Heat!

After weeks of sleeping outside, I'm finally sleeping indoors again!  Okay, I wasn't actually sleeping outside, but it sure felt like it.  For the past few weeks the furnace that supplies my room with heat hasn't been working.  Combinations of no air and cold air have been keeping my bedroom at a balmy 52 degrees.  

With the temperature holding steady at my preferred 65-67 degrees, I can cut the number of fleece blankets down from 6, limit winter hat wearing to outdoors only, and actually hang out and do homework in my room.  

Please try and contain your excitement over all this...I'm trying to do the same!

Icy Sidewalks

Anyone that has walked around on campus the past few days has probably noticed that very few of the sidewalks are actually clear of the remnants of the past few weeks of winter storms.  Walking around in all slush/ice/snow/muck is not really all that fun.  Why can't someone just clear off the sidewalks?  That way I won't worry about slipping, splashing myself or someone else with slush, or some other terrible tragedy.  It is kind of funny to me how annoyed it has made me though.  It does remind me, however, of one of my favorite passages, Habakkuk 3:17-19.  I can't say that my life is so bad that it rivals having no food to eat, but nonetheless, there's a lot on my plate (I want to say that last sentence is ironic, but I know that's not the right word for it.  But I don't know what else.  Any ideas?  I just know it was weird/funny).  Anyways, just like walking around on icy sidewalks, the next steps of my life are unsure.  What do I do?  Where do I go?  What kind of job do I seek/take?  And Shannon...!?  

I guess there aren't that many questions.  Just a lot of depth behind them.  

Not a path for the feet, but feet for the path.

Work Crew Weekend

Last weekend, myself, 5 other leaders, and 29 high school kids traveled up to Timber Wolf to serve over 300 middle school kids. And it was awesome. It was full of laughs, hard work, and fun. And I think that many people on that trip experienced Jesus in one way or another. Rather than giving this weekend the space and words it probably deserves, I'll settle for a top 10 list of my favorite moments of the weekend:

10. Downtime, Friday night

We played this group game called Boston. Everyone sits in the circle with a number, and one person sits in the middle. With eyes closed, the person in the middle calls out two numbers. Those two people attempt to switch places without being tagged. My friend T-Mo, one of the Work Crew bosses, was hopelessly stuck in the middle. He struggled, to say the least. Here’s some evidence:



This game resulted in about half of the times I laughed the hardest. It was great. I think it really loosened up the group before the hard work came.

9. Club, Friday night

During the game, in which kids had to name something within a specific category without stumbling, a kid from Birmingham stood out amongst the rest. Brimming with confidence and personality that only a middle school boy can possess, he calmly answered right on cue each time. For the "ice cream" category, slotted third, he responded "pistachio." And for pop, this time going second, he said "Fresca." And he followed that with "diet cherry Fresca." Pistachio? Who is this kid?! I laughed really hard.

8. Cabin, Friday night

Everyone was getting ready for bed, and I had this urge inside me to gather everyone together. So I did. The 10 of us sat around, ala cabin time, and introduced ourselves, talked about why we came to Timber Wolf this particular weekend, told about 1 thing we wanted prayer for, volunteered to pray for 1 person, and I shared some thoughts that were on my heart. It really set the tone for the weekend personally, as I remembered that I couldn't do this without Jesus, and that being in tune with Him is really cool.

7. Lights out, Friday night

As my head hit the pillow, I first realized that I forgot to make my bed. As I tried to slip on the fitted sheet in the dark making as little noise as possible, I heard the sound of a waterfall. Turns out I had forgotten about the noisemaker that Nick brings with him everywhere. So finally, with a (partially) made bed and a waterfall melody in the background, I laid down and closed my eyes. Then I realized that our room was surrounded by dozens of middle school boys who had zero plans of sleeping anytime soon. After all, it was only 1:30. So with my fitted sheet not exactly fitted, a waterfall in the background, and the sounds of laughter and people jumping up and down, I fell right asleep. At that point, I knew without a doubt that it would be a great weekend.

6. Talent show, Saturday night

The talent show was starting. Our kids were taking a well deserved break to enjoy the many talents of the middle school kids. I sat down behind everyone, and took a deep breath. All the hard work felt good. And as 340 middle schoolers laughed and shouted, a feeling swept over me and consumed me: it was worth it. It was really worth it.

5. Wendy’s, Sunday afternoon

On our way home we stopped for food. It was great. We all sat together, ate some high quality fast food, reminisced on the last 30 plus hours, and laughed. It made me wish that we had more time together…they were really beginning to gel as a community.

4. Dining hall, Saturday evening, just before camper dinner

My friend Audry walks out of the kitchen and stops to say hi. I was on my way to make sure everything was set before the dinner wolf cry. I was also about to fall over because I was tired. She stopped me and said: "You just being you makes me smile." It was one of those little moments that God sends down that reminds you of what life is really about. Encouraged and reenergized, I kept walking.

3. Drive up, Friday night

There was a moment on the drive up that I ran up to one of our cars and saw faces. And these faces were full of emotion and full of life. It was a car full of people in the midst of life, experiencing the ups and downs in one moment. It was one of the more memorable moments of the last few months. I won’t forget those faces.

I was being vague on purpose. If you want a fuller story, call me ☺

2. Cabin, Friday night just after arrival

It had been a long journey to Timber Wolf: a long week of preparation and anxiety and a long drive. I put my bags down and opened the letter that Shan gave me before we left. I read it. And read it again. I read it when I was feeling good, feeling stressed, and feeling tired. I must have read that thing 10 times during the course of the weekend. It was inspiring, encouraging, and overflowing with love. Corny as it may be, it’s all true. What a gift. Maybe if you’re nice I’ll let you read it ☺ But for now, it’s the latest addition to my growing collection of notes from her that are nothing but extensions of her beautiful heart.

If you’re still with me after that “aww / gag me” part, here’s my #1.

1. Dining hall, Friday afternoon

After 9 straight hours of work, my dining hall crew finished their last task: decorating the dining hall. Program was hosting a red and white themed dinner, and provided decorations. Sore, tired, and cranky, this is what they came up with:



It looked awesome. I was so proud. I was so pumped. I don’t even think my below average photography skills come close to capturing how cool it all looked. I think God was honored by their work.



Whew. That turned out longer than I thought. It was a great weekend though. Thanks for reading all of that.

Second Semester Highlights

It's almost been two full weeks of semester #8 for me. I've been meaning to post my "highlights" thoughts for a while now. I originally had ideas for a 1 Week update, but that quickly became 2 weeks. And if I don't sit down and write all this down now, it might end up being an end of college type thing. So here we go...highlights of the first two weeks of my last semester:

1. One of my professors has a lazy eye. Or he might have two lazy eyes. I've been to his class 3 times now (with a 4th trip coming tomorrow) and I have yet to determine which eye is actually the lazy one. I think it's the right eye, but every now and then his left eye just does its own thing. Let's see if tomorrow brings any clarity to the lazy eye mystery.

2. The Red Cedar River flooded last week. I'm not sure why I found this to be so fascinating, but I did. It normally takes me about 20 minutes to walk to my first class on Wednesdays, but I added 10 minutes that day adjusting my route because sidewalks were blocked, and picture taking. Here are two good ones:



This first one is taken on the north bank of the river. The Business College is to my left.

This is a view from the Farm Lane bridge between Auditorium and Shaw Roads.





3. I've had 4 classes with this marketing professor of mine, and each day, he has worn a monochromatic crew neck sweater with a polo underneath. So far he has worn (in order): green, red, white, and today, blue. I decided to grab a few buddies of mine in the class and start a pool with them that predicts the color sweater he'll wear. Each class we will predict the color he will wear in the next class. Then, the next class we'll each show up with a $1 and the winner takes the pot. If no one wins, the money will be collected into a cumulative pot that will be given away the next time someone correctly guesses. A lot goes into this: how many colors does he have, how often does he do laundry, how he arranges his sweaters at home, etc. At the least it'll help me actually look forward to class.

4. Most of my classes are smaller in size, and in most I've had to fill out some sort of information card. And one of the questions has been "tell me one interesting fact about yourself" or some derivative of that. Now I generally don't think there's too much about me that is interesting and that no one else could write down. But I do have a go-to answer: "I'm adopted from South Korea." I think that's pretty interesting, especially if you put thought into all that might entail. And especially if you look at it through a lens of God. Ever since I read Ephesians, I've loved it, and especially in the first chapter when Paul talks about adoption in Christ. So technically, I've been adopted twice. And I've been chosen twice. Life is hard sometimes, but I think that the more I can remember and focus on those two truths, I'll be okay.

Gift Giving

At least in America, it seems like gifts and presents are still as synonymous, if not more, with Christmas, than the birth of Jesus Christ. And despite the best efforts of so many Christians, this still seems to be the case. By the way, how many commas did I just use? Geeeeeeez.

But as I sat in church this evening, a thought popped into my heart. I think, in efforts to move gifts and presents out of the limelight of Christmas, I've at least, in part, denied myself of experiencing the gift of, well, gifts. I've always bought presents for my family because I had to. And I used to buy a gift or two for a certain girl here of there because I liked her and somehow thought that whatever cheesy gift I bought may increase my chances of scoring a date. But now, I buy gifts because I love people and because I like figuring out ways to bring a little bit of joy and happiness to those whom I love. I've put some thought into what I've bought this year, and also have stumbled upon some gifts, and I'm excited to give them. If you don't get something from me this year, please know that I wish I could have.

One of the great revelations of my life that has come with my faith journey was that December 25 is not the actual date of birth of Jesus. The thought that follows that is obviously, why can't everyday be Christmas? And I remember a couple summers ago, hiking through Colorado with some high school kids, celebrating our own "Christmas" out on the trail. We gathered in a circle, broke bread together, and told each other why we appreciated each other and how we saw God move through that mini community in only a few days. It was incredible.

I think that the Kingdom of Heaven is something that we should be experiencing now, not just in Heaven when we leave this world. Once again, why can't Christmas be every day?

Today, tomorrow, the rest of break, and hopefully every day after that, think about the gifts that you have received from God, the tangible ones as well as the unseen. Talents, abilities, qualities...these all count. And think about those around you and the gifts that they have received. Then spend some time having conversations with these people about the gifts you see in them, and then talk about the gift we all have received, which is obviously Jesus. We all need reminders, and we all need to be told about the gifts we have that we have either have forgotten about or simply did not realize we possess.

Happy gift-giving.

Excitement and Drama on a Saturday Night

It just went final. BYU 17 UCLA 16. BYU punted and downed the ball at the 1 with 2:02 left. Then UCLA's freshman quarterback (replacing the injured senior starter) takes them down the field all the way to the BYU 11. All that's left is 3 seconds and a 28 yard chip shot for the red-hot redshirt freshman kicker. Snap is good, hold is good...and it's blocked! Barely tipped actually, and the kick barely falls short. Game over. BYU wins.

So why am I posting about this? Because I picked BYU in my College Bowl Pick'em, and gave them 29 confidence points. I'm back in the hunt!

My guess on the percentage of people that read this that know what I'm talking about and/or actually care about what I'm talking about: 25%

Hustle and Bustle

Today was a good day. I started with a Cassel's trip with Ben, mixed in lots of laughter and funny moments, made a few random people smile and laugh, and cheered on my beloved Spartans to a solid win over Texas. And when the dust settled, all of my Christmas shopping is done! Full day, I'd say.

A few months ago Ben and I decided that it'd be fun if everyday, we could make some random person smile and/or laugh. Not in a creepy way, but mostly just using well placed humor and wit and being polite. You don't even have to be funny. For all the great stories about Jesus documented in the Gospels, I'd love to read some simple stories of when Jesus did or said something to make a random person He didn't know smile. Now, maybe, since He was God, Jesus did in fact know everyone, but that's a different story for another time. But seriously, I think life would be better if we all made this a goal for each day.

I spent some time in Barnes & Noble today, and once again realized that, if left unchecked, I could spend a whole day in there. I even saw Frank Turner there today; he was signing his book that he just wrote and released. For those Metro Detroiters out there, he's the guy from Channel 7 news that retired last year. It sounds like he's had quite a ride of struggle and faith in his life, at least according to the book sleeve. Nice guy.

I managed to take some pictures of Christmas gifts from Barnes & Noble I won't be giving this year. I hope it's not illegal to take pictures of books. I don't know why it would be, but I felt like I needed to be sneaky about it.


The Elvis Impersonation Kit
Person Most Likely To Receive Gift: Either Mark Burley, Brian Hamm, Emily Moiseeff, or Tony Pyle. Or all of them.
Reason Why I Almost Bought It: C'mon...who wouldn't want their own kit on how to be like Elvis?
Reason Why I Didn't Buy It: C'mon, who would really want a $20 kit on how to be like Elvis. Besides, I think all of those people are talented / ambitious enough to be like Elvis if they wanted to.

Gray's Anatomy
Person Most Likely To Receive Gift: Katie Sweeney
Reason Why I Almost Bought It: Sween loves Gray's Anatomy...or was it Grey's Anatomy?
Reason Why I Didn't Buy It: Price. It cost $20 on sale, which was about $15 more than I was willing to pay for it. And about $20 more than it'd be worth to Sween after the "ha ha" appeal wears off.

God Wants You to Be Rich
Person Most Likely To Receive Gift: No one.
Reason Why I Almost Bought It: None.
Reason Why I Didn't Buy It: "How and why everyone can enjoy material and spiritual wealth in an abundant world?" Seriously? No wonder it's a national best seller...who wouldn't want to read about how God wants us to be rich and enjoy material wealth? I think I'd rather read Gray's Anatomy.

I also spent some time in Downtown Northville. Everyone should hang out there sometime, it's so great. Full of nice older people, fun stores, great food, and cool spots to hang out. And Christmas lights and wreaths that line each street at Christmas time. Here's a picture of the outside of Stampeddler, a craft/scrapbook store created for Lauren Wojcik and people that make cd covers by hand as part of Christmas presents.

I parked behind Rebecca's, which is one of my favorite restaurants. I saw this sign out back and spent about 7 seconds debating whether or not I wanted to take it. Ultimately...it's still sitting where I took this picture. However, maybe if Woj was with me, I'd have it :)

Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you can see, hear, and experience Jesus over the next week.

PS I've decided that I like using pictures in my blog.