1/22: today we drove a long time. Now, by camp standards this was pretty typical, but eight-and-a-half hours of driving for one who has been conditioned to be sedentary in an office or desk is horrifying. Well, not that bad, but I did have a massive charlie horse by the time we were done driving for the day. During the course of the trip we watched both Pitch Perfect and Mrs. Doubtfire, while intermittantly reading, listening to sick beats on my iPod or sleeping pretty hard. But after the trip we got off the bus in Miles City, population 10,000.
Here we were treated to sandwiches and a lovely concert at Custer County High School, most of which was sung by the University of Montana Chamber Chorale (aka Us), then we were split up into our host homes. Myself and a sophomore, who is actually two years older than me and a former marine, were placed with the school's principle. Upon getting situated in his Ford truck he asked if we were okay with stopping to get some food. Not wanting to seem ungrateful, we said yes and asked him to take us somewhere unique to Miles City. He told of a place called the Airport Inn, which worried me. Upon our arrival, however, we found it to be a small restaurant just across e river from the high school. Our host jogged inside and placed an order for "finger steaks" even though they were closed (our host: "well, we're in Mayberry!"), and said it would be ready in ten minutes and there was something he wanted to show us.
We drove two minutes across the road from the restaurant and by the light of the city below all we could see was an apartment building somewhere off in the distance. Thinking it surely couldn't be the main attraction, I was taken aback when our host began to tell us all about how the man who built this apartment building was a concrete pourer and would use this building as a way to get rid of extra cement at the end of a job. Sure enough, we were able to see the layers in the walls from multiple pours. Amused and thoroughly caught up on anecdotes of the complex we arrived back at the restaurant to pick up our order. Ten minutes later we were sitting in his dining room having met his wife and two daughters eating away at our "finger steaks" which, for those of you who are like me and have been kept in the dark about such things, is basically strips of beef that have been fried - small country fried steaks. But instead of sausage gravy, a bit to my disappointment, we were given ketchup mixed with sweet relish. After a hearty meal of fried delicacies we were given full reign of the basement until that point at which we decide to sleep. Bedtime never sounded so good.
Rest if the trip: So I wasn't as good about writing each day the rest of the tour, but we sang several times at different high schools in Billings, Laurel, and Miles City, all the while learning more and more about each other. Now, before you think I'm just being sappy, it should be noted that choir tours are THE BEST way of getting to know the other people in your choir. From staying at home stays together to having to fill a hotel room to capacity and sleeping on the same bus as forty other singers, you come to have new appreciations for those singing in your ensemble. Even when watching movies such as Dodgeball, you can learn who has a skewed sense of humor and who doesn't.
The case of the matter is, tour was good in a weird way, per usual, and school begins tomorrow. I am extremely nervous about starting with a new group of students for another semester and making sure I do it right, but I know God will bring me through it. Prayers for general life stuff for me a well appreciated.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Saturday, January 19, 2013
For Your Consideration
Be careful what you pray for, because you just might get it. Seriously though, God has a sense of timing and humor that can surprise even the most vigilant of prayer warriors...not to say that I am one. Since my last blog post I have been praying that God puts me in positions where I could serve those around me and be Him to the world. I had started to get a little discouraged because, outside e of the everday garbage take-out, meal prep, house cleaning thing I hadn't really had much of a chance to serve. I eamiled a few people in Missoula about some opportunities to serve that community, but more on that later. Finally it got to be Thursday night and I went along with my parents to their church community group. At the end of the night we went ariund the circle gathering prayer requests and eventually they got to me. Not being able to think of anything I physically needed, I asked that they pray for circumstances in which I could serve those around me.
That was two nights ago. Friday went by normally, sleep in, do laundry, paint, watch Doctor Who with my parents, sleep. Then today. I woke up early, packed and got all ready for my afternoon flight, then we got into the car and went to the airport. I checked in electronically - even got to tag my own bag! - and went straight through security as the airport had maybe a hundred people in it total, not normal for Sea-Tac airport. I set my stuff down at my gate and sat on the floor leaning against my carry-on since all of the seats were taken, plugging myself in to watch Pitch Perfect (some unfortunate swearing and adult humor, but on the whole hilarious for a singer such as myself). A half hour later they started calling asking for someone on my flight to volunteer to be bumped onto a later flight due to an emergency last-minute overload passenger on the plane. I am the type to be unwilling to change my plans and so sat there, expecting along with everyone else for someone else to go to the desk. No one went up. They called again ten minutes later. Still no one. They called another time and, yet again, no one went up. I was sitting near the desk and overheard the conversation between the passenger and the gate agent and realized this was an actual emergency. This time when the agent announced the need for a volunteer (calm down, Hunger Games fans), I knew it was supposed to be me so I went to the desk and told them I was willing to go in the morning. They started throwing all sorts of special offers on me; Alaska air miles, vouchers, priority seating (seat 6D tomorrow! Woot woot!) and everythting else they could think of to thank me. I was a bit bewildered by this as I'm used to family emergencies and had, myself, had to fly back home due to an emergency earlier in the last semester, so I just took it in stride, realizing as well that this was an opportunity to serve.
The guy I gave my place to came up and gave me a huge hug and gave me his number promising to take me out for drinks when I get to Missoula. He's a fellow student I found out as we talked and got him settled. So right now I am sitting at home, knowing that in some small way I was able to help a stranger who very well may now be a friend (of which I am never in abundance, at least outside of the music world). This is in no way meant to say I am an awesome person and am perfect; notice how many calls it took for me to answer. Notice that I begrudgingly said yes and only felt right about it once I offered. Notice how good God is for answering my prayer so quickly.
I look forward in the coming months to see how else God uses me in the lives of thse around me. Use this as an encouragement to go out and be willing to put others ahead of yourself. And above all, know that God is there, pushing you, strengthening you for what is to come.
That was two nights ago. Friday went by normally, sleep in, do laundry, paint, watch Doctor Who with my parents, sleep. Then today. I woke up early, packed and got all ready for my afternoon flight, then we got into the car and went to the airport. I checked in electronically - even got to tag my own bag! - and went straight through security as the airport had maybe a hundred people in it total, not normal for Sea-Tac airport. I set my stuff down at my gate and sat on the floor leaning against my carry-on since all of the seats were taken, plugging myself in to watch Pitch Perfect (some unfortunate swearing and adult humor, but on the whole hilarious for a singer such as myself). A half hour later they started calling asking for someone on my flight to volunteer to be bumped onto a later flight due to an emergency last-minute overload passenger on the plane. I am the type to be unwilling to change my plans and so sat there, expecting along with everyone else for someone else to go to the desk. No one went up. They called again ten minutes later. Still no one. They called another time and, yet again, no one went up. I was sitting near the desk and overheard the conversation between the passenger and the gate agent and realized this was an actual emergency. This time when the agent announced the need for a volunteer (calm down, Hunger Games fans), I knew it was supposed to be me so I went to the desk and told them I was willing to go in the morning. They started throwing all sorts of special offers on me; Alaska air miles, vouchers, priority seating (seat 6D tomorrow! Woot woot!) and everythting else they could think of to thank me. I was a bit bewildered by this as I'm used to family emergencies and had, myself, had to fly back home due to an emergency earlier in the last semester, so I just took it in stride, realizing as well that this was an opportunity to serve.
The guy I gave my place to came up and gave me a huge hug and gave me his number promising to take me out for drinks when I get to Missoula. He's a fellow student I found out as we talked and got him settled. So right now I am sitting at home, knowing that in some small way I was able to help a stranger who very well may now be a friend (of which I am never in abundance, at least outside of the music world). This is in no way meant to say I am an awesome person and am perfect; notice how many calls it took for me to answer. Notice that I begrudgingly said yes and only felt right about it once I offered. Notice how good God is for answering my prayer so quickly.
I look forward in the coming months to see how else God uses me in the lives of thse around me. Use this as an encouragement to go out and be willing to put others ahead of yourself. And above all, know that God is there, pushing you, strengthening you for what is to come.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
To Serve and Not Be Served
I have made it successfully through my first out of four semesters of the masters in music program at the University of Montana. I survived. That is almost all I can say about it: I survived. I did not thrive, I did not fall apart, I simply survived. I used to think this an accomplishment. I proudly bragged about my survival to friends, pastors, parents, everyone who had ears.
This past week I had the opportunity to go up to Winter Park, CO, to the Snow Mountain Ranch (a fantastic place - you should all go visit sometime) to hang out with colleagues from Worldview Academy. First of all, this fed me in so many ways. Being able to spend time with people who constantly build you up and encourage you non-stop is where we should all be all the time. Beyond that, however, and even farther than the amazing sessions led by Institute of Biblical Defense founder Phil Fernandes, and Worldview Academy faculty-members Paul Jordan and Bill Jack, I was reminded of what I am meant to do on this earth.
This was a lesson I had learned repeatedly over this past summer, but it is easy to forget lessons learned at camp when one returns to the "drudgery" of everyday life:
Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:20-28 ESV)
We are called to be like Christ, therefore we are called to serve and not to be served. I had completely forgotten this during my time at the University of Montana. Part of the problem in my mind was that I had just come from the warm embrace of Whitworth University where I had worship every Tuesday night, chapel every Tuesday and Thursday morning, a church right next to campus when I chose to go, small groups that dogged me everywhere I went (in a great way), and no challenge to find these things for myself. Now, don't get me wrong. I do not wish to be rude to my alma mater. She served me well and I love her for it. But now it comes time for me to grow up and learn that I no longer should simply be a consumer, looking for a church that feeds me, people that feed me, a school that parents me.
What does this mean for the near future? It means I'm going to work hard at finding a church home where I can serve people. It means that I will invest even more in my myriad students' lives. It means that I can no longer simply survive. I must begin to thrive. The only way this can happen is if I look at the world as a place to serve and not continually look for the pearl the world must be under obligation to give me. I remember a children's book about a grasshopper who walked the world wide singing his song about how the world owed him everything at it was just his job to eat and drink and be merry. Until he met a group of ants who showed him how important it was to find ways to give back to the world.
New Year's Resolution? More like Rest-of-My-Life Resolution: Live to serve and not to be served.
This past week I had the opportunity to go up to Winter Park, CO, to the Snow Mountain Ranch (a fantastic place - you should all go visit sometime) to hang out with colleagues from Worldview Academy. First of all, this fed me in so many ways. Being able to spend time with people who constantly build you up and encourage you non-stop is where we should all be all the time. Beyond that, however, and even farther than the amazing sessions led by Institute of Biblical Defense founder Phil Fernandes, and Worldview Academy faculty-members Paul Jordan and Bill Jack, I was reminded of what I am meant to do on this earth.
This was a lesson I had learned repeatedly over this past summer, but it is easy to forget lessons learned at camp when one returns to the "drudgery" of everyday life:
Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:20-28 ESV)
We are called to be like Christ, therefore we are called to serve and not to be served. I had completely forgotten this during my time at the University of Montana. Part of the problem in my mind was that I had just come from the warm embrace of Whitworth University where I had worship every Tuesday night, chapel every Tuesday and Thursday morning, a church right next to campus when I chose to go, small groups that dogged me everywhere I went (in a great way), and no challenge to find these things for myself. Now, don't get me wrong. I do not wish to be rude to my alma mater. She served me well and I love her for it. But now it comes time for me to grow up and learn that I no longer should simply be a consumer, looking for a church that feeds me, people that feed me, a school that parents me.
What does this mean for the near future? It means I'm going to work hard at finding a church home where I can serve people. It means that I will invest even more in my myriad students' lives. It means that I can no longer simply survive. I must begin to thrive. The only way this can happen is if I look at the world as a place to serve and not continually look for the pearl the world must be under obligation to give me. I remember a children's book about a grasshopper who walked the world wide singing his song about how the world owed him everything at it was just his job to eat and drink and be merry. Until he met a group of ants who showed him how important it was to find ways to give back to the world.
New Year's Resolution? More like Rest-of-My-Life Resolution: Live to serve and not to be served.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)