I'm happy to say that this was my second time voting in a Presidential election. The first time, the candidate I chose was the chairman of a third party--think smaller and more obscure than the Green Party. I wasn't going to vote for McCain, especially after he chose Palin as his running mate, but I wasn't so sure about Obama at the time (that, and I wanted to use that as a loophole). This election, however, I voted for our President. Having received a mail-in early ballot (which I'm sure will be my preference from now on), I never actually voted on Election Day.
Yesterday was actually a good one--the video reports for this series was due that day for Public Policy and Administration, and all I did was help alphabetise them, along with Kate (the second Preceptor), and Kerrie and Amy (the T.A.'s), which took less time than the last time any of us had to sort them. Once I was done with that, I needed to speak with my advisor about what classes I'd need to take, which went well. Having no other classes that day--my Struggle for the Presidency class finished last Thursday--I barely did anything until around 7 p.m. when I went up for Small Group (part of InterVarsity). Great news: we have a newish member--Ariel, and she's a history nerd like me (which is a definite plus). We discussed the Last Supper, prayed over Vi and Molly's dorm (well, the entirety of Coconino, to be exact. And Vi and Molly are the two sisters whose room we have Small Group in.) And, of course, nerding out a bit while I was hearing about the election results (and eventually finding out that Obama won) was the icing on the cake. [Edit--11/21/2012: Although, when I first wrote this, I hadn't seen Ariel before, as I later found out she's no stranger to Vi and Molly. As of today, I'm already glad to know her. Also, she's not just a history nerd, but, really, I'm not complaining.]
(I know that such thoughts have gone through my mind before, but I'm sure it must be odd that quite a few of the people I'm working with are women. I'm the only guy among the Preceptors and T.A.'s, I'm usually the only guy in Small Group--there's a greater gender balance at Large Group, though--and there's only one other man in the Grace Outreach Rock Solid class at church. I mean, it's odd, but I'm okay with that.)
Of course, for every silver lining, there has to be a cloud. I honestly can't remember if I've ever written about this, or if I'm confusing it with a post I decided against publishing, but my father does not like Obama. So you can probably imagine his reactions when he found out who won. I'm not always that great at detecting sarcasm, or when someone's just joking around, and it's especially worse when it's via the internet, but I'm not sure how serious his desire to be part of a secessionist movement is. And as much as I love him, or at the very least feel obligated to do so, that's simply treason in my opinion. Whether he'll get over it or not, I don't know. [Edit--11/21/2012: As clarification... he's an Republican-turned-Tea Partier, and while I'm not a member of any political party I'm at least to the left of him. And, yes, he's still bitter about the election and is probably, at minimum, sympathetic to secessionist movements. My views on such groups being treasonous still remain. I keep feeling as though more developments will come up; how bad, I don't know.]
Showing posts with label Church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Church. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Grace Outreach: The GO Center is almost ready to open!
As a bit of background information, my current Home Church (Grace To The Nations) was originally known as Grace Chapel starting from the late '60s (where the current Small Chapel is today) up until the late '90s. Beginning as a church that strove to reach not only the unsaved/those that had fallen from the things of God but the sort of people the average church at that time wouldn't necessarily associate with (hippies and the like), it became one that reached out towards literally dozens of nations and the Hispanic community. For a while, however, we had a dream of not only reaching the International Community outside of our border, but the one in Tucson. Soon, that dream will be realised.
In a partnership with Tucson Refugee Ministry (along with a bunch of of other groups and churches that I can't remember off the top of my head), we will open the GO Center in a couple of weeks!
In a partnership with Tucson Refugee Ministry (along with a bunch of of other groups and churches that I can't remember off the top of my head), we will open the GO Center in a couple of weeks!
- Our primary goal is to reach out and help two groups: Refugees and similar internationals, and local students (6th-12th grade, for the moment) that need tutoring.
- For the refugees, we'll be helping then with their English skills, how to find a job, helping them understand our culture, and other essential tasks. Likewise, I for one hope that the other volunteers here will be able to learn something from this group. Also, while we hope that those who don't know Christ will eventually become a Christian due to our influence, this is something they will hopefully choose on their own--we will not force this on them. For some, however, this conversion is precisely why they've had to leave their homes--something we're obligated to take into account.
- While we already have a thriving Youth Ministry, and from what I understand we had a school of some sorts here, we don't/no longer have dedicated tutors for our children. With this, they can have a place to do their homework, find people to help them, and (provided their work is done) can have a place to play and relax.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
A semester almost finished, and a breakthrough at my church
(Apologies if this blog comes off as too vague--it's about as detailed as I can get right now. I'll try to fix it later. Also, I'll try to pick up the pace with regards to posting new stuff.)
I really do wonder where the time went. It feels that, not too long ago, I had just taken my first class at the U of A. I mean, of course, it's not like I'm going to graduate this year--I still have a few more semesters to go until I'm done. But, really, this didn't feel that slow.
I'd have to say that both my classes were interesting. In Public Policy and Administration, which deals with how government runs and functions, it was cool to be able to learn more about all that. Urban Growth and Development--a prerequisite for my Regional Development minor--basically talks about how cities grow and develop, challenges facing it, and (sort of) their future. A pretty fun class, and I'm feeling more confident about being a Regional Development minor because of it.
Now, about that breakthrough at church. Every Wednesday night for about 8 weeks (upcoming Wednesday will be Week 7), I've had this class called "Walking in the Power of the Holy Spirit", which is part of what our church calls Rock Solid/Roca Solida (this book, The Walk of the Spirit--The Walk of Power, is what we've been using). Now, the book is basically about praying in tongues, why it's not only a good thing but vital, and the benefits of doing it. If I've never said this before, I promise you that I'm not some religious nutcase--I was just interested in praying in tongues, as I wasn't very familiar with it and wanted to know more. If I have said that before, then I guess it bears repeating. Anyhow, last Wednesday, I got it. Beforehand, I felt I just simply couldn't, or it was barely coming out (put too much thought into it or something). That night, however, I just thought, "Let it flow--don't think too much on it, just do it." And it worked--well, at least as far as I'm concerned.
I really do wonder where the time went. It feels that, not too long ago, I had just taken my first class at the U of A. I mean, of course, it's not like I'm going to graduate this year--I still have a few more semesters to go until I'm done. But, really, this didn't feel that slow.
I'd have to say that both my classes were interesting. In Public Policy and Administration, which deals with how government runs and functions, it was cool to be able to learn more about all that. Urban Growth and Development--a prerequisite for my Regional Development minor--basically talks about how cities grow and develop, challenges facing it, and (sort of) their future. A pretty fun class, and I'm feeling more confident about being a Regional Development minor because of it.
Now, about that breakthrough at church. Every Wednesday night for about 8 weeks (upcoming Wednesday will be Week 7), I've had this class called "Walking in the Power of the Holy Spirit", which is part of what our church calls Rock Solid/Roca Solida (this book, The Walk of the Spirit--The Walk of Power, is what we've been using). Now, the book is basically about praying in tongues, why it's not only a good thing but vital, and the benefits of doing it. If I've never said this before, I promise you that I'm not some religious nutcase--I was just interested in praying in tongues, as I wasn't very familiar with it and wanted to know more. If I have said that before, then I guess it bears repeating. Anyhow, last Wednesday, I got it. Beforehand, I felt I just simply couldn't, or it was barely coming out (put too much thought into it or something). That night, however, I just thought, "Let it flow--don't think too much on it, just do it." And it worked--well, at least as far as I'm concerned.
Monday, March 5, 2012
"Jesus is Coming"--a short play
Jesus is Coming
Written by Larry Nester and Lee Goodrum
CAST OF CHARACTERS
COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN
ASSISTANT
SINGERS
TEEN #1--DAVID, if male, ELIZABETH, if female
TEEN #2--ISAAC, if male, REBEKAH, if female
OLD LADY
CROWD
JESUS
JESUS' ENTOURAGE--DISCIPLES, FOLLOWERS, MUSICIANS, and DANCERS
PROPS
HORNS/SHOFARS* (If possible)
FLUTES
TAMBOURINES
LUTES (If possible)
COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: Everyone, everyone! Jesus will be here shortly. I repeat, the Messiah--our rightful King, our Liberator--will be here in Jerusalem. (Beat) Now, where are those...
ASSISTANT: Musicians... and singers have already left--yes, they know where to go.
COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: Right, aren't we supposed to be having some people dancing, praising, bowing down... Paving the way with...
ASSISTANT: Palm leaves?
COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: Right, right.
TEEN #2: (Runs up to COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN with TEEN #1) That's us!
COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: Ah, yes, you two are finally here! And that's everyone, right?
ASSISTANT: (Reading off mental checklist) Yes, that's it--we're good to go!
COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: And we have... (Checks left wrist--NO WATCH!) Just a few minutes until Jesus arrives? (To TEENS) Well, what are you waiting for?
TEEN #1: Yes, sir! (Runs off with TEEN #2)
ASSISTANT: (Ad-libbed discussion with COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN--goes on for less than a minute)
OLD LADY: Oh, I can't wait to see Jesus, the Messiah and King! (She stumbles and falls)
TEEN #2: (to TEEN #1) Hey, aren't we supposed to go that way?
TEEN #1: Oh, right! (Beat) Can you believe we'll get to see Jesus?
TEEN #2: (Excited) That has got to be the hundredth time you've asked, and I still can't contain my excitement! I told you about my friend and how she saw Him turn all that water in those pots into wine, right?
TEEN #1: Yeah, and He raised... what's-his-name? Lazarus? From the dead!
TEEN #2: And wasn't your cousin working with Peter—you know, one of Jesus' Disciples?--when he ended up with all that fish? We ate on that for days!
COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: Right, right.
TEEN #2: (Runs up to COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN with TEEN #1) That's us!
COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: Ah, yes, you two are finally here! And that's everyone, right?
ASSISTANT: (Reading off mental checklist) Yes, that's it--we're good to go!
COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: And we have... (Checks left wrist--NO WATCH!) Just a few minutes until Jesus arrives? (To TEENS) Well, what are you waiting for?
TEEN #1: Yes, sir! (Runs off with TEEN #2)
ASSISTANT: (Ad-libbed discussion with COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN--goes on for less than a minute)
OLD LADY: Oh, I can't wait to see Jesus, the Messiah and King! (She stumbles and falls)
TEEN #2: (to TEEN #1) Hey, aren't we supposed to go that way?
TEEN #1: Oh, right! (Beat) Can you believe we'll get to see Jesus?
TEEN #2: (Excited) That has got to be the hundredth time you've asked, and I still can't contain my excitement! I told you about my friend and how she saw Him turn all that water in those pots into wine, right?
TEEN #1: Yeah, and He raised... what's-his-name? Lazarus? From the dead!
TEEN #2: And wasn't your cousin working with Peter—you know, one of Jesus' Disciples?--when he ended up with all that fish? We ate on that for days!
TEEN #1: Yeah, Jesus took some
kids lunch—some fish and a bit of bread, I think—and, like, multiplied it to
feed a whole crowd.
TEEN #2: No way!
TEEN #1: Way
(In the middle of the path lies an OLD LADY. She is dressed in ragged clothing covering much of her body)
TEEN #2: Whoa, check it out!
OLD LADY: (Moans)
TEEN #1: I think she's hurt.
TEEN #2: Yeah,you're right. She looks bad.
TEEN #1: What are we going to do? We can't stay here—Jesus will be coming soon.
TEEN #2: (Becomes incredulous) Excuse me?
TEEN #1: (Is confused) You were just telling me how excited you were to see Jesus, weren't you?
TEEN #2: Yeah, but that was before this. (Points to OLD LADY)
TEEN #1: Look, we don't have time for this. How about we just find someone else to help her.
TEEN #2: Find someone else? In this crowd? On this day? (Folds arms and rolls eyes) By the time we find someone to help her, she'll be lucky to be alive!
OLD LADY: (Moans)
TEEN #1: We'll send someone. We've got a job to do!
TEEN #2: And what are you going to tell her family when they find her dead? DEAD, (TEEN #1)! “Oh, I'm sorry guys. We totally found her alive, but I was too stupid to help her to somewhere safe...”
OLD LADY: (Moans louder)
TEEN #1: Okay already, but let's hurry. (to OLD LADY) We're going to get you to some help.
TEEN #2: Maybe if we're lucky, we can catch a glimpse of Jesus.
TEEN #1: A glimpse of the Messiah? I could live with that. Now, help me take her to my Aunt Esther's house.
TEEN #2: Will she be home today?
TEEN #1: We don't have a choice. (As they pick her up) Careful, CAREFUL! There!
(TEEN #1 and TEEN #2 carefully walk with OLD LADY to AUNT ESTHER's house—a small one-bedroom mud-and-brick house. Once they approach, TEEN #1 knocks on the door)
AUNT ESTHER: Whoa! What is this?
TEEN #1 She's hurt bad.
AUNT ESTHER: (Opens door) Aren't you kids supposed to be out there greeting...?
TEEN #2: We were, but you see...
AUNT ESTHER: What happened to her?
TEEN #1: We don't know. Can you help her?
AUNT ESTHER: Come in, come in—, just try to get her on the bed over there. I'll see what I can do to help. SAPHIRA (her daughter), bring me some moist towels and some water.
SAPHIRA: Yes Ma'am (as she goes to get towels)
(Teens gently place the old lady on bed)
AUNT ESTHER: All this fuss about this Jesus. After all I here He's just a carpenter from Nazareth. That hardly qualifies anyone to be King.
TEEN #1: Have you not heard of His Miracles?
AUNT ESTHER: He's still just a man.
OLD LADY: Oh, no. He's more than that. He's the Messiah that was prophesied by Isaiah (then passes out).
AUNT ESTHER: Hurry with that water and towels!
(At the sound of a horn, JESUS and ENTOURAGE begin the procession. The crowd begins praising and waiving palm leaves. The musicians begin playing and singers begin singing. The various dancers begin dancing as the procession moves down the aisle toward the stage. Jesus is smiling and blessing the crowd and the disciples are waving and praising. When they reach the stage...)
JESUS: (Dismounts noble steed, and holds up his hands) Wait!
(Beat. Then a DISCIPLE comes before JESUS. Although confused by His act, he also knows that He is surely doing this for a reason.)
DISCIPLE: What is it, my Lord?
JESUS: There is someone in need—here in the house! (Points to AUNT ESTHER's house) I must go there.
(JESUS knocks)
AUNT ESTHER: Who could that be now? (She opens the door to find JESUS) Oh my... (A beat passes as she is rendered speechless—JESUS at the door.)
JESUS: I came because I knew there was someone in need of my healing.
AUNT ESTHER: I, uh... Yes, yes! This way!
(JESUS enters in. TEEN #1 and TEEN #2 stand dumbstruck, bowing and clutching each other's hand. JESUS arrives to the OLD LADY.)
JESUS: Woman, rise up, you are healed.
OLD LADY: Oh, my God... I'm... I'M HEALED! (Instantaneously, she begins to dance and jump)
JESUS: (To teens) And thanks to you two for getting her here. Join me and my Disciples.
JESUS (To AUNT ESTHER) And bless you too my daughter for helping her. Come let's join the celebration.
TEEN #1 and TEEN #2: (Run up and hug JESUS. He leads them outside to the procession and the celebrations continue, lead by acrobats doing flips etc..)
OLD LADY: He healed me! Jesus healed me! (as she twirls in jubilation)
EVERYONE: Hosana to the King!
TEEN #2: No way!
TEEN #1: Way
(In the middle of the path lies an OLD LADY. She is dressed in ragged clothing covering much of her body)
TEEN #2: Whoa, check it out!
OLD LADY: (Moans)
TEEN #1: I think she's hurt.
TEEN #2: Yeah,you're right. She looks bad.
TEEN #1: What are we going to do? We can't stay here—Jesus will be coming soon.
TEEN #2: (Becomes incredulous) Excuse me?
TEEN #1: (Is confused) You were just telling me how excited you were to see Jesus, weren't you?
TEEN #2: Yeah, but that was before this. (Points to OLD LADY)
TEEN #1: Look, we don't have time for this. How about we just find someone else to help her.
TEEN #2: Find someone else? In this crowd? On this day? (Folds arms and rolls eyes) By the time we find someone to help her, she'll be lucky to be alive!
OLD LADY: (Moans)
TEEN #1: We'll send someone. We've got a job to do!
TEEN #2: And what are you going to tell her family when they find her dead? DEAD, (TEEN #1)! “Oh, I'm sorry guys. We totally found her alive, but I was too stupid to help her to somewhere safe...”
OLD LADY: (Moans louder)
TEEN #1: Okay already, but let's hurry. (to OLD LADY) We're going to get you to some help.
TEEN #2: Maybe if we're lucky, we can catch a glimpse of Jesus.
TEEN #1: A glimpse of the Messiah? I could live with that. Now, help me take her to my Aunt Esther's house.
TEEN #2: Will she be home today?
TEEN #1: We don't have a choice. (As they pick her up) Careful, CAREFUL! There!
(TEEN #1 and TEEN #2 carefully walk with OLD LADY to AUNT ESTHER's house—a small one-bedroom mud-and-brick house. Once they approach, TEEN #1 knocks on the door)
AUNT ESTHER: Whoa! What is this?
TEEN #1 She's hurt bad.
AUNT ESTHER: (Opens door) Aren't you kids supposed to be out there greeting...?
TEEN #2: We were, but you see...
AUNT ESTHER: What happened to her?
TEEN #1: We don't know. Can you help her?
AUNT ESTHER: Come in, come in—, just try to get her on the bed over there. I'll see what I can do to help. SAPHIRA (her daughter), bring me some moist towels and some water.
SAPHIRA: Yes Ma'am (as she goes to get towels)
(Teens gently place the old lady on bed)
AUNT ESTHER: All this fuss about this Jesus. After all I here He's just a carpenter from Nazareth. That hardly qualifies anyone to be King.
TEEN #1: Have you not heard of His Miracles?
AUNT ESTHER: He's still just a man.
OLD LADY: Oh, no. He's more than that. He's the Messiah that was prophesied by Isaiah (then passes out).
AUNT ESTHER: Hurry with that water and towels!
(At the sound of a horn, JESUS and ENTOURAGE begin the procession. The crowd begins praising and waiving palm leaves. The musicians begin playing and singers begin singing. The various dancers begin dancing as the procession moves down the aisle toward the stage. Jesus is smiling and blessing the crowd and the disciples are waving and praising. When they reach the stage...)
JESUS: (Dismounts noble steed, and holds up his hands) Wait!
(Beat. Then a DISCIPLE comes before JESUS. Although confused by His act, he also knows that He is surely doing this for a reason.)
DISCIPLE: What is it, my Lord?
JESUS: There is someone in need—here in the house! (Points to AUNT ESTHER's house) I must go there.
(JESUS knocks)
AUNT ESTHER: Who could that be now? (She opens the door to find JESUS) Oh my... (A beat passes as she is rendered speechless—JESUS at the door.)
JESUS: I came because I knew there was someone in need of my healing.
AUNT ESTHER: I, uh... Yes, yes! This way!
(JESUS enters in. TEEN #1 and TEEN #2 stand dumbstruck, bowing and clutching each other's hand. JESUS arrives to the OLD LADY.)
JESUS: Woman, rise up, you are healed.
OLD LADY: Oh, my God... I'm... I'M HEALED! (Instantaneously, she begins to dance and jump)
JESUS: (To teens) And thanks to you two for getting her here. Join me and my Disciples.
JESUS (To AUNT ESTHER) And bless you too my daughter for helping her. Come let's join the celebration.
TEEN #1 and TEEN #2: (Run up and hug JESUS. He leads them outside to the procession and the celebrations continue, lead by acrobats doing flips etc..)
OLD LADY: He healed me! Jesus healed me! (as she twirls in jubilation)
EVERYONE: Hosana to the King!
__________________________________
Yes, this is the script
I wrote for the short play I mentioned in my previous blog. It was
completed after a few weeks--Lee, the head of Grace To The Nations'
Drama Department, received the basic idea (a short play for Palm
Sunday) from one of the pastors, relayed the idea to me after I told him
I had a talent in writing (well, at least I could probably do this),
bounced ever-developing versions back and forth, and finally completed
it. I basically decided to post this as a "Hey, everyone, I made
this..." sort of thing. If you ever want to use this for your church
production, you'll need to contact me or Lee Goodrum so we can make the
final decision--it's nothing personal, and it's not some ego thing, but
it is our work and I figure he'd like to have some sort of control over
distribution. I mean, sure it's free, but it's also our intellectual
property.
Note: Pretty much none of us are more than amateurs at best--quite a few of us have next to no experience with acting or just recently got into this--and the Grace Drama Department (or whatever the proper name for it is) is sort of new and on a small budget. This play is also intended to be bilingual (the Spanish service hadn't had much experience with these sorts of things). We do this to give glory to God and because we can.
Note: Pretty much none of us are more than amateurs at best--quite a few of us have next to no experience with acting or just recently got into this--and the Grace Drama Department (or whatever the proper name for it is) is sort of new and on a small budget. This play is also intended to be bilingual (the Spanish service hadn't had much experience with these sorts of things). We do this to give glory to God and because we can.
Monday, February 27, 2012
So, February 19-25 was sort of eventful...
First off, yes, I haven't posted anything since I finished my fast--I'll also go ahead and post the (hopefully!) completed version of the skit in another post--I'll go over that in here later. Part of it is because of school--I'm focusing my time on that--and, frankly, I don't really think that there was much going on in my life worth writing about. This week, though, there is.
Wednesday:
The week before, if I remember correctly, I had a test for Public Policy and Administration. Long story short, while Part 1 (Multiple Choice) got a good grade I had to read out Part 2 (written version) due to readability issues.
That evening, as usual, I had Fusion--I'm sure I've gone over what that is before, but I'll answer anyone who isn't clear on it. We didn't have time to break off into discussion groups, so we got into groups of three for prayer. One of the things that was on my heart (though it's the only thing that I can think of from that moment) had to do with my dad and "immediate" stepfamily. For context, they--my dad, stepmother (April), stepbrother (Luke Grove), and stepnephew (Leavi Mitchell) (son of my youngest stepsister--Jessica)--all live near Flagstaff with my grandmother (who moved in a couple of years ago). I'm not exactly close with them for different reasons, and I prefer keeping this blog a secret from them, but they're still family. Their financial situation has never been the best, and it looks like my dad's previous source of income as owner of his small business/website Lobogunz (buying and selling guns and ammunition) hit a snag--the last time I heard about this, he was going to North Dakota to work on oil wells there.
Another thing is that, except for my grandmother (who I'm sure hasn't been able to go to church in a while), none of them believe in God. From what I understand, my dad used to be a Christian, was a nominal believer when I was younger, and stopped believing around the time I was 8 or so--my best guess. I have no idea whether or not April knew Christ, and I never bothered to ask her about it, but she's not a believer now. (I might also add that, after thinking about this, being around them may have planted a couple of destructive seeds that led to my previous lack of belief in God, among other things) As such, neither Luke nor Leavi are believers and that was part of my fears: that they never will, and their eventual destination will be separate from the Lord. This wasn't the first time I felt this, but it never really struck me at any magnitude until either August or September 2010. This was before I came to accept Christ back into my life, but there was this very same thing tugging at my heart--that they'd be going to Hell. I've been thinking/praying about it off and on since that night, but I was also given reassurance that their fate isn't carved in stone. Does that mean they'll be saved eventually (or at leasst one of them)? I don't know. Do I want them to be? Absolutely--I'd want them to know God as the Benevolent Heavenly Father that I know Him as. And I also know that, if I'm going to be asking for this to come, I have to invest something for this to happen--time, effort, love, or whatever I need to. I'll also need to fight my doubts and insecurities--I can't simply say that I can't do this, that I don't have the power to help change their destinies. If nothing else, I might be able to influence Luke and Leavi.
Thursday:
That evening, we had a meeting for Grace Drama--as I said before, the script is either completed or effectively done--where we went over some things about it: we'll be starting to rehearse almost every Saturday until Palm Sunday (I'll be one of Jesus' Disciples), and we've got quite a few cast members for both the English and Spanish services (we finally have the people we need to play all but the crowd/rest of the Disciples). I am so EXCITED!!!
Immediately afterwards, there was a memorial for Jonathan Centeno. I initially knew him only as being Wendy Reyes' boyfriend/probable future husband (if I remember right)--for context, Wendy is one of my friends at Grace. So, I figured he had to have been a decent guy. That Sunday, though, they were in a car accident. She survived, albeit shocked; he didn't make it. Out of respect, I decided to attend. Now, they were having the memorial in the Large Chapel, which can seat around 1,000 people. When I got there, almost all the seats were full. As I later found out, Jonathan was a man of God, well-known and cared about by not only hundreds of people but a handful of pastors (including a couple of those that work for Grace). It didn't take too long for me to think, "Wow, I really wish I knew this guy!"
Friday/Saturday:
Steve and I had been planning to go to The Rock and Worship Roadshow since a few weeks ago. It's basically this touring concert featuring all those bands on the home page--note: Bart Millard is the lead singer of MercyMe.
Wednesday:
The week before, if I remember correctly, I had a test for Public Policy and Administration. Long story short, while Part 1 (Multiple Choice) got a good grade I had to read out Part 2 (written version) due to readability issues.
That evening, as usual, I had Fusion--I'm sure I've gone over what that is before, but I'll answer anyone who isn't clear on it. We didn't have time to break off into discussion groups, so we got into groups of three for prayer. One of the things that was on my heart (though it's the only thing that I can think of from that moment) had to do with my dad and "immediate" stepfamily. For context, they--my dad, stepmother (April), stepbrother (Luke Grove), and stepnephew (Leavi Mitchell) (son of my youngest stepsister--Jessica)--all live near Flagstaff with my grandmother (who moved in a couple of years ago). I'm not exactly close with them for different reasons, and I prefer keeping this blog a secret from them, but they're still family. Their financial situation has never been the best, and it looks like my dad's previous source of income as owner of his small business/website Lobogunz (buying and selling guns and ammunition) hit a snag--the last time I heard about this, he was going to North Dakota to work on oil wells there.
Another thing is that, except for my grandmother (who I'm sure hasn't been able to go to church in a while), none of them believe in God. From what I understand, my dad used to be a Christian, was a nominal believer when I was younger, and stopped believing around the time I was 8 or so--my best guess. I have no idea whether or not April knew Christ, and I never bothered to ask her about it, but she's not a believer now. (I might also add that, after thinking about this, being around them may have planted a couple of destructive seeds that led to my previous lack of belief in God, among other things) As such, neither Luke nor Leavi are believers and that was part of my fears: that they never will, and their eventual destination will be separate from the Lord. This wasn't the first time I felt this, but it never really struck me at any magnitude until either August or September 2010. This was before I came to accept Christ back into my life, but there was this very same thing tugging at my heart--that they'd be going to Hell. I've been thinking/praying about it off and on since that night, but I was also given reassurance that their fate isn't carved in stone. Does that mean they'll be saved eventually (or at leasst one of them)? I don't know. Do I want them to be? Absolutely--I'd want them to know God as the Benevolent Heavenly Father that I know Him as. And I also know that, if I'm going to be asking for this to come, I have to invest something for this to happen--time, effort, love, or whatever I need to. I'll also need to fight my doubts and insecurities--I can't simply say that I can't do this, that I don't have the power to help change their destinies. If nothing else, I might be able to influence Luke and Leavi.
Thursday:
That evening, we had a meeting for Grace Drama--as I said before, the script is either completed or effectively done--where we went over some things about it: we'll be starting to rehearse almost every Saturday until Palm Sunday (I'll be one of Jesus' Disciples), and we've got quite a few cast members for both the English and Spanish services (we finally have the people we need to play all but the crowd/rest of the Disciples). I am so EXCITED!!!
Immediately afterwards, there was a memorial for Jonathan Centeno. I initially knew him only as being Wendy Reyes' boyfriend/probable future husband (if I remember right)--for context, Wendy is one of my friends at Grace. So, I figured he had to have been a decent guy. That Sunday, though, they were in a car accident. She survived, albeit shocked; he didn't make it. Out of respect, I decided to attend. Now, they were having the memorial in the Large Chapel, which can seat around 1,000 people. When I got there, almost all the seats were full. As I later found out, Jonathan was a man of God, well-known and cared about by not only hundreds of people but a handful of pastors (including a couple of those that work for Grace). It didn't take too long for me to think, "Wow, I really wish I knew this guy!"
Friday/Saturday:
Steve and I had been planning to go to The Rock and Worship Roadshow since a few weeks ago. It's basically this touring concert featuring all those bands on the home page--note: Bart Millard is the lead singer of MercyMe.
- I got up at around 5:15 a.m. so I could be awake enough to meet Steve by 6:15 or so.
- 6:30-ish, I wanted to take a picture from inside his truck looking outside, as sunrise hadn't exactly come yet. I soon found out the batteries in my camera were dead, so I couldn't take any pictures.
- We ate at Cracker Barrel for breakfast, got gas, and immediately got back on the road. Somewhere between 6:15 and this point, out of lack of much of anything better to do I started writing notes on my copy of the script. I had also noticed that gas prices were higher than usual--figures that they'll try to get a head start before Spring Break.
- We were also planning on going to the Arizona Science Center. I guess we both assumed that it would be something like the Science Museum in Minnesota--I highly recommend it if you're in the Twin Cities for any appreciable length of time. Alas, while it wasn't totally boring, it was mostly designed for younger children--a field trip from some local school was there, and they were definitely more in their element there than were were.
- Soon after, we ate at the Tilted Kilt--a nearby restaurant--for lunch and at the Hard Rock Cafe a little later. Somewhere during that time, we found the motel and got our room.
- It was around 4:30 when we got in line--not too bad, all things considered, and we (along with pretty much everyone else in the line) actually ended up moving ahead closer to the doors. I couldn't really see it, as I couldn't really be bothered to leave my spot, but it seemed that the group of people was spreading quite a distance away (there was around 10,000 people that attended).
- About two hours later, we finally got in. The show itself started at 7 and lasted until 11. Fun was had.
- The next morning, we left to get some late breakfast/early lunch at El Pollo Loco, went to Bass Pro Shops (Steve was looking for... something, I dunno, and I was just looking around), and then went over to Ikea. I had never gone there before, but I had heard about it off and on. Steve got a few things while I got a chocolate and hazelnut candy bar, lingonberry preserves, and a case of 10 batteries--as I later found out, the batteries didn't work for my camera. We ate at Honey Bear's Barbecue due to a previous recommendation by one of Steve's friends--supposedly, it was just as good, if not better, than Famous Sam's. While the food was okay, his friend was mistaken about the quality.
- Got home around 5:30.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
First Blog, and Merry Christmas
I sort of want to skip the awkward pleasantries about this being my first blog and get right to an actually decent subject. Maybe I'll do a more proper "First Blog" in a week, giving an overview about who I am and what to expect from this blog.
First off, Merry Christmas to any of my readers. I decided to jump the gun a bit here--I was originally planning on doing this somewhere around January 10 (more on why that's the case later), but I figured I might as well start now (Christmas Eve). As of right now, I'm in Maricopa, Arizona, where my Aunt Norma and Uncle Billy live--they were both originally from Texas. As far as Christmas goes, there isn't really much in the way of plans--if I were home in Tucson, I'd probably be at the Christmas Eve service at my church Grace to the Nations (that, or I might just attend the morning service). All I know for sure is that, for dinner, we're having burgers (not sure what we're having with it, though I'm having grilled onions and jalapeños on mine), and wemight take a tour of the area looking at Christmas lights just did (say/think what you will--at least it's something). Christmas Day, I'm even more clueless. I doubt there'll be much presents due to the economy--not that I'm complaining much; these days I'm lucky if I can think of more than one thing I really want. Actually, we're celebrating Aunt Norma's birthday--we might open presents tonight (if we do, I'll post pictures of them in the next blog). On the 26th, I'm helping Billy over at the Food Bank--gathering food from the local stores, sorting them out, and the like.
The reason I mentioned January 10th was that, as I had originally hoped, I would be going with a couple of my friends from church (including Steve Peterson--someone I originally met back in Pima College--Spring 2010 semester) and some other from Minnesota on a Mission Trip to Hermosillo, Sonora--the capital of Sonora. The trip was cancelled not too long ago--same as the trip before--, but if we had gone, we would have been distributing clothes and feeding the locals, helping out at the local churches, evangelising, and a few other things. Part of what appealed to me about this trip, aside from getting to do at least some of that, was the fact that I've never been to Mexico--not Nogales, Rocky Point/Puerto Peñasco, or anything like that!--and I was really excited to be able to do that. And, before anyone asks, they've done this before. While there may be threats from Narcoterrorism, I have/had no fear about that (no one's died on any of these trips that I've heard of).
Well, that's all I can really think of for tonight that I can't just post in another blog.
First off, Merry Christmas to any of my readers. I decided to jump the gun a bit here--I was originally planning on doing this somewhere around January 10 (more on why that's the case later), but I figured I might as well start now (Christmas Eve). As of right now, I'm in Maricopa, Arizona, where my Aunt Norma and Uncle Billy live--they were both originally from Texas. As far as Christmas goes, there isn't really much in the way of plans--if I were home in Tucson, I'd probably be at the Christmas Eve service at my church Grace to the Nations (that, or I might just attend the morning service). All I know for sure is that, for dinner, we're having burgers (not sure what we're having with it, though I'm having grilled onions and jalapeños on mine), and we
The reason I mentioned January 10th was that, as I had originally hoped, I would be going with a couple of my friends from church (including Steve Peterson--someone I originally met back in Pima College--Spring 2010 semester) and some other from Minnesota on a Mission Trip to Hermosillo, Sonora--the capital of Sonora. The trip was cancelled not too long ago--same as the trip before--, but if we had gone, we would have been distributing clothes and feeding the locals, helping out at the local churches, evangelising, and a few other things. Part of what appealed to me about this trip, aside from getting to do at least some of that, was the fact that I've never been to Mexico--not Nogales, Rocky Point/Puerto Peñasco, or anything like that!--and I was really excited to be able to do that. And, before anyone asks, they've done this before. While there may be threats from Narcoterrorism, I have/had no fear about that (no one's died on any of these trips that I've heard of).
Well, that's all I can really think of for tonight that I can't just post in another blog.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)