Reunion

I am a weird one. I admit that I loved high school. A lot of people I talk to hated high school because of how they were treated or the things they went through. I can understand. For me, high school was great because I had some really fun times with some fun friends. So, I was looking forward to the big 10 year reunion which was this past Saturday.

"Gee, Billy, I can't wait 'til I get to hike school!"
"Don't say that! Don't you ever say that! Stay here! Stay as long as you can!"

Mistake #1 - Having the reunion at the Elks Lodge.
Mistake #2 - Having party people plan it.

I admit that I knew that people from my class were going to drink at the reunion. I was just a little upset that all they did was hang out at the bar. The bar is shoved off in a small room. The room was smoke filled and crowded and the reception hall was wide open. Yet, for some reason people stayed packed into the back room. All the reunion reminded me of was a wedding reception. That part was bad.

Yet, there was a silver lining. I did get to see some people I had not seen in a while. I did get to catch up with some friends. I did truly find out that people don't really change. Their looks do, but their personalities don't. I made a fool of myself a couple times because I couldn't remember some folks, but oh well.

I didn't have anything to drink but I did almost puke. That occurred when a few party crashers showed up. They really enjoyed the DJ and the music that was playing. They were tearing up the dance floor. I say tearing up because I am pretty sure when two large women who have had too much to drink dance in the same vicinity there will be some damaged incurred. As we sat at our table, we couldn't help but notice the dirty dancing on the floor. When you catch a glimpse of an older, out of shape woman swirling around a pole, you can't help but wanna toss your cookies. I have nothing against older, out of shape women. I do detest them performing lude acts in public.

I did get to preach at my home church on Sunday. Or at least where my dad preaches now. It is somewhat my home church. I enjoyed that immensely. To be able to open up a hymn book and sing while my mom tickled the ivory is always a treasured time. I cringed a little cause the piano was out of tune, but hey it usually is at my home church. I thought back to times of listening to my dad preach as he lead Sunday school and led the service. Was thrilled to sing Happy Anniversary to one of my high school classmates and neighbor growing up. She married a good friend of mine that I played baseball with. I finally got to see their two kids. That was a thrill! Attendance was something like 25-30. That's my home church and I love it.

My Sunday school teachers for 7th and 8th grade were both there, Genevieve and Georgia. They are two sweet older ladies who taught me a lot. I am amazed that they are still plugging along. They really are my grandmas since I have lost one and the other one is mentally not all there. I closed up my sermon and couldn't help but think about how far I had come. Life does come full circle some times. "Not that I have already obtained all this but I press on..."

I thank God for my roots. You may have never known your parents or never been loved by them and for that I feel deep remorse. For me, I have always known the love of my family. I am a rarity these days as my family is fully functional. I have 6 people who I grew up with and helped to fashion me into who I am. I only hope that I can provide that same family for my coming child and to my wife.

Thanks Lord for the chance to "go home" once again.

One other bonus from the reunion was the food. We had chicked wings galore. Too much to eat actually. So, I brought home 3 massive trays of chicken wings for our youth event this Sunday. We are talking $100 worth of wings. I was in heaven as I carried them to my Jeep.

This Is Me

I had a gut feeling that CIY was going to be special. Not much of a risk to say that it would be. But, I had a hunch it would be super special. Once again, God exceeded my expecatations.

I really do not know where to start with this fantastic week. So, I will try to go day by day.

Monday- Leave at 8:00 AM- Everyone got here at a decent time. We set off for a grand adventure. I really enjoyed seeing the teens faces when I pulled a surprise on them. As tradition has it, Seniors load up on the buses first, then on down the line. The whole idea is for them to get the seats they want. Well, anytime I know of a tradition that is silly, I like to shake things up. So, I let me Seniors load first (okay... I am not totally wanting a riot), then I announced Freshman next. You should have seen their faces. They couldn't believe it. "But we always load this way." If you know me, never say we always do something a certain way. You are just inviting me to change your world. I figure that if I can find small ways to shake up their comfort zones that is a good lesson.

So, I get on the bus and get to sit next to a couple kids that I love and have not gotten to talk to in a while. It was a nice journey down. The Schnucks has some nice Chinese food now, so lunch was good too. We got moved in without many surprises. Why are roommates such a big deal to girls? My guys went up to the 14th floor. Hey, it's closer to heaven, so no complaints here.

It was a typical good start to CIY. They introduced the theme "This Is Me". "I am Love" was the theme for the evening and Sigars got us off on the right foot. A pretty big T-storm blew up while we were in the Arena. It was good to be inside.

Tuesday - "I am Grace"
I was surprised by the number of downed tree limbs from the storm the night before. I didn't realize how sever the t-storms were. The day was a good first day. Actually, it was probably one of the best first full days I can remember. Aaron Pelsue band rocks as I figured they would and Mark Moore was particularly "on" for ABF. I think I learned more in that one session from him than I ever have. We were part of the biggest CIY week's ever at 2400 people. I was worried the size was gonna be a downer, but we actually made it around campus pretty good.

That morning we prayed for a kid in our group. That night, he came forward. Jay St. Clair is such the perfect guy to talk about grace. It was all very moving. Sometimes it takes a little bit for the walls to come down in worship. However, this night was a grand opening. The presence of God was sheerly awesome.

Each night we had an encounter with Christ at Celebration. This night, we took on the role of Peter. The recorded voice played the role of Jesus. We were guided to turn our backs on him by facing the back of the room, then turning around after we heard the rooster crow. It was so powerful.

Wednesday - "I am Here"
Another grand day. Spent some time watching the kids swim and playing some basketball. I soon realized how much bigger the regulation size basketball courts are compared to our WH. Geesh I am old! Bart Stone did a great job speaking. Although, he preached two sermons but they were both good :) He had a telescope, a pair of binoculars and a microscope on stage. They represented the ways we view God. Either we think he is distant, or spying on us, or inspecting us to see if we are any good. It was a neat object lesson. He had some funny stories. Later that night, I had a girl tell me she was ready to be baptized. I could also visually see God working on the teens. I had a good conversation that night with the guys about accountability. For some reason this was the best year for convos in the dorms than any I remember.

Thursday - "I am the Way"
Neat stage setting for this night with Jesus' face and two huge hands all sketched out on massive canvases. Hard to describe but very sweet. The day's message was more about materialism than anything. Mark Moore threw down again. Man, he kicked my rear. Now, I have to sell all my possessions and give to the poor. Do you realize how much you have? Do you understand the amount you spend on needless stuff? Do you even know how much you are wrapped up in conspicous consumption? Wow.

That night Brewster McCleod filled in for Jon Weece. I must admit that I was bummed that Jon was not going to be there. But Brewster rocked. I had supper with him and I am pretty sure he is the most creative guy I have ever met. He pulled out his wallet to share family photos with Sigars. They were hilarious. He had a picture of a lady with a cyclops. He said, "this is my aunt Cindi, with an "I". Oh, that was a good one. He said he had a picture of Jesus. It was a pic of a fetus. He said it was what Jesus really looked like. Funny funny stuff.

He sold everything he had on that night to the crowd. Even his pants. Raised $250 for a mission in about 5 minutes. Very strong challenge.

Had a visit to the ER. One of my guys was wrestling and somehow punctured a hole in his shin. You could see the bone. Pretty cool. But I was up til 2:00 AM. He is fine. Only had to amputate half the leg.

Friday - "I am Life"
Really great wrap up to the week. Had some more amazing conversations with kids. Everytime I turn around I have a conversation with someone new. Not to mention I had a chance to catch up with my SHCC group. The teens shared their decisions that night after Robin threw down. Shared some stuff from the Barbarian Way. If you have not read it yet you need to do so. McManus is the man.

Overall, it was a truly awesome week. We have like 5 baptisms coming up and we had a couple rededications. There is so much more I can share. But this is long as it is. I am sure I will share more in follow-up soon. For now, I need to make some follow-up calls to some kids.

The biggest thing on my heart right now: Satan is working so hard on our teens. He seems to turn stuff upside down every chance he gets. There are so many situations our teens are in and they need prayers. But ultimately, some awesome warriors are going to come through these times and be bold for God.

I'm out.
I will post about class reunion later.

Weird Dreams

I have always been fascinated with dreams. I always try to remember them, but am never very good at that. I think there is some sort of study that explains why. Some of those same studies say you remember your dreams or have weirder dreams if you eat before you go to bed. I dunno, but my wife has been having some weird dreams.

They say that pregnant women have all kinds of nightmares during pregnancy about losing the baby and all that. It is really scary stuff. I am already finding myself becoming protective of my kid even though I can't protect my wife from having bad dreams. Anyway, this whole pregnancy thing is completely different from what I ever imagined. It is all really great for me to experience. I am sure Nikki has a whole other side of the story. But outside of the weird dreams, fatigue, and sickness, it is completely amazing.

I had a weird dream last night myself. I dreamed I was at my ten year high school reunion, which is coming up in two Saturdays. It was really a funny dream. All my classmates were weird looking and I pictured myself driving through the rural settings with all these small homes that are now completely huge buildings and apartment complexes- crazy stuff.

I know I am a weirdo because I am so looking forward to it. I completely loved high school and my friends and I had some really great times. I will let you know how things turn out.

I must be making this my final post before CIY. We head off to Carbondale next week which shall be a blast. I am looking forward to it, more than my high school reunion. You would think it weird if it were the other way around. I have this feeling deep inside that this will be a monumental week. I think God is up to something big, but I am not sure yet what it will all look like. I expect some walls to come down but not sure which ones those will be.

On an unrelated note, softball was really great last night. The stinking game before us took forever and we began our game at 10 instead of the scheduled 9:00 start. The two teams acted like neither one wanted to win. The score was tied up at 17 in the 7th, then at 20 in the 8th. Then, the 9th inning they used some international rule where you begin with a runner on second to start the inning. The first team did not score that run- sad isn't it? The second team pushed a run across for the win. It was really great watching though. I was sitting on the bleachers with the guys spitting seeds and it took me back to my baseball days. Tommy, Ken, Chris, Jason, and John... all these guys are my boys. They are so much fun to play softball with. We really have a great time. I am truly going to miss Jason when he moves, but that is another story.

So, our game finally starts and we have a great night. John leads off with a single in our half of the inning, I hit a ball through the shortstops legs reaching on his error and make it to third. Then Tommy smacks a dinger to dead center field with John's new bat. It was funny to hear John's reaction. I think deep down he believed it would be him to get that first dinger. I have to admit when I went yard with Chris' new bat last year, I felt a little guilty being the first. The greatest part of the night was when the rain began. It is so much fun playng in a light rain shower. It continued on through the evening. So refreshing, so awesome. We went on to win by 10 just so you know.

I am ADD

My good friend Tina pointed out to me recently that I have adult ADD. I admit that I do, but I always joke about it. Now, I think I have a serious problem. Just a second ago, I put a CD in my comp to preview some materials, the next thing I know, I am on the phone calling a guy and then, I have my e-mail open. Finally, I discovered that I had inserted this CD and realized what I had originally set out to do. I am so spontaneous that immediately I think, "hey, this is somthing to blog about". So, here I am. I really think I may have to check in to medication. Of course, if I do that, then I have to face the side effects of nausea, diarrehea, anal leakage, and Gonerrhea. Oh well, I already have half of those. My ADD coupled with procrastanation puts me in some real binds sometimes. I need some help.

On a side note, I just got a call from my best buddy from high school, Bryan. He is one of the funniest guys I know. I am so looking forward to seeing him in a couple weeks for my 10 year high school reunion. The guys are all planning a golf outing seperate from the reunion which should be fun. You would have enjoyed my flyer for the reunion. At the bottom it says: "9:00 - Tap the kegs and hit the cash bar." It should be a grand time :) I just hope that the drifters stay away. We are having our bash at the Elks Lodge (real high class I know). It sits at the highest point of our fair town of Potosi. When you have a party there, the scent of beer brings every local up the hill wanting a free pass in. (Just for a little background, my home county of Washington usually has the highest unemployment rate of any county in the state. We are definitely talking Redneck, USA.) All that aside, it should still be a great time. I always wanted to have my wife knocked up when my reunion rolled around. Job complete.

Okay... now... what was I doing?

It's been a while

I know it has been a while since I have posted. Truthfully, I have had a lot of cool things happening and I don't find myself stopping to write about them. Instead, I find myself getting wrapped up in those moments. But, I blog because I like reflection. I hate to write in a journal, but typing always seems fun to me. I actually sat down to blog a couple weeks ago and my computer went all screwy. Okay... enough excuses, on with the entry. So many cool things have happened in the past month that I really don't know what all to share, but I will start recently then work my way back.

July 4th- Awesome time yesterday! My wife's twin sister and her husband came up for a visit. I love them so much. They are like our best friend's really. For some reason we have not found that in Quincy yet, but we will always have that with them. I am sure we will have best friend's here that are couples that we hang out with all the time. I have lots of good starts for that. Anyway, I grilled up a sweet rack of Baby Back Ribs. They turned out delicious, let me know if you want the recipe for my dry rub. It turned out better than I expected. Also did Kabobs, for some reason, you cannot ever top a Beef Kabob. They are even great reheated. Finally, we went down to the riverfront and saw the explosions. The finale was a great moment. I held my hand over my wife's stomach and felt our little one wiggling around like crazy. I bet she won't be gun-shy when she arrives. We have had four straight nights of fireworks now.

June 28th - Oh yeah, if you couldn't tell from above- we are going to have a little baby girl!!!! Our, well Nikki's really, ultrasound went really well. The baby looks like it is in good shape and they are pretty certain it will be a girl. That thrills me! Honestly, I always wanted a boy first, but after watching a friend of mine's cute little girl melt his heart, I am sold on girl.

June 12th-17th - Had one of the best weeks of church camp ever. It was a great week all around. I wouldn't know where to begin to describe it. We did close out the week dunking three kids, which was the highlight of the week.

May31-June4 - Took a trip to Colorado. It was truly great. It was everything I needed at that point. I was thrilled to think about driving across country with Gil and Pete. It would give me a chance to get to know Pete better and spend some time with my best buddy. It all turned out bueno. I honestly think that if Gil and I were trapped in a sewer we would still make a good time out of it. It is always amazing to me how God took a guy from Oregon and put him on the same campus as he put me in northern Missouri and began such a great friendship. I always use to hate it because I didn't have a vehicle in that first year of college, but it turned out to be great because I spent weekends there when a lot of kid's went home, and Gil spent the weekends there too. If I'd had a car, I would have missed out on building a great relationship. So, thanks God for the no car situation. I always think about how great it would be to go back and soak up every minute of that year of college. Wouldn't it be cool to have that all to do again?

Other random thoughts-

- Do you watch the "Real Gilligan's Island"? Well, I don't really, but I was a couple weeks ago. I was watching with my wife, when I suddenly saw someone on T.V. that looked familiar. It was really freaky. I was like, I know her. Then it came to me. I had this girl as a camper back in 1996 in church camp a couple weeks. She was on the show as Mary Anne Randi. Sure enough, Randi Silvers from KC. Talk about crazy. I was so proud, until I saw her actions. It was real nice when the showed the clip of her dropping the f-bomb. Yeah, that's right, real impact I made in her life.

- Just read an interview of Moby. It is truly a great article. If you could only have one magazine subscription in the world, I would recommend it be "Relevant Magazine". It is wonderful. The interview with Moby was so great. Sometimes you hear musicians talk about how God influences their writing and it goes something like, "yeah, I went to church when I was a kid". But with Moby, he knows the Scripture. He knows the character and person of Christ. It was so great to read his understandings of what it means to be Christian.

- Softball is fun. Playing three times a week and loving it. My old swing is back and my defense is improved. I attribute that to a couple things. One, my attitude. I am not letting the ball play me, instead I am playing the ball. All about confidence really. Secondly, losing some weight. Okay, you won't really notice it when I step on the scale but this diet I am doing really eliminates a lot of the junk that I don't need to eat. It makes me feel so much better.

- CIY is coming - it shall be a great week. I am really happy that it is almost here. I really want to pour myself into these teens this week. It always brings people closer together and have no doubt it will do it again.

- Half-Way - Today is the half-way point in the pregnancy. So, appropriate that it is in the half-way point in the baseball season. My wife and I planned that out perfectly :) It is totally crazy to think about it being half-over. I guess the easy part is done.

I am done.