Monday, May 28, 2012
Quella Che Sarà Sarà
So, I was looking through some old text messages the other day, and I found one where Nick Broadway told me to get back on my blogging. Truth be told, I just about forgot I had this thing. Oh well, quello che sarà sarà. If you don't know what that means, you might not know any Italian. Do I know any? Enough to go to Italy for the summer. What up?! I got here Thursday, or Wednesday central time. I spent 3 days in Rome, saw the Vatican, the Coliseum, the Pantheon, and the Trevi Fountain. It's been amazing. Now I'm in Salerno for a month, taking 200 level Italian. I just took the placement exam to see which class I'll be in. It's probably gonna be the most basic one. Oh well. I'm gonna try to keep you guys updated. This is just a reminder post so I'll look in my recent pages and see this and be like "oh yeah, I have a blog!". Ciao!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Food for Thought-Let's Start Offending
August 2009: I arrive at my dorm at the University of Mississippi and meet my roommate for Freshman year.
September 2009: In a casual conversation, my roommate states that he doesn't see much use for religion in today's society, saying that he believes philosophy trumps it.
Fall Semester 2009: This conversation is repeated several times, and I take the hint that he doesn't have an interest in church.
Spring Semester 2010: I begin going back to church, after a hiatus while I rejoiced not being told to go by my parents. I mention this to my roommate, and he repeats his lack of interest, but says he respects my choice. Not wanting to cause a conflict, I don't mention it again, unless he is asking where I'm going on a Wednesday night. I pray for him once or twice, but never invite him to anything church-related.
May 2010: The school year ends, and we part ways.
June 2010: I visit my old roommate at his new apartment. We hang out for a few hours with another friend, during which I never mention church.
August 2010: I run into my old roommate at lunch while with a mutual friend. I am now living at my church's student center. We talk for an hour. Again, I never invite him to church or mention it.
November 12, 2010: I see my old roommate at a friend's party. We talk from 10:00 PM that night until around 1 the next morning. I never mention church.
This is the last time I see him in person.
February 11, 2011: I have a brief text conversation with my old roommate. I do not mention church.
This is the last communication I have with the person I lived with Freshman year.
January 15, 2012: at Gulf Coast Getaway, an annual campus ministry conference in Panama City Beach, I ask for prayers from my group to give me the strength to invite people I know to church, even if it offends them.
Today, January 19, 2012: I browse through old Facebook pictures, and come across one that I took of my old roommate when we saw a celebrity in the dorm. Curious as to what he's been up to, and maybe at least subconsciously thinking about my recent prayer request, I click on his profile.
10 seconds later: I see many posts on his Wall saying how much people miss him and wish he was still with them.
8:05 AM: I learn that my old roommate was killed in a car accident 4 days ago. I have no idea where he stood in his relationship with Jesus Christ.
Now: I'm siting in my room with this feeling that's both empty and yet still full of pain. We never were very close, and we didn't see each other much after we moved out, but this was a person I lived with for roughly 9 months. This was a person that God put in my life to help and to bring to Christ, and I let the opportunity slip right through my fingers because I was afraid of causing conflict with the person I had to live with that year. If nobody ever reached him with the Message, then where is he now? And, is it my fault?
If there is someone in your life that you feel even the slightest urge to talk to about church or God, do it. Don't be afraid of offending them or irritating them. It is the job of every follower of Christ to offend. Our life is not meant to be an easy one, full of respecting boundaries. It is meant to be a radical one of telling the story of our Savior, and bringing home all of His lost children, no matter what the cost. God did not intend for us to be a timid people, He intended for us to be warriors on his battlefield, soldiers in His war, giving up everything to follow Him and teach others how to do the same. We will never be worthy of his sacrifice or his gift, but we will be even less so if we allow ourselves to sit by quietly and watch loved ones as well as strangers fall into the hands of Satan. As a follower, to truly call yourself a friend of someone must be to impress upon them the importance of their relationship with Christ, though they may hate you for it, though you may lose them for it. In the end, the gain of them in Heaven is worth the temporary loss of them on Earth.
Let's start offending,
Sam
September 2009: In a casual conversation, my roommate states that he doesn't see much use for religion in today's society, saying that he believes philosophy trumps it.
Fall Semester 2009: This conversation is repeated several times, and I take the hint that he doesn't have an interest in church.
Spring Semester 2010: I begin going back to church, after a hiatus while I rejoiced not being told to go by my parents. I mention this to my roommate, and he repeats his lack of interest, but says he respects my choice. Not wanting to cause a conflict, I don't mention it again, unless he is asking where I'm going on a Wednesday night. I pray for him once or twice, but never invite him to anything church-related.
May 2010: The school year ends, and we part ways.
June 2010: I visit my old roommate at his new apartment. We hang out for a few hours with another friend, during which I never mention church.
August 2010: I run into my old roommate at lunch while with a mutual friend. I am now living at my church's student center. We talk for an hour. Again, I never invite him to church or mention it.
November 12, 2010: I see my old roommate at a friend's party. We talk from 10:00 PM that night until around 1 the next morning. I never mention church.
This is the last time I see him in person.
February 11, 2011: I have a brief text conversation with my old roommate. I do not mention church.
This is the last communication I have with the person I lived with Freshman year.
January 15, 2012: at Gulf Coast Getaway, an annual campus ministry conference in Panama City Beach, I ask for prayers from my group to give me the strength to invite people I know to church, even if it offends them.
Today, January 19, 2012: I browse through old Facebook pictures, and come across one that I took of my old roommate when we saw a celebrity in the dorm. Curious as to what he's been up to, and maybe at least subconsciously thinking about my recent prayer request, I click on his profile.
10 seconds later: I see many posts on his Wall saying how much people miss him and wish he was still with them.
8:05 AM: I learn that my old roommate was killed in a car accident 4 days ago. I have no idea where he stood in his relationship with Jesus Christ.
Now: I'm siting in my room with this feeling that's both empty and yet still full of pain. We never were very close, and we didn't see each other much after we moved out, but this was a person I lived with for roughly 9 months. This was a person that God put in my life to help and to bring to Christ, and I let the opportunity slip right through my fingers because I was afraid of causing conflict with the person I had to live with that year. If nobody ever reached him with the Message, then where is he now? And, is it my fault?
If there is someone in your life that you feel even the slightest urge to talk to about church or God, do it. Don't be afraid of offending them or irritating them. It is the job of every follower of Christ to offend. Our life is not meant to be an easy one, full of respecting boundaries. It is meant to be a radical one of telling the story of our Savior, and bringing home all of His lost children, no matter what the cost. God did not intend for us to be a timid people, He intended for us to be warriors on his battlefield, soldiers in His war, giving up everything to follow Him and teach others how to do the same. We will never be worthy of his sacrifice or his gift, but we will be even less so if we allow ourselves to sit by quietly and watch loved ones as well as strangers fall into the hands of Satan. As a follower, to truly call yourself a friend of someone must be to impress upon them the importance of their relationship with Christ, though they may hate you for it, though you may lose them for it. In the end, the gain of them in Heaven is worth the temporary loss of them on Earth.
Let's start offending,
Sam
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Food for Thought-Political Incorrectness
Question: If you saw something at the park that walked like a duck, and talked like a duck, what would you call it? I would call it a duck. What about a car designed by Ford with the logo of a horse? It's a Mustang. These are facts. So why do we have trouble calling things what they are when it might make somebody uncomfortable? There's a line between honesty and inappropriateness, and we're so afraid of crossing that line that we've given it complete control. I'll be the first to say we shouldn't intentionally be rude or disrespectful to others, but we each have to be able to speak our mind. It's not only the fact that we have become afraid of stubbing toes, it's the fact that society has become conditioned to be extra sensitive to completely appropriate statements. Take race for example. As a black person with a group of friends that includes many white people, who I value and appreciate, I am constantly amazed by their misguided attempts to be sensitive to the fact that I am a minority in the group. I can think of countless occasions where one person has been telling a story, and when it comes time to describe a person involved who happens to be black, they feel the need to turn to me and say "No offense". We discussed this recently. It's not the fact that you interacted with a black person and wanted to describe them as such that offends me-feel free to describe every character: the blonde, the short guy, the atheist-it's the fact that you don't consider us to be good enough friends that you can say what's on your mind. If a black person has wronged you and you're angry about it, don't apologize to me, just get over your anger. You wouldn't apologize to me if the person you were angry with was a Republican( yes I consider myself a conservative most days). Equally irritating is when a stranger wants to correct you so you don't offend somebody. While sitting in a dentist's waiting room with my father recently, a black lady sitting near us commented on how much alike we looked, except for my lighter shade of skin. "Your mom must be light-skinned", she assumed, to which I responded, "she's white." This woman, whom I had never met, told me in a stern voice not to say 'white', as if she was my mother herself. I gave her the most sarcastic look I could muster and said, "sorry, Caucasian". Where's the difference? Isn't 'Caucasian' a synonym for 'white'? I won't say 'automobile' when it's more convenient to say 'car', and this is no different.
Where's this rant coming from? I'm taking a Topics in Film class, where we study drama through plays and movies, and I just finished reading "Oleanna" by David Mamet. It is about a female student who is having trouble in a class, and the male professor who decides that he can help her get an 'A' through private lectures in his office after she helps him realize how he failed her. She asks why he's helping her, and he says because he "likes her". Later in their conversation, she becomes upset and he places a hand on her shoulder. She reacts negatively and files a complaint against him, costing him his tenure. She calls him sexist and elitist, all because he said he liked her, surely as a professor likes an interesting student. It disgusts me that professors can no longer teach and help students for fear of losing their jobs. If it had been a woman teacher who said she liked her, I doubt anything would have been done. In this day and age, we have become so sensitive that compliments are considered assault, and you can no longer tell someone of the opposite gender that they look nice today. Honesty has taken a back seat to compassion, and it will lead to nothing good.
I could easily go on forever with this topic, so I'll just end here.
Thanks for reading,
Sam
Where's this rant coming from? I'm taking a Topics in Film class, where we study drama through plays and movies, and I just finished reading "Oleanna" by David Mamet. It is about a female student who is having trouble in a class, and the male professor who decides that he can help her get an 'A' through private lectures in his office after she helps him realize how he failed her. She asks why he's helping her, and he says because he "likes her". Later in their conversation, she becomes upset and he places a hand on her shoulder. She reacts negatively and files a complaint against him, costing him his tenure. She calls him sexist and elitist, all because he said he liked her, surely as a professor likes an interesting student. It disgusts me that professors can no longer teach and help students for fear of losing their jobs. If it had been a woman teacher who said she liked her, I doubt anything would have been done. In this day and age, we have become so sensitive that compliments are considered assault, and you can no longer tell someone of the opposite gender that they look nice today. Honesty has taken a back seat to compassion, and it will lead to nothing good.
I could easily go on forever with this topic, so I'll just end here.
Thanks for reading,
Sam
Monday, July 25, 2011
iFail
Clearly, I'm no good at this blogging thing. I lack the self-discipline and motivation. Maybe I shouldn't have made such a big deal about it, because now it feels like a responsibility, and I avoid responsibility like Charlie Sheen avoids reality...hey Chuck, hate to break it to you, but orange doesn't rhyme with mush.
Anyway, I'm sure you're all dying to know what's going on in my life. Well, I got a job...which is ending...um, I added a major...which means I'll be paying off more loans...I've seen a lot of really good movies...which means my funds are low right now...sorry bank account! But seriously, this has been a really good summer. I made some new friends, which means I picked up new bad habits, but I'm also working on dropping some others(bad habits that is, not friends, even though you should always be prepared to make that choice, difficult though it may be). I've started making serious choices, but I still have others to make, and I'm in the process of praying about them(I hope you'll all pray with me). I've learned valuable lessons that I don't plan to forget any time soon(but the lack of activity on this blog is proof of my terrible memory). I've decided to start writing stories again, I'm thinking about getting back into music, and I'm juggling the possibility of making a movie...not a real movie, just a low-budget indie documentary with a played-out deeper meaning. It'll be all the rave at the next Sundance Film Festival...or at least the next Oxford Film Festival...or at least my blog.
So the summer's almost over, and pretty soon it'll be back to school(because let's face it, summer school doesn't count). Hopefully I'll have a new job, and maybe I can find some good study habits at Goodwill. I have to, because this bare minimum thing isn't gonna cut anymore.
Not much of a blog, I know, but at least now you all know I'm still alive. I'll try to blog again soon, but let's be real, what's the likelihood of that?
I'm your huckleberry,
Sam
Anyway, I'm sure you're all dying to know what's going on in my life. Well, I got a job...which is ending...um, I added a major...which means I'll be paying off more loans...I've seen a lot of really good movies...which means my funds are low right now...sorry bank account! But seriously, this has been a really good summer. I made some new friends, which means I picked up new bad habits, but I'm also working on dropping some others(bad habits that is, not friends, even though you should always be prepared to make that choice, difficult though it may be). I've started making serious choices, but I still have others to make, and I'm in the process of praying about them(I hope you'll all pray with me). I've learned valuable lessons that I don't plan to forget any time soon(but the lack of activity on this blog is proof of my terrible memory). I've decided to start writing stories again, I'm thinking about getting back into music, and I'm juggling the possibility of making a movie...not a real movie, just a low-budget indie documentary with a played-out deeper meaning. It'll be all the rave at the next Sundance Film Festival...or at least the next Oxford Film Festival...or at least my blog.
So the summer's almost over, and pretty soon it'll be back to school(because let's face it, summer school doesn't count). Hopefully I'll have a new job, and maybe I can find some good study habits at Goodwill. I have to, because this bare minimum thing isn't gonna cut anymore.
Not much of a blog, I know, but at least now you all know I'm still alive. I'll try to blog again soon, but let's be real, what's the likelihood of that?
I'm your huckleberry,
Sam
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Rondo, Kobe, Lebron, Joakim and Steve Nash
The above picture was taken on our last day in Haiti. One of the kids insisted that he was Kobe Bryant. I don't like Kobe Bryant, but I love these kids. So I adopted the name Rondo, Andrew became Lebron(not crazy about him either), and two other kids decided they wanted to be Jaokim Noah and Steve Nash(I'm indifferent about both.) I can't wait to go back.
Culture Shock
Imagine 2 scenes for me. The first scene is of a waitress clearing a table with 4 plates. Each of these plates has at least half of the original contents still on it. Focus on that, concentrate on it. You got it? Now for the second scene. 2 small children fight over half an MRE. Their faces are stained with the contents, and the look in their eyes shows the want they have for what's left in that package. Focus on that, concentrate on it. You got it?
The night before we left for Haiti, James, the coordinator of the trip, held a meeting in the hotel lobby. He wanted to go over some last minute details, verify our passports, and warn us about the effects that the trip might have on us. He said that while you would normally experience culture shock, on a trip this short in time we were more likely to go through the phases of reverse culture shock when we returned. By this, he meant that we might start to see the way Americans can sometimes be wasteful, without even meaning to be. Now honestly, I didn't think this would happen to me. I've always felt like I notice the way people waste. And at first, it wasn't a problem coming back.
Then I went to IHOP with some friends last weekend. And this morning, I started thinking about the waitress bringing our plates. I started thinking about us sitting there, talking for 2 hours. I started thinking about how when she took the plates away, almost every one still had food on it(one person had only eaten half a pancake). And I started thinking about those 2 children in Haiti, fighting over half of a cold MRE. Then I started comparing other scenes. I remembered watching someone throw away half a bottle of water, and I placed that image against one of 6 children fighting over a small water container. Children who just moments ago were playing together turned on each other for a few drops of the thing we take for granted every day. I thought about a friend who I once saw throw change into a trash can after leaving the store because he had no need for coins. I merged that scene with one in which a little girl, who normally only spoke Creole, walking from one person to another, repeating the only English phrase she knew: "Give me one dollar."
I thought that I was ready prepared for the difference between America and Haiti. But I was wrong. I never fully realized just how wasteful we are. When did Americans stop appreciating the liberties that we have been afforded? And I know that sounds really judgmental and self-righteous, so let me insert a footnote: I'm wasteful myself. I waste food, water, electricity...I waste opportunities. That's why I'm writing this. Think about how many times you've passed on extra credit in a class, because you didn't really feel like you needed it. Now think about someone who might study for 6 hours a night, and do all the extra credit in the world, and still won't amount to more than a street vendor. Blessed are they, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
This is just something I've been thinking about today. Hopefully, I can get more insights as I spend more time praying and journaling about my trip.
God Bless,
Sam
The night before we left for Haiti, James, the coordinator of the trip, held a meeting in the hotel lobby. He wanted to go over some last minute details, verify our passports, and warn us about the effects that the trip might have on us. He said that while you would normally experience culture shock, on a trip this short in time we were more likely to go through the phases of reverse culture shock when we returned. By this, he meant that we might start to see the way Americans can sometimes be wasteful, without even meaning to be. Now honestly, I didn't think this would happen to me. I've always felt like I notice the way people waste. And at first, it wasn't a problem coming back.
Then I went to IHOP with some friends last weekend. And this morning, I started thinking about the waitress bringing our plates. I started thinking about us sitting there, talking for 2 hours. I started thinking about how when she took the plates away, almost every one still had food on it(one person had only eaten half a pancake). And I started thinking about those 2 children in Haiti, fighting over half of a cold MRE. Then I started comparing other scenes. I remembered watching someone throw away half a bottle of water, and I placed that image against one of 6 children fighting over a small water container. Children who just moments ago were playing together turned on each other for a few drops of the thing we take for granted every day. I thought about a friend who I once saw throw change into a trash can after leaving the store because he had no need for coins. I merged that scene with one in which a little girl, who normally only spoke Creole, walking from one person to another, repeating the only English phrase she knew: "Give me one dollar."
I thought that I was ready prepared for the difference between America and Haiti. But I was wrong. I never fully realized just how wasteful we are. When did Americans stop appreciating the liberties that we have been afforded? And I know that sounds really judgmental and self-righteous, so let me insert a footnote: I'm wasteful myself. I waste food, water, electricity...I waste opportunities. That's why I'm writing this. Think about how many times you've passed on extra credit in a class, because you didn't really feel like you needed it. Now think about someone who might study for 6 hours a night, and do all the extra credit in the world, and still won't amount to more than a street vendor. Blessed are they, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
This is just something I've been thinking about today. Hopefully, I can get more insights as I spend more time praying and journaling about my trip.
God Bless,
Sam
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Will somebody please give me the motivation I need to be a more consistent blogger?
Hey guys. Sam here again. I actually have a half-legitimate excuse for my inconsistency in blogging this time. I just got back from a week-long trip to Haiti, and I've been a little worn out from it. Of course, that doesn't excuse my lack of activity before the trip but, hey, I'll take what I can get.
The trip was an amazing experience for me and those that I went with. We spent most of our time at an orphanage/school where we sponsor 2 kids trough Christian Relief Fund, and we actually got to meet them. It really made me realize what a sponsorship can do for a child. I know that most of us probably watch those informercials for Feed The Children at 4 in the morning and wonder how much of our money would actually go to a hungry child. But after seeing the kids at this school, I don't think I could ever think that again. The people that run the place seem to have such a heart for the children, and I feel confident that they are in good hands.
Our main point of going to Haiti was to put a purification system in the well that they have. The main supply of water in Cap-Hatien, and in most of Haiti, is infected by cholera. Even the water in our hotel room wasn't safe to drink. So we raised the money for this system and took it down there, and then set up 2 spigots, one for the children inside the school, and one for people in the town to get on the other side of the wall. Now the whole town can have a chance at clean water.
While we were there, we also did some painting in the school, and built some benches in the church, and let me tell you something. The people down there want improvement. They just sometimes need help getting started. The kids went crazy when they saw the paint, and if you left your brush alone for more than 5 seconds, you were going to lose it to a pint-sized Picasso. And when the electric saw we were using for benches gave out and we had to switch to handsaws, we couldn't hold a candle to the locals that were helping us. Where we got one bench done in 45 minutes, they had 2 in an hour at most. It was incredible.
Being in a place like that can really give you perspective on life. It helps you to appreciate some of the things we have here. We complain about not being able to get cell phone service in the library, and they have to fight over dirty water. We need the newest version of everything that's out, and they receive a soccer ball for 200 kids and treat it lik a bag full of toys. I sugggest that everybody take at least one trip like this in their life.
Well that's all for now. Next time I'll try to tell you about the specific hijinks that went on. Somebody please promise to be my accountabili-buddy and make sure I post again in the next 3 days. I'd appreciate it greatly.
Au revoir,
Sam
The trip was an amazing experience for me and those that I went with. We spent most of our time at an orphanage/school where we sponsor 2 kids trough Christian Relief Fund, and we actually got to meet them. It really made me realize what a sponsorship can do for a child. I know that most of us probably watch those informercials for Feed The Children at 4 in the morning and wonder how much of our money would actually go to a hungry child. But after seeing the kids at this school, I don't think I could ever think that again. The people that run the place seem to have such a heart for the children, and I feel confident that they are in good hands.
Our main point of going to Haiti was to put a purification system in the well that they have. The main supply of water in Cap-Hatien, and in most of Haiti, is infected by cholera. Even the water in our hotel room wasn't safe to drink. So we raised the money for this system and took it down there, and then set up 2 spigots, one for the children inside the school, and one for people in the town to get on the other side of the wall. Now the whole town can have a chance at clean water.
While we were there, we also did some painting in the school, and built some benches in the church, and let me tell you something. The people down there want improvement. They just sometimes need help getting started. The kids went crazy when they saw the paint, and if you left your brush alone for more than 5 seconds, you were going to lose it to a pint-sized Picasso. And when the electric saw we were using for benches gave out and we had to switch to handsaws, we couldn't hold a candle to the locals that were helping us. Where we got one bench done in 45 minutes, they had 2 in an hour at most. It was incredible.
Being in a place like that can really give you perspective on life. It helps you to appreciate some of the things we have here. We complain about not being able to get cell phone service in the library, and they have to fight over dirty water. We need the newest version of everything that's out, and they receive a soccer ball for 200 kids and treat it lik a bag full of toys. I sugggest that everybody take at least one trip like this in their life.
Well that's all for now. Next time I'll try to tell you about the specific hijinks that went on. Somebody please promise to be my accountabili-buddy and make sure I post again in the next 3 days. I'd appreciate it greatly.
Au revoir,
Sam
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