dark Knight. I saw Batman Begins in the theater with a friend of mine that I worked with at the time, and every since the closing scene, I've eagerly been anticipating the release of the next movie. The previews have yet to do anything to unwind that eagerness to see it. The bad thing is that I don't have time to see it before I head off to Texas with my youth group for a mission trip. I guess that's going to have to wait a couple weeks.

Wading Through the Muck

I'm in the process of reviewing our Sunday school materials right now, and I've come to a grim realization. There is a lot of crap for curriculum out there right now. It's like people believe things need to be flashy and bright in order to appeal to Jr. High students (or even Sr. High students in some cases). I don't ask for much - just give me some straightforward material that engages students and draws them closer to Jesus.

I mean, really, if I can't figure my way through the Teacher's guide (and I have a Masters degree's worth of theological training under my belt) then there are some major issues with your materials. If I have to get $5000 dollars worth of artsy materials, forget it. I know that people learn in different ways, but really, I don't need to bring sixteen items to my Sunday school class to learn about Scripture.

Okay, I think that's enough venting for now. Back to work...

Random Thoughts on Mendoza and the All Star Game

I'm an NL guy. I like the game better in the National League. There's more strategy involved, more thinking. The game is still an art, not a bash-fest. Yeah, so, pitchers can't hit. Big deal. I don't care quite frankly. Some of them can. Some of them can handle a bat well enough to move a runner over and set the table for the top of the order. But let's face it. There are a lot of players that can't hit - not just pitchers. Ever hear of the Mendoza line? The "Mendoza line" is a term that was coined for a shortstop that played for the Pirates, Mariners and Rangers. In 1979, Mario Mendoza hit a paltry .198. Cory Patterson of the Cincinnati Reds is hitting a pathetic .191 in 199 AB's this season. Compare that with Carlos Zambrano of the Chicago Cubs, who is a pitcher that is hitting .352 right now. Who would you rather watch at the plate? But I digress...

I always root for the NL in the All Star Game. In reality, it doesn't really matter who wins the game. Yes, now they are playing for home field advantage in the World Series, but really, do you think that Aaron Cook or Joakim Soria were thinking about playing the World Series in their home park in the 10th inning last night? Let's face it, the Rockies and the Royals aren't playing in the World Series this year. No, this game is about old-fashioned pride. It's about showing which league has the best talent. It's an exhibition game that ultimately doesn't matter. It's fun to see this year's best all playing on one field, and it is always exciting to have a close game. But in the end, nobody is getting another W or L. Nobody is building on their all time home run leader status. It's fun, it's exciting, it's the way the game is supposed to be played.

Josh Hamilton and the Grace of God

Have you heard the story of Josh Hamilton? The link is a story that Josh told to one of ESPN's writers, and it was written about this time last season. Since then, Hamilton was traded to the Rangers and has become one of the biggest and best stories in baseball. Two years ago, when he had just started breaking into the big leagues with the Reds, he had a dream that he was in the Home Run derby at Yankee Stadium. Last night, he was, and he went on a tear. I mean a serious tear; one that nobody in the history of the game has ever been on. He destroyed the previous mark of 24 HR's in a single round; hitting 13 in a row at one point, and finishing with 28.

Hamilton didn't end up winning the derby, but there is no doubt that it was his night. Never before has a crowd gotten so much behind a single player (who wasn't representing the home team) in the derby. But his story is phenomenal. It is a story that brings hope to those who are in the darkest of places; mired in the depths of addiction. And perhaps what seals the deal for me is that Hamilton is not using this as a stage for himself, but as a stage to give all the praise to God. He could very easily enjoy the limelight and talk about himself, but every opportunity that I have had to hear him speak, he has given all of the praise to God. And that is amazing.

Excited about a Bible?

I don't get excited very often. When the Cardinals won the World Series in 2006, I was on the phone with my dad and when the final out was recorded, I merely smiled and raised my fist (into the ceiling... we had a really low ceiling in that place...) in victory - as if I really had anything to do with it in the first place. When the Colts won the Super Bowl, I was happy. Well, kinda, they beat my other favorite team to do it. When I received the news that I was going to be the associate pastor at my current church, after months of uncertainty, I was relieved and slightly scared. However, I found something today that got me excited.

There are about 10,734 different versions of the Bible in print right about now. Now, I don't know that for a fact, but it sounds about right. Far and away, my favorite is the English Standard Version (ESV). Every time I've translated Scripture from the Greek, the ESV has always been the closest to what I have translated. Yes, I do look at my Greek New Testament from time to time. I just found out today that the ESV is coming out with an uber-deluxe study Bible, due out in October. This thing looks amazing! Cross-references, study notes, pictures, maps, articles, introductions... I can hardly contain myself!!!! I don't typically have a Christmas list, but this year I do, and there is one thing on it.

I guess of all the things in the world to get excited about, the Bible is certainly one thing that most people don't get excited about too often, and that's a shame. The best-selling book of all time, the most influential book of all time, and the book that has had the biggest impact on history, and yet, most people don't care too much about it. I guess this just goes to show that there is a lot of work left to do. So hurry up, and get me a copy of this for Christmas... or Halloween. We don't get enough Halloween gifts around here...

The Paradox of Exhaustion

I'm tired. I'm always tired. I feel like I'm going, and going, and going, but I'm not the Energizer bunny. Katie and I got back about noon thirty yesterday afternoon from taking our youth group to Spirit Song. We also had some great adult leaders join us on this trip, and a relatively small group of youth this year - only 9 ended up going.

For those that don't know, Spirit Song is a Christian music festival at Kings Island. Now, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I'm an introvert. Don't confuse that with being shy. I am shy at times, but I need to have some alone time on a pretty frequent basis. So imagine me being surrounded by people from 9am on Thursday morning until 12:30pm on Sunday afternoon - I'll save you the math, it's 72.5 hours straight of being surrounded by people. For somebody that needs to recharge on a semi-daily basis, that is a long, long time.

To top it off, at last count, I had something like 437 blisters on my feet. I wear tennis shoes all the time. What I don't do all the time is walk on blacktop. Eventually, the adjustments that I had to make for the blisters on my feet caused my left ankle to start hurting, thus causing another adjustment, which has led to a severly sore calf muscle. That's right, my dogs are barkin' and my calves are mooin'. Then I decided (two months ago) that it would be a good idea to take the youth group to the movies at 4:35pm on Sunday afternoon - big mistake. Good movie, but I could have gone to bed at 6 o'clock last night, and have been just fine getting up this morning.

Now I'm at a point where I'm so tired that I can't take a nap. Of course, the irony is that I need to take a nap in order to be refreshed for the four meetings that I have in the next couple of hours. However, I also need to get some final things ready before these meetings. Yet, here I am, so tired that my mind won't focus, but running out of time to get things ready so I have to focus. Maybe by blogging just a little my mind will regain its focus, or maybe the randomness of it all will have me running in circles over the issue. I guess we'll find out soon enough.

By the way, the meatball Hot Pockets and Mountain Dew - amazing...

Why don't we abbreviate Mountain Dew to Mount Dew, or even Mt. Dew? I guess that gives a different impression, though I am wondering why the dew of a mountain is so citrus-y, when as far as I know, citrus fruits do not grow on mountains.

That is all.

Fun Blog!!!

Okay, I have primarily been using this blog to post some of my more serious thoughts on things relating to theology, Scripture and other important things. Lately, I've been feeling the need to branch out a little more. As you can tell from the archive list, I get a serious writing bug every once in a while, but what about the less than serious stuff that I think about - and believe me, there is quite a bit of that! Well, in honor of my newfound writing bug, I've decided to start another blog. It can be found at: http://randomthoughtsinministry.blogspot.com/

I'm going to be using this blog for more of my day-to-day thoughts about a wide range of topics that are important to me - life with my lovely wife, food, St. Louis Cardinals, humor, movies, music and whatever else my pop into my head at the time.

Don't worry, I'll still be posting my serious thoughts on this blog, but as has been the case, the frequency will continue to be rather spotty. I might have something up by the end of the month. I've been reading through Jeremiah lately, and there is a lot of good stuff there. Also, a handful of adults will be going with 14 youth on a mission trip to Carthage, TX this coming Saturday, so I'm sure I'll have plenty to write about at the end of the month.

Why Start a New Blog?

As you may or may not know, this is not my first blog. In fact, it's not even my second... or third... So why start another blog? Well, my first blog is kinda my more serious stuff. I post sermons that I've preached there, Bible studies that I've put together, or other serious theological thoughts along the way. Another one is tracking the ministry journey that my wife and I have been on for about a year and some change now. Yet another one is for things for the youth group with whom I am priviledged to work. In the midst of all of this, I don't have a place to write down my totally random thoughts about the different interests that I have in my life. Every once in a while I think of something to write about, but can't really think of an appropriate place to put those thoughts for my Albanian readers. Okay, I doubt that there are any people in Albania that are remotely interested in what a 20-something pastor in Indiana is writing about... but you never know...

So, what is the purpose of this blog? I don't really have one. This will be the place for me to write a little bit about what is going on in life - movies that I've seen, music that I listen to, the St. Louis Cardinals, and totally random stuff that is going on in my life at this time. Yes, there will probably be some talk about ministry things that I have going on, but that is only natural. Everybody talks about their job at some point in these things, right? Now, if you will excuse me, I need to heat up a couple of Hot Pockets (we got a 12 pack from Meijer for $5.24 last week - meatball - my favorite!!!), and continue preparing for the 3 meetings that I have in the next 6 hours.