a long walk

I must say that one of the things I love about my job is that I continue to have a spring break and really, what is not to love about that? So along with my brother, sister and two friends we all headed down to North Carolina and did some backpacking in the Smoky Mountains last week. Now I love the outdoors and I think I like backpacking. I have many good memories of trips and I have done several but then each time I go I remember how hard it is. I think it is like Monty Python movies. Good to quote and you can talk at length about them with friends but then you sit down and watch them and there are long painful stretches of not-so-funny.

But since it has been a few days, already the bad memories are fading and being replaced by the times of the five of us holding hands and dancing around the fire at night. For the most part the trip really was wonderful and I would say that four of the five of us enjoyed it. It was amazing to start the day in the valley where it was fully spring and by the end of the day and at the top of the trail be a foot deep in snow. There is also something great about such a simple life. No phones, no emails, no meetings, just how far do we have to go and what will we eat?

There is also something soothing about being in the midst of creation. Even when the scenery is not always breathtaking, the constant state of dwelling in the woods quiets the inner soul (verses the outer soul?) and gives one significant time to think, reflect or let ones mind wander aimlessly. Once you get into the rut and the backpack becomes part of you, it is a pleasant way to spend a day.

We met several through hikers who had all put their lives on hold for 4-6 months and I wondered if I could ever do anything like that. I love the idea. It sounds romantic. But would I be willing to give up things here? Would I be one of the many who quits two weeks in? Most of the people who I have met that make it through have started in an attempt to figure life out or 'deal with some issues' so I guess the bottom line is I need to get me some issues, good boots and get walking...

heaven with killers

So what is grace all about? What is grace and why does it matter to me, to any of us? And how should grace influence our daily lives, if at all? Grace is anything good that is given and underserved. An unearned reward. From God our salvation is grace. The fact that we are forgiven is grace. Each breath is grace. We do not deserve these things. We have not earned them. What we have earned because of our freewill choices is death. Separation from God in this life and the one to come. This is hard for to buy into. I mean, I know there are bad people out there but I am not one of them, am I? I am pretty good. Grace offends me. It tells me that I need something that I can’t do on my own. I don’t like that. It takes control, even false control, out of my hands and says that I need to look to something or Someone for help. But the glories of understanding grace! At least I think so if only I could begin. If frees us from trying to earn God’s love. It changes our outlook of other people. They are now equals, worthy of love. God is to be worshiped and served with our lives. Grace sends us to our knees in awe that God would save a wretch like me. To know grace is to start to become the person I was created to be...

come on brain

I really like my job most of the time and one of the reasons for that is that I get the chance to travel to interesting places all over the country and the world and be part of something that I deeply believe matters. But now here is the rub.

People have to go and speak all these different languages. Now I don't want to sound like an ignorant American and insist that 'they' all learn English. I would be happy to learn something else if it meant that we could all go for the same thing. But alas this is not how things are.

So tonight I took my little German and mixed it with all ten Spanish words I know and talked with Jen at the Rathskeller, a place where German should be spoken. But now I think my brain is bleeding. And this is my wish; I would like to find a business where you can take all the little bits of language one knows and you can trade them in for one thing.

I am tired of thinking or saying things like, 'Hola Wie gehts mi fruend. How are du? Und Hamelek ist gut.' So lets unite and spread one love and the gospel of one language and save each of us the experience of our brains slowly oozing out our ears.

game on: day 3 nibbles

I recently spent a few days down in the Chicago area at the great Willow Creek church at their annual conference for those working in youth ministry. Now I know that many of my friends hate the 'willow thing' merely because of the corporate aroma they give off but after being there several times I must say that although I do not want to become them in my setting, I think they have a good thing going. They are not the wunderkurche but I think they know that. Anyways I am not writing to defend the willow way...

One of the challenges of the time was to foster in ourselves and our ministries a passion for the Bible. Now this seems pretty obvious but as the speaker talked about how when someone mentions the Bible in a large or small group setting the all-to-often response is one of faces dropping and excitement being drained from the room. I experience that. I see that and am guilty of it myself. How can that be changed? Help me out wise readers. How can Christ followers actually live what they claim in their faith to be true? We say the Bible is God's word, that it is living and active, that is changes our lives, points us to God, contains the message of hope and life in a dark and dying world. So why do we pick up a Donald Miller book so much quicker?

How do we become passionate and help this generation and the one before and after us move from taking an occasional morsel to regular feasting?

game on: day 2

From the interview game (see http://missmaryb.blogspot.com/ for details)

1) how is your life different now than you imagined it would be 10 years ago?

I can safely say that I would never have thought I would be doing paid ministry with middle school students 10 years ago. In fact I am guessing the very idea would not have excited me at all. I think I feared that age group at that point in life but now I have grown to think they are the most fun group to work with. I mean who else do you get to talk about God with and then have a deep conversation broken up by a fart which leads to laughter for 30 minutes? God bless em.

2) would you rather be a successful acrobat in the cirque de soleil and suddenly lose your eyesight, but still have to perform as an acrobat in order to make a living because you can't do anything else but risk death OR be totally and completely hairless? why?

I think this one is pretty easy. I would go hairless. Not the coolest looking mind you but better then falling to ones death. I am pretty sure that would be a lame way to go. And what kind of sick business would force a blind person to keep working the same job that would risk their life? I am sure it is the kind of place with no 401k and I want none of that.

3) of all the dreams you have for your life, which one would be the most personally important to see come to fruition? why?

To have a life worth living. I am not sure if that is a good answer, it sounds like it is wishing for more wishes but it is what comes to mind. I have several things I would love to do or see happen before I die but truly and I hope this does not sound cheesy I want to be able to look back on my life and have no regrets. An adventure lived.

4) think about one of your closest friends. what three qualities does he/she have that make this friendship so unique?

The ability to share anything and know that they are still cool with me is a wonderful and unusual thing. Most people would not like me if they really knew me, I am pretty sure of this one but there are those special few who you can let it all hang out and they still talk to you. Very cool. Second, almost total common interests. This leads to a lot of passionate discussions where we totally agree but everyone needs some of those right? Third, the fact they are totally open with you. Not only do you tell all but so do they and when that happens you can't help but feel tight.

5) you wake up one morning to find yourself in a yurt in central Asia. how did you get there and how - using only a plate of bagels, a cd of Michael Bolton's greatest hits, and a set of silver sporks - do you get back home?

Now this one is getting deep. I would start by eating the bagels while meditating on the wonders of all things Michael Bolton. Then knowing the Asians love of mr Bolton I would train myself in his unique style of musical wonder. After some time I would polish this gift and take my new found skills on tour all over Asia. Finding that I was an amazing success I would use my new found fame and riches to buy my own island and move there. At some point I would get bored and head home to visit friends and family where I would give my mom a set of silver sporks as a long overdue birthday present.

Amen

game on

This is going to be hard. My friend Bret has challenged me to a bet to see who can keep posting on our blogs on a daily basis. The game is as follows... To win you must post every day for the next week. If one of us fails to do so we lose. If it is a tie then the one with the most comments wins. We can not comment to ourselves, got that Bret? And we must tell others about the other blog so with that said please say hi, say something and feel free to check out: http://ought.blogspot.com/

Bring it Bret!