blog coming...

Goodness, I haven't blogged in forevah. I was sick and then this week was crazy playing "catch-up". New blog post coming soon.

Josh Groban + Kanye West

Being sick means you have lots of free time to browse the interwebs and see what's out there. I happened upon this video which I loved so much, I HAD to share it with you lovely readers. Josh Groban sings Kanye West's tweets. Enjoy.

sicky

Hi friends. Sorry I haven't blogged much lately. I've been sick since Sunday. Booo.

time for a barn dance

For the past couple years, I've enjoyed third-Saturdays-of-the-month at a farm 45 minutes away. They have a big ol' potluck and then do some barn dancing for 3 hours. It's good, clean, wholesome fun for the whole family. I finally decided it was time to share this awesomeness with my college students.

We went this past Saturday and had a BALL! They loved it. Everyone got dressed up country/western style and we ate & danced the night away.

dang it, I wish I was British

At the end of October, I am flying to Orlando, FL to visit the Harry Potter theme park. And this got me thinking...dang it, I wish I was British.

Seriously, can we just take a moment and acknowledge how awesome England is? That country has contributed so many cool things to to the world. Music, art, literature, film, theater, historical figures, legends, endless pop culture lovin'.

* William Shakespeare
* The Beatles
* J. K. Rowling and Harry Potter
* Sherlock Holmes
* King Arthur, Merlin, Lancelot, knights of the round table
* James Bond
* Mary Poppins
* Andrew Lloyd Webber
* Jane Austen
* Robin Hood
* David Beckham
* Peter Pan
* Monty Python
* C.S. Lewis (Narnia)
* J.R.R Tolkien (LOTR)
* Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland)
* A. A. Milne (Winnie the Pooh)
* some amazing actors and actresses: Michael Caine, Anthony Hopkins, Jim Broadbent, Ian McKellen, Colin Firth, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Jude Law, Ralph and Joseph Fiennes, Judi Dench, Helen Mirren, Julie Andrews, Maggie Smith, Kate Winslet, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Gary Oldman just to name a few.

Random thought: I am tempted to speak in only a British accent inside the Harry Potter park. Thoughts?

was Jesus happy?

Let me start out by saying I'm not trying to be all sacrilegious in this blog. I'm genuinely curious.

When Jesus was on earth, was he happy?

I mean, we can assume he was. Besides being fully God, he was also fully human, so he experienced all human emotions. I can assume he was happy. But is it in scripture?

Here's what brought me to this question. I was cleaning out a drawer in my room and came across an old 3" by 5" spiral notepad. "Whoa! This thing is old!" I opened it up and inside was the date: October 15, 1997. This was the notepad I had in college. I took it everywhere to write down prayer requests. I flipped through and enjoyed reading prayer requests and praises from 14 years ago.

And then I got to a page titled "JESUS WAS..." And below I had written feelings/emotions/human responses Jesus had during his 3 years on this earth. (Was I bored between classes and felt like doing a treasure hunt? Was this for a bible class? I don't remember). Here's what was on the page:

JESUS WAS...

Hungry

* "After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry." (Matthew 4:2)

* "Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry." (Matthew 21:18)

Thirsty

* "When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, 'Will you give me a drink?'" (John 4:7)

* Jesus was thirsty on the cross (they brought him a sponge with wine vinegar)

Tired

* "Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping." (Matthew 8:24)

Sad

* "Jesus wept." (John 11:35)

* "As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it." (Luke 19:41)

Astonished/Amazed

* (with the centurion) "When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, 'Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.'"

Sorrowful

* "'My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,' he said to them. 'Stay here and keep watch.'" (Mark 14:34 in the garden of Gethsemane)

Moved

* "Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance." (John 11:38 at Lazarus' tomb)

Gentle/Humble

* "'Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.'" (Matthew 11:29)

Wanted To Be Alone

* "After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone." (Matthew 14:23)

Compassionate

* "When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick." (Matthew 14:14)

Angry

* "When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, 'Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!'" (John 2:13-16)

Felt Abandoned

* "About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?' (which means 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?')" (Matthew 27:46)

Happy
...

And that was all I wrote.

Under "Happy", I had written an ellipsis. Dot dot dot. Did that mean 14 years ago I couldn't think of (or find) any verses on Jesus being happy?

Was Jesus happy?

Growing up, I saw pictures in Sunday School of Jesus smiling with children. (Did you?) He said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." It doesn't say it in the bible, but I bet children made him happy and brought him joy.

I assume Jesus felt happiness when he saw people choose life over death. He saw them turn their lives around, give up all they had, and decide to follow him.

And is it weird or sacrilegious to imagine Jesus smiling and laughing with his disciples at mealtimes?

I don't know, friends. I mean, this issue is not vital in Christian doctrine or theology. It's more of a personal curiosity. Can any of you remember verses in the bible where Jesus was happy? If so, please share.

Sept. 11th - a happy day?

September 11th. A day that cannot be lived without thinking about what happened 10 years ago. A day of sadness and sorrow. A day of fear and uncertainty and death.

And yet, something happened today that changes things in my mind a bit.

Today 10 of my college students made the decision to be baptized in front of their church, their family, and their friends.

These 10 students chose this day to die. They symbolically died to their old selves and rose out of the water covered in the newness and cleansing power of Christ. They publicly proclaimed they belong to Jesus and will live for him on this earth until their Jesus comes to take them home

From death to life.

Oh Happy Day.

what I'm learning (using pictures)

Life has been busy lately. I thought I'd share things I've been learning. And since I'm visual, I'll use pictures.

I've learned the value of finding a job you love and being committed to it.


I've learned there are some stores (and products) I will never understand. Smile and move on.


I've learned that I will always love the SF Giants, even when they're not doing well in the season.


I've learned if you teach college students the cup game, they will be entertained for an hour.


I've learned that Intern Scott does not enjoy pranks. We learned this after his car was "loved".


I've learned how fun a new fall season can be. There will be times when things feel monotonous and slow. But this is not that time. Dwell in the excitement and let the joy flow.


I've learned that good friends are one of the biggest blessings in this life.

i heart my nephews

Guess who I got to spend the weekend with??

retreat time

I'm going on a retreat with my 9 student leaders and Intern Scott. We're going to my parents' house (they are gone) to hang out, get to know each other, and do some leadership training. Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend, everyone.