So I just got done reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy and I'm wondering why in the world I didn't read these books sooner. Tolkien is a brilliant writer and gifted storyteller. That's not a news flash or anything, as people have known that for decades, but there is always something greatly satisfying when you find out for yourself why some authors are such geniuses. I think I zoomed through all 1200 pages in about two weeks or so - and considering I've got two jobs and going to classes two nights a week, I think that's decent timing.
As I was reading, I think I was just so utterly captivated by the vast creativity and imagination of Tolkien. His characters are so uniquely defined in the book - but always honest and real. He captures the little idiosyncrasies about each without explicitly saying what the character is about. Tolkien is a show, don't tell kind of author. He crafts the story in such a way that allows the reader to get lost in what is happening, the struggle in good and evil, the importance of relationships, and the ultimate victories to be shared.
I think my favorite character is Sam - both in the movies and I came to love him even more in the books. His fierce loyalty and his ever watchful eye over his "master" were endearing, something that I wish were modeled more often in the lives of real men. He's quite possibly one of the most unselfish characters in literature (not that I've read every book known to mankind to say without a doubt that he is, but I would imagine that he's got to be at the top of the lists of unselfish characters in the history of storytelling). He was always putting the needs of Frodo above his own, always seeing that Frodo was able to eat, rest, and complete the journey set before him. I loved his line at the end (I know it's in the movie and I'm pretty sure it's in the book), "I can't carry the ring for you, but I can carry you!" What a fighter - compassionate and strong, ever focused on what is ultimately at stake.
Aragorn is another character that I love - maybe just because of his portayal of what I think masculinity ought to be on some level. He's a man's man. I think in some ways he reminds me of King David in the Bible - that tender warrior, a man not afraid to fight for his land and people and what he believes in, but also gentle and tender in his dealings with those around him. He leads with the integrity of his heart and isn't afraid to make some unpopular decisions. He's a character that can be easily respected.
And despite my decision not to watch TV and movies for the summer, I did decide to watch the movies after reading the books. The movies are some of my favorite movies ever and I didn't want to wait until August to watch them all. So I dug the TV out of the closet and set up shop. Parts of my DVDs are messed up so I had to skip entire sections of the trilogy, but after I got done watching them all, I think my affection for the story deepened even more. It's just so stinkin' brilliant! And Peter Jackson - what a marvelous job of giving life to a story that was already leaping off the pages. He certainly did the books justice in my opinion.
6.09.2009
6.02.2009
Day Whatever
From one of my favorite blogs, Stuff Christians Like. This was too funny not to pass along. Hopefully you find it as hilarious as I do.
#550. Surviving church as a single.
Single adults, I have failed you. Although I’ve written a handful of ideas about being single at church, I’ve never really done that topic justice.
So today, I created a list of all the different stereotypes and challenges singles have to navigate when they go to church. From the “get married right this second” friends to the “this guy has a pulse and so do you so maybe that’s enough in common to fall in love” friends, it’s all here.
And I can’t take credit for it. I read your comments about real things that have happened to you at church, got ideas from my single friends, and received a great email from a pastor named Jeff. I took it all and created a point based scorecard.
Ready to play?
The Surviving Church as a Single Scorecard
1. Your church doesn't have a singles ministry. = + 1 point
2. Your church has a singles ministry but it's combined with the college ministry which creates opportunities for conversations like this:Student: "My roommate bought a microwave for our dorm room. I love being a Freshman!"Single: "My 401K is underperforming." = +2 points
3. Your church has a singles ministry but it's a triad that combines college, single adults and divorce recovery. = + 3 points
4. Your church has a singles ministry but it's the dreaded quad, combining college, single adults, divorce recovery and retired widowers that refuse to move to Florida. = +4 points
5. Someone pays you the world's most backhanded compliment, "I just don't understand how someone as great as you isn't married yet." = +1 point
6. Someone told you, “If you stop looking for love you’ll find it.” 2 points for each time you’ve heard that.
7. At church, people give you weird looks if you refuse to sit in the “singles” section of the sanctuary. = +1 point
8. When people introduce you, they say, “This is Matt, my single friend.” = +2 points
9. When people introduce you they feel compelled to list out your accomplishments, “This is
Sally, my single friend who owns her own home, drives a luxury sedan and has a very, very stable job.” = +3 points
10. Your friends that have been married for 15 minutes act like they suddenly don’t remember anything about dating and therefore can't give you any advice. “It’s been so long since I dated, things have changed so much. I’m just out of that whole scene.” + 2 points
11. People are constantly volunteering you for things because, “you’re single, you’ve got so much free time.” = +1 point
12. People at church act a little surprised when they ask you, “How are you doing?” and you respond with, “Things are great right now. I love my life!” = +1 point
13. Married friends try to live vicariously through you, asking questions like, “What did you do this weekend? Road trip? I bet you went on some crazy cool, singles road trip, right?” = +2 points
14. Someone you just met for the first time said a sentence like this to you, “If you want to get married, you need to ______.” = +2 points
15. Whenever married friends call you at noon on a Saturday, they start the conversation by saying, “Did I just wake you up?” = +3 points
16. You assume that if you don’t get engaged by final exams of your senior year in college you'll never get married. = -2 points
17. You’ve secretly always wanted your own cat but are afraid that ownership of a single kitten will become some sort of gateway drug to becoming “the cat lady.” = - 2 points
18. You’ve ever given an impassioned, enraged monologue on the injustice that men who are single get to age gracefully and be considered “bachelors” while women are instantly judged as “crazy cat ladies.” = – 3 points
19. You’ve got a “don’t perpetuate the cat lady stereotype,” monologue locked and loaded at all times and have already stopped reading this post so you can put it in the comments section. = - 5 points
20. Someone has quoted the “it’s not good for man to be alone” Bible verse to you. = +2 points.
21. When friends invite you to their church they start the invite by listing both the quantity and hotness of the singles that go there. = +1 point
22. That friend was named Jon Acuff and he said, “No one in Atlanta should ever involuntarily remain single with so many awesome single people at North Point Community Church.” (I've said this a lot. My bad.) = + 3 points
23. Your married friends tip toe around you during February because they think you're too delicate to handle the completely made up holiday, Valentine’s Day. = +1 point
24. You are too delicate to handle Valentine’s Day and have been known to describe it with a rich tapestry of words no Christian should even know exist, never mind actually say out loud. = + 1 point
25. The person that leads the singles ministry at your church got married in 1964. = +10 points for each decade they’ve been married.
26. Someone told you, "Maybe you need to focus on being more like a Proverbs 31 woman." = 2 points for each time it wasn't sincere encouragement.
27. You didn't know you were supposed to be unhappy as a single adult until you went to church and found the singles ministry to be akin to a support group. = +3 points
28. Upon hearing that you went on a first date with someone, your single friends at church stop inviting you to the single events because "you're in a relationship already." = +2 points
29. Upon hearing that you went on two dates, your married friends at church start telling you, "I'll be praying that this is the one!" = + 3 points
30. Your best friend of 15 years gets married and then suddenly acts like a magical gap has opened up between you and decides that until you get married too you can't be close again because you just don't understand each other anymore. = +3 points
31. To justify giving a four week marriage sermon series to a congregation that is 60% single, the pastor throws out one blanket statement like this at the beginning of the series, "And you single people listen up to this too, this well serve you well when you get married too." = +2 points
32. You set your alarm to "not going to church today" after the first week of the marriage sermon series. = - 2 points
33. The only time your married friends invite you over is when they need a babysitter. = +3 points
34. Someone throws the "Paul was never married" card on you. = +2 points
35. Friends assume that the only qualification that matters to you when it comes to finding a date is that she's available and set you up with people you have nothing in common with. = +2 points
36. You've ever said the rhyme, "I'm a bachelor til’ the rapture." = - 1 point
37. During a prayer at church celebrating wedding anniversaries, the person praying says a
special prayer for all the people that are still single and lonely. (True story) = +1 point
38. You have a friend that feels like creating a dating profile on eHarmony is a sign that you might not be trusting God enough to provide a soul mate. = + 1 point
39. You've developed highly sensitive, "They're about to throw the bouquet" radar and know exactly when to leave a wedding. = +2 points
40. Instead of saying that you're "single" your friends describe you as "Not married yet." = +2 points
How did you score? Did I miss any? Have you experienced some that just weren't on that list?
Singles of the world unite and post your score proudly and when someone tries to stereotype you, tell them Razzle Dazzle, Razzle Dazzle.
#550. Surviving church as a single.
Single adults, I have failed you. Although I’ve written a handful of ideas about being single at church, I’ve never really done that topic justice.
So today, I created a list of all the different stereotypes and challenges singles have to navigate when they go to church. From the “get married right this second” friends to the “this guy has a pulse and so do you so maybe that’s enough in common to fall in love” friends, it’s all here.
And I can’t take credit for it. I read your comments about real things that have happened to you at church, got ideas from my single friends, and received a great email from a pastor named Jeff. I took it all and created a point based scorecard.
Ready to play?
The Surviving Church as a Single Scorecard
1. Your church doesn't have a singles ministry. = + 1 point
2. Your church has a singles ministry but it's combined with the college ministry which creates opportunities for conversations like this:Student: "My roommate bought a microwave for our dorm room. I love being a Freshman!"Single: "My 401K is underperforming." = +2 points
3. Your church has a singles ministry but it's a triad that combines college, single adults and divorce recovery. = + 3 points
4. Your church has a singles ministry but it's the dreaded quad, combining college, single adults, divorce recovery and retired widowers that refuse to move to Florida. = +4 points
5. Someone pays you the world's most backhanded compliment, "I just don't understand how someone as great as you isn't married yet." = +1 point
6. Someone told you, “If you stop looking for love you’ll find it.” 2 points for each time you’ve heard that.
7. At church, people give you weird looks if you refuse to sit in the “singles” section of the sanctuary. = +1 point
8. When people introduce you, they say, “This is Matt, my single friend.” = +2 points
9. When people introduce you they feel compelled to list out your accomplishments, “This is
Sally, my single friend who owns her own home, drives a luxury sedan and has a very, very stable job.” = +3 points
10. Your friends that have been married for 15 minutes act like they suddenly don’t remember anything about dating and therefore can't give you any advice. “It’s been so long since I dated, things have changed so much. I’m just out of that whole scene.” + 2 points
11. People are constantly volunteering you for things because, “you’re single, you’ve got so much free time.” = +1 point
12. People at church act a little surprised when they ask you, “How are you doing?” and you respond with, “Things are great right now. I love my life!” = +1 point
13. Married friends try to live vicariously through you, asking questions like, “What did you do this weekend? Road trip? I bet you went on some crazy cool, singles road trip, right?” = +2 points
14. Someone you just met for the first time said a sentence like this to you, “If you want to get married, you need to ______.” = +2 points
15. Whenever married friends call you at noon on a Saturday, they start the conversation by saying, “Did I just wake you up?” = +3 points
16. You assume that if you don’t get engaged by final exams of your senior year in college you'll never get married. = -2 points
17. You’ve secretly always wanted your own cat but are afraid that ownership of a single kitten will become some sort of gateway drug to becoming “the cat lady.” = - 2 points
18. You’ve ever given an impassioned, enraged monologue on the injustice that men who are single get to age gracefully and be considered “bachelors” while women are instantly judged as “crazy cat ladies.” = – 3 points
19. You’ve got a “don’t perpetuate the cat lady stereotype,” monologue locked and loaded at all times and have already stopped reading this post so you can put it in the comments section. = - 5 points
20. Someone has quoted the “it’s not good for man to be alone” Bible verse to you. = +2 points.
21. When friends invite you to their church they start the invite by listing both the quantity and hotness of the singles that go there. = +1 point
22. That friend was named Jon Acuff and he said, “No one in Atlanta should ever involuntarily remain single with so many awesome single people at North Point Community Church.” (I've said this a lot. My bad.) = + 3 points
23. Your married friends tip toe around you during February because they think you're too delicate to handle the completely made up holiday, Valentine’s Day. = +1 point
24. You are too delicate to handle Valentine’s Day and have been known to describe it with a rich tapestry of words no Christian should even know exist, never mind actually say out loud. = + 1 point
25. The person that leads the singles ministry at your church got married in 1964. = +10 points for each decade they’ve been married.
26. Someone told you, "Maybe you need to focus on being more like a Proverbs 31 woman." = 2 points for each time it wasn't sincere encouragement.
27. You didn't know you were supposed to be unhappy as a single adult until you went to church and found the singles ministry to be akin to a support group. = +3 points
28. Upon hearing that you went on a first date with someone, your single friends at church stop inviting you to the single events because "you're in a relationship already." = +2 points
29. Upon hearing that you went on two dates, your married friends at church start telling you, "I'll be praying that this is the one!" = + 3 points
30. Your best friend of 15 years gets married and then suddenly acts like a magical gap has opened up between you and decides that until you get married too you can't be close again because you just don't understand each other anymore. = +3 points
31. To justify giving a four week marriage sermon series to a congregation that is 60% single, the pastor throws out one blanket statement like this at the beginning of the series, "And you single people listen up to this too, this well serve you well when you get married too." = +2 points
32. You set your alarm to "not going to church today" after the first week of the marriage sermon series. = - 2 points
33. The only time your married friends invite you over is when they need a babysitter. = +3 points
34. Someone throws the "Paul was never married" card on you. = +2 points
35. Friends assume that the only qualification that matters to you when it comes to finding a date is that she's available and set you up with people you have nothing in common with. = +2 points
36. You've ever said the rhyme, "I'm a bachelor til’ the rapture." = - 1 point
37. During a prayer at church celebrating wedding anniversaries, the person praying says a
special prayer for all the people that are still single and lonely. (True story) = +1 point
38. You have a friend that feels like creating a dating profile on eHarmony is a sign that you might not be trusting God enough to provide a soul mate. = + 1 point
39. You've developed highly sensitive, "They're about to throw the bouquet" radar and know exactly when to leave a wedding. = +2 points
40. Instead of saying that you're "single" your friends describe you as "Not married yet." = +2 points
How did you score? Did I miss any? Have you experienced some that just weren't on that list?
Singles of the world unite and post your score proudly and when someone tries to stereotype you, tell them Razzle Dazzle, Razzle Dazzle.
6.01.2009
Day 32 - The Outside of a Horse
"The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man." Winston Churchill
I forgot how right it feels to be on the back of a horse. I went trail riding with a friend of mine yesterday for about an hour and a half. My body hates me (it hurts to sit down) but my heart is satisfied.
I can't honestly remember the last time I went horseback riding. I know it's been at least a couple of years. When you've spent over a decade of your life staring at the world between a horse's ears, two years is a long time to be away. I've never regretted my decision to walk away from something that I thought I would pursue as a profession, but that doesn't change the fact that it's still a part of me - and will always be. I think when you ride for as long as I did, it gets in your blood and in your heart. I think there will come a day when I will ride and show again, but for now I'm content to enjoy it from afar and occasionally hop on a horse every now and then.
The outside of a horse is definitely good for the inside of this woman.
I forgot how right it feels to be on the back of a horse. I went trail riding with a friend of mine yesterday for about an hour and a half. My body hates me (it hurts to sit down) but my heart is satisfied.
I can't honestly remember the last time I went horseback riding. I know it's been at least a couple of years. When you've spent over a decade of your life staring at the world between a horse's ears, two years is a long time to be away. I've never regretted my decision to walk away from something that I thought I would pursue as a profession, but that doesn't change the fact that it's still a part of me - and will always be. I think when you ride for as long as I did, it gets in your blood and in your heart. I think there will come a day when I will ride and show again, but for now I'm content to enjoy it from afar and occasionally hop on a horse every now and then.
The outside of a horse is definitely good for the inside of this woman.
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