Steve McQueen

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So, I’ve received some complaints about not updating my blog enough. I apologize. I think that my impression of blogging was that it was about dialogue, about important ideas, etc. But, I now know that it is more about sharing yourself on the internet. Sounds Creepy, but I enjoy reading other people’s, so I should probably have the courtesy to update my own: that is the best I can do right Cary?
I doubt many of the kids I am hanging out with this week even know who Steve McQueen is, but they are on a trip that might have a different name without his silver screen heroism: the Great Escape. It is a strange trip. I could write for hours about what we are doing, what is working, etc. They would generally be theologically erroneous statements though…

And, that doesn’t seem to be the point of a blog.

Instead, I think I will list in small detail some of the things our group has been caught doing/accused of/labeled as. Keep in mind that many of these poor volunteers (from other churches) are simply here because no one else would go. Many others are dumb!!!

Throwing Water Balloons out of a 4th story window (true – unsupervised)
Cheating During recreation (true – supervised by Blazer, although there were no scores kept and no winners or losers determined, one day I went over the edge…)
Stealing the skit prop ‘The Holy Grail’ (true – unsupervised, although encouraged by Mike Higgins and then the rest of the leaders)
Swimming in the fountain, which apparently has many chemicals in it (true – multiple times, unsupervised)
Firing Water Balloons at the Work Crew tent instead of into the field (true, Blazer)
Saving too many seats at the front of the auditorium (we had trouble not laughing at the inanity of this particular accusation, as did the leadership)
Breaking a windshield of a car with a football (true – Higgins punting)
Firing off fireworks affter curfew in a state that it is illegal (NC), (True, Blazer, although the director of the camp, a 20 year YM guy, took us to a better spot when he caught us)

There are more… We labeled one leader ‘Hilary Faye’ (SAVED) because she enjoys worship VERY VERY MUCH, and told on us more than once. We enjoyed being ‘those leaders’ and ‘that church’ because our kids had more fun that way.

Amazing

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We watched a video in our Lamaze/Infant Care Class where a baby slowly made his way up his mom’s tummy to feed over the course of an hour or so… (without any help, right after being born).

The first thing our instructor said was, “Isn’t that amazing… nature…” The first response, from stupid engineer man, was, “It isn’t amazing, it’s just biology…” My wife theorizes that he had a baby girl (like mine, pictured left), and is now a big pile of mushy noises and tears.

I find my baby amazing. She is starting to smile and make faces. She is 6.5 weeks old. Today she and I got to hang out for a few hours while mom ran some errands and was intentionally by herself. It was amazing how much more Caroline would rather lay on me (listening to my heart like when she lived in Mom) than lay in her expensive crib, bassinet (borrowed), or her ‘bouncy seat’ which will vibrate and play songs.

What was amazing to you this week? That word has been a great cliche in my life for awhile… even this past weekend it became a buzz word at a camp for 4-6th graders… But, seriously, what has been amazing to you? Even if it is something that victimized you, or somethign wonderful, or some person? What seems/is/appears amazing to you?

Line – (*line*)

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That is my favorite Picture. There is no flash, but I like it because she is already showing her passive aggressive (like har parents) tendencies… Her arms are always in the way and we have yet to keep them swaddled.

Some random facts from the hospital:

The songs that went through my head the most:

“Brilliant Disguise”: Springsteen
“Long December”: Counting Crows

Nurses that we liked:
Lori (had 3 X)
Andrea (had 2X)
Lin

People we are not sure really exist:
Dot: Dot is in her 60’s (supposedly), and has been a Lactation Consultant for St. John’s for a long time. We saw her once and she accomplished more than all other nurses and consultants in the four days we were in the hospital. We never saw or heard from her again… Something about entertaining angels…

Visitors:

Saturday:
Rob and Shirley Westmoreland (Rachel’s folks)
Karen Smith (Who appeared within 20 minutes of my phone call to her)

Sunday:
Rob and Shirley Westmoreland
Anne Simon (Youth Staff Intern)
Jennifer Patneau (Friend/Youth Volunteer)
Hannah Smith (8th grade girl)
Emily Wood (8th Grade Girl)
Sydney McClain (8th Grade Girl)
Robbie, Jane-Ellis, Charlie, and Peter Griggs (Peter is negative two weeks) (Friends)

Monday:
Brian Janous (7:50 AM with Kaldi’s Mocha in tow… amazing… totally got me jump-started)
A Random couple that Rachel knew from her old job at Saint John’s
Shirley Westmoreland (Rob went home, Shirley is stil here – Thank God)
Scott Sauls (Pastor, commented that Caroline will look like Joan Jett)
Phat Phil Woods (Also a Pastor of Greentree Community Church in Webster Groves)
(PHAT stands for Praise Him All the Time, Phil is just his name)
Mike Higgins (Youth Director at Greentree Kirkwood)
Jeff and Katie Fabbiano (Friends)
Brian, Kim, and Tyler Janous (Tyler and I ate Teddy Grahams)
Mary Mercer (Rachel’s Old Boss from Saint John’s – yes, the same Saint Johns)
Robin Something-or-other from Saint Johns
Megan Sweeney (Friend)
Mike, Tammy, Molly, and Lucas Higgins (oh, yes, Mike came Twice)

We were pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed visitors. But, Monday Night and Tuesday were hard. Proof of the sovereignty of God for my small brain: No Visitors on Tuesday.

I’m just enjoying writing… Hope you guys like the pics of my daughter!!!

Car- (*care)

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Some Numbers for you who like them:

4:00 AM Water Broke

5:00 AM In L&D Room breathing and contracting

9:15ish (Epidural… whew)

Concern: Caroline does not like contractions and her heart rate goes down with each one. An -in-utero Baby’s heart rate is supposed to eb between 110-150. Caroline’s dropped to 70 towards to the end…

10:00: Dr. Mary Grimm shows up (Our OBGYN)

10:30: After two shots of Tergi-something or other that were supposed to slow contractions (they were coming wuickly and on top of each other, Epidural was very nice) Dr. Grimm decides we are willing to mess with the idea of Caroline not being veyr healthy…

11:15 C-Section is finished, picture is taken, feet stamped, etc.

7 Lbs, 4 Ounces… 20 and 1/2 ” long… 3-18-06 (although someone wrote on her chart 03′, so she was actually gestating for 3 years and nine months according to Saint Johns!)

Stuff

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So, my car was broken into… No more laptop and no more U2 IPOD. Honestly, I am more annoyed with how sympathetic people have been than I am about the stuff missing… Okay, not more annoyed, but I am pleasantly surprised that my heart was not torn out to have lost the entire Digital U2 Catalog (Catalogue?).

I did go out and buy an IBook G4 (The cheap, small one). “Welcome to the Kingdom” was what one of the Interns at church said when he saw it.

So, I kind of felt like I really am a Christian with this whole, ‘my stuff was stolen and it sucks, but it didn’t end my life/week, etc.’… Where does the rubber meet the road in your life? (This probably isn’t where it meets in my life seeing as how I will have a baby daughter in a few days!!!!!!!) So, where does the rubber meet the road in the everyday ‘stuff’ of life. Do you love your stuff? Do you not? Personally, I probably am more anti-money than anti-idolatry lest you think I don’t love my stuff because of my Holiness! But, where does it feel real to you? Where does it make cognitive sense? Where has the Lord chosen to encourage you that he IS changing you/your heart?

How Evangelical???

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How important is it to be Evangelical? How Evangelical should we be? How Evangelical Are you? As I grow up, as I read Donald Miller, as I become more and more frustrated by the Gospel of Sin Management I sense a growing awareness of my Evangelical Roots. I am Reformed also… Doesn’t that simply mean I have a big picture of the sovereignty of God? John Piper writes (after being picked up by a truck driver) that being Reformed frees him to share the Gospel and to not worry about his role after that. Linz, Fabbs, Elisa, Poshiggity, Cary Murphy, Webel, Katie Adams, any and all readers… How Evangelical is too Evangelical? How Lack-o-Evangelical is missing out on he Great Commission? Do not-so-Evangelicals have more ground to stand on in the real world? Will James Dobson ex-communicate me from Colorado Springs if I choose to talk about the gospel when it is obvious I could crack down on someone for living in sin? I really wonder… I want to keep writing, but I think I’m diverging from my original question. Where are you on the Evangelical Continuum? How do you perceive the Super-Evangelicals? Where does God’s Sovereignty come into play or not come into play??? Am I a heretic for asking these questions?

peace peace

Posted by mattblazer on
Sub-Title: My Life as a Navy Seal for Jesus.

Donald Miller recounts his time at a christian camp as the time where he and a bunch of buddies made pact after pact to not get women pregnant, to not smoke, drink, etc. He says they were like Navy Seals for Jesus… Like many of us I jumped on his bandwagon and have been shedding evangelical layers right and left… If it weren’t for my wife, well let’s just not go there! I’m glad she reminds me not only that that is not the point of his book, but that Evangelicalism isn’t all bad…

Okay, despite the fact that I haven’t blogged for awhile (due in large part to losing my office to my still-gestating daughter Caroline) I recall that it is more fun to ask questions and to reminesce slightly than to preach. So, quick trip back in time to my time as a Navy Seal and then it is up to you – my five faithful readers – to pour your life stories onto the keyboard…

I served the Seals in Branson, Taney County Missouri, at Kanakuk Kamps. Despite the fact that I did sign the Seal contract every year to not impregnate women, injure animals, etc. I came to desperately need my Christian bubble. Working at Kanakuk, particularly when I led camping trips, was the simplest time in my life that I can recall. The fact is that divorce has always been a part of my life, I do not remember a time when I was not dealing with the ramifications of it every day. However, at Kamp my job (s) were so simple that I was able to breathe… Especially in the tumultuous summers of 99′ and 2000′ (Also my first two summers as a trip man). And while I remember sitting in the rocking chair on the deck of the trip-mens cabin by myself at 3:00 AM I also remember tying knots. As any worthwhile Seal/Kamp-person can, I could (who knows how one of my sheet-bends would look today in Kaldi’s) tie many solid knots. That particular summer (99′) I was the “Trip-packer”, which meant I was alone a lot and did lots of things like tie knots when they needed to be tied. So anyway, I had my propane torch (to melt the ends of the rope so they would not fray), my rope, and my caribener (Spelling???) type things that would hook the ropes onto the boats (I was tying boats to our docks so they would neither float away nor bang into the dock when it was windy). I took a few hours (many boats, many lines to each boat) and I recall feeling so peaceful. At that point in my life I had only one job: to set these boats up with their appropriate knots. I suppose I believed in the greater cause of Kamp, I suppose also that I enjoyed being outside on that crisp June morning at Tablerock Lake. But really the simplicity of it was nectar and ambrosia for my heart.

In “The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce” they write that children of divorce rarely recall (when asked in a general way about their childhood) playing. They played as much as other kids, but they simply do not recall it (I’m certain this is similar to other kinds of abuse, but I am currently reading baout divorce); they recall other things – the changes in their parents, their change of address, their role continually changing, etc. I found this to be true for my childhood, and for some reason made the conection back to Kamp as one of the only times where my life felt simple. I do not think only abused people or children of divorce crave some amount of simplicity and rest to their hearts, I only know that that condition exacerbated my need for it… So, the sermon was long, but the point was, Where and when has your life been simplest? I’m certain I will get some mountaintop experiences, but I do not care… Tell me that I may share in the peace you experience(d). Please.


Shavat

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Where do you find rest? How do you find it? Are there different types of rest? Do we ever think about the 4th commandment anymore? How do you Sabbath? Is church restful to you and to your heart? Where do you find the Lord? When do you stop being creative and truly let your guard down? Does it involve other people or do you need to be alone?
I had the privilege of speaking at a conference on this stuff, but I am really curious still. Plus, blogging seems to work better when a question is asked. Maybe this works like the book recommendations: when someone wants one they will ask. Same thing with my little philosophical/sermon-like musings… if someone wants them they will ask… So, tell me how often, how, why, and how much you like resting.