drill, flood and no power

At 3:20 kids were scrambling to get back in their classrooms, heading for cover. I was manning the halls, trying to direct students and parents. With rain pouring down, and trees toppling over, electricity went out and people took cover. The aftermath left debris over train tracks, blocked roads, flooded roads (the 80-94 in Indiana was still flooded this morning and shut down). I came home to no power and a flooded basement. Not really fun times. Lighting our house with candles reminded me of being in Tanzania. The next morning I woke up to still no power. Having to get ready for school, I took a shower by candlelight. After taking a shower, I checked my voicemail. I had received the message the night before, but lack of service, didn't allow me to check my messages. It was the secretary...no power...no school! Long weekend, and a task to clean the basement and keep the food cold in the fridge. But the power did turn on. Little was lost, and now all we need to do is get a new rug for the basement.

Boxes, packing material and lots of change

When was the last time you moved? For many of my near by friends, we've all moved in the last year, some of us (including myself) more than once. I've officially moved, three times in the last year, way more than I'd ever like. Through those moving experiences, I've come to realize what's important to keep, what's not, what to unpack and what can wait till I move into a more permanent place. I helped my friend move this weekend. Boxes, tables, dishes, papers, clothes, and lamps. Lamps...you know those tall ones that look really cool on display in the furniture department of your local store? Well, although they my be easy to assemble, disassembling and trying to put them in their appropriate boxes, not so fun. I officially dislike tall lamps.

Have you ever helped someone move? If you have you, like the rest of us get the friend award for doing so. My award official goes to my friend Beth who helped me flee in the night, and then took me and half my stuff in for a week and a half. My friends helped me move.

Without friends we can't do it alone. It's not just the boxes, or the mountains of stuff that we still need to pack. It's the change, the new place, the new and exciting, yet unknown places that we head. When I moved here, I loaded up the car and came, all I had was Mapquest. The rest, thanks be to God, worked out. New friends, gatherings, dinners, and helping many more people move.

So as we move into a new school year, there will be many more people, with their boxes, and road maps, and we'll all be here to help them...because in the end we come to realize that in the end we know that we'll need their help to move ... again. And we all just want to meet another person.

God's creation

I'm here in beautiful North Carolina. Waterfalls, rivers, lakes, trees covering many mountains, and beautiful sunsets. It's truly amazing to look at, and realize just how awesome our God is. There's so much and He created it. How can you look at it all and not realize that there is a most wonderful God?

lonely art

Monday, I had the privilege of helping my friend Kelly set up an art exhibit. In downtown Chicago, we spent a few hours at the orphanage, a gathering place for artists. On Mondays they have various musicians (after serving a large dinner). Each month, they display a new artist's work. For about three hours, we climbed tables, ladders, and chairs, and hung over stairwells, to finish a creation of beautiful artwork. Branches that had been forged together to make tabletop trees, offered an amazing resting place for ...well I'm not sure what they were called but it was definitely work. It was heavy paper with paintings or drawings with detailed patterns, intricately cut, then strung together, hung on trees, and leaving a room looking like something out of a story book. The room where the art was hung, had blue and red lights, making the room glow all the more. I half expected butterflies to start flying through the air, and pixies to leave trails of fairy dust.
The art will be displayed through this month!