Saturday, December 28, 2002
My old Indiana home
It was a wonderful Christmas in Indiana. The time with family, and friends, and church folks was as good and relaxing as I had hoped. There is nothing like 'home' to warm the heart at Christmastime. They say you can't go back there, but I think that's a bunch of bull. I was there for Christmas this year...
Christmas Eve was a joyful time and just like in the movies it began to snow around dusk. Not those little measly anemic flakes that melt away on impact, but instead it was of the large fluffy variety that accumulate on everything in sight. By Christmas morning the land was covered with 5-6 inches of snowfall. A white Christmas!!! It hung on tree branches, lampposts, and mailboxes. Out our bay window, as the Christmas morning sun rose, you could see the fields and rolling hills for miles. It was beautiful.
We prayed, opened our gifts to each other, and like all of our other family dressed to head out over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house. The new-fallen snow was untouched and the drive through the countryside brought with it views of backwoods Indiana that only a fresh snow can create.
We were the first to arrive at Grandma Violet and Grandpa Delbert's house on Christmas morning. As I approached the door Grandpa threw it open, lunged out the threshold and grabbed me in a bear-hug with an enormous smile while chanting "Ho, Ho, Ho!" It made me laugh, and almost cry. Grandpa is old now. After several heart attacks he still makes it from day to day... but it is impossible to shake the thought that with every event that comes this may be his last. This Christmas though, he was in top form... and I will NEVER forget the look on his face that white Christmas morning. For an instant, he was the Grandpa that I remembered. Memories of tractor-rides, mushroom hunting, trips in town for a tenderloin, and stories of Kentucky blazed a trail though my mind in an instant.
As he let me go and the day continued, we enjoyed gifts from extended family, laughs with those who mean so much to us, and great food as only Grandma can make. But nothing compared to the moment when Grandpa threw open the door and wished me a 'Merry Christmas' as only he could. That is a memory that surpassed all others and will last a lifetime.
posted by Kevin at 12/28/2002 04:53:29 PM
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Monday, December 23, 2002
Live from the Temple
Been in Indiana for a couple days now, and had the opportunity to preach. WOW! What an experience. I enjoyed this one immensely. And praise the Lord, I made it through without too many mishaps. I spoke on Haggai and how his people's inability to put God first affected their lives. It was a neat little message.
Home is great, but I miss Texas (a little), and am SO excited about all of the opportunities and excitement that lay on the horizon next semester.
God bless, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, exciting Kwanza to you all!!!
posted by Kevin at 12/23/2002 09:23:05 PM
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Thursday, December 19, 2002
Lord of the Theatre
Had the rare opportunity to see a movie on its opening day this week... and as you might have guessed it was Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. We showed up at the theatre at about 11pm in anticipation of the midnight showing. Boy was it an interesting crowd! We met all manner of nerd and introvert. Homeschoolers and closet Dungeons & Dragons fans were there en masse. These people were not the 'socially acceptable' crowd, it was the first time in years that I had seen so many of these people in one place at one time... with out the culturally elite opposition. And it was great! I felt like I fit in... and I did. These are the people who I have been drawn to throughout my years - the misunderstood. It was like being in high school again, and I doubt I was alone in that sentiment. It was a great crowd to see a movie with. They erupted in applause at the opening credit naming Peter Jackson. They laughed, clapped, and cheered as they placed themselves in the three-hour movie.
The movie itself was great. While it started a little slow, by the end it had risen to become one of the greatest movies I have ever seen. It was epic. It was funny. It was heart-wrenching. It was engaging. It was everything that a movie should be. I love movies. I love the theatre, the idea of film, and the cultural significance of the pastime. I love it almost as much as I love church (and that is saying a lot). See this movie, and its previous edition... it is worth your time and effort, even if you aren't a 'nerd'.
As the movie ended I sat in my seat in stunned silence. The credits had surprised me, jolting me from my exploits in Middle Earth. I had become so entrenched in the plot that I my life and the movie's plot had become one... and as I came back to reality I realized that I would not soon forget seeing this movie for the first time. My life felt a little less significant that day, but Middle Earth more vibrant and alive.
Go see these movies. They are worth your effort. These are the Star Wars of our generation. Not since Lucas has there been such a culturally significant work of film done.
posted by Kevin at 12/19/2002 11:09:31 PM
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Tuesday, December 17, 2002
The end of the Semester
Words cannot express the full feeling of relief felt when a semester is finally over. It never felt this good... not in undergrad nor high school. The last month of the semester always seemingly brings a glut of papers, reading, projects, presentations, tests, and finals. This semester was the worst I've ever had. Remind me why I thought I could handle 16 hours (12 is full-time) and a 50+ hour a week job? ... or maybe don't. But today, TODAY!, it ended. The last report was signed... the last paper was submitted... the last final was taken... Today. I am glad its over. It was a long semester; the worst yet. Thank you Lord, for pulling me through it.
posted by Kevin at 12/17/2002 07:40:44 PM
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Sunday, December 15, 2002
The Death Clock
Being the Pessimistic Pico that I am, props to Seth, here is one that will really brighten your day! Visit The Death Clock online and find out how much longer you have to live. Now there is a dose of reality.
posted by Kevin at 12/15/2002 09:39:18 PM
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Friday, December 13, 2002
UScan
Occasionally something surprises me. Yesterday that happened. The place: a local Kroger. The time: dusk. The reason: UScan. I am probably the only person who has never seen these things before, but who ever would have imagined self-checkout lanes at a grocery store? You walk up to a scanner/bagging station and through the use of a touch-screen one is able to scan, bag, and pay for all of their items without a cashier. Is this American or what?!? We will stop at nothing to be individualists. The oddest part of the situation.... I LIKED it. It was nice to be able to get in and out of the store easily without the rigors of human contact. I enjoyed not having to wait in the dreaded check-out line with crying babies, women's home journal, and those blasted red spacers that tell the cashier "This crap is mine." And mostly, I liked not having to talk to a single soul (being an introvert that is a plus).
But as I walked out realizing that I experienced the wave of the future I was a little scared. The human part of me says that it is a great thing to separate myself as much as possible from others. What a drain it is to be social with strangers (especially those not in my socio-economic class). But my soul tells me that I lost a little of my humanity today and took a step closer to completely separating myself from the people God told me to be salt and light to. And that bothers me.
posted by Kevin at 12/13/2002 10:42:07 AM
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Tuesday, December 10, 2002
Homeless at Christmas
Today was the last day of my "Role of the Associate in Ministry" class at Dallas Seminary. We loaded up the wagons (Suburbans actually) and headed across downtown to the Dallas Life Foundation, the largest homeless shelter in North Texas. Words cannot fully express the experience. It was both uplifting and depressing. On the positive side, it is run well by loving and caring people. They are a faith-based organization and truly have the best interest of the homeless in mind. They have beds for 500 people and see multiplied thousands of people come through their doors year. They provide job-training, self-esteem building, computer skill classes, and a plethora of other helps to those who are in need... and they have great ways of differentiating between those truly in need and those who aren't. I was greatly impressed with how they were at fulfilling their mission. That was the good stuff. On the flip side it was a painful experience. Before I even walked into the shelter I was painfully aware that I did not fit in. I have a haircut, a groomed beard, white teeth (relatively), a nice sweater with cargo pants and Hilfiger shoes, and a sweet pea coat. I stood out like a sore thumb. I'm not trying to stereotype, I'm just saying I was different and I didn't like it. It made me uncomfortable... and I think that it was good for me. It made me think about the things I prioritize in life and the things I deem important. It was difficult to see other people who struggle to re-plug themselves into society... It was difficult to see their faces... It was difficult to see where they live... it was difficult to see a dormitory with hundreds of beds that is a home for hundreds of people... It was difficult to see humans this way. And it was difficult because I was being confronted with something - and it wasn't the worthlessness of these people. I was struck with the realization that I am ashamed. I am ashamed of myself for being selfish enough to ignore that these people exist. They need our help, and I pray to God that I can find ways to help out. The Dallas Life Foundation, check it out.
posted by Kevin at 12/10/2002 07:52:54 PM
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Telling her goodbye
Tomorrow I tell my love goodbye. We both knew the day would come when we would part ways, but I don't think that either one of us knew that it would be so soon. I heard somewhere that men are prone to jump from bed to bed with the frequency of a cheap ham radio... and I guess that they are right. Men are fickle creatures, and I am no better than the rest, I guess. I'd grown a little tired and weary of her long ago. She, as many girls like her, was difficult to maintain and expensive to boot. But pretty... she was definately pretty! Black and sleek. And she up real nice, when she was clean at all. I loved just looking at her lines... her curves. But tomorrow that ends. Its time to move on in life. Its time for me to grow up a little and stop living in the passions of youth. I am a man now and I was growing weary with her. I will miss her though. I think we all leave a part of us in our past relationships - a part that we can never get back in a time that we can never live out again. Yes, tomorrow is the day that we must part. I will cry, but only away from everyone in solitude. Goodbye Cammy. You were a great car. You wouldn't understand though, even if I tried to explain. You see... It's a Jeep thing.
posted by Kevin at 12/10/2002 08:42:45 AM
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Sunday, December 08, 2002
DCF
My church, PW Baptist Church, does one of the largest Christmas Pageants in the nation every year... it may even be the largest. Dallas Christ-mas Festival is its name, and it's great! There is nothing like a Christmas program with a 500 voice choir, 60-piece orchestra, fireworks, flying angels, snow, special effect fog and lighting, etc., etc., etc. But I digress. Last night we filmed the performance and it was a blast. Five cameras in sweet vantage points across the Worship Center (that seats 7,000) allowed us to see the performance in a most spectacular way. It's nights like these that remind me why I went in video production and ministry as my life's work.
Link
posted by Kevin at 12/08/2002 07:56:48 AM
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Friday, December 06, 2002
Performance Review
Today was my annual performance evaluation at Church. (Note: I am employed by a church... and no, we do not evaluate the performance of congregants... at least I don't think we do) Anyway. It went rather well. I received fairly high marks for output, competency, and brilliance (believe it or not, they used that word). I received the highest mark available in Achievement, volume output, growth, and quality. I received a good rating in responsiveness, and a improvement needed rating in expense awareness. I thought the review was great, except the budget rating. I have no budget control or authority... unless they gave it to me without my knowledge. Which is possible. But all-in-all, it was a good process, and I *horror of horrors* enjoyed it. And in church ministry, unfortunately, raises do not occur at the same time as performance evalutions. :) Oh Well.
posted by Kevin at 12/06/2002 11:50:51 AM
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Wednesday, December 04, 2002
Homework: Nemesis
I am currently convinced that homework is the biggest nemesis known to man. In graduate school they don't call it homework... but it still is. In fact, there is more of it than you could possibly ever accomplish - unless you are super-student, which I am not. Of course, had I not procrastinated and done other things instead along the way I might not be in as big bind as I am now. But you only live once (unless you are Hindi or believe in reincarnation, then you might think we live more than once. You would be wrong... we do only live once... but believe what you want) and this time around is mine. The only thing that keeps me from going insane (other than the WB) is the thought that I will be finished in May. And then, the homework will be finished and I will be allowed to move on in life... to whatever adulthood holds beyond school. But for now, its all about the homework. And I have just wasted another valuable 15 minutes of time that I could have used for it. And yet, I don't care a lick. ;)
posted by Kevin at 12/04/2002 10:17:07 PM
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Tuesday, December 03, 2002
Road Rage
Spent over an hour on the road tonight trying to get home after school. The trip should have taken 20 minutes... but do to rain, accidents, and slowpokes it was stop-and-go all the way. By the end I had a headache and a bad attitude. I HATE COMMUTING to and from downtown during rush hour. I recognize that I am not the only one to ever have these feelings... but I am the only person I care about, so I feel it is ok to vent. :) I miss Indiana, where a traffic jam was never a problem and the only real traffic we problems we had at all were caused by farm equipment in the spring and fall harvest times. And to think that I used to complain about them! I take back all those nasty things I said.
posted by Kevin at 12/03/2002 09:33:05 PM
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Monday, December 02, 2002
FYI - Wishlist update
Just updated my wishlist. Enjoy!
posted by Kevin at 12/02/2002 09:33:08 PM
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Christmas times a comin'
Thanks to some badgering from my near relatives I've (for the first time in history) published a sort of Christmas wishlist. You can find it on the left under 'papers'. I do not really approve of these things, but I figured that maybe it would at least give people a direction in which to start.
posted by Kevin at 12/02/2002 12:44:01 AM
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