Have a great summer, see you next fall...

Remember getting your yearbook, and running around getting people to sign it?  It was always a sign that summer was fast approaching, and it would be 3 months of fun, play, and relaxation.  This last week has been anything but that.  It's been crazy, busy, and great. 

Our new summer interns arrived last Thursday and Friday, and have been busy learning about the city, each other, and themselves.  We've had some amazing discussions and it's fired me up to be real excited about the next few months.  I want to say more, but honestly, mostly I am excited to get some pictures up.  Next post will be less of a picture post and a real blog with thoughts, musings, and (hopefully) new insights.


Here's us at Griffith Park, it's one of our debriefing sites, and we went up there to talk about the city and then spent some time praying.  I like this picture, cause while we were praying a couple of kids from school field trips walked by and said that we all fell asleep.  HAHAH.


Behind the observatory at Griffith


Looking out over the city

I like how you can see the skyline of Los Angeles in the background of this picture (I don't think I planned that).  But it's just crazy to see how big LA is from this vantage point.  (Yes, it had just rained 2 days before so there is less smog today)






I love long landscape panoramic looking photos...


Ladies and Gentlemen, I proudly present our summer interns (minus Clair)


Here they are again plus Jon.

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Ecclesiastes

I've been attending a small group in Burbank, and it's been pretty much one of the greatest things in my life right now. We just finished studying Ecclesiastes which I realized has some real funny verses when you see them out of context (it helps if you read them aloud). So, I'm sharing with you some of my favorites...(each verse will be followed with my awesome commentary)

"...the fool lacks sense and shows everyone how stupid he is." - Ecc 10:3
See? Even the bible calls people stupid. So, when I do it, it's not to offend people, it's to tell people they need to be more wise....hee hee

"...whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake." - Ecc 10:8
WHAT? Have you broken any walls recently? I haven't... but I don't think my fear would be snakes biting me. I know some of this is cultural... sure, but... was that really a saying in their time? "You know whatcha gotta watch out for when you demolish walls? SNAKES!!" (Actually this verse is a series of verses all about how sometimes you are trying to accomplish something and forget about the obvious consequences)

"...Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there it will lie." - Ecc 11:3
Really? Careful, too much of this might overload our senses...

And this one cracks me up.. cause out of context you can get the bible to say ANYTHING...
"A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything." Ecc 10:19
I actually want to write "ECC 10:19" on a huge board and bring it to baseball games and hold it up for everyone to see... Do you think I'd lead too many people astray?

Ok, but back to seriousness here. I actually really love this study on Ecclesiastes, cause it really has some good, wise stuff to dig through. Perfect brain food for someone like me. This verse had me thinking for days, and I think I fall into it far too often.
"Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them? The sleep of a laborer is sweet weather he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep. I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of it's owner, or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when he has a son there is nothing left for him." Ecc 5:10-14

It goes on for a bit on this path, but I love how it says, whoever has money will never have enough. It speaks deeply into the human condition. It strikes true in my heart, because I have been there. I have know what it is like to crave more money than I really know what to do with. I have known the depths of grievous evil under the sun. I hoarded to the harm of myself. But now that I have a chance to do it differently, how will I change?

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What do you make time for?

I was talking to a friend recently about all the different things he wants to do with his life. We talked about his passions and his goals, and how his current job is not very fulfilling. He kept telling me he wanted to do something else with his life, and if only he had a different job, his life would seem to be more... well, it would be more.

I asked him an interesting question. "What do you do in your spare time?" Was he pursuing this "perfect job"? Was his free time consumed with applying for a new job, practicing his skills so when he got his chance he would shine, finding new contacts that would help him break into the biz? No, in fact, he spent most of his free time watching TV, reading books, and sitting around. And I thought to myself, He doesn't REALLY want to do anything different.

Another friend of mine was telling me that he went to the doctor recently, and found out his heart was in real bad shape. He's been overweight for a long time, and knew he wasn't treating his body with much respect. The funny thing is if you asked him, he could tell you what EXACTLY he was doing wrong. But, after the doctor told him that he was going to die if he kept going down this track, he started changing what he did with his time. Now, when I call him, he's not watching television and eating corn dogs. He's running, he's eating salads, he's making good choices for himself. He doesn't want to die (I don't want him to either, so I'm happy about this change). And he's started to make the time to become healthier.

A lot of times, I say that I want certain things for myself. I want to work out, I want to eat better, I want to have a relationship... But, I never make time for any of that. The things in your life that are most important to you, you make time for. I make time for my job. I make time for my friends. I make time for... watching television. Yup, I'm lazy too. But, rest is important (and so is making time for it).

I'm learning (slowly) that I need to make time for other things in my life. I'm slowly making time for volunteering at an after-school program. I'm making time for a small group that I'm getting involved with. I'm making time for church on Sunday. It's all stuff that requires a lot of energy, but it's all stuff that's become important to me. And, I have to make time for it.

So, my question to you is this... What do you make time for in your life? A quick evaluation of your time can prove where your priorities lie. And if you spend all your time eating ice cream, then... that's your number 1 priority (and a good one at that). But maybe it's time to stop saying, "I wish I had time for..." and started saying, "I'm making the time for..."