FOG

Long December

2006-12-08T15:58:00.000-08:00

Whenever one has too much or too little to do, one is in danger of becoming paralyzed. Unfortunately, these two states of being have simultaneously descended upon me, causing not paralyzation, but rather, writer's block, or more precisely, "Writer's Neglect." Do you ever go through periods in life when the last thing you want to do is the thing you need to do? I love to write, particularly on this blog, although you wouldn't know it by the meager entries that have been put forth thus far. This is how it normally goes:

Something fantastic, and yes, noteworthy, occurs in my life.

I decide to record it for posterity and for all the world to see on my blog.

I begin to write and my perfectionistic tendencies pull a mental coup, causing several rewrites of the aforementioned blog entry. (In fact, if this makes it to your eyes, I will be thoroughly surprised!).

Finally, mild-mannered Andrew is able to regain control of his faculties and realizes he doesn't have any more time to write, so he heaves a sigh of frustration and hits the red "X" in the upper-right corner of his browser.

But not tonight! It's been a long time since my last blog and MUCH has happened: life-altering, joyous, heartrending things have occurred, and YOU MUST KNOW ABOUT THEM!

And so, after much ado...

On October 26, 2006, I got engaged to the woman of my dreams: the elegant, beautiful, brilliant (and patient!) Elanor Joy Rimmer! Rather than reinventing the wheel to tell you how the engagement went down, I will refer you to her much-more-updated-than-mine blog--> Elanor's Blog

Suffice it to say, it was a wonderful day and SHE SAID YES! In my book, that's all that matters!

Also, a while back two of our teachers went back home to the States. This was a very difficult and trying time with lots of tears, conversations, and reshuffling of duties, but all is well and I think it was for the best. Keep them in your prayers.

Recently I experienced my first Ples. A Ples is the Czech equivalent of Prom, only on a much grander scale. This Ples was for Elanor's school, and it was held in downtown Prague, in the same place where they filmed Swing Kids! Basically it's a big dance, only weeks before the Ples everyone goes to dance lessons so they can all waltz, swing, etc. very well. The other big difference between Ples and Prom is that there was a professional live jazz band, and at various points during the evening the seniors put on different "acts" where they would come out and do choreographed dances. It was spectacular! There was one part where all the people in the class were introduced, and they came out in groups of 5-10 people, usually 1 guy and the rest of them girls, doing some kind of runway model-esque synchronized dance. It was definitely a sight to see, and so much cooler than Prom will EVER be. Elanor and I hope to someday bring the phenomenon of Ples to the States, it is so cool! My school's Ples isn next Friday, and although it will be smaller than Elanor's, it will still be great!

Also, I recently experienced my first out-of-the-US Thanksgiving celebrations. That's right, celebrationS (plural) because I had three of them! The first was two weeks before the big day in a small village south of Ostrava (eastern Czech Republic). We had an American-style thanksgiving in the basement of this large hotel that looked like it was straight out of "The Shining." It was wonderful, plentiful, but didn't quite feel like thanksgiving. The next Thanksgiving occurred on the actual day, and we were in a hotel in Brno, the second largest city in the Republic. It was nice, although I was feeling a bit ill and we all were a bit exhausted. The hotel promised a full American-style thanksgiving, but it was more like cafeteria thanksgiving food in elementary school. Part of the essence of Thanksgiving (in my opinion) is that you come away so full of tryptophan and mashed potatoes that you could sleep for a week! This meal left something to be desired. The 3rd and final Thanksgiving celebration occurred last weekend in Prague at the Gymnazium Nad Aleji. All the Prague-area teachers got together and had a real Thanksgiving, and it felt like home. It was noisy and crowded and the flat smelled like Turkey and wassail. No Thanksgiving would be complete without my mom's crescent rolls, so I asked her for the recipe and made them! They didn't turn out exactly right, but the idea was right, and they tasted good enough.

Then this past Wednesday I went into Prague to see Elanor and we went and got a Christmas tree for her flat. We put some lights on it, and listened to Amy Grant Christmas music while drinkin eggnog and watching episodes of Lost (which I'm positively addicted to now!). I love Christmas!

Now there are only two more weeks left until Christmas break...the year is truly flying by. Last night I practiced my new trombone (I bought a new Schagerl trombone a few weeks ago) with Boris, a physics teacher at my school. He and I are going to play a few Czech Christmas carols as well as a few English carols on the last day of school before the break. I was honored when he asked me to play with him(he's a very talented jazz saxophonist who has played extensively on the Prague jazz scene). It's good to be playing again, I missed it a lot.

Well, I think that's about it. Oh, I went and saw Casino Royale tonight with my friend Honza (Johnny as he likes to be called) and surprisingly enjoyed it! We had a good time, and now I'm at home in my warm flat listening to Benji snore. Tomorrow I will head into Prague for a meeting with Elanor and the wedding planner. Can't wait! I hope and pray that this post finds you well and walking in the light of Christ, serving in whatever situation you find yourself. Be blessed, and continue to pray for the people of the Czech Republic! Ciao.

Have whiteboard marker, will teach...everyone else's classes

2006-10-17T13:58:00.000-07:00

So today was the first day on which I was called upon to substitue teach...(dun dun DUUUNNNN!). It was not so bad. I woke up this morning, ready for my long Tuesday (8am to 8pm with about 2 hours of break) and walked up to my first class, only to discover that the room was empty. I seem to have lost my students. Paul, one of the other english teachers, informed me that 4B was in Prague today and that I was substituting. Yay. My first class was okay, I knew some of the students and they were pretty friendly. No sweat, right? I was not sure where I had to go for my second class, so I returned to the teacher's lounge, checked the schedule, and walked up to room 22 where I thought I was supposed to be. I did my introduction and began asking the students their names when Boris, physics teacher and saxophonist extroadinaire, walked in and asked what I was doing. "Teaching," I said, brilliantly, unaware of anything strange. As it turned out, I was in the wrong room, teaching Boris' class. He smiled, and I slowly walked out of the class to roars of laughter...DOH! I eventually found the class I was substituting for and they also had a good laugh at my expense. It was pretty embarrassing, especially when some other teachers approached me and asked me (jokingly of course) if I could teach their classes for them today, but it put me in a relaxed mood, which helped me through my long day. Thank you Lord for the constant reminder that we are nothing without you!

These pictures are of Praha Bubenec Nadrazi...the train station that I go to on Sunday nights when I leave Prague after visiting Elanor. This past Sunday it was extremely cold and also deserted, and I was moody and artistic, so I took some pictures. The last few are of my walk home in the dark streets of Kralupy. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

I'm Old!

2006-10-12T15:14:00.000-07:00

So much has happened since I last updated! To take you back, go with me to September 30 (two weeks ago). I spent the weekend in Prague visiting with Elanor and relaxing. On Saturday we decided to go on a walk from "The Metronome" where there used to be a statue of Stalin all the way up to Prague castle. It was beautiful, as you can see from the pictures. It was a beautiful autumn day, the perfect mix of sunshine and cool air with leaves changing colors and a steady breeze. We walked around for a long time, eventually ending up at a monastery on Petrin hill and then later to Maly Buddha, a small asian food restaurant with great atmosphere and great food.
The next weekend took me to Bratislava, Slovakia, where we had a CA meeting and got to visit the ESI teachers who live there. The meeting went kind of long (7 hours...yay), but I got a chance to have some great conversations with Barb Kellum, the wife of the most popular ESI teacher in Budapest...the one, the only, Sam Kellum! After the meeting we were all pretty worn out, but wanted to go hang out with the Bratislavians. After a bit of the usual milling around deciding what to do, Vic arrived and offered to take us to the castle, which sounded good to most of us. We started out, then a few people decided to stay and hang out in coffee shops. The group further split when we reached a small alleyway on the way to the bus stop. Someone mentioned that there was a "bobsled" on the big hill in Bratislava, basically a plastic sled with wheels that you go down a concrete drainage ditch in...sounded dangerous and fun, so a group of us decided to go. On the way we caught the wrong bus, but rather than go back and catch the right one, we took another bus that would put us in the general viscinity of where we needed to be and then walked the rest of the way. That's when the fun began. Apparently no one really knew how to get to said bobsled, which led to a LONG hike through the woods with lots of backtracking and getting lost. The best part was when Aaron, our country director, ear adorned with a small flower from our hike, asked random Slovak workers if they knew where the bobsled was...making a sort of shimmy motion with his shoulders and hips. They looked at him, said no they didn't, and walked away quickly. Eventually we did find the way to the bobsled, but an hour too late. It was closed. The top of the hill was decked out with a few cabin-style pubs that didn't have real food, and as all of us were STARVING after our multiple hour hike, we needed some sustenance. We were going to take a bus back to downtown Bratislava, another 30 or so minutes away, but someone suggested we eat at the restaurant at the top of the TV tower that rests at the top of the hill. We were game, so we hiked a short way to the tower and asked if we could get a table. Despite our slovenly appearance after our multiple hour hike, we were able to procure two tables at this amazing restaurant. We sat on white leather couches with candles on the table. We ordered wine and had some amazing food, which tasted so good that we didn't mind the fact that it was extremely expensive. It reminded me of Prom at Reunion Tower 6 years ago, and it was a blast!
Fast forward to yesterday, my 24th birthday! Elanor and I celebrated our birthdays together (since they are only one day apart!) by going into Prague. We started out at Charles Bridge listening to an early jazz ensemble, then had an amazing dinner at Cafe Louvre. Czech wine...yum! After dinner we decided to have dessert at another restaurant, Restaurace U Supa. They had a live band that consisted of string bass, guitar, and violin. It was all very wonderful and romantic, and Elanor and I had a wonderful time. All in all it was a pretty memorable birthday. Thanks to all of you who had the presence of mind to send birthday cards and emails to the Czech Republic...it made my birthday wonderful!

Music Class

2006-09-20T04:22:00.000-07:00

So yesterday was the best (and worst) day yet! Lucka and Kamil invited Zach and I to come and sit in on their music class during 8th and 9th period. I was intrigued, so I went. Their music class consisted of a bunch of them sitting in chairs and singing pop songs with the teacher playing piano, usually someone on guitar and drums, and two microphones for people to sing into. For the first bit they were kind of just milling around, but after about a half hour they started singing some really good songs, the Beatles and whatnot. So then the teacher asked me to come and sing. I had one moment, and I said, ah, what the heck? So I grabbed the mic and sang such hits as Killing me Softly, Wonderwall, and some assorted Beatles. It was a blast! They asked me to play some piano and guitar, but I balked there on account of the fact that I haven't practiced in some time!

The only bad thing about the day was that I had to teach about 9 hours...yuck. My thoat hurt a bit afterwards! But today is a new day, and His mercies are new!

Benji the wonder pup

2006-09-13T00:58:00.000-07:00

So I have a bit of time between my classes today, and I thought I'd tell you a bit more about the new third roommate. His name is Benji, he was born in the year of the dog, and he likes long walks around Dvořakovo Gymnázium. He is one of the funniest dogs I've seen! He is pretty quiet whenever he's at home, rarely barking or anything, but if he hears any kind of motorvehicle he starts to howl like there's no tomorrow. He has this funny (and gross) habit of shaking his head like he just jumped out of a swimming pool, which sends any drool that may have collected in his droopy jowls flying in all directions. He does lots of other cool dog stuff too, like laying under your feet when you're lesson planning and rolling all over the floor trying to scratch his back. He is also a great climber! Most of the time when we come into the flat, he is standing on the windowsill between the kitchen and the clothesline room, looking majestic and whatnot. Then he bounds down and jumps up on you to say hello, and if he's in a good mood, will even plays a quick game of tug of war with his leash. Benji likes both of us, but I'm pretty sure he likes Zach more. The evidence to this point is that whenever Zach leaves the apartment, he runs after him and stands at the door, whining and crying like a little puppy. So cute. Benji is also a farter. Zach and I will be chillin' in the crib with Benji on the floor asleep, and out of the blue...Benji drops a bomb. Sometimes silent, sometimes loud, but always deadly. But don't judge him too harshly as he is a dog. And a pretty good one at that. Even though he can't do any tricks or understand "No," "Sit," or "Co dělaš?", he is housetrained and a faithful companion. And so it is with love in my heart that I give Benji two paws up and say Welcome!

mountain climbing
farting

More 10k pics!

2006-09-12T01:49:00.000-07:00

I'm getting better...

2006-09-11T03:30:00.000-07:00

Well, I survived my first (long) week of school and now I'm starting week 2. I think I'm in a better place than I was even yesterday...just very culture shocked, tired, fearful, and frustrated. This morning I taught three wonderful ladies at English services and that helped me to relax. I CAN do this! I think the key to all of it is to retain a constant posture of learning, even when I'm the teacher. Humility goes a LONG way in this profession!

This past weekend I headed to Praha once again for many purposes. The main reason was to help Aaron (our country director) and his family get packed up so they could move to Ostrava. They made it safely, and the rest of the weekend I enjoyed Elanor's company. Also, on Sunday I ran the Prague Grand Prix 10K with a time of 56:08...decent for no training! Running (especially marathons) is funny to me...it doesn't do your body any good per se, but people will pay 60 euros every year to punish thier bodies. I don't understand it at all. The reason I do it is because it is a strong hook in my mind of how life is...Running and everyday life are very similar: Some parts are hard, some parts are easy, but any forward movement is good. Slow and steady wins the race...all that. It also is a great way to stay in shape. Today my legs are really sore, but the pain just reminds me of what I was able to accomplish. hmm...there might be something deeper in that!

After the race Elanor was wonderful and gave me a haircut! She was a bit nervous, but I had full confidence in her hair-cutting abilities...and it came out great! So now she has a way to make a little extra money on the side!

God continues to give me grace and joy in this whole process, even when I don't deserve it. Pray for my planning abilities to increase and for the ability to relax and not be so apprehensive!

Last night as I was on the train back to Kralupy I looked out the window and the sky was a wonderul red, white and blue. Just like their flag. Creation is amazing, and God continues to amaze. Be strong in the Lord! Peace!

The First Day of School...sort of

2006-09-04T08:06:00.000-07:00

Today was the official first day of school, which lasted a total of about 40 minutes. The entire school gathered right outside my window (in the playground behind our flat/the school) and got their schedules. Then the headmaster, André, introduced the new teachers (including me), and then I got to give a little speech to the entire school. Tons of fun! After that I changed out of my teacher clothes and into some shorts (it was actually warm today... a nice change!) and then I went with Zach, Kamil, and Lutska to Prague to get Zach's dog, Benji. It was quite a trip. When we got there and found Benji (whom zach is contemplating calling John), we realized that he might be a bit more than we bargained for. He's a beautiful dog, a beagle, just a little hyperactive and unresponsive to human interaction. But I'm sure that will change over the next few weeks (I hope!).

Right now I'm lesson planning and getting ready for my first class tomorrow, so pray for me! I know that God will be with me and watch over me as I begin to mold the young minds of Kralupy. Blessings, na schledanou!

Insomnia

2006-09-03T14:45:00.000-07:00

I have now been in the Czech Republic for about two weeks or so, and I have developed insomnia. I haven't slept through the night for about a week and half now, and it's starting to catch up to me. Please be praying for me, as classes start tomorrow! Lots to write, but I'm going to try and actually get some sleep tonight! God bless!

Sore clavicles, jetlag, and beautiful baroque churches

2006-08-27T16:09:00.000-07:00

I'm back home in Kralupy after a relaxing (and also rigorous) vÃkend in Praha. I've been busy since I got here, but not very good about updating this thing, so here is a rundown of what I can remember from the past few days.

This past Čtvrktek (Thursday), Zach and I hung out with Paul, an American expat who has lived and taught in Czech for 14 years. We grilled chicken doused in Paul's own special recipe barbecue sauce on his Hibachi grill in the grassy recreation area behind the school, just behind our apartment (pictures to come). The three of us ended up at his apartment where we talked philosophy, drank some Czech wine, and watched a video of Paul when he attempted to break (and create) the world record for "fastest bed." Good stuff. The next day Zach and I awoke, extremely groggy and feeling a bit queasy, and dragged ourselves to the Kralupy train station in order to meet the Prague ESIer's for lunch. We went to a restaurant/pub called MedvÃdků where I had svičkovÃ¡ and dumplings (beef tenderloin in "candle sauce"). And it was good. Zach and I then quickly returned to Kralupy by train, he because he went to meet some student friends at their garden outside of town for dinner/hangout time, and me because I was EXHAUSTED. I ended up sleeping for 5 hours in the afternoon which translated to NO SLEEP the following night. Ugh. Next time I come to Europe I have to remember to take some Melatonin. But alas, I forgot.

In lieu of sleep I planned everything I wanted to do when I went to Prague on Saturday (to see Elanor and for the Welcome to Prague Party at Nad AlejÃ, where she teaches). After hours of tossing, turning, listening to music, and trying to force myself into slumber I gave up and went to the train station to go to Praha. I arrived in Prague at about 9:30am and decided to takleisurelyrely stroll through the streets just to see some things that I had missed in my two previous trips to the City of 1,000 spires. Right out of the gate I found an instrument shop (which I will hopefully be able to find a new, affordable, trombone in sometime in the near future). A few blocks later I was almost upon StaroměstskÃ© NÃ¡městÃ (Old Town Square) when I heard beautiful organ music coming from a large building on my right. I turned the corner and saw Kostel sv. Jakuba* (St. James Basilica) right across from an English language bookstore, Big Ben. I quickly went in and was taken aback by the Baroque glory of the interior. Grabbing a pew in the back, I sat down, closed my eyes and allowed the music to wash over me. It was the first time I had truly relaxed since I arrived in the Czech Republic. I began to pray, thanking God for bringing me here and for beautiful music. After about 20 minutes I left the church, peaceful, awake, and recharged.

I continued my wandering, stopping off in Anagram Bookshop to pick up my very own copy of 401 Czech Verbs, a book that Zach recommended to me to aid me in my Czech studies. I poked around for a few more hours, grabbed a bagel at Bohemia Bagel (henceforth to be referred to as BoBagel), then met Elanor and Ben at the statue of Jan Huss in StaroměstskÃ© NÃ¡městÃ. By this time I had been walking around for about 3 hours with my laptop bag on my shoulders, and they were beginning to get a bit sore. After I met the other two, we walked around for a few more hours, mainly in search of a Czech Bible for me (the new, hip translation, KMS). We didn't find a bible, but we did visit really cool parts of Prague, including an area called Anděl (Angel), which I really enjoyed. By the the three of us reached Nad AlejÃ, my clavicles were in bad condition, but it was now party time!

*Church of St James (Kostel sv. Jakuba)
This attractive Baroque church began in the 14th century as a Minorite monastery church. There are about 20 altars decorated with works by Jan JiÃ¸Ã Heinsh, Petr Brandl and VÃ¡clav VavÃ¸inec Reiner. A tomb of Count Vratislav of Mitrovice is the most beautiful Baroque tomb in Bohemia. Hanging to the left of the main door is a mummified forearm. It has been there for over 400 years, since a thief tried to steal the jewellers of the statue of the Virgin. Legend says that the Virgin grabbed his arm and held on so tightly that it had to be cut off. Because of its excellent acoustics many concerts and recitals are given in the church.

Mexican food and swing dancing with Bill Nye

2006-08-15T16:57:00.000-07:00

Training has been going quite well, and my departure date for the Czech Republic is a week from today! I would ask that you would pray for a safe (and relatively hassle-free) flight, as we are flying over on British Airways.

One of the highlights (and biggest stressors!) of training has been the Practicum site where we teach Hispanic immigrants English. It's stressful because we only had an hour each day to prepare our lessons, but such a blessing because the students were amazing and so eager to learn. Last week was our last week with the students and we had each class give a presentation of what they learned in the four weeks we had been with them. Some groups recited jazz chants, some did role plays, and they were all very excited and appreciative. We gave them all certificates, then they had a special program prepared for us as a gift of thanks: Mexican folk dancing and authentic Mexican food! Needless to say, we were all very grateful.

This past weekend was also very exciting because we got to relax and take in the Pasadena night life. Carice Blazo, the Regional Director for Cental Europe, took a small group of us swing dancing at a Lutheran church in downtown Pasadena. There was a free lesson at the beginning, then Stompey Jones from San Francisco played all night long as we danced. As we are in southern California, there are apt to be famous people wandering around all over the place. Up until this point we hadn't been lucky enough to have any star sightings, but that night I turned around after a particularly fast Charleston, and lo and behold, there was BILL NYE THE SCIENCE GUY! He even danced with Carice and a few other girls who came with us (and apparently he can cut a mean rug!). Needless to say, the night was amazing.

Right now we're going to go to Wahoo's Fish Taco's, a great Cali-Mex restaurant, to say goodbye to the Slovakia team, who leave on Friday. Be praying for all of us as we prepare to fly to Europe!

Technology, Teaching, and Sickness

2006-07-26T19:20:00.000-07:00

This is the view from my room at WCIU in Pasadena. This is all I've seen for the past few days! As I write this I pray that you will eventually read it, as my apparent lack of technical savvy has prevented me from posting anything for the past few days. I would type a good 7 or 8 paragraphs, go to post it, and all of a sudden all of my writing was gone. sigh...I remember the good old days when I used to know how to work the 486...

Training is well under way, and I've been able to surmount all feelings of fear and inadequacy. The only trick now is learning to lesson plan quickly, effectively, and so my students won't fall asleep! Honestly, there's much more to it, but I feel I can handle it better now, and all with the Lord's help (He's the reason I'm here anyway, right?).

The past few days have been interesting though. Last Thursday I came down with a sniffly nose which eventually grew into a full-fledged upper-respiratory infection. (Okay class, repeat after me: "PHLEGM"). It got bad enough that I needed to go to the doctor, which I did (in downtown LA, whoo hoo). My doctors were two USC Medical Students and it was...achem...different. It felt like the Spanish Inquisition. "WHY does your throat hurt?" "What caused you to get sick?" Aren't they the doctors? Oh well. I was quickly prescribed some antibiotics, and sent on my way. Despite the gestapo performance by the doctors, I am feeling much better. I've been in bed for about two days straight and am getting a little antsy, but am realizing the benefit of getting better rather than trying to jump back into it before I'm healed. Elanor has been coming to see me on a regular basis, which I have greatly appreciated. I love her so much! The coming year will be hard, being away from her for so long, but I will hopefully be able to see her a few times a week.

I'm currently working on getting some pictures online for all who are interested, so once I figure out a) how to do that and b) the most effective way to show them to you, you will see some pics of California.

Well, that's all for now, I need to get up and stretch my achin' bones! Dobrý večer!

Teaching, and other extreme sports

2006-07-20T06:53:00.000-07:00

I have finally made it to training! I arrived last week early, and Elanor and I stayed with her grandmother for a couple days before training started on Saturday. Yesterday was my first day of teaching! Praise God! It was also the day in which I pulled every new-kid play in the book. I was teaching about daily activities, and for some reason in the lesson planning stage of the day I completely blanked out. My brain ceased to function at a level above 5-year-old. Luckily, my amazing teammates soared in and calmed me down, helped me get planned, and the whole thing went off without a hitch. The first time was not so bad after all!

Training is going very well. My teammates on the Central Europe team are all amazing, my roommate Zach and I are getting along famously, and God has been providing so much beyond what I thought or knew I needed.

Each day we get to know the rest of our team by breaking off into small "Disco" groups (cool-person speak for Discovery group). Disco groups provide us with the time and place to get to truly know ourselves, our teammates, and the reasons why we are going overseas. Yesterday was very interesting...we talked about the Essentials and Negotiables of the Christian faith, i.e., what things are essential to Christianity, and what things are culturally and preferentially decided? We came to realize that the majority of the things we "do" in the Christian faith, though important, are not essential to all Christians in all cultures in the world. We all have preferences, but they should not be points of division. In thinking about this, I researched a bit and found a great article about essentials.

The essence of the article was this quote from Augustine: "In Essentials, Unity; In Non-Essentials, Liberty; in everything, Charity."

That Augustine was a smart kid.

Ch. 4- Organs

2006-07-02T10:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Paul and Arwen got married, so that makes to weddings in two weekends. I like the trend...

This morning the Rimmers and I attended Living Word Lutheran Church in Grapevine, TX. It was good, and the Pastor (whose name I can't recall) was pleasant. He was an older, retired chaplain, and seemed to know and love the liturgy beyond the mere ceremony of it all. I still don't know what I think about all the solemnity, the muttered words of piety, the grand statements of joy, all in a carefully metered monotone. I mean...I was getting a little tired just being there. What does God think about it? It is for Him that we gather, right? To worship him, not to go about our rituals to make ourselves feel connected to God?

At the same time, I recognize the awe with which they treat God. He is worthy of all that is performed there, the words, the actions, etc. I guess I just wonder, if Jesus died so that we could be with Him, why act in a way that seems...contrary to intimacy? Or is it? I recognize my own shortcomings in all of this rambling...the fact that I'm not as comfortable in a High church setting (at least when communion and musical worship are concerned) and that God can work in many ways that are alien to me. When Jesus died he "gave a loud cry, and breathed his last. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom." To me, that is God saying, put down your robes and rituals and come sit at my feet that I may show you the depths of my unending love for you. Come in, not just the priest once a year, but all who would believe.

But that's just me. What do you think?

The service began with a brother and sister playing a French horn/Trumpet duet. It was nice, albeit not very musical. That's most likely the music snob in me coming out. I should say, They're young, and it is great that kids are willing to worship God with their instruments.

My favorite part of High Church in the protestant realm, however, is the organ. I love that many organ pieces tend to be darker sounding than most hymns and praise songs, but end more triumphantly. It acknowledges the darker parts of life, more than just in word. It cries out in ominous and fearful strains rather than the mournful, complaining way that some songs do. Don't get me wrong, I love those other songs, but my heart is captivated when I hear the organ. It makes me think of Bruckner and Bach, and how glorious it must have been to listen to their hearts come through their fingers, out the pipes and into people's souls. I hope wherever I end up worshipping in the Czech Republic that they have an organ!

Thank you God for a heart-probing morning of worship and prayer to you. Forgive us when we mumble through our worship, incoherent and unaware of the words of love that we speak to you. May our hearts be grabbed, and tears brought to our eyes when we think of what you have done for us. We are all living on borrowed time; may we live and love well, and better each day.

Oh what a night...

2006-06-29T06:37:00.000-07:00

God is so faithful...
And speaking of God's faithfulness, thank you so much to all those who have donated money to help me get to Prague. You are a huge blessing in my life, and I pray that the Lord will bless you tenfold in return!

I still don't have my address in the Czech Republic yet, but as soon as I do I will make it a permanent fixture of this site. And now for something not entirely different...

Yesterday, particularly the evening, was absolutely amazing. It was Ella's and my last night at church, and so it was a little sad, but so encouraging. We talked to pastor David, and he prayed over us powerfully. God spoke to me in some amazing ways through that prayer, the least of which is that I will live up to my name. Andrew means "manly, valiant, and courageous," things which I don't feel I always am. But last night God encouraged me and called me and enabled me through David's prayer to be that which he has named me. He also prayed that godly leaders would be raised up in the Czech Republic through me, and so please pray for me, all ye who read this, that I can walk forward in boldness and trust in God's word for me.

As if that wasn't enough, afterwards we went to Enrique's for dinner and $1 margaritas, and who did we run into, but Adriane Savage. I haven't talked to her in ages, and she just happened to be leaving for Dallas tomorrow. She got a job as an artist for a civil engineering company and is doing very well. We got to catch up, laugh, and pray for each other. God's timing is always amazing to me.

After that we went to the Bean Counter to see Homer Hiccolm play one last time, and who should we see but 1) half of the people that work at Starbucks, 2) Alaina Bearden, and 3) Jennifer Nissen, newly engaged/married. Apparently she eloped! God is so good. I was hoping and praying that I would be able to see people or at least get a hold of them before we left Abilene, and they all pretty much showed up in one night! I will definitely look back on my days in Abilene with love and thankfulness to God for all he has shown me and made me while I've been here. Praise the Lord!

CH. 3-The Sanity of Little Black Dots

2006-06-21T09:37:00.000-07:00

I sit at a desk that is not mine, typing on a computer that is not mine. I am exhausted after several days of opening the store at 4:45 am. My mind has been in dark places these past few days, but Christ is bringing me new light. Holst is blaring in the background (screaming quietly at the moment) and I am content. Music continues to be one of the driving forces of life for me, a constant source of renewal, excitement, and challenge. God give me the grace and determination to continue in it.

After work today I fixed myself a full breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, toast and orange juice. Mmmm mmm mmmm. It was delectable. For the rest of the day I plan to (finally) read some. I'm currently in the midst of many books (Othodoxy by Chesterton, The Poe Shadow by Pearl, Neil T. Anderson's Victory over the Darkness, and Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer) but getting bogged down. A Starbucks customer gave me the new "God's Man" series book called "Risk." After reading the first chapter and skimming the rest of the book, I have come to the conclusion that all "men" in the author's mind read in a puffed up, machismo-driven way. Or at least that's the way it was written. I'm no longer reading it. Not that it didn't have good points, but I got tired of reading "dude" and "blam" and "awesome." I mean, give me a break. Yes, we're men, but does that really mean grunting and acting like we don't have the brain cells to read and write intelligently? I think not. I'm sure it'll reach a certain demographic, but not this one (hyper-sensitive, intelligent, white, 20-something?).

Speaking of masculine stereotypes, I've been watching the Rocky movies over the past few weeks, and I was surprised to find how good they actually were. Yes, Stallone's voice and manner of speech in the films can get old, but the message behind the whole thing is really quite remarkable. If you haven't seen them, or have and judged them as meat-head material, go back and watch them in light of life in the Kingdom of God...some pretty cool parallels. I think out of all of them, II and V are my favorites. But they're all pretty amazing...and patriotic (IV was quite funny to watch...all the Cold War stuff).

Thank you Lord for another day to discover you and love others. May I use the hours for your glory.

At long last...

2006-05-10T11:09:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Julia Reid, for all the time and effort and patience and self-sacrifice you put into A) this amazing blog that I couldn't have even begin to create without you! and B) our friendship. You are an amazing person and I am sorry I haven't been around as much this past month. thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankouthankyouthankyou!

and now for something completely different...

The drive to self-expression has finally overcome the perfectionist in me, and so I begin my new blog- what will, hopefully, become a place where I can document my first year (of many?) in the Czech Republic as well as rant, rave, wax poetic, and create an outlet for my overdramatic tendencies. Also, gehen wir!

CH. 1- BEGINNINGS
I never know how to begin. The (repressed) writer in me wants to grab your attention with some witty, profound, intellectual angle that only I can see, but that you may understand. It's been so long since I've written...well, anything really, and so I have many of such sentences stored up in my knoggin. Probably best to just get on with it, with no particular form in mind.

Right now I have beginnings and endings on my mind. For instance, this week is the end of my college career (for real this time), but it is the beginning (of the beginning) of my life as an...*--achem--*...adult. This is very alarming to me. And what's more, every day I look in the mirror and see not Andrew Straight, but my father. I seem to look more and more like him every day. This isn't such a bad thing, I just wish I was more disciplined so I would not continue to grow rounder as the years go by. I was doing so well about a month ago, but this past few weeks I have had no desire whatsoever to exercise, eat right, or anything that would contribute positively to my mental, physical, or emotional well-being. The kicker is that I can barely fit into my jeans these days. Granted, I've had them for about 6 years, but that's beside the point, right?

CH. 2-MATERIALISM
How do we accumulate so much stuff? To be more specific, how did I accumulate so much stuff? Right now Brady's and my apartment is in shambles because all of my crap is everywhere, in boxes, out of boxes...everywhere. Elanor was sweetly trying to help me purge some of the unnecessary items and help me pack a little tighter (so it will all fit into my tiny Honda Accord)...and for some reason I had such a hard time letting go of...what? Stuff. Space-occupying, never-gonna-look-at-it-except-when-I-move-from-place-to-place Stuff. When did I become so attached to paper? Letters from people that I haven't seen or heard from in years I anxiously guard as if they were part of my own identity...
I have certainly changed over the years...and I am not so sure it's for the better. Is everyone like this? Do they get to a point when they look at themselves and say, "Who is that?" Perhaps these are the typical thoughts of a college graduate?