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Thursday, June 30, 2005
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If you need immediate assistance, you can reach him at:
Again, thank you for logging on. Hope to hear from you again soon.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
The following are blogs that really crack me up. The first two are friends, the other one is a guy I met through the blogsphere. Happy reading.
Rob Williamson
Matt Elliott
Gustavo Keener
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Rockin' the FOUR-ZERO
This week I had the privilege of being a site-leader at the Mid-Ohio Valley Workcamp. There were over 540 workers that painted forty-one houses.
My group was crew 40.
(Quick note: If you don't want to know my personal feelings about each of my group members, and I can't imagine why you wouldn't, skip to the last paragraph. There is a point to all of this)
The crew consisted of the following workers:
George from West Virginia – The fearful rule-breaking leader. I’ve never painted anything that didn’t eventually have to be repainted. Not really site-leader material.
Debbie from New Jersey – Debbie may have had a hang-up (or ten). Very driven, very hard working, very maternal, and had a difficult time expressing her opinion er, maybe not so much. She was also an experienced painter.
Beef from Florida – I’m not sure what Beef’s real name is. I do know that he’s a Gator fan, so we had at least that in common. He is a fixer, which came in handy, because we had a lot that needed fixing on the house.
Kailey from Florida – The brains behind Beef. She didn’t have a lot to say, but when she talked, it was important.
Emma Jo from Ohio – I love that kid. She’s like having a mom on the trip, and she is as ADD as, well… me.
Mary from New Jersey – Mary was a hoot. Especially when she tried to run and jump with her leg in a cast. She was a great worker and never complained about her leg. I got some guys in the youth group that qualify as plan E, F, and G.
Dee from Connecticut – One of the “Roof Girls.” Dee is the coolest mix between Nicaraguan and Italian that I’ve ever met. Her heart for God blew me away. Remember, I get to preach the wedding.
Sam from Tennessee by way of Texas – Sammy has quite the fro. And he kept us laughing the entire week. What is it about people from Texas thinking God made Texas first?
Mallorie from Florida – The quiet leader. She worked the entire week. She did everything she was asked to do, and her sweet spirit kept us going.
Brandon from Connecticut – Brandon was an amazing worker. I gave him all of the difficult jobs on the site, and he did them without complaint. He also gave me a run for my money in sports trivia. He was definitely the point guard of our team.
Hope from Tennessee – The other “Roof Girl.” Hope was a lot of fun to work with. She climbed on the roof and painted no matter how hot it was. She was always there with a comment or a story to make the work go faster.
Dwayne from New Jersey – Also one of the coolest fros I’ve ever seen. Dwayne didn’t do anything fast. Didn’t move fast, didn’t paint fast and didn’t talk fast. But, he cracked me up every day. He never complained about anything. He’s one of those guys who is just cool, without really trying.
Cole from Next Door – Cole was a nine year old who lived next door and came over for one of devos. The next day he painted with us and had a blast. He followed Beef around so much we started calling him Little Beef.
Then there was Kacy and Alli from good ole West Virginia – I mention these two together because it’s difficult to separate them in my mind. I would say they drove me crazy, but it wouldn’t be entirely true. They are my girls and I’m going to slowly kill any guy that tries to date them. For now I’m okay because they are both too scared to talk to guys.
Here’s the thing. By the end of the four days together we were saying things to each other typically reserved for the closest of friends. It’s not surprising; Christ was all about eating with his disciples and meeting the needs of others with his disciples. If Site 40 can get that close after four days, imagine what a church could be if all of its members would pick up a hammer, and together go to work.
My group was crew 40.
(Quick note: If you don't want to know my personal feelings about each of my group members, and I can't imagine why you wouldn't, skip to the last paragraph. There is a point to all of this)
The crew consisted of the following workers:
George from West Virginia – The fearful rule-breaking leader. I’ve never painted anything that didn’t eventually have to be repainted. Not really site-leader material.
Debbie from New Jersey – Debbie may have had a hang-up (or ten). Very driven, very hard working, very maternal, and had a difficult time expressing her opinion er, maybe not so much. She was also an experienced painter.
Beef from Florida – I’m not sure what Beef’s real name is. I do know that he’s a Gator fan, so we had at least that in common. He is a fixer, which came in handy, because we had a lot that needed fixing on the house.
Kailey from Florida – The brains behind Beef. She didn’t have a lot to say, but when she talked, it was important.
Emma Jo from Ohio – I love that kid. She’s like having a mom on the trip, and she is as ADD as, well… me.
Mary from New Jersey – Mary was a hoot. Especially when she tried to run and jump with her leg in a cast. She was a great worker and never complained about her leg. I got some guys in the youth group that qualify as plan E, F, and G.
Dee from Connecticut – One of the “Roof Girls.” Dee is the coolest mix between Nicaraguan and Italian that I’ve ever met. Her heart for God blew me away. Remember, I get to preach the wedding.
Sam from Tennessee by way of Texas – Sammy has quite the fro. And he kept us laughing the entire week. What is it about people from Texas thinking God made Texas first?
Mallorie from Florida – The quiet leader. She worked the entire week. She did everything she was asked to do, and her sweet spirit kept us going.
Brandon from Connecticut – Brandon was an amazing worker. I gave him all of the difficult jobs on the site, and he did them without complaint. He also gave me a run for my money in sports trivia. He was definitely the point guard of our team.
Hope from Tennessee – The other “Roof Girl.” Hope was a lot of fun to work with. She climbed on the roof and painted no matter how hot it was. She was always there with a comment or a story to make the work go faster.
Dwayne from New Jersey – Also one of the coolest fros I’ve ever seen. Dwayne didn’t do anything fast. Didn’t move fast, didn’t paint fast and didn’t talk fast. But, he cracked me up every day. He never complained about anything. He’s one of those guys who is just cool, without really trying.
Cole from Next Door – Cole was a nine year old who lived next door and came over for one of devos. The next day he painted with us and had a blast. He followed Beef around so much we started calling him Little Beef.
Then there was Kacy and Alli from good ole West Virginia – I mention these two together because it’s difficult to separate them in my mind. I would say they drove me crazy, but it wouldn’t be entirely true. They are my girls and I’m going to slowly kill any guy that tries to date them. For now I’m okay because they are both too scared to talk to guys.
Here’s the thing. By the end of the four days together we were saying things to each other typically reserved for the closest of friends. It’s not surprising; Christ was all about eating with his disciples and meeting the needs of others with his disciples. If Site 40 can get that close after four days, imagine what a church could be if all of its members would pick up a hammer, and together go to work.
Return of the Top Five List
All of my friends (just three) have been playing Top Five List for a couple of years now. The basic premise is to come up with a topic ranging from the mundane to the outrageous. Come up with your own personal top five list in that category. Then, make fun of everyone else's list. Feel free to chime in with you personal list. CoJack and Nick are going to help with the first one.
Top Five Songs of the Year
5. Humble - Matt McDizzle
4. Days of Elijah - Rob Wizzle
3. Amaze Me - Brian Patterson
2. Country Feelin' - Jeff Garrett
1. Jesus Loves Me (Just kidding, its a good one though)
Top Five Songs of the Year
5. Humble - Matt McDizzle
4. Days of Elijah - Rob Wizzle
3. Amaze Me - Brian Patterson
2. Country Feelin' - Jeff Garrett
1. Jesus Loves Me (Just kidding, its a good one though)
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Christ's Prayer for Unity, and the Power of Four-Squares
A few weekends ago several families went to Seneca Rocks for the Memorial Day weekend. It didn’t take long for several of the kids to mark out a four-square court. Soon some of the greatest four-square games in history were taking place on that court. It was amazing.
Apparently four-square rules have changed since my grade school days. There were all kinds of rules I had never heard of. Also, because there are so many rules, the person who made it to the fourth square got to name his rules. For example, Riley’s rules were buzzstops but no kills. Taylor’s rules (my favorite by the way) were kills but no setups and no buzzstops. Everyone had a different set of rules; it was a little confusing, but great fun.
Soon campers from other sites were taking part in the four-square excellence. It was becoming quite the sporting event. Steve from Morgantown came over to play. He was there with a group of rock climbers that come to the Seneca Rocks every Memorial Day. Steve’s four-square rules drove us crazy (and were too complicated to explain in this space). Every time he got in square four I thought about quitting the game. We were nice to him, at first, but soon we were giving him the business like we would if we had known him for years. We were brutal.
By Sunday Steve had become a four-square evangelist. He recruited John and Mike from his group to come over and play. As the conversations took place during the game we learned they were all members of a Seventh Day Adventist church in Morgantown. At one point Mike brought over a guitar and was playing worship songs. John, Rob and I invited them to come over for our worship time, and we invited Mike to lead our worship. It was great. We knew a lot of the same songs. They taught us a song or two, and we taught them one as well. We had communion together. Rob led the devotional thought. It was a nice time.
I guess we could have spent those days explaining our theological differences. They would have been wrong about some things, we would have been wrong about some others. But we worship the same God and the same risen savior. I’m not sure, but I hope that what Christ was praying for in the garden. I don’t think unity necessarily means conformity. Unity is a joint Church of Christ, Seventh Day Adventist worship, maybe the first one ever.
Apparently four-square rules have changed since my grade school days. There were all kinds of rules I had never heard of. Also, because there are so many rules, the person who made it to the fourth square got to name his rules. For example, Riley’s rules were buzzstops but no kills. Taylor’s rules (my favorite by the way) were kills but no setups and no buzzstops. Everyone had a different set of rules; it was a little confusing, but great fun.
Soon campers from other sites were taking part in the four-square excellence. It was becoming quite the sporting event. Steve from Morgantown came over to play. He was there with a group of rock climbers that come to the Seneca Rocks every Memorial Day. Steve’s four-square rules drove us crazy (and were too complicated to explain in this space). Every time he got in square four I thought about quitting the game. We were nice to him, at first, but soon we were giving him the business like we would if we had known him for years. We were brutal.
By Sunday Steve had become a four-square evangelist. He recruited John and Mike from his group to come over and play. As the conversations took place during the game we learned they were all members of a Seventh Day Adventist church in Morgantown. At one point Mike brought over a guitar and was playing worship songs. John, Rob and I invited them to come over for our worship time, and we invited Mike to lead our worship. It was great. We knew a lot of the same songs. They taught us a song or two, and we taught them one as well. We had communion together. Rob led the devotional thought. It was a nice time.
I guess we could have spent those days explaining our theological differences. They would have been wrong about some things, we would have been wrong about some others. But we worship the same God and the same risen savior. I’m not sure, but I hope that what Christ was praying for in the garden. I don’t think unity necessarily means conformity. Unity is a joint Church of Christ, Seventh Day Adventist worship, maybe the first one ever.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Saturday, June 11, 2005
Ripple Effect
When Sean Nine said he wanted to come back and find God, he meant it.
I met Sean during his junior year. I was at the park with some of my boys playing football. We met up with some kids from Huntington High who also wanted to play. Sean covered me (which wasn’t too difficult). He was memorable because he hadn’t cut his hair in a couple of years at the time. He looked like chubby Jesus.
A year later I was surprised to see him walk in our church. As it turned our Sean attended our church as a second and third grader. He had decided that it was time for him to find God, and he decided the best place for him to start was where he began. He was baptized and started attending regularly. With only two months to go in his senior year I found myself wishing that he could have come back to our group sooner. I would think, “If I had Sean in the youth group for all four years, he could have had quite the impact.”
I hate it when I try to limit God.
Pretty soon after Sean arrived he invited his friend Nick. Nick became a very significant member of our youth group. Soon after that several members of Nick’s family started coming. Rachel, Nick’s cousin, has a ministry to children and some of the international students at Marshall University. She brings many people to church with her. Nick also brought his friend Cory. Since then Cory has been baptized, and he has brought Alex, Vinny and even Ryan occasionally (not to mention the fact that Cory became a great leader in our group). Cory’s girlfriend, Whitney, started to come and brought her sister Katie and Anna (a foreign exchange student from Germany).
Let’s recap. All of a sudden Sean comes back to find God. Now we have close to twenty people who occasionally or regularly come to our church. That is quite a ripple effect from a guy who came back with only two months left in his senior year.
This week Sean is in Afghanistan trying to bring the light of Christ to a war torn and desperate land. For some reason God put Afghanistan on Sean’s heart soon after he accepted Christ. He’s not the kind of guy you would look at and say, ‘wow, now that guy is an evangelist.” But there is something special about that kid. He’s going to do big things for the kingdom.
I met Sean during his junior year. I was at the park with some of my boys playing football. We met up with some kids from Huntington High who also wanted to play. Sean covered me (which wasn’t too difficult). He was memorable because he hadn’t cut his hair in a couple of years at the time. He looked like chubby Jesus.
A year later I was surprised to see him walk in our church. As it turned our Sean attended our church as a second and third grader. He had decided that it was time for him to find God, and he decided the best place for him to start was where he began. He was baptized and started attending regularly. With only two months to go in his senior year I found myself wishing that he could have come back to our group sooner. I would think, “If I had Sean in the youth group for all four years, he could have had quite the impact.”
I hate it when I try to limit God.
Pretty soon after Sean arrived he invited his friend Nick. Nick became a very significant member of our youth group. Soon after that several members of Nick’s family started coming. Rachel, Nick’s cousin, has a ministry to children and some of the international students at Marshall University. She brings many people to church with her. Nick also brought his friend Cory. Since then Cory has been baptized, and he has brought Alex, Vinny and even Ryan occasionally (not to mention the fact that Cory became a great leader in our group). Cory’s girlfriend, Whitney, started to come and brought her sister Katie and Anna (a foreign exchange student from Germany).
Let’s recap. All of a sudden Sean comes back to find God. Now we have close to twenty people who occasionally or regularly come to our church. That is quite a ripple effect from a guy who came back with only two months left in his senior year.
This week Sean is in Afghanistan trying to bring the light of Christ to a war torn and desperate land. For some reason God put Afghanistan on Sean’s heart soon after he accepted Christ. He’s not the kind of guy you would look at and say, ‘wow, now that guy is an evangelist.” But there is something special about that kid. He’s going to do big things for the kingdom.
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