Falling...

I fell today. The fall was from a 4-foot ledge and I fell straight back. Fortunately for me, there were several people waiting below the ledge in a zigzag formation to catch me when I fell! :)

I know I haven't blogged in a little while but I'm at camp now and we're about half-way through training week. Part of the regular camp schedule is recreation so we've been training on all of the rec games as a part of training week. Tonight was when we had the trust sequence. This may not sound like a big deal but you need to know that this is my sixth year of camp and we've had the trust sequence in our rec rotation twice since I've been working and I've NEVER fallen! I can do the starter moves: see-sawing back and forth and "wind in the willow" but I have never been able to do the trust fall. It's not that I don't trust my staff. I just absolutely hate the sensation of falling. It's miserable and awful and I try to avoid it when at all possible. Heights don't bother me but I completely freeze up when I feel like I'm falling. And according to my mom, I've been that way since I was an infant.

Anyway, back to the story. I think it's also important to note that I've been dreading these trust falls since I decided that I would work again back in September! I knew it was coming and I was nervous all day. When we finally made it over to the ledge for the actual falling, I was sick to my stomach. I was hoping that people just wouldn't notice that I hadn't fallen and I could get out of it...but I'd already run my big mouth too much about how I was dreading it, so of course my group was very encouraging. Pushy is more like it! They wouldn't let me back out!! just kidding--they were very kind and truly encouraging and had it not been for all of their encouragement, I probably would have chickened out again. But they didn't let me give into my fears. They supported me and made me as comfortable as I could be and I knew that if I fell they would catch me...but all of that didn't matter because ultimately, I would have to be the one to let go. And I did! It was horribly wonderful! I will never like falling but I was able to push through my fears and in doing so, conquer them.

Trust falls are a beautiful expression of faith and trust and a wonderful metaphor for salvation...and I've always recognized the power of the lesson, but until tonight, I'd never experienced it. So many students will be coming here this summer with questions and issues that I can't begin to understand. Some may have been raised in Christian homes and have gone to church all of their lives and will know how to play the game to a tee--they will know all of the right answers, but until one experiences the love of Christ, all the head knowledge in the world will not do.

I've had several friends who've engaged in quite interesting conversations with non-believers in the past couple of months on their blogs and such and the interchange has been quite interesting. In those conversations, such interesting questions and responses have been posed and have erupted into some beautiful verbal fireworks. But intellectual discussions have as much to do with recognizing the need for salvation about as much as adding oil to a car that's out of gas. Yes, the oil is needed (and so is the biblical knowledge that's discussed) but gas is what gets the car moving. We do such a great job of distracting ourselves--believer and non-believer alike--from the essentials. I believe it's the power of the Holy Spirit to convict, but it's our responsibility as Christians to live a lifestyle that honors and points to our relationship with our Lord. And in doing so, exhibit the love of the One who died, taking our sins upon himself and then rising three days later, having conquered death.

Well, it's late and I don't quite know where I'm going with this. I really just wanted to say that after five years, I've finally managed to fall! It was scary but there is power in overcoming fear...and in letting go. I've definitely learned a lesson that I shall carry with me for a long time to come.

Way to go Louisiana! We've done it again!!

Well, it looks like we're in national news again! According to ABC News:

The FBI's raid on the office of Congressman William Jefferson (D-LA) was the first such raid on Capitol Hill in history...

At least we're making history while we're at it!! They found $90,000.00 in the freezer at his house! Oh brother...it ain't lookin' good!

And in other news, guess who's the Mayor of New Orleans again??? We Louisianians sure know how to pick 'em, don't we?! I find small comfort in knowing that neither distinguished gentleman was elected in my voting district.

And, if all of that isn't enough, NOAA is predicting an "above normal" hurricane season this year...which is exactly what they said last year! Hmmmm...so perhaps moving wouldn't be such a bad thing?!

Fun with languages!

That's my name! Well, at least that's what this nifty Japanese translator I found online said that it was! :) It even tells you how your name would be pronounced in Japanese! In my case, Elizabeth would be pronounced: "ERIZABESU". (Consonants are pronounced more or less the same way as in English. "A" sounds like a in father, but shorter. "I" sounds like ee in meet, but shorter. "U" sounds like oo in hook, but with less rounding of the lips. "E" sounds like e in met.) Just in case our relationship has reached a more informal level, you can just call me "BESU" and write my name as:

Beth, the gardener

Hahahahahahahaha! :)

Do we have something on Thursday?

I'm finding that there are simply not enough hours in the day!!! I am leaving for camp in less than two weeks and I am at a point where I wonder if I will actually get it all done before it's time to go. Maybe if I give up sleep? Hmmmm...

I've not really talked about it much on here, but I am doing that whole camp thing again! This will be my sixth straight year of camp. I will be serving on the North Greenville University team. It's a combo camp so we'll have both Centrifuge and M-fuge going on simultaneously. Actually, it'll be Centrifuge programming but during the day half of the students will be leaving campus to work at ministry sites. While I completely enjoyed every part of directing last year(please note the sarcasm!), I have decided to go back to being an AD--Administrative Director. I will be handling the paperwork and the business of camp. This year will be much different because I'm finally back at on a stationary team (please note the relief!) and we will have a total of 38 on staff!! That's as many as my last three teams combined! It will be a kick to work with so many people again. I was a little worried that I'd be the old lady on staff, but I'm finding that while there are many young 'uns, there are also quite a few that are near my age and maybe even a couple that are older than me!!

But all of that doesn't happen for a couple more weeks. Right now I am neck-deep in preparing finals! Yeah, we all hate to take them but a lucky few of us (again, the sarcasm) have the exciting opportunity to 1.) prepare them, and 2.) grade them!!! Bleh! It's taken me about 5-6 hours to prepare my Church History final...but it's done! So one down, three to go!!! [And here's a happy little thought for ya...It probably took me longer to prepare the final than most of my students will actually spend studying for it!]

Once the finals are finished, there are still a hundred other tasks on the ole' "to do" list! And I think I have something going on every night until I leave...which brings me back to my original question. Does anyone know what I committed to do on Thursday night? I know I told someone I would do something, but for the life of me I can't remember who I was talking to! Oh well...I guess I'll figure it out eventually! Until then, there are finals to prepare and clothes to wash and things to pack and places to go and people to see and ring ceremonies to attend and classrooms to pack up and...the list goes on!

I like to call this one...

The Contemplative Daisy

(I thought it was funny)

HELLO!!!! Did you SEE The Office finale?!?!

Well folks, it finally happened tonight!!! :D (And yes I do realize how sad it is that I'm living vicariously...shut up!) My favorite relationship on The Office has always been that of Pam and Jim--my second is that of Jim and Dwight, but I digress. Ah, the angst of hidden affection!!! It's painful to watch, but it's a rather sweet pain. I cannot believe that Jim finally told Pam that he loved her!!! I know I sound really cheesy and girly (and it IS just a tv show) but it was definitely a season finale with some punch...well, the rest of the show wasn't particularly gripping, but the last few minutes definitely were!! I absolutely love Jim Krasinski and Jenna Fischer is one of my Myspace 'friends' so of course you can see why I feel like I have the place to comment on their relationship?!

Ah, but as always the pain of the season finale is setting in...we don't get to know the rest of the story until the fall! And of course it never plays out as you imagine it should. Reality...boo! But I'm so glad Erica and Damon have a DVR because I think I need to see this one again. :)

update: I did watch it again and I must say that the rest of the show was much more interesting than I'd first realized. I recognized it even as it was happening, but the first time I watched it, I was looking for the Pam/Jim storyline. But OMG(osh)--the rest of the show was GREAT! I love this show!!!

ah, the people I know ...

I'm gonna brag for a moment. I need you to know that I know a couple of celebrities! Well, to be completely honest, I should say I know the parents of a couple of celebrities. Together they shared maybe three whole seconds of screen time in a major motion picture! Their names are Sam and Will Cole and they play Reba Cash's infant son in Walk The Line. I'm just excited that I personally know people who are listed in the Internet Movie Data Base (one of my all-time favorite websites! ;) Just thought I'd share! ha!