Hopes for Summer

When school lets out for the summer, I usually take about two weeks to do absolutely nothing and live in selfish consumption of all things food and entertainment.

I go and watch 3 movies in a row at Tinsletown (only 3.75 a movie before 5:00pm)

I eat entire Little Caesars pizzas and catch up on all of “my shows”

I space out on twitter and facebook at my desk.

I stare at James Harden’s beard

I find more shows to start and commit my life to, and then convince myself I have accomplished something when they are finished.

After this two week period though, something changes.

I feel convicted and disgusted. I feel as if I have wasted a part of my life that I will never get back. I get tired of talking about movies and shows. I grow bored of myself, because I have had to be entertained by other people’s thoughts for two weeks.

I lack vision and creativity, because I would rather someone else spoon feed me their own.

And I have grown very, very tired of this.

Because it has felt more like existence lately than living, and I desperately want to get back to living.

How do I respond to these convictions?

I usually set goals for myself, lofty at times, but practical things I want to challenge myself to do.

Here are my 3 hopes for this summer:

1. Read/Write- I want to read a book a week this summer. I want to journal and write down thoughts that are stirring inside of me as I read. I want to inhale and exhale ideas. I have been given some wonderful suggestions for books to read, and I will also be going through some scriptures I am less familiar with…I want to learn some things this summer.

2. Volunteer- I want to give away my free time. I find joy in the interactions I get to partake in during volunteering, but usually my mind forgets that joy, and I would rather justify sleeping in. Not this summer though, I want to spend time with people. Whether it is for a non-profit, or simply playing chess with the old man at Full Cup, I want to interact and focus a day on others instead of myself.

3. Sabbath- “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.” God made something for us, he made the sabbath. Some people have way more on their plate than I do (Spouses, kids, multiple jobs, etc.) but for me the sabbath is to settle down on the busyness of my life, to put my phone in a drawer and turn off the tv. To go sit on my back porch, or share a meal with a good friend. The sabbath (for me) is eliminating all the things that are trying to take me away from the current moment. I used to believe it was about doing something to “check out” but I am becoming more and more convinced that is actually about checking in to the present.

Those are my 3 hopes for Summer 2011.

I hope I am changed by the experiences.

What are your hopes for this summer?

What do you want to dedicate your time to?

-AB

P.S.  Currently Reading- The Good and Beautiful God By: James Bryan Smith

Currently Listening to: Outlines By: Sleeping At Last

Kingdom Things: A Very Sweet 16

A couple weeks ago I got to celebrate the 16th birthday of a girl who is an orphan.We call them foster kids in America, but I think the bible would call them orphans.A friend of mine has decided to pour her heart and time into this girl’s life, and she is actively helping rewrite this little girl’s story.

It’s really beautiful.

My friend decided to throw this girl a surprise birthday party for her 16th birthday.She asked a couple other friends to be there, who asked some of the high school students at my church to be there, and when it was all said and done about 25 people showed up for this girls sweet 16.

25 people who had only encountered this girl a couple times

25 people who decided that on this Friday night, they would be doing something for someone else.

What transpired that evening is something I will never forget.

Never.

I arrived at the party about twenty minutes after the surprise had happened, the kids were eating and enjoying themselves and I walked over to ask my friend how the surprise had gone. My friend told me that when she asked the girl if this was her first surprise birthday party,the girl responded,

“this is my first birthday party ever.”

Huh?

16 years old.

Never one, single birthday party.

16 years old.

Not a single gift.

16 years old

No candles to blow out.

16 years old.

No car waiting in the driveway.

16 years old.

No song of celebration ringing in her ears.

16 years old.

“This is my first birthday party ever”

As her words echoed in my mind the rest of the night, the cake was brought out and the candles were lit.

Everyone started singing Happy Birthday

A song that was clearly written for this moment

for this girl.

And then she bent down to blow out her candles and make a wish, her first birthday wish.

As she blew the candles out, they relit themselves.

(They were the trick candles, and so the only way to put them out is to stick them in water.)

Confused, She blew them out again

They relit

She blew them out again

They would relight

After she continued this process, I started realizing the redemption in this moment.

Every time she blew out the candles, they would relight.

Redeeming all those missed wishes

Redeeming all those lonely, quiet birthdays.

Redeeming what she had lost.

There are moments in this life where God’s kingdom is very evident,

and in the smoke from the candles

I witnessed it.

In the laughter, and joy that was in the room

I witnessed it.

God is alive in birthday parties for orphans.

Though I don’t think she can be defined by that title anymore.

Because orphans feel alone,

And this little girl does not.

My friend is redefining and redeeming this girl’s story.

And it is a very beautiful thing.

Christ in us, the hope of glory.

Kingdom Things…

I have been thinking about God’s kingdom lately,

how it bursts through the darkness,

and makes broken things whole again.

Good News, so good, that even the cynics are silenced.

This will be the first of many posts about God’s kingdom…

I hope you enjoy this glimpse of it.