summer is here (officially)

there are a few things that must be in place for summer to officially begin (in my universe, anyway). it's like the formation of voltron--where each component is powerful enough, but when they combine, it's on. well, those elements for me are:

1. Window-down weather. You need to be able to drive with your windows down at all times (excluding rain, of course).

2. Grilling. Done and done.

3. yard sales. people selling crap they either don't want or can't afford to keep. i love going to them, and it cracks me up that its a part of what i consider summer to be. the world's longest yard sale trails right through this town in august. joy!

4. summer blockbusters. This summer has delivered (for the most part). I'm slated to see wall-e this week, which I'm excited about. the only big name I saw and didn't care for was Indiana Jones...shame on you, George Lucas, shame! shaaaaaaaaaaammmmmeee!!!

5. Sno-cones. and this is why summer is now officially here. The sno-cone (or sno-ball or shaved ice or whatever you might call it) place next to casa fiesta is now open! Let the blue bubble-gum goodness flow! Seriously, i hate the idea of a summer without sno-cones. You should drive to frankfort right now and treat yourself to a spoonful of summer.

thoughts on our Stewart Home Visit

For those who read this and don't know about the Stewart Home, the Stewart Home is a school for students with special needs in Frankfort. They do amazing work with close to 200 students from all over the US and abroad. Some of us at Hope got in contact with the SH to see if there was a way we could help them do what they're doing there. Different groups of volunteers have gone simply to play and help with some of the students at different times, and we've build a healthy connection with the school and its students. Yesterday, we packed up a trailer and threw a party for the students there. We brought a full band set up, clowns, face painters, bubbles, and the likes and decided to just blow the doors off their hinges for an hour or two.

First, to those who went, thank you. It was amazing to see how well our people worked together to make an event like that happen. It seemed effortless, though I know it wasn't. I was even more moved to see so many people come and not just watch; seeing your hearts come out as you worked with the students there encouraged and challenged me so much. There was more pure joy on the dance floor yesterday than I've seen in a long time. It was beautiful.

Second, and maybe this is a little raw, but what is it about dancing and joy that caught us off guard yesterday? Or me, anyway... I don't know how much of what we sang about even translated to the students we were with...honestly, to evangelize was not the point anyway...but when it comes down to the joy in those moments, the pure enjoyment of life itself, I feel like I was preached to by every student there. For me, every song and dance and laugh and shout was a testament of the goodness of life, and the greatness of God in the midst of all life brings us. Within the presence of God is the presence of joy, unquenchable and overflowing and transforming. I mean, I feel like i see things differently after last night. I know afterwards, a few of us were talking through what we had experienced as if something had come over us...something foreign but not foreign at all. Joy had shown up and looked us in the eye and asked us to dance. And so many said yes.

I'm still processing through it all, but I'd love to hear stories from any of you who went...where's this hitting you?


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Listening to: Doveman - Cities

next steps...

Currently, one of my tasks I'm working on at Hope is helping to develop a curriculum for people new to the faith and new to our church. It would be the next step to our new member training class--deeper into the theology and subsequent practice of our faith together at Hope. As we develop this class, part of me is wondering what people (both at Hope and elsewhere) feel like they either need or needed when first venturing into the faith. What lessons were crucial in getting you going in the faith? Or what were you not told/taught that you wish you had been exposed to early in your walk?

There's a guy in Ft. Thomas named Jeremy Pryor who has posted some interesting videos on what he's calling the Story-Formed Life. It's a discipleship course he's designed based on understanding our story within the larger story of God. This link will take you to his youtube page; if you have time, take a look and let me know what you think of this in the ole' comment section.

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Now playing: Sigur Rós - Untitled 1
via FoxyTunes

Steve Shryock Update

As of today, I've heard he's off his ventilator and is doing much better. Keep praying for him, for his wife Donna Gayle and their son Neil.

Thanks-

update stuff

hey everyone (or the 2.3 people who might read this)-

sorry I've been out of pocket in the blogosphere (that word is weird); things have been rather busy in real life. a good busy, but busy none the less.

first, a quick prayer request: steve shryock, a member of our church, had a number of bypasses done on his heart last week. all went well, but he has not been able to wake from the surgery. his vitals are all great, but he still needs prayer.

second, as usual, JD Walt has some great conversation going on at his blog. He has a conversation posted today from a friend of his from England in which they're discussing a temple-centric model of worship. here's a quote:

There are so many understandings of what was going on in Temple sacrifices, so let’s start with a taking of the best of creation and lifting it up to the Creator as a free offering being a reversal of the sin of the world (where people simply take anything from creation and worship that). Let’s add the
cost question: you give God the most precious thing you own, and when we
say “give”, we mean give completely – kill, give its life. You cannot have
it back. Yet amazingly the sacrifice is usually cause for celebration and
results in restored relationship between God and his people, not in loss
and grief.

To make a sacrifice is an honour and a joy, not a burden; to abuse the
honour is to curse God and defile his people.


if you have the time, go here and give it a read.

third, some music recommendations, if you're interested:

Ben Cantelon's Daylight Breaks Through could be the best worship album i've bought in a while.

Sam Amidon, or Samamidon, has an album called All is Well. very folk/banjo, very sufjan-esque, very pentatonic, very cool.

And get some Nick Drake in your life.
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Now playing: Nick Drake - Fruit Tree
via FoxyTunes