Monday, September 22, 2014
More Mystery
Callie got her turn this weekend on the Mystery Trip for 6th and 7th graders. This group of about 50 kids (the largest group ever!) wound up in Houston for their suspenseful weekend. Their shenanigans involved old school bowling, Houston museum of Natural Science where the butterfly museum was a huge hit, an Astros game, worship at the Houston Waterwall, and pancakes and milkshakes for breakfast!
Monday, September 15, 2014
...and Mystery
I just returned Sunday from the second church trip, this time with Madden. Our youth leaders plan these amazing Mystery Trips for the kids.
"On our mystery trips the participants will not know where they will be going at anytime. Often your youth will hear “WAFO” if they ask what is coming next, which is because WAFO means “Wait and Find Out.” This is an opportunity for youth and adults alike to practice living in the moment and trusting God each minute."
Our Mystery Trip was a bit abbreviated due to Madden's band/dance guard schedule. We weren't able to leave on Friday night with the rest of the group, because AHS had a football game with mandatory attendance (which, ironically, was rained out) for Madden, Jane, and Grace. So we headed out at 7am Saturday to the mysterious location of ... Dallas, TX! (The youth director actually had to tell me where I was going since I was driving the three girls! But all I knew about the weekend was our first stop, Top Golf, where we met up with the group and began our adventure.) I have to say, we saw an artsy, cultural side of Dallas which I had not seen before, and I was impressed. In one day, we managed to fit in all of this:
"On our mystery trips the participants will not know where they will be going at anytime. Often your youth will hear “WAFO” if they ask what is coming next, which is because WAFO means “Wait and Find Out.” This is an opportunity for youth and adults alike to practice living in the moment and trusting God each minute."
Our Mystery Trip was a bit abbreviated due to Madden's band/dance guard schedule. We weren't able to leave on Friday night with the rest of the group, because AHS had a football game with mandatory attendance (which, ironically, was rained out) for Madden, Jane, and Grace. So we headed out at 7am Saturday to the mysterious location of ... Dallas, TX! (The youth director actually had to tell me where I was going since I was driving the three girls! But all I knew about the weekend was our first stop, Top Golf, where we met up with the group and began our adventure.) I have to say, we saw an artsy, cultural side of Dallas which I had not seen before, and I was impressed. In one day, we managed to fit in all of this:
- Top Golf
- Thanksgiving Square
- El Fenix for lunch
- Perot Museum of Nature and Science
- Klyde Warren Park
- Dealey Plaza
- and the oh-so-cultural experience of Medieval Times!
Our home base was the Youth Department at Highland Park United Methodist Church on the SMU campus. Wow, that is an amazing space which apparently serves over 1500 youth members!
Mission...
I've had the good fortune to attend a church trip with each daughter recently. I can tell you that these trips are the type where you get more out of them than you put in. Incredible quality time spent with my girls, great friends - some longtime friends and many new ones, and God.
The first trip was in August. I attended the middle school mission trip to San Antonio where our group of 20+ adults and middle schoolers worked with Blueprint Ministries restoring homes of elderly and impoverished families. Our group was divided into teams based on the needs at each house and the skills of the workers. We were essentially the "scrape, tape, paint" team! The home we worked on had already had work done all summer - new roof, siding replaced, new front door, etc. Our job as the last team of the summer was to completely repaint the home. The homeowner chose the color - a really nice blue gray color with white trim. On the last day, we actually had the opportunity to talk to one of the family members. He told us that he had pulled a chair into the front yard to sit in, because it was the first time he wasn't embarrassed by the condition of his home. If that isn't a powerful testimony, I don't know what is. It was a humbling experience.
We got to top off the week with some fun at Fiesta Texas!
The first trip was in August. I attended the middle school mission trip to San Antonio where our group of 20+ adults and middle schoolers worked with Blueprint Ministries restoring homes of elderly and impoverished families. Our group was divided into teams based on the needs at each house and the skills of the workers. We were essentially the "scrape, tape, paint" team! The home we worked on had already had work done all summer - new roof, siding replaced, new front door, etc. Our job as the last team of the summer was to completely repaint the home. The homeowner chose the color - a really nice blue gray color with white trim. On the last day, we actually had the opportunity to talk to one of the family members. He told us that he had pulled a chair into the front yard to sit in, because it was the first time he wasn't embarrassed by the condition of his home. If that isn't a powerful testimony, I don't know what is. It was a humbling experience.
We got to top off the week with some fun at Fiesta Texas!
Friday, September 12, 2014
"Humblebragging"
Just came across this blog post, "Why We Humblebrag About Being Busy," and boy, does it hit home in the midst of the back-to-school frenzy!
Here's a snippet: "The asset we’re overvaluing now is the notion of doing it all, having it all, achieving it all; what Jim Collins calls the undisciplined pursuit of more. Wouldn’t it feel liberating and energizing to clean out the closets of our overstuffed lives and give away the nonessential items, so we can focus our attention on the few things that truly matter?"
I certainly agree with the sentiment, but find it very challenging to "just say no." I heard a keynote speaker, Haley Rushing, a few weeks ago who encouraged us to live "purpose-driven lives." It's hard to live a life of purpose when I'm too busy to determine what my purpose should be!
"Where your talents and the needs of the world cross, there lies your purpose." -Aristotle
Food for thought. Let me know if anyone has any sage words of advice.
Here's a snippet: "The asset we’re overvaluing now is the notion of doing it all, having it all, achieving it all; what Jim Collins calls the undisciplined pursuit of more. Wouldn’t it feel liberating and energizing to clean out the closets of our overstuffed lives and give away the nonessential items, so we can focus our attention on the few things that truly matter?"
I certainly agree with the sentiment, but find it very challenging to "just say no." I heard a keynote speaker, Haley Rushing, a few weeks ago who encouraged us to live "purpose-driven lives." It's hard to live a life of purpose when I'm too busy to determine what my purpose should be!
"Where your talents and the needs of the world cross, there lies your purpose." -Aristotle
Food for thought. Let me know if anyone has any sage words of advice.
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