the one with the chemlawn guy, the UPS man, & the vulcan

Today I had lunch with my mom, and as were were heading back to my office we saw the Tru-Green Chemlawn guy. He was driving around, obviously lost, and with his back door wide open. I waved at him and yelled to him to let him know about his door. He got out of the truck and came over to our car. He thanked us for letting him know, and then my mom asked him what address he was searching for. I happened to be on the phone with my Dad (Mr. UPS "I know all addresses" extrodinaire), so I asked him where this particular street was. Dad told me where that street was near, I told Mr. Chemlawn and we drove off.

Well, Dad wasn't satisfied with his answer, so he got out a map to find the exact place. I'm like "Dad, we're gone, we've left Mr. Chemlawn." He's still scouring the map. He finds the exact location of this yard awaiting to be Chemlawned and starts rattling it off. Once again, "Dad, we already left the guy, it's over." Dad has other plans for us though, he says, "Go find him!" So, mom and I turn around and find Mr. Chemlawn. Now, at this point this guy probably thinks we're crazy or that I was trying to hit on him (believe me, I wasn't). We flag him down AGAIN, and put him on the phone with my dad, who gives him exact directions. Mr. Chemlawn utters all of two words "Hello?" and "Thanks." Very monotone. When I get back on the phone with dad I comment on how the guy didn't seem very enthusiastic or thankful about the whole deal. This conversation follows:

Dad: "Yeah, he was pretty emotionless. Did he have pointed ears?"

Me: "Umm...No."

Dad: "Oh, well I thought maybe he was a vulcan. Vulcan's don't have emotions."

I love my dad. It never fails that a conversation with him will involve a reference to Star Trek, Star Wars, or classic rock.

Life really is what happens when you're making other plans

So, tomorrow night I will put on a cap and gown, walk across the gym at JCCC, and recieve my Associate of Arts degree. It's interesting, looking back now at the last three years of my life that I have spent going to this school. Most of all I remember changing my mind a lot. Here's what my plans and realizations looked like:

• Transfer to KU after 2 yrs.......Realized I have absolutely no interest in getting caught up in that which is KU's trap of death.
• Get married and go to Bible College in the boonies......haha, No. Praise God.
• Forget the degree......Why waste all the work I've put in already? Might as well finish.
• Get a business degree, start my own Photography business.......Business bored me and through prayer and good friends realized I want my passion to stay my passion, not become work.
• Get my Associates and wait for God's perfect timing and perfect plan. Spend time in His word and in prayer. Rest. Everything will fall into place........Best plan EVER.

So there ya go. I spent three years at JCCC-- waded through all different plans for my life, drove an estimated 14,400 miles to class, and memorized K-10 so I can now drive it in my sleep. I paid for it all myself without loans and only a little help from the 'rents. I met some good friends (Cassie, Laura Lou and countless others), I developed photos in the best darkroom I've ever been in, had a blast carpooling with Lynn, ate at Chick-fil-a, and so much more...

It feels good to close this chapter and see what God has in store next. It's gonna rock my socks off.

Kyle's Film

Many of you might know the story of Kyle Lake. He was the pastor at University Baptist Church in Waco, Texas. He was an author and contributor to Relevant Magazine. In October of 2005, Kyle was killed during a church service when he was electrocuted while performing a baptism. Before his death, he delivered his final sermon, which has moved many. Here is an excerpt:

And here I think God is saying to each of us, “Abandon your plans of escape. And BE where you are. Plant gardens and live and live well.” I don’t know what your planting gardens may look like, but let me end there by trying to provide a glimpse into what that may be like:
Live. And live well.

BREATHE. Breathe in and breathe deeply. Be PRESENT. Do not be past. Do not be future. Be now.

On a crystal-clear, breezy, 70-degree day, roll down the windows and FEEL the wind against your skin. Feel the warmth of the sun.

If you run, then allow those first few breaths on a cool autumn day to freeze your lungs and do not just be alarmed, be ALIVE.

Get knee-deep in a novel and lose track of time.
If you bike, pedal HARD…and if you crash, then crash well.

Feel the satisfaction of a job well done—a paper well-written, a project thoroughly completed, a play well-performed.

If you must wipe the snot from your 3-year old’s nose, don’t be disgusted if the Kleenex didn’t catch it all…because soon he’ll be wiping his own.

If you’ve recently experienced loss, then GRIEVE. And grieve well.

At the table with friends and family, LAUGH. If you’re eating and laughing at the same time, then might as well laugh until you puke. And if you eat, then SMELL. The aromas are not impediments to your day. Steak on the grill, coffee beans freshly ground, cookies in the oven. And TASTE. Taste every ounce of flavor. Taste every ounce of friendship. Taste every ounce of Life. Because it is most definitely a gift.

I don't know about you, but I think that's pretty amazing. Really makes me think. A few of his friends were affected the same way, and decided to help spread the word about Kyle's last sermon. They are creating a film that portrays the words and feelings of the sermon above. They created a blog to track the process. If you've got time, check it out, because these guys are awesome. They've put a lot of work into this film, and it shows. You can see two trailers for the film here. Both trailers 1 and 2 are great pieces of work. Watch and feel the emotion, be brought to tears, think. I've really been moved by this, and I think you will be too.

thoughts

So the good boys and girls take the so called right track/Faded white hats/grabbing credits/maybe transfers/They read all the books but they can't find the answers.

--John Mayer, No Such Thing

Oh, how true that is. I will graduate with my A.A. in two weeks. I know that no light bulb will turn on the day I'm handed my diploma, no answers will be delivered in that envelope. I feel good for accomplishing this first step in my college career, but I don't feel that it defines me. No piece of paper will ever make me who I am, no matter how many times my grandma tells me it will. Yes, it can make me more money, but "more money" isn't exactly on my priority list. I could debate on this for hours, but instead I'll just say that the last two weeks of school are hell, and let's just hope my head doesn't explode before May 17.

* * *

I'm amazed at the miracle of life. That sounds cheesy and cliche, but it's true. Holding my nephew last night, I realized how amazing it is that I can feel the huge power of God in a tiny 5 pound baby. It's crazy to think that he was still supposed to be in my sister's womb until the end of May, but instead is out here with us--safe and healthy. The God who created this Earth also created this little man with his tiny fingers and tiny toes. Wow.