New Orleans

I've spent two Spring Breaks in my life doing ministry in New Orleans. During that time, I met some of the sweetest and brightest kids I've ever seen. In spite of the fact that they live in some of the worst conditions I've ever seen, they were never without a smile and a hefty dose of enthusiasm.

Today, their homes are likely flooded, if they are still standing at all. They live two blocks from the wall that keeps the Mississippi in its banks. And most of their families decided not to leave, or rather, weren't able to leave. Some of them are likely huddled together in flooded houses. Some may be at the Superdome looking for food or shelter. Others are who knows where.

A good friend of mine spent an entire summer there a few years back, loving the kids and teaching them that Jesus loves them too. When the mission workers started to evacuate earlier this week, only 1 child would go with them. They can't get in touch with anyone who stayed in the city, because there is no power and there are no phones available.

They likely have little to no food. They are likely running out of water. But even if people here could get in touch with people there, what do you tell them to do? Break into a Walmart and get food? Swim down to the mission and pry off the bars and the plywood that are on the windows, just to get inside to the kitchen?

Please be praying for these people. They need to be found by FEMA or the Red Cross. But so do thousands of others.

Links to storm coverage:
CNN Special
More CNN
MSNBC Coverage

Not quite homesick

I'm still up in North Carolina :) And I'm still enjoying it. We had yet another round of good food last night as we stopped by a cute little Italian place in Greensboro. And when I say little, I mean it. We had 17 people with us and filled at least 80% of the available space in the entire building. But it was fun and cozy - good food and such. All in all, a fun time.

I tried to make the rule that we wouldn't talk about work while we weren't at work, and that lasted for about 2 minutes. But that's ok. I am still making efforts to just get to know people, which can actually come in quite handy down the road.

Do you ever just feel like you've hit your stride? I think I'm feeling like that around here lately. I can't necessarily put it into words, but it's just a feeling like you're doing what you should be doing when you should be doing it.

I was talking to a friend of mine over email the other day, and he said something that just sounded so right...I can't say it verbatim, but it was something along the lines of "I love how the same old things look so much more interesting when viewed from a different vista." I like how life is like that. It's true with sunrises and sunsets. And I'm finding that it's also true with people. And I love that.

While the cat's away

So apparently, while I've been on my blogging hiatus, I've been getting spammed. My apologies, dear readers. I'm going to try to take care of that.

I'm actually posting from North Carolina. Good stuff! I'm midway through my first business trip. The flights were good, the hotel plush, the friends entertaining and the food tasty. All in all, it's been a pleasant stay so far. Let's hope the streak continues.

I hope to explore a bit tonight and let you all know how it goes. We ate at a Brazilian barbecue place last night, and it was quite good. It will be hard to top...

Tonight, I'm looking forward to checking out Winston-Salem. Though it's a college town, I hear there's not much to do there. We'll see about that....wish me luck!

P.S. The sunrises and sunsets here are beautiful. Just thought you should know.

It's not that bad...

Ok, based on my post yesterday, I feel that I need to clarify a bit. It's really not horribly awful around the cube these days. Nor is it even awful. In fact, most days are quite pleasant. But as any of you who are employees for an employer know, sometimes it's frustrating. And I've just had a lot of those days lately. Will they pass? Most certainly. Will I survive? Most certainly.

So, that being said, another week is underway :)

I learned yesterday that every 7 years you have to get new license plates for your car. Did you know that? I thought since I had been apparently driving with both an expired registration sticker and an expired state inspection, I should go get at least one of those items taken care of....but if you let your registration expire for more than 30 days, you have to go in person to get it cleared up.

Well, I thought that this might just be a ploy of the state to catch me in the act of driving illegally and thus arrest me on the spot when I arrived to get a new sticker. And apparently I've been watching way too many movies or something, because nothing of the sort happened. I showed my insurance card, gave them my current address, and all of a sudden, the guy just pulls out new plates. I thought that since my car wasn't officially "registered" anymore, I had to start all over again - new plates, new this, new that....but alas, he just said that every 7 years everyone has to get new plates.

So here I go, needing to memorize another series of letters and numbers. It doesn't really spell anything cute, but neither did my first plates, so I'm ok with that. And thus, my car is officially senile (if cars can in fact be senile). Let's just hope that it makes it for 7 more years.

Someone asked me why they pick 7 years. I honestly have no idea, but it makes no sense to me. I should have asked while I was there. Doh! Any thoughts?

There's a reason they call work "work"

And I've been reminded of that reason on a daily basis since my return. I think that people are now getting a bit tired of my "But I've been out of the country" excuse around the office. Ok, so I really don't use it that much, but for awhile, it did have some legs.

It's not that I don't love what I do. Ok, well maybe I don't necessarily love it, but there are certainly times when I don't like who I am when I'm in the office. And maybe God is using this trying time to refine me, who knows. I don't necessarily mind the long hours, but it's the general feeling of being incompetent that looms in the distance - that's the thing that keeps me up at night. I just have to keep reminding myself that when you're learning something new, it takes time, and it's not always comfortable.

On the other hand, my "to do" list keeps growing. Not task wise (like laundry, cleaning, car tune up, etc.) but a general "to do" list of life: books I want to read, adventures I want to take, people I want to get to know better. And I like that kind of list. I'm happy to add to it anytime.

Unfortunately, growing my career isn't necessarily on my current "to do" list, and that makes for daily challenges. Oh well. Maybe I just need another cup of coffee on this slow, cloudy Monday morning.

P.S. Last week, after a particularly emotionally-eventful conference call late in the afternoon, I went for a cup of coffee, hoping that it would calm me down. This, I believe, is a bad sign. Caffeine, last time I checked, isn't normally used as a sedative. It was more of a comfort food, I guess, but it made me laugh in retrospect.

P.P.S. I enjoy frequent use of the "P.S." In fact, I think that it should be used more often.

I really don't mean to be so dark, but this is what's on my mind...

First of all, thanks for your prayers for the Morris family. Things with Bing continue to be very precarious. He's still in the hospital, and times are difficult for the family.

I attended the funeral for Mrs. Turner yesterday, along with several good friends. Despite the rain-soaked morning, God was indeed good. It was the celebration of a life well-lived. It is always hard to watch people you love and care for endure such pain, but it is also joyous to know that her pain on Earth is finished. They had been married for 63 years. 63 years! That just boggles my mind.

Over the course of my life, I've attended probably about the same number of funerals as I have weddings. Ok, maybe slightly more weddings once college was in full-swing, but nonetheless, I've been to my fair share of both. In the last 8 years of my life, in fact, I've been to at least 8 funerals.

Things like that always cause you to go into "introspective" mode, at least for awhile. Do I tell the people I love that I love them? Do I truly value the time that I've so graciously been given? Do I live each day to the fullest? And on, and on.

And each time, I come away resolved to change the way that I treat people, the way that I live. And unfortunately, that behavior change sticks around for about as long as New Year's resolutions do.

And each time, I start to think about how I would want my funeral done. I told my stepmother once that I wanted a party - because simply put, I'd be in heaven with Jesus and people should be excited about that. She didn't quite feel the same way, quoting Ecclesiastes 3, and reminding me that there are seasons in which to mourn. Yes, I'm fully aware of those seasons. I guess I was thinking that if there were cupcakes involved, people would get past that mourning season and right on into the dancing. I'm not trying to be flippant about this, here. Please understand. Nor am I trying to be morbid. Just putting sundry thoughts together and hoping that it's in some way coherent.

Needless to say, this week will be touch-and-go. Your thoughts and prayers are valuable. Thanks for your friendship. And if I haven't told you lately, I do care about you sincerely. Please know that.

What do you say?

My heart is heavy this morning, as I found out late last night that one of my best friends is now experiencing a very difficult loss. Her grandparents were in a horrible car accident yesterday afternoon, and her grandmother (who was in her 90's) was killed. Her grandfather is now in the ICU at a nearby hospital, but they're not sure about his condition.

I've experienced many losses in my life, but still I'm finding that sometimes there are just no words. And maybe that's for the best. I honestly don't remember what people told me during those difficult times in my life, but I do remember their faces, and the fact that they cared. I remember their hugs, and the way they provided for my family.

The same family who is going through this loss today is also the same family that basically adopted me in high school after my family experienced a difficult loss. I was literally in the cradle with their daughter, and from that point on through the next 18 years, we were practically inseparable. They were there for me and my family in ways that I can't even describe. And now it's my turn to do the same for them.

Please be praying for the Morris family today, if you have the opportunity. Thanks.

Old email doesn't lose it's flavor

I was reading some old emails today from folks in college. One of my friends gave me a quote prior to us going on a mission trip back then, and I thought it seemed swell to pass it along. So here goes:

"You should not be willing to go, and have planned to stay here, but rather, you should plan to go and be willing to stay." J.R. Vassar
I thought this was interesting. I won't get on my soapbox about the word "missions," but rather, say that having the mindset described above is tough to do. Yes, I know I'm probably romanticising the idea of spending a considerable amount of time abroad teaching and telling people about Jesus. But just let me continue, for a moment, if you will.

I've felt the hunger to "go" since my senior year in high school. No, I won't tell you how long ago that was. I had been on "mission trips" prior to that time, but had never really thought of it as a type of calling. After attending a college conference that year, God really opened me to the idea of going. Not anywhere in particular, but just going. And the next four years of life presented several opportunities to do just that.

And then came corporate America. When I was younger I really thought I wanted to be in corporate America. And I have no doubt that it was meant to be that way for a season. But when is that season over? Do I now need to pray that I would be willing to stay, though I have a desire to go? So much to think about.

"In his heart, a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9
And here I sit in my room, typing this out, contemplating life's next steps, with a flip flop resting in my lap to fend off any pesky critters that may have come in while I've had the window open. Does it get any better than this? Yes, let's hope it does.

Why am I still awake?

It's 1:00 AM and I can't sleep. If you know me at all, you know this practically never happens. Maybe the cheap gas station coffee I consumed outside of Waco about 2 hours ago is to blame? Or maybe it was the 2 hours of great conversation with my friend Kim? Or maybe I've just got a lot to think about and I don't want to face the stillness of a silent room. Whatever it is, I'm pretty much wide awake and ready to type.

I spent today saying goodbye to a girl I've known since we were literally in the crib together. She and her husband are moving to another state. She seems so much older than me - buying her second house, moving to support her husband's job, redecorating a new place. All I'm thinking about is if I have enough creamer in the fridge to make a cup of coffee in the morning. Life is strange.

I've got a lot of people on my mind right now: my students, my lifelong friends, my friends doing missions abroad, folks I knew in college but have not kept in touch with, my co-workers...and I have no idea what to do with it all but to just confess that sometimes I know not what to pray for (see Romans 8). I guess I just like to get these thoughts into words sometimes, but I have no idea if any of this makes sense. I'll now attempt to salvage the remaining hours before I get to face another day and see what He has in store.

Why am I acting like I was gone for 10 years?

It was two weeks. No more, no less. Yet my mind and my body are acting like I was out of the country for ages. My bed still seems strange, I can't find my glasses, and I had no idea how to turn off (much less get to) my alarm clock this morning. Should I be thankful that I'm not adjusting quickly? Possibly. I'll think on that some more and get back to you.

I finally hit the wall at about 2:30 yesterday. I was sitting at my desk and started to really feel bad. Not just tired, but heavy, in a way. So I thought about my options and decided to work from home for the remainder of the afternoon. Once I got home, I was glad that I had decided to leave the office, because I didn't last much longer. I slept for 2 1/2 hours, and then still had a hard time getting up. But alas, today I'm doing well. And as a bonus, I'm almost completely caught up at work. Good show!

Things I've noticed upon my return:
I now have the phrase "western toilet" in my vocabulary.
I still have to think twice before flushing toilet paper.
Meeting Christians here is just as refreshing as meeting them in Asia.
I have more foreign change in my wallet than I do American change.
I kind of miss being a visible minority.
I really missed dairy products, but have yet to partake of any ice cream.
I like saying that I was "out of the country."
There are now about 10 more books on my reading list.
I can't wait to go to church on Sunday. I should feel like this more often.
Arrested Development is as funny now as it was two weeks ago.
I missed home, but not as much as I thought I would.

471

That was the "unread email" count after 11 days off of work. Not too shabby, but then again, I'm not sure what I was expecting. Anyhow, I'm still adjusting a bit to being back at home. I slept well and have thus far, had very little effects from any jet lag. Praise God! Really, I just love typing "God" and not worrying about it being caught in some crazy governmental firewall. So please excuse me if I in any way overuse any Christian verbiage for the next while...

It was really different sleeping in a soft bed. I didn't think it would be weird, but it was. It was almost too soft and comfy. I've never thought that before, but it was just weird.

And apparently since the water hasn't been potable where I was staying, almost everyone else on the team was brushing their teeth with bottled water for the past 16 days. No one told me until we got to Los Angeles, however, and they looked at me like I was crazy when I told them I had been using tap water. Just one of those things, I guess.

I'll continue to post more, as I get a little further through the unread pile. After 2 hours, I'm down to 254 unread. Nice progress, in my opinion...