Completed Intermission Pt. 1

VBS has finished.

Groups of thoughts craze through my mind 

As many weeks complete, their time defined

    A still and quiet solace is my retreat

    Where jumbled and shuffled laws meet

Reflections of good and bad findings

Merely leave to pause, questioning:

Was it WorTh iT?

A Loving Jerk

That's what an intern should be: a loving jerk.

I'm supposed to love deeply while using stern discipline. I couldn't do that when VBS started. As I learn from doing that I know that I am doing the kids a favor even though it may not seem like I am at the time. Yeah, we have reading class and VBS rotations but the in between times are when my unrelenting jerk persona comes out. I really don't like my mean side. I find frustration when I get some kid hugs while I yell at others. 

I think it's good for me to develop a constant rigidness. It makes me very uncomfortable and I think I need that in many other areas of my life as well. I really have to be a jerk to some kids for them to obey me. Though I truly hate being like that, I learn from it at the end of the day. 

See, I really do like times like this in the picture.

Bittersweet Intensity

It was so cute what some girls wrote about me while in a reading group before VBS. I was sitting right next to these girls when they secretly wrote about me. Their prompt was to simply write about some good dreams and bad ones they had. They wrote about a bad dream of the last day of VBS; my last day with them, July 31. They wrote that they were sad in the dream. They also drew pictures of me and later covered it with stickers. Hey, they're kids.

Of course, that dream was fictional but I know I already have some big, little fans that will make it hard for me to leave here.

Some of my big, little kids on my van route are in a rough neighborhood with tough parents. One of the really good VBS kids has a mom who cusses at her while the kid walks out the door. Some of the kids on the van cuss though I don't hear them. This all happens in a van full of kids going through a neighborhood where some people carry around guns like they were their own offspring. That stuff is just part of the domestic intensity these precious children live around.

Seeing and experiencing that kind of stuff lets me know how much good I really am doing. I knew and believed that some kids here endured difficult home lives but seeing it, experiencing it simply renders the reality wretched. I sense that God is forming me into who He wants me to be.

Anywhere with Jesus, over land and sea,
Telling souls in darkness of salvation free;
Ready as He summons me to go or stay,
Anywhere with Jesus when He points the way.

So what if I pretty much stole that from Mickey?? Or rather, permanently borrowed that bold poem from her. We share some other insights from our summer with the Lord as we both worked (and are still working) with kids. One of the things we share is our appreciation for

FANS!

It doesn't matter what size the fan is but air circulation is paramount. 

Personally, my favorite kind are little, big fans.

Disturbed Danger

I was with someone I know here in Houston and I went to his office late yesterday afternoon. I commented on how nice the office was and he replied, "Yea, pretty comfortable."

Irresistible Revolution says "God comforts the disturbed and disturbs the comfortable." I suppose I'm pretty disturbed here, if you want to say that. It's disturbing when you hear your name yelled by a bunch of kids saying everything between "he hit me" to "how old are you?" It's overwhelming and frustrating.

It's not really that frustrating and I suppose it is a bit overwhelming to be transformed. Our devotional this morning was about the theme of our VBS: transformed. I liked it because there was a movie reference in it. Basically, it was that Forrest Gump's run transformed him. He went some cool places and saw some cool things. I guess Christianity is like Forrest's run: simple but not easy. It's simple to run but it sure isn't easy to maintain the race. It's certainly not comfortable.

 Another comfortable quote I found nestled in the Irresistible Revolution is that

"Maybe the most dangerous place for a Christian to be is in safety and comfort." 

When The Going Gets Tough...

These pictures make things look like all is going very well here.

I wish things were going well. After this rough week with VBS, I know Romans says that we should rejoice in our sufferings. We also know that know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. 

The book of James says pretty much the same thing. I should consider it pure joy when I face trials of any kind. This testing develops perseverance so I can be mature in every way. 

I suppose I need more maturity even though I am tired of all these trials. 

I will pray as I want to be prayed for.

Enknightenment

When describing Jack Nicholson as the joker, Tim Burton said "Being hidden behind something lets your subconscious come out." 

Maybe that's how Heath Ledger was with the joker. Maybe I'm just considering the disturbed genius Tim Burton's words truth.

I've liked Tim Burton's 1989 'Batman' since I was a kid. Right along with Indiana Jones although this summer's Indiana Jones was a strange excitement.

Now, the music in Tim Burton's Batman was fabulous in my opinion. The music in Batman Begins was absolutely incredible as James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer collaborated to create a powerful score. These composers do it again in The Dark Knight.

The actors I most look forward to watching are amazing actors. In this order Heath Ledger (of course), Michael Caine and Gary Oldman are my top three favorite actors I anticipate watching for this movie.

Did I mention that I just plain anticipate this movie a lot? I've done my research, I've watched 'A Clockwork Orange' and I have my realistic, astronomical expectations set in stone.

Get ready.

Woo! 

Astronomical, Warm Expectations

Houston's heat, or warmth, contributes to my exhaustion. Walking around the zoo with kids today was relaxing yet draining physically and mentally. Sometimes my stroll turned into a near jog as the sun drained energy from my body while I was expected to uphold an amount of sternness with the kids. Difficulty lies in telling a child "no" to some simple questions though I am always willing to receive a hug from any kid. I was just expecting more of that this summer and less yelling (on my part).

I was just expecting for this summer to be more enjoyable.

Small parts have held amounts of joy as I hold a child but I thought a larger quantity of this summer would be more fun. Selfish complaints are known of as I type these words here. My expectations were just too high for this summer. I mean, Houston is at the bottom of our nation at sea level elevation. It's not high at all. Come on!

Now, my expectations are high for The Dark Knight. I have tickets for the 12:01 AM showing and that's about 5 hours from now. I do expect to be disappointed with: Aaron Eckhart's acting, the film's length as it drags on, the film's constant climax illusion and that this film doesn't quite live up to Heath Ledger's performance. I will be pleased if and when it meets my warm, astronomical expectations.

Concerning IMAX screens "We're seeing a record number of late-night showtimes selling out in advance, while theaters are adding new performances every day." -Time magazine

"Christopher Nolan's film is indeed an epic that will leave you staggering from the theater, stunned by its scope and complexity." – Associated Press

"As for [Gary]Oldman, he disappears into the role of Lt. Gordon and makes it look so effortless, he makes you forget he's acting." -Associated Press

Heath Ledger presents himself as The Joker in a role that defines a career. -Associated Press

And then there's Heath Ledger's Joker which is every bit as awesome as you've heard. -Slash Film 

I know what to expect. I know what I will be disappointed with. I know I have been ready to see this movie since October 2007.

Maybe it's just me but I see some small, black bats in the picture above.

And Now... Pictures

These are just some random but recent pictures:

...and a video

Summer's Tangent

I hate the city of Houston

      but I do LOVE the kids here.

Driving around Houston is confusing for me, as you know, but I am most definitely able to drive to church and back to the house I stay at without difficulty. I look forward to the end of summer.

Weird personal story: .

So, the band 'Foo Fighters' has a song on their latest CD called 'Summer's End'. I actually started  listening to that song around the time I left Tulsa for Houston in June. It's strange how the lyrics kind of apply, in some ways, to my time here. 

But don't worry, I'm not looking for insight or guidance from a song.

I actually first thought how this song would be good to use for a video for an upcoming ACU welcome week. Though it was and still is a song I daydream and think about while driving, part of the lyrics "pray for summer's end" catch my attention. 

Please bare with me as I embark on a tangent:

See, I've had this foo fighters cd since April when I was in Uruguay. I haven't even listened to it that much since then. Anyway, I started listening to it and I kind of like it. It's a good cd, appropriately titled "Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace." Good stuff. Haha- I guess about titles: words. I think that one of the most interesting things to me about the Spanish language is that the word for 'sentence' is the same word for 'prayer.' That word is 'oracion.' If a sentence is written, it is labeled a form of communication. Now, isn't a prayer simple communication with God? Aren't many prayers comprised of sentences? Just a cool thing I noticed. 

That tangent was short but it was pretty good. Read it. 

I wonder if I should pray for summer's end. I mean, I love the kids here but I hate Houston. It got up to 100 degrees today!! Hot, Humid, honking and hustling Houston is far from home. HOME. I live in Tulsa, Oklahoma although it's said that home is where the heart is. I want my home to be heaven. I hate Houston's humidity and the hectic humanities here, but there are SO many people who need love and need to hear about Jesus here. Isn't that what missionaries do though? Spread the gospel of Christ crucified in unfamiliar places? 

I don't know if I want to pray for summer's end. I think I'll keep praying for summer's success instead.

Thank you.

Equally Beneficial Challenge

It’s quite relieving when your own youth group shows up to share the weight on your shoulders. Yes, relief in Houston's low ninety degree, humid weather. It is so refreshing that the Park youth group is here; I see some familiar faces and some new ones. It also boosted the morale of myself and, I think, of certain youth members and leaders, as it was equally beneficial.

I work in the VBS building pictured above, though I have been in another building the past couple weeks. There are two VBS buildings; the one pictured and one building very close to it. I took a picture of this building as a way to show how much progress Houston Impact has made. The buildings, landscapes and traffic signs (like how this building is on Colorado street) are just some proof of the area’s improvement. The black trash bag in this picture is from the construction of a brand new apartment building behind where I was standing. Though the look and feel of Impact church is well on the outside, that does not necessarily mean all is well with Impact’s congregation and with the kids who come to VBS on the inside.

Maybe that's how things are in our Christian walks. We look good on the outside, in attempts to make everyone think we are okay but maybe we're in need of a lot of work on the inside. 

Proverbs 14:13 tells how "Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in grief."

Really, why shouldn't you love others as you love yourself? I hope you would accept my challenge to tell an unsuspecting person that you love them.

And that someone can't be me. That would be cheating.

Patriotic Rainbow

 Not everything is as good as it seems. We went to this theme park place for the fourth of July, saw fireworks and some people rode rides. It was OK, I guess. 

I'm just not as happy because I got home at 2:00 in the morning after getting 

totally lost driving around Houston. Some of it was fun but I have yet to find the right path through Houston. 

I guess that's kind of like how there is a straight and narrow way to heaven. I try not to be totally lost on my way to heaven though "following Jesus is simple but not easy." 

I guess that's how it has been here. Simple but not easy. Though I don't really know what is simple about interning for a church in inner city Houston, I do know that I am way out of my comfort zone here. I hope I will enjoy VBS a bit more when it starts. Our Transformer themed summer begins July 7 and runs until July 31^st. VBS runs Monday-Thursday as we get Fridays off. 

I took a picture of downtown while I was driving to work one day, just thinking about how much the people at Impact need love. And prayers. I definitely need some prayers as well as other missionaries, youth groups and church leaders need prayers. With that in mind, 

please pray for me.

Humility Highlighted

Though I strive to increase my humility, I did not dye my hair for reasons of vanity.

I first unintentionally dyed my hair blond because the hair gel that I used was also, apparently, made to highlight hair as well as style it. I think that the sun may be responsible only for a small amount of blond and the rest was because of my hair gel. So yes, I suppose I highlighted my hair this summer. But I did so unintentionally. To combat my eye-piercing lemon colored hair, I bought hair dye that was near my normal hair color. My hair is now brown/black after coloring it again.

I'll also be including a VBS update soon. Very soon. 

I also should have done this before:   http://missionalmindset.blogspot.com/

That is Ryan Jones' blog.

Being Mindful

With some new changes and events of today, I am reminded that "pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18)

That and Philippians 2 where it talks about making yourself  nothing, taking the form of a servant and considering others better than yourselves. 

Ya know, humility. Didn't I write about that a couple posts before? 

"I think humility is like falling" and I think it is about time to fall.