Pregnant Man?

Not exactly, but perhaps even more bizarre. Siamese twins, clones, sextuplets - none are as weird as a human living with a twin INSIDE of them. Medical stories usually fascinate me, but this is one that definitely gives me the creeps.

Read Sanju Bhagat's story and try to sleep peacefully tonight.

How to Make a Teenager Squirm

I love making teenagers squirm and try their best not to cry. It could perhaps be the best part of my job. No, I'm not bullying them or taking away their prized electronics. I make teenagers cry by telling them, to their face, eye to eye that they are intelligent, capable, and valuable in this society.

Unfortunately, somehow in society, hearing honest positive feedback and encouragement from an adult to a youth is a rarity. I think that is why the kids almost cry. I guarantee that 90% of their day they hear complaints and demands from adults - either directly or indirectly, they hear that they are worthless and their opinions amount to nothing much than a rebellious idea that must be corrected.

But wait! Haven't we been in a self-esteem movement where we are encouraged to say positive things to each other all the time?! I know I went through a "self-esteem" unit in high school where we learned about ourselves and our worth, so shouldn't that be enough to make us feel good about ourselves?

Teenagers can be duped in relationships with their peers, they can be pressured into doing stupid things that will ruin their life, they are notorious for stupidity. They are also notorious for being able to be brutally honest and smell fake niceness from a mile away - somehow especially from adults. Thus, telling a kid they are wonderful and special and valuable is only useful if it is in a real and personal context.

I am so thankful for the adults that pour their energies and lives into youth. I know in my life, if it was not for Sergei Kazinchenko, a radical youth leader from my church who decided to create a middle school group and invest his time in us, I could have very well been in a much different place. He took the time to get to know us, spend time with us, expose us to new ideas, and let us know just how valuable our thoughts and ideas were. He let us know clearly that we were not just some stupid teenagers, but rather human beings who are contributing to society.

Teens back in the 1990's and 2000's needed to know that. Teens today, even with all of the self-esteem movement need to know this. If you have a teen in your life, a sibling, cousin, neighbor, friend, student, who ever. If you have a kid in your life - tell them their worth. Tell them exactly HOW you think they are already contributing to society and encourage them to continue growing in their lives. If you do that honestly without deceit, that punk just might squirm.

Biographies and Back to School

Taking a break from school to focus on wedding plans, married life, and work has been an incredible time and opportunity to enjoy the non-student side of life. Of course, working WITH students of all ages, I am definitely not too far from the school setting, I have just enjoyed the break from being the student. But nevertheless, I did not invest 2.5 years into college only to turn back from the significant paper they give at the end. After some deliberation and planning, I am nervously excited to return to school part-time in the Spring of 2010 and resume full-time in Fall 2010.

I admit. I am nervous. Its been a while since I've been in school and thought like a student, read like a student, and wrote like a student. Its going to take a while to get back in the groove, so I am planning on thinking of ways to prepare myself.

Step One: Finish the scholarship essay. This is a big test - haven't written for a grade (unless you count reports at work for a grade) since June.

Step Two: Crank up the reading. I've read some awesome books this summer so far, and I would like to continue reading, but maybe at a faster pace. This summer I've read Bridges of Madison County, Thousand Splendid Suns, God's Smuggler, and am now finishing up Total Abandon. All were intriguing and the latter three very inspiring, probably because they were more or less biographical in nature and shared the narrative of one's life.

I am a big fan of biographies - reading peoples life stories, including their successes and struggles. There is power in the story, and a recent article in Christianity Today agrees. The article shares about the power of biographies, especially as a spiritual practice. I think they are on to something, because whenever I read biographies, especially those of a spiritual nature, it is definitely edifying and usually leads to spiritual growth.

So therefore, I will continue reading biographies. Maybe I will mix it up with some theological and theoretical books, but we will see.

I am also excited to see the movie Precious, which is about a young woman who has lived an incredibly painful life but begins a journey from oppression to self-determination. It will be especially meaningful because I know people who remind me of Claireese.

And finally, I am hoping to increase postings as part of my writing exercises to prepare me for going back to school.

Keep me accountable ;)

Easy Moneymaker

If you are in need of some extra cash, how about move to Taiwan and collect dog waste for some spending money? Apparently, dog waste is a huge issue in Taiwan that the government is willing to pay $3 for every kilo of dog poo collected. In areas where dog poo is even more abundant, they will pay $3 for every half kilo. More on this story here...

Life Updates

Today I had the pleasure of having a free afternoon to begin the scrapbook project I have been waiting to do for the past 4 months - the wedding scrapbook. A few months ago I had a dream of a perfectly organized set-up of the scrapbook materials to make scrapbooking more efficient. I remember waking up and trying to apply the dream to reality, and today - with the apartment to myself, I turned it into a fantasy scrapbooking workshop. With paper color coded and everything in its appropriate categories, I was able to whip out 5 pages, without any back pain. I was also excited to be able to use bits and pieces of wedding cards and novelties that came with them.

It's great to look back on the wedding day and remember the feelings and excitement that came with the big day. That day proved to be the best decision of my life, for being married to David has been the best thing that's ever happened to me! :) Definitely looking forward to the coming months and holidays. Its been fun figuring out what our family culture is going to be like - discovering what rituals and habits we have and partake in. The molding of our two worlds have thus far been blessed with unity and peace. Definitely thankful to God for that!

This month is a busy one. Many birthdays in the community, the Compassion Connect Banquet, and figuring out ways to stay warm this winter. We attended a weatherization workshop last week and got hooked up with some essential home improvement materials to make sure we are as energy efficient as possible. We are also working on getting some thick curtains for our sliding doors to maximize warmth.

Oh and shall I not forget to mention that AT LAST after years of thinking of the perfect boots, David and I found a pair and bought them!

We are definitely equipped for the season. Here's to warmth :)

Time Capsule

My younger brother is taking an AP Psychology class from the same teacher I took Psychology from in 2004. As my brother was telling me about all the cool things he's learning in that class, I began remembering all the great activities of self-exploration and introspection that we did in that class. I also remembered the letter we wrote to ourselves that we were to receive 10 years later. Of course being the patient person that I am, I asked my brother to ask the teacher if I could get my letter a little early.

Yes, yes, it was cheating, and I could have possibly ruined the surprise of the total effect the letter was supposed to have on me - but my curiosity won (after all, I did win the Curiosity Life Skill award in 7th grade :P).

In a few days, my brother gave me the letter, and as I was driving with my husband, I tore open the letter and began reading. The letter, written with my 16-year-old perspective of life to my future self, was quite the experience. It was incredible seeing all the many milestones that I have already reached, some exactly as I predicted!

I met the marriage goal right on target, and am on a good start towards being healthier with my food choices (believe it or not, but at the time I wrote this letter to myself, I could not imagine driving past Carls Jr. without stopping for a spicy chicken...and only until this past year have I been able to resist 95% of the time! This is huge for me!)

Dreams of living the gospel and being on fire for Jesus reign true today. Of course I'm not a missionary overseas as I imagined, but local missions is more than satisfying. I may not be living in a house that is perfect for parties, but the parties in our community are always abundant and beautiful.

Of course there are some more interesting ones which we will see what will happen...will I publish a book or any sort of writing? Will I have 3 girls and 2 boys? Will I adopt?

In any case, it is interesting how many goals are coming true, but manifesting themselves in ways that are different than I imagined at 16. I am definitely thankful to God for the road he has led me on and am excited for the road that is to come!

P.S. I put the note in a safe place and will check back on it in 5 more years.

His Love Deep Down In My Heart

Today David and I had the opportunity to attend a seminar on missional living in Portland. The seminar was generally inspiring - many pastors and young adults with a heart for transforming their community and taking a new approach of ministering to others. The main point of the meeting (as I understood) was that mutual relationships are essential to effective ministry as well as paying attention to the many community assets that always exist.

I enjoyed hearing people's hearts for ministry and building relationships with their neighborhoods and making a positive impact for the kingdom, but I felt something was amiss. If this was a secular meeting, I would say it was amazing and fully covered every base possible. However, given that this was a meeting of Christians looking to minister to the community, I felt the most basic element was somehow lost.

Christians who have been transformed and impacted by Christ's redeeming love have something that no secular organization or person can create or develop. No theory or structure can transform a life as much as the beautiful and powerful love of Christ.

It seems so simple, we sung about it at Sunday school all our life, maybe even took it forgranted most of our lives - but if we think about it - as Christians, the only way we are able to pour out our energies and love on each other and have passion for justice and relationship is because of the love that Christ put in our hearts. Apart from Christ, we are nothing, and our energies and passions would reveal it.

This simple truth may be easily forgotten, but if one is truly seeking to minister, they will soon realize that they NEED to draw strength from the Lord. Apart from Christ, our own minds and bodies will fail - especially if we are developing relationships with people.

I believe every individual was created by God in His image and has a lot to offer this world, believer or not. I believe it is absolutely necessary to build relationships with those around us, regardless of their beliefs or attitudes - it is our calling to love, serve, and share God's love. How this looks - of course depends on the context, but as Christians seeking to live out the Kingdom, we must remember where our direction, life, and love comes from. We must remember what separates us from the world and why we are doing what we are doing.

This is definitely something that I have and will continue to ponder as we continue the ministry God has called us to at Barberry.