This has gotta be the good life

“Hopelessly
I feel like there might be something that I’ll miss
Hopelessly
I feel like the window closes oh so quick
Hopelessly
I’m taking a mental picture of you now
‘Cuz hopelessly
The hope is we have so much to feel good about”

~OneRepublic “Good Life”

As I’m reflecting back on my latest trip to Oaxaca it made me realize a few things that I’ve been struggling with for a so many years.

The second afternoon when I was reconnecting with my spiritual parents, and was relaying everything that had taken place since they had moved to Oaxaca, was when it struck me. And I’ve been contemplating on it ever since.

I love serving in my church youth ministry. I love my job. I love how unique my family is (and how we’ve grown closer over the last couple years). I love serving on short term mission trips, and how each time I have been thoroughly enriched with deep experiences and lasting relationships. I love how I have so many different and amazing friends for every part of my life and that I can share my dreams, hopes, and ambitions with them.

I am blessed in ways that I truly never grasped before. I was always rather forlorn that “this” hadn’t happened yet, or “that” hadn’t happened yet, that I never truly was able to just be okay with my present.

But I’ve realized, how content I really am with my life – and I had not felt that way, well…ever. I think for the first time in my life I feel…content.

But you want to hear about my trip, so without any further delay, here we go.

We arrived in Huatulco, Oaxaca on Saturday, May 7th in the afternoon and was quickly launched into ministry. That day was the nationally recognized “Children’s Day”. A local pastor that we were going to be partnering with that week had organized a children’s event, kind of like a little festival, with music, dancing, dramas, giveaways and everything! It was so awesome to watch the children being celebrated that day. Most of these children had walked miles just to come to this event that only lasted a couple of hours. But for them, it was the world.

After the children’s event, the pastor and his team took asked us to come down the road with him to a plot of land that they were believing to purchase to build their church building on. They have huge vision for their area. They want to build a church that will accomodate 1,000 people, as well as a residence for the pastor, a visitor’s apartment, classrooms, a kitchen, and more. The small sum they are believing and praying for to accomplish this work: $90,000. So we spent the next moments praying and joining with them in faith for this to come to pass.

We stayed in a quaint little hotel in Puerto Angel that night. The next day was Sunday, so we had an amazing church service in the hotel’s restaurant. Though I digress – after breakfast, but before church started, we all went down to the pier to watch all the fishermen bring in their catch. It was actually quite fascinating. Some of our group even asked the fishermen on the pier if they could fish, and the little Mexican guys were ever too obliging. Those were some great and entertaining moments. But back to church – the Leadership College’s leader, Chris Myers spoke on how your life changes when Jesus gets inside your boat. His analogy was about a friend named Tony who threw something inside his own boat when he wasn’t expecting it. Somehow I think I know who this Tony is. The worship was awesome and the church members were so welcoming of us. After church, we all changed and went down to the beach so we could get boated out to a little lagoon so four of the church members could be baptized. On the way there we saw some manta rays in the ocean as our boat flitted and coursed over the waves. It was pretty cool! The little lagoon wasn’t so little. It was actually part of a tourist attraction complete with a luxurious hotel built into the rock-faces. It was a little odd to see men walk around in their Speedos as the baptisms were going on. Only on a missions trip.

  

  

Our team then went our separate ways that afternoon – the LC’s staying to do more outreach and ministry in that town, and myself and the rest of the construction team (Don, David, Mike, Brad, and Kristen) heading to Roca Blanca Mission Base. We had some amazing Enchiladas Verde that evening at the mission base (probably the best and most authentic meal you’ll have while you’re there) and met the families that we would be serving that week. We settled into our rooms that evening, and I got to know my new roomie for the week, Kristen.

Monday kicked off a week of beautiful sunrises (early alarm clocks) and awe-inspiring sunsets (late bedtimes). That first day of work was spent at the home of Vidal & Norma and their precious teenage daughters and young son. (Their oldest daughter in graduating high school soon with honors and has chosen to go to university to be a doctor. This is quite an accomplishment for someone who has grown up in near poverty.) This family’s house had been constructed for a few months, however it was lacking the necessary floor and walls, having only a dirt floor and sheets as walls. When we arrived they had got their walls up, which were bamboo slats cut in half and assembled together to create a sun/wind block. For that entire day, together with Vidal’s brothers/father-in-law/cousins/any-male-relatives we worked at mixing cement to pour and lay their floors. It was such a hot day, and the humidity was stifling. I spent the day pulling 5-gallon buckets of water for them to add to the cement mixer, (and sometimes buckets of sand…but that wasn’t too many times). It was great to see the end result of our work three days later when we returned to have a celebratory dinner with the family. We were presented with tacos and coconut bars and bright lights. This was the first time this family has ever had electricity! This was certainly a call for celebration!

Tuesday we made our way to Diego and Betty’s house. They already had constructed a nice brick house with walls, ceilings and cement floors. We were just going to lay the tile for them. Mind you, these were not typical floor tiles. There were heavy, handmade, clay tiles. The process was to transport them into a tank of water so they could soak so that when they were laid, they could adhere to the cement better. This was a hot and strenuous job. The guys laid the tiles, while myself, Kristen, and anyone else readied the tiles. By the third day of doing this, nearly didn’t have fingertips left. If I hadn’t thankfully acquired a pair of gloves from our leader, Don, I’m sure they would have been bleeding by the end of the day.

  

Tuesday afternoon posed a treat for myself, however, as I got to spend time with my friends Rebekah, Arnulfo & Caleb Rios, and Angie, Berna & Bryson Cruz. The Rios’ are pastors of a church in Nopala up in the mountains, and came down just to spend the day with me! I was truly blessed and excited! And the Cruz familia were visiting from Wisconsin and it was their last day before returning home. After much deliberation, we decided to go into Puerto Escondido for coffee and pastries at Cafecito. Once we got there however, we ditched the expensive coffee idea and instead got a value frappe from Oxxo (a fairly popular Mexican convenience store). It was quite tasty, and affordable at only 23 Pesos! We did however get pastries from Cafecito. Since it was dinner time, I had a ham and cheese pastry, which could be compared to a warm and flaky Hot Pocket. It was so good, and really hit the spot. Afterwards, the girls needed to get shoes for their little guys (Caleb who’s 3, and Bryson who is 2). So we went to a market that was down and around the street (I think…I sort of felt lost after all the driving). It was interesting to see all the various vendors with their wares. Produce, meat, sweets, clothes, shoes, basically anything and everything you could ever need or want, or not. Once adequate shoes were found for the boys, the Rios family had to jet back to Nopala, so I got to round up the evening with the Cruz family. As it was their last night in town, Berna was wanting Tlayudas (a large grilled taco-like food). Since I’d ate earlier I wasn’t hungry, but I did get a nice cold Sangria. Tasty, and non-alcoholic. And nifty enough, it was Mother’s Day in Mexico on that day, May 10th, and the little taco shop was giving away handmade mugs decorated for Mother’s. So since I wasn’t home for Mother’s Day, I have a unique gift for my mom.

  

Wednesday again, we spent the day at Diego & Betty’s house working on the tiles. But that afternoon I was able to do a little design work for my missionary friends, James & Cassie Olson, that live and help run the mission base. That was a nice and fun change for me, as I’m not used to extreme physically laborious activities performed in the heat. Wednesday evening we joined up with the reset of our team, the LCs, in Puerto Escondido at a Christian-operated rehabilitation center for men struggling with addictions. These men, of all ages, have dealt with debilitating addictions to drugs and alcohol. But as they smiled and welcomed us to their evening church service, you could see the joy of the Lord on their faces. What warmed my heart though, was as the worship set began, and these men just began worshipping with undignified abandon. Dancing, jumping, praising, hands-raised wild worship! It left me in speechless wonder. As the evening progressed a few people from our team got up to speak, with translators, about their own struggles with addictions. Michael and Justin spoke about how drugs and alcohol controlled them at various difficult points in their own lives and how Jesus gave them freedom from these addictions. Kristen shared how her life as a PK expected to perform with perfection led her to start cutting herself, and how moving across the country and surrounding herself with good influences (church, people, friends) was able to free her of this addiction.

  

On Thursday, the day started pretty well. Wonderful breakfast of fruit and eggs, and then we all made our way to the chapel to spend a short time in worship/prayer before going to our posts – the LCs to teach in the school and the rest of us to our construction sites (to completion at Diego & Betty’s and to start at David & Gres). We were trying to bust it out to finish all the tile work at Diego & Betty’s house, and it went fairly fast, only having to soak and prep 70-some more tiles. However, about 11am I got to feeling very hot, sick to my stomach, and dizzy. I just thought it was the food or something getting to me. But that didn’t seem to be the case. I was taken to the clinic at the mission base and met with Nurse Laura who determined that I was suffering from dehydration. I got to drink this nifty rehydration liquid (it was pretty nasty, haha!). After taking my vitals again, and talking to the doctor, they decided it would probably be best to get an IV of fluids into me, as any other method would take hours longer. So I spent the next couple hours chilled to the bone (in Mexico nonetheless!) and getting my first IV. My good friend Viri took real good care of me during this time, making sure I had anything I needed and just offering consolation that I’d be okay. Once the IV was emptied, Viri walked me back to my room, crackers and rehydration fluid in hand. I spent the next few hours tossing and turning in bed, trying to sleep off the effects of the dehydration. By the end of the evening, I was feeling much better, albeit exhausted.

Friday we headed out to drive to Huatulco to spend our last full day as “tourists” in a day of fun. Our first stop was at a neat little Belgian chocolate and Coffee Shop. James jumped in to help make cappuccinos as everyone placed their coffee orders. As a coffee aficionado, it was one of the best lattes I’ve had in a really long time. Coupled with a chocolate-topped pastry, it was a delectable breakfast.

  

As the day drew on, however, I began feeling horrible again, and was not able to enjoy any of the touristy stuff that we were doing. We made our way to another little restaurant as lunch time arrived. It was exceedingly hot though, and adding that into the equation, I really didn’t think I was going to make it through lunch. And I didn’t, unfortunately. I was able to down a half a bottle of Coke (the wonderful Mexican Coke!), and only a few spoonfuls of lentil soup. Bradley had to eat my chicken, so the sight of it wouldn’t make me sick. Which I was super grateful for. Another great friend, Danbi, took me back to the hotel and got me settled. That’s when waves of sickness overcame me. I was kind of panicking, to be honest. It’s a scary thing to be sick in a foreign country, without your close loved ones to take care of you. But Danbi was amazing. She sat me down as I was balling my eyes out as my stomach roiled and prayed healing over my body. She got me settled into my bed and left me with bottles of water and Gatorade and Pepto Bismol tablets, air conditioning filling the room. For the next four or five hours I slept fitfully. But about 5:00pm the precipice of the illness hit and I got violently sick. For the next two hours, the sickness just left me, and I was able to relax and a calmness flowed over me. During this time I roamed my hotel room, and eventually settled on turning on the TV. Grasping at hope, I needed an English program to come on that wasn’t dubbed in Spanish. And praise be, “Friends” was on, and it was in English, and only subtitled in Spanish! Nothing really soothes a soul than a little piece of home when you’re in a foreign place and not feeling well. After I felt considerably better, I called to rejoin my group. They had just finished dinner at a pizza parlour in the city center, and were going to go souvenir shopping.

  

  

The rest of Friday evening, and part of Saturday morning, I was able to get some really nice souvenirs for my family. Including some really great, fresh-roasted coffee! You can’t leave Mexico without taking some of the coffee with you.

So overall, discounting being sick and dehydrated, it was a really great trip. I was able to serve in ways that I never would, or ever think I could. I was able to spend some valuable time with friends that I only see every couple of years. And I was able to truly see how God has blessed my life.

**Stay tuned for an all-foto blog post later on…

*No geckos were harmed in the making of this blog. Well, at least not on purpose…

Mark of the Beast? Or just the Digital Age?

Barcodes…

Many businesses, bands, artists, and even individuals are now utilizing the data matrix barcode system as a means to advertise their goods, services, or even events to the masses. If you have a smart phone with barcode scanning capabilities you can scan these nifty new-age barcodes and you will be redirected to a website with all sorts of multimedia awesomeness.

This got me thinking…in the age of Facebook and Twitter…wouldn’t it be cool if everyone got these barcode tattoos and when you scanned them with your smart phone you would instantly be directed to their homepage with all their stats and interests, photos and everything! What a genius social media tool! I was instantly planning my own tattoo of this design as the idea formed in my mind!

But then I remembered something from those sermons I heard many times over the years in church about the Mark of the Beast.

He (the beast) also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, (Revelation 13:16 NLT)

There’s already been chip implants invented where they can be inserted under the skin that stores personal information, medical history, allergies, etc. One of the features of this chip is it has access to your bank account– a digital debit card, if you will– so a person can make purchases without even having their wallet or purse with them. And there are chips you can have implanted in your pets so if they get lost they can be scanned and all your information is linked to them and they can be returned to you safely.

And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name. (Revelation 13:17 NLT)

Now don’t start blasting me with religiosity (or vice versa). This is all merely speculation that has been going through my head this week. I’ve studied the book of Revelation a few times, and still don’t understand it in so many ways. I don’t know how the particular “marking” of the Beast will all come about, whether this is just the precursor of it, or if it has nothing to do with it at all. I’m just throwing it out there for some thinking outside the box.

Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus and for proclaiming the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their forehead or their hands. They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4 NLT)

Prayer Encounter

Before I forget all the minor (and major details), and so this is archived in a safe place: Prayer Encounter 2011 (#Reach417)

  

  

Prayer Encounter is an interactive prayer and worship experience, aimed at connecting people (students) with God on a deeper and creative level.

Prayer Stations:

1. Worship Station – an ipod is attached to a 5-way splitter allowing up to 5 people to experience the same preselected worship songs. This made for a great journaling time.

2. Communion – Do this in remembrance of Me ~ Jesus. (Don’t worry, only grape juice was used).

3. Dear Mom & Dad – Students were encouraged to write letters to their parents sharing with them how much the serving opportunities meant to them this week at Reach417, as well as how their hearts have changed.

4. ImpACT – This station let the students see that they didn’t have to only serve one week out of the year, that they could do this the entire year.  Sign up sheets were provided encouraging the students (and leaders) to sign up for the next ImpACT event in August 2011.  ImpACT is North Point’s Church mission initiative to attack the 4 Global Giants: disease, poverty, illiteracy and spiritual emptiness.

5. Pray For 1 Another: Students were asked to write down a prayer request as well as pray for another student’s request.  A great way to link students together in faith and prayer.

6. At the Cross: Strips of tattered cloth were provided so each person could write down a sin or temptation they are dealing with that is keeping them in bondage and from having a deeper relationship with Christ. Each cloth was thrown at the foot of the cross. Where Jesus took up our sins.

7. Reflect: An illustration of reflection for the students to think back on the last week and how they have impacted lives through their serving, as well as how their own lives have been changed.  Another good journaling opportunity.

8. Baggage:  Past hurts, mistakes, grudges, issues, etc, are all baggage that we carry that prevent us from having a fulfilling life in Christ and genuine relationships with other people. Each student was asked to write down the baggage they are dealing with and throw it into  a suitcase so it could be shipped off to Jesus, because He has said that he wants to take all of our burdens away.

9. Praise Wall: This was a time for students and leaders to offer praise reports or encouragement for others or merely just thanking God for His goodness, by writing them on a huge wipe-off board.

10. Expression: Worship through art.  Sometimes words aren’t enough to express how we feel, how much we love God and everything He’s done for us and through us.  Tablets of art paper, crayons, colored pencils, markers, etc were provided so each student could express their own creative worship.

11. Memorial for Shelby Estep: Beloved student and friend that many of our students and leaders grew to love during Reach417 of 2010.  Shortly after Reach last year Shelby passed away tragically leaving a void in many peoples’ lives and hearts.  We wanted to honor her memory this evening, as well as write encouraging messages to her parents in greeting cards.

Worship Station Playlist:

1. Salt in the Snow by The Classic Crime

2. How He Loves Us by David Crowder Band

3. City On Our Knees by TobyMac

4. All I Need by Shawn McDonald

5. I Will Waste My Life by Misty Edwards

6. Opposite Way by Leeland

7. In Me by Casting Crowns

8. Hosanna by Hillsong United

9. Follow You by Leeland & Brandon Heath

10. Should I Tell Them by Shaun Groves

11. Take My Life by Third Day

12. Majesty by Delirious

13. I Can Only Imagine (Acoustic) by Mercy Me

14. The Anthem by Planetshakers

Prayer Scriptures:

“…for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”  Isaiah 56:7

“Continue praying, keeping alert, and always thanking God. Also pray for us that God will give us an opportunity to tell people his message. Pray that we can preach the secret that God has made known about Christ.” Colossians 4:2-3

“When I was desperate, I called out, and God got me out of a tight spot. God’s angel sets up a circle of protection around us while we pray.” Psalm 34:6-7

“I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” Mark 11:24-25

“So when you pray, you should pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name always be kept holy. May your kingdom come and what you want be done, here on earth as it is in heaven. Give us the food we need for each day. Forgive us for our sins, just as we have forgiven those who sinned against us. And do not cause us to be tempted, but save us from the Evil One. The kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours forever. Amen.’” Matthew 6:9-13 NCV

“What other great nation has gods that are intimate with them the way God, our God, is with us, always ready to listen to us?” Deuteronomy 4:7

“When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen.” Jeremiah 29:12

“I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer.” Matthew 5:44

“…the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans.” Romans 8:26

“ I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.” Ephesians 1:18

“ In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.” Ephesians 6:18

“Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1Thessalonians 5:16

“Anyone who is having troubles should pray. Anyone who is happy should sing praises.” James 5:13

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so God can heal you. When a believing person prays, great things happen.  James 5:13

But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.  Jude 1:20

So the administrators and high officers went to the king and said, “Long live King Darius… Give orders that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions…” So King Darius signed the law… But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.    Daniel 6:6,7b, 9,10

Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer.   Psalm 4:1

I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God.  Bend down and listen as I pray.  Psalm 17:6

The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him.  Proverbs 15:8

The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.  Proverbs 15:29

Be joyful because you have hope. Be patient when trouble comes, and pray at all times.  Romans 12:12

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  Philippians 4:6

The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right,  and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil.  1Peter 3:12

And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety. 2Corinthians 1:10

So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.    2 Thessalonians 1:11

I will pray to the Lord, and he will answer me from his holy mountain.    Psalm 3:4

Because of this, since the day we heard about you, we have continued praying for you, asking God that you will know fully what he wants. We pray that you will also have great wisdom and understanding in spiritual things so that you will live the kind of life that honors and pleases the Lord in every way. You will produce fruit in every good work and grow in the knowledge of God.   Colossians 1:9-10

Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. Romans 8:34

And so Part 2 of the HP Madness begins…

Your in-depth results are:

Hufflepuff – 15
Ravenclaw – 12
Gryffindor – 10
Slytherin – 7

Which Hogwarts house will you be sorted into?

Top Ten Movies (Only because I can’t think of a catchy title…)

I think it’s time for a little “light” blog post, since it’s been a while since I’ve blogged anything.

I was reflecting on what my Top Ten movies were. Because everyone has a top ten, but maybe they’ve never actually written it out.

So here is my Top Ten Favorite movies of all time:

10. Shining Through – During my teen years, I was on a huge historical kick thanks to a lot of movies and books released around that time. This is set in the 1940s during WWII. The plot surrounding the story of this man and woman and the Sherman Tank ride of their lives is surely of epic status.  There’s spy action, treachery, love, trust, betrayal, lots of running and hiding, and shooting Nazis. This was another one of those “VHS borrowed from the neighbors so my parents had to buy it for me” movies.  I recently reacquired my VHS copy of this after a long hiatus at a relative’s house.  I’m kind of excited to get to watch this again, and hope to someday upgrade this to DVD status, as I’m not completely sure about the workability of my VCR.

9. Sherlock Holmes – Back in the mid-late nineties there was a television miniseries about good ole Sherlock, and I instantly was fascinated by his mystery solving skills.  When I heard this movie was going to be released I could not wait! I went to see this in the theater, by myself actually, which was quite pleasant (you should try it sometime!).  Edge-of-my-seat-GOODNESS! I loved every minute of it! I loved the dynamic of Robert Downey Jr.’s Sherlock and Jude Law’s Watson. I loved the idiosyncrasies of their partnership that delved into their friendship and their trust of each other.  I thoroughly  loved the steampunk aspect of it as well.  I can’t wait for the sequel, and I may have to make this a 10.5 top ten list.

8. Last Holiday - Putting two of hip-hops biggest stars in one movie together? How can that not have the recipe for awesomeness?  I think why I love this so much is I see alot of myself in Queen Latifah’s character “Georgia”.  Her fears, weaknesses, dreams, aspirations…I really relate to this character.  I especially love how she throws caution to the wind after learning some devastating news and just goes on the biggest, best, most amazing holiday ever. Living it up.  Because that’s what life is all about, right? Living.

7. Kate & Leopold - Time travel.  That’s really all it took to make this one of my favorite movies. Combine that with the sweet, quirky Meg Ryan, and the handsome and debonair accented Hugh Jackman, well, I really didn’t have a chance.

6. Elf - My DVD copy of this needs to be replaced. That’s how much I love it.  It seriously gets better every single time I watch it.  Will Ferrell has me in stitches. I love the “singing in a store” and the chugging of 2-liter bottle of Coke in a single sitting, his uber hyperness, and the lovely Jovie. This actually made Zooey Deschanel one of my favorite actresses.  This is my highly recommended movies to anyone I talk to around the holidays. It will forever remain a “classic” in my book.

5. Star Trek (2009) – Parallel Universe. That’s what did it for me. I’ve always been a sci-fi fan, and even though I enjoyed Star Trek (mainly TNG), I never considered myself a Trekkie.  I didn’t have the books, the comics, or the RPG games.  But this movie quickly made me want to be a Trekkie.  A total re-imagination of the original series. I love re-imaginations. It is a great way to intrigue a whole new generation with a classic story.  They (TPTB – The Powers That Be) did that with The Wizard of Oz by introducing Tin Man, which would probably rank as No. 11 on this list if it went beyond 10.  Putting the parallel universe twist on this classic really opens it up to a whole new movie franchise for a brand new generation of “Trekkies”.  I cannot wait until a sequel arrives. Because it will.

4. Pride & Prejudice (2005) – I really loved the BBC version starring Colin Firth (because who doesn’t love Colin Firth, really now?), so I really had no desire to watch this until I watched it at a friend’s house. And absolutely fell in love with it.  In the Jane Austen realm, I consider this the “cliff’s notes” of Pride & Prejudice.  You get a great cast of characters and amazing cinematography, but it does sort of lack the depth of the character’s personalities and situations that the book and the BBC version contains.  Even so, Keira Knightly as Elizabeth and Matthew Macfayden as Mr Darcy is sublime.  Epic story. Mr Darcy’s “I love you. Most ardently,” gets me every.single.time.

3. Nacho Libre – When this movie was first released I swore I was not going to subject myself to this rubbish. It looked ridiculous and downright stupid.  I held out for over a year.  But then my boss started quoting it. And even though I had not seen it (not even clips) I thought his rendition was hilarious. Then I went to Mexico (for the second time) and the people on my trip were quoting it, and Nacho-isms kept popping up along the trip (Luchadores, Corn on a stick, etc). I think what really made me want to see it was the fact that it was filmed in Oaxaca where I had been in Mexico.  And then I watched it. And I was hooked! The BEST taglines ever! I really think it was destiny.

2. While You Were Sleeping – Bill Pullman and Sandra Bullock? How could I NOT love this movie?! I remember the very first time I saw this. It was 1995, the Saturday before the Christmas play at church. I simply fell in love with this movie, the characters, the storyline, the feel-goodness of it all.  A story of love at first sight that turns out to not be love at first sight, and the real (and often hilarious) journey to finding true love and the importance of those in your life.  A lot of people consider this one of Sandra Bullock’s least acclaimed films, but I feel that this is where she really started to build her acting skills.  She’s funny, quirky, lovable, admirable, sincere – so many things within this character.  And even today I can see little glimpses of this character in other characters she has portrayed. This movie is by far one of my favorites and will likely always remain so. I mean, it’s held the test of time for 16 years now.

1. Star Wars Trilogy (1977-1983) I know this is three separate movies, but since it is part as one epic story, it fully classifies as a singular entry. I discovered Star Wars when I was 13. I think I was the only girl in my school geeky enough to latch onto this galactic adventure. I had borrowed my neighbors VHS movies repeatedly that my parents finally got me the set for my own collection.  I have to say that Luke Skywalker was probably my “first love”, though eventually I crossed over into the Han Solo groupies.  I know I wore those VHS tapes out from watching them on a weekly basis, to the point of memorization. Then came the introduction of DVDs. I worked at Wal-Mart at the time, and was able to snatch up a boxset as soon as it was released.  To this day, it is still in my “collection”, and one of my prized possessions.  I am definitely an original trilogy fan over the prequel trilogy, although there are a few (young Obi-Wan) aspects that I enjoy of the prequels, they will never be in the Top Ten. Never.

Does it matter?

So an amazing topic was started tonight at NPC:UNITED.

Purity.

This is SUCH a huge burden on my heart.  My heart yearns that people (at any age!) would take up this lifestyle and make it their own.  I’ve had my own struggles with purity.  Who hasn’t?  But these talks always seem to bring these memories to the forefront of my mind. Which makes me want to hold on even tighter to the lifestyle I have chosen and sworn to live by.

My heart aches to tell those who struggle in the area of keeping your mind and body untainted by the sexual assault that comes at us from all directions – stay strong.  It’s worth it.

It may not seem like it is, in the present, but years down the road, when you look back at the decisions you have made, you will realize that it was all worth it.

The road isn’t easy.  In fact it’s laid with traps easily disguised as convenient detours laced with signs for an easy path.  Signs that point to the “short path” very rarely lead to the destination that is best for you.  Be cautious of these things.  The enemy will use these roadblocks and detours and “signs” to trick you into your old lifestyle.  ”It’s just this one time,” he will say.  ”No one will know,” he’ll croon.  ”God will forgive you. It’s what He’s supposed to do,” he’ll reason.  But be leery of this voice.  It doesn’t have your best interests at heart.  In fact, his sole purpose is to “steal, kill, and destroy”.  And he will choose the easiest way to accomplish this: your weaknesses.

As Pastor Jesse pointed out in his talk tonight, find someone who you can talk to about this. Someone who can keep you accountable and who will walk this journey with you.  You will never ever regret this life choice.  It will make you a new person from the inside out.  And who doesn’t like new things?

Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new. {2 Corinthians 5:17, CEV}

Waiting For The World To Fall…

I close my eyes and try to see the world unbroken underneath.
The farther off & already it might just make the life I lead
A little more than make-believe when all my skies are painted blue;
And all the clouds don’t ever change the shape of who I am to You.
I’m waiting for the world to fall.

~Jars of Clay

Do you ever feel like the very foundation of your world is falling apart?  Like your life is like a Jenga tower, and one action, one decision, one outside source pulling one of the blocks out can cause your world to shake and sway and threaten to tumble? That’s what my life feels like right now.  Not my personal life, but my extended life – my life involving my family.

It’s interesting how the topics that are discussed at church seem to parallel things that happen in my life so acutely.  Over the month of December, Peace was the focus.  Peace in the midst of chaos.  That’s how the last three months have felt for me:  chaotic.  The stresses of the holiday season, financial stresses, the intensity of tasks on the job, and the typical family drama.  The week of Christmas, in particularly that Tuesday, the mad rush at work came to a screeching halt, which was a relief in itself.  So I thought that I could focus on other things, like picking out the perfect gifts for my family.

I try to avoid drama in my life.  I hate how it makes me feel, and I hate how it effects my family, especially when it is at the center of it.  Christmas came and went, with subtle dramatic undercurrents, and I thought this year was going to end strong and on a good mark.  Then yesterday occurred. (Author’s Note: for the next three days after this post, even more chaos ensued).

I cringe every time my phone rings and it is someone in my family.  Or when I see a vague negative Facebook post.  I instinctively and automatically assume it’s going to be bad news.  Because it has usually been so.  I hate that.  I hate that I can’t expect good news from my family.  Perhaps it’s because for the last decade there has just been one bad thing after another happen.

I’ve tried to uphold my faith during all of these things.  I think.  There have been serious moments of doubt.  I can’t even try to wrap my mind around why some of these things have happened. Sometimes I feel like I’m on the outside looking into a snow globe of chaos that is my familial life involving my parents and sibling/in-laws.  There is always something negative being said, something happening that is the next soap opera.

Part of me wonders if I’ve lost my compassion.  Part of me doesn’t even want to feel anything anymore about any of this chaos.  Part of me wants to move to the other side of the world away from it all.  But then the other part of me feels too much.  And it rips through me making my heart ache and my mind cry out for some sort of resolution.

Peace: Cessation of or freedom from any strife or dissension; freedom of the mind from annoyance, distraction, anxiety, an obsession.

I am not sure that my family will ever really be peaceful.  As long as there is any of these things – strife, dissension, obsession, annoyance, distraction, anxiety – there will not be peace in their lives.

And yet, I have to hold to my hope in Christ that he can work things out for the good.  That whatever bad or negative thing that happens, he can use something out of it for good.

But there can be peace in our minds.  There can be peace in my mind.  In my heart.  I can have peace in my knowledge of Jesus.  Because he is the author and perfector of my faith.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

We aren’t guaranteed a perfect peachy keen life filled with a skip through the daisies.  There is going to be trouble.  There is going to be chaos. There is going to be crap that we can’t get away from.  And even when it feels like someone has taken a chunk out of my life and I’m teetering on the precipice, I have to hold to the truth that I’m not alone.  That the One I have faith in has overcome the world so that I can find my peace in him.

I’m waiting for the world to fall.
I’m waiting for the scene to change.

NaNoWriMo PTSD

So it’s been nearly two weeks since I finished NaNoWriMo.  Yes, I wrote a 50,000 word novel draft in a month.

An entire month of literary abandon.  An entire month of little sleep.  An entire month of triple the caffeine intake.  I have to say, it took quite a toll on me, as you can see below.

No, I didn’t turn into a crazed Jack Nicholson, though I was in zombie mode for nearly a week afterward. It was quite amusing, I’m sure, for anyone around me during those days.  In all seriousness though, I did learn quite a bit about writing, and myself during those thirty days.

I refer to this work as “The Prequel”.

In April, when I entered my first writing contest, I started writing my first novel.  It’s a time travel novel.  However, over the course of five months, the plot just wasn’t really forming.  This past fall I had acquired a copy of Snow Patrol’s “A Hundred Million Suns” and fell in love with it.  As I was listening to it this novel idea assaulted my muse.  The prequel for my already current novel.  It just would not let me go.  Scenes just kept entering my mind until I had to at least write down a rough outline so as to not to forget it, once I finished my current novel.  But then realization struck me that I could not use my current novel for NaNoWriMo, officially.  That’s when I decided to write “The Prequel”.  And thus it all began.

Firstly, it really is important to write every day (though I haven’t done so since November 30th!).  During the competition I started out rather strong, even ahead.  And then the unforeseen happened and I got the flu nine days in and was laid up for two whole days.  I didn’t feel like doing anything, let alone writing.  That put me behind by over 3,200 words.  It then took me another couple days to recover from being sick to even want to attempt to write.  When that week was all said and done I was behind by about 6,000+ words.  This was not a good start to my first year of NaNoWriMo.

Secondly, I learned that I really need to get to know my characters on a personal basis before I can convey their story to others.  I didn’t really form a relationship with them until midway through writing.  Though, by the end of it, we were really great friends.  I think I told their story to the best of my ability (so far).  I think they would be pleased.

The most surprising thing that I learned was that your outlined plot is not set in stone.  It can change, so let it.  By chapter six, the plot took a fork in the road and turned into something completely different than what I had planned. Probably the most shocking thing about this whole writing experience was receiving a brand new plot twist at eleventh hour on the final night of the competition.  Let’s just say the ending of the novel will be totally unexpected!! Heh!

The next, and I have come to realize, really is the most important thing, is to have a support system!  Going into this only a couple people knew I was going to compete in NaNoWriMo.  Some that I mentioned it to gave me odd looks and very carefully composed questions as to why would I do this.  Why not?  What had I to lose?  Time?  Sleep?  Sure I can’t get those back.  But look at what I gained! I wrote an ENTIRE 50k word draft! I pulled a whole book concept out of my head and got it down in physical words! I have never done anything like this! It was quite a rush!  This is the first step to getting published (my ultimate dream)!  But I digress.  A support system.  My biggest support system came from friends at work and church.  Once they found out what I was doing, they became huge supporters and encouragers.  I have to say, those that continued to ask about the progress of my work day after day, week after week, really is what powered me forward to completion.  If I had not had that constant encouragement and interest, I probably would have gotten frustrated and just given up.  But I didn’t.  Thanks to them.  You’ll be the first ones to read it once it’s been edited.  You all know who you are.

One other significant thing I learned during this journey was that I need to read more.  If you know me at all, you know that I’m already a bookworm.  I get giddy over bookstores.  Yes, Barnes & Noble causes me to drool.  Used bookstores, even more so!  What compares to that old musty book smell with a slashed price tag?  Not much, I say.  Not much.  But really, Stephen King, renowned author who has penned more books than I am even aware of (and under a pseudonym no less), gave a piece of advice in front of a group of people attending a conference in his recognition. Someone asked him what his advice would be to become a better writer.  His reply was to read lots of books, in many genres.  He said that if you don’t have time to read, you don’t have time to write.  His recommended book quantity included 70-80 books a year! That’s about 2 books a week.  Which has made it to my 2011 “Resolutions”, or Goals.  Do I think I can read that many books next year? Not likely.  Will I attempt to reach it? You betcha!

So in retrospect, all the lost sleep, all the deranged dreams and ideas that cropped up during November, all the caffeine buzzes (Red Bull Fiasco of December 1st)…was it all worth it?  Heck yeah! I really can’t wait to see how this all pans out from here.  Saturday I emailed it off to my friend and cohort Saz who lives in New Zealand.  She is my sole beta-reader.  I trust her advice and I know she’ll give it to me straight.  I also know that she’ll do her best help me to mold this draft into the novel that it has the potential for.

And without further ado, the playlist that encouraged:

1. Where the River Runs by Collective Soul

2. Hands Open by Snow Patrol

3. Set Down Your Glass by Snow Patrol

4. Noticed by Mute  Math

5. The Golden Floor by Snow Patrol

6. Salt in the Snow by The Classic Crime

7. The Planets Between Us by Snow Patrol

8. Pale Horse by Moby

9. Airplanes by B.O.B (w/Hayley Williams)

10. Crack the Shutters by Snow Patrol

11. Take Back The City by Snow Patrol

12. Panic Switch by Silversun Pickups

13. The Lightening Strike by Snow Patrol

14. Make This Go On Forever by Snow Patrol

15. 9 Crimes by Damien Rice

16. Falling Slowly by The Swell Season

17. Maybe by Ingrid Michaelson

18. This Year’s Love by David Gray

19. Kings & Queens by 30 Seconds to Mars

20. Download by Snow Patrol

NaNoWriMo Madness (National Novel Writing Month)

At the many months of insistence from my good friend Saz, I have decided to enter the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) contest. For those of you who haven’t heard of this crazydeathsentence competition, it is a mad dash to write a 50,000 word novel in a month. So I am committing to this first-time experience that commences on November 1.

I have to admit I’m a bit nervous, but more excited than anything. I’ve developed an outline to write by (again, another first), as well as a writing playlist (I seem to write better with music guiding my Muse).

I suppose what makes me nervous, is that this is going to be an original piece, with original characters that have only thus far lived in existence in my imagination. Writing this means not only putting myself out there for criticism, but also my beloved characters. Part of me doesn’t want to do that. Part of me wants to protect those characters from the inevitable flames that are bound to lash out at them. But the rational and adventurous part if me does want them to be out there, showing everyone their story, whether liked or not.

That being said, I need some help with my main character. Let me introduce you to Ian.  Ian is an anthropologist, and his passion is discovering and immersing himself in new cultures.  A Peruvian tribe seems to be his latest find. Ian is Scottish, but had the privilege of attending Oxford, something not too common of his age and status in the early 1900s.  The problem I’m having with Ian, is I don’t know what his last name is! I am having the most difficult time deciding.  So you as my reader, friend, family, or tweep, can help me by voting below for the name that strikes you the most aesthetically pleasing for dear Ian.

Writing Inspiration Playlist

Music inspires me to write. As I’m writing my first fiction novel, music has driven me in the creative process. These songs have essentially become the soundtrack, if you will, for this book. I can almost see the characters on the silver screen with each of these songs drifting through the background in their respective places.

1. Mercy – OneRepublic
2. Haven’t Met You Yet – Michael Buble
3. All The Right Moves – OneRepublic
4. Secrets – OneRepublic
5. Say (All I Need) – OneRepublic
6. Everything – Michael Buble
7. When I Look At You – Miley Cyrus
8. Before the Storm – Miley Cyrus w/Jonas Bros.
9. Apologize – OneRepublic w/Timbaland
10. Always On My Mind – Michael Buble
11. Hold On – Michael Buble
12. Faith Don’t Fail Me – Joy Whitlock
13. Home – Michael Buble
14. Beautiful, Beautiful – Francesca Battistelli (This was actually the song that inspired the entire book, and has played a part in the title of it)
15. How He Loves – David Crowder Band

So I thought I’d share a piece of my writing process.