This needs to be recorded.

A few weeks ago I was talking to my class about measurement. We were specifically discussing weight. You know...ounces, pounds, tons...nothing too terribly difficult. I reminded them of the road signs that indicate the number of tons the road can take. I also mentioned weigh stations for trucks. And then....then... complete and utter insanity ensued.

Student 1: Yeah, they make those for people too.
Me: What? Weigh stations?
Student 1: Yeah, they have them on the road so fat people don't break the road.
Me: Uh....no they don't.
Student 1: Yeah, my dad told me. They can break the road.
Me: No...not possible.

Student 2: Yeah, I read in a book that there was a guy who weighed 9,000 lbs.
Me: Uh no...not possible. No.
Student 2: Yeah, I read it in a book.
Me: No! Not possible. Maybe 900, but not 9,000.
Student 2: Yeah, it is. I read it in the GENIUS Book of World Records.
Me: (mouth hanging open)

Student 3: It's not the GENIUS Book of World Records
Me: (Thinking: There is hope for my class and the future of the United States)
Student 3: It's the GEEEENIS Book of World Records
Me: AHHHHH! It's the GUINNESS Book of World Records and you are all WRONG!

I am not making this up. Not even a little. I know, it's scary, right? On days like these my task seems completely beyond my reach. Common sense anyone?

Ok, so I keep getting on pleo. I click on "add entry" . . . and sit . . . stare. . .and nothing happens. It has been forever since I last posted. There is at the same time too much to say and ultimately nothing that seems quite meaningful enough. It's like when you see someone you haven't seen in a long time and inevitably they ask, "What's going on with you?" And you come up with generalities or something lame because there is really no way to bridge the gap appropriately. I don't know, maybe it's just me.

So here are some vaguely interesting events of my recent past:

School's out. Just finished my fourth year teaching. Hardly seems possible, but it's true. Had a GREAT class. I will miss them.

I'm in the middle of my first trip of the summer. First went to Bloomington for my cousin's wedding (Yay Jenny and Nathan!) and Memorial Day festivities (more on my cousin Bret chasing down deer with a styrofoam sword later). Then went farther north to spend some quality time with my cousins. It's always interesting when I'm there...this year we had a flag retiring ceremony (more on that later...possibly), cooked an egg on a shovel, broke a picnic table, and cried from consuming too much wasabi. Today I drove to Louisville and will spend a couple of days with my parents before returning home to attend two days of life altering (yeah, that's sarcasm) professional development.

So yeah, I know, nothing life altering here...but I'm enjoying the freedom of summer and the company of my wonderful family. Hope you are having an equally enjoyable day!

I couldn’t help but be disheartened as I looked around the assembly recently . . . the words to “The Old Rugged Cross,” plodding methodically from each mouth. Dutifully sung, both words and tune correct, but something crucial was blaringly absent. I was completely stopped mid-sentence, dumbstruck. How was it possible to sing, “Oh the old rugged cross, so despised by the world, has a wondrous attraction for me,” and not be moved? I desperately looked around the room to find a glimmer of connection, a hint of gratitude, sorrow, conviction, anything… As the song came to a close, books were shut, seats were taken, and the service continued in its normal order. I have never felt so alone in such a great sea of brothers and sisters. How did we get here? What happened to the exuberant joyfulness that consumed us upon first believing in Him? At what point did our worship to our Savior become common place, procedural, and sterile? Surely God was not glorified in such apathetic service!

…it seems that we have fallen into a rut of blind repetition, unaffected, dutiful, obligatory, mindless service.

Since this time I have spent a lot of time thinking about why this is the case. These are a few of the reasons I have come up with:

- We aren’t really convicted.
- We want to avoid looking like the denominations.
- We are afraid to expose ourselves to each other.
- We equate service to God with going through the motions of service instead of an engaged act of service.

I definitely have more to say about each of these reasons, but I’m hoping you can add a fresh perspective here. Ultimately, I feel like understanding the why helps us determine how to work towards rectifying the situation. I know that this varies somewhat from congregation to congregation, but I am finding it more common…and that scares me.

Thoughts….

friends are good, being busy is good, God is really good.

some days you just feel sad. this is one of those days.