How do you stretch yourself in a typical week?
When was the last time you read something simply because you were curious about a subject?
Are you content with where your life is? Or are you wanting to take your life to the next level? How do you define the next level?
If you could change one thing about your life right now, what would it be?
What is one thing you could challenge yourself to do/learn/study in the next month, two months or season of life that would stretch you?
You might be thinking I just don't have time to do that right now, and maybe you are right. Some people already are working too hard and spend very little time with their families or doing something that will rejuvenate them. But many people are really good at making excuses as to why they won't do something that they have always wanted to do or even something that they have felt like they should do, but just don't think they have the means to do it.
What is one thing that you could implement in your life in the short time ahead of you that would either make you a better person or make the life of a person around you better?
There are different zones we have:
1. The Comfort Zone - this is the area of life we are comfortable in (I know, this is deep stuff). The comfort zone is all the stuff that we are good at and we have time to do every day. When we do things that fall into the comfort zone we don't get nervous, and our blood pressure stays pretty consistent.
2. The Panic Zone - this zone is about as opposite from the comfort zone as day is from night. The panic zone is filled with things that we do not know how to do, or they are things that we just don't face on a day to day level. When we are faced with these situations we fly into a... well, panic (again, I know, the clever level is astounding). Our blood-pressure rises, our nerves take over, and we launch into fight or flight. As a result, we don't learn much when we are in this zone.
3. The Stretch Zone - the final zone lies between the comfort zone and the panic zone. This is the area that... well, you guessed it, stretches you. This is something that is out of your daily routine, it is uncomfortable, and will take you a little more time to do than the things that lie in your comfort zone.
Now, if you are curious as to why the talk about all the zones we live in, I will tell you. The zone that you learn the most in is not the comfort zone like you might think. It is the stretch zone. Very little learning is done in the panic zone and growing is rarely found in the comfort zone. But, the stretch zone is uncomfortable because we don't know what we are doing when it comes to this zone of life. It isn't like being at home where we know the floor plan and what is on every wall like we know where every freckle is on the back of our hand. The stretch zone is more like moving to a new town where we don't really know how to get from one place to another. We can, because there are maps. We can even get familiar with that town to where we do know it like the back of our hand, because there are things to instruct us, and people to show us around and tell us where to find a short cut.
Evaluation is something I have been looking at a lot lately. I have been trying to evaluate where I am learning and where I am just doing what I have to. Evaluation is crucial to growth. If you want to grow, you must evaluate where you are and what you have or haven't been learning. There is no secret formula to this, just do it. Where are you? Where have you been? Where do you want to go? and how do you get there? Then, you have to do what is uncomfortable and stretch yourself to do new things and learn new things. It's the only way to grow. It's the only way to experience something you have always wanted to experience, but never had the opportunity to because fear held you back.
What is cool is a stretch zone does what it says, it stretches. And the thing it stretches is your comfort zone. So, as you spend time in the stretch zone, the things that were uncomfortable become comfortable.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Building Rome
At some point in your life, I’m sure you have had an idea for something great. Everyone does. It’s interesting, because the ratio of people who have big desires compared to the people who pursue/achieve their big desires is overwhelmingly lopsided.
Why is it that so many people don’t pursue something that they are sure they need, or something that they believe will be beneficial?
People have great ideas of things they want to do… whether it is to get college degree, maybe it is to mend a relationship with a loved one, or maybe it is to have a deeper relationship with their Heavenly Father, who created them.
All are noble goals and they are worth chasing after, but why do people give up?
Often times we have a mindset that if God is for something you are going to do then everything will just go great, there will be no bumps in the road, and everything will be smooth sailing. And I’m not sure where we get that method of thinking. Jesus even promises that if we are His disciples, the world will hate us (in case you are wondering, being a disciple of Jesus is a great thing to strive for). Things won’t go as we see planned, but it will be for God’s glory. He, Jesus, even says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”
According to Jesus, a rough road is a mark of being on the right path. The disconnect is that we think a big bump in the road might mean that God is trying to tell us that we are on the wrong path and it is time to give up. This happens all over the place. But rough times are necessary if you are going to do anything great or worth your time.
This isn’t the easiest thing to see in the mirror. But whenever someone else is striving toward a noble goal and they give up, it is very easy to see and be critical. Seeing someone give up makes you want to wring their neck. But nearly all of us are guilty of this on some level.
Let’s take a look at the Ancient Romans. When they were building Rome, they were doing things that had never been done before. The structures they were building were hybrids of other Mediterranean countries such as Spain and Greece. They adopted particular elemental structures and pieced them together in ways that had never been attempted before. The Romans were the first to use an arch in a building. An arch is an incredible piece of structure that no one point of the arch holds all the weight. But no one had used it in a building before the Romans. They were doing things that had never been done to create something that had never been created before!
Someone had a vision for the end and because of that vision they relentlessly pursued their goal until it was complete.
But… Rome was not built in a day.
I wonder if we were able to go to the people who were building Rome at the time and talk with them, I wonder how discouraged they might have felt at times. If there were ever times where they thought, to themselves or out loud, “This isn’t going as planned. Maybe they were right, maybe this can’t be built. Maybe we should just give up.”
There had to have been tough times, but they couldn’t give up, because Rome as we know it would not be. Sure, someone eventually might have done something as cool as the Romans did with their infrastructure, but the Romans did what most people won’t do: they kept going. They endured. They fought until the end.
Rome was not built in a day.
And neither will any great thing you ever want to accomplish.
Romans 5 says, “we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance produces character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.”
When we go through trials, we are told things will get better, so we have that hope. However, we want that hope right now and we get discouraged when it isn’t coming. But if we were to get hope right away, then we wouldn’t really have endured anything. And if we don’t endure anything, then we will never build or develop character. But the only reason anyone will endure is if they have that vision of hope, because hope does not disappoint us.
Hope is one of the 3 greatest things in the world according to Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:13 when he says, “these 3 remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” The reason people will endure is because they have hope for what is to come. But without suffering or endurance you will never reach the thing in which you have hope. So always trust, always hope, and always persevere. Without this, nothing great will ever happen, but do it and I believe it is the key to your life being radically transformed!
Rome was not built in a day and neither is any great thing you are trying to do.
Why is it that so many people don’t pursue something that they are sure they need, or something that they believe will be beneficial?
People have great ideas of things they want to do… whether it is to get college degree, maybe it is to mend a relationship with a loved one, or maybe it is to have a deeper relationship with their Heavenly Father, who created them.
All are noble goals and they are worth chasing after, but why do people give up?
Often times we have a mindset that if God is for something you are going to do then everything will just go great, there will be no bumps in the road, and everything will be smooth sailing. And I’m not sure where we get that method of thinking. Jesus even promises that if we are His disciples, the world will hate us (in case you are wondering, being a disciple of Jesus is a great thing to strive for). Things won’t go as we see planned, but it will be for God’s glory. He, Jesus, even says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”
According to Jesus, a rough road is a mark of being on the right path. The disconnect is that we think a big bump in the road might mean that God is trying to tell us that we are on the wrong path and it is time to give up. This happens all over the place. But rough times are necessary if you are going to do anything great or worth your time.
This isn’t the easiest thing to see in the mirror. But whenever someone else is striving toward a noble goal and they give up, it is very easy to see and be critical. Seeing someone give up makes you want to wring their neck. But nearly all of us are guilty of this on some level.
Let’s take a look at the Ancient Romans. When they were building Rome, they were doing things that had never been done before. The structures they were building were hybrids of other Mediterranean countries such as Spain and Greece. They adopted particular elemental structures and pieced them together in ways that had never been attempted before. The Romans were the first to use an arch in a building. An arch is an incredible piece of structure that no one point of the arch holds all the weight. But no one had used it in a building before the Romans. They were doing things that had never been done to create something that had never been created before!
Someone had a vision for the end and because of that vision they relentlessly pursued their goal until it was complete.
But… Rome was not built in a day.
I wonder if we were able to go to the people who were building Rome at the time and talk with them, I wonder how discouraged they might have felt at times. If there were ever times where they thought, to themselves or out loud, “This isn’t going as planned. Maybe they were right, maybe this can’t be built. Maybe we should just give up.”
There had to have been tough times, but they couldn’t give up, because Rome as we know it would not be. Sure, someone eventually might have done something as cool as the Romans did with their infrastructure, but the Romans did what most people won’t do: they kept going. They endured. They fought until the end.
Rome was not built in a day.
And neither will any great thing you ever want to accomplish.
Romans 5 says, “we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance produces character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.”
When we go through trials, we are told things will get better, so we have that hope. However, we want that hope right now and we get discouraged when it isn’t coming. But if we were to get hope right away, then we wouldn’t really have endured anything. And if we don’t endure anything, then we will never build or develop character. But the only reason anyone will endure is if they have that vision of hope, because hope does not disappoint us.
Hope is one of the 3 greatest things in the world according to Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:13 when he says, “these 3 remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” The reason people will endure is because they have hope for what is to come. But without suffering or endurance you will never reach the thing in which you have hope. So always trust, always hope, and always persevere. Without this, nothing great will ever happen, but do it and I believe it is the key to your life being radically transformed!
Rome was not built in a day and neither is any great thing you are trying to do.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
A Tricky Little Game Called Communication
Have you ever had trouble communicating something you need someone to know, yet no matter how hard you try all you get in return are blank stares. The only communication going back and forth is the face saying, "I have no idea what you are trying to say to me right now..." (Ok, I realize that I may get these stares more than most people, but play along).
So put yourself in my shoes about three weeks ago...
I am on my way to England... We flew from Cincinnati to Boston, from Boston to Paris, and from Paris into Birmingham (England, that is).
Our flight from Boston to Paris left around 11 pm, so we were flying through the night. The primary language of the stewardesses on this flight was French.
They served a meal about an hour into the flight, then it was lights out since it was a little past midnight. I had finally fallen asleep and just started to settle into a good rest. To say that I was startled to be woken by something falling and hitting my shoulder is quite an understatement! My heart was pounding! Something had fallen and hit my shoulder after I had fallen asleep, but I didn't know what it was... I looked up and all the overhead bins were closed, so it wasn't a bag.
Then I look down and I see a person roll over on the floor in the isle-way! As if my heart wasn't racing before, now it was pounding. I scrambled to find the light, but it seemed like it took forever to do so. With all my rustling around, the girl next to me woke up and saw that I was in a little bit of a panic and flipped on her light. At this time I was able to confirm that the dark figure on the floor was a middle-aged woman dressed in dark clothes! She wasn't moving a whole lot, it appeared that she had just come to. Apparently she had passed out on the way back to her seat from the restroom... luckily my shoulder and leg was there to break her fall a little bit, or else she would have really been hurting!
A stewardess was quick on the scene and she tried to ask the lady what had happened in her broken English when the lady on the floor responded, "Please, no English..."
With a very nervous look the stewardess said, "what language?"
"Arabic."
Not really sure what to do at this point because it was apparent that the stewardess didn't speak Arabic, I tried explaining to her my end of the story, or at least what I thought happened. I tried words, but I was getting some confused looks, so I tried again with a few more hand motions this time. The stewardess nodded as if she understood, but I'm not entirely sure that she did. We had what you could call a communication nightmare!
There is a reason that the people who were building the Tower of Babel left one another when their languages were confused. It is frustrating when you can't understand what someone is trying to say to you. If you can't understand the words being used, it doesn't matter how many times they are repeated. It doesn't matter how hard you try to understand, you simply can't. You have to find another way to communicate.
It is interesting that language is something that God changed to frustrate and confuse people, when their agenda was to be equal with God. That same God chose to redeem all of mankind and when He did He chose to use the people He created to spread His message of redemption. There was a problem though... everyone spoke different languages. That would appear to be a problem, and "with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." God gave the early church the ability to speak clearly in the languages of all people on the day of Pentecost.
Just thought this would be a fun little thing to share... Thoughts are welcome.
So put yourself in my shoes about three weeks ago...
I am on my way to England... We flew from Cincinnati to Boston, from Boston to Paris, and from Paris into Birmingham (England, that is).
Our flight from Boston to Paris left around 11 pm, so we were flying through the night. The primary language of the stewardesses on this flight was French.
They served a meal about an hour into the flight, then it was lights out since it was a little past midnight. I had finally fallen asleep and just started to settle into a good rest. To say that I was startled to be woken by something falling and hitting my shoulder is quite an understatement! My heart was pounding! Something had fallen and hit my shoulder after I had fallen asleep, but I didn't know what it was... I looked up and all the overhead bins were closed, so it wasn't a bag.
Then I look down and I see a person roll over on the floor in the isle-way! As if my heart wasn't racing before, now it was pounding. I scrambled to find the light, but it seemed like it took forever to do so. With all my rustling around, the girl next to me woke up and saw that I was in a little bit of a panic and flipped on her light. At this time I was able to confirm that the dark figure on the floor was a middle-aged woman dressed in dark clothes! She wasn't moving a whole lot, it appeared that she had just come to. Apparently she had passed out on the way back to her seat from the restroom... luckily my shoulder and leg was there to break her fall a little bit, or else she would have really been hurting!
A stewardess was quick on the scene and she tried to ask the lady what had happened in her broken English when the lady on the floor responded, "Please, no English..."
With a very nervous look the stewardess said, "what language?"
"Arabic."
Not really sure what to do at this point because it was apparent that the stewardess didn't speak Arabic, I tried explaining to her my end of the story, or at least what I thought happened. I tried words, but I was getting some confused looks, so I tried again with a few more hand motions this time. The stewardess nodded as if she understood, but I'm not entirely sure that she did. We had what you could call a communication nightmare!
There is a reason that the people who were building the Tower of Babel left one another when their languages were confused. It is frustrating when you can't understand what someone is trying to say to you. If you can't understand the words being used, it doesn't matter how many times they are repeated. It doesn't matter how hard you try to understand, you simply can't. You have to find another way to communicate.
It is interesting that language is something that God changed to frustrate and confuse people, when their agenda was to be equal with God. That same God chose to redeem all of mankind and when He did He chose to use the people He created to spread His message of redemption. There was a problem though... everyone spoke different languages. That would appear to be a problem, and "with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." God gave the early church the ability to speak clearly in the languages of all people on the day of Pentecost.
Just thought this would be a fun little thing to share... Thoughts are welcome.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
On my way to save the Queen!
In case you didn't know, I am about to head overseas to the land of... well, I don't really know what it is the land of, but I'm going to Birmingham, England for the next 10 days!
I will be traveling with a team of 6 students and 2 faculty members of CCU. We will be encouraging the current missionaries and working with them to impact the community they serve. Of course, we will have a little bit of time to go site-seeing, but that is not the main thing we are going for. I'm very excited to see what is to come from this trip. I honestly don't know what to expect, being that this is my first time out of the country for a missions trip.
In other news, as of this week, I became the latest employee of Crossview Christian Church in Waynesville, OH! I am the youth ministry intern with an emphasis on jr high students. Crossview is a growing church and they have outgrown one youth minister and would like for this internship to turn into a full time job at the end. I fully believe it is a great opportunity and as doors shut in other places I was looking, this one swung wide open for me to walk through it, giving me a pretty good idea that this is somewhere God wants me for a while. I look forward to what will happen there, but that will start when I get back. My first day on that job is May 29, so only a few days after returning to the states! Please pray for me for both of these situations, that I may have wisdom and guidance from above with every step of the way.
With much love, jcc.
I will be traveling with a team of 6 students and 2 faculty members of CCU. We will be encouraging the current missionaries and working with them to impact the community they serve. Of course, we will have a little bit of time to go site-seeing, but that is not the main thing we are going for. I'm very excited to see what is to come from this trip. I honestly don't know what to expect, being that this is my first time out of the country for a missions trip.
In other news, as of this week, I became the latest employee of Crossview Christian Church in Waynesville, OH! I am the youth ministry intern with an emphasis on jr high students. Crossview is a growing church and they have outgrown one youth minister and would like for this internship to turn into a full time job at the end. I fully believe it is a great opportunity and as doors shut in other places I was looking, this one swung wide open for me to walk through it, giving me a pretty good idea that this is somewhere God wants me for a while. I look forward to what will happen there, but that will start when I get back. My first day on that job is May 29, so only a few days after returning to the states! Please pray for me for both of these situations, that I may have wisdom and guidance from above with every step of the way.
With much love, jcc.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
A Mossy Creek
It is hard to describe they way you feel after someone leaves that has always been a part of your entire life. And to all who have sent texts, emails, letters, and other modes of communication expressing sympathy and prayers, I would like to say thank you. They are greatly appreciated by me and the family.
Recently I have been reminded of a couple things.
One of my home mates brought his bike to school and today I took it for a ride through Price Hill and up to a local park that overlooks the city. It was a little chilly, but I dressed for the occasion. It was fun, I hadn't ridden a bike in quite some time, but for some reason I really wanted to ride tonight. It's kind of funny how when you do something for the first time in a while it brings back memories of either the last time you did it or the first time. Well, tonight it brought back memories of the early days of biking. I still remember "the test" I had to do to get my training wheels off. I had to ride my brother's bike from our front porch to the end of the barn, which isn't too short of a distance, especially when you consider that most of the ride is in the grass.
I also remember the first place I was able to ride to without an adult accompanying my journey. It was to my great grandpa's house, only about a mile away. I felt like big stuff going over there by myself for the first time. It was Thanksgiving day and my aunt and a couple cousins were over there watching the St. Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. I was a actually watching it at my house too, but for some reason I asked if I could go over there. When I asked I meant going over by having my mom drive me, but then she let me ride over on my own and made my weekend! I felt like big stuff to say the least.
As we sat and chatted, I knew that this was probably the last time we would all be together, at least in this house, I didn't want it to end. In fact, my cousin's husband and I decided to change the time on the clock in hopes that it would change the real time and we could stay there a little longer. (Sorry Aunt Deanna, I know that didn't make you happy, but I thought you should know that I was Ian's partner in crime)
As I reflect on great grandpa's life I just see so many good qualities that I want to carry in my own life. Grandpa was a man of great respect. Everyone in the family had respect for him even if you didn't have respect for anyone else. He was a man that deserved so much honor but never wanted praise, just a hug. The things he did were done because they were the right thing to do, and that was reason enough for him. No task was ever too big for him to handle, but no task was too important to take him away from spending time with his family.
Recently I have been reminded of a couple things.
One of my home mates brought his bike to school and today I took it for a ride through Price Hill and up to a local park that overlooks the city. It was a little chilly, but I dressed for the occasion. It was fun, I hadn't ridden a bike in quite some time, but for some reason I really wanted to ride tonight. It's kind of funny how when you do something for the first time in a while it brings back memories of either the last time you did it or the first time. Well, tonight it brought back memories of the early days of biking. I still remember "the test" I had to do to get my training wheels off. I had to ride my brother's bike from our front porch to the end of the barn, which isn't too short of a distance, especially when you consider that most of the ride is in the grass.
I also remember the first place I was able to ride to without an adult accompanying my journey. It was to my great grandpa's house, only about a mile away. I felt like big stuff going over there by myself for the first time. It was Thanksgiving day and my aunt and a couple cousins were over there watching the St. Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. I was a actually watching it at my house too, but for some reason I asked if I could go over there. When I asked I meant going over by having my mom drive me, but then she let me ride over on my own and made my weekend! I felt like big stuff to say the least.
As we sat and chatted, I knew that this was probably the last time we would all be together, at least in this house, I didn't want it to end. In fact, my cousin's husband and I decided to change the time on the clock in hopes that it would change the real time and we could stay there a little longer. (Sorry Aunt Deanna, I know that didn't make you happy, but I thought you should know that I was Ian's partner in crime)
As I reflect on great grandpa's life I just see so many good qualities that I want to carry in my own life. Grandpa was a man of great respect. Everyone in the family had respect for him even if you didn't have respect for anyone else. He was a man that deserved so much honor but never wanted praise, just a hug. The things he did were done because they were the right thing to do, and that was reason enough for him. No task was ever too big for him to handle, but no task was too important to take him away from spending time with his family.
It is very weird because many of us almost built it up in our minds that he might actually live forever, but this is just a reminder: this is one rule in which no one is excused. And I suppose that is why we put our hope in Jesus because in doing so we shall never actually perish, we just won't be seen on this earth anymore, but rather in a place where there is no more pain or weeping, where everything is brought to completion in perfect harmony with each other and the One who created us and everything we currently have. That is a pretty comforting thought in my mind.
Grandpa just left so many memories and a great legacy for the family. A legacy is "anything that is handed down from the past," it is a gift, and with all gifts comes a stewardship. So we now have a responsibility to do something with the legacy we have been handed. I pray that I will be able to do that in some way. I want to be able to get another grin of approval the next time I see him, this time not just for a task well done, but for a life well lived.
Grandpa just left so many memories and a great legacy for the family. A legacy is "anything that is handed down from the past," it is a gift, and with all gifts comes a stewardship. So we now have a responsibility to do something with the legacy we have been handed. I pray that I will be able to do that in some way. I want to be able to get another grin of approval the next time I see him, this time not just for a task well done, but for a life well lived.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
The Experience: New York City
It is very difficult to tell what my favorite part of the whole trip was. There were so many fascinating things about each city and each city had their uniqueness to them that it is hard to compare. So, I figured I would break it down into cities. Just so you know, New York was not our first stop, but it is the one that is on my mind right now, so it is the I will start with.
Now, I'm not going to be naive and think that no one that is reading this blog has ever been to New York and has never seen the things that we saw. But I will say that I believe one of the most impressive things we did was experience everything we did in just two days. And they weren't even full days! So this is how we did it.
To truly experience each city we did a little bit of homework. Chris and Eddie are very good about asking people questions about what there is to do and experience in a city. It's kinda cool because they can just start talking to someone and it just seems natural, where for me, it is difficult to do so. I just feel like I am bothering them, so I would just as soon leave them alone. I would say that this is key #1. Key #2 is having someone that is in the city or is at least familiar with the city show you around and give you helpful hints on how to get around, where to be, etc. Eddie has a friend that has been working for Saturday Night Live for a couple months and she had a little time where she could show us around. This was a great thing.
We experienced quite a bit in two days, largely because of her help.
Day 1
We started out our Monday by sitting in on a Church Planters get-together, orchestrated by Eddie. He follows a guy on Twitter and sent him an email and he hooked us up with this. It was pretty neat to sit in on the meeting and see how ministry is done in the busiest city in the U.S.
Then it was time to hit the streets after a quick bite to eat.
We started off at the public library. I know this sounds like a boring trip so far, but this wasn't just some library, it was huge. We were told that it was well worth going into and they were right. We went into one of the neatest buildings ever. I wish we had more pictures of the inside, but there is a "no flash" policy in there, so it wasn't easy getting a good picture. But believe me when I say that it is well worth your time!
In a "New York Minute" we were off to see St. Patrick's Cathedral (extremely impressive place). Then it was on to Rockefeller Center. From there we went to get the experience of Time Square, pretty unique and very fast-paced. Definitely sensory overload. We also hit up the M&M Factory while we were there! What was fun was that we took the subway from possibly the busiest part of the city to Central Park, possibly the most peaceful part of the city.
Me, Molly, Eddie, and Chris (Central Park)
Now, I'm not going to be naive and think that no one that is reading this blog has ever been to New York and has never seen the things that we saw. But I will say that I believe one of the most impressive things we did was experience everything we did in just two days. And they weren't even full days! So this is how we did it.
To truly experience each city we did a little bit of homework. Chris and Eddie are very good about asking people questions about what there is to do and experience in a city. It's kinda cool because they can just start talking to someone and it just seems natural, where for me, it is difficult to do so. I just feel like I am bothering them, so I would just as soon leave them alone. I would say that this is key #1. Key #2 is having someone that is in the city or is at least familiar with the city show you around and give you helpful hints on how to get around, where to be, etc. Eddie has a friend that has been working for Saturday Night Live for a couple months and she had a little time where she could show us around. This was a great thing.
We experienced quite a bit in two days, largely because of her help.
Day 1
We started out our Monday by sitting in on a Church Planters get-together, orchestrated by Eddie. He follows a guy on Twitter and sent him an email and he hooked us up with this. It was pretty neat to sit in on the meeting and see how ministry is done in the busiest city in the U.S.
Then it was time to hit the streets after a quick bite to eat.
We started off at the public library. I know this sounds like a boring trip so far, but this wasn't just some library, it was huge. We were told that it was well worth going into and they were right. We went into one of the neatest buildings ever. I wish we had more pictures of the inside, but there is a "no flash" policy in there, so it wasn't easy getting a good picture. But believe me when I say that it is well worth your time!
In a "New York Minute" we were off to see St. Patrick's Cathedral (extremely impressive place). Then it was on to Rockefeller Center. From there we went to get the experience of Time Square, pretty unique and very fast-paced. Definitely sensory overload. We also hit up the M&M Factory while we were there! What was fun was that we took the subway from possibly the busiest part of the city to Central Park, possibly the most peaceful part of the city.
Me, Molly, Eddie, and Chris (Central Park)To finish off day 1 of NYC we hit the Empire State Building, right at sunset. We got the view from both levels, so one level it was sunset and by the time we got to the next level it was dark, which was so neat. Super cool view. Walking around, you are surrounded by huge buildings and every once in a while you just have to do a 360 and look everything up and down because you can't quite fully experience how big everything is just walking down the street trying to get somewhere. You have to stop and soak it in every once in a while. Then you get to the top of Empire State building and you are above all of that just looking down and the best way to describe it as is something else. You just see a sea of humanity.
This ended our Day 1 in the Big Apple. We went back to the Searle's for some dinner, relaxation, and taking turns on the foot massager! (Another key to our journey)
Day 2
Tuesday consisted of a visit to Ellis Island, we stopped by our dear friend Lady Liberty (or more correctly, as we found out, "Lady Liberty Enlightening the World"), then we headed from there over to Wall Street, Trinity Church (from National Treasure), and Ground Zero/WTC memorial.
Chris and I explaining what we are doing:
Ellis Island
Grabbing the Bull by the Horns
This one speaks for itself
And there was evening and morning the 2nd day
This ended our Day 1 in the Big Apple. We went back to the Searle's for some dinner, relaxation, and taking turns on the foot massager! (Another key to our journey)
Day 2
Tuesday consisted of a visit to Ellis Island, we stopped by our dear friend Lady Liberty (or more correctly, as we found out, "Lady Liberty Enlightening the World"), then we headed from there over to Wall Street, Trinity Church (from National Treasure), and Ground Zero/WTC memorial.
Chris and I explaining what we are doing:
Ellis Island
Grabbing the Bull by the Horns
This one speaks for itself
And there was evening and morning the 2nd dayIt was a pretty good couple of days overall.
After feeling well accomplished tourists in the Big Apple we loaded up in the car and headed up to New Hampshire. (Stay tuned, there is still more before and after this)
Everything was a little surreal. Walking around, everywhere we looked it seemed like was a part of a movie or tv show or something. It was kinda cool.
The whole experience made a certain September happening really come to life for me. Hearing numbers and statistics and seeing pictures can only do so much, but when you are there and you see how big these buildings are and realize how much bigger the Trade Centers were really made me see how much it effected the city. Everything is so close that I have no clue where everything went or how more buildings weren't destroyed. I think one of the biggest things I took out of this was a new appreciation/understand/broken heart for those who were involved. Numbers can only do so much, but when you put a face and a name on something like that and you hear them tell the story or the spouse of a deceased talk about the last time the saw their spouse, it breaks the heart.
You might be thinking, wow Jordan, way to end on a somber note. But, that is how our day ended on Tuesday.
After feeling well accomplished tourists in the Big Apple we loaded up in the car and headed up to New Hampshire. (Stay tuned, there is still more before and after this)
Everything was a little surreal. Walking around, everywhere we looked it seemed like was a part of a movie or tv show or something. It was kinda cool.
The whole experience made a certain September happening really come to life for me. Hearing numbers and statistics and seeing pictures can only do so much, but when you are there and you see how big these buildings are and realize how much bigger the Trade Centers were really made me see how much it effected the city. Everything is so close that I have no clue where everything went or how more buildings weren't destroyed. I think one of the biggest things I took out of this was a new appreciation/understand/broken heart for those who were involved. Numbers can only do so much, but when you put a face and a name on something like that and you hear them tell the story or the spouse of a deceased talk about the last time the saw their spouse, it breaks the heart.
You might be thinking, wow Jordan, way to end on a somber note. But, that is how our day ended on Tuesday.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Road Trip!
To complete my college experience I went on a week long road trip with a couple of guys from school, whom I have been living with this semester. The goal was to visit some of the big Northeastern Cities of the U.S. (Philadelphia, NYC, and Boston). We wanted to be able to "experience" each city in a day or two. By experience it, we meant: eat "the food" of the city, see "the thing" of the city, and just get a feel for something the city prides itself in.
So, we loaded up in my grandparents Hybrid (aka: knockout gas mileage) and we hit the road.
In the blogs to follow there will be more pictures and what we experienced on the trip. There were some good lessons along the way. I know this sounds a little cheesy, but I feel like my eyes are opened to numerous possibilities after this trip and I believe that it was definitely well worth it. But, first I have to edit some pictures so you can get a glimpse of what we experienced. Then I will start the journey of telling you all about the things we did.
By the way, I didn't mention that we didn't spend a dime on housing. More on that to come!
So, we loaded up in my grandparents Hybrid (aka: knockout gas mileage) and we hit the road.
In the blogs to follow there will be more pictures and what we experienced on the trip. There were some good lessons along the way. I know this sounds a little cheesy, but I feel like my eyes are opened to numerous possibilities after this trip and I believe that it was definitely well worth it. But, first I have to edit some pictures so you can get a glimpse of what we experienced. Then I will start the journey of telling you all about the things we did.
By the way, I didn't mention that we didn't spend a dime on housing. More on that to come!
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