The Weekly Wrap-Up: February 3-7, 2020

Have you guys seen "The Chosen" yet? If you haven't, you're probably asking what that is.

I will tell you.

"The Chosen" is the first multi-season crowd-funded television show about the life of Jesus (that is not actually on network or cable TV). You can currently watch it by downloading an app (same title as the show) and streaming each episode. I think it's a fantastic interpretation of life in the first century AD. It's very biblical, and I think it's helpful to see the people we talk about all the time as just that - real people.

This, of course, has nothing to do with work, but it's been on my brain this week. And they need more investors so they can do a second season. So, you know...

Okay, on to work stuff. I've made it through 2.5 groups of Mizo Chin. The publishing is going well, minus the part where the footer was in Portuguese for some reason. That's why I always take a second look at booklets before they get published.

It was another week with lots of meetings. Mostly important ones, so that's something at least. But we also had a really cool chapel service on Wednesday. We heard the testimony of a man who was killed during a terrorist attack in Asia and was miraculously brought back to life. It was a truly incredible story. I love these reminders of how God is still working and watching out for his children.

Next week, I need to bang out a prayer letter. There's lots to tell, as always, but for some reason, it's always a struggle to write it out. You can bet I'll be spending significant time this weekend praying about what to include and how. Any suggestions you have would not be unwelcome, though.

Hey, on the subject of prayer, you can be praying for my production team. There's a lot of stuff going on right now, and especially because we are so widespread and live in so many different areas, there are plenty of things that can threaten health and safety. So without going into too much detail, pray for the basics - family, weather, politics. Thanks!

As for me, I will see you next week.

Bye!

The Weekly Wrap-Up: July 24-28, 2017

I do hope you catch the reference. Don't bother watching the show, of course, because it's actually terrible minus a few clever phrases here and there.

But that's neither here nor there. Point is, I've been gone a couple weeks. In fact, this time last week (as of writing this), I was riding the sweet wave of anesthetic and pain killers. That stuff is gnarly, dude. Not a care in the world, seriously.

So yes, surgery last week went well. I was pretty useless the rest of Friday, most of Saturday, and I did way too much on Sunday, so I took a half day on Monday. I probably could have gotten away with taking another day, to be honest, but that's just not how I roll. Besides, most of my job is sitting, so it's very low impact.

Also, most of my Monday was actually spent doing various updates to my computer. Do you guys put those off as much as I do? Like, one pops up, and I just start getting annoyed. What? Again?! I just did this six months ago! (Unless you have Telegram, then it's every two days. Sometimes twice a day.) It's a pain. But it's important, so I tend to bunch them all up at once. And I work with a lot of important files, so it's not just updating. No, you have to back everything up first. That way, if the update screws up your computer, you have all of your files still. I'm great at this on my work computer. Not so great at home. Of course, my home computer is 8 years old and has 32 Safari tabs open. If I update something, there's no guarantee that baby is booting back up again. (I need a new computer, guys. I've been doing my research, but I'm picky. And poor.)

Anyway, I got all the updates and backups done in time to start the final proof phase of Hindi group 2. We're nearly ready to publish! I used to be more excited about publishing, because it meant that I never had to look at those particular files again. Except when you do, as was the case with Estonian. We had published group 1, but I guess the language changed since then? I don't know. I should be nicer about it, except I had to manually make the changes since it was fiddly, and you all know how much I love fiddly bits.

But my frustration was offset by one of my favorite days at OMS. Tuesday was spiritual warfare day. And you know what that means?

SWORDS!

Yeah, buddy.

I do so enjoy showing off my collection. And it's more than just appreciating the oohs and aahs of the crowd. It's an effective object lesson about keeping yourself armed against the devil.

Finally, I just started working on new proof files from French. I don't usually do three languages in a week, but I guess everyone just wanted me to feel really special. I certainly feel like I'm back in the groove of things.

Guys, August starts next week. I'm not sure how that's possible. Kids went back to school this week.

I bought Christmas presents this week.

Someone slow this bus down, yeah?

(I still owe you a conference post. I'm working on it. Really.)

John Wesley and Prayer: Lunacy or Perfection?

"God does nothing except in response to believing prayer."

Take a long hard gander at that. Really read it. Ruminate on it. Mull it over.

I certainly did. And I didn't like it at all.

Now I'm not going to tell you where I found this quote (OMS), nor how often I see it (all the time). But I was curious about its origin, because surely such an inflammatory statement had to be heretical, or at the very least, misquoted.

You know what I found? You know who the miscreant is?

John Wesley.

Sweet baby Jesus in the manger.

Now I like John Wesley as much as the next Protestant. You can't say a bad word about him (especially when you work for a holiness mission agency.)

But I had to wonder if even he had overstepped his bounds a little with this statement.

I did what I always do when I come across something suspect. I Googled it. A lot. Here's what I found:

• Just about every Wesleyan thing (college, church, mission) has this quote on their website. Usually without qualification or corresponding text, other than to say that prayer is very important.

• A few books have quoted Wesley, again to emphasize the importance of prayer. They usually mention that Wesley spent two hours a day or more in persistent prayer.

• A Methodist church in Iowa produced a 14-page document on the proper posture, type, wording, time, and place of prayer.

• One link sent me to a page written by someone at serveOK.org, which I figured had something to do with Oklahoma, but I thought also might be the slacker's response to missions. We'll serve, but only OK. Also, they offered me free decals, but when I clicked the link, they said too many people had ordered them.

Okay.

• I knew Patheos wouldn't fail me, and sure enough, on the atheist channel I saw an article entitled "Nothing Fails Like Prayer."

It's possible we've moved a bit too far in the other direction. (Incidentally, if you get curious and decide to read the article, let me know what conclusions you come to. I know how I'd answer him, but I'm curious about your own experiences with this kind of argument.)

Finally, I found something that offered context for the quote. It comes from "A Plain Account of Christian Perfection," written by Wesley somewhere between 1725 and 1777.

I skimmed through the document and found much of interest. (Notably that Wesley apparently did not  originally like the term Methodist.) Honestly, the thing is long, and it takes a while before he says the above quote. He includes a lot of hymns, too. I think it's supposed to be like the Methodist Manifesto.

Anyway, his main gist is that it's totally possible for Christians to achieve perfection in this life. He defines perfection as "loving God with all our heart, and mind, and soul" and that this means any "inward sin is taken away."

(I happen to agree with Wesley that it's possible to achieve perfection in this life. However, like him I also believe that few, if any, have actually done this.)

Finally, we get to the infamous quote. (Which actually reads "God does nothing but in response to prayer." Is it very different? No. But I believe in accuracy.) I was not assuaged by what I read. It wasn't an error.

Here's what he says immediately before: "God hardly gives his Spirit even to those whom he has established in grace, if they do not pray for it on all occasions, not only once, but many times."

And immediately after: "Even they who have been converted to God without praying for it themselves, (which exceeding rare,) were not without the prayers of others. Every new victory which a soul gains is the effect of a new prayer."

Wow.

Confession time: I may have blurted out "This man is a lunatic!" in the middle of the office.

I'm trying not to be derailed by those statements. I think they are utterly wrong, and I have no idea what he was thinking when he wrote them, but this post is about prayer, so he's getting a pass.

I'm trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, here. I'm trying to remember that he wrote/lived in a different time, that he doesn't really define what he means by prayer, and that I may actually be way off base here.

I'll also be the first to admit that I have a tenuous relationship with prayer. I tend to think the benefit is to the pray-er more than the pray-ee. I'm less inclined to see a direct link between my prayer and the subsequent action. I try to attribute those actions to their actual source, which is God.

Do I think God prompts us to pray for certain things? Yes. In His time, when He's ready to move, He puts things on people's hearts so that they are prepared for the work ahead.

Do I also think God tells us to stop praying for things? Yes. And we would do well to listen. A 'no' is still an answer, and we can waste a lot of time chasing after things that are never going to happen.

Wesley obviously believed prayer was important. I mentioned that this quote is mainly used next to a subsequent sentence about him praying for two hours every day. And I can't really argue about prayer being important. It's mentioned a lot in the Bible, Jesus taught how us to pray, and he told us to do it without ceasing.

But I think people can overemphasize the power of prayer. It becomes a work, something we have to do to be saved, and that is totally contrary to the Christian faith. There are so many times I have to bite my tongue before I say something that will undoubtedly get me in trouble.

I just can't get behind the idea that it is our prayers that prompt God to act, and that without them, He can do nothing. Because that's what I think is implied in this quote. I refuse to limit God that way. He does what He wills, whether we've prayed for it or not. His actions are not contingent on my faith.

(Rabbit trail: This was a storyline on Stargate: SG-1. These aliens had created a religion and had enslaved millions of people because their powers were fed by people. So the more people who believed, the more powerful they became, and the more people they could enslave. Actually, I think this was the plot of the TV movie about Merlin, too. And now I've totally lost you.)

Ironically (is this actual irony or am I being American and not getting the concept of irony?), I'm going to leave you with a verse about prayer. This is one I fully support and practice as often as I can.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

Project Runway and the Secret Underbelly of Missions

(I started writing this last year, before the Christmas video went out. Try to enjoy it in the manner in which it was intended.)

For reasons known to me and a few others, I've been binge-watching episodes of Project Runway.

Don't get me wrong, I like the show. When it first aired, it was something new and a little edgy. It gave us a peek behind the curtain of fashion design, and while I had never known that that was something I wanted, I realized pretty quickly that it was fairly entertaining television.

It's also on cable, so I only watched when I was at my parent's house or, lately, when they have full episodes online.

Project Runway has become something of a behemoth. A version of it has aired in more than 20 countries. It has launched the careers of a few famous people and given some less famous people 15 minutes of fame. The show has gone through a few iterations, but the basic idea is the same: several aspiring fashion designers compete to win various challenges and ultimately to win a chance to launch their own line of fashion.

Season 14 began airing in August 2015. I've sort of paid more attention this year, partly because of the aforementioned reasons, but also because they found some truly ... interesting ... designers this year. Seriously, I don't like competition shows because a lot of people lose, and then they get very emotional. But I have actively cheered when some of these designers got cut. They are terrible people.

Anyway, I was talking about one of the episodes with a coworker, and she told me I should write a blog post about it because it is reflective of some things in the mission world we tend to ignore.

So here goes.

First, a recap of the episode.

It started pretty normally. Heidi Klum (the host) and Tim Gunn (the mentor) were preparing to present the new challenge to the designers. But first, they divided the group into two teams. Team challenge! Sometimes these go well. Sometimes not.

Anyway, there was some tension because instead of choosing teams strategically, everyone just chose their friends and roommates, leaving the one girl who has won two challenges already (and thus is known to the judges and obvi a contender) to be chosen last. Naturally, they had split into a girls team and a boys+1girl team.

Then they played paintball. I know, it doesn't make sense. But that's what happened. The twist for the challenge was that they had to create six outfits that would form a complete collection out of their jumpsuits from paintball. They also had supplemental material. That's important for later.

Right away, the guys (who I will call the blue team) started talking through their plan. There was a little dissension about what it would be, but Swapnil (who I name because his name rocks) made a very reasonable and calm argument for the 1950s. Everyone agreed. But they didn't stop there. They figured out everyone's strengths (not everyone had to create an outfit - they just had to have six, and everyone had to participate in some manner). They asked each person what they wanted to create, and then they talked about how it would fit into the collection. They decided to mostly use the jumpsuits, but asked one designer to create a common textile print that everyone could use. It took more time (they had two days), but they had a very cohesive collection, and it allowed them to focus on the design.

In contrast, the girls (the purple team). They hated the paintball jumpsuits. They hated the colors. They hated the supplemental fabric. So they decided to go for some kind of tie-dye theme. Well, four did. The other two, when they suggested coming up with a theme first, were drowned out and shot down. The purple team ruined their jumpsuit fabric. And yet, even then, they didn't sit down together to figure out a plan. They decided that everyone would design something, and then they would figure out what the common element was later. Except they wasted so much time that most of them did not have a complete outfit ready by the time their models showed up for a fitting.

Then the runway show. Blue team nailed it. The looks were fun, flirty, included a pant option, they were fashion-forward, and best of all, they fit together without being matchy-matchy. There was a gown that was just beautiful - I would wear it.

Purple team, however, was a mess. I believe the words 'amateur hour' were used. They had used a ton of the supplemental fabric instead of focusing on the jumpsuits. The colors were reminiscent of Barney the Dinosaur or an Easter egg hunt. Some outfits were obviously unfinished.

Blue team won, gown guy won, but everyone got the credit. They were a true team, even though only one person will ultimately win the game.

Purple team lost. And then it became obvious that the only thing they had collaborated on (well, four of them) was who to blame. And sure enough, it was the girl who had been picked last.

The judges were not impressed. At all. And they made that very clear. The girl they kicked out had made some weird caftan-type dress, but I'm firmly convinced that they gave her the boot mainly for her attitude. She did not take responsibility for anything that went wrong.

Auf wiedersehen indeed.

So. What does this have to do with missions?

Honestly, it's a lesson that is not unique to missions. It's something that could happen anywhere. But I used that title as clickbait. I'm sorry. I'll do my best to tie this to missions.

All too often, missionaries look a lot like the purple team. We all start with pretty much the same thing, and while we hopefully don't hate it, we do have a lot of different ways of spreading the news.

Missionaries are, somewhat out of necessity, but also by nature, independent people. What other type of person leaves home to go somewhere unfamiliar in order to tell possibly hostile people about Jesus? It attracts a very specific type of person.

Unfortunately, that type of person tends to be a "Let's Go." There are four types of these "Let" people. (I checked.) They are: Let's Go, Let's Be Careful, Let's Stay Together, and Let Me Help You. They fit into the four basic personality types, the four humors, Meyers-Briggs, whatever you want to call it. People tend to have a dominant type, and then a supporting type. Some naturally work together, and some are in a bit of conflict.

Let's Go people tend to have great ideas and a lot of enthusiasm. They want to start now and worry about details later. And that's okay - to a point. Because if your organization is made up entirely of Let's Go individuals, then you will soon find yourself with a prospering business that has to shut down because someone forgot to pay taxes. Or you'll own a piece of property in an economically diminished neighborhood that can't be rezoned because no one read the fine print.

Not to name specific examples of ministries I know.

One of the things I look for in any new business, mission, or investment is sustainability. And all too often, sustainability gets obscured by vision. We see what could be. We have a goal, and we have an amazing idea for how to achieve that goal. But if we don't talk to each other about that goal, if we don't agree on a means, if we go into something with a built-in out, the vision is going to be just that - a figment of the imagination that never had legs to carry it to fruition.

There are a lot of things we can take from this particular episode of Project Runway. We can realize that the best team contains a combination of the four types of "Let" people. We can realize that a plan doesn't have to take forever to create, so we can still meet a deadline. We can realize that trying to find meaning in something after the fact usually ends up in a big fat goose egg. And we can realize that experience and wise counsel are worth their weight in gold.

Don't fall into the trap of Let's Go. Or don't only have those people on your team. Build a solid foundation, and the rest will follow. I'm pretty sure Jesus said something to that effect.

Incidental #1, the girl who was picked last won the entire season. Would I wear what she created? Some of it. Did she deserve it? Yes.

Incidental #2, I'm a Let's Be Careful. But my supporting type is Let's Go. Naturally, I think this is the best type. Also, I don't really care if everyone gets along. Helpers are good, though.

Incidental #3, I am fully aware that there is a bit of bias in this post. As I come from a specific type, I find other types difficult to deal with. And just now, I read an article about what exhausts each personality type? Mine?

INTJ – Improvisation

INTJs are the ultimate planners – they ruthlessly map out how they’re going to behave in future situations and glean energy from determining the best of all possible approaches. Though they are capable of improvising when need be, the INTJ will rapidly lose energy if they must act without deliberating for a significant period of time. They are big-picture thinkers, and they need to put everything into perspective before they feel completely comfortable taking action.

A Random Tuesday

How do my days usually progress? I'll tell you. Or at least, I'll tell you about today.

My alarm went off at 6:40. I'd been having this weird dream about a hotel by a river and trying to find someone who owed me $4.

I hit snooze. There's no excuse for being up at 6:40.

Nine minutes later, I figure I'm obligated to get up. First thing I do is check my phone for the overnight happenings. A few news alerts and a text from Arika, asking way too deep a philosophical question for 6:49 in the morning. But I answer, and it makes sense to my brain, so good enough.

I don't wash my hair on Tuesdays. It gives me a little extra time for morning ablutions, and also morning devotions. Sarah Young makes her usual frightening amount of sense. I hang out at the kitchen table and ponder life's mysteries.

It's 7:50. Getting dressed might be important. I have to wear blue today. Normally, a few of us in ECC will try to match. I get a text every morning. But my matchy buddies are in South Africa this week. I still have to wear blue. We're filming today.

I get to work about 8:03. First thing is to fire up the computer. While it's coming up, I check the ECC box in the mailroom. Nothing. Then a pen and new post-its from central supply.

I check my email. Two Gmail accounts and the main Office 365. Naturally, 365 isn't working. Shocking. Reload. Nothing has come into the T&M account, and it's mostly junk everywhere else. I check Facebook. I'm friends with T&M partners and people who are traveling. Things are going well. I schedule a post on the T&M page.

It's 8:55. Time for chapel. There's usually coffee and hot chocolate for people to get before or after. I don't usually like hot drinks, but as the weather cools, you can see me with a hot chocolate.

Today's chapel speaker is Graham Houghton. Graham has been in India for 50 years, and he always has great stories. And a very unique way of telling them. He retired once. It didn't take. He's 78 and ministering in North India. There are encouraging things happening, but there is also a great deal of darkness.

Chapel normally lasts until 9:30 or 9:40. Graham finishes at 9:55. We still have announcements and introductions. We pray for a missionary leaving for Hungary tomorrow.

10:05. Back in the office. I do a bit of cleaning up and then start working on my article for Outreach magazine. It's about the history of prayer at OMS.

10:45. Time to do a bit of walking. Since we started the wellness program, I've been endeavoring to get at least 10,000 steps every day. It's also not good to sit for too long. I have a route through the building, starting by going through Communications. Lori and Susan are talking about the magazine. I chat with Beth for a minute. Then upstairs. There are a lot of people out. But there are muffins at the front desk. Score.

Back downstairs. 11:00. More research for the article. I've copied articles and notices from old Missionary Standard archives. I'm only up to 1946. Sometimes I forget OMS has been around more than 100 years. Not today.

11:40. I check my phone and see that I have a voicemail. There is pretty much no service in the basement, so I never hear my phone ring. I just randomly have messages. It's Arby's. I did a survey this weekend, and they have follow-up questions. But when I call back, there's no answer.

12:10. Time for lunch. But first - oh look, Arby's called again. Free food! I've never been so happy to have undercooked chicken. (Okay, I wasn't that happy. But Arby's is cool for following up.)

12:18. NOW I can go to lunch.

We have an hour for lunch. I used 20 minutes of it to walk. That gets me to about 5,500 steps on the day. I'm ahead of schedule.

The fare today is chicken salad. It's cheap and easy to make, which pretty much describes most of what I eat. I'm spending any extra money I have on fruits and veggies. They're healthy, you know.

1:20. Back at work. Foster has been in, judging by the ladder in the middle of my office. We'll use it in a few minutes when we start filming.

We're doing a top secret project for the OMS Christmas party. It's been a lot of fun (and a lot of work), but the secrecy has probably been the most fun. People keep asking what we're doing. We maintain the cone of silence.

It took about eight takes for me to be happy with today's segment. By the time we finished, it was time to welcome the myriad of superheroes, knights, and various and sundry costumed (or not) children so they could extort candy from the hardworking folks of OMS.

I'm kidding, it was adorable. We do this every year. OMS kids come around to the marked offices and receive candy or treats or whatever. It's a safe way to trick or treat, and though it's a bit early, it is a nice thing we do.

It does kinda disrupt the workflow, though.

I spent some time looking up a word for the #WeirdWordoftheWeek segment I do on Facebook. It's a silly little thing, but it's fun for me. This week's word is carminative.

Onward and upward. With infrequent visitors, I continued working, this time on the ECC blog posts for the OMS website.

Around 4:10, I take another gallivant around the office. I get sidetracked in Communications (which happens frequently) to talk about ramen and the filming for tomorrow (separate issues). Then I continue, stopping to compare everyone's offerings. Lots of good stuff this year. Oh, to be a kid again.

Back to the office and work at 4:35.

5:10. Time to go home.

Immediately, I get ready for my long walk. This has become a staple of my day. It finishes up the rest of my 10,000 steps and gets the kinks out. Usually lasting anywhere from 30-50 minutes, today's is about 35, putting me well over my goal.

Dinner is frozen pizza and grapes. Highly nutritious. I watch an episode of Air Crash Investigation while I'm waiting. It's the one with the pilot who gets sucked outside of the airplane and is only held inside by flight stewards. It's a really fascinating series, and there are a ton of episodes on YouTube. I wouldn't recommend watching too many in a row or right before a trip. Very interesting stuff, though. And the pilot lived!

The show turns out to be a little too interesting. I watch at least six more episodes while playing mahjong.

And now it's 10:45. I've been dinking around on Facebook for 30 minutes. Not a very productive evening. But it was a relaxing evening. Just what I needed.

And that's a random Tuesday. 

My Lenten Journey

For quality control purposes, I am writing this throughout the Lenten season, but not posting until after Easter. So if you've been wondering why I haven't been posting, this is why. Keep an eye on dates.

Ash Wednesday, February 18
I'm feeling a little anxious. Today marks the beginning of Lent. According to Wikipedia, "the traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer through prayer, penance, repentance of sins, almsgiving, atonement, and self-denial." It is a commemoration of the forty days that Jesus spent fasting in the desert before he was tempted by Satan. There are a great many historical, theological, doctrinal, and denominational considerations when it comes to Lent, and over the years, it has come to mean different things to different people. But the common practice in the U.S. (or at least the part I'm familiar with) has been to focus on self-denial, such as giving up something treasured in order to bring one's self more in line with the will of God.

Of course, many of the people I know give up something like chocolate or soda almost jokingly or as an afterthought, and the sacrifice really doesn't make much of a dent in their lives. (I'm over-generalizing, I know. I'm sure you all gave up very personal things. Or you figured that, not being Catholic, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, or Lutheran, you really don't feel pressured to practice Lent.) I've done similar things in the past. I gave up soda a few years ago, and some years, I just didn't bother.

This year is different, and the reason why leads to the aforementioned feelings of anxiety. Pursuant to a previous post (Saturation Point), I feel compelled to give up something a little more dear to me. (In the interests of full disclosure, I'm also giving up soda again. Mostly because I need to. Sugar is bad.) You'll recall I was feeling overwhelmed with the sheer amount of input from media and internet sources. So I decided to do something about it. For the next six weeks, the time that I previously spent on TV and movies will now be devoted to meditating on God.

It's a good thing. But I'm trepidatious. I've never really thought about how much time I spend on movies and television. And YouTube. And funny videos on Facebook. And news reports. And Google doodles! Okay, so it's everywhere. And I'll be going out of my way to avoid it all for the next sixish weeks.


Friday, February 20
I'm going crazy. It shouldn't be this hard, right? But I think about it constantly. I almost unconsciously reach for the iPad or remote to watch a show. I didn't realize how pervasive it is. Or I did, but not to what degree. And it's not just television itself. It's the little videos on Facebook and the articles with illustrating video. Why can't I turn off my brain?!


Sunday, February 22
Yesterday was both easy and hard. It snowed, a lot, which meant there was no going outside, no errands, nothing but me in my apartment for ten hours straight. I had planned for this somewhat because I knew I needed to do some cleaning and organizing, maybe get rid of some things I don't really use.

But this is one of my issues. I'm a multi-tasker. I can't stand doing just one thing at a time. And for me, television is a way to quiet part of my brain so I can focus on something else while still fulfilling the requirement to do more than one thing.

So normally, I would pop in a movie or show and use that as my background for cleaning. This option being unavailable threw a wrench into the plan. But then I had a brilliant idea. I have some audio books that I've been meaning to listen to, and that usually means a car ride to Pennsylvania or Michigan. But this was the perfect opportunity. So, for seven hours, I listened to Cary Elwes tell me about filming The Princess Bride while I got my clean on.

It was wonderful.


Tuesday, February 24
I didn't just give up movies and TV and then sit around stewing about it. The point of Lent is not to focus on the thing you sacrificed, but to use those thoughts to point you to the One worth every sacrifice. So I've been reading through one of YouVersion's devotional plans designed for Lent, called ReThink Life.

Sunday's message was spot on. "We live in a world and a culture that is constantly pushing its agenda, and so many times it is pretty much the opposite of the life that God is calling us to live as Christ-followers." What we watch, what we consume, can have a profound impact on how we view life. And let's face it, most of what the world produces does not send a message we should be listening to. We can tell ourselves that we won't let it affect the way we live our lives, that we won't accept the 'bad stuff.' But we're just fooling ourselves. The more we allow it into our lives, the more we start to reflect the world's values.


Wednesday, February 25
I'm starting to not think about it all the time. Just every other hour. One of my issues is that I hate leaving things unfinished. And I'm in the middle of a lot of shows. Like, a lot a lot. Which should be proof positive that I needed the break. There are too many to keep up with. Really, I should only start shows that are already completed. Cliffhangers give me anxiety.

I've been pleasantly impressed with myself, though. I have resisted temptation.


Sunday, March 1
So, there's this tradition or dispensation or ordinance that says you can take Sunday off from whatever your fast is and indulge. It's like fasting from meat but eating fish on Fridays (or beaver tail, if you're from Wales - long story). This feels like cheating to me. It's like 'suffering for the Lord' during the week and then ignoring God on Sunday so you can get hopped up on whatever you're sacrificing. I don't judge others who indulge (okay, I do a little), but I don't want to get into that mindset where you allow just a little bit, and then a little bit more, and before you know it, you've bought the t-shirt and are drinking the kool-aid.

I may have mixed a few metaphors.


Monday, March 2
Did you know some restaurants have TVs? This makes life harder.


Tuesday, March 3
So not only can't I watch the latest episode of Castle. I'm also missing adorable cat videos, John Oliver's rants, and the new Avengers trailer. Truly, I am suffering greatly. But this is good for me. Really.


Thursday, March 5
Today's devotional thought was about priorities. I've been thinking a lot about that as I've been without television. Now, I don't watch what is commonly called 'appointment TV.' Gone are the days where, if you want to watch the latest NCIS, you have to be in front of your television at 8:00 on a Tuesday night. I can watch a day later or a month later. But TV still takes up time. I still prioritize it over other things. Is it eternally important? No. Is it therefore bad? Still no. But it's not, and should not be, the most important thing.


Saturday, March 7
So I've been talking a lot about how difficult it's been to not be watching television or movies. But I think I also mentioned that I had given up soda. And that's not been super hard. Until today. I had to wake up a bit early for practice, foolishly didn't eat anything, and then swung bells around for two hours. By the end, I needed a pick-me-up. It's the first time that I've craved something caffeinated since Lent began. I was not anticipating this particular struggle.


Sunday, March 8
Here's another good thought from the devotional: "When we submit ourselves to God, we position ourselves to be in alignment with what he desires for us. It allows us to say 'no' to the good and 'yes' to the best." This is also a Franklin Covey concept and the subject of the book "Good to Great." The idea is that we have to say no to some things that really are good ideas so that we can say yes to the truly great ideas. Think about it. If you know God is prompting you to do something, and you do something else, that doesn't mean he's done with you. And things may not totally fall apart, either. Following your own plan could be perfectly all right. But why would you settle for 'all right' when you can have fantastic? The world is constantly running after things that are just okay when compared with the truly awesome. So even when you fall away, you can still get back to the great - it just takes more effort and probably unnecessary pain.


Monday, March 9
Day 20. The halfway point. I was afraid I'd encounter a 200th hour situation. (Incidentally, this was the title of an episode of a show called The Unit, which was a pretty excellent look at U.S. Special Forces and their challenges in the field and at home. In this episode, Bob hits his 200th hour - the point at which you have trained so much that you get a little cavalier with your actions. You're on guard for it at the 100th hour, but by the 200th hour, you're not as prepared for it. Of course, Bob's 200th hour was accidentally grazing a teammate. Mine is a little less serious.)

I think I've finally reached the point, though, that television is not a reflexive action. This is a huge milestone. Don't get me wrong, this is still hard, and it feels like an interminable wait - especially when you realize that Lent is actually about 46 days, not 40.

Jessica shall prevail.


Thursday, March 12
Did you know that there are 10,080 minutes in a week? (And 525,600 minutes in a year. But that's beside the point.)

What do you do with those minutes?

You're actually asleep for a lot of them. Depending on whether you get the doctor-recommended amount of eight hours or a paltry five hours, you could spend between 2,100 - 3,360 hours sleeping. Let's split the difference. You're down to 7,350.

Now let's say you work an eight hour day. Granted, you do a lot during that day. But I like to think you're doing actual work. You're down to 4,950.

Then there's the necessary stuff - eating, bathroom, getting ready, etc. I ballparked these things at three hours a day. Maybe a bit generous, but include your driving time in that. You're down to 3,690.

What about errands? This could vary week to week, but let's top it out at three hours. 3,510.

We haven't even talked about church and quiet time, yet. I'll say 30 minutes/day for quiet time and two hours for church on Sunday. 3,180.

Now let's talk about television. The average American watches about five hours of television per day. Subtract 2,100 hours.

You now have 1,080 hours in which your life can be edified. That's 18 hours. But it's not 18 consecutive hours. It's 18 hours interspersed with the rest of your life.

Also, if you have kids, forget everything I just wrote. You have no time. Sorry.

How do you spend your 10,080 minutes?


Tuesday, March 17
Here's another good thought from ReThink Life.

Life is not a dress rehearsal.

There are no do-overs. No backsies.

You know how people experience something and then say, "Well, I'll never get that hour of my life back."

You're right. (It's also a really rude thing to say. Either don't do things you think are a waste of time, or shut up and enjoy the hard work that people put into something.)

The point is, you're never going to get that time back. It's been spent. So you have to make sure you're spending the little time you have on worthwhile things.


Wednesday, March 18
People can't see our hearts, but they can see our hearts by the choices we make.

I've talked about this before. I think. I can't actually find the post. It may only exist in my head.

Anyway, it's absolutely true. The things we consume will ultimately inform our actions, and our actions reveal our hearts. You can't convince me this isn't true.


Thursday, March 26
There was a plane crash. Now, the news has not strictly been a part of my no-TV ruling. But I've been staying away from videos and the like for the most part and strictly reading articles. But this was huge. So I dove headfirst into the online news networks.

And then the world went insane.

Correction: I rediscovered that the world has always been insane.

A good friend said something to me the other day that I have decided to adopt. I almost wish I subscribe to the pre-Tribbers philosophy so that I could believe followers of Christ will be missing out on the worst that is yet to come.

Alas. Alack. I do not. We're in for a rough ride.

But Christ has already won.


Tuesday, March 31
Last week. Home stretch.

I'm going crazy.

I am seriously going mad.

I was doing okay. Television is not the be all and end all of my existence.

But this week you'd think it was.

My brain keeps trying to justify watching 'just a little bit' of TV. "Go on YouTube" it says. "It'll be fun" it says. "What can it hurt?"

And the answer is: It probably wouldn't hurt a thing. I put this restriction on myself. No one is enforcing it. Just me and my willpower.

But if I can't even fight against my treacherous brain? I don't stand a chance against anyone else.


Sunday, April 5
So. We come to the end.

I'm not really sure this has been a coherent journey. I've done a lot of stuff since February 18. It's snowed at least twice.

I've come to a few conclusions.

1) It's impossible to go six weeks without seeing some kind of audio/visual content. Unless you live under a rock. Or deep in the woods without internet. Or cable. Or you're dead.

2) It is possible to go a few days without watching something. It's even enjoyable. You get all kinds of stuff done. Speaking of...

3) You have a lot of free time on your hands when you're not watching TV. Like, a lot a lot.

4) Not everyone will know you gave up TV and movies. This is a good thing. Not everyone needed to know. The ones who did know were really supportive.

5) It is a sacrifice. I missed out on some things. Poor Carolyn, I kept having to tell her no when she asked about going to a movie.

6) Withdrawal is awful. Spoilers help. So do recaps. I watch too many shows.

7) This was a good exercise in self-control. I feel closer to God. I feel compelled to manage my viewing habits better in the future.

Oh, and soda? Totally out.

Radio Who

This is the latest and (probably) my last radio spot for OMS.

I'm ridiculously proud of it. Alecia, our summer intern, wrote the backbone of it because she (rightly so) has a deep and abiding love for Doctor Who. Jason and I have always wanted to do a parody of it, but the timing was off or we couldn't come up with a storyline. So when Alecia wrote this and I knew I was leaving, Jason and I knew we had to record it. I did a bit of rewriting and we tweaked it here and there, reversed roles so I could play the faux-Doctor, and this was the result!

Did I mention I'm ridiculously proud of it?

Incidentally, you can hear more of our radio spots every Sunday night on Freedom 95.9 in the Indianapolis area or streaming online at www.freedom95.us as OMS airs its new radio program, One Mission Stories. You can also catch up with the podcast on www.onemissionsociety.org/radio. These stories come from around the OMS world and give a little more insight into our missionaries. Jason is the host and does a really great job.

Also, if you can list all of the Doctor Who references in the ad above, I'll buy you a Tom Baker scarf. Maybe. You have to get all of them, though!

Is "plague" stretching things a bit?

I do not like being sick.

I try not to advertize that fact.

This might be surprising to people who have been reading my last few Facebook posts.

 

I started to feel ill on Friday, but by Saturday, it was evident this was not going away. Also, one of my favorite poems.

 

Beth wrote a poem. Not for me specifically, but it was still lovely.

 

 

I don't know why no one liked this. I thought it was a legitimate request.

 

Less than articulate.

 

That comment got a lot of interesting comments. And Emily was awesome.

 

Couldn't have come at a better time.

 

That was this morning. I needed to eat so I could take meds before I went to work. But everything I eat now tastes like medicine. It's disgusting.

So yeah, I'm fairly vocal about it. But I try to be funny-vocal instead of the whiny-vocal that I really feel. There's nothing I want more than to curl up next to my mother and whimper pathetically as she pets my hair and tells me everything will be okay.

This is difficult from 150 miles away.

It's impossible when you belatedly remember that your mother has gone to Pennsylvania for the weekend.

So yeah. I muddled my way through. Theoretically, I caught up on the CBS shows I hadn't had a chance to begin. Don't ask me what happened in any of them, though. I really couldn't say.

And today, I'm back to work.

Yippee.

Not going to the chapel. Not anytime soon, anyway.

I've been thinking a lot lately about marriage.

As in, why am I not married? Do I want to be married? Why is everyone else getting married, anyway?

I'm going to blame April for these thoughts. She's getting married in a few weeks. She is the last of my Lakewood Park (high school) classmates (that I care about) to get married. I think.

Pretty sure.

Anyway, I've been debating this issue in my head. Mostly, it's a moot point, because I'm not dating anyone and I've never met anyone I would marry.

(There is a list, though, of people I haven't met that I would marry. These are mostly celebrities or older, wealthy gentlemen. I really hope I don't ever meet them because then I'll have to make a choice. Because they will obviously want to marry me as soon as they meet me.)

I understand the value of marriage. And I have been lonely. But I really think that could be fixed with a cat. Not a person who needs attention all the time and messes with my stuff. A good friend could solve this, too.

And besides, where do you meet people these days? Contrary to popular belief, there aren't a lot of eligible bachelor missionaries out there. And would I even want to marry a missionary? I hear they can be a little odd.

There's always church, I suppose. But I'm not the best at inserting myself into conversations I haven't been invited to join. So I guess he'll have to do the pursuing.

Any other ideas?

Of course, not having a husband means not having children. (Because that's just how I roll.) But do I want kids? Kids are messy. I like hanging out with them sometimes, but I like it more when I can send them home to their parents.

So there's that.

I'm still not sure where I fall on this issue. But today I saw a friend's post that began with "my husband and I" and it just weirded me out. So for the moment, I'm quite pleased with my life as it is.

I just need to remember that the next time I make a Doctor Who reference and no one gets it.

Because if I ever do get married, my husband will be fluent in the science-fiction lexicon.

Saturday

I pretty much live for this day. It is my day to do whatever I want. Sort of. It's usually filled with errands and such. But it's my one day to just relax and not think about anything if I so choose.

Of course, if you were on Facebook, you read my post about the Huggy Bear Quik Shop in Huntington calling me at 8:45 this morning. I actually missed the call and they didn't leave a message, but I looked up the number. I can't figure out a reason for the call, so it had to be a misdial, but it just seems so random. Definitely not par for the course.

It did give me a little extra time to get ready for the day, though. I had a special treat. My roommate in college contacted me recently and asked if we could get together. I jumped at the chance. We figured out today that it's probably been at least two years since the last time we saw each other. Far too long. So I drove up to Kokomo and we had a lovely lunch, excellent conversation, and I finally saw The Last Airbender. So-so acting, but an interesting story and pretty nice visual effects. I had an excellent time, and hopefully, this will jump start future visits.

The rest of the day was all right. I watched some Sanctuary, played several games of Mahjongg and tried to get over a headache. Probably shouldn't have kept staring at a screen, but I guess I'm not that smart.

I wish I had more to tell you about today, but that was it.

I love Saturdays.

Poland, Part One

It's time.

I know, I know. We've passed it's time and have moved on to really? she's going to make me read about her trip now? that is so four weeks ago! (When I started this post, four was two.)

Well, in the (paraphrased) words of one of the characters on the newest show I've started, you have now been rerouted to the office of Too Frickin' Bad.

I mean that in the nicest way possible.

Yes, at long last, you have come to the gigantic post about my trip to Poland. As you may have noticed from the title, however, this is indeed only part one. Part two will deal exclusively with Auschwitz.

So, Poland. You should know by now that Europe is one of my favorite places in the world. I love the feel of it, I love the people, I love the history - honestly, it feels like coming home whenever I go to Europe.

Poland, however, has been something of a sore subject with me. I went there the first time in 2006, and to be perfectly frank, it was not the best trip I've taken. There were a lot of factors that fed into that, but it's fair to say that my memories of my time there were somewhat tainted by the events of that trip.

I was really excited about this trip, though, mostly because I felt like it would somehow redeem the country in my mind. I felt at peace about my decision to participate, but within a few days of making that decision, I really felt like I was under attack. I know I posted a little bit of how I was feeling on here, but it really was unlike anything I've experienced before.

Before I left, though, I felt like I was in a good place spiritually and emotionally, which was a good thing, because this was one of the hardest trips I've taken.

I have to be careful here. I don't know who might be reading, and I don't want certain people to get the wrong impression. I loved this trip. I love the people who went on this trip. I love the people I met.

But I was dealing with a lot that I didn't mention at the time.

How much do I say?

We'll see.

The primary reason for the trip was the English camp run by Arek and Donna Delik in Kutno.


It's a wild and crazy week of classes and games and lots of ice cream. I taught a class on journalism to about 60 kids (divided into four groups). We covered a lot of material (too much), including a bit of photojournalism.





Needless to say, all of the groups were very unique.


As was the team. (I look really stupid in that picture. Like most things, there is a story behind that.)

(I have a ton more pictures on Facebook that will give you a more rounded view of the trip.

It WAS a good trip. And it did redeem Poland. I don't want you to get the wrong idea because of what I said before. My issues are my own. These are people I will never forget.




This is a country that will always be in my heart.



Really, what more can you ask?





I realize this post didn't really explain much of anything about my trip, but it's actually a lot more than I was originally going to share. It's amazing what wounds time can heal.

And now I went all cryptic again.

Oops.

Auschwitz is coming next.