It's been another Wednesday. Which meant another day of classes and school, and another day full of fighting my way through.
I managed to get two skinned knees, a skinned elbow, and a skinned hand, one of the wires on my braces popped loose, and I have a loose bracket, too; all this already so far this week. Couldn't hear a thing our Strat instructor was saying, it seemed like Comp I would never end...however, we were actually doing something for a change, so that was kinda neat. It's interesting editing your classmates' papers. History was good, but it was raining slightly and very gray and cloudy. Sort of wondering if I'm in the right place here. MassComm went pretty well, we had to research various entertainment trends for the past fifty years in fifteen minutes and then give a short recap of what we'd found.
The CCF flag-football team, the Mortal Wombats, had their first game today, at three p.m. down on the intramural fields, facing a team called(Interesting use of non-originality here) Team Name. They might not have been all that creative in picking their moniker, but they could pick off our passes for sure. The game opened with an interception on the first play, several defensive stands and interceptions later, they scored a touchdown. After an iffy call that was decided best left alone, they made the two-point conversion. At halftime it was 8-0, the Wombats nearly scored several times, and did make one touchdown, but were beaten 20-6.
Some extra practice was needed, so we kept at it until about 5:30, I headed back to the dorm for some dinner. After finishing off a box of cookies, a granola bar, some Monster, Diet Coke and strawberry milk, I checked Facebook and my emails to see if I'd missed anything. Hadn't really, but had that feeling like I just needed to be alone or something, just too much going on to be around people. And that odd restless feeling where you need to attack something was back. That's usually when I start running, because there isn't a ball handy whenever I need to punt one. But you can only run from things so far, that only gets you nowhere, really. Still hungry from my snack, I get a bit of food from the caf, and then figure out what's going on. My form of displacement, a kind of hiding from reality by taking out my frustrations on something that won't fight back, is to find a ball of some kind and play around with it. Tonight I needed to play volleyball. Don't know why, but just had to. I guess that's probably the way most guys are about dealing with stress, and some girls, go play sports. Anyway, I walk down to the volleyball courts, sort of wishing I was in Missouri or at the house and I could hit it around with Ash and the Freelands, or play with Courtney off the roof.
So I practice jump serves with my soccer ball. (Yeah, I know. Sounds weird, and even harder to actually do. But I usually set weird challenges like that for myself. And my internal sports calendar is completely different than most. I can play basketball in July, and baseball in December.) Amazingly, I figure out a way to launch the heavy dead weight over the net, and my jump serve is accurate about half the time now, so it was a productive half-hour. Then Jacob and Felicia come up to play on the other court, I ask if I can join. They're in my Strat and Comp I classes, respectively. They say, "Yeah, come on over." and a game gets sort of started. Trent, another guy in my Comp I class, and Charlie, in history, wander over later, and a bunch of other people I don't know, we played about nine games in an hour and a half.
It just seemed so amazing, such the providence and grace of God, that when I needed to play volleyball, He would have a game be picked up with several people I knew. A more personal example of "I'm here, Wesley, and I'll keep guiding you. Just keep on fighting, hang in there for now."
And also, been thinking I need to call Steven for a few days, I call him up as I get back to my dorm, starting up the laptop at the same time to see what's happening. I see a message from, of all people, Steven, just checking up to see how things were going. He said that he'd been thinking of seeing how I was doing for a couple days now, too, just another of those weird God-things. I got caught up on youth-group and church news, he found out a bit about how college life is treating me. It was a good conversation to have, talking to another brother in Christ like that who I feel comfortable around, admitting I'm having a hard time. We talked for about twenty minutes.
Well, just two of those bright little things that we usually don't notice, that shine all the more because of the darkness and oppression surrounding them, and I just had to share them.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Monday, September 24, 2012
Songs of the Day
Every once in a while, there's a song that gets stuck in your head. And it just keeps playing over and over until either it gets replaced by a new song, or it just finally kills itself to death and suffocates. These(as named by my cousins and spread through our AI discussions) are known as "Songs of the Day". Had a lot more than normal today.
Last night is when the school week begins, really. And thankfully, it wasn't a "Never Grow Up" kind of night, as Sundays usually are, endless loops of Taylor and Carrie. Instead, it was another great song, that's still not all that great to live out: "I'm In A Hurry", the Alabama classic.
This morning began with Rascal Flatts' "What Hurts The Most". Then it was Tim McGraw's "Something Like That", that bridge just lodges itself into your cranium and won't let you go without examining it. And by then I'd eaten breakfast and was waiting for my first class to start, my mouth was kinda hurting a bit from the orthodonist appointment last week. So the Owl City song "Dental Care" was next on the mind-radio's playlist. And for some random reason I found myself singing Jason Aldean's "Tattoos On This Town", too.
Isaiah 43 is another of those songs that's been often sung and thought about in here, too, as has Come Thou Fount, Great Is Thy Faithfulness, and Mercies Anew.
Found out I got a B on my history test last Friday(it's a very hard class), I was happy with that. Then, with the curve put onto it, I got an A, Comp I was uneventful, and Strat went all right. And the lunch food in the caf was pretty good today. Then, I get some mail from my friend(and quote, "adopted sister", it's kinda complicated, lol) Amanda, and MassComm was crazy. Disorganized, but creative. All that, the song I was reminded of was Keith Urban's "God's Been Good To Me" and FFH's "It's A Good Day". And He has, and it was. Flag-football practice went pretty well, made a couple decent plays, starting to jell as a team, hopefully we'll do okay once the season starts later this week. Then there was a picnic type of thing with some people from CCF, it was a little spoiled by an attack of giant mosquitoes and bees. But then there was VOLLEYBALL No specific songs for that, but just good camp memories. (And side note, but why is it that the sports I'm best at are the really out-of-the-ordinary ones? Volleyball, ping pong, soccer?) So that was a great way to end a good day, a good beginning to the week.
And, I've almost survived half a semester of college so far.
Now to get started on all the projects and things that need to get done tomorrow...
Last night is when the school week begins, really. And thankfully, it wasn't a "Never Grow Up" kind of night, as Sundays usually are, endless loops of Taylor and Carrie. Instead, it was another great song, that's still not all that great to live out: "I'm In A Hurry", the Alabama classic.
This morning began with Rascal Flatts' "What Hurts The Most". Then it was Tim McGraw's "Something Like That", that bridge just lodges itself into your cranium and won't let you go without examining it. And by then I'd eaten breakfast and was waiting for my first class to start, my mouth was kinda hurting a bit from the orthodonist appointment last week. So the Owl City song "Dental Care" was next on the mind-radio's playlist. And for some random reason I found myself singing Jason Aldean's "Tattoos On This Town", too.
Isaiah 43 is another of those songs that's been often sung and thought about in here, too, as has Come Thou Fount, Great Is Thy Faithfulness, and Mercies Anew.
Found out I got a B on my history test last Friday(it's a very hard class), I was happy with that. Then, with the curve put onto it, I got an A, Comp I was uneventful, and Strat went all right. And the lunch food in the caf was pretty good today. Then, I get some mail from my friend(and quote, "adopted sister", it's kinda complicated, lol) Amanda, and MassComm was crazy. Disorganized, but creative. All that, the song I was reminded of was Keith Urban's "God's Been Good To Me" and FFH's "It's A Good Day". And He has, and it was. Flag-football practice went pretty well, made a couple decent plays, starting to jell as a team, hopefully we'll do okay once the season starts later this week. Then there was a picnic type of thing with some people from CCF, it was a little spoiled by an attack of giant mosquitoes and bees. But then there was VOLLEYBALL No specific songs for that, but just good camp memories. (And side note, but why is it that the sports I'm best at are the really out-of-the-ordinary ones? Volleyball, ping pong, soccer?) So that was a great way to end a good day, a good beginning to the week.
And, I've almost survived half a semester of college so far.
Now to get started on all the projects and things that need to get done tomorrow...
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Hornets Sting NSU 30-20
The random switches between pondering all the things in this life and reporting on the unimportant things that make this life easier continue...
Hornets sting NSU 30-20
It was their first meeting in over twenty years, but things were still the same as they have been this year for Emporia State and Northeastern State, the Hornets' offense was too much for the RiverHawks, and the visitors stayed unbeaten after Saturday night's 30-20 victory in Tahlequah.
Emporia won the coin toss and elected to defer, Northeastern was forced to give the ball back after two series. The Hornets' offense met resistance, the ball switched hands several times before Emporia's Eli Coons kicked a 27 field goal with 4:23 to go in the first quarter, a trick play led to a Northeastern conversion on 4th and 8, but no points came of it, the first quarter ended with the 'Hawks trailing 3-0 in a defensive struggle. Sophomore quarterback Johnny Deaton plunged successfully for a two yard gain on 4th and 1, but again, the NSU offense sputtered. Emporia's gears began running smoothly, Derwin Hall scored on a two yard touchdown run with 3:44 to go in the half, the extra point try was wide right. Northeastern gained some good yardage, but went into halftime down 9-0.
Fall was definitely in the air, cooler temperatures and breezy conditions helped an ESU pass to sail far enough off course to NSU senior cornerback Vernon Jones' hands, he gave the RiverHawks posession at the Hornet six-yard-line with 13:42 to go in the third quarter. Freshman Daniel Bond nailed a 28 yard field goal 43 seconds later, getting the home team on the board. ESU answered that with an emphatic drive the length of the field that was capped by a eleven yard Dozie Iguawa score. A long kickoff return set up a 47 yard Bond field goal, the Northeastern momentum continued as Emporia was stopped on downs. And then Deaton threw an interception two plays later, leading to a seven yard touchdown from Iguawa with 2:33 left in the quarter, which ended with Emporia State leading 23-6. Junior defensive back Victor Williams pounced on a loose football to thwart a Hornet attack, three plays later Deaton found senior receiver Jermaine Sherman for a 17 yard touchdown strike with 9:50 to play. With the following kickoff at midfield due to an ESU penalty, the 'Hawks tried an onside kick and Williams recovered, but after gaining only two yards they turned the ball over on downs. With time becoming an issue, Emporia kept the ball on the ground and kept the clock running. Northeastern got the ball back, SO tailback Joel Rockmore found the end zone from nine yards away, and suddenly it was a three-point game with five minutes left. The Hornet duo of Tyler Eckenrode and Shiuan Richardson squashed the home side's comeback hopes with their eleven yard connection, the game ended with the scoreboard showing Emporia State Hornets 30, Northeastern State RiverHawks 20.
For Emporia, Eckenrode was 18-26 passing for 221 yds with a TD and INT, he ran ten times for 56 yds, Iguawa had eighteen carries for 81 yds and two TDs, Ray Ray Davis had six receptions for 107 yds. For NSU, Deaton was 18-44 for 205 yds with a TD and INT, Rockmore had fourteen carries for 105 yds, Gionni Harris had two catches for 70 yds. NSU was 4-of-19 on third-down conversions, 2-for-4 on fourth-down conversions.
Up next on the Northeastern schedule is a trip to Northwest Missouri State on Saturday, Sept 29 for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff, the RiverHawks(0-4, 0-4 MIAA) look to take on the #12 ranked Bearcats(3-1, 2-1 MIAA), who topped Nebraska-Kearney 37-13 last week.
Hornets sting NSU 30-20
It was their first meeting in over twenty years, but things were still the same as they have been this year for Emporia State and Northeastern State, the Hornets' offense was too much for the RiverHawks, and the visitors stayed unbeaten after Saturday night's 30-20 victory in Tahlequah.
Emporia won the coin toss and elected to defer, Northeastern was forced to give the ball back after two series. The Hornets' offense met resistance, the ball switched hands several times before Emporia's Eli Coons kicked a 27 field goal with 4:23 to go in the first quarter, a trick play led to a Northeastern conversion on 4th and 8, but no points came of it, the first quarter ended with the 'Hawks trailing 3-0 in a defensive struggle. Sophomore quarterback Johnny Deaton plunged successfully for a two yard gain on 4th and 1, but again, the NSU offense sputtered. Emporia's gears began running smoothly, Derwin Hall scored on a two yard touchdown run with 3:44 to go in the half, the extra point try was wide right. Northeastern gained some good yardage, but went into halftime down 9-0.
Fall was definitely in the air, cooler temperatures and breezy conditions helped an ESU pass to sail far enough off course to NSU senior cornerback Vernon Jones' hands, he gave the RiverHawks posession at the Hornet six-yard-line with 13:42 to go in the third quarter. Freshman Daniel Bond nailed a 28 yard field goal 43 seconds later, getting the home team on the board. ESU answered that with an emphatic drive the length of the field that was capped by a eleven yard Dozie Iguawa score. A long kickoff return set up a 47 yard Bond field goal, the Northeastern momentum continued as Emporia was stopped on downs. And then Deaton threw an interception two plays later, leading to a seven yard touchdown from Iguawa with 2:33 left in the quarter, which ended with Emporia State leading 23-6. Junior defensive back Victor Williams pounced on a loose football to thwart a Hornet attack, three plays later Deaton found senior receiver Jermaine Sherman for a 17 yard touchdown strike with 9:50 to play. With the following kickoff at midfield due to an ESU penalty, the 'Hawks tried an onside kick and Williams recovered, but after gaining only two yards they turned the ball over on downs. With time becoming an issue, Emporia kept the ball on the ground and kept the clock running. Northeastern got the ball back, SO tailback Joel Rockmore found the end zone from nine yards away, and suddenly it was a three-point game with five minutes left. The Hornet duo of Tyler Eckenrode and Shiuan Richardson squashed the home side's comeback hopes with their eleven yard connection, the game ended with the scoreboard showing Emporia State Hornets 30, Northeastern State RiverHawks 20.
For Emporia, Eckenrode was 18-26 passing for 221 yds with a TD and INT, he ran ten times for 56 yds, Iguawa had eighteen carries for 81 yds and two TDs, Ray Ray Davis had six receptions for 107 yds. For NSU, Deaton was 18-44 for 205 yds with a TD and INT, Rockmore had fourteen carries for 105 yds, Gionni Harris had two catches for 70 yds. NSU was 4-of-19 on third-down conversions, 2-for-4 on fourth-down conversions.
Up next on the Northeastern schedule is a trip to Northwest Missouri State on Saturday, Sept 29 for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff, the RiverHawks(0-4, 0-4 MIAA) look to take on the #12 ranked Bearcats(3-1, 2-1 MIAA), who topped Nebraska-Kearney 37-13 last week.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Rain and Riches
I've been here at school for about a month now, and wondering already how so many people could grow up with this stuff in public school for twelve years and then add four or so at college onto it...it's been kinda rough. But there's been some good things, too. As an example, here's a quick summary of my life for the last two weeks.
Friday night, Sept 7: I spend the weekend in town, given that there's a soccer game, and running some errands might lead to writing later on. So I get there to the soccer field and learn how to operate a scoreboard, while listening the stressed-out, profane media relations director and his assistant complain at everything. And then it starts to RAIN. SHEETS of rain. (And, being Oklahoma weather, of course I had to guess on the temp before I left. I guessed wrong, didn't even have a hoodie or jacket or anything with me.) And then the wind picked up, gusting like crazy from the north...and the temperature dropped thirty degrees in about three hours. So the game went into a rain delay with 9:33 left in the first half, due to lightning. A 116-minute wait later, and thoroughly soaked, things were finally clear enough to finish the first half. Another storm cell comes up, redrenching the already well-watered ground. They finally call the game, and I walk as quickly as I can the half-mile back to the (safety?) of the dorm with its' hypothermic-inducing air-conditioning. But, I can now run a scoreboard, so maybe that'll lead to something, which might lead to something...
Saturday, Sept 8: I study in the morning, gulp down protein bars for breakfast and lunch(the cafeteria was closed, due to Labor Day), and pretty much don't see a human being I know all day. Run on my hamster wheel, and I'd found "The Big Green" on YouTube the day before while searching for the old Billy Ray Cyrus TV series "DOC"(didn't come up with anything. It's like all my favorite songs and TV shows and most movies don't exist, according to the internet.) I love that movie. Actually, I love almost anything that's sports-related, has some kids and/or animals in the cast, that's a little Cinderella-like in it's predictability of plot. But they're so GOOD! And funny! And have all these great lines, and cool camera angles...
Anyway, since I didn't really have anything else that needed to get done, I sat down and watched the movie. It was nice. Then, because I'm me, and already living it up on the weekend, I call my grandma to see if I can get a ride to Wal-Mart. So I get my shopping done(Oreos, Diet Coke, a ping pong paddle, the Cars soundtrack and a soccer ball), and come home in time for some peanut butter and football. I listen to NSU lose a close ballgame(naturally keeping notes), and then write up a story afterwards, because I can't help it. And I need to keep up those writing skills.
Sunday, Sept 9: I wake up and get ready for church, and then find some other useful things to do while waiting for Javier to come pick me up. I read through the entire book of Ecclesiastes, and then found a broom(Yay!!!) and swept the front porch(Double yay!!!).
After church, I went to lunch with a family I sort of know, Ryan and my dad were really close friends in college, so they're kind of interested in how I'm doing. It was a nice afternoon, being in that family environment again, even if it's wasn't my own. Hearing the "Mom...can I do...?" questions, watching the siblings interact, or watching life on the back porch, kind of Mayberry-like. Played with their little two-year-old, she wanted me to read her several books, so I did. Sort of reminded me of Amy. Admired the little boy's Lego collection, petted the cats and the dog, and watched the football recap show while discussing this season's NFL storylines with Shelly.
. That was really special. One of God's blessings that he gives us in rough times, I needed to be around other people after a week of classes and studying. Then there was worship practice that night, which was pretty good.
Monday, Sept 10: This was an insane day, I was ready for it to be over by three p.m. The skies were cloudy, didn't really learn anything in University Strategies, and then our English teacher was hung over. It made for an interesting hour; we all agreed afterward that nobody learned anything. And our homework was to find out about the Stanford Prison Experiment, which was pretty awful. History was all right. Then in MassComm that afternoon, we were studying sound media, and how music can impact our culture. It opened with listening to Ozzy Osbourne, and then immediately went to Eminem. After having our ears blistered, we then got into a spirited debate over illegal file-sharing.
Once all that was over, I was exhausted. But I had to write something about 9/11, so I rewatched news clips and poked around for the facts...it was necessary, but it was a hard night, reliving all that terror and uncertainty.
There was kind of a lot on my mind, I counted six different subjects at least chasing each other. Just kind of felt scared, lost and stressed(Well, I nearly always feel like that here lately, but it was especially strong that day). So I tried listing some of the things I was thankful for, it sort of helped. And I talked to Ash, she's always good to know.
Tuesday, Sept 11: Finished up the last touches on that blog post and published it, and tried to get through the day's workload, trying to stay in real life and get what I needed to done. Acted as a guide dog for Russell after psych, it isn't much, but it's a way to serve God here clearly. Psych was good, we learned about Erik Erikson's Theories of Psychosocial Development, what we learn at each stage of our lives, and how we learn it. For example, how we come to trust, have independence, form a work ethic, that kind of thing.
Explained some of the ways we use defense mechanisms to avoid unpleasant reality to Jessica; really interesting stuff I'm finding out in this class. Didn't feel right to play Frisbee, so I stayed at home, too somber a day, wouldn't have felt comfortable. CCF was that night, the worship music went okay. My guitar is so quiet...sounds great solo, but with any other instrument, and it's not that good...and I was a little nervous, and my picks kept sailing everywhere, had to hunt clear around the room for them after the service was over. The message was good, I slipped out once it was over.
Wednesday, Sept 12: An Army guy from the ROTC came and talked today in Strat, and we had Comp I outside on the gazebo, that was different. Getting ready for the history test coming up, and then in MassComm the topics covered were public service announcements and goat milk.
Had to study, so didn't go to church, got a lot done. (And I hate asking for rides...) There was this open mic kind of thing down by the fountain; something between a camp talent share and Idol auditions. Didn't really want to go, didn't think that's what I was supposed to do, but I had to stop by and listen on my way back from the library. And then this girl MCing it gave a last call for doing something, I walked over and signed up. Sang that Colin Raye song "Love Me" right near the end, it went okay. And it was good to sing again.
Talked to Amanda that night, then tried to get to sleep. My neighbor had some friends over, they came in just as I was nearly asleep, and started watching TV and talking and laughing. I gave up trying to ignore them about 2 a.m, fired up the laptop, checked the news, and then read my Bible for a while. Got about the first ten chapters of First Samuel read, and then moved on to most of Paul's letters. Studied that for about an hour, by then they'd finally left, and I finally fell asleep about 4 a.m.
Thursday, Sept 13: My alarm woke me up at 5:30, I fell back asleep and didn't wake up til about 9:30. This, of course, throws me into a panic, so I shoot for the shower and get into the day's workload. Just as I close my door, I remember I hadn't grabbed by keys yet. So, yeah....I locked myself out. Not sure what else to do, I go ahead and take a shower anyway, put my clothes back on, and then walk over to the housing office (barefoot, and without keys, phone or wallet; kind of humiliating) to get some help. They get somebody to unlock the door, and my day finally begins at 11 a.m. It didn't exactly get much better after that, though psychology was good, like always. It started pouring rain, cleared up just enough to get down to the intramural fields for some Ultimate, and these guys ask if we wanted to play football against them. Planning to enter a team in the flag-football league, we look at each other and shrug. "Sure, I guess. Why not?"
That was a very bad idea, but a good learning experience. Turns out half these guys are on the actual team, we get slaughtered, the final score was 70-14. It almost would have been really funny to watch, if I wasn't playing. And it started raining again. Needing to wipe away our wounds, we immediately challenge them to Frisbee. Now, they had no idea how to play, but being so athletic and everything, they caught on quick. We ended up winning that 7-5.
Also, there was MORE walking through rain, and dealing with some financial stuff that looked like a problem.
BUT, another bright spot was the dorm cat that we found that night. Amazing how spending five or ten minutes with an animal can make your life seem brighter and easier to take...another one of those blessings. Heard from Daniel, that was an encouragement.
And I stopped by Wal-Mart real quick to get Mom a birthday present.
Friday, Sept 14: I felt kind of sick, which wasn't great. Had to swim to class, Ross was like an island stuck in the middle of a lake. Learned about citing reference works in Comp I, which was confusing, but hopefully I'll get the hang of it. History went well, now just to wait until everybody came back from Westville to pick me up. It was good to visit home again. Very good. We got back without the van breaking down or anything, and (of course) there had to be ping pong played with Courtney and things like that. Mom enjoyed her birthday gifts.
Saturday, Sept 15: NOTHING TO DO!!! Just relax, pet the dogs, clean a little....did I mention relax? That scared, stressed feeling didn't really go away, which was irritating. After being so stressed out and everything, everything that had just built up inside, my body just collapsed to force me to rest and force everything out of my system. I had a massive headache, upset stomach, fever and was throwing up. About eight hours of agony. I felt better about ten, and had some dinner at eleven. (Crazy college hours, I know.) Petted Copper, Skeet and Sunny, heard from Jed, spent the day watching football, and the second Mighty Ducks movie was on TV. It was a good day.
Sunday, Sept 16: Went to GBC, that was great. It was the tail end of a mini-conference on missions, Sunday School was taught by a guy from Voice of the Martyrs, it was good to be reminded of how our problems here aren't really so bad, compared to the rest of the world. We don't really have much to complain about, we have so much more freedom than they do. The sermon was from a missionary we support in Myanmar, who knew broken English could be so eloquent? A passionate call to preach the Gospel, loudly and often.
And it was great to get to talk with and be around my church family. Mr Meredith asking how school was going, offering encouragement, the wonderful conversations with older people like Mr and Mrs Tobey or Clara, the Lawsons' understanding exactly what I'm going through out there in the world, seeing Sam for the first time in forever, Steven and Jamie checking on me, Josh's prayers and news source, Dylan to talk sports with. It was just an incredible encouragement, to be around so many people who hunger to know the Word and help others apply it and grow; so in contrast to everyday life right now. Prolonged my stay a few more hours by doing laundry, finally got back home about ten p.m, not really ready to face the challenges of a new week, but...time to get back to work.
Monday, Sept 17: Not really that much happened, class went all right in everything, we got some instruction in writing press releases in MassComm(Hooray!!!). The first flag-football practice went about as well as could be expected, we've got a lot to work on.
Had dinner with Grandpa and Robbie, then Harry and Louise dropped by, and one of Louise's friends; that was good to see them all. Went over to Harry and Louise's for a bit afterwards. Spent the night researching facts about a civil rights sit-in in 1960 North Carolina while listening to DC Talk.
Tuesday, Sept 18: Had an orthodonist appointment, glad Grandpa could drive me there. Useful and helpful as they may be; they're not pleasant. Had my bottom braces put on, a new wire on top, and my expander was finally taken off. There feels like there's so much room in my mouth now that it isn't full of metal! Well, I mean, it still is, but wire is much different than thick bars. Anyway, my mouth is hurting. A lot. I've kinda been living on ibeprofen and caffeine, since I can't chew hardly anything yet for a few more days.
Classes were canceled, it was a teacher-training day or something, but that didn't mean it was an off day. It meant more studying! Got a lot done, tried to keep myself busy, and away from sad memories. (It would've been my grandma's birthday, I was really close to her.)
CCF at nighttime, brought my electric for the worship music, that went well. Good message on missions. Then back to the library for finishing up a few projects.
Wednesday, Sept 19: Classes went okay today, more studying and projects to get done, all seemingly at the same time; trying to juggle those without going insane, and also dealing with this mouth pain. Word is a vastly underappreciated tool; very important, and life doesn't run as smoothly without it, I'm finding. Study group for Friday's history test, that didn't go anywhere near as well as we'd hoped. Got into too much of a hurry on my MassComm test and ended up with an 86, I could've done a lot better than that, not too happy with myself. It hasn't been the best type of day since lunch. Actually, any time of day you nearly get run over by a golf cart isn't generally a good one.
But overall, this week has been much better than the last, it's been good to be prayed for. And even though there's times when I freak out and don't care what my hair looks like, I'm so stressed, or howl at the moon, or fingerpick my way through sad, melancholy tunes, or just want to collapse and start crying, get too tired to keep going, but plunge on anyways, there's a reason for this, a lesson of how to deal with people and life on my own. I don't understand it always, don't like it ever, but I have a strong, faithful God to lean on, and He'll help me through this, giving me the right tools and helpers when I need them.
These are some of the rich blessings that He bestows in the rough times, that we fully appreciate because they shine through the darkness we're in. Things like ping pong, a cat, relatives anxious to help in any way they can, or the encouragement, prayers, laughter and advice of good friends. Sermons that remind us of things we need to hear again, or points in Scripture that leap out at us in a new way.
So, yeah, I'm kind of living in a tornado, dealing with a fire and trapped by an ice storm right now, but someway or another I'll get through this semester, hopefully with good grades, and then we'll see what happens after that. At this point in the road, visibility is about two feet or less, but if I just keep putting one foot in front of the other, I'll come across a landmark or to a resting-place eventually.
Friday night, Sept 7: I spend the weekend in town, given that there's a soccer game, and running some errands might lead to writing later on. So I get there to the soccer field and learn how to operate a scoreboard, while listening the stressed-out, profane media relations director and his assistant complain at everything. And then it starts to RAIN. SHEETS of rain. (And, being Oklahoma weather, of course I had to guess on the temp before I left. I guessed wrong, didn't even have a hoodie or jacket or anything with me.) And then the wind picked up, gusting like crazy from the north...and the temperature dropped thirty degrees in about three hours. So the game went into a rain delay with 9:33 left in the first half, due to lightning. A 116-minute wait later, and thoroughly soaked, things were finally clear enough to finish the first half. Another storm cell comes up, redrenching the already well-watered ground. They finally call the game, and I walk as quickly as I can the half-mile back to the (safety?) of the dorm with its' hypothermic-inducing air-conditioning. But, I can now run a scoreboard, so maybe that'll lead to something, which might lead to something...
Saturday, Sept 8: I study in the morning, gulp down protein bars for breakfast and lunch(the cafeteria was closed, due to Labor Day), and pretty much don't see a human being I know all day. Run on my hamster wheel, and I'd found "The Big Green" on YouTube the day before while searching for the old Billy Ray Cyrus TV series "DOC"(didn't come up with anything. It's like all my favorite songs and TV shows and most movies don't exist, according to the internet.) I love that movie. Actually, I love almost anything that's sports-related, has some kids and/or animals in the cast, that's a little Cinderella-like in it's predictability of plot. But they're so GOOD! And funny! And have all these great lines, and cool camera angles...
Anyway, since I didn't really have anything else that needed to get done, I sat down and watched the movie. It was nice. Then, because I'm me, and already living it up on the weekend, I call my grandma to see if I can get a ride to Wal-Mart. So I get my shopping done(Oreos, Diet Coke, a ping pong paddle, the Cars soundtrack and a soccer ball), and come home in time for some peanut butter and football. I listen to NSU lose a close ballgame(naturally keeping notes), and then write up a story afterwards, because I can't help it. And I need to keep up those writing skills.
Sunday, Sept 9: I wake up and get ready for church, and then find some other useful things to do while waiting for Javier to come pick me up. I read through the entire book of Ecclesiastes, and then found a broom(Yay!!!) and swept the front porch(Double yay!!!).
After church, I went to lunch with a family I sort of know, Ryan and my dad were really close friends in college, so they're kind of interested in how I'm doing. It was a nice afternoon, being in that family environment again, even if it's wasn't my own. Hearing the "Mom...can I do...?" questions, watching the siblings interact, or watching life on the back porch, kind of Mayberry-like. Played with their little two-year-old, she wanted me to read her several books, so I did. Sort of reminded me of Amy. Admired the little boy's Lego collection, petted the cats and the dog, and watched the football recap show while discussing this season's NFL storylines with Shelly.
. That was really special. One of God's blessings that he gives us in rough times, I needed to be around other people after a week of classes and studying. Then there was worship practice that night, which was pretty good.
Monday, Sept 10: This was an insane day, I was ready for it to be over by three p.m. The skies were cloudy, didn't really learn anything in University Strategies, and then our English teacher was hung over. It made for an interesting hour; we all agreed afterward that nobody learned anything. And our homework was to find out about the Stanford Prison Experiment, which was pretty awful. History was all right. Then in MassComm that afternoon, we were studying sound media, and how music can impact our culture. It opened with listening to Ozzy Osbourne, and then immediately went to Eminem. After having our ears blistered, we then got into a spirited debate over illegal file-sharing.
Once all that was over, I was exhausted. But I had to write something about 9/11, so I rewatched news clips and poked around for the facts...it was necessary, but it was a hard night, reliving all that terror and uncertainty.
There was kind of a lot on my mind, I counted six different subjects at least chasing each other. Just kind of felt scared, lost and stressed(Well, I nearly always feel like that here lately, but it was especially strong that day). So I tried listing some of the things I was thankful for, it sort of helped. And I talked to Ash, she's always good to know.
Tuesday, Sept 11: Finished up the last touches on that blog post and published it, and tried to get through the day's workload, trying to stay in real life and get what I needed to done. Acted as a guide dog for Russell after psych, it isn't much, but it's a way to serve God here clearly. Psych was good, we learned about Erik Erikson's Theories of Psychosocial Development, what we learn at each stage of our lives, and how we learn it. For example, how we come to trust, have independence, form a work ethic, that kind of thing.
Explained some of the ways we use defense mechanisms to avoid unpleasant reality to Jessica; really interesting stuff I'm finding out in this class. Didn't feel right to play Frisbee, so I stayed at home, too somber a day, wouldn't have felt comfortable. CCF was that night, the worship music went okay. My guitar is so quiet...sounds great solo, but with any other instrument, and it's not that good...and I was a little nervous, and my picks kept sailing everywhere, had to hunt clear around the room for them after the service was over. The message was good, I slipped out once it was over.
Wednesday, Sept 12: An Army guy from the ROTC came and talked today in Strat, and we had Comp I outside on the gazebo, that was different. Getting ready for the history test coming up, and then in MassComm the topics covered were public service announcements and goat milk.
Had to study, so didn't go to church, got a lot done. (And I hate asking for rides...) There was this open mic kind of thing down by the fountain; something between a camp talent share and Idol auditions. Didn't really want to go, didn't think that's what I was supposed to do, but I had to stop by and listen on my way back from the library. And then this girl MCing it gave a last call for doing something, I walked over and signed up. Sang that Colin Raye song "Love Me" right near the end, it went okay. And it was good to sing again.
Talked to Amanda that night, then tried to get to sleep. My neighbor had some friends over, they came in just as I was nearly asleep, and started watching TV and talking and laughing. I gave up trying to ignore them about 2 a.m, fired up the laptop, checked the news, and then read my Bible for a while. Got about the first ten chapters of First Samuel read, and then moved on to most of Paul's letters. Studied that for about an hour, by then they'd finally left, and I finally fell asleep about 4 a.m.
Thursday, Sept 13: My alarm woke me up at 5:30, I fell back asleep and didn't wake up til about 9:30. This, of course, throws me into a panic, so I shoot for the shower and get into the day's workload. Just as I close my door, I remember I hadn't grabbed by keys yet. So, yeah....I locked myself out. Not sure what else to do, I go ahead and take a shower anyway, put my clothes back on, and then walk over to the housing office (barefoot, and without keys, phone or wallet; kind of humiliating) to get some help. They get somebody to unlock the door, and my day finally begins at 11 a.m. It didn't exactly get much better after that, though psychology was good, like always. It started pouring rain, cleared up just enough to get down to the intramural fields for some Ultimate, and these guys ask if we wanted to play football against them. Planning to enter a team in the flag-football league, we look at each other and shrug. "Sure, I guess. Why not?"
That was a very bad idea, but a good learning experience. Turns out half these guys are on the actual team, we get slaughtered, the final score was 70-14. It almost would have been really funny to watch, if I wasn't playing. And it started raining again. Needing to wipe away our wounds, we immediately challenge them to Frisbee. Now, they had no idea how to play, but being so athletic and everything, they caught on quick. We ended up winning that 7-5.
Also, there was MORE walking through rain, and dealing with some financial stuff that looked like a problem.
BUT, another bright spot was the dorm cat that we found that night. Amazing how spending five or ten minutes with an animal can make your life seem brighter and easier to take...another one of those blessings. Heard from Daniel, that was an encouragement.
And I stopped by Wal-Mart real quick to get Mom a birthday present.
Friday, Sept 14: I felt kind of sick, which wasn't great. Had to swim to class, Ross was like an island stuck in the middle of a lake. Learned about citing reference works in Comp I, which was confusing, but hopefully I'll get the hang of it. History went well, now just to wait until everybody came back from Westville to pick me up. It was good to visit home again. Very good. We got back without the van breaking down or anything, and (of course) there had to be ping pong played with Courtney and things like that. Mom enjoyed her birthday gifts.
Saturday, Sept 15: NOTHING TO DO!!! Just relax, pet the dogs, clean a little....did I mention relax? That scared, stressed feeling didn't really go away, which was irritating. After being so stressed out and everything, everything that had just built up inside, my body just collapsed to force me to rest and force everything out of my system. I had a massive headache, upset stomach, fever and was throwing up. About eight hours of agony. I felt better about ten, and had some dinner at eleven. (Crazy college hours, I know.) Petted Copper, Skeet and Sunny, heard from Jed, spent the day watching football, and the second Mighty Ducks movie was on TV. It was a good day.
Sunday, Sept 16: Went to GBC, that was great. It was the tail end of a mini-conference on missions, Sunday School was taught by a guy from Voice of the Martyrs, it was good to be reminded of how our problems here aren't really so bad, compared to the rest of the world. We don't really have much to complain about, we have so much more freedom than they do. The sermon was from a missionary we support in Myanmar, who knew broken English could be so eloquent? A passionate call to preach the Gospel, loudly and often.
And it was great to get to talk with and be around my church family. Mr Meredith asking how school was going, offering encouragement, the wonderful conversations with older people like Mr and Mrs Tobey or Clara, the Lawsons' understanding exactly what I'm going through out there in the world, seeing Sam for the first time in forever, Steven and Jamie checking on me, Josh's prayers and news source, Dylan to talk sports with. It was just an incredible encouragement, to be around so many people who hunger to know the Word and help others apply it and grow; so in contrast to everyday life right now. Prolonged my stay a few more hours by doing laundry, finally got back home about ten p.m, not really ready to face the challenges of a new week, but...time to get back to work.
Monday, Sept 17: Not really that much happened, class went all right in everything, we got some instruction in writing press releases in MassComm(Hooray!!!). The first flag-football practice went about as well as could be expected, we've got a lot to work on.
Had dinner with Grandpa and Robbie, then Harry and Louise dropped by, and one of Louise's friends; that was good to see them all. Went over to Harry and Louise's for a bit afterwards. Spent the night researching facts about a civil rights sit-in in 1960 North Carolina while listening to DC Talk.
Tuesday, Sept 18: Had an orthodonist appointment, glad Grandpa could drive me there. Useful and helpful as they may be; they're not pleasant. Had my bottom braces put on, a new wire on top, and my expander was finally taken off. There feels like there's so much room in my mouth now that it isn't full of metal! Well, I mean, it still is, but wire is much different than thick bars. Anyway, my mouth is hurting. A lot. I've kinda been living on ibeprofen and caffeine, since I can't chew hardly anything yet for a few more days.
Classes were canceled, it was a teacher-training day or something, but that didn't mean it was an off day. It meant more studying! Got a lot done, tried to keep myself busy, and away from sad memories. (It would've been my grandma's birthday, I was really close to her.)
CCF at nighttime, brought my electric for the worship music, that went well. Good message on missions. Then back to the library for finishing up a few projects.
Wednesday, Sept 19: Classes went okay today, more studying and projects to get done, all seemingly at the same time; trying to juggle those without going insane, and also dealing with this mouth pain. Word is a vastly underappreciated tool; very important, and life doesn't run as smoothly without it, I'm finding. Study group for Friday's history test, that didn't go anywhere near as well as we'd hoped. Got into too much of a hurry on my MassComm test and ended up with an 86, I could've done a lot better than that, not too happy with myself. It hasn't been the best type of day since lunch. Actually, any time of day you nearly get run over by a golf cart isn't generally a good one.
But overall, this week has been much better than the last, it's been good to be prayed for. And even though there's times when I freak out and don't care what my hair looks like, I'm so stressed, or howl at the moon, or fingerpick my way through sad, melancholy tunes, or just want to collapse and start crying, get too tired to keep going, but plunge on anyways, there's a reason for this, a lesson of how to deal with people and life on my own. I don't understand it always, don't like it ever, but I have a strong, faithful God to lean on, and He'll help me through this, giving me the right tools and helpers when I need them.
These are some of the rich blessings that He bestows in the rough times, that we fully appreciate because they shine through the darkness we're in. Things like ping pong, a cat, relatives anxious to help in any way they can, or the encouragement, prayers, laughter and advice of good friends. Sermons that remind us of things we need to hear again, or points in Scripture that leap out at us in a new way.
So, yeah, I'm kind of living in a tornado, dealing with a fire and trapped by an ice storm right now, but someway or another I'll get through this semester, hopefully with good grades, and then we'll see what happens after that. At this point in the road, visibility is about two feet or less, but if I just keep putting one foot in front of the other, I'll come across a landmark or to a resting-place eventually.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Things I'm Thankful For
There's kind of been a lot on my mind here these last few days. Sort of unsettled and just not right. So I'm hoping listing some of the things I'm thankful for might help turn things around. Let's see...
- I'm thankful that the weather's cooled down, that's nice.
- I'm glad that I can blast music to drown out irritating neighbors. (Okay, my definition of "blasting music" is turning the CD player up to half-strength, but still, you get the point.)
- Football season is here!!!! And for the opportunities to learn new things like how to operate scoreboards.
- Glad that God gives us the strength and whatever tools we need to get by each day. That's really something to be grateful for.
- That I'm getting to learn things from my textbooks and teachers, and that I can learn how to deal with people, in whatever form they may come in, unusual or crazy as it might be. And for the teachers I've had before, too.
- Thankful that I have relatives nearby to check on me or help with errands.
- Really thankful for wise, godly friends that God's given me, and for their well-timed encouragement and advice.
- I can see the world, and everything in it. That's a huge blessing we don't realize often enough.
- For the fact that there's families; and all the things that come with that. That your little siblings miss you, and that they're just a phone call away. That other families you know invite a near-stranger to spend the day with them, that was really nice. It wasn't mine, but it was just good to be in that environment again, even if it was just as a visitor.
- There's animals; dogs, cats, guinea pigs, rabbits, goats, chickens, squirrels, horses, whatever, to be around, and for the comfort and love they provide.
- That we can praise God through song.
- That the financial stuff is being taken care of, so I don't have to worry about it(too much).
- For good food.
- That we can pray for others and know they're praying for us, too. That's a great help.
I think it might've worked. At least a little bit. :)
Monday, September 10, 2012
9/11
It's just two numbers, marking another day on the calendar. But it stands for so much more than that.
As the sun rose in the east on Tuesday morning, it was simply another September day in the good ol' U.S. of A. Football season was about to start, could Kurt Warner lead St Louis back to the Super Bowl? Every household in America was tuned into ABC on Monday nights. In college, could Oklahoma repeat as national champs? And what is this new BCS system, anyway?
In country music, there was song after song after song that would become well-known: "Austin", "But For the Grace of God", "I'm Already There", "It's a Great Day To Be Alive", "One More Day", "Only in America", "Riding with Private Malone", "Where I Come From", "Who I Am", just to name a few), there was this Australian guy named Keith Urban who was new, Garth Brooks was winding down, Alan Jackson and Tim McGraw were still in the middle of their careers, and Lonestar and Diamond Rio weren't quite finished yet.
Steven Curtis Chapman had just released his "Declaration" album, in Christian music news; which was huge. The Backstreet Boys and N'Sync ruled the pop charts along with Britney Spears.
The four highest-grossing movies of the year featured many characters we've come to know as a culture, any of these sound familiar? #1, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone; #2, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring; #3, Monsters, Inc; #4, Shrek. Also in theaters: A Knight's Tale, Legally Blonde, and The Princess Dairies.
Nokia and Motorola were the two main cell phone companies, gas was about $1.40 a gallon or so, and pictures were still taken on rolls of film
On September 11, at 8:49 a.m. Eastern time, American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. It had been hijacked by a group of Islamic terrorists, with the Al-Queda terrorist organization, veering from its intended course of Boston-to-LA. United Airlines Flight 175 was also on the same course, it was hijacked and plowed into the south tower at 9:03 a.m. The planes exploded upon impact, and the buildings' internal structures couldn't withstand such a violent shock. They collapsed, crumbling amid a horrific scene of shattered concrete and flames, acrid burning smoke was billowing everywhere, and there was a frantic stampede in order to escape. For many, they never made it. America's citizens were stunned, watching in shock as the media outlets tried to attempt to understand what had happened.
As stunned spectators, we as a country prayed and watched the news. We found out that this was not an accident, that unimaginably evil men had done something so horrific, for a reason that no one really understood. It resulted not only in their own deaths; but brought an end to the lives of the other 246 passengers on the planes, and 2,991 lives lost altogether. And then we learned that American Airlines Flight 77 had also been hijacked, and was driven into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. at 9:37 a.m. President George W. Bush was speaking at an elementary school in Florida when reporters first asked him about what happened, his first response to them was, paraphrased, "Not right now. There was something that happened, but there's a lot of kids here, and we don't want to scare them too much. I'll answer your questions later."
This was part of his statement for the press: "Today we have had a national tragedy. Two airplanes have crashed into the World Trade Center in an apparent terrorist attack on our country. I have spoken to the Vice-President, to the mayor of New York, to the director of the FBI, and have ordered that the full resources of the federal government be used for the support of the victims and their families, and to conduct a full-scale investigation to hunt down those folks who committed this attack. Terrorism against our nation will not stand."
That was what the passengers aboard United Airlines Flight 93 thought, too. The plane left Newark, New Jersey, en route to San Francisco. There were four hijackers on the plane, 45 minutes in they stormed the cockpit and stabbed the pilots to death, seizing control of the plane and redirecting it eastward. Overhearing conversation between the hijackers, the passengers realized that this was going to be a suicide mission, aiming for the White House. Several of them called family members, where they found out more details of the other planes, and to say goodbye.
Then the passengers and crew, led by Mark Bingham, Jeremy Glick, and Todd Beamer, launched a counterattack of their own. They wrestled control away from the hijackers, and immediately dropped the plane. The aircraft plowed into a field outside of Shanksville, Pennsylvania, all 44 souls aboard were killed instantly. That act of sacrifice was one of the incredible stories in a time of unreality, where honor and horror were intertwined, as we were reeling, trying to comprehend the events. In stopping the hijackers, they became heroes, and saved an untold amount of innocent lives. They became heroes, as did the firefighters and policemen, National Guard and EMTs, everyone who helped with the rescue efforts for those trapped in the rubble. Some of the rescuers were lost, too. But the military gained a lot of new recruits over that time; many young kids realized that they wanted to protect this country when they grew up.
There was this unbelievable sense of togetherness and community and thankfulness, the closest we can ever come to it nationally in ordinary times is during the Olympics; regionally it can come from a tornado or an ice storm Tales that were dreadful and terrible to hear about were on the news, but also stories that were just awe-inspiring and evidence of God's mercy.
In the immediate aftermath, all NFL, college and high school football games were canceled. Major League Baseball paused its' playoffs, I believe, the Yankees went to the World Series. As much as we hated the Yankees, they needed to be there, in order to restore some type of normalcy to the world. We struggled with how to respond to such a tragedy as a culture, sports played a key role in restoring some sense of normal reality to our worlds. So did country music. Alan Jackson immediately wrote a song trying to deal with what happened, and it was needed. It was "Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning(On That September Day)?" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvj6zdWLUuk
Lee Greenwood's "God Bless The USA" was played everywhere, too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNqUORIFV4I
Darryl Worley asked us an important question a few months later, "Have You Forgotten?" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6yLQRF-cEU
We sent troops into Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, to try to track down and eliminate all terrorists, especially those connected with Al-Queda, especially leaders Sadaam Hussein and Osama Bin-Laden. Some questioned why we had troops over there in the first place, "Have You Forgotten?' was a response to those critics.
Life was hard for those troops, they had a hard job to do, and they went out to do it. It sometimes was tough, though; and they needed encouragement. John Michael Montgomery provided us a glimpse of what they were going through, in "Letters From Home". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X75sVw0xH2c&feature=fvst
Too many of those soldiers fell, a peril of their duty that many of us, I'm afraid, don't have the courage or belief to do. Tim McGraw attempted to comfort those families who lost a son, a brother, a husband, a father. "If You're Reading This" is a terribly sad, but good, song detailing this sacrifice. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwoXmXA8BvY
We weren't just scared or terrified, or drowning in sorrow, though we were all of those things. We were also MAD. Toby Keith to the rescue, can you possibly listen to "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue" without feeling proud and ready to take on anybody who dares mess with this country of ours? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruNrdmjcNTc
Over time, we slowly healed. That was a good thing, yes; but it also meant that we got back into the old ruts of yelling at each other and blame-shifting over petty problems. New trials came, and we've had to deal with those. Gas prices have launched into the stratosphere, gay marriage, illegal immigration, abortion...more and more government power, the status of the troops out there...we did do some good, though. Deposed Sadaam's reign of terror in 2004, and killed Osama Bin-Laden May 1, 2011.
Personally, I've lost my grandma, two of my great-grandmas, my great-grandpa, and a handful of uncles over the last ten years. Gained a new baby sister, understanding what it's like to love someone in your life with Down's. Had my house burn down from a fire, and rebuilt that. Graduated high school, and otherwise just grew up. There's been a lot of things to walk through, many opportunities to witness and lean on God's strength and provision to get me safely through whatever He set in the path. He's given me a lot of good teachers in life to learn different skills from, and good friends to help out along the way. Whatever dangers we face as a country, whatever challenges come my way personally, and whatever I end up with as my mark on the world, His Will will be done, and life will go the way it's supposed to.
Our world was changed forever that day, and it will never be the same. People under twenty-one don't really know what it was like beforehand, not really. We might have some idea, but we don't know. And our parents probably can't imagine growing up in the world we did.
A wise tennis coach I know once said that 9/11 was our generation's Pearl Harbor, our generation's JFK shooting, our generation's Challenger explosion; it shaped our identity in some way, and we will always remember where we were when it happened and what we were doing. People today seem to forget that, the dark place that we went through, it's unpleasant to think about, doesn't have any meaning on life today. But if we choose not to remember the hard stretches, how will we appreciate the good? Solomon had something to say about this(come to think of it, he kinda had something to say about everything. But, anyway...) "Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun. However many years a man may live, let him enjoy them all. But let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many." Ecclesiastes 11:7-8 (NIV)
Today is the eleventh anniversary. Have You Forgotten?
As the sun rose in the east on Tuesday morning, it was simply another September day in the good ol' U.S. of A. Football season was about to start, could Kurt Warner lead St Louis back to the Super Bowl? Every household in America was tuned into ABC on Monday nights. In college, could Oklahoma repeat as national champs? And what is this new BCS system, anyway?
In country music, there was song after song after song that would become well-known: "Austin", "But For the Grace of God", "I'm Already There", "It's a Great Day To Be Alive", "One More Day", "Only in America", "Riding with Private Malone", "Where I Come From", "Who I Am", just to name a few), there was this Australian guy named Keith Urban who was new, Garth Brooks was winding down, Alan Jackson and Tim McGraw were still in the middle of their careers, and Lonestar and Diamond Rio weren't quite finished yet.
Steven Curtis Chapman had just released his "Declaration" album, in Christian music news; which was huge. The Backstreet Boys and N'Sync ruled the pop charts along with Britney Spears.
The four highest-grossing movies of the year featured many characters we've come to know as a culture, any of these sound familiar? #1, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone; #2, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring; #3, Monsters, Inc; #4, Shrek. Also in theaters: A Knight's Tale, Legally Blonde, and The Princess Dairies.
Nokia and Motorola were the two main cell phone companies, gas was about $1.40 a gallon or so, and pictures were still taken on rolls of film
On September 11, at 8:49 a.m. Eastern time, American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. It had been hijacked by a group of Islamic terrorists, with the Al-Queda terrorist organization, veering from its intended course of Boston-to-LA. United Airlines Flight 175 was also on the same course, it was hijacked and plowed into the south tower at 9:03 a.m. The planes exploded upon impact, and the buildings' internal structures couldn't withstand such a violent shock. They collapsed, crumbling amid a horrific scene of shattered concrete and flames, acrid burning smoke was billowing everywhere, and there was a frantic stampede in order to escape. For many, they never made it. America's citizens were stunned, watching in shock as the media outlets tried to attempt to understand what had happened.
As stunned spectators, we as a country prayed and watched the news. We found out that this was not an accident, that unimaginably evil men had done something so horrific, for a reason that no one really understood. It resulted not only in their own deaths; but brought an end to the lives of the other 246 passengers on the planes, and 2,991 lives lost altogether. And then we learned that American Airlines Flight 77 had also been hijacked, and was driven into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. at 9:37 a.m. President George W. Bush was speaking at an elementary school in Florida when reporters first asked him about what happened, his first response to them was, paraphrased, "Not right now. There was something that happened, but there's a lot of kids here, and we don't want to scare them too much. I'll answer your questions later."
This was part of his statement for the press: "Today we have had a national tragedy. Two airplanes have crashed into the World Trade Center in an apparent terrorist attack on our country. I have spoken to the Vice-President, to the mayor of New York, to the director of the FBI, and have ordered that the full resources of the federal government be used for the support of the victims and their families, and to conduct a full-scale investigation to hunt down those folks who committed this attack. Terrorism against our nation will not stand."
That was what the passengers aboard United Airlines Flight 93 thought, too. The plane left Newark, New Jersey, en route to San Francisco. There were four hijackers on the plane, 45 minutes in they stormed the cockpit and stabbed the pilots to death, seizing control of the plane and redirecting it eastward. Overhearing conversation between the hijackers, the passengers realized that this was going to be a suicide mission, aiming for the White House. Several of them called family members, where they found out more details of the other planes, and to say goodbye.
Then the passengers and crew, led by Mark Bingham, Jeremy Glick, and Todd Beamer, launched a counterattack of their own. They wrestled control away from the hijackers, and immediately dropped the plane. The aircraft plowed into a field outside of Shanksville, Pennsylvania, all 44 souls aboard were killed instantly. That act of sacrifice was one of the incredible stories in a time of unreality, where honor and horror were intertwined, as we were reeling, trying to comprehend the events. In stopping the hijackers, they became heroes, and saved an untold amount of innocent lives. They became heroes, as did the firefighters and policemen, National Guard and EMTs, everyone who helped with the rescue efforts for those trapped in the rubble. Some of the rescuers were lost, too. But the military gained a lot of new recruits over that time; many young kids realized that they wanted to protect this country when they grew up.
There was this unbelievable sense of togetherness and community and thankfulness, the closest we can ever come to it nationally in ordinary times is during the Olympics; regionally it can come from a tornado or an ice storm Tales that were dreadful and terrible to hear about were on the news, but also stories that were just awe-inspiring and evidence of God's mercy.
In the immediate aftermath, all NFL, college and high school football games were canceled. Major League Baseball paused its' playoffs, I believe, the Yankees went to the World Series. As much as we hated the Yankees, they needed to be there, in order to restore some type of normalcy to the world. We struggled with how to respond to such a tragedy as a culture, sports played a key role in restoring some sense of normal reality to our worlds. So did country music. Alan Jackson immediately wrote a song trying to deal with what happened, and it was needed. It was "Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning(On That September Day)?" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvj6zdWLUuk
Lee Greenwood's "God Bless The USA" was played everywhere, too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNqUORIFV4I
Darryl Worley asked us an important question a few months later, "Have You Forgotten?" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6yLQRF-cEU
We sent troops into Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, to try to track down and eliminate all terrorists, especially those connected with Al-Queda, especially leaders Sadaam Hussein and Osama Bin-Laden. Some questioned why we had troops over there in the first place, "Have You Forgotten?' was a response to those critics.
Life was hard for those troops, they had a hard job to do, and they went out to do it. It sometimes was tough, though; and they needed encouragement. John Michael Montgomery provided us a glimpse of what they were going through, in "Letters From Home". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X75sVw0xH2c&feature=fvst
Too many of those soldiers fell, a peril of their duty that many of us, I'm afraid, don't have the courage or belief to do. Tim McGraw attempted to comfort those families who lost a son, a brother, a husband, a father. "If You're Reading This" is a terribly sad, but good, song detailing this sacrifice. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwoXmXA8BvY
We weren't just scared or terrified, or drowning in sorrow, though we were all of those things. We were also MAD. Toby Keith to the rescue, can you possibly listen to "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue" without feeling proud and ready to take on anybody who dares mess with this country of ours? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruNrdmjcNTc
Over time, we slowly healed. That was a good thing, yes; but it also meant that we got back into the old ruts of yelling at each other and blame-shifting over petty problems. New trials came, and we've had to deal with those. Gas prices have launched into the stratosphere, gay marriage, illegal immigration, abortion...more and more government power, the status of the troops out there...we did do some good, though. Deposed Sadaam's reign of terror in 2004, and killed Osama Bin-Laden May 1, 2011.
Personally, I've lost my grandma, two of my great-grandmas, my great-grandpa, and a handful of uncles over the last ten years. Gained a new baby sister, understanding what it's like to love someone in your life with Down's. Had my house burn down from a fire, and rebuilt that. Graduated high school, and otherwise just grew up. There's been a lot of things to walk through, many opportunities to witness and lean on God's strength and provision to get me safely through whatever He set in the path. He's given me a lot of good teachers in life to learn different skills from, and good friends to help out along the way. Whatever dangers we face as a country, whatever challenges come my way personally, and whatever I end up with as my mark on the world, His Will will be done, and life will go the way it's supposed to.
Our world was changed forever that day, and it will never be the same. People under twenty-one don't really know what it was like beforehand, not really. We might have some idea, but we don't know. And our parents probably can't imagine growing up in the world we did.
A wise tennis coach I know once said that 9/11 was our generation's Pearl Harbor, our generation's JFK shooting, our generation's Challenger explosion; it shaped our identity in some way, and we will always remember where we were when it happened and what we were doing. People today seem to forget that, the dark place that we went through, it's unpleasant to think about, doesn't have any meaning on life today. But if we choose not to remember the hard stretches, how will we appreciate the good? Solomon had something to say about this(come to think of it, he kinda had something to say about everything. But, anyway...) "Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun. However many years a man may live, let him enjoy them all. But let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many." Ecclesiastes 11:7-8 (NIV)
Today is the eleventh anniversary. Have You Forgotten?
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Game goes down to the wire, MoSo overcomes 'Hawks 27-21
It didn't look good early for Northeastern State(0-2, 0-2 MIAA) as they faced the Missouri Southern State Lions(2-0, 2-0 MIAA) in their first road game in their new conference, but a second-half rally turned it into a nailbiter, MSSU outscrapped NSU for a 27-21 victory in Joplin Saturday night.
The home Lions took the opening kickoff and plowed upfield on a long ball-control drive, capping it off with a one yard touchdown from Kellen Cox with 6:25 left in the first quarter, Dallas Herndon added the extra point. It was a very fast-moving fifteen minutes; each side touched the ball once. MoSo led 7-0 when it ended, but Northeastern answered back with a three yard TD from sophomore quarterback Johnny Deaton, freshman Daniel Bond tied it with 14:20 left in the second. Three plays later Cox reeled off a three-yard score of his own, and Southern led 14-7, later upping that lead to 21-7 after a Ne'Ronte Threatt 16 yard run. Bond tried a 47 yard field goal that fell short, leading to the halftime break, where the Lions led 21-7, thanks to a dominating ground game.
NSU's offense showed promise early before being forced to punt, a miscue by a MSSU player made it a free ball, and the RiverHawks had possession inside enemy territory. They made use of it, too, working into a seven yard touchdown throw from Deaton to SO tailback Terrence Dixon, it was a one-score game. The two teams traded punches after that, little by little Northeastern got the advantage, especially when Herndon sliced a 30 yarder left of the uprights, with one quarter to go, the score was Lions 21, RiverHawks 14. On fourth down inside the red zone, MSSU's defense held, so did NSU, which set up another potentially-game-tying drive as the clock kept ticking. On 4th and 5 at midfield with 6:08 left, Deaton's pass was intercepted, leading to a MSSU drive at the 'Hawks 37. They made full use of it(and some lucky penalty flags) to score on a fifteen yard run, the extra point was missed, keeping it theoretically in reach. Northeastern needed fourteen points in about four minutes. They got six after Deaton found a wide-open Jermaine Sherman, the senior receiver raced 67 yards for a score with 2:13 left, and Bond made it a one-possession ballgame. A perfectly executed onside attempt just missed falling into the right hands, and one last free prowl ensured a first down and the game. Final score: Missouri Southern State 27, Northeastern State 21.
Deaton was 19-for-34 for 287 yards with 2 TDs and an INT; Dixon rushed seventeen times for 36 yards and a TD; Sherman had seven catches for 134 yards and a TD; for MSSU; Cox was 2-for-3 passing for 36 yards; he was also the leading rusher, gaining 96 yards and 2 TDs on eight carries, Landon Zerkel had one catch for sixteen yards. The RiverHawks were 7-of-13 on third downs and had seven penalties for 79 yards, compared to the Lions' 3-of-9 ratio and 9-69 penalty yardage.
In other MIAA action, Central Missouri's Mules upset #3 Northwest Missouri State after racing out to a big lead early, they hung on to pull out the 31-21 win. Emporia State won a track meet over Nebraska-Kearney, it was 58-35, Hornets over the Lopers. #1 Pittsburg State continued their domination, the Gorillas rolled past Central Oklahoma, #14 Missouri Western Griffons shut out William Jewell 56-0 in a non-conference game, and the Truman Bulldogs pounded Lincoln in a battle of schools named after presidents, 42-12 was the final there.
The RiverHawks travel to Topeka to face #15 Washburn on Sept 15 at 6 p.m, the Ichabods(2-0, 2-0 MIAA) crushed fellow Kansas school Ft Hays State 45-25 this week.
The home Lions took the opening kickoff and plowed upfield on a long ball-control drive, capping it off with a one yard touchdown from Kellen Cox with 6:25 left in the first quarter, Dallas Herndon added the extra point. It was a very fast-moving fifteen minutes; each side touched the ball once. MoSo led 7-0 when it ended, but Northeastern answered back with a three yard TD from sophomore quarterback Johnny Deaton, freshman Daniel Bond tied it with 14:20 left in the second. Three plays later Cox reeled off a three-yard score of his own, and Southern led 14-7, later upping that lead to 21-7 after a Ne'Ronte Threatt 16 yard run. Bond tried a 47 yard field goal that fell short, leading to the halftime break, where the Lions led 21-7, thanks to a dominating ground game.
NSU's offense showed promise early before being forced to punt, a miscue by a MSSU player made it a free ball, and the RiverHawks had possession inside enemy territory. They made use of it, too, working into a seven yard touchdown throw from Deaton to SO tailback Terrence Dixon, it was a one-score game. The two teams traded punches after that, little by little Northeastern got the advantage, especially when Herndon sliced a 30 yarder left of the uprights, with one quarter to go, the score was Lions 21, RiverHawks 14. On fourth down inside the red zone, MSSU's defense held, so did NSU, which set up another potentially-game-tying drive as the clock kept ticking. On 4th and 5 at midfield with 6:08 left, Deaton's pass was intercepted, leading to a MSSU drive at the 'Hawks 37. They made full use of it(and some lucky penalty flags) to score on a fifteen yard run, the extra point was missed, keeping it theoretically in reach. Northeastern needed fourteen points in about four minutes. They got six after Deaton found a wide-open Jermaine Sherman, the senior receiver raced 67 yards for a score with 2:13 left, and Bond made it a one-possession ballgame. A perfectly executed onside attempt just missed falling into the right hands, and one last free prowl ensured a first down and the game. Final score: Missouri Southern State 27, Northeastern State 21.
Deaton was 19-for-34 for 287 yards with 2 TDs and an INT; Dixon rushed seventeen times for 36 yards and a TD; Sherman had seven catches for 134 yards and a TD; for MSSU; Cox was 2-for-3 passing for 36 yards; he was also the leading rusher, gaining 96 yards and 2 TDs on eight carries, Landon Zerkel had one catch for sixteen yards. The RiverHawks were 7-of-13 on third downs and had seven penalties for 79 yards, compared to the Lions' 3-of-9 ratio and 9-69 penalty yardage.
In other MIAA action, Central Missouri's Mules upset #3 Northwest Missouri State after racing out to a big lead early, they hung on to pull out the 31-21 win. Emporia State won a track meet over Nebraska-Kearney, it was 58-35, Hornets over the Lopers. #1 Pittsburg State continued their domination, the Gorillas rolled past Central Oklahoma, #14 Missouri Western Griffons shut out William Jewell 56-0 in a non-conference game, and the Truman Bulldogs pounded Lincoln in a battle of schools named after presidents, 42-12 was the final there.
The RiverHawks travel to Topeka to face #15 Washburn on Sept 15 at 6 p.m, the Ichabods(2-0, 2-0 MIAA) crushed fellow Kansas school Ft Hays State 45-25 this week.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
College Life (So Far...)
It is 12:06 p.m. as I start this post, I really should either be studying or eating lunch. But since I already had lunch a half hour ago, and haven't really been able to get much headway on studying this morning....well, here I sit at my desk in my dorm, beginning a new blog post on Dad's laptop.
But, anyway, I've been a college student for about three weeks or so now. It's a little weird, to be honest. No, I'm not talking about the many hours a day reading and absorbing information on your own....I'm used to that. But the "going-to-class" part, that's a little odd. Good, though, to have a schedule to follow(I like schedules, they make life run so much more smoothly), the "sitting-in-class-and-listening-attentively, pretending-like-I've-done-this-all-my-life" is what's been a little hard to get used to. That's probably exactly backwards than it is for most people. I still didn't really like the RBC experience much, but I think it was worth it, it's been nice to know a few people, share a few classes with those people.
And the cafeteria food....well, it's not that it isn't good, at least edible; it's just that it's so unhealthy. Everywhere you look, carbs, carbs, carbohydrates....with like a tiny amount of protein follow it up with. True, it's much, much cheaper to deliver say, potatoes and bread, to a large audience than it is to do the same with beef or chicken, but for the people eating it...
My fridge is stocked full of Diet Coke, water, peanut butter, cheese, and yogurt, in about that order. And I have a box of protein bars in a drawer. So I'm not dying or anything yet. :)
Took a little while to get used to all the walking necessary to get from place to place, did some exploring of the campus day after orientation, got a rough idea of where everything was and how long it took to get from one place to another, done more exploring as I've had time since. Haven't really measured or anything, but I think I'm covering three to five miles a day just in ordinary activities, and that's not counting anything extra I might do.
Starting to know a few people on my floor and in my dorm, that's kinda cool. And people around campus are always hollering "Hey Wes!", things like that. (Half the time, I have no idea who they are, but just smile and say something equally Mayberry-like in response.) I even got called Caleb last night by my RA as I went to check my mailbox. In a minute, he pokes his head out the office. "Your name is Caleb, right?" "Nope! It's Wesley. But I have a brother named Caleb, so I'm used to being called that." "Oh. I totally have you mixed up with another guy, then, cause I've been calling him Wesley all this time...." Anyway, name issues aside, it's really, really QUIET in here most of the time. Leonard Kessler's Owl would fit in great at Ross Hall. It's awful! Just...silence. Or really, really dim noises, so you only have your thoughts to notice, and the bare white concrete walls to look at. Hard to adjust to. And, my neighbor watches TV late at night, so when I'm trying to get some sleep, THEN it's noisy, but....oh well. Getting used to that, too. And the showers take about ten minutes to heat up, lot of pipes to run through to get all the way up here on the fifth floor. And the radio reception isn't that great in here, and the CD player works two-thirds of the time. So, pretty much, here's a quick description of my dorm room: A- Silent. B- Bare. C- Spotless.
Living alone(no roommate, nobody wanted this floor), there's never anything to clean! Nothing to pick up, nobody to remind to do their laundry, nothin'. Not even any trash to haul out. So I'm discovering all this extra energy that I didn't know I had, since it doesn't have any outlet...
So I've started just going and running somewhere. Down to the intramural fields, through the parking lot, racing squirrels...it's not much, can't go very far or for very long, but it's kinda fun. And it keeps me busy. (Almost.) When things just get too mental-hospital like or I get sick and tired of talking to myself while reading Plato, I sail up and down the staircase a couple times as fast as possible. Five flights of stairs makes a terrific hamster wheel, if anybody's curious.
And I've been playing a lot of Ultimate Frisbee. There's games set about three times a week, I try to play at least once a week. I'm not that good, too short to play well, but it's fun, getting to know some good guys through that. Right now I'm kind of that one freshman kid, the last person nobody really wants to have on their team, whatever help I can give usually comes on defense and from being the only guy who wears a watch. But that'll change over time, just gotta keep practicing and improving. Pretty low-key atmosphere, a little like the Backyard Sports series come to life.
(Continued at 4:58 p.m...) Did I mention that the air-conditioning is a little weird? Half the places it's out, creating massive airtight boxes, and then where it is on, it's subzero temperatures. All through the dorms and classroom buildings. Football 's interesting here so far, I'd never been to a game anywhere as a student. I got to study the atmosphere, too; besides watch the game. Planning to watch some soccer Friday night.
There was a fire in our building Monday night, that wasn't very fun. At all. Smoke alarms are some of the worst sounds on Earth. The entire building was evacuated, far too slowly, and then nobody knew where the fire was or how it started. The firefighters got it put out after about 45 minutes, most people were laughing and joking around with each other. There was this odd, detached kind of calmness as I was running out(again, barefoot with only my phone), and then once outside I started seeing flashbacks. And I was already tired from studying hard all day and a little homesick...bleah.
In English, our Comp I teacher was telling us about the backbone of story plotlines, we ended up discussing Star Wars for 45 minutes, it was awesome. But he mentioned that we, as college students, are kind of in an exile, cast out from the worlds that we knew, on a quest for knowledge. It's kind of hard being an exile, ya know? (Robinson Crusoe, Moses, Swiss Family Robinson, that guy in Castaway, Simba, Hercules, Thor, etc...) I mean, I know that God will get me through whatever I'm facing/going to face, because He's done it so many times in the past. It's just sometimes a little hard to remember that when you're just trying to keep your head above water. Some days go easier than others, but it's a fight to stay focused on that day's tasks and things. I mean, it's my job; shouldn't I try to give it the best effort I can?
A lot of the guys I play Frisbee with are involved in Campus Christian Fellowship(CCF), that's about the only thing I've gotten involved in this semester(Intramural sports...not this time.). It's sort of like a youth group for college students, most run by college students, with some guidance. Think I'm gonna help with the worship music there, started that for the first time Tuesday, it went okay. Also, I found a pretty good church to go to here in town, so that's good.
Had my first test Wednesday, in MassComm. I just kind of took it like I did the SAT, or all those drama programs I did in middle school: Go over the material, memorize it, understand it, then repeat eighteen times, and when it's time, try to relax as much as possible and let what you know take over. I got a 94 out of a possible 99, so I was happy with it.
College is it's own little bubble, it's a weird concept. I didn't hear about Neil Armstrong's death until a few days later, same thing with Randy Jackson being fired as AI judge, not to mention football scores. Instead, I've helped guide a blind man places, read billboards chalked on the sidewalk, tagged along on trips to eat tacos and cherry crisp after church, shot pool, and played my guitar on the front porch. This is about what the first few weeks of college has been like.
But, anyway, I've been a college student for about three weeks or so now. It's a little weird, to be honest. No, I'm not talking about the many hours a day reading and absorbing information on your own....I'm used to that. But the "going-to-class" part, that's a little odd. Good, though, to have a schedule to follow(I like schedules, they make life run so much more smoothly), the "sitting-in-class-and-listening-attentively, pretending-like-I've-done-this-all-my-life" is what's been a little hard to get used to. That's probably exactly backwards than it is for most people. I still didn't really like the RBC experience much, but I think it was worth it, it's been nice to know a few people, share a few classes with those people.
And the cafeteria food....well, it's not that it isn't good, at least edible; it's just that it's so unhealthy. Everywhere you look, carbs, carbs, carbohydrates....with like a tiny amount of protein follow it up with. True, it's much, much cheaper to deliver say, potatoes and bread, to a large audience than it is to do the same with beef or chicken, but for the people eating it...
My fridge is stocked full of Diet Coke, water, peanut butter, cheese, and yogurt, in about that order. And I have a box of protein bars in a drawer. So I'm not dying or anything yet. :)
Took a little while to get used to all the walking necessary to get from place to place, did some exploring of the campus day after orientation, got a rough idea of where everything was and how long it took to get from one place to another, done more exploring as I've had time since. Haven't really measured or anything, but I think I'm covering three to five miles a day just in ordinary activities, and that's not counting anything extra I might do.
Starting to know a few people on my floor and in my dorm, that's kinda cool. And people around campus are always hollering "Hey Wes!", things like that. (Half the time, I have no idea who they are, but just smile and say something equally Mayberry-like in response.) I even got called Caleb last night by my RA as I went to check my mailbox. In a minute, he pokes his head out the office. "Your name is Caleb, right?" "Nope! It's Wesley. But I have a brother named Caleb, so I'm used to being called that." "Oh. I totally have you mixed up with another guy, then, cause I've been calling him Wesley all this time...." Anyway, name issues aside, it's really, really QUIET in here most of the time. Leonard Kessler's Owl would fit in great at Ross Hall. It's awful! Just...silence. Or really, really dim noises, so you only have your thoughts to notice, and the bare white concrete walls to look at. Hard to adjust to. And, my neighbor watches TV late at night, so when I'm trying to get some sleep, THEN it's noisy, but....oh well. Getting used to that, too. And the showers take about ten minutes to heat up, lot of pipes to run through to get all the way up here on the fifth floor. And the radio reception isn't that great in here, and the CD player works two-thirds of the time. So, pretty much, here's a quick description of my dorm room: A- Silent. B- Bare. C- Spotless.
Living alone(no roommate, nobody wanted this floor), there's never anything to clean! Nothing to pick up, nobody to remind to do their laundry, nothin'. Not even any trash to haul out. So I'm discovering all this extra energy that I didn't know I had, since it doesn't have any outlet...
So I've started just going and running somewhere. Down to the intramural fields, through the parking lot, racing squirrels...it's not much, can't go very far or for very long, but it's kinda fun. And it keeps me busy. (Almost.) When things just get too mental-hospital like or I get sick and tired of talking to myself while reading Plato, I sail up and down the staircase a couple times as fast as possible. Five flights of stairs makes a terrific hamster wheel, if anybody's curious.
And I've been playing a lot of Ultimate Frisbee. There's games set about three times a week, I try to play at least once a week. I'm not that good, too short to play well, but it's fun, getting to know some good guys through that. Right now I'm kind of that one freshman kid, the last person nobody really wants to have on their team, whatever help I can give usually comes on defense and from being the only guy who wears a watch. But that'll change over time, just gotta keep practicing and improving. Pretty low-key atmosphere, a little like the Backyard Sports series come to life.
(Continued at 4:58 p.m...) Did I mention that the air-conditioning is a little weird? Half the places it's out, creating massive airtight boxes, and then where it is on, it's subzero temperatures. All through the dorms and classroom buildings. Football 's interesting here so far, I'd never been to a game anywhere as a student. I got to study the atmosphere, too; besides watch the game. Planning to watch some soccer Friday night.
There was a fire in our building Monday night, that wasn't very fun. At all. Smoke alarms are some of the worst sounds on Earth. The entire building was evacuated, far too slowly, and then nobody knew where the fire was or how it started. The firefighters got it put out after about 45 minutes, most people were laughing and joking around with each other. There was this odd, detached kind of calmness as I was running out(again, barefoot with only my phone), and then once outside I started seeing flashbacks. And I was already tired from studying hard all day and a little homesick...bleah.
In English, our Comp I teacher was telling us about the backbone of story plotlines, we ended up discussing Star Wars for 45 minutes, it was awesome. But he mentioned that we, as college students, are kind of in an exile, cast out from the worlds that we knew, on a quest for knowledge. It's kind of hard being an exile, ya know? (Robinson Crusoe, Moses, Swiss Family Robinson, that guy in Castaway, Simba, Hercules, Thor, etc...) I mean, I know that God will get me through whatever I'm facing/going to face, because He's done it so many times in the past. It's just sometimes a little hard to remember that when you're just trying to keep your head above water. Some days go easier than others, but it's a fight to stay focused on that day's tasks and things. I mean, it's my job; shouldn't I try to give it the best effort I can?
A lot of the guys I play Frisbee with are involved in Campus Christian Fellowship(CCF), that's about the only thing I've gotten involved in this semester(Intramural sports...not this time.). It's sort of like a youth group for college students, most run by college students, with some guidance. Think I'm gonna help with the worship music there, started that for the first time Tuesday, it went okay. Also, I found a pretty good church to go to here in town, so that's good.
Had my first test Wednesday, in MassComm. I just kind of took it like I did the SAT, or all those drama programs I did in middle school: Go over the material, memorize it, understand it, then repeat eighteen times, and when it's time, try to relax as much as possible and let what you know take over. I got a 94 out of a possible 99, so I was happy with it.
College is it's own little bubble, it's a weird concept. I didn't hear about Neil Armstrong's death until a few days later, same thing with Randy Jackson being fired as AI judge, not to mention football scores. Instead, I've helped guide a blind man places, read billboards chalked on the sidewalk, tagged along on trips to eat tacos and cherry crisp after church, shot pool, and played my guitar on the front porch. This is about what the first few weeks of college has been like.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Baseball
A few weeks ago, on the night before my moving out, my family and I went to a minor-league baseball game as kind of a last all-together celebration-type thing. We used to have season tickets, went to many, many games over the years, but lately have gone to about one game every two or three years.
None of us had ever been to the new stadium that was built a few years ago, and my siblings had free tickets from participating in the library's summer reading program, so those provided good excuses to see a ballgame. Interesting atmosphere around the park, lots of neat old architecture to look at. Once inside, our tickets were on the grassy lawn in right field, so it was a little hard to judge what the new field was like, as we couldn't see much and were surrounded by crickets, popcorn and little kids chasing the crickets, trying to capture them. We're pretty baseball-illiterate, so Dad and I tried to answer Caleb's questions about what was happening as best we could.
So, it was a little hard to make a judgement on the actual stadium itself, not being in the stands. But one thing's for sure: It just isn't Drillers Stadium. We left in the middle of the sixth inning, have no idea if Tulsa even won or not. But it was kind of sad, for most of us. We were all slightly bored, and Mom, Dad and I were thinking of memories of my growing up, and all the times I'd tagged along on youth group nights and things like that, re-enacting last night's game in the apartment, or playing catch with Katie while Mr Rae watches from his back porch and yells encouragement, with all the dogs on the block yapping loudly.
No, I'm not much a fan of baseball, though I try to keep up with the Cardinals. (Always sort of liked them, and I've got friends in St Louis and Springfield, home of their AA team.) And I used to hate the game. But somewhere along the way of being forced to watch, covering high school games for the paper, and then playing cabbage ball in the summertime, I learned to tolerate it, and occasionally even enjoy the peculiar style of big plays and important moments.
I have a lot of friends who LOVE it, though; and that's fine. If they enjoy it, let them, and I'll enjoy watching their enjoyment. Josh has played for practically forever until he stopped last summer, trying to figure out where to go next. Dylan played a little, and Cassady went on to play college softball. I know a family who goes down to see Rangers games every chance they get, and a few who about flew through the roof during last year's World Series. That was interesting, being Texas-St Louis, and so I knew people (rabidly) rooting for both sides. And my goodness, Game 6...that was amazing! I had the TV on all night, checking the score once in a while, and then tuned in about the seventh or eighth inning. Things don't look too good for the Cards, but then comes that rally, and then it goes into extra innings, and then David Freese's play in the eleventh...that was awesome. I heard this one story of someone who went to Wal-Mart that night, naturally listening to the game on the radio. She sat in the car in the parking lot for over an hour, because things were that exciting and tense.THAT is why I love sports.
My friend Emily is one of those people I mentioned who love the game, and try to stay in touch with it as much as is realistically possible. She wrote a poem about it one day, and then dug out an old essay from several years ago that she'd written, and put them on her blog. (See http://www.myearnestheart.blogspot.com/2012/05/game-baseball.html) The poem is this:
"The game has its balls and strikes,
The umpire never gets it right,
But that's the game; you'd better sit tight.
The game has its hits and runs,
Depending on which team you're on,
But that's the game; just take it, son.
The game is either home or away,
Doesn't matter, you better show up and play,
But that's the game, no matter what they say.
The game has its die-hard fans,
Who will yell and scream from the highest stands,
But that's the game; lend a hand.
The game has its ins and outs,
Drop third strike, you better run up a cloud,
But that's the game; help your team out.
The game is either won or lost,
Most try to win at all cost,
But that's the game; show 'em who's boss."
It's a game for movies, a sport for stories. Really, can you imagine sports movies without "Field of Dreams", "The Sandlot", or "The Rookie"? How many millions of college students grew up playing ball in Tin Can Alley and Dirt Yards with Jocinda Smith, Pablo Sanchez and Tony Delvecchio, as the Super-Duper Wombats faced the Blue Rockets with Sunny Day and Vinnie the Gooch calling the action on Backyard Baseball? And will Charlie Brown's team ever win a game with him pitching? What would we do without the sport to foster our imaginations and pretend that we'll be the hero one day? I may complain about it, and make fun of it often, and usually wonder at all the things that don't make sense about the way the game is played. But it's important to our history, and without the game of baseball, sports would be missing something.
None of us had ever been to the new stadium that was built a few years ago, and my siblings had free tickets from participating in the library's summer reading program, so those provided good excuses to see a ballgame. Interesting atmosphere around the park, lots of neat old architecture to look at. Once inside, our tickets were on the grassy lawn in right field, so it was a little hard to judge what the new field was like, as we couldn't see much and were surrounded by crickets, popcorn and little kids chasing the crickets, trying to capture them. We're pretty baseball-illiterate, so Dad and I tried to answer Caleb's questions about what was happening as best we could.
So, it was a little hard to make a judgement on the actual stadium itself, not being in the stands. But one thing's for sure: It just isn't Drillers Stadium. We left in the middle of the sixth inning, have no idea if Tulsa even won or not. But it was kind of sad, for most of us. We were all slightly bored, and Mom, Dad and I were thinking of memories of my growing up, and all the times I'd tagged along on youth group nights and things like that, re-enacting last night's game in the apartment, or playing catch with Katie while Mr Rae watches from his back porch and yells encouragement, with all the dogs on the block yapping loudly.
No, I'm not much a fan of baseball, though I try to keep up with the Cardinals. (Always sort of liked them, and I've got friends in St Louis and Springfield, home of their AA team.) And I used to hate the game. But somewhere along the way of being forced to watch, covering high school games for the paper, and then playing cabbage ball in the summertime, I learned to tolerate it, and occasionally even enjoy the peculiar style of big plays and important moments.
I have a lot of friends who LOVE it, though; and that's fine. If they enjoy it, let them, and I'll enjoy watching their enjoyment. Josh has played for practically forever until he stopped last summer, trying to figure out where to go next. Dylan played a little, and Cassady went on to play college softball. I know a family who goes down to see Rangers games every chance they get, and a few who about flew through the roof during last year's World Series. That was interesting, being Texas-St Louis, and so I knew people (rabidly) rooting for both sides. And my goodness, Game 6...that was amazing! I had the TV on all night, checking the score once in a while, and then tuned in about the seventh or eighth inning. Things don't look too good for the Cards, but then comes that rally, and then it goes into extra innings, and then David Freese's play in the eleventh...that was awesome. I heard this one story of someone who went to Wal-Mart that night, naturally listening to the game on the radio. She sat in the car in the parking lot for over an hour, because things were that exciting and tense.THAT is why I love sports.
My friend Emily is one of those people I mentioned who love the game, and try to stay in touch with it as much as is realistically possible. She wrote a poem about it one day, and then dug out an old essay from several years ago that she'd written, and put them on her blog. (See http://www.myearnestheart.blogspot.com/2012/05/game-baseball.html) The poem is this:
"The game has its balls and strikes,
The umpire never gets it right,
But that's the game; you'd better sit tight.
The game has its hits and runs,
Depending on which team you're on,
But that's the game; just take it, son.
The game is either home or away,
Doesn't matter, you better show up and play,
But that's the game, no matter what they say.
The game has its die-hard fans,
Who will yell and scream from the highest stands,
But that's the game; lend a hand.
The game has its ins and outs,
Drop third strike, you better run up a cloud,
But that's the game; help your team out.
The game is either won or lost,
Most try to win at all cost,
But that's the game; show 'em who's boss."
It's a game for movies, a sport for stories. Really, can you imagine sports movies without "Field of Dreams", "The Sandlot", or "The Rookie"? How many millions of college students grew up playing ball in Tin Can Alley and Dirt Yards with Jocinda Smith, Pablo Sanchez and Tony Delvecchio, as the Super-Duper Wombats faced the Blue Rockets with Sunny Day and Vinnie the Gooch calling the action on Backyard Baseball? And will Charlie Brown's team ever win a game with him pitching? What would we do without the sport to foster our imaginations and pretend that we'll be the hero one day? I may complain about it, and make fun of it often, and usually wonder at all the things that don't make sense about the way the game is played. But it's important to our history, and without the game of baseball, sports would be missing something.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
The Race of Joseph
In life, sometimes we run into people we just connect with. While the terms for this have changed over the years: the principle behind it is still the same: There are people who make life better just by being around them. They could be your siblings, cousins, friends on the other side of town, on the other end of the state, or even farther away like Missouri or Mississippi, Minnesota or Canada.
You can meet them in all kinds of situations: a class, an ice storm, at church, in Washington, D.C. They might be friends of your aunt's, little siblings of pals, or people you've known since second grade. Lucy Maud Montgomery summed up pretty well what this is, in her book "Anne's House of Dreams", on pages 37-38, in chapter seven, "The Schoolmaster's Bride".
"I must be getting back to the light," announced Captain Jim. "I've enj'yed this evening something tremenjus."
"You must come often to see us," said Anne.
"I wonder if you'd give that invitation if you knew how likely I'll be to accept it," Captain Jim remarked whimsically.
"Which is another way of saying you wonder if I mean it," smiled Anne. "I do, 'cross my heart', as we used to say at school."
"Then I'll come. You'll likely to be pestered with me at nearly any hour. And I'd be proud to have you drop down and visit me now and then, too. Gin'rally I haven't anybody to talk to except the First Mate, bless his sociable heart. He's forgotten more'n any McAllister of them all ever knew, but he isn't much of a conversationalist. You're young and I'm old, but our souls are about the same age, I reckon. We both belong to the race that knows Joseph, as Cornelia Bryant would say."
" 'The race that knows Joseph'?" puzzled Anne.
"Yes. Cornelia divides all the folks in the world into two kinds - the race that knows Joseph, and the race that don't. If a person sorter sees eye to eye with you, and has pretty much the same ideas about things, and has the same taste in jokes - why, then he belongs to the race that knows Joseph."
"Oh, I understand," exclaimed Anne, light breaking upon her. "It's what I used to call - and still call in quotation marks - 'kindred spirits'."
"Jest so, jest so," agreed Captain Jim. "We're it, whatever it is. When you come in to-night, Mistress Blythe, I says to myself, 'Yes, she's one of the race that knows Joseph.' And I'm mighty glad she was, for if wasn't so we couldn't have had any real satisfaction in each other's company. The race that knows Joseph is the salt of the airth, I reckon."
You can meet them in all kinds of situations: a class, an ice storm, at church, in Washington, D.C. They might be friends of your aunt's, little siblings of pals, or people you've known since second grade. Lucy Maud Montgomery summed up pretty well what this is, in her book "Anne's House of Dreams", on pages 37-38, in chapter seven, "The Schoolmaster's Bride".
"I must be getting back to the light," announced Captain Jim. "I've enj'yed this evening something tremenjus."
"You must come often to see us," said Anne.
"I wonder if you'd give that invitation if you knew how likely I'll be to accept it," Captain Jim remarked whimsically.
"Which is another way of saying you wonder if I mean it," smiled Anne. "I do, 'cross my heart', as we used to say at school."
"Then I'll come. You'll likely to be pestered with me at nearly any hour. And I'd be proud to have you drop down and visit me now and then, too. Gin'rally I haven't anybody to talk to except the First Mate, bless his sociable heart. He's forgotten more'n any McAllister of them all ever knew, but he isn't much of a conversationalist. You're young and I'm old, but our souls are about the same age, I reckon. We both belong to the race that knows Joseph, as Cornelia Bryant would say."
" 'The race that knows Joseph'?" puzzled Anne.
"Yes. Cornelia divides all the folks in the world into two kinds - the race that knows Joseph, and the race that don't. If a person sorter sees eye to eye with you, and has pretty much the same ideas about things, and has the same taste in jokes - why, then he belongs to the race that knows Joseph."
"Oh, I understand," exclaimed Anne, light breaking upon her. "It's what I used to call - and still call in quotation marks - 'kindred spirits'."
"Jest so, jest so," agreed Captain Jim. "We're it, whatever it is. When you come in to-night, Mistress Blythe, I says to myself, 'Yes, she's one of the race that knows Joseph.' And I'm mighty glad she was, for if wasn't so we couldn't have had any real satisfaction in each other's company. The race that knows Joseph is the salt of the airth, I reckon."
Gorillas run over RiverHawks 41-20
Northeastern State University joined the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Association(MIAA) in July, after being an independent for one year following their departure from the Lone Star Conference in 2010. The RiverHawks' welcome to their new conference home, generally regarded as the SEC of NCAA Division II football, looked daunting, to say the least, on paper. A home date against defending national champions, and #1 ranked, Pittsburg State Thursday night at Doc Wadley Stadium. A decent-sized crowd of 3,527 filled the 12,000 seat stadium, and they witnessed the Gorillas' well-executed offense move at will, en route to a 41-20 loss for NSU.
Pitt State took the opening kickoff and marched downfield mixing option runs with screen passes from the Wing T/Pistol setups, quarterback Anthony Abenoja found John Brown on a seven yard touchdown pass with 9:01 to go in the first quarter. Northeastern countered this three minutes later with a 49 yard run by sophomore tailback Terrence Dixon, the extra point try failed. SO defensive back Chandler Barr halted the Pitt attack next drive with an interception, but nothing could be made from the pick, the first fifteen minutes ended with the score Pitt State 7, Northeastern 6. PSU's Tillman pounded his way into the end zone from six yards away with four minutes gone in the second, going up 14-6. Dylan Beers recovered a fumble on a Pitt return of his punt, but again, the 'Hawks couldn't capitalize. Abenoja found Brandon Ledgeworth on a three-yard pass with thirty seconds to play in the half, and the Gorillas held a 21-6 lead going into halftime.
Sibold blasted his way through the NSU line from four yards out with 12:37 to go in the third, RiverHawks quarterback Johnny Deaton's rough start continued, after going 2-for-12 in the first half, he threw a pick inside the red zone to Pitt's Riley, the ensuing drive was capped off by a 29 yard field goal from Frezelle. It took just three plays and 68 yards to answer that score, Deaton fired a thirty yard strike to senior receiver Jermaine Sherman with 3:01 left in the quarter, Daniel Bond added the extra point. The Northeastern offense had some strong drives in the second half, just the results weren't always there. SO WR Prince McJunkins recovered the onside kick, a strong drive was pulled up short with an interception. Forty seconds later, though, SO DB Kyler Harris returned the favor, and the 'Hawks had possession at the Gorilla 28. The third quarter ended with the home team trailing 31-13, the fourth began with a 47-yard Bond kick that drifted wide right. Pittsburg State took advantage, slamming their way forward; an Abenoja pass was tipped by an NSU linebacker, but the carom dropped right into Brown's hands for a touchdown. Dixon ran into the end zone from 29 yards away fifty-two seconds later, the final score of the game came from Frezelle's foot on a 37-yard field goal with 5:55 to play. Trying to score one last time, another interception was thrown, and that sealed the game, with the #1 Pittsburg State Gorillas taking the 41-20 victory over the Northeastern State RiverHawks.
On offense, Abenoja was 26-for-41 and 382 yards with 3 TDs, 2 INTs, Jeremy Spradling led the rushing attack with eight carries for 56 yards, Brown was the team's leading receiver with ten catches for 146 yards and 2 TDs. For NSU, Deaton was 15-for-38 for 242 yards with one TD and 3 INTs, Dixon had fourteen carries for 132 yards and 2 TDs, Sherman caught five passes for 76 yards and a TD, Victor Williams led the way on defense with eight tackles.
In other MIAA action, Truman's Bulldogs topped Southwest Baptist 24-14, the #18 Missouri Western Griffons prevailed over Central Missouri 38-26, #20 Washburn was victorious over Nebraska-Kearney, the Ichabods won 24-14 over the Lopers; the Lions of Missouri Southern survived a late scare to finish off Central Oklahoma 25-20, Emporia State's Hornets stung Ft. Hays State to the tune of a 41-18 beatdown, and #3 Northwest Missouri State won a non-conference game as the Bearcats destroyed East Central 33-3. The newest members of the 15-team league have a 0-3 record so far.
Up next for Pittsburg State(1-0, 1-0 MIAA) is a home game at 6:05 p.m. Sept 8 against Central Oklahoma(0-1, 0-1 MIAA), while the RiverHawks(0-1, 0-1 MIAA) will travel to Joplin, MO on Sept 8, where Missouri Southern(1-0, 1-0 MIAA) awaits in a 6 p.m. matchup.
Pitt State took the opening kickoff and marched downfield mixing option runs with screen passes from the Wing T/Pistol setups, quarterback Anthony Abenoja found John Brown on a seven yard touchdown pass with 9:01 to go in the first quarter. Northeastern countered this three minutes later with a 49 yard run by sophomore tailback Terrence Dixon, the extra point try failed. SO defensive back Chandler Barr halted the Pitt attack next drive with an interception, but nothing could be made from the pick, the first fifteen minutes ended with the score Pitt State 7, Northeastern 6. PSU's Tillman pounded his way into the end zone from six yards away with four minutes gone in the second, going up 14-6. Dylan Beers recovered a fumble on a Pitt return of his punt, but again, the 'Hawks couldn't capitalize. Abenoja found Brandon Ledgeworth on a three-yard pass with thirty seconds to play in the half, and the Gorillas held a 21-6 lead going into halftime.
Sibold blasted his way through the NSU line from four yards out with 12:37 to go in the third, RiverHawks quarterback Johnny Deaton's rough start continued, after going 2-for-12 in the first half, he threw a pick inside the red zone to Pitt's Riley, the ensuing drive was capped off by a 29 yard field goal from Frezelle. It took just three plays and 68 yards to answer that score, Deaton fired a thirty yard strike to senior receiver Jermaine Sherman with 3:01 left in the quarter, Daniel Bond added the extra point. The Northeastern offense had some strong drives in the second half, just the results weren't always there. SO WR Prince McJunkins recovered the onside kick, a strong drive was pulled up short with an interception. Forty seconds later, though, SO DB Kyler Harris returned the favor, and the 'Hawks had possession at the Gorilla 28. The third quarter ended with the home team trailing 31-13, the fourth began with a 47-yard Bond kick that drifted wide right. Pittsburg State took advantage, slamming their way forward; an Abenoja pass was tipped by an NSU linebacker, but the carom dropped right into Brown's hands for a touchdown. Dixon ran into the end zone from 29 yards away fifty-two seconds later, the final score of the game came from Frezelle's foot on a 37-yard field goal with 5:55 to play. Trying to score one last time, another interception was thrown, and that sealed the game, with the #1 Pittsburg State Gorillas taking the 41-20 victory over the Northeastern State RiverHawks.
On offense, Abenoja was 26-for-41 and 382 yards with 3 TDs, 2 INTs, Jeremy Spradling led the rushing attack with eight carries for 56 yards, Brown was the team's leading receiver with ten catches for 146 yards and 2 TDs. For NSU, Deaton was 15-for-38 for 242 yards with one TD and 3 INTs, Dixon had fourteen carries for 132 yards and 2 TDs, Sherman caught five passes for 76 yards and a TD, Victor Williams led the way on defense with eight tackles.
In other MIAA action, Truman's Bulldogs topped Southwest Baptist 24-14, the #18 Missouri Western Griffons prevailed over Central Missouri 38-26, #20 Washburn was victorious over Nebraska-Kearney, the Ichabods won 24-14 over the Lopers; the Lions of Missouri Southern survived a late scare to finish off Central Oklahoma 25-20, Emporia State's Hornets stung Ft. Hays State to the tune of a 41-18 beatdown, and #3 Northwest Missouri State won a non-conference game as the Bearcats destroyed East Central 33-3. The newest members of the 15-team league have a 0-3 record so far.
Up next for Pittsburg State(1-0, 1-0 MIAA) is a home game at 6:05 p.m. Sept 8 against Central Oklahoma(0-1, 0-1 MIAA), while the RiverHawks(0-1, 0-1 MIAA) will travel to Joplin, MO on Sept 8, where Missouri Southern(1-0, 1-0 MIAA) awaits in a 6 p.m. matchup.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
CAMP: Part V, 2012
Part I - http://www.anotherloveroftheblade.blogspot.com/2012/07/camp-part-i-2008.html
Part II - http://www.anotherloveroftheblade.blogspot.com/2012/08/camp-part-ii-2009.html
Part III - http://www.anotherloveroftheblade.blogspot.com/2012/08/camp-part-iii-2010.html
Part IV - http://www.anotherloveroftheblade.blogspot.com/2012/08/camp-part-iv-2011.html
Where to start...
I guess I'll begin this post by rewinding a few months earlier from where the last one ended. So it's about September or so in 2010, start of my junior year of high school, and Mom thinks we should have a book-discussion group. I think it's a pretty good idea, though not completely sold on it yet. So we invite a few families around that want to try it(Bolands, Nolands) and a few other people(Jayne, Trinnica), and invited a whole lot of other people who didn't want to come or couldn't make it work.
It began with a rather uninspiring dull mystery by a lady named Dorothy Sayers, and then went into a G.A. Henty book, and further depths of blandness. And I was about the only person not yet done with school to make comments, Mom was hoping for a little more interaction between adults and younger people. But it was useful for getting to know other people, and a way to follow the second half of Romans 12:13, which simply says, "Practice hospitality."
The other book-discussion group, with Dylan, Gabe and Kaitlin, was going about as well as this one. But they were both working a little bit, so better than nothing.
I wrote about an up-and-down football season, with a touch of softball on the side, and basketball, and baseball.
I was starting to become more active in the youth group, poking around until I found the right place to lead from, the core group of "Wes, Marie, Josh, Dylan and Sam" was starting to shift, as new people came in, part-time jobs were found, and other things like that. But as a whole, we were moving from the outsiders to the leaders of the group.
About March or somewhere, these weird thoughts kept running through my mind, and I couldn't shake them off. The guilt and fear and pain from leaving Maddie, that that wound needed to be healed. So I think about it for a a while. And I think. And I keep thinking...maybe it'd go away if I ignored it long enough.
I get on Facebook one day, and there's this "You've been poked" notification. Now, I've never understood exactly why that's there, is it just a "Hey, thinking about you, but not enough to actually write on your wall or send a message"? Anyway, the poke came from...Maddie. That was...weird. I sent her an email the next day, apologizing for everything. She emailed me back, and we cautiously began talking every once in a while.
And then came the vacation to Missouri and planning for the Youth Tour trip and everything....and there was still the book club. Except now, we were reading throughShakespeare's plays! That switch resulted in two things: Half the people dropped out, and the ones of us still in participated a lot more, since we were actually cold-reading our way through the actual scripts. It was awesome! And those plays take a while. Like four or five hours. So we would read about half the script on Monday night, discussing it along the way, and then for about a half hour afterwards, and then finishing it the next Monday. And Ted and Karen used to actually perform them(they met during their days at a San Francisco Shakespeare company), so they not only knew how to perform the plays, but could actually tell us ordinary laypeople what was going on when the Old English got too difficult. It helped a lot. And even though it wasn't really acting, it was pretty close, and it was just plain fun!
We'd just finished the second night of the three-part reading of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in late May, and everyone that I usually talked to had left, and I didn't feel like watching Courtney, Caleb and Trevor and their friends play flashlight tag in the dark. So I got on Facebook and finished some cookies and cheese that were left over. I'd just posted one of my Random Statuses of the Week(actually, two of them, since I was leaving for Youth Tour next week), and checked to see if there'd been any comments or likes on it yet.
Well, Sam, who'd won of the awards, said something, I replied, and went on to see what other news there was. Then Amanda(who is completely insane, but in a good way) comments on it, and this nutty conversation follows for the next hour between the three of us. I was laughing my head off, and I'm pretty sure they were, too. Part of what made it so interesting is that they have so many personality traits in common, so it was like conversing with two mirrors, each almost-but-not-quite reflecting the same type of humor and reactions. Anyway, that's how they met. And, like I figured, they became pretty good friends.
One of the main topics covered was this passage from the Lucy Maud Montgomery book "Anne's House of Dreams", talking about "kindred spirits" or "the race that knows Joseph". I guess it was a Victorian concept in general, she didn't invent it; but wherever it comes from, it's true. Those kindred spirits always find each other somehow, and leave an impression deeply imprinted on you. Might not ever see one again, might become one of your best friends, or somewhere in the middle; but when you meet one of them, you know it.
With summer, the book club kind of disappeared, much to all our disappointment, it wasn't resurrected. But there was Youth Tour, which was great, and then church camp, which was weird and unusual, and kind of scary, but very good and fruitful.
When we got back, of course the sending and accepting of friend requests, emailing, texting and calling, and loading and tagging of pictures took place, along with the sharing of stories with people who didn't come, and with people who did, who might have had one or two different experiences or anecdotes to tell. And the general "Darn....now I feel kinda lonely" letdown from the wonderful temporary reality of the Stockholm Syndrome. It's kind of like a foretaste, a tiny little glimpse, of what heaven will be like, spending time with that many believers and studying the Word, not having to worry about what everyone thinks or other things to distract us.
Jed was feeling this particularly hard, as he checked the next day to see if all of us from Tulsa had made it home okay. We had, which I told him. And of course the story-swapping and inside jokes had to be exchanged.
When school started back up, I learned to write about softball, and other than that, I stayed pretty focused on school, I was studying an insane amount to get all the credits I needed for financial aid. And I had to figure out where to go, and what to major in. Everything has eight million details and paperwork to fill, and did I mention that I needed to finish Algebra II and Geometry in the same year? Like, "All-the-way-to-the-back-cover" finished? Plus Chemistry and a few other subjects? Well, I did. I'd kind of lock myself in my room all morning, emerge for a quick break to fix a sandwich, and then back to school for about another hour or two. Going grocery shopping was counted as an adventure, an out-of-the-ordinary treat. (Boring? Perhaps. But I'm a small-town kid, when it isn't football season, people go to Dollar General on Friday nights.)
And then comes the (yikes.) SAT test. That was scary. For one thing, it was, like....an actual honest-to-goodness test. Like, in a school. With timers, and other people in the classroom also taking it. And - This has a huge role in determining how the money for college will work out.
No pressure or anything....right?
Josh had become the worship leader for our youth group, since he was the only one of us who played music to be depended upon to always be on time. And also, he is a good pianist. Steven thought they needed somebody else to help lead worship, preferably someone who could play guitar. Josh couldn't. Suzanna had given up trying to learn. Bennett was beginning to try to play a few chords. Sam wasn't ever sure if she'd be there or not. So, that left...me.
I began playing in mid-October, up til late May. It sounds pretty easy, but it involved more work that you might think. Had to get the songs we were singing, then find the chords(looking up unusual or unfamiliar chords), and then learn to play it, often all in about three days. This constant watchfulness for what might be a good fit for this lesson, or what one of us might need to remember, or just something somebody requested. It was very good to spend that much time analyzing the lyrics, dissecting the lines and extracting all the wisdom and knowledge contained in the music. I do that all the time, anyway, but hymns and worship songs are especially great to study. Kind of a meditation, almost, on who God is, or what He's doing/done for us. Incredibly beneficial spiritually.
But, at the same time, you had to keep in mind that this is for God, not yourself. You aren't performing; you're in the background, guiding the group to the main objective of giving God glory and praising and honoring Him. A fine line to walk, which I stumbled over too many times before I finally had some understanding of it. Having to play weekly, and with the loudness of a keyboard to follow and talk with, meant a few subtle changes to my playing style, which was improved greatly. Things like different gauges of picks, adjusting my strumming arm to play closer to the bridge, an upgrade in string quality, and a transducer, so I can hook up the acoustic to an amp. Small changes, all of these, but they made a big difference, and Abby Lee sounded much better as time went on. I was usually a half-beat slower than Josh, but mostly the timing was brought close enough to be adequate.
Courtney and I kept playing our daily ping pong matches on the card table until it fell apart; and then we got creative. Picnic tables, the kitchen island, a coffee table, even the concrete floor, we tried playing on it all. Some surfaces worked better than others, obviously; but we had fun trying to improve our skills on everything, and like Thomas Edison once said, we "found a hundred ways to not build a light bulb, so we're that much closer to finding a way to craft a better one." Dad, on observing one of the games on makeshift equipment, suggested that we just build a table to play on. It seemed like a good idea.
Caleb, Courtney and he all drafted plans and did the actual construction of the thing, while I babysat Amy and Trevor and made sure they weren't getting in the way or fighting or whatever. Once it was built, I painted it. Two coats of primer and at least five cans of spray paint later, plus about three days dry-time, and we had ourselves a ping pong table. Which was even cooler, because we had company coming next weekend to help us break it in...
Jed had hatched up a scheme. A very good scheme. He and his mom were going down to southwestern Oklahoma to visit his brother, and since they had to go up I-44 to get back to St. Louis, why not cut down a bit and spend the weekend with some pals? Plus, that would also solve the "Where should we worship this week?' problem.
So we got the necessary OKs, clean the house spotless, reclean everything, build a ping pong table, and study for an SAT, all in about two or three weeks. I went over practice tests upstairs, simulating everything as best I could down to the last detail, for about five or six hours a day, and then my regular schoolwork on top of that. It. Was. Very. Hard. And these were the beautiful late September days where you have the windows open and look for any excuse to be outside...yeah, it was a little hard to concentrate. But it was IMPORTANT.
The Boyers are coming Saturday, October first. No problem. Oh, yeah; my SAT is also that day, in the morning. Setting up to be one eventful weekend.
I manage to fight my way through the stress and anxiety(and LENGTH) of the test, hoping I did well enough to pass, and wondering if I'd marked in all the little circles the right way. It was by far one of the most intense experiences I've ever had. A little after one p.m,(it started at eight a.m.) I was finally finished and we were let out of the classroom. I was exhausted. Totally spent. Drained, mentally and physically. I manage to eat about half a burger Dad got me while he was out garage saling, he has a TobyMac CD he found at one of them in the truck's CD player. So off we go to get some last-minute groceries, and then to the mall for a reunion.
Now, since he was in town, Jed was hoping to hang out with a few of us from Grace Bible-Tulsa. Disappointed at our lack of skills at randomly hanging out as a youth group, we came up with a backup plan. A handful of people we invited to come meet us at the mall, to hang out and windowshop for a while. Among them, Sam and Marie, who had actually asked me to meet them, which fit our plans nicely. Marie couldn't come at the last minute, but I convinced Sam that we still needed to hang. So she and Katie come over to the food court, where I say hey and wave her over.
Her face, when she saw who was with me....priceless.
Absolutely stunned that they were down here, and trying to figure out how,why, and what was happening. Courtney had spent the night at Paige's house, so she was going to meet us. They got there, Paige was also surprised to see her Camp Mom and Jed sitting at the table, talking to my dad and I. We chatted for a while, then gathered up everybody for a cookout at our place.
But we were out of ketchup and coat hangers. Terry/Jed/Sam/Katie all go to Wal-Mart for the ketchup, and Chris/Wes/Courtney/Paige begin this bizarre search for coat hangers. "Let's try here.(Burlington Coat Factory)" "Dad, I'm pretty sure they won't...." The four employees he asks all stare blankly, we're trying not to crack up. "Target?" "Nope." Same story there. Finally we find a dry cleaners, where he picks up a few dozen and then it's back to the house.
It was a pretty good visit. Lot of ping pong, none of us were used to the table size(8x4', instead of a regulation 9x5'), laughter and pleasantness that comes with the game; and a quote as great as this: On preparing to serve, Mrs Boyer takes a closer look at the ball. "Where did you guys get custom-painted ping pong balls?" Um, well...that's actually just spray paint. The friction of the high-velocity sphere moving so fast rubs paint onto the ball, so that they resemble fresh eggs: All speckled. "Wow...huh. I've never heard of that before...you said you guys built this thing?"
There was testing of the new zipline, and spending time in the pasture talking with the goats. The firepit Caleb and Trevor built was a big success, they were very proud of it. Apples to Apples later that night, and then Jed and I had a great theological discussion, and just pondering life and catching up on life events, until 1:40 a.m, when Dad tromped downstairs and told us to shut up, we were keeping him awake.
We went to church the next morning, me giving Mrs Boyer directions, those who knew them were pleased that they were able to visit, and I think they enjoyed the teaching style and atmosphere. Then lunch at McDonald's, back home to get their stuff, and they had to head back. Too short a trip, but there was the possibility of camp in July. Jed jokingly said, only half kidding, that if I didn't come with the rest of the gang, he'd kidnap me and drag me over there. Several people volunteered to help him, should that situation ever come up.
Caught in the middle of an insane crossfire of webs, I was trying to help guide my pals through this mess they made without stirring up anything more than I had to. Delivering cryptic warnings, listening, and repremanding. And arguing. And a lot of prayer. Thought of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 often during the next few months. It's hard to know exactly when those times are to do those things, but every once in a while, it's almost clear.
I was learning a lot of the depths of the human condition, a little taste of the sorrow and pain that the prophets of Israel must have felt. It was just like, my heart was getting wrenched out daily by the sins of myself, and the sins of others. I basically had a headache and stomachache nonstop from mid-July to early December.
Also, I was slowly losing my job at the paper, which was good, since I knew I was putting too much effort into writing, but it was a hard lesson to learn. But in the toughness of the way things were going, somehow God saw fit to bring the joy back into the process, and get the focus back out onto those the story was about. The community around softball is a very neat place.
And there was also the stress of plugging away at school, trying to figure out where I was going, what I would study, answering those questions every time I saw someone I knew, and keeping the house running.
December came, and the stress of Christmastime, the depression I always seem to fall in at that time, and Nano was having some health troubles. The week-by-week realization that it was getting to be time to move on from the life I knew, that the puzzle pieces of life I had to cross were always shifting, I never knew where to step next, if it would fall through on me or not.
But....I was growing spiritually from all this, and learning to trust Christ a lot more. I knew He'd get me through it, He'd done it so many, many times before. As my friend Daniel likes to say, "He is so faithful!!" He really is. I remembered how this guy in my parents' youth group, he used to come to them for advice and counsel a lot. When it was time for him to leave for college, he was really confused and lost, wasn't sure which way was up. so he prayed that God would send him a sign about what the right decision was, it had something to do with the bank sign in the middle of town. Anyway, for some reason, that always stuck with me, and I was just praying constantly that God would show me the right place to go, and give me peace about it, wherever that destination might be. I didn't have any reason to go to a ballgame, since I wasn't writing, and I didn't know anyone, but I had to go to at least one basketball game that season. It was one of the most boring experiences I can ever remember. It was awful. Yet another of the troubles and trials I was facing was that I couldn't just sit and watch sports for entertainment any longer, except for listening to the radio broadcasts of the Thunder. But as far as actually watching sports, I had to have a reason for doing so, otherwise I couldn't concentrate. Except for Bedlam, I watched maybe one quarter all football season uninterrupted, and only half paid attention to the Super Bowl. So that, more than anything really, kind of shows what this past year was like. So I was sitting there in the gym, watching a game I care nothing about, with no reason to be there. It was really depressing. I keep moving around from seat to seat every five minutes, I even practice my sports photography with my phone. (It has a decent camera, and I can get some good shots with it, but it's horrible for sports.) I finally understood something that was almost frightening: Why all those students could attend games and just talk and not even pay attention to what was happening. I end up texting a bunch of friends. And a funny thing happened while talking to Lorene: I felt at peace with where I should go to school. So amazing, how personal and fitting it was, that of all the places God would give me that peace that I'd been so desperately asking for, would be in the bleachers of a high school gym.
HE IS SO FAITHFUL!!!!
In April, I was able to go to Louisville, Kentucky for the Together for the Gospel Conference, with Steven, Josh, Dylan, Greg, Peter and Paul. (The in-depth story is here: http://www.anotherloveroftheblade.blogspot.com/2012/04/t4g-conference-in-louisville.html)
It was a really special time of fellowship, and there was a ton of great preaching. There was this sermon by Al Mohler on how we need to use words in spreading the Gospel, not just our actions, because those can only go so far. That was really impactful, it's not my nature to speak about things like that, I've been trying to improve in that area. CJ Mahaney gave a wonderful sermon on that we get discouraged as humans, but how the Holy Spirit picks us back up. Kevin DeYoung also taught on the Holy Spirit, that was good. David Platt blew everyone away with his passion for missions, and how urgent of a need it can be. John Piper...how can we even start to understand God's pleasure in being Himself? Well, it was a really blessed time, thankful I got to go on it. A good break from the crazy unsettled days my life was in right then. (See http://www.anotherloveroftheblade.blogspot.com/2012/04/being-glad-you-ate.html)
Marie had been flipping out over her graduation since last fall. Sam and I took turns being amused and almost sad for her. She saw it as An Event, an ending, that was exciting. Us? We saw it as A Beginning, a departure from the Golden Road into the world of adulthood, filled with unknown dangers and twists. Little by little, it came closer. When it really got real was when I got my senior pictures taken. that was kind of when it really hit home that I was leaving here in a few months. That went pretty well. Anyway, it came time for the rehearsal, with Alton, Phil, Nate and Rachel, the other graduates from the homeschooling families around the county. ( http://www.anotherloveroftheblade.blogspot.com/2012/05/playlist-g.html, http://www.anotherloveroftheblade.blogspot.com/2012/05/lets-see-umm-work-in-progress.html )
That was really out-of-the-ordinary, but kind of wonderful. I had about thirty people come, just for me. A lot of people from GBC, Steven was the speaker, and then my cousin Logan absolutely flew from work to make it on time. That was really neat. And then Daniel and Emily came all the way clear from Springfield! Just to be there for my graduation. These kinds of gestures were amazing, they meant so, so much. After my speech(with my silly tassel flopping into my face every other sentence, talk about an exercise in public speaking...thanks for teaching that class Kirsten!), there's a "Special Presentation" at the end. Valerie comes up, motions me to come up, and then gives a short speech, at the end presenting me with a plaque and a scholarship check. That was such a surprise, and it was so incredible....it was just really, really great. Dad(of course, haha) had to embarrass me by talking about me, but I mean, your oldest son only graduates high school once, right? Guess it's natural.
I also got braces, which has been a large adjustment, my teeth are much straighter already, and they seem to be doing their job well. I do think, though, that hell might be full of dentists and orthodonists. Your jaws are not supposed to be yanked in so many different directions!!!! It hurts!!!!
Bennett, Courtney and Paige are flying off the walls with camp being so near, for the rest of us, it's a more subdued excitement. Callie and Laura, our rookies this year, were getting amped up, too. Me? I was almost dreading it, honestly. Ash, Matt, Madelyn and Jed all self-tasked themselves with cheerfully pointing out the good things that would happen, the great memories waiting to be made. It...sort of worked; I have some pretty great friends. :) Just....SGYC had made such an enormous impact on my life; the campground itself, the teaching, the memories, the friends, the way God works. In talking about it, I have to give a mini-autobiography of my life each year to barely even scratch the surface of what it means. I've used about 20,000 words just in these posts so far, and I'm not even done with this one yet! I might even have one more on this subject to write. But, anyway, the first year was a survival test. The second year a time of rest, the third a needed maturity shot, and the fourth the beginning of a new chapter, ending of an era. This time, I didn't really want to go, almost. So I didn't go for me. I didn't have anything left to look forward to or achieve(except maybe winning the Tournament Challenge, and I'd be perfectly fine if that never happened).
No, I went because I had a job to get done, passed down to me by the guys I looked up to and tried to emulate(Cody, Daniel, Nathan and Jake, if anyone's wondering. Older camp people, isn't that an odd mix, covering just about everything imaginable?). My focus this year was to make sure the younger kids whose names I have no idea what are have the time of their lives, and to set an example of how an older Christian lives, for them to look at and maybe think, "I want to be like that guy Wesley when I'm his age." So that was why I came along for one last ride...
We left from the Rusco's at 7:30, late like always. Martha was driving one van, her sister Mary the other. Our group of guys were me, Josh, Caleb, Dylan and Bennett, the girls were Marie, Suzanna, her friend Kaitlin, Courtney, and Paige; Eva caught a ride up there with us, and then rookies Callie, Laura, their pal Marie K., and Miriam. For some reason, I nearly started crying. Glad for the others, but a little unsure of what this year might hold. Mary is a good conversationalist, always a good trait in a driver, we talked about classic books to vet's-office stories to a good many other subjects, including the grisly war tales that no one really cares to listen to, and the lame jokes weren't told until we were nearly to Joplin, so that was a good thing. Also, it was a very talkative trip, almost everyone was awake and engaged in what was happening.
Some of the differences this year, besides the fact that it would be mine, Daniel F. and Jed's final week; Shelby, Bethany, Brittany all weren't there because of college. Jojo, Jon, Marshall and Sam were all working, couldn't get off. Others were absent also. Most notably, our Camp Mom.
We understood why, but it still "saddened us greatly", as Ash put it on hearing the news. Terry's dad was in failing health, on hospice care, and she was his primary caregiver. If something was to happen while she was gone....it wasn't worth it. I text Ash the news, her first thought, besides "Wahhh!!!", is "How can we help her?" That just epitomizes everything I love about these people, this topic, and why I can't stop talking. Well, we get to thinking and planning a new strategy; so many times greater value than just the games we play. The plan we come up with is to make an enormous, gigantic card, filled with smiley faces(Mrs Boyer loves those) and bright yellow lettering(her favorite color). (Yeah, I used my network of spies to get that important info.) It wasn't anything, really, and it couldn't actually do anything to ease to pain and the hurt she was going through, but it was the best we could do in four days' thinking. Just to say "Thank you so, so much for everything...we're praying for you, wish you could come, but we understand. We love you." And so we had everyone sign it, placed it prominently in the dining hall, and got Tim to make several reminder announcements.
There were still friends I knew who would be there, of course: the Freelands, the Hankinses, Andrew, Jed, Shari, Jorgi, Ashton, Madelyn, Colton. And Jessica and Amanda were coming, too. Brother Larry was still here, providing good preaching and authority on all things cabbage ball-related. Tim was still directing and leading the camp, and juggling in the spare moments. Janet and Robin were there to make sure Bible trivia went well and the pool was supervised. Miss Kathy and Ryan were leading music and archery, it was good to see everyone and know what was happening.
Registration, lunch and orientation went well, much like usual. We exchanged greetings with those we knew and talked to those visitors who couldn't stay. Instead of group sessions on Monday, we went down to the tabernacle to hear a report on missions from Trevor and Braxton. Wow. It was amazing to hear of how much God works, how much we need to help with what little we can do, over there in places like Indonesia. We forget that here in our safe culture in the U.S, we need to remember that more often. It was an incredible blessing to heat their stories, and it was good to see them again.
Miss Kathy was leading the singing this time(YAY!!!), and it was different. Instead of singing the songs in the camp book and duct-taped hymnals, she took a more academic approach and taught on what music is, how we can use that message to glorify Christ and spread the gospel(Double YAY!!!!)
Most guys didn't really like it all that much, but I loved it, it was wonderful, and I was always really disappointed when that hour ended. Because it was a terrific subject, and a great teacher, effectively communicating what she was wanting her students to learn. Jed was a bit disgusted that he was needed for about four songs in two hours, he would have rather spent the girls' hour playing ping pong or something. And the camp version of "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" had been rewritten, I spent all week wondering why, and who did it. The singing time was fantastic.
This year's theme night was Cartoon Character, I had a great idea. After a youth group-wide notion to be the cast of "Calvin and Hobbes" was voted down, I just stayed in the comics section, and went as Jeremy Duncan from the strip "Zits". It was fun. I get to be in character, but yet not have to wear a irritating costume, just normal clothes like always. AND, wearing normal clothes, dancing wouldn't be hampered in any way. Other characters included Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Mario and Luigi, Scooby-Doo, Raggedy Ann and Andy, Batman's Robin, The Thing, and SpongeBob SquarePants.
The dance was held in the grassy field by the ampitheatre, much to my satisfaction and pleasure. That is where dancing should be; outside, with green grass, blue sky and trees converging with the late sunlight to make a beautiful set, and then good music and good friends. The order was redrawn a little bit, we led off with the Gay Gordon(in other words, the circle dance that newcomers always have trouble with). Looking around laughing at jokes being made and watching the young guys and girls try to figure out where to be and what to do, it was entertaining. I started out dancing with Paige, and then, as the case is, kept rotating and switching partners. Next came the box-and-square(that's not the right name, but I never heard what it actually IS called), I was kind of standing there, wondering who I should ask that was available. Madelyn was, too. She kind of looked over at me and grinned. "You want to, for old time's sake?" "Sure, why not?" That went nicely, except for a snake-hole that you had to avoid, much of our line was laughing at Tim's attempt to understand the steps. And there was a kitten named Sherbet to play with. Then it was time for the Virginia Reel. I escort Madelyn back to the ampitheatre, barely have time to get a drink of water when Shari clamps onto my wrist. "C'mon, Wes! It's your last year, I wanna dance with you!" Jorgi and Derek think this is hilarious. Most of our set was young members of the Henry clan, mixed up, slightly dazed, and confused. It made for a lot of interesting moments, and completely threw off the proper rhythm. It was still dancing, though; and it was a lot of fun. Odd fact I noticed on the way to the tabernacle: Some of us had been jokingly predicting how the dance would be; who would be with who, which couples would know how to dance well, who wouldn't, what if the tall guys ended up having to dance with the incredibly short girls; that kind of thing. Jon said that I would dance with "some random blonde chick, some random brunette chick, and some random redheaded chick". He was right, except the order was exactly flipped. Just thought that was kind of interesting.
There was a new camp preacher this year, Jeff, from near Little Rock, Arkansas. He brought along a handful of campers with him, several of which were my teammates. Good people. Anyway, his first sermon was on Romans 1:18, kind of hard to listen to. Can't imagine how hard it must have been to prepare. We need to remember those sharp, downer passages, it's all too easy to forget about the judgmental side of God.
Monday ended with a little irritation: Due to lack of males, not all four cabins needed to be used, and so we were kicked out of our home and displaced into the inner left cabin(the one with concrete floors). Of course, this totally threw our bed order around, it was kind of annoying, though I understood why it was happening. And also the little kids in the corner Would. Not. Stop. Talking. Feeling a little bit like Tim, Braxton or Brother Larry, we appealed over and over that they should get some rest while they could, tomorrow was even more packed than today.
Wednesday's general session was a lightning overview of the book of Job, the struggles that he faced, and how near God came to him. It was really interesting. Didn't get many notes on this one, but did you know that Job might have been a contemporary of Abraham??? Like, we're talking EXTREMELY early in history here. And there wasn't any part of the Bible yet, not even the Pentatauch, but yet Job still knew there would be a Redeemer, and that he knew this Redeemer. And he also knew that somehow after he died, he would live again. Isn't that amazing?
After that was finished, it was time for the Tournament Challenge. Given all last year's health problems, Ultimate was disallowed again as a sport, so it was AVC and BPG. Every year there seems to be some team that's just absolutely stacked with older talent and experience; theoretically giving them an inside track to winning. This year, that team was us; Blue. Daniel F. and Jed; Ash and Eva; then Caleb F. Drew, Callie, Marie K, and Arkansawyers Rachel and Taylor. Not counting the quartet of rookies, that totals up to twenty-eight combined camp years experienced.
Anyway, we started out against Black in archery, which was good, since we needed some time to talk and jell as a group, figure out what our roles were, and come up with a catchy nickname. We left it open for later decision between Oxen and Bison, Black became the Dragons. I had a below-average day shooting, but we ended up beating Black, whose members included Andrew, Courtney, Madelyn and Jessica, by a score of 115-107. There was a lot of wind, accounting for the low scores. Red(they had a terrible time thinking up any sort of nickname, finally "Bloody Knives" was suggested, becoming "Daggers". Seriously, the Red Bloody Knives? For one thing, it's redundant. For another, it a church camp, people) lost to Green in volleyball, who were thinking superheroically, trying to decide if they would be the Hornets or the Lanterns. It was a described as a close, controversial game, decided by one point. White's Heat(led by Josh and Jorgi) topped Yellow's Barracudas, led by Matt and Shari, in cabbage ball by an 8-2 score.
In BPG, Blue had Red in golf; there was a really weird scoring system used. We all shot a round as a team, and then picked our three best players from each side. They would shoot one hole, and the lowest aggregate score won. We sent out Daniel F, Marie K. and Taylor; they sent out Anne, Dylan and Hunter. We had six strokes, they had seven, and so we won our second event of the day. With nothing much else to do until lunch, we then sat around and talked for a while, at Daniel N.'s suggestion. Some confusion on the ping pong, but I think Black beat Yellow 10-9, and Green won Bible trivia over Yellow. "It was a little rough, kinda wasn't sure there, but we pulled it out, and it was good, it was fun." Ashton stated during lunch.
In Worst/First that night, Red beat Yellow in volleyball, White beat Black 7-6 in cabbage ball, and Green was going up against Blue. With the Hornets/Lanterns holding sport choice, captain Ashton picked golf. A perk of having a friend on the other side: after some cajoling and begging, she switched it to the sport we were hoping for, ping pong. It began poorly for the Bison/Oxen, we dropped the first three games, but then rallied back tie it up, and then lead for a bit. The girls championship came down to best friends, Ash-Ashton, it was a battle, let me tell ya. Ash took the first game 11-8, then Ashton rallied to win the second. Somehow, her composure left her completely, and Ash won the girls' championship(for the second year in a row) 11-8, 9-11, 11-2. It was Ashton's first loss EVER in Tournament Challenge play, she noted. I got to see the first part of that match, but missed the ending because I was playing in the guys championship match, against Jacob. The score was 12-11, us, I knew that; but of course Tim had to emphasize the drama(this is, after all, SGYC ping pong), and that totally killed me. With the "helpful" encouragement(I know it was meant well, but it really was rattling) shouted at me, and knowing that everyone was watching me, I collapsed. It's a funny thing, I'm a very emotional, streaky player, that's probably why I never quite cracked that elite listing, settling for "really good". I've never in my life seen so much spin put on a toss serve, or one that travels eight inches high before falling down. I was smoked 11-4, 11-0, setting up a tiebreaker match between Daniel and Jacob. Now maybe the same thing was happening to him or something, but it was intense. Daniel won the first game 11-9. Jacob won the second 12-10. With the match coming down to this last game, we were all biting our nails and frowning. It was stressful! To lighten the mood, I asked Drew to take a picture of Ash, Jed and I looked tense and worried. It worked, made a good posed-life picture, and like I was intending, loosened the air some. Maybe Daniel felt the energy change in the crowd, I'm not sure, but he was able to pull out the third game to win 11-9, 10-12, 11-7.
Brother Larry's general session was about what godliness is, how we can live a righteous life, and how we can evaluate others' claims to be godly or not. Miss Kathy's lesson was on how our worship should be rich, filled with meaning, then going over some of the elements of music, and motives for using certain musical devices, and touching a little bit on different styles, too.
Jeff's sermon Tuesday night was of the "Thus saith the Lord" variety; I am very glad I am not a minister. Those sections would be incredibly nerve-wracking to teach on, extremely daunting and hazardous, seems like, saying what God said and only that, and not adding or taking anything away from it. The text was Ezekiel 18:24-32. He hates sin, but yet He allows it. He chooses to saves some people, but not all. Why? We don't really know, because we're just men. But in some way, even sin gives glory in some way to God, and he will use whatever He wants to in order than He be glorified. God wants us all to be saved, but He doesn't allow some to serve Him, because that wouldn't serve His purposes as well. We don't understand the full amount of his detestation, but neither can we comprehend his love for us, either. It was a lot to think about.
Wednesday morning the general session was on James 1:18: "He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might become a kind of firstfruits of all he created" (NIV). We call ourselves "born-again Christians", everybody knows that. But what does really mean? Well, it means we've been regenerated, given new life, through the Holy Spirit's working. In our sins, we are all lost. Dead, rotting corpses. So putrid even the vultures and coyotes won't touch our carcasses. James was writing this letter to the Hebrews, I think; those who had converted from Judaism to Christianity, and they were getting persecuted. Not just from the Romans, either; but also from the fellow Jews. Things were pretty dark and terrible, and some were thinking, "Did God plan this, is He causing it? And if so....why am I following this Jesus? Why couldn't I just go back to the Old Covenant, and then things would be good again?" James is saying in response, "Yes, God did plan this. He's not really causing the pain, though, but He is allowing it to happen, to grow your faith and strengthen your trust in Him. He won't tempt us more than we can bear; there will always be a godly way to get through whatever comes at you." This regeneration, this new life, is the will of God. The cause of our sin is us wanting to follow our own will instead of His. It's a struggle; and we are always fighting this internal war. Just as we don't choose to be born, neither do we choose to be born again. It's all God's will that determines that, who He, in His mercy, elects to save, and who he chooses to leave unredeemed. Those saved should be unbelievably thankful, indescribably grateful. We believers, we're the tools God decides to use in order for his glory to be spread by allowing us to play a small role in bringing those other chosen people, whose times hasn't come to be changed yet, into a relationship of knowing and loving and obeying Him. Shouldn't we be doing our best to be the most mallable tools, shaped into whatever form the Maker crafts us into? And then shouldn't we, once we're formed, assist to get our jobs done as much as we can?
These were the thoughts we chewed on as we went out for the Tourney Challenge. The Barracudas won a really low-scoring archery competition over the Hornets(they settled on that name) 85-73, The Heat was too much for the Dragons to face, they won in three sets 15-14, 13-15, 5-0. For the Bison(we settled on that name. Alliteration sounds good in sports, and with so many of us on our last journeys or close to it here, a little historical mascot seemed fitting), we had cabbage ball. None of us were particularly thrilled, except Marie. The rest of us knew we might actually have the right collection of talent to do well at it this year, though. Red picked to bat first, they got on the board with one run, but we stopped there. Our turn to bat. Ash led us off with a single, Jed slapped out a hit, and his courtesy runner, Drew, got safely to first. Marie flied out. I beat out a single, bases loaded. Eva sacrifices to give Ash time to score, tie game. Daniel pounds an RBI grounder, and then Callie hits into a fielder's choice. Second inning, tied at one-all(our second run didn't count for some reason). We get into a tight jam, but work our way out with Taylor's spectacular defensive skills. He's up first, and crushes that ball farther than any of us have ever seen...it goes clear through the picket fence!!! (You have to understand how heavy and dead a cabbage ball is to fully appreciate this accomplishment, but the fence is about two hundred, two-fifty feet away from home plate. And uphill.) The Bison stampede everything. We nearly got another run pushed across, but couldn't quite make it. Despite our best defensive efforts, they tie the game in the top of the third. Marie's up first for us. She grounds out to the pitcher. I ground out along the first-base line. Eva grounds out to the pitcher. End of the third inning. And..Brother Larry, did you say that's the end of the game??? But we're tied! Isn't there a way to break it or something? Oookkayy....in anxious suspense, for the outcome was to be determined later after a conference with Tim, we hit the river gravel/limestone pathway fro the tabernacle.
At least we should be good on Bible trivia. But how good is Yellow this year? The Barracudas jumped out and bit off an early 1,900-1,300 lead, but we loped along and led after the first round 2,900-2,300. A 5,100-4,900 lead became a 5,300-5,100 score, Yellow leaped ahead on a Daily Double to take an 8,100-6,700 advantage. The Final Jeopardy answer: When the Prodigal Son returned, his father gave him three gifts, besides killing the fatted calf. name these three items. We got a crown, that was easy. A cloak was a little more disagreed on, but we all wrote that down. That left one thing....a few of us said sandals, but many others thought it was clothes in general. After an intense discussion, and with our time ticking, the majority won out and I penned down "Crown, cloak and new garments, for 4,500." It was...A) A cloak. B) A crown. C) Sandals....(!!!!) We lost 11,100-1,200, but that wasn't going to end our day sports-wise. An announcement from Tim was. The cabbage ball game that ended in a tie would NOT be replayed or continued, but would be called a tie, and each side would be given half a point. But that was okay, it was still a half-point better than we had before. But, an error in Ryan's math occurred on Tuesday's archery, and actually, upon review, Black had won, with 119 points to our 107. That dropped us from first to third with three events left.
BUT, it wasn't a completely horrible awful no good very bad day, it was just the morning that seemed like that. We had general session still, and singing, and the talent share. Those were all good things. General session was a map of the playbook for how to live a righteous life, lots of sports terminology made this an easy lesson to grab hold of, and understand how much we ought to hunger for holiness.
Miss Kathy's lesson today was about the message conveyed in our music, and some Scriptures got us started on thinking about that(Isaiah 12:5, 1 Corinthians 14:16), we should be skillfully preaching the Word, proclaiming God's glory! Just as the President doesn't ride to deliver a speech on a tricycle, neither should pagentry surround nothingness, if there isn't a message. Some discussion on poetic devices, like rhyme scheme, repetition and similies. A quick informal survey of music recently listened to was taken at lunch, and the titles were listed. Most of them I'd heard, but there were about 40% I'd never heard of. (Examples: In Christ Alone, Indian Outlaw, Mean, Days Go By, Tim McGraw(this confused her for a minute; til the girl who had said that had explained that it was a Taylor Swift song called Tim McGraw), Firework, and Call Me Maybe. All us guys chuckled when we heard that, Miss Kathy was wondering why. The girls provided a terrific story next hour. When she reached Call Me Maybe, she mentioned that all of us had chuckled, and was wondering why. Could anyone please explain what was so funny about that? So, in perfect harmony and pitch, without any rehearsal at all, from eight different states and two countries, launched into singing it. She was dumbfounded.) Anyway, all this was to prove a point: God gave everyone the ability to create beautiful things, which include music. But most of what the world does with that is to create shallow, empty tunes that mean nothing, they contain the nutrition of a Pop-Tart and last as long as a bubble. As believers, we're called to do so. much. more.
Miss Kathy asked me after class if I was going to do anything in the talent share tonight, I shook my head no. "Why not?" She sounded really disappointed. So, I tried to explain. My first year, I was used to singing and performing in front of people, because of being so involved with the drama group. I just wanted to see if I could sing in front of complete strangers. I mean, just coming here was an adventure, why not try to make it as memorable as I could? They seemed to like it. That second year, I had the right attitude about it, but I was in no way ready to bring a guitar out, that was a terrible decision. The third year, it was something from "The American Ideal", it was all "Lord, You've Blessed Me, Me, Me." Except it was actually "Long Black Train", but anyway, that was way, WAY off. That's why I didn't want to do anything solo the next year, and why I asked Sam to team up, and why I was part of the Jedites. I had done some long searching, lot of prayer, to understand what my role was to be this time. And what it was, was to stay in the background and let the younger kids shine. If I was asked to be part of a group, that would be fine, but nothing else visible. Jed recruited me for a choir he was building, and then Daniel asked me to help with a Spanish choir. So I agreed, those went really well. Sang tenor in Jed's choir with Daniel and Madelyn(yes, you read that right), the song was very familiar, but the title is escaping me. Jed was conducting, then the tenor section, Joe, Josh, Colton, Caleb W. and a few others were bass; Ash and Mary were altos, Amanda and a few others were sopranos. And there was also a harmony section, and Jessica was playing piano for us. For Daniel's choir, we did "Open the Eyes of My Heart" in Spanish. There was Daniel, Jed, Taylor, Ash, Suzanna and I; that was really neat to do. We probably said who knows what in our Ozarks/Mississippi accents, but the right intent was there.
But that's enough, most of the time I was sitting and watching. There were skits, by Shari and Jorgi; and by Courtney, Miriam and Audrey; and some others, those were awesome. Miss Kathy started the show with a beautiful song on the piano, dedicated to her new family; Amanda, Colton, Jed and Jessica did a hilarious skit, Joe flailed around on Jed's guitar and terrified anyone who knew at least a little of how to play. After about eight minutes of agony and awkwardness, the amp "suddenly" wouldn't emit sound any longer...Huh...I wonder what causes that....thankfully, that was mercifully relieved by a bunch of corny jokes from Eva. A lot of them were actually funny, too, and not just corny; that was good. Miss Kathy, Ashton and Emily played a very nice cello/violin piece, and Courtney and Paige did their "Twelve Things of Camp" song. That was the talk of the town for the rest of the time, how hilarious that was, and where did you get those numbers? Are those actually for real the amount of times this happens? Things like that. It was really neat to watch, was special to see the reaction. And there was the - Wait, I can't tell that part yet!
We were eating dinner, or trying to, anyway, with the butterflies and anticipation of the talent share coming up. Just an ordinary time, the dining hall was full of voices, dropped forks, and the clicking of paddle meeting ball. Somebody came in the front door, that's not to unusual, like if it was somebody brushing their teeth or something. But none of us have....long red hair!!! Could it be?! Yes, it was!!!! Terry was back, all was right with the world!!!! We didn't know what to do. Everyone hugged everyone else. We were laughing. We were crying. We were talking. We were taking pictures. The Cup Game broke out. Her husband was watching her dad for the day so she could come up for a flying visit, just in time to see the talent share, say hello to everyone, and then back on the road. But still - !
So, I raced down to the tabernacle to find a place to set the card, out of sight, but yet still easy to get to. Everyone filed in, found their seats, and Tim got everyone quieted down and the opening prayer had been said. He nods over at me, and I walk over and get the card, hiding it behind my leg, and walk onto the stage. I then call Ash up, she walks up and stands beside me. I then call on Terry, to hand her camera to Madelyn and come up to where we are. Startled, she does after a minute, and with the crowd's excited, curious realization of what's about to happen. I (more or less) get through the speech I had prepared, trying not to cry or anything stupid, I could only understand half my own words on the recorder's playback. We present the card, and she begins to examine it. She likes it. The two of us nod and a small grin appears, another project successfully completed. The audience loves the moment. We all exit the stage, kind of overwhelmed, and Tim officially begins the talent share.
Anyway, what I was about to say was that Mrs Boyer had promised that if she could make it, she and Jed would do The Sovereign Grace Youth Camp Camp Song. And so he played, and she sang, and it was great. An amazing way to close out the show, a short break, and then general session.
Many churches meet on Wednesday nights. These are usually times of prayer or singing, with a bit of teaching and lots of fellowship. Occasionally, they're especially focused on prayer for a specific subject. Well, apparently many of the churches who had sent campers were praying for the time, that the Lord would bless it and work in a mighty way. There was something...different, in the air. I couldn't tell you what the sermon was on, because I was looking at something, searching for where this unusual thing might be. When finished, Jeff prayed, and...nobody moved. We were held captive. We felt very....small, and insignificant. And kind of scared. Everyone sat there in perfect silence, soon weeping could be heard. More sobbing followed, I couldn't say what happened for anyone else, but I felt something was being torn away, something vital, and life would never be the same. Some need, something, pride, maybe, I don't know. I starting crying, I could see others, too. This silence lasted for about twenty or twenty-five minutes, then Tim kind of shakily got to his feet and asked us to pick up our camp books, turn to "In Christ Alone".
John says in Revelation that there were things which he saw that could not be spoken of. This was a happening of that same type. Staggering out the door, we slowly made our way back to the cabins. I bolted for the showers, my soul was just being wrenched by something, that I didn't understand, but knew was good. If anyone would have asked me how I was doing, assuming I could answer, I would have said "No. No, I'm not okay. I don't know what's going on, and I'm not okay now, but...I will be." Thankfully, no one asked me any questions like that. C.S. Lewis wrote in 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" that Mr Beaver, when queried by the Pevensies on Aslan, answered them this way: "Safe? Of course he isn't safe! But he is good."
We have never felt the Lord working quite that close ever before. Many of the preachers had seen that maybe once or twice in their entire lives. Trying to get some grip on what we just went through, being men and boys, we kept our thoughts to ourselves, and talked about baseball and action movies. Jed and I kept the little kids in check, with Caleb, Dylan, and Josh assisting. After about an hour or a little more of this, we heard some news: That Shari and Jorgi had become children of God. Then, news of others, too: Grayson. Maddie J. I don't know who all else, but at least eleven souls were rescued that night.
"But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as a shield." Psalms 5:11-12(NIV). This was our attitude with the new morning and God's new mercies, wonderful, indescribable joyfulness and thanksgiving.
Appropriately, the sermon in the morning general session was about faith. Keep the commandments. Trust and obey, that's all we do. We need to purge ourselves of the idols in our hearts, and let Jesus walk in us, take us over, giving all we have to Him. Many say, "Pray this prayer, and you can live however you want for the rest of your life and you'll be saved". This Get Out of Hell Free card is known as "Easy Believism", which can lead to a lifestyle of "Carnal Christianity", a lifestyle of the world, with no differences visible. With those perimeters, anyone can be a fantastic salesman, "Here, you want to avoid eternal torment and agony? Repeat what I say, and you're all good." Those are false conversions. Real conversions, true conversions, are a struggle, a fight, that we gain ground, then retreat, then gain some more ground in. The chief purpose of salvation is not to escape hell. The chief purpose of salvation is God's glory, to relinquish sin and worship Christ more fully, leaving our chains behind and accepting the lowly role of slave.
Those leaders, we knew that what happened out on the playing fields didn't matter coming in. Now, everyone knew that. But still, if we were given a spirit of competition, that needs an outlet...well....shouldn't we take advantage of that gift and use our leisure time as fully involved as we can, to show some of our appreciation and gratitude back to the One who gave it to us? Our thinking, anyway.
Green beat Black in ping pong fifteen games to five; Red beat Yellow in volleyball 15-8, 15-5; and Blue and White had cabbage ball. It didn't start out too well, two ground balls and a line drive right to the shortstop. And then the Heat got two runs in their half of the inning. In the second, the Bison charged. Taylor doubled, Marie K. singled, Rachel sacrificed, Jed got a hit, Daniel F. crushed a two-RBI triple, Drew and Ash each singled, Eva, Wesley and Taylor all got RBI singles, and we'd scored seven runs in one inning. I came in from second to pitch for Daniel, I wasn't that good, but I did throw two strikeouts. White couldn't score(More of Taylor's defense, including a catch doing a handstand), Drew scored Daniel, and Ash hit the electric line hanging over the field six times in one inning tossing the ball back to me. Blue won it in three innings 8-2, we had eleven hits to White's five. Red topped Yellow in volleyball 15-11, 15-5, Green destroyed Black fifteen games to five, that brought up the BPG after the second Worst/First. We got into a 1-4 hole to start with, but then when the guys' games came up, we slowly crawled up, took the lead, and never looked back. Ash won the girls' championship over Bailey 11-6, 11-6, Daniel won the guys' final by dispatching Caelin two games to one.
Group sessions were a little sad, knowing this would be the last one, but it was another good time of practical teaching. We get the bare outline of what it means to live a godly life in Scripture, since most of the specifics are learned along the journey. The holy person is humble, lacking any overwrought sense of self, and convinced that whatever God can use for His glory is His doing, and not theirs. An arrogant, proud person cannot be holy(see the Pharisees, for example), instead, we're to have the same attitude as the Prodigal Son on his return. Then there were some ideas given on the stages of walking in holiness: the first step is humility; the second step ministry. This is a servant, a slave tending to the master's needs. We each have different gifts, and we need to use them well, every child of God is given some way to serve others, we should be looking for those opportunities daily, hourly, even, sometimes. The third stage is love; we often tend to overlook the faults of those we care about, and gloss over the good qualities in people we dislike. That isn't godly. We have to expose the faults of those we love in a kindly, gentle manner, because 1 John 4:16 says that if we don't, we're hypocrites. And in those rare cases when gentleness isn't needed, well, tread on the sin or the error harshly, trample it to death. God didn't walk softly on David's sin, nor after the Fall, nor during the Flood. The fourth stage of godliness is knowing the things we ought to stay away from; that's pretty self-explanatory and obvious.
The sermon that night was from 1 Corinthians 6:8-11, on the dangers of apostasy, and at the same time assurances of true belief and repentance. Faith may slow, stumble, lose its' grip, but it's always moving forward, most of the time we don't see this because of how small chunks are taken each day, we only realize this growth as jumps and starts. This is a real problem and issue, that some professing Christians are unsaved, so it should be taken seriously. If you can sin without feeling chastened, then you are not a child of God.
Those of us into stats had figured out something: Blue was a half-point behind Green and we had one event to go. If the Hornets could beat the Dragons, they'd win the TC title outright. If they tied and we lost, they would still win. If they tied and we won our volleyball game, then it would be another Bible trivia match to settle it. If they lost and we won; we would be the champs.
Really, though: why would we have to wait until Thursday evening to get to play volleyball? (This was a source of irritation all week.) It started out well, we built up a large lead i n the first set over the Barracudas, had a lot of good teamwork going on. I had the last serve in the rotation, it turned out, and I served three straight points to close out the set 15-2. Switching sides, the ground was harder, more limestone poking up in front, and the sand/kitty litter mix was doing weird things from being churned up so much and being damp from the rain earlier. And Yellow's players also knew how to play volleyball, too. They were fantastic this set, and we made all kinds of errors and mistakes, they won the second set 15-10. It didn't count, but Ash destroyed the ball on one serve, gearing up for the upcoming volleyball season, trying to get her jump serve back into practice. It darted down, slammed into the dirt about a foot past the end line, and kept going. And going. And going. And still rolling. It was picked up all the way at the other end of the tabernacle(About 300 feet away, at least). Reswitching to the more tabernacle side, the first few points swung back and forth, but with a goal to achieve(and a little re-use of the "Sharkbait!" rally call), we were able to pull it out. We have a 13-7 lead, it's my turn to serve. I've had some terrible clunkers, those are out of my system now. A few skimmers, that mostly dropped the right way. And a few great ones. I am two points away from the end of my life as a camper, all the memories in Challenge events and wonderful relationships with all my previous teammates. Yeah. And not only is it your last chance to win the Challenge, but you actually have a shot to really do it this time. Just do your part, and hope for some help. These and a lot of other thoughts were going through my mind, I was strangely detached, somehow calm. Kind of in the zone. I let the ball go, swing my left arm in an arc, going with an underhand delivery this time. The sphere flies off my wrist, it's completely dead, no spin at all. Clearing the net, it plummets Earthward, catching them off-guard. Shari tries to make an attempt at digging it, but it falls three inches in front of her at her feet. One. more. point. Another deadspin serve, dropping like a boulder. Exact same place on the court. Shari tries to dive to get it, but the ball meets the sand just out of her reach. That's it. The game is over, and we'd won 15-2, 10-15, 15-7.
White and Red join us after a while,l their archery competition had ended, and we swat the ball back and forth, talk, and use Dylan's head as a target. (It wasn't our fault, we weren't aiming at him or anything, it was just like a magnet or something.) We'd all been really strict with Jed all week, keeping him from hurting himself. He helped the best he could, until either he couldn't go on any more or we told him to sit. We tried to make him sit out of volleyball, but he wouldn't listen, he was bound and determined to to play, it was his last year, the last event, and we needed everyone who was available if we were going to try to win. Sighing and giving up, knowing that when he backs into something that stubbornly there's no hope in changing his course, we said he could play. With monitoring. He was doing okay all throughout the first set, and flying everywhere in the second set. A little tired in the third, but then, we all were, and our service aces kept the pace somewhat light. It was kind of eerie, really, so many moments had been deja vu-type things, or reminded me of stories, but I was hoping never to have to re-live that scene. But...here it was, God had it worked out this way. I was getting tired of swatting, went to get my shoes on to watch the end of the cabbage ball game. Jed's curled up into a ball, screaming from the pain. This is bad. Robin and Andrew get him inside, and then the tabernacle doors are sealed off. Meanwhile, the few of us who are paying attention start to panic, most other people are still playing volleyball. Having one of your best friends be in that much agony is awful, it's terrifying. Trying to keep his girlfriend from going into hysterics, when she's almost a sister to you, that makes it even more of a challenge. Not knowing what else to do, really; Colton and I pray. A lot. And then otherwise just kind of stand there, trying to answer Amanda's questions, and wishing we knew the answers. We decide to go for Jessica, tell her the news immediately, instead of hearing it second-hand from someone else. I have never seen one out in a baseball game take so long. The game ends, an 8-6 Black victory, we tell her what happened. Then we just...hang on and pray, try to remember that however this turns out, it was God's plan, and His will be done.
We(Me, Amanda, Jessica, Colton, Andrew and Marie D) keep an eye on Jed during the service, then walk slowly up the road to the dining hall. It was slow going. But it was our job, somehow, part of what our duty was this week; and in a way, fulfilling some of the commandment to "Take care of the sick and the orphans among you". Rosie the cat was out for her nightly stroll, we spot her, Jed says something about how cute she is, tries to call her. The rest of us look at each other. Then, one of the most unbelievable displays of love I have ever seen took place.
A couple of us start to go after the cat, since he wanted to pet her. Amanda waves us back. Now, she detests cats, can't stand them, the only one on the planet she remotely likes is Jessica's, and she torments her every chance she gets. But she goes over to where Rosie is hiding, drops down onto the ground to fish under the car, calling for her. Rosie comes over to her, and Amandy walks back to us, cuddling Rosie and whispering calming things. She hands her to Jed, who holds her for a while and lets us scratch her. She had a very good purr, loud and pleasant, calming. Our group gathered there needed that. I love animals, being around them, learning from them, interacting with them, as their lives intersect with ours. I've heard many stories of how God uses animals to accomplish His plans, but I've never seen that happen quite like that before. It was incredible, an extremely well timed gift of mercy.
We eventually make it to the dining hall, Jess and Marie go off to sign books and fellowship, while the four of us stay on nursing duty, and our books go around the room without us, being passed around from person to person.
Every year there seems to be a phrase or a saying that becomes a catchphrase, you just hear it everywhere. One year, it was use of the word "y'all", another year everything was "Dude!" "...Really?" was another. This year, it was a little different, and accompanied by a facial expression, even. (The "..Really?" had a questioning smirk, but that's not as personal.) It was said with a distressed frown: "...but you're coming back as a counselor next year, though, right? Please?" There was about seventy people there, totaling everyone, and I think I head that question from about thirty people. My answer? "I don't know. I'd like to. There's a lot that goes into the process, though; I guess we'll just see if it's what God wants, whether it's His will or not."
But, anyway, although incredibly weak, Jed was getting back to normal, I helped him get to the cabin, where he crashed immediately, then came back to the dining hall, finish signing people's books and talking with friends. It was a sober enjoyment, sad, but acceptable. I tried to play Tim in ping pong, and was whipped terribly. That was good, it was the way things should be. And so was hearing that a couple guys broke a window trying to play football in the cabin. That cemented the assurance that things would keep going just like normal, that God would continue to work and bless this generation coming up, and that they would find their own friendships, create new tales and pass down our legends. And it made an interesting and fitting bookend to my time here. First night in the cabins, a football broke a light bulb. Last night, a football wipes out a windowpane. In between, so much joy, so much learning, so many friendships and lessons learned. Such a focus on Christ.
And so we come to the final day. Tim leads devotions, then the mega-size cinnamon rolls that mean it's time to go. We were honored as the winning team, and then the receipients of the Heart of a Servant Award are announced. Cleaning, then time to reflect, think about what happened. Free time, kind of. I go down to the volleyball court, I think; I don't really remember, had a lot on my mind. "Follow Love", that FFH song; was sung a lot. I had thought about playing it for talent share, but...that would too depressing. We play volleyball for a while, I set a last stick of spearmint on The Gum Tree, and then, all too soon...it's time to leave. I said my goodbyes slowly and reluctantly, and I met Jake and Ashton's parents, and also Ash's mom. Then, we headed through the gate, onto the dirt road, and into the rolling countryside along the highway. Dan was driving us, it was a good drive, with Owl City and Diamond Rio on his Pandora, of course had to grab a couple energy drinks at the gas station, it's a tradition of our youth group. But really, it was a little sad. But, I knew that they, the campers who will come, and it, the structure and focus of the camp, was in very Good hands.
# # #
(Breakdown of Challenge standings)
Blue Bison 5.5 points
Green Hornets 5 points
Black Dragons 5 points
White Heat 3 points
Red Daggers 2.5 points
Yellow Barracudas 2 points
(Overall standings from 2008-2012, out of 39 contests)
Black 20 wins, '11 champs
Blue 20.5 wins, '09, '12 champs
Green 21 wins
Red 16.5 wins, '10 champs
White 11 wins
Yellow 20 wins, '08 champs.
The only color I was never on was Yellow, I was Red-Green-Black-White-Blue, in order.
(CAMP BOOK SIGNINGS)
When your book is literally written on from from cover to back cover, even the outsides of those pages, and when you read these types of messages, you feel really loved. Kind of amazing what can happen from agreeing to a dare, isn't it?
"To bad this is your last year! :/ Matt
It was good to see you this year again! See you Sunday! :) SMILE Marie
Dud you're awesome! Colton
Wesley C! The LORD saved me and 10 others this week. God bless! Keep me in your prayers bud. I loved seeing you all these years, keep in touch. I'm only a phone call away! - Shari
Hey Wesley, it was nice to see you! 8-) Alexa
Hey Wes sorry I couldn't be here all week. Hope you had an awesome and God-glorifying week. Derek Gibson
Wesley, so glad I got to see you again this year! - Ashton
Wesley, I had an awesome time. Your awesome! Hope to see you next year. Audrey B.
Hey Wesley, Hope you had a great week! Good luck this fall in college! Daniel Freeland
Wesley, Keep trusting. Keep seeking. The Lord Jesus is with you. I will keep on praying for you brother and I will keep in contact with you as you move into a new phase of life. May Jesus bless you and keep you. Daniel
Wes, it was great to see you again! I'm gonna miss you, man! You're a great friend. Joe Paxton P.S. The smart observer will notice that this was signed in ink! I finally got a pen!
Had a wonderful time. Can't wait for next year! - Kaitlin G.
Hey Wesley! It was so nice to get to see you and talk with you in person this week. You are in my prayers. Hope college life goes well. Your friend, Jess
You Rock! I'll miss u next year! DREW =)
Wesley - I hope your last year at camp was great! I'll miss you next year. :( Hope you had a blessed week! - Paige
Wesley - My dear friend and brother in Christ! Man your song be a new song in Christ. Col. 3:16 Kathy Biebout
Go Blue! Eva Sadowski
Dear Wesley, you are so awesome and cool! great to meet you and hope to see you next year. From Rachel!
Hey Wes, glad to have you with us at camp again this year. Awesome hangin w/you! Josh
Wesley, Hope you had a great week at camp! It was good to get to know you! Abbey
Now I feel like I should write you a really long note. Hm. I look forward to seeing you every year, and I'm gonna miss you. Thanks for starting the Monday status awards =) They really brighten up the day. Madelyn D. PS: Keep Courtney in line. ;)
Wesley, I'm really going to miss you. You've been an AWESOME friend no matter what and I'm sad you can't come to camp next year. - Bennett Cox
Wesley! You are one of the sweetest guys I know! It was so good to see you again and I hope I get to next year. (Never mind, your last year :( I'll miss you) - Jorgi PS I'm sad you didn't sing in the talent show this year :(
Hope you had a good time! Dylan
(Caleb Wilson's signature)
Wesley, Hey, made it! Well, for half a day...Glad I was able to see you as a camper at least one more time! I've got to say, I've watched you grow from a shy, slightly awkward "newbie" to a strong, graceful, caring young man...and it has been my pleasure to observe and get to know you! Continue to seek Him! By his Grace, Your cabin mommy, Terry Boyer '12
Wesley, there's no room left! :) Thanks for making my first year so much fun! - Laura
hey Wes, camp is awesome! Other than that, I don't have anything to say. Your sister, Courtney
Wesley, I have been so blessed to visit with you and experience your gentle, respectful spirit. I truly hope to see you at camp in the future. May you serve the LORD with massive devotion and true humility in what the LORD calls you to do! He is worthy!!!! He is exalted!!!! P.S. Thanks for sharing your story about your first year at camp! Pastor Ryan Butler Phil 1:9
hey great to see you again JB
Wesley! :) Oh my gosh! Where to start?! It's been so great to finally meet you in person. We have had the best chats and I'm sooo happy to have been able to hang out. :) No, I haven't seen any rose gardens, but the volleyball planted a little one on my arms. :P haha. The buffalo are kinda like cows ;) just scarier. I love your version of Fireflies, it was awesome to read that in your actual writing! I'm gonna miss you but hopefully see you next year! Your little sis, Manda
What's up Wesley! It was awesome hangin with you again. Have fun at college, and trust in the Lord always! God is Great! Love you man, and God Bless! - Andrew Ashe
I will write my sentiments on the back - because there's no room anywhere else! You are a great friend and I love coming to camp and having fun with you. I hope this time has blessed you! - Ashland GO BISON!"
Part II - http://www.anotherloveroftheblade.blogspot.com/2012/08/camp-part-ii-2009.html
Part III - http://www.anotherloveroftheblade.blogspot.com/2012/08/camp-part-iii-2010.html
Part IV - http://www.anotherloveroftheblade.blogspot.com/2012/08/camp-part-iv-2011.html
Where to start...
I guess I'll begin this post by rewinding a few months earlier from where the last one ended. So it's about September or so in 2010, start of my junior year of high school, and Mom thinks we should have a book-discussion group. I think it's a pretty good idea, though not completely sold on it yet. So we invite a few families around that want to try it(Bolands, Nolands) and a few other people(Jayne, Trinnica), and invited a whole lot of other people who didn't want to come or couldn't make it work.
It began with a rather uninspiring dull mystery by a lady named Dorothy Sayers, and then went into a G.A. Henty book, and further depths of blandness. And I was about the only person not yet done with school to make comments, Mom was hoping for a little more interaction between adults and younger people. But it was useful for getting to know other people, and a way to follow the second half of Romans 12:13, which simply says, "Practice hospitality."
The other book-discussion group, with Dylan, Gabe and Kaitlin, was going about as well as this one. But they were both working a little bit, so better than nothing.
I wrote about an up-and-down football season, with a touch of softball on the side, and basketball, and baseball.
I was starting to become more active in the youth group, poking around until I found the right place to lead from, the core group of "Wes, Marie, Josh, Dylan and Sam" was starting to shift, as new people came in, part-time jobs were found, and other things like that. But as a whole, we were moving from the outsiders to the leaders of the group.
About March or somewhere, these weird thoughts kept running through my mind, and I couldn't shake them off. The guilt and fear and pain from leaving Maddie, that that wound needed to be healed. So I think about it for a a while. And I think. And I keep thinking...maybe it'd go away if I ignored it long enough.
I get on Facebook one day, and there's this "You've been poked" notification. Now, I've never understood exactly why that's there, is it just a "Hey, thinking about you, but not enough to actually write on your wall or send a message"? Anyway, the poke came from...Maddie. That was...weird. I sent her an email the next day, apologizing for everything. She emailed me back, and we cautiously began talking every once in a while.
And then came the vacation to Missouri and planning for the Youth Tour trip and everything....and there was still the book club. Except now, we were reading throughShakespeare's plays! That switch resulted in two things: Half the people dropped out, and the ones of us still in participated a lot more, since we were actually cold-reading our way through the actual scripts. It was awesome! And those plays take a while. Like four or five hours. So we would read about half the script on Monday night, discussing it along the way, and then for about a half hour afterwards, and then finishing it the next Monday. And Ted and Karen used to actually perform them(they met during their days at a San Francisco Shakespeare company), so they not only knew how to perform the plays, but could actually tell us ordinary laypeople what was going on when the Old English got too difficult. It helped a lot. And even though it wasn't really acting, it was pretty close, and it was just plain fun!
We'd just finished the second night of the three-part reading of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in late May, and everyone that I usually talked to had left, and I didn't feel like watching Courtney, Caleb and Trevor and their friends play flashlight tag in the dark. So I got on Facebook and finished some cookies and cheese that were left over. I'd just posted one of my Random Statuses of the Week(actually, two of them, since I was leaving for Youth Tour next week), and checked to see if there'd been any comments or likes on it yet.
Well, Sam, who'd won of the awards, said something, I replied, and went on to see what other news there was. Then Amanda(who is completely insane, but in a good way) comments on it, and this nutty conversation follows for the next hour between the three of us. I was laughing my head off, and I'm pretty sure they were, too. Part of what made it so interesting is that they have so many personality traits in common, so it was like conversing with two mirrors, each almost-but-not-quite reflecting the same type of humor and reactions. Anyway, that's how they met. And, like I figured, they became pretty good friends.
One of the main topics covered was this passage from the Lucy Maud Montgomery book "Anne's House of Dreams", talking about "kindred spirits" or "the race that knows Joseph". I guess it was a Victorian concept in general, she didn't invent it; but wherever it comes from, it's true. Those kindred spirits always find each other somehow, and leave an impression deeply imprinted on you. Might not ever see one again, might become one of your best friends, or somewhere in the middle; but when you meet one of them, you know it.
With summer, the book club kind of disappeared, much to all our disappointment, it wasn't resurrected. But there was Youth Tour, which was great, and then church camp, which was weird and unusual, and kind of scary, but very good and fruitful.
When we got back, of course the sending and accepting of friend requests, emailing, texting and calling, and loading and tagging of pictures took place, along with the sharing of stories with people who didn't come, and with people who did, who might have had one or two different experiences or anecdotes to tell. And the general "Darn....now I feel kinda lonely" letdown from the wonderful temporary reality of the Stockholm Syndrome. It's kind of like a foretaste, a tiny little glimpse, of what heaven will be like, spending time with that many believers and studying the Word, not having to worry about what everyone thinks or other things to distract us.
Jed was feeling this particularly hard, as he checked the next day to see if all of us from Tulsa had made it home okay. We had, which I told him. And of course the story-swapping and inside jokes had to be exchanged.
When school started back up, I learned to write about softball, and other than that, I stayed pretty focused on school, I was studying an insane amount to get all the credits I needed for financial aid. And I had to figure out where to go, and what to major in. Everything has eight million details and paperwork to fill, and did I mention that I needed to finish Algebra II and Geometry in the same year? Like, "All-the-way-to-the-back-cover" finished? Plus Chemistry and a few other subjects? Well, I did. I'd kind of lock myself in my room all morning, emerge for a quick break to fix a sandwich, and then back to school for about another hour or two. Going grocery shopping was counted as an adventure, an out-of-the-ordinary treat. (Boring? Perhaps. But I'm a small-town kid, when it isn't football season, people go to Dollar General on Friday nights.)
And then comes the (yikes.) SAT test. That was scary. For one thing, it was, like....an actual honest-to-goodness test. Like, in a school. With timers, and other people in the classroom also taking it. And - This has a huge role in determining how the money for college will work out.
No pressure or anything....right?
Josh had become the worship leader for our youth group, since he was the only one of us who played music to be depended upon to always be on time. And also, he is a good pianist. Steven thought they needed somebody else to help lead worship, preferably someone who could play guitar. Josh couldn't. Suzanna had given up trying to learn. Bennett was beginning to try to play a few chords. Sam wasn't ever sure if she'd be there or not. So, that left...me.
I began playing in mid-October, up til late May. It sounds pretty easy, but it involved more work that you might think. Had to get the songs we were singing, then find the chords(looking up unusual or unfamiliar chords), and then learn to play it, often all in about three days. This constant watchfulness for what might be a good fit for this lesson, or what one of us might need to remember, or just something somebody requested. It was very good to spend that much time analyzing the lyrics, dissecting the lines and extracting all the wisdom and knowledge contained in the music. I do that all the time, anyway, but hymns and worship songs are especially great to study. Kind of a meditation, almost, on who God is, or what He's doing/done for us. Incredibly beneficial spiritually.
But, at the same time, you had to keep in mind that this is for God, not yourself. You aren't performing; you're in the background, guiding the group to the main objective of giving God glory and praising and honoring Him. A fine line to walk, which I stumbled over too many times before I finally had some understanding of it. Having to play weekly, and with the loudness of a keyboard to follow and talk with, meant a few subtle changes to my playing style, which was improved greatly. Things like different gauges of picks, adjusting my strumming arm to play closer to the bridge, an upgrade in string quality, and a transducer, so I can hook up the acoustic to an amp. Small changes, all of these, but they made a big difference, and Abby Lee sounded much better as time went on. I was usually a half-beat slower than Josh, but mostly the timing was brought close enough to be adequate.
Courtney and I kept playing our daily ping pong matches on the card table until it fell apart; and then we got creative. Picnic tables, the kitchen island, a coffee table, even the concrete floor, we tried playing on it all. Some surfaces worked better than others, obviously; but we had fun trying to improve our skills on everything, and like Thomas Edison once said, we "found a hundred ways to not build a light bulb, so we're that much closer to finding a way to craft a better one." Dad, on observing one of the games on makeshift equipment, suggested that we just build a table to play on. It seemed like a good idea.
Caleb, Courtney and he all drafted plans and did the actual construction of the thing, while I babysat Amy and Trevor and made sure they weren't getting in the way or fighting or whatever. Once it was built, I painted it. Two coats of primer and at least five cans of spray paint later, plus about three days dry-time, and we had ourselves a ping pong table. Which was even cooler, because we had company coming next weekend to help us break it in...
Jed had hatched up a scheme. A very good scheme. He and his mom were going down to southwestern Oklahoma to visit his brother, and since they had to go up I-44 to get back to St. Louis, why not cut down a bit and spend the weekend with some pals? Plus, that would also solve the "Where should we worship this week?' problem.
So we got the necessary OKs, clean the house spotless, reclean everything, build a ping pong table, and study for an SAT, all in about two or three weeks. I went over practice tests upstairs, simulating everything as best I could down to the last detail, for about five or six hours a day, and then my regular schoolwork on top of that. It. Was. Very. Hard. And these were the beautiful late September days where you have the windows open and look for any excuse to be outside...yeah, it was a little hard to concentrate. But it was IMPORTANT.
The Boyers are coming Saturday, October first. No problem. Oh, yeah; my SAT is also that day, in the morning. Setting up to be one eventful weekend.
I manage to fight my way through the stress and anxiety(and LENGTH) of the test, hoping I did well enough to pass, and wondering if I'd marked in all the little circles the right way. It was by far one of the most intense experiences I've ever had. A little after one p.m,(it started at eight a.m.) I was finally finished and we were let out of the classroom. I was exhausted. Totally spent. Drained, mentally and physically. I manage to eat about half a burger Dad got me while he was out garage saling, he has a TobyMac CD he found at one of them in the truck's CD player. So off we go to get some last-minute groceries, and then to the mall for a reunion.
Now, since he was in town, Jed was hoping to hang out with a few of us from Grace Bible-Tulsa. Disappointed at our lack of skills at randomly hanging out as a youth group, we came up with a backup plan. A handful of people we invited to come meet us at the mall, to hang out and windowshop for a while. Among them, Sam and Marie, who had actually asked me to meet them, which fit our plans nicely. Marie couldn't come at the last minute, but I convinced Sam that we still needed to hang. So she and Katie come over to the food court, where I say hey and wave her over.
Her face, when she saw who was with me....priceless.
Absolutely stunned that they were down here, and trying to figure out how,why, and what was happening. Courtney had spent the night at Paige's house, so she was going to meet us. They got there, Paige was also surprised to see her Camp Mom and Jed sitting at the table, talking to my dad and I. We chatted for a while, then gathered up everybody for a cookout at our place.
But we were out of ketchup and coat hangers. Terry/Jed/Sam/Katie all go to Wal-Mart for the ketchup, and Chris/Wes/Courtney/Paige begin this bizarre search for coat hangers. "Let's try here.(Burlington Coat Factory)" "Dad, I'm pretty sure they won't...." The four employees he asks all stare blankly, we're trying not to crack up. "Target?" "Nope." Same story there. Finally we find a dry cleaners, where he picks up a few dozen and then it's back to the house.
It was a pretty good visit. Lot of ping pong, none of us were used to the table size(8x4', instead of a regulation 9x5'), laughter and pleasantness that comes with the game; and a quote as great as this: On preparing to serve, Mrs Boyer takes a closer look at the ball. "Where did you guys get custom-painted ping pong balls?" Um, well...that's actually just spray paint. The friction of the high-velocity sphere moving so fast rubs paint onto the ball, so that they resemble fresh eggs: All speckled. "Wow...huh. I've never heard of that before...you said you guys built this thing?"
There was testing of the new zipline, and spending time in the pasture talking with the goats. The firepit Caleb and Trevor built was a big success, they were very proud of it. Apples to Apples later that night, and then Jed and I had a great theological discussion, and just pondering life and catching up on life events, until 1:40 a.m, when Dad tromped downstairs and told us to shut up, we were keeping him awake.
We went to church the next morning, me giving Mrs Boyer directions, those who knew them were pleased that they were able to visit, and I think they enjoyed the teaching style and atmosphere. Then lunch at McDonald's, back home to get their stuff, and they had to head back. Too short a trip, but there was the possibility of camp in July. Jed jokingly said, only half kidding, that if I didn't come with the rest of the gang, he'd kidnap me and drag me over there. Several people volunteered to help him, should that situation ever come up.
Caught in the middle of an insane crossfire of webs, I was trying to help guide my pals through this mess they made without stirring up anything more than I had to. Delivering cryptic warnings, listening, and repremanding. And arguing. And a lot of prayer. Thought of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 often during the next few months. It's hard to know exactly when those times are to do those things, but every once in a while, it's almost clear.
I was learning a lot of the depths of the human condition, a little taste of the sorrow and pain that the prophets of Israel must have felt. It was just like, my heart was getting wrenched out daily by the sins of myself, and the sins of others. I basically had a headache and stomachache nonstop from mid-July to early December.
Also, I was slowly losing my job at the paper, which was good, since I knew I was putting too much effort into writing, but it was a hard lesson to learn. But in the toughness of the way things were going, somehow God saw fit to bring the joy back into the process, and get the focus back out onto those the story was about. The community around softball is a very neat place.
And there was also the stress of plugging away at school, trying to figure out where I was going, what I would study, answering those questions every time I saw someone I knew, and keeping the house running.
December came, and the stress of Christmastime, the depression I always seem to fall in at that time, and Nano was having some health troubles. The week-by-week realization that it was getting to be time to move on from the life I knew, that the puzzle pieces of life I had to cross were always shifting, I never knew where to step next, if it would fall through on me or not.
But....I was growing spiritually from all this, and learning to trust Christ a lot more. I knew He'd get me through it, He'd done it so many, many times before. As my friend Daniel likes to say, "He is so faithful!!" He really is. I remembered how this guy in my parents' youth group, he used to come to them for advice and counsel a lot. When it was time for him to leave for college, he was really confused and lost, wasn't sure which way was up. so he prayed that God would send him a sign about what the right decision was, it had something to do with the bank sign in the middle of town. Anyway, for some reason, that always stuck with me, and I was just praying constantly that God would show me the right place to go, and give me peace about it, wherever that destination might be. I didn't have any reason to go to a ballgame, since I wasn't writing, and I didn't know anyone, but I had to go to at least one basketball game that season. It was one of the most boring experiences I can ever remember. It was awful. Yet another of the troubles and trials I was facing was that I couldn't just sit and watch sports for entertainment any longer, except for listening to the radio broadcasts of the Thunder. But as far as actually watching sports, I had to have a reason for doing so, otherwise I couldn't concentrate. Except for Bedlam, I watched maybe one quarter all football season uninterrupted, and only half paid attention to the Super Bowl. So that, more than anything really, kind of shows what this past year was like. So I was sitting there in the gym, watching a game I care nothing about, with no reason to be there. It was really depressing. I keep moving around from seat to seat every five minutes, I even practice my sports photography with my phone. (It has a decent camera, and I can get some good shots with it, but it's horrible for sports.) I finally understood something that was almost frightening: Why all those students could attend games and just talk and not even pay attention to what was happening. I end up texting a bunch of friends. And a funny thing happened while talking to Lorene: I felt at peace with where I should go to school. So amazing, how personal and fitting it was, that of all the places God would give me that peace that I'd been so desperately asking for, would be in the bleachers of a high school gym.
HE IS SO FAITHFUL!!!!
In April, I was able to go to Louisville, Kentucky for the Together for the Gospel Conference, with Steven, Josh, Dylan, Greg, Peter and Paul. (The in-depth story is here: http://www.anotherloveroftheblade.blogspot.com/2012/04/t4g-conference-in-louisville.html)
It was a really special time of fellowship, and there was a ton of great preaching. There was this sermon by Al Mohler on how we need to use words in spreading the Gospel, not just our actions, because those can only go so far. That was really impactful, it's not my nature to speak about things like that, I've been trying to improve in that area. CJ Mahaney gave a wonderful sermon on that we get discouraged as humans, but how the Holy Spirit picks us back up. Kevin DeYoung also taught on the Holy Spirit, that was good. David Platt blew everyone away with his passion for missions, and how urgent of a need it can be. John Piper...how can we even start to understand God's pleasure in being Himself? Well, it was a really blessed time, thankful I got to go on it. A good break from the crazy unsettled days my life was in right then. (See http://www.anotherloveroftheblade.blogspot.com/2012/04/being-glad-you-ate.html)
Marie had been flipping out over her graduation since last fall. Sam and I took turns being amused and almost sad for her. She saw it as An Event, an ending, that was exciting. Us? We saw it as A Beginning, a departure from the Golden Road into the world of adulthood, filled with unknown dangers and twists. Little by little, it came closer. When it really got real was when I got my senior pictures taken. that was kind of when it really hit home that I was leaving here in a few months. That went pretty well. Anyway, it came time for the rehearsal, with Alton, Phil, Nate and Rachel, the other graduates from the homeschooling families around the county. ( http://www.anotherloveroftheblade.blogspot.com/2012/05/playlist-g.html, http://www.anotherloveroftheblade.blogspot.com/2012/05/lets-see-umm-work-in-progress.html )
That was really out-of-the-ordinary, but kind of wonderful. I had about thirty people come, just for me. A lot of people from GBC, Steven was the speaker, and then my cousin Logan absolutely flew from work to make it on time. That was really neat. And then Daniel and Emily came all the way clear from Springfield! Just to be there for my graduation. These kinds of gestures were amazing, they meant so, so much. After my speech(with my silly tassel flopping into my face every other sentence, talk about an exercise in public speaking...thanks for teaching that class Kirsten!), there's a "Special Presentation" at the end. Valerie comes up, motions me to come up, and then gives a short speech, at the end presenting me with a plaque and a scholarship check. That was such a surprise, and it was so incredible....it was just really, really great. Dad(of course, haha) had to embarrass me by talking about me, but I mean, your oldest son only graduates high school once, right? Guess it's natural.
I also got braces, which has been a large adjustment, my teeth are much straighter already, and they seem to be doing their job well. I do think, though, that hell might be full of dentists and orthodonists. Your jaws are not supposed to be yanked in so many different directions!!!! It hurts!!!!
Bennett, Courtney and Paige are flying off the walls with camp being so near, for the rest of us, it's a more subdued excitement. Callie and Laura, our rookies this year, were getting amped up, too. Me? I was almost dreading it, honestly. Ash, Matt, Madelyn and Jed all self-tasked themselves with cheerfully pointing out the good things that would happen, the great memories waiting to be made. It...sort of worked; I have some pretty great friends. :) Just....SGYC had made such an enormous impact on my life; the campground itself, the teaching, the memories, the friends, the way God works. In talking about it, I have to give a mini-autobiography of my life each year to barely even scratch the surface of what it means. I've used about 20,000 words just in these posts so far, and I'm not even done with this one yet! I might even have one more on this subject to write. But, anyway, the first year was a survival test. The second year a time of rest, the third a needed maturity shot, and the fourth the beginning of a new chapter, ending of an era. This time, I didn't really want to go, almost. So I didn't go for me. I didn't have anything left to look forward to or achieve(except maybe winning the Tournament Challenge, and I'd be perfectly fine if that never happened).
No, I went because I had a job to get done, passed down to me by the guys I looked up to and tried to emulate(Cody, Daniel, Nathan and Jake, if anyone's wondering. Older camp people, isn't that an odd mix, covering just about everything imaginable?). My focus this year was to make sure the younger kids whose names I have no idea what are have the time of their lives, and to set an example of how an older Christian lives, for them to look at and maybe think, "I want to be like that guy Wesley when I'm his age." So that was why I came along for one last ride...
We left from the Rusco's at 7:30, late like always. Martha was driving one van, her sister Mary the other. Our group of guys were me, Josh, Caleb, Dylan and Bennett, the girls were Marie, Suzanna, her friend Kaitlin, Courtney, and Paige; Eva caught a ride up there with us, and then rookies Callie, Laura, their pal Marie K., and Miriam. For some reason, I nearly started crying. Glad for the others, but a little unsure of what this year might hold. Mary is a good conversationalist, always a good trait in a driver, we talked about classic books to vet's-office stories to a good many other subjects, including the grisly war tales that no one really cares to listen to, and the lame jokes weren't told until we were nearly to Joplin, so that was a good thing. Also, it was a very talkative trip, almost everyone was awake and engaged in what was happening.
Some of the differences this year, besides the fact that it would be mine, Daniel F. and Jed's final week; Shelby, Bethany, Brittany all weren't there because of college. Jojo, Jon, Marshall and Sam were all working, couldn't get off. Others were absent also. Most notably, our Camp Mom.
We understood why, but it still "saddened us greatly", as Ash put it on hearing the news. Terry's dad was in failing health, on hospice care, and she was his primary caregiver. If something was to happen while she was gone....it wasn't worth it. I text Ash the news, her first thought, besides "Wahhh!!!", is "How can we help her?" That just epitomizes everything I love about these people, this topic, and why I can't stop talking. Well, we get to thinking and planning a new strategy; so many times greater value than just the games we play. The plan we come up with is to make an enormous, gigantic card, filled with smiley faces(Mrs Boyer loves those) and bright yellow lettering(her favorite color). (Yeah, I used my network of spies to get that important info.) It wasn't anything, really, and it couldn't actually do anything to ease to pain and the hurt she was going through, but it was the best we could do in four days' thinking. Just to say "Thank you so, so much for everything...we're praying for you, wish you could come, but we understand. We love you." And so we had everyone sign it, placed it prominently in the dining hall, and got Tim to make several reminder announcements.
There were still friends I knew who would be there, of course: the Freelands, the Hankinses, Andrew, Jed, Shari, Jorgi, Ashton, Madelyn, Colton. And Jessica and Amanda were coming, too. Brother Larry was still here, providing good preaching and authority on all things cabbage ball-related. Tim was still directing and leading the camp, and juggling in the spare moments. Janet and Robin were there to make sure Bible trivia went well and the pool was supervised. Miss Kathy and Ryan were leading music and archery, it was good to see everyone and know what was happening.
Registration, lunch and orientation went well, much like usual. We exchanged greetings with those we knew and talked to those visitors who couldn't stay. Instead of group sessions on Monday, we went down to the tabernacle to hear a report on missions from Trevor and Braxton. Wow. It was amazing to hear of how much God works, how much we need to help with what little we can do, over there in places like Indonesia. We forget that here in our safe culture in the U.S, we need to remember that more often. It was an incredible blessing to heat their stories, and it was good to see them again.
Miss Kathy was leading the singing this time(YAY!!!), and it was different. Instead of singing the songs in the camp book and duct-taped hymnals, she took a more academic approach and taught on what music is, how we can use that message to glorify Christ and spread the gospel(Double YAY!!!!)
Most guys didn't really like it all that much, but I loved it, it was wonderful, and I was always really disappointed when that hour ended. Because it was a terrific subject, and a great teacher, effectively communicating what she was wanting her students to learn. Jed was a bit disgusted that he was needed for about four songs in two hours, he would have rather spent the girls' hour playing ping pong or something. And the camp version of "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" had been rewritten, I spent all week wondering why, and who did it. The singing time was fantastic.
This year's theme night was Cartoon Character, I had a great idea. After a youth group-wide notion to be the cast of "Calvin and Hobbes" was voted down, I just stayed in the comics section, and went as Jeremy Duncan from the strip "Zits". It was fun. I get to be in character, but yet not have to wear a irritating costume, just normal clothes like always. AND, wearing normal clothes, dancing wouldn't be hampered in any way. Other characters included Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Mario and Luigi, Scooby-Doo, Raggedy Ann and Andy, Batman's Robin, The Thing, and SpongeBob SquarePants.
The dance was held in the grassy field by the ampitheatre, much to my satisfaction and pleasure. That is where dancing should be; outside, with green grass, blue sky and trees converging with the late sunlight to make a beautiful set, and then good music and good friends. The order was redrawn a little bit, we led off with the Gay Gordon(in other words, the circle dance that newcomers always have trouble with). Looking around laughing at jokes being made and watching the young guys and girls try to figure out where to be and what to do, it was entertaining. I started out dancing with Paige, and then, as the case is, kept rotating and switching partners. Next came the box-and-square(that's not the right name, but I never heard what it actually IS called), I was kind of standing there, wondering who I should ask that was available. Madelyn was, too. She kind of looked over at me and grinned. "You want to, for old time's sake?" "Sure, why not?" That went nicely, except for a snake-hole that you had to avoid, much of our line was laughing at Tim's attempt to understand the steps. And there was a kitten named Sherbet to play with. Then it was time for the Virginia Reel. I escort Madelyn back to the ampitheatre, barely have time to get a drink of water when Shari clamps onto my wrist. "C'mon, Wes! It's your last year, I wanna dance with you!" Jorgi and Derek think this is hilarious. Most of our set was young members of the Henry clan, mixed up, slightly dazed, and confused. It made for a lot of interesting moments, and completely threw off the proper rhythm. It was still dancing, though; and it was a lot of fun. Odd fact I noticed on the way to the tabernacle: Some of us had been jokingly predicting how the dance would be; who would be with who, which couples would know how to dance well, who wouldn't, what if the tall guys ended up having to dance with the incredibly short girls; that kind of thing. Jon said that I would dance with "some random blonde chick, some random brunette chick, and some random redheaded chick". He was right, except the order was exactly flipped. Just thought that was kind of interesting.
There was a new camp preacher this year, Jeff, from near Little Rock, Arkansas. He brought along a handful of campers with him, several of which were my teammates. Good people. Anyway, his first sermon was on Romans 1:18, kind of hard to listen to. Can't imagine how hard it must have been to prepare. We need to remember those sharp, downer passages, it's all too easy to forget about the judgmental side of God.
Monday ended with a little irritation: Due to lack of males, not all four cabins needed to be used, and so we were kicked out of our home and displaced into the inner left cabin(the one with concrete floors). Of course, this totally threw our bed order around, it was kind of annoying, though I understood why it was happening. And also the little kids in the corner Would. Not. Stop. Talking. Feeling a little bit like Tim, Braxton or Brother Larry, we appealed over and over that they should get some rest while they could, tomorrow was even more packed than today.
Wednesday's general session was a lightning overview of the book of Job, the struggles that he faced, and how near God came to him. It was really interesting. Didn't get many notes on this one, but did you know that Job might have been a contemporary of Abraham??? Like, we're talking EXTREMELY early in history here. And there wasn't any part of the Bible yet, not even the Pentatauch, but yet Job still knew there would be a Redeemer, and that he knew this Redeemer. And he also knew that somehow after he died, he would live again. Isn't that amazing?
After that was finished, it was time for the Tournament Challenge. Given all last year's health problems, Ultimate was disallowed again as a sport, so it was AVC and BPG. Every year there seems to be some team that's just absolutely stacked with older talent and experience; theoretically giving them an inside track to winning. This year, that team was us; Blue. Daniel F. and Jed; Ash and Eva; then Caleb F. Drew, Callie, Marie K, and Arkansawyers Rachel and Taylor. Not counting the quartet of rookies, that totals up to twenty-eight combined camp years experienced.
Anyway, we started out against Black in archery, which was good, since we needed some time to talk and jell as a group, figure out what our roles were, and come up with a catchy nickname. We left it open for later decision between Oxen and Bison, Black became the Dragons. I had a below-average day shooting, but we ended up beating Black, whose members included Andrew, Courtney, Madelyn and Jessica, by a score of 115-107. There was a lot of wind, accounting for the low scores. Red(they had a terrible time thinking up any sort of nickname, finally "Bloody Knives" was suggested, becoming "Daggers". Seriously, the Red Bloody Knives? For one thing, it's redundant. For another, it a church camp, people) lost to Green in volleyball, who were thinking superheroically, trying to decide if they would be the Hornets or the Lanterns. It was a described as a close, controversial game, decided by one point. White's Heat(led by Josh and Jorgi) topped Yellow's Barracudas, led by Matt and Shari, in cabbage ball by an 8-2 score.
In BPG, Blue had Red in golf; there was a really weird scoring system used. We all shot a round as a team, and then picked our three best players from each side. They would shoot one hole, and the lowest aggregate score won. We sent out Daniel F, Marie K. and Taylor; they sent out Anne, Dylan and Hunter. We had six strokes, they had seven, and so we won our second event of the day. With nothing much else to do until lunch, we then sat around and talked for a while, at Daniel N.'s suggestion. Some confusion on the ping pong, but I think Black beat Yellow 10-9, and Green won Bible trivia over Yellow. "It was a little rough, kinda wasn't sure there, but we pulled it out, and it was good, it was fun." Ashton stated during lunch.
In Worst/First that night, Red beat Yellow in volleyball, White beat Black 7-6 in cabbage ball, and Green was going up against Blue. With the Hornets/Lanterns holding sport choice, captain Ashton picked golf. A perk of having a friend on the other side: after some cajoling and begging, she switched it to the sport we were hoping for, ping pong. It began poorly for the Bison/Oxen, we dropped the first three games, but then rallied back tie it up, and then lead for a bit. The girls championship came down to best friends, Ash-Ashton, it was a battle, let me tell ya. Ash took the first game 11-8, then Ashton rallied to win the second. Somehow, her composure left her completely, and Ash won the girls' championship(for the second year in a row) 11-8, 9-11, 11-2. It was Ashton's first loss EVER in Tournament Challenge play, she noted. I got to see the first part of that match, but missed the ending because I was playing in the guys championship match, against Jacob. The score was 12-11, us, I knew that; but of course Tim had to emphasize the drama(this is, after all, SGYC ping pong), and that totally killed me. With the "helpful" encouragement(I know it was meant well, but it really was rattling) shouted at me, and knowing that everyone was watching me, I collapsed. It's a funny thing, I'm a very emotional, streaky player, that's probably why I never quite cracked that elite listing, settling for "really good". I've never in my life seen so much spin put on a toss serve, or one that travels eight inches high before falling down. I was smoked 11-4, 11-0, setting up a tiebreaker match between Daniel and Jacob. Now maybe the same thing was happening to him or something, but it was intense. Daniel won the first game 11-9. Jacob won the second 12-10. With the match coming down to this last game, we were all biting our nails and frowning. It was stressful! To lighten the mood, I asked Drew to take a picture of Ash, Jed and I looked tense and worried. It worked, made a good posed-life picture, and like I was intending, loosened the air some. Maybe Daniel felt the energy change in the crowd, I'm not sure, but he was able to pull out the third game to win 11-9, 10-12, 11-7.
Brother Larry's general session was about what godliness is, how we can live a righteous life, and how we can evaluate others' claims to be godly or not. Miss Kathy's lesson was on how our worship should be rich, filled with meaning, then going over some of the elements of music, and motives for using certain musical devices, and touching a little bit on different styles, too.
Jeff's sermon Tuesday night was of the "Thus saith the Lord" variety; I am very glad I am not a minister. Those sections would be incredibly nerve-wracking to teach on, extremely daunting and hazardous, seems like, saying what God said and only that, and not adding or taking anything away from it. The text was Ezekiel 18:24-32. He hates sin, but yet He allows it. He chooses to saves some people, but not all. Why? We don't really know, because we're just men. But in some way, even sin gives glory in some way to God, and he will use whatever He wants to in order than He be glorified. God wants us all to be saved, but He doesn't allow some to serve Him, because that wouldn't serve His purposes as well. We don't understand the full amount of his detestation, but neither can we comprehend his love for us, either. It was a lot to think about.
Wednesday morning the general session was on James 1:18: "He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might become a kind of firstfruits of all he created" (NIV). We call ourselves "born-again Christians", everybody knows that. But what does really mean? Well, it means we've been regenerated, given new life, through the Holy Spirit's working. In our sins, we are all lost. Dead, rotting corpses. So putrid even the vultures and coyotes won't touch our carcasses. James was writing this letter to the Hebrews, I think; those who had converted from Judaism to Christianity, and they were getting persecuted. Not just from the Romans, either; but also from the fellow Jews. Things were pretty dark and terrible, and some were thinking, "Did God plan this, is He causing it? And if so....why am I following this Jesus? Why couldn't I just go back to the Old Covenant, and then things would be good again?" James is saying in response, "Yes, God did plan this. He's not really causing the pain, though, but He is allowing it to happen, to grow your faith and strengthen your trust in Him. He won't tempt us more than we can bear; there will always be a godly way to get through whatever comes at you." This regeneration, this new life, is the will of God. The cause of our sin is us wanting to follow our own will instead of His. It's a struggle; and we are always fighting this internal war. Just as we don't choose to be born, neither do we choose to be born again. It's all God's will that determines that, who He, in His mercy, elects to save, and who he chooses to leave unredeemed. Those saved should be unbelievably thankful, indescribably grateful. We believers, we're the tools God decides to use in order for his glory to be spread by allowing us to play a small role in bringing those other chosen people, whose times hasn't come to be changed yet, into a relationship of knowing and loving and obeying Him. Shouldn't we be doing our best to be the most mallable tools, shaped into whatever form the Maker crafts us into? And then shouldn't we, once we're formed, assist to get our jobs done as much as we can?
These were the thoughts we chewed on as we went out for the Tourney Challenge. The Barracudas won a really low-scoring archery competition over the Hornets(they settled on that name) 85-73, The Heat was too much for the Dragons to face, they won in three sets 15-14, 13-15, 5-0. For the Bison(we settled on that name. Alliteration sounds good in sports, and with so many of us on our last journeys or close to it here, a little historical mascot seemed fitting), we had cabbage ball. None of us were particularly thrilled, except Marie. The rest of us knew we might actually have the right collection of talent to do well at it this year, though. Red picked to bat first, they got on the board with one run, but we stopped there. Our turn to bat. Ash led us off with a single, Jed slapped out a hit, and his courtesy runner, Drew, got safely to first. Marie flied out. I beat out a single, bases loaded. Eva sacrifices to give Ash time to score, tie game. Daniel pounds an RBI grounder, and then Callie hits into a fielder's choice. Second inning, tied at one-all(our second run didn't count for some reason). We get into a tight jam, but work our way out with Taylor's spectacular defensive skills. He's up first, and crushes that ball farther than any of us have ever seen...it goes clear through the picket fence!!! (You have to understand how heavy and dead a cabbage ball is to fully appreciate this accomplishment, but the fence is about two hundred, two-fifty feet away from home plate. And uphill.) The Bison stampede everything. We nearly got another run pushed across, but couldn't quite make it. Despite our best defensive efforts, they tie the game in the top of the third. Marie's up first for us. She grounds out to the pitcher. I ground out along the first-base line. Eva grounds out to the pitcher. End of the third inning. And..Brother Larry, did you say that's the end of the game??? But we're tied! Isn't there a way to break it or something? Oookkayy....in anxious suspense, for the outcome was to be determined later after a conference with Tim, we hit the river gravel/limestone pathway fro the tabernacle.
At least we should be good on Bible trivia. But how good is Yellow this year? The Barracudas jumped out and bit off an early 1,900-1,300 lead, but we loped along and led after the first round 2,900-2,300. A 5,100-4,900 lead became a 5,300-5,100 score, Yellow leaped ahead on a Daily Double to take an 8,100-6,700 advantage. The Final Jeopardy answer: When the Prodigal Son returned, his father gave him three gifts, besides killing the fatted calf. name these three items. We got a crown, that was easy. A cloak was a little more disagreed on, but we all wrote that down. That left one thing....a few of us said sandals, but many others thought it was clothes in general. After an intense discussion, and with our time ticking, the majority won out and I penned down "Crown, cloak and new garments, for 4,500." It was...A) A cloak. B) A crown. C) Sandals....(!!!!) We lost 11,100-1,200, but that wasn't going to end our day sports-wise. An announcement from Tim was. The cabbage ball game that ended in a tie would NOT be replayed or continued, but would be called a tie, and each side would be given half a point. But that was okay, it was still a half-point better than we had before. But, an error in Ryan's math occurred on Tuesday's archery, and actually, upon review, Black had won, with 119 points to our 107. That dropped us from first to third with three events left.
BUT, it wasn't a completely horrible awful no good very bad day, it was just the morning that seemed like that. We had general session still, and singing, and the talent share. Those were all good things. General session was a map of the playbook for how to live a righteous life, lots of sports terminology made this an easy lesson to grab hold of, and understand how much we ought to hunger for holiness.
Miss Kathy's lesson today was about the message conveyed in our music, and some Scriptures got us started on thinking about that(Isaiah 12:5, 1 Corinthians 14:16), we should be skillfully preaching the Word, proclaiming God's glory! Just as the President doesn't ride to deliver a speech on a tricycle, neither should pagentry surround nothingness, if there isn't a message. Some discussion on poetic devices, like rhyme scheme, repetition and similies. A quick informal survey of music recently listened to was taken at lunch, and the titles were listed. Most of them I'd heard, but there were about 40% I'd never heard of. (Examples: In Christ Alone, Indian Outlaw, Mean, Days Go By, Tim McGraw(this confused her for a minute; til the girl who had said that had explained that it was a Taylor Swift song called Tim McGraw), Firework, and Call Me Maybe. All us guys chuckled when we heard that, Miss Kathy was wondering why. The girls provided a terrific story next hour. When she reached Call Me Maybe, she mentioned that all of us had chuckled, and was wondering why. Could anyone please explain what was so funny about that? So, in perfect harmony and pitch, without any rehearsal at all, from eight different states and two countries, launched into singing it. She was dumbfounded.) Anyway, all this was to prove a point: God gave everyone the ability to create beautiful things, which include music. But most of what the world does with that is to create shallow, empty tunes that mean nothing, they contain the nutrition of a Pop-Tart and last as long as a bubble. As believers, we're called to do so. much. more.
Miss Kathy asked me after class if I was going to do anything in the talent share tonight, I shook my head no. "Why not?" She sounded really disappointed. So, I tried to explain. My first year, I was used to singing and performing in front of people, because of being so involved with the drama group. I just wanted to see if I could sing in front of complete strangers. I mean, just coming here was an adventure, why not try to make it as memorable as I could? They seemed to like it. That second year, I had the right attitude about it, but I was in no way ready to bring a guitar out, that was a terrible decision. The third year, it was something from "The American Ideal", it was all "Lord, You've Blessed Me, Me, Me." Except it was actually "Long Black Train", but anyway, that was way, WAY off. That's why I didn't want to do anything solo the next year, and why I asked Sam to team up, and why I was part of the Jedites. I had done some long searching, lot of prayer, to understand what my role was to be this time. And what it was, was to stay in the background and let the younger kids shine. If I was asked to be part of a group, that would be fine, but nothing else visible. Jed recruited me for a choir he was building, and then Daniel asked me to help with a Spanish choir. So I agreed, those went really well. Sang tenor in Jed's choir with Daniel and Madelyn(yes, you read that right), the song was very familiar, but the title is escaping me. Jed was conducting, then the tenor section, Joe, Josh, Colton, Caleb W. and a few others were bass; Ash and Mary were altos, Amanda and a few others were sopranos. And there was also a harmony section, and Jessica was playing piano for us. For Daniel's choir, we did "Open the Eyes of My Heart" in Spanish. There was Daniel, Jed, Taylor, Ash, Suzanna and I; that was really neat to do. We probably said who knows what in our Ozarks/Mississippi accents, but the right intent was there.
But that's enough, most of the time I was sitting and watching. There were skits, by Shari and Jorgi; and by Courtney, Miriam and Audrey; and some others, those were awesome. Miss Kathy started the show with a beautiful song on the piano, dedicated to her new family; Amanda, Colton, Jed and Jessica did a hilarious skit, Joe flailed around on Jed's guitar and terrified anyone who knew at least a little of how to play. After about eight minutes of agony and awkwardness, the amp "suddenly" wouldn't emit sound any longer...Huh...I wonder what causes that....thankfully, that was mercifully relieved by a bunch of corny jokes from Eva. A lot of them were actually funny, too, and not just corny; that was good. Miss Kathy, Ashton and Emily played a very nice cello/violin piece, and Courtney and Paige did their "Twelve Things of Camp" song. That was the talk of the town for the rest of the time, how hilarious that was, and where did you get those numbers? Are those actually for real the amount of times this happens? Things like that. It was really neat to watch, was special to see the reaction. And there was the - Wait, I can't tell that part yet!
We were eating dinner, or trying to, anyway, with the butterflies and anticipation of the talent share coming up. Just an ordinary time, the dining hall was full of voices, dropped forks, and the clicking of paddle meeting ball. Somebody came in the front door, that's not to unusual, like if it was somebody brushing their teeth or something. But none of us have....long red hair!!! Could it be?! Yes, it was!!!! Terry was back, all was right with the world!!!! We didn't know what to do. Everyone hugged everyone else. We were laughing. We were crying. We were talking. We were taking pictures. The Cup Game broke out. Her husband was watching her dad for the day so she could come up for a flying visit, just in time to see the talent share, say hello to everyone, and then back on the road. But still - !
So, I raced down to the tabernacle to find a place to set the card, out of sight, but yet still easy to get to. Everyone filed in, found their seats, and Tim got everyone quieted down and the opening prayer had been said. He nods over at me, and I walk over and get the card, hiding it behind my leg, and walk onto the stage. I then call Ash up, she walks up and stands beside me. I then call on Terry, to hand her camera to Madelyn and come up to where we are. Startled, she does after a minute, and with the crowd's excited, curious realization of what's about to happen. I (more or less) get through the speech I had prepared, trying not to cry or anything stupid, I could only understand half my own words on the recorder's playback. We present the card, and she begins to examine it. She likes it. The two of us nod and a small grin appears, another project successfully completed. The audience loves the moment. We all exit the stage, kind of overwhelmed, and Tim officially begins the talent share.
Anyway, what I was about to say was that Mrs Boyer had promised that if she could make it, she and Jed would do The Sovereign Grace Youth Camp Camp Song. And so he played, and she sang, and it was great. An amazing way to close out the show, a short break, and then general session.
Many churches meet on Wednesday nights. These are usually times of prayer or singing, with a bit of teaching and lots of fellowship. Occasionally, they're especially focused on prayer for a specific subject. Well, apparently many of the churches who had sent campers were praying for the time, that the Lord would bless it and work in a mighty way. There was something...different, in the air. I couldn't tell you what the sermon was on, because I was looking at something, searching for where this unusual thing might be. When finished, Jeff prayed, and...nobody moved. We were held captive. We felt very....small, and insignificant. And kind of scared. Everyone sat there in perfect silence, soon weeping could be heard. More sobbing followed, I couldn't say what happened for anyone else, but I felt something was being torn away, something vital, and life would never be the same. Some need, something, pride, maybe, I don't know. I starting crying, I could see others, too. This silence lasted for about twenty or twenty-five minutes, then Tim kind of shakily got to his feet and asked us to pick up our camp books, turn to "In Christ Alone".
John says in Revelation that there were things which he saw that could not be spoken of. This was a happening of that same type. Staggering out the door, we slowly made our way back to the cabins. I bolted for the showers, my soul was just being wrenched by something, that I didn't understand, but knew was good. If anyone would have asked me how I was doing, assuming I could answer, I would have said "No. No, I'm not okay. I don't know what's going on, and I'm not okay now, but...I will be." Thankfully, no one asked me any questions like that. C.S. Lewis wrote in 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" that Mr Beaver, when queried by the Pevensies on Aslan, answered them this way: "Safe? Of course he isn't safe! But he is good."
We have never felt the Lord working quite that close ever before. Many of the preachers had seen that maybe once or twice in their entire lives. Trying to get some grip on what we just went through, being men and boys, we kept our thoughts to ourselves, and talked about baseball and action movies. Jed and I kept the little kids in check, with Caleb, Dylan, and Josh assisting. After about an hour or a little more of this, we heard some news: That Shari and Jorgi had become children of God. Then, news of others, too: Grayson. Maddie J. I don't know who all else, but at least eleven souls were rescued that night.
"But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as a shield." Psalms 5:11-12(NIV). This was our attitude with the new morning and God's new mercies, wonderful, indescribable joyfulness and thanksgiving.
Appropriately, the sermon in the morning general session was about faith. Keep the commandments. Trust and obey, that's all we do. We need to purge ourselves of the idols in our hearts, and let Jesus walk in us, take us over, giving all we have to Him. Many say, "Pray this prayer, and you can live however you want for the rest of your life and you'll be saved". This Get Out of Hell Free card is known as "Easy Believism", which can lead to a lifestyle of "Carnal Christianity", a lifestyle of the world, with no differences visible. With those perimeters, anyone can be a fantastic salesman, "Here, you want to avoid eternal torment and agony? Repeat what I say, and you're all good." Those are false conversions. Real conversions, true conversions, are a struggle, a fight, that we gain ground, then retreat, then gain some more ground in. The chief purpose of salvation is not to escape hell. The chief purpose of salvation is God's glory, to relinquish sin and worship Christ more fully, leaving our chains behind and accepting the lowly role of slave.
Those leaders, we knew that what happened out on the playing fields didn't matter coming in. Now, everyone knew that. But still, if we were given a spirit of competition, that needs an outlet...well....shouldn't we take advantage of that gift and use our leisure time as fully involved as we can, to show some of our appreciation and gratitude back to the One who gave it to us? Our thinking, anyway.
Green beat Black in ping pong fifteen games to five; Red beat Yellow in volleyball 15-8, 15-5; and Blue and White had cabbage ball. It didn't start out too well, two ground balls and a line drive right to the shortstop. And then the Heat got two runs in their half of the inning. In the second, the Bison charged. Taylor doubled, Marie K. singled, Rachel sacrificed, Jed got a hit, Daniel F. crushed a two-RBI triple, Drew and Ash each singled, Eva, Wesley and Taylor all got RBI singles, and we'd scored seven runs in one inning. I came in from second to pitch for Daniel, I wasn't that good, but I did throw two strikeouts. White couldn't score(More of Taylor's defense, including a catch doing a handstand), Drew scored Daniel, and Ash hit the electric line hanging over the field six times in one inning tossing the ball back to me. Blue won it in three innings 8-2, we had eleven hits to White's five. Red topped Yellow in volleyball 15-11, 15-5, Green destroyed Black fifteen games to five, that brought up the BPG after the second Worst/First. We got into a 1-4 hole to start with, but then when the guys' games came up, we slowly crawled up, took the lead, and never looked back. Ash won the girls' championship over Bailey 11-6, 11-6, Daniel won the guys' final by dispatching Caelin two games to one.
Group sessions were a little sad, knowing this would be the last one, but it was another good time of practical teaching. We get the bare outline of what it means to live a godly life in Scripture, since most of the specifics are learned along the journey. The holy person is humble, lacking any overwrought sense of self, and convinced that whatever God can use for His glory is His doing, and not theirs. An arrogant, proud person cannot be holy(see the Pharisees, for example), instead, we're to have the same attitude as the Prodigal Son on his return. Then there were some ideas given on the stages of walking in holiness: the first step is humility; the second step ministry. This is a servant, a slave tending to the master's needs. We each have different gifts, and we need to use them well, every child of God is given some way to serve others, we should be looking for those opportunities daily, hourly, even, sometimes. The third stage is love; we often tend to overlook the faults of those we care about, and gloss over the good qualities in people we dislike. That isn't godly. We have to expose the faults of those we love in a kindly, gentle manner, because 1 John 4:16 says that if we don't, we're hypocrites. And in those rare cases when gentleness isn't needed, well, tread on the sin or the error harshly, trample it to death. God didn't walk softly on David's sin, nor after the Fall, nor during the Flood. The fourth stage of godliness is knowing the things we ought to stay away from; that's pretty self-explanatory and obvious.
The sermon that night was from 1 Corinthians 6:8-11, on the dangers of apostasy, and at the same time assurances of true belief and repentance. Faith may slow, stumble, lose its' grip, but it's always moving forward, most of the time we don't see this because of how small chunks are taken each day, we only realize this growth as jumps and starts. This is a real problem and issue, that some professing Christians are unsaved, so it should be taken seriously. If you can sin without feeling chastened, then you are not a child of God.
Those of us into stats had figured out something: Blue was a half-point behind Green and we had one event to go. If the Hornets could beat the Dragons, they'd win the TC title outright. If they tied and we lost, they would still win. If they tied and we won our volleyball game, then it would be another Bible trivia match to settle it. If they lost and we won; we would be the champs.
Really, though: why would we have to wait until Thursday evening to get to play volleyball? (This was a source of irritation all week.) It started out well, we built up a large lead i n the first set over the Barracudas, had a lot of good teamwork going on. I had the last serve in the rotation, it turned out, and I served three straight points to close out the set 15-2. Switching sides, the ground was harder, more limestone poking up in front, and the sand/kitty litter mix was doing weird things from being churned up so much and being damp from the rain earlier. And Yellow's players also knew how to play volleyball, too. They were fantastic this set, and we made all kinds of errors and mistakes, they won the second set 15-10. It didn't count, but Ash destroyed the ball on one serve, gearing up for the upcoming volleyball season, trying to get her jump serve back into practice. It darted down, slammed into the dirt about a foot past the end line, and kept going. And going. And going. And still rolling. It was picked up all the way at the other end of the tabernacle(About 300 feet away, at least). Reswitching to the more tabernacle side, the first few points swung back and forth, but with a goal to achieve(and a little re-use of the "Sharkbait!" rally call), we were able to pull it out. We have a 13-7 lead, it's my turn to serve. I've had some terrible clunkers, those are out of my system now. A few skimmers, that mostly dropped the right way. And a few great ones. I am two points away from the end of my life as a camper, all the memories in Challenge events and wonderful relationships with all my previous teammates. Yeah. And not only is it your last chance to win the Challenge, but you actually have a shot to really do it this time. Just do your part, and hope for some help. These and a lot of other thoughts were going through my mind, I was strangely detached, somehow calm. Kind of in the zone. I let the ball go, swing my left arm in an arc, going with an underhand delivery this time. The sphere flies off my wrist, it's completely dead, no spin at all. Clearing the net, it plummets Earthward, catching them off-guard. Shari tries to make an attempt at digging it, but it falls three inches in front of her at her feet. One. more. point. Another deadspin serve, dropping like a boulder. Exact same place on the court. Shari tries to dive to get it, but the ball meets the sand just out of her reach. That's it. The game is over, and we'd won 15-2, 10-15, 15-7.
White and Red join us after a while,l their archery competition had ended, and we swat the ball back and forth, talk, and use Dylan's head as a target. (It wasn't our fault, we weren't aiming at him or anything, it was just like a magnet or something.) We'd all been really strict with Jed all week, keeping him from hurting himself. He helped the best he could, until either he couldn't go on any more or we told him to sit. We tried to make him sit out of volleyball, but he wouldn't listen, he was bound and determined to to play, it was his last year, the last event, and we needed everyone who was available if we were going to try to win. Sighing and giving up, knowing that when he backs into something that stubbornly there's no hope in changing his course, we said he could play. With monitoring. He was doing okay all throughout the first set, and flying everywhere in the second set. A little tired in the third, but then, we all were, and our service aces kept the pace somewhat light. It was kind of eerie, really, so many moments had been deja vu-type things, or reminded me of stories, but I was hoping never to have to re-live that scene. But...here it was, God had it worked out this way. I was getting tired of swatting, went to get my shoes on to watch the end of the cabbage ball game. Jed's curled up into a ball, screaming from the pain. This is bad. Robin and Andrew get him inside, and then the tabernacle doors are sealed off. Meanwhile, the few of us who are paying attention start to panic, most other people are still playing volleyball. Having one of your best friends be in that much agony is awful, it's terrifying. Trying to keep his girlfriend from going into hysterics, when she's almost a sister to you, that makes it even more of a challenge. Not knowing what else to do, really; Colton and I pray. A lot. And then otherwise just kind of stand there, trying to answer Amanda's questions, and wishing we knew the answers. We decide to go for Jessica, tell her the news immediately, instead of hearing it second-hand from someone else. I have never seen one out in a baseball game take so long. The game ends, an 8-6 Black victory, we tell her what happened. Then we just...hang on and pray, try to remember that however this turns out, it was God's plan, and His will be done.
We(Me, Amanda, Jessica, Colton, Andrew and Marie D) keep an eye on Jed during the service, then walk slowly up the road to the dining hall. It was slow going. But it was our job, somehow, part of what our duty was this week; and in a way, fulfilling some of the commandment to "Take care of the sick and the orphans among you". Rosie the cat was out for her nightly stroll, we spot her, Jed says something about how cute she is, tries to call her. The rest of us look at each other. Then, one of the most unbelievable displays of love I have ever seen took place.
A couple of us start to go after the cat, since he wanted to pet her. Amanda waves us back. Now, she detests cats, can't stand them, the only one on the planet she remotely likes is Jessica's, and she torments her every chance she gets. But she goes over to where Rosie is hiding, drops down onto the ground to fish under the car, calling for her. Rosie comes over to her, and Amandy walks back to us, cuddling Rosie and whispering calming things. She hands her to Jed, who holds her for a while and lets us scratch her. She had a very good purr, loud and pleasant, calming. Our group gathered there needed that. I love animals, being around them, learning from them, interacting with them, as their lives intersect with ours. I've heard many stories of how God uses animals to accomplish His plans, but I've never seen that happen quite like that before. It was incredible, an extremely well timed gift of mercy.
We eventually make it to the dining hall, Jess and Marie go off to sign books and fellowship, while the four of us stay on nursing duty, and our books go around the room without us, being passed around from person to person.
Every year there seems to be a phrase or a saying that becomes a catchphrase, you just hear it everywhere. One year, it was use of the word "y'all", another year everything was "Dude!" "...Really?" was another. This year, it was a little different, and accompanied by a facial expression, even. (The "..Really?" had a questioning smirk, but that's not as personal.) It was said with a distressed frown: "...but you're coming back as a counselor next year, though, right? Please?" There was about seventy people there, totaling everyone, and I think I head that question from about thirty people. My answer? "I don't know. I'd like to. There's a lot that goes into the process, though; I guess we'll just see if it's what God wants, whether it's His will or not."
But, anyway, although incredibly weak, Jed was getting back to normal, I helped him get to the cabin, where he crashed immediately, then came back to the dining hall, finish signing people's books and talking with friends. It was a sober enjoyment, sad, but acceptable. I tried to play Tim in ping pong, and was whipped terribly. That was good, it was the way things should be. And so was hearing that a couple guys broke a window trying to play football in the cabin. That cemented the assurance that things would keep going just like normal, that God would continue to work and bless this generation coming up, and that they would find their own friendships, create new tales and pass down our legends. And it made an interesting and fitting bookend to my time here. First night in the cabins, a football broke a light bulb. Last night, a football wipes out a windowpane. In between, so much joy, so much learning, so many friendships and lessons learned. Such a focus on Christ.
And so we come to the final day. Tim leads devotions, then the mega-size cinnamon rolls that mean it's time to go. We were honored as the winning team, and then the receipients of the Heart of a Servant Award are announced. Cleaning, then time to reflect, think about what happened. Free time, kind of. I go down to the volleyball court, I think; I don't really remember, had a lot on my mind. "Follow Love", that FFH song; was sung a lot. I had thought about playing it for talent share, but...that would too depressing. We play volleyball for a while, I set a last stick of spearmint on The Gum Tree, and then, all too soon...it's time to leave. I said my goodbyes slowly and reluctantly, and I met Jake and Ashton's parents, and also Ash's mom. Then, we headed through the gate, onto the dirt road, and into the rolling countryside along the highway. Dan was driving us, it was a good drive, with Owl City and Diamond Rio on his Pandora, of course had to grab a couple energy drinks at the gas station, it's a tradition of our youth group. But really, it was a little sad. But, I knew that they, the campers who will come, and it, the structure and focus of the camp, was in very Good hands.
# # #
(Breakdown of Challenge standings)
Blue Bison 5.5 points
Green Hornets 5 points
Black Dragons 5 points
White Heat 3 points
Red Daggers 2.5 points
Yellow Barracudas 2 points
(Overall standings from 2008-2012, out of 39 contests)
Black 20 wins, '11 champs
Blue 20.5 wins, '09, '12 champs
Green 21 wins
Red 16.5 wins, '10 champs
White 11 wins
Yellow 20 wins, '08 champs.
The only color I was never on was Yellow, I was Red-Green-Black-White-Blue, in order.
(CAMP BOOK SIGNINGS)
When your book is literally written on from from cover to back cover, even the outsides of those pages, and when you read these types of messages, you feel really loved. Kind of amazing what can happen from agreeing to a dare, isn't it?
"To bad this is your last year! :/ Matt
It was good to see you this year again! See you Sunday! :) SMILE Marie
Dud you're awesome! Colton
Wesley C! The LORD saved me and 10 others this week. God bless! Keep me in your prayers bud. I loved seeing you all these years, keep in touch. I'm only a phone call away! - Shari
Hey Wesley, it was nice to see you! 8-) Alexa
Hey Wes sorry I couldn't be here all week. Hope you had an awesome and God-glorifying week. Derek Gibson
Wesley, so glad I got to see you again this year! - Ashton
Wesley, I had an awesome time. Your awesome! Hope to see you next year. Audrey B.
Hey Wesley, Hope you had a great week! Good luck this fall in college! Daniel Freeland
Wesley, Keep trusting. Keep seeking. The Lord Jesus is with you. I will keep on praying for you brother and I will keep in contact with you as you move into a new phase of life. May Jesus bless you and keep you. Daniel
Wes, it was great to see you again! I'm gonna miss you, man! You're a great friend. Joe Paxton P.S. The smart observer will notice that this was signed in ink! I finally got a pen!
Had a wonderful time. Can't wait for next year! - Kaitlin G.
Hey Wesley! It was so nice to get to see you and talk with you in person this week. You are in my prayers. Hope college life goes well. Your friend, Jess
You Rock! I'll miss u next year! DREW =)
Wesley - I hope your last year at camp was great! I'll miss you next year. :( Hope you had a blessed week! - Paige
Wesley - My dear friend and brother in Christ! Man your song be a new song in Christ. Col. 3:16 Kathy Biebout
Go Blue! Eva Sadowski
Dear Wesley, you are so awesome and cool! great to meet you and hope to see you next year. From Rachel!
Hey Wes, glad to have you with us at camp again this year. Awesome hangin w/you! Josh
Wesley, Hope you had a great week at camp! It was good to get to know you! Abbey
Now I feel like I should write you a really long note. Hm. I look forward to seeing you every year, and I'm gonna miss you. Thanks for starting the Monday status awards =) They really brighten up the day. Madelyn D. PS: Keep Courtney in line. ;)
Wesley, I'm really going to miss you. You've been an AWESOME friend no matter what and I'm sad you can't come to camp next year. - Bennett Cox
Wesley! You are one of the sweetest guys I know! It was so good to see you again and I hope I get to next year. (Never mind, your last year :( I'll miss you) - Jorgi PS I'm sad you didn't sing in the talent show this year :(
Hope you had a good time! Dylan
(Caleb Wilson's signature)
Wesley, Hey, made it! Well, for half a day...Glad I was able to see you as a camper at least one more time! I've got to say, I've watched you grow from a shy, slightly awkward "newbie" to a strong, graceful, caring young man...and it has been my pleasure to observe and get to know you! Continue to seek Him! By his Grace, Your cabin mommy, Terry Boyer '12
Wesley, there's no room left! :) Thanks for making my first year so much fun! - Laura
hey Wes, camp is awesome! Other than that, I don't have anything to say. Your sister, Courtney
Wesley, I have been so blessed to visit with you and experience your gentle, respectful spirit. I truly hope to see you at camp in the future. May you serve the LORD with massive devotion and true humility in what the LORD calls you to do! He is worthy!!!! He is exalted!!!! P.S. Thanks for sharing your story about your first year at camp! Pastor Ryan Butler Phil 1:9
hey great to see you again JB
Wesley! :) Oh my gosh! Where to start?! It's been so great to finally meet you in person. We have had the best chats and I'm sooo happy to have been able to hang out. :) No, I haven't seen any rose gardens, but the volleyball planted a little one on my arms. :P haha. The buffalo are kinda like cows ;) just scarier. I love your version of Fireflies, it was awesome to read that in your actual writing! I'm gonna miss you but hopefully see you next year! Your little sis, Manda
What's up Wesley! It was awesome hangin with you again. Have fun at college, and trust in the Lord always! God is Great! Love you man, and God Bless! - Andrew Ashe
I will write my sentiments on the back - because there's no room anywhere else! You are a great friend and I love coming to camp and having fun with you. I hope this time has blessed you! - Ashland GO BISON!"
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