after bloggin for the camp's site i figured it was only fitting to continue with the way I really feel about some things that have arisen this week.
since you can't always talk to your team about certain issues, for team moral it is better to not address them...and since you can't always find time to talk to others on the phone about these things for time constraints and voice mails and the like
that's what this is for.
Let's talk about what I absolutely harbor resentful feelings towards
#1 church volunteers who bicker, biccer, ya know don't agree on things in front of the kids in the middle of the ball game
#2 church volunteers who offer their opinion and haggle the ref...me...at a church sports camp where we are attempting to teach outstanding behavior and loving one another, and by all means yes be competetive, but just do your best and don't worry about outside forces, obstacles, powers, things you can't control...for goodness sakes what is this whole weeks theme anyway!!??
#3 last one, these volunteers being teachers themselves and who are old enough, by that I mean they are parents and have kids too old for the camp, but they act as old as some of the campers!!! ahhhh!!!
whew, okay, thanks, I'm good now.
Let's talk about what I absolutely love
#1 when the campers on a team that not all can dribble and move their feet at the same time, not all can seem to see any other person with their same color jersey on...these players, they connect, they have one great series of passes, quick, sharp, and the last one, the shooter puts it up, and it's good!!! whhooooooooooowwwwwwwwoooooooo the crowd goes wild! Oh man, let's put that one on UW espn I mean it was good.
#2 A player tells his teammates to look for the open man, when everyone else is looking for their friends to pass the ball to.
#3 when the kids shout at the top of their lungs Hey! Jesus Loves Me! along with the song and you know people are hearing this in a neighborhood, where they possibly never hear the words of truth that anyone really really loves them
#4 Hearing other's life stories on the van ride home each night
#5 living with a family that adors and respects one another, has multiple kids, and looks for opportunities to give, bless, encourage, and talk about everything and listen about everything...that's beautiful.
#6 listening to your fav new songs...even when the rain fall, even when the flood starts risin, even when the storm comes. I am washed by the water...
Thank you Jesus.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
DOGS
Going with the themes on animals or critters this month, the next topic up for discussion is dogs. Man's best friend, livin' like a dog, in the dog house, dawg, DOGS (as ol' screeter used to say), etc...the sayings and connotations live on with our four footed furry friends. There are two ways to look at it as with a lot of things. In a negative way, it's not good to be living like a dog, hounding other people, and dog houses are usually reserved for the misbehaving husband joke. On the other side of the story, it would be very nice to be a canine in America's society (well society of the upper middle class nonrural dog lovers). Consider this, you stretch awake with the morning light or sounds of others up and about. Someone pats your head, lets you go outside to take care of business before coming in to a nice belly rub and breakfast placed before you. Each time a two footed creature passes all you gotta do it wag your tail, put on the cutest dog smile face ever and you get a back rub, your hair messed with, and people scratching in the perfect spot, so perfect you admittedly catch yourself leaning in and your leg starts to quiver in delight. Aww...the life of a dog...not so bad after all.
What is it about the fur covered friends that attract our hands. Is it the physical touch we long for as a people group that is fulfilled in just a tiny part by the sensory experience we get through out hands? Being one who works to train the hands to feel things beneath the surface, who is in the occupation of the laying on of hands for information, for the inside scoop, the sense of touch is a powerful thing. Numerous well-educated researched people write of the mystery of touch, of what other power there is that is unexplainable but appears to be linked to physical contact. (If I were an astute person now I'd cite some of those sources, but trust me on this one, and I'm on break right now.) I do know for a fact and you can research this one yourself if you need the written textbook proof, that the nervous system and the skin come from the same embryonic layer. Our prescious nerves that fire at lightning speed to relay information and the protective, yet very sensative outercovering of our bodies come from the same material. This make-up is different from what the muscles come from, it is not the same thing our organs originate with. No, this is different, this is sensative, this is intricate, this is not a coincidence. God, the Creator, Maker of all things good, and we as people are a pretty cool creation I must say, did this for a reason. He made it so obvious that no one can deny, though they may not be able to understand, the need for touch. The inconceivable phenomena and miracles that happen through one set of skin brushing against another. She touched His cloak, her bleeding stopped, and He noticed that power went out from Him to heal someone. He took her hand and she stood up, dead just seconds earlier(Mark 5:21-43). He held the little children and said, become like these (Mark 10:13-16). He touched, He held, He felt, He knew the importance, He knew what He was doing, He was God.
Granted not everyone is pieced together the exact same way, not all enjoy the hand of a stranger anywhere but in their right hand. Some even dislike the trained hands of professionals to go beyond the bubble space. I feel for those; I would get them a dog. I would get them that constant companion that they can count on to be excited to see them at every turn of the corner. Everyone needs at some time or another that pet that will take the owner on a walk, the one who will smother contact points and get inside the bubble, the one who though disciplined has a will of steel and will come back wagging the tail in delight of your attention, the one with soft fur and wet tongue to elicit giggles of delight on a saultry day. Yep, I should get a therapy dog, someday, if not therapeutic for others, definitely therapeutic for me:)
Wag on dear friends, wag on.
What is it about the fur covered friends that attract our hands. Is it the physical touch we long for as a people group that is fulfilled in just a tiny part by the sensory experience we get through out hands? Being one who works to train the hands to feel things beneath the surface, who is in the occupation of the laying on of hands for information, for the inside scoop, the sense of touch is a powerful thing. Numerous well-educated researched people write of the mystery of touch, of what other power there is that is unexplainable but appears to be linked to physical contact. (If I were an astute person now I'd cite some of those sources, but trust me on this one, and I'm on break right now.) I do know for a fact and you can research this one yourself if you need the written textbook proof, that the nervous system and the skin come from the same embryonic layer. Our prescious nerves that fire at lightning speed to relay information and the protective, yet very sensative outercovering of our bodies come from the same material. This make-up is different from what the muscles come from, it is not the same thing our organs originate with. No, this is different, this is sensative, this is intricate, this is not a coincidence. God, the Creator, Maker of all things good, and we as people are a pretty cool creation I must say, did this for a reason. He made it so obvious that no one can deny, though they may not be able to understand, the need for touch. The inconceivable phenomena and miracles that happen through one set of skin brushing against another. She touched His cloak, her bleeding stopped, and He noticed that power went out from Him to heal someone. He took her hand and she stood up, dead just seconds earlier(Mark 5:21-43). He held the little children and said, become like these (Mark 10:13-16). He touched, He held, He felt, He knew the importance, He knew what He was doing, He was God.
Granted not everyone is pieced together the exact same way, not all enjoy the hand of a stranger anywhere but in their right hand. Some even dislike the trained hands of professionals to go beyond the bubble space. I feel for those; I would get them a dog. I would get them that constant companion that they can count on to be excited to see them at every turn of the corner. Everyone needs at some time or another that pet that will take the owner on a walk, the one who will smother contact points and get inside the bubble, the one who though disciplined has a will of steel and will come back wagging the tail in delight of your attention, the one with soft fur and wet tongue to elicit giggles of delight on a saultry day. Yep, I should get a therapy dog, someday, if not therapeutic for others, definitely therapeutic for me:)
Wag on dear friends, wag on.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
ANTS
Ants, thought to be amazing little creatures who can lift so many times their body weight; the Arnold Schwartzeneigers of insects if you will. Okay, so it's a proven fact they are fascinating little creatures. I don't mind them winding their way through the blades of grass and the occasional one that tickles its way over my toes as I open them to the carpet of green and brown that coats the earth. I do mind them scampering around our kitchen. In fact, I actually despise it! After spending three days in the wilderness you might think I would be more open to them as I regained an appreciation for all of God's creation...you might think, but no still brings a vengeance to my eyes as I lighted upon the tiny six legged invaders upon return to the homestead.
Camping though, let's talk about that...an interesting observation made by a fellow weekend warrior as we walked around the campgrounds. She said, ya know it's crazy to think that back in the 1800's, not that long ago for sure, what we escape the modern conveniences to do they lived. Think about it, we have all these technological advances, the comforts of sleeping on a mattress, in a sound structure that holds up and keeps you dry during a hard morning's rain, and yet we drive long distances and pay money to set up a structure that does leak in the hard storms and sleep basically on the ground (unless you are a less than true camper and take your blow-up mattress, wusy!). Does this blow anyone's mind!? I also noticed along the way that it all of a sudden becomes culturally acceptable to pick up food that was dropped, skip washing your hands with soap and water before preparing meals and touching other people's food...all things I have to remind myself not to do on a more than regular basis (oh the battle that goes on in my mind on all to often of occasions). Not to mention the fact that one of my favorite topics, pooping, is also more widely discussed and joked about. Why? Because we are reverting back to the basics, it is refreshing to clear away all the gadgets and gismoes and it is almost taboo to open up a cell phone while camping with 11 others unless it is a dire emergency, or to call your mom...b/c everybody knows mom is the only person whose calls take precedence over rules of manners. (Examples: eating a meal with others...mom calls, you answer it. talking to someone else, mom calls on the other line...you answer it. camping and realize mom needs to know where you are or when you'll be back...you call her. Case closed)
Anyways, as I listen to Hillsong - This is Our God - it says, "Jesus you're all I need." Even while camping it seems we take more than we need, we plan ahead to a fault, there is still the excess of our lifestyle that creeps in as we take extra food, games galor of which we play only a couple, clothes that don't get touched except to be shoved to the bottom of the bag...it saddens me to think that it took me till the last full day to not care when we did what or what time it was or where we should go...my body took that long in the midst of what is supposed to be the most basic of things to wind down and realize what was going on around me. It took me half way through the 7-8-9...who knows how long hike/run/jog to just stop and thank God for what I was experiencing. That saddened me, I knew it was happening, but yet couldn't stop right away, had to get to the next spot, had to see how fast I could go...
Once I stopped, I thank God that He helped me realize He is enough, Jesus is all I need.
Then I must admit it was easier to frolic in the woods and go back to my 1/64th native american roots and try to run soundlessly through the forest. I Imagine myself as a deer in flight; I do feel like a deer sailing along the woods at times. I do try at moments to walk without hearing my own footsteps and imagining I am the only one for miles around. It works for a while till the next couple hikes by, till I get near a highway and the sounds of nature are overrun by the passing car, till I reach the end of the trail all too soon and have to once again realize I am not the young Indian Squaw, I am a product of the 21st century, only 1/64th native american, don't even know what tribe we came from off the top of my head, the only remnant of our heritage I've participated in is the occasional rain dance in the basement of grandpa's house with a trashcan, cane, and rain stick. And I am looking forward to sleeping on my mattress here in a minute, with a pillow, not a wadded up shirt. And the fridge is nice, the airconditioning, talking to my friends on the phone since I don't live in hiking distance of most of them...the shower, toilet, sink...even with ants in the kitchen...
Camping though, let's talk about that...an interesting observation made by a fellow weekend warrior as we walked around the campgrounds. She said, ya know it's crazy to think that back in the 1800's, not that long ago for sure, what we escape the modern conveniences to do they lived. Think about it, we have all these technological advances, the comforts of sleeping on a mattress, in a sound structure that holds up and keeps you dry during a hard morning's rain, and yet we drive long distances and pay money to set up a structure that does leak in the hard storms and sleep basically on the ground (unless you are a less than true camper and take your blow-up mattress, wusy!). Does this blow anyone's mind!? I also noticed along the way that it all of a sudden becomes culturally acceptable to pick up food that was dropped, skip washing your hands with soap and water before preparing meals and touching other people's food...all things I have to remind myself not to do on a more than regular basis (oh the battle that goes on in my mind on all to often of occasions). Not to mention the fact that one of my favorite topics, pooping, is also more widely discussed and joked about. Why? Because we are reverting back to the basics, it is refreshing to clear away all the gadgets and gismoes and it is almost taboo to open up a cell phone while camping with 11 others unless it is a dire emergency, or to call your mom...b/c everybody knows mom is the only person whose calls take precedence over rules of manners. (Examples: eating a meal with others...mom calls, you answer it. talking to someone else, mom calls on the other line...you answer it. camping and realize mom needs to know where you are or when you'll be back...you call her. Case closed)
Anyways, as I listen to Hillsong - This is Our God - it says, "Jesus you're all I need." Even while camping it seems we take more than we need, we plan ahead to a fault, there is still the excess of our lifestyle that creeps in as we take extra food, games galor of which we play only a couple, clothes that don't get touched except to be shoved to the bottom of the bag...it saddens me to think that it took me till the last full day to not care when we did what or what time it was or where we should go...my body took that long in the midst of what is supposed to be the most basic of things to wind down and realize what was going on around me. It took me half way through the 7-8-9...who knows how long hike/run/jog to just stop and thank God for what I was experiencing. That saddened me, I knew it was happening, but yet couldn't stop right away, had to get to the next spot, had to see how fast I could go...
Once I stopped, I thank God that He helped me realize He is enough, Jesus is all I need.
Then I must admit it was easier to frolic in the woods and go back to my 1/64th native american roots and try to run soundlessly through the forest. I Imagine myself as a deer in flight; I do feel like a deer sailing along the woods at times. I do try at moments to walk without hearing my own footsteps and imagining I am the only one for miles around. It works for a while till the next couple hikes by, till I get near a highway and the sounds of nature are overrun by the passing car, till I reach the end of the trail all too soon and have to once again realize I am not the young Indian Squaw, I am a product of the 21st century, only 1/64th native american, don't even know what tribe we came from off the top of my head, the only remnant of our heritage I've participated in is the occasional rain dance in the basement of grandpa's house with a trashcan, cane, and rain stick. And I am looking forward to sleeping on my mattress here in a minute, with a pillow, not a wadded up shirt. And the fridge is nice, the airconditioning, talking to my friends on the phone since I don't live in hiking distance of most of them...the shower, toilet, sink...even with ants in the kitchen...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)