Tonight, we had people in our house who have literally lived on at least 3 different continents, have probably traveled to more than 50 different countries combined, shared in many different walks of life, and are pursuing many different passions and interests. Now, you may think these would be people of "mature" years that have had time to live and study and grow... which I suppose to an extent is true, but I must tell you that, with the exception of my parents, every person here tonight was my age (26) and younger.
I was having a lot of fun talking with the different friend groupings and connections. Yes, this music and theatre nerd can actually enjoy conversation with someone studying to be a PA (physicians assistant - a.k.a. "blood and guts stuff") or a college basketball player (I think you play that on a court, not a field, right?). Anyways, we grilled out and stayed up until past midnight, just enjoying the night and one another. It was definitely a fun (and by moments chaotic) group. At one point, as many as 15 were crowded around the kitchen, and even now we have 4 extras spending the night.
I was just marveling at the fact that some of them have traveled - indeed, LIVED - in more places than most people will visit in an entire lifetime. While I have never lived for an extended period outside the USA, I have done a fair share of traveling that, I believe, has helped me to appreciate and think more critically (not all bad criticism) about my own country. I believe you can observe differences while visiting another country for a week or so... but to have actually lived in another country long enough to learn the language and the heartbeat of the people... that would be quite something. Something I wouldn't mind doing some day.
A few of the people that were here tonight have only lived in the US for a few months... compared to 18+ years on "foreign" soil. All of them are American citizens, but many of them feel more at home outside the US than in it. It was refreshing to speak with them tonight - not that we spent much time country-comparing, but it was just fun to see the Body of Christ and know that the Lord is truly alive and at work in His kids all over the place. Again, not even huge "missionary" stories... just the Lord quietly at His daily work in our hearts.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
"The Butterfly Circus"
I watched an incredible short film today.
http://www.thedoorpost.com/hope/film/?film=4dd298f102c77b625cf37a9e7744ac68
It was beautiful. Turns out, the main guy in the film is a believer and has an incredible story of hope and encouragement he has brought around the world.
It's left me thinking quite a bit.
Jeremiah 29:11-13 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart."
http://www.thedoorpost.com/hope/film/?film=4dd298f102c77b625cf37a9e7744ac68
It was beautiful. Turns out, the main guy in the film is a believer and has an incredible story of hope and encouragement he has brought around the world.
It's left me thinking quite a bit.
Jeremiah 29:11-13 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart."
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Newspaper route
So my brother has a paper route. He is still finishing up getting his driver's license so we all take turns driving on occasion. This afternoon it was my turn.
My brother has Asperger syndrome. That's funny, spell check tries to correct Asperger. I'm surprised it's not in Google's dictionary; boiled down, it's a form of autism. Anyways, my brother is a genius at certain things... but like a lot of people diagnosed with Asperger's, he doesn't inherently understand a lot of non-verbal and "social" cues. A lot of people I've known with Asperger's tend to be very outgoing and will talk for hours if they can. However, for my brother, the opposite has happened over the years - he has slowly become more introverted and withdrawn from public circles and conversations. There are a few people he has learned to feel comfortable around if they continue to step forward and care about him and initiate relationship, but those people are relatively few and far between.
Anyways, so today I was driving Ben on the paper route. I have started noticing a pattern. As we get closer and closer to a house that has a dog he knows, Ben will become more and more contented and happy. It makes his day when the dog barks at him from inside the house, or (when they're outside) get excited when Ben is coming. Ben will take on an almost paternal air with the dog. He loves greeting them. It's really precious, actually, to see my giant of a little brother talking to and petting these dogs in our neighborhood. He is so excited when he learns one of their names. In fact, the entire route seems to center on the dogs.
I think, for him, it's a form of relationship he can trust. The dog will always treat him the same way, they will never show indifference or even ignore him. Because they initiate and are 100% consistent, Ben learns to respond with love and care. I love watching this; it touches my heart and makes for a very enjoyable afternoon.
So, even though the route is a bear, especially on the week-ends (2:30am arrival on Sundays!), I've really enjoyed watching Ben develop relationships with these creatures, and seeing him look forward to their brief interaction. It may not seem like much, but for a brother who doesn't have many friends, I think it may be the highlight of his average day... which makes it even more wonderful and precious to me as well.
Just a snippet into my life, today...
My brother has Asperger syndrome. That's funny, spell check tries to correct Asperger. I'm surprised it's not in Google's dictionary; boiled down, it's a form of autism. Anyways, my brother is a genius at certain things... but like a lot of people diagnosed with Asperger's, he doesn't inherently understand a lot of non-verbal and "social" cues. A lot of people I've known with Asperger's tend to be very outgoing and will talk for hours if they can. However, for my brother, the opposite has happened over the years - he has slowly become more introverted and withdrawn from public circles and conversations. There are a few people he has learned to feel comfortable around if they continue to step forward and care about him and initiate relationship, but those people are relatively few and far between.
Anyways, so today I was driving Ben on the paper route. I have started noticing a pattern. As we get closer and closer to a house that has a dog he knows, Ben will become more and more contented and happy. It makes his day when the dog barks at him from inside the house, or (when they're outside) get excited when Ben is coming. Ben will take on an almost paternal air with the dog. He loves greeting them. It's really precious, actually, to see my giant of a little brother talking to and petting these dogs in our neighborhood. He is so excited when he learns one of their names. In fact, the entire route seems to center on the dogs.
I think, for him, it's a form of relationship he can trust. The dog will always treat him the same way, they will never show indifference or even ignore him. Because they initiate and are 100% consistent, Ben learns to respond with love and care. I love watching this; it touches my heart and makes for a very enjoyable afternoon.
So, even though the route is a bear, especially on the week-ends (2:30am arrival on Sundays!), I've really enjoyed watching Ben develop relationships with these creatures, and seeing him look forward to their brief interaction. It may not seem like much, but for a brother who doesn't have many friends, I think it may be the highlight of his average day... which makes it even more wonderful and precious to me as well.
Just a snippet into my life, today...
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