seeing is understanding

Camp has started, and with it, a plethora of spiritual lessons, warfare, and growth. Of the many stories thus far, one in particular stands in my mind vividly and continues to send chills down my spine when I grasp the implications yet again.

One young camper, whom we'll call Gregory, had been an particularly ridiculous punk, concluding the first two days with a swing at a fellow camp-mate. Violence being discouraged at our camp, the immediate recourse was a chat with one of the permanent staff and a phone call to the parents. I entered the story after Gregory had a chance to explain his angst at camp food, fellow campers, and camp activities to his parents and then was dismissed to his group so a solution could be discussed between the permanent staffer and the parents.

Gregory was given a 24-hour probation period, a flashlight, and an extra counselor for his group. A second phone call between the permanent staffer and the parents was scheduled for 830pm the next day. If things hadn't improved by Wednesday night, Gregory would be sent home.

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As Wednesday wore on, it seemed the chat, the extra counselor, and some special food accommodations were helping Gregory's attitude. Fairly certain that Gregory would be able to stay the rest of the week, I still caught his group's counselors briefly after dinner for their analysis of the situation, so we could knowledgeably update his parents. All three agreed--Gregory was doing better and should be allowed to stay. The permanent staffer concurred and conveyed the news to the parents: Gregory could remain at camp.

Several hours later, Gregory's two male counselors came to me, asking for the permanent staffer's cell phone number. Concerned, I asked if everything was alright. Oh yes, they assured me; they simply wanted to make sure that Gregory wouldn't be sent home. They continued to plead his case for another five minutes, explaining all the reasons that Gregory should be given a second chance and citing all the small proofs of his slowly changing heart. Once they paused for a breath, I affirmed that Gregory had been permitted to stay, which caused no little rejoicing between these two counselors.

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I was surprised by the counselors' concern for Gregory and the way they had pleaded for him. The situation mulled through my subconscious for the next 10 hours, until suddenly I realized why their actions were so significant. The way these two young men took it upon themselves to plead Gregory's case reminded me of Hebrews 7:25, which states that Jesus "always lives to make intercession" for those who trust him. Just as they were imploring me that Gregory have a second chance, so Jesus stands before God's throne in heaven pleading that I receive mercy, that I receive a second chance, a third chance, a one-hundredth chance. If I have received such undeserved mercy, how then can I refuse to show it to others?


"My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." - 1 John 2.1  

nomading. plus also, i'm moving to africa in 12 weeks.

“So, where are you from?”

It’s a common enough question when making small talk with new acquaintances, but it strikes dismay into every nomad’s heart. Does the person want the long or the short story? How much information is too much information? Can’t we just go back to ‘stranger danger’ days??

My answer to this question depends on the day, the time, the location, the company, and the weather. The short version is “Virginia”…or “Alabama.” The complex version is“Well, I live in Virginia right now, but I’m moving to Uganda in the fall. I was a military brat, so I’m an East Coaster, raised from Maine to Florida. And my family lives in Alabama, so that’s what I claim as home.”

I pity the sucker who thinks of this “innocuous” question while making small talk!

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During the past month, I’ve been traipsing around the country, visiting family and friends. The life of an unemployed nomad has been enjoyable, refreshing after a season of hard work. Soon enough, I’ll be starting my summer job, working long days outdoors and having a blast while doing it. After the summer, only 12 weeks from today, I’ll be moving to Africa for a completely new adventure! 12 weeks. That’s not very long at all.

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On one final note, this past week I finished my fourteenth flight of 2012. I’ve been on fourteen different airplanes this year! The week, however, also commemorates my final flight of 2012 until I fly to Uganda. Good thing, since I’ll need a few months without airports or airplanes to work up the guts for a 24+ hour trip…

this guy bought his plane tickets from a third-party travel site...

sentences + illustrations

Frustrated by the lack of consistent posts recently? 

Here's a cute dog picture to cheer you up.

Plus, I thought my post on The Avengers was mighty substantive. 

Not quite enough to satiate your need for some Chrissy-perspective?

Well, in my defense, I've been hanging with these guys:

We've been celebrating various things.

Family gatherings always involve some wild happenings.

Pictures of the craziness shall follow soon. 

I couldn't give you everything at once, could I? 

How the Avengers Helped Me Understand the Bible

I’ve been working at an adventure camp for months, facilitating groups through teambuilding challenges. It’s a fun experience, more enjoyable for the fact that every crowd is different, forcing me to develop innovative ways of doing my job. Being a fairly confident person, I entered the position thinking I could share my astounding knowledge of teamwork (though where I thought I’d gained that knowledge, I’m not sure). The more groups I led, however, the more I realized that I do not have a good understanding of teamwork. What makes a good team? What are the key components? Why do some groups arrive stellar, some groups become stellar, and other groups leave worse than when they started?

As with most of the life, the clues to the solution are in the Bible, but as I read and re-read 2 Corinthians 12, sometimes even to the groups I was leading, I still felt like I was missing something. I couldn’t quite grasp it; it was as if I was missing the keystone before I could finish the arch.

The Avengers gave me the keystone.

I have a superhero weakness and despite my frugality, this was a motion picture event I wouldn’t miss on the big screen! Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and Hawkeye, all in one giant bad-guy-fighting movie? I’m so there. I was expecting a night of enjoying action, courage, and witty dialogue as the team joined forces; little did I realize I would also receive a spiritual lesson.

For the Avengers are the essence of 2 Corinthians 12. They have a “variety of gifts” but work for the same goal (vs. 4); these gifts are manifested “for the common good,” of both humankind and of their SHIELD team (vs. 7). They are the perfect team, a body consisting “not of one member but of many” (vs. 14). The Avengers without Iron Man would be grounded; without the Hulk, would be weakened; without Cap, would be leaderless; without the Black Widow, would be uninformed; without Hawkeye, would be blind; without Thor, would be unable to bring Loki to the true justice he deserves.

If Iron Man were to say, ‘Because I am smarter than you all, I do not belong to the team,’ that would not make him any less part of the team. If Thor were to say ‘Because I am a demi-god, I do not belong to the team,’ that would not make him any less part of the team. If the whole team were the Hulk, where would be the desire to obey orders? If the whole team were Captain America, where would be the technological wisdom needed to fight Loki?

Yet despite all the gifts, the gathering of a “band of freaks” who just happened to have the skills to save the world, the Avengers lose a battle, lose their prisoner, and don’t save the world for the first three-quarters of the movie. Bruce Banner hides from the world, fearful of taunts and tests, of his own capacity for power and evil. Captain America also hides, unwilling and perhaps unable to adapt to this new and difficult world where the Stars and Stripes are “old-fashioned.” Tony Stark expresses disdain for Cap’s sense of duty, mocks Thor’s manner of dress, and dances around Bruce attempting to bring out the Hulk. Watching the Avengers baiting and backbiting each other, pursuing petty differences instead of joining forces, allowing Loki to gain the upper hand because they refuse to work as a team is frustrating. Forget individual heroics: why can’t they just all get along?

But the team is so composed that there would be no division but that the members would have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

It takes the sacrifice of a formerly minor character to help the Avengers find their mojo as a team. “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends,” say Jesus in John 15.13, and that’s exactly what Phil Coulson does, even implying that perhaps it would take a sacrifice to help these gifted individuals see their need for each other. Despite all their gifts, the Avengers must experience this sacrificial love—and the sorrow that comes with such sacrifice—before they cast aside their individualities to become a team. Likewise, Paul says, we as Christians should desire the higher spiritual gifts, but there is “a still more excellent way”: love. Love is what creates a team; without love, there is only selfish ambition, chaos, and in-fighting.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy or boat; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all thing, endures all things. Love never fails.

There’s a reason that 2 Corinthians 13, the ultimate chapter on love, follows 2 Corinthians 12, the ultimate chapter on the body (the “team”) of Christ. Love is the key to teamwork. Continually re-reading chapter 12 in an attempt to understand teamwork was futile without the additional piece of chapter 13; watching The Avengers finally made that connection for me. And that is how the Avengers helped me to understand the Bible.

a quarter

For those of you who don't know, I turned 25 this week.

I am excited about this for one main reason: 25 is the age when you can rent a car without additional fees.

It's a big milestone because people will give you any size and type of car, thinking you're a mature adult. Really, though, you feel like this: I just graduated from college...wait, was that really 3 years ago? But I don't really know anything, in fact, I know less than I did in college. Why didn't anyone ever tell me that I'll feel stupider as I get older?? Wait, this person thinks that I can pay multiple hundreds of dollars in rent every month? When did I reach the age when hundreds of dollars wasn't a big deal? It was just a few years ago when I thought $100 was like a million!! And why do these people think I can handle all these responsibilities because I definitely haven't reached adulthood!! Don't they say you're as old as you feel? I feel 14, not 25!


I'm also thrilled about age 25 because of the exciting things I'll be doing during this year of my life, such as becoming a hobo on April 30, working at an adventure camp all summer, seeing one of my best friends get married, moving to Uganda, spending a week at the beach with my adopted family, watching my brother graduate from college, learning a new culture simultaneously with a new job, and renting a car without paying underage fees.

Also, some tidbits for you on how the world has changed during the past quarter century:
-"Salad-in-a-bag" was invented in 1989 (age 2)
-Electronic tolls (think EZ Pass) began in 1989 (age 2)
-Dopplar radar started its TV run in 1990 and is still going strong (age 3)
-Powerpoint was unveiled in 1990! (age 3)
-Debit card transactions became popular in 1995 (age 8)
-Disposable contacts arrived in 1995 (age 8)
-DVDs were introduced in 1995 (age 8)
-Blackberries started accepting email in 1999 (when I was age 12)
-iPods were developed in 2001 (age 14)
-speaking of 2001...9/11 was a life changing event for my generation (age 14)

To avoid ending on a downer, here's a shout-out to my friend JenniMarie: on my birthday in 1888, Eastman Kodak was formed.

jitters.

Today, I'm doing something that gives me butterflies in my stomach.

I dreamed about it last night. Even after forcing myself to stop thinking about it so I could actually fall asleep.

When I woke up at 5am, it was the first thing on my mind. I consciously forced myself to relax and fall back asleep.

I purposefully chose to run sprints this morning to remove a bit of the boundless energy that consumes me when I'm nervous. (yes, friends, if I seem to have kilowatts of energy in some situations, it may be from nerves, not boredom!)

Staying in a comfort zone is often quite...comfortable. It doesn't make me nervous, it doesn't give me the jitters, it doesn't require concentration or attention to details. Comfort zones give freedom for exploration, dreaming, hobbies, and joking with friends. Being pushed to face and to conquer phobias is often quite terrifying. The 'what ifs' crowd my mind, I literally shake with fear, my voice goes up a decibel, and my stomach refuses to accept even the most tempting of delicacies (ie, pizza!). I listen to Glory Revealed, Kelly Clarkson, Aaron Shust, Katy Perry; I joke with friends; I pretend excitement; and still in the back of my mind I'm contemplating how I can escape, whether starting a new life in Denver would be easier than the thing I'm about to face.

"I can do all things through him who strengthens me." Phil. 4:13


"All things" would probably include my first solo venture in setting up the zip line.

"Cast all your anxieties on [Jesus], because he cares for you." 1 Pet. 5:7

PS--the dream was NOT a nightmare. ;) Well, minus being short and unable to reach things (a legitimate issue) and losing my favorite shirt in the lake (a bogus fear, since there is no lake nearby!).