"The Wanderlust" by Flogging Molly

Haven't been here in a while, as it is with my other lapses I'll give information on the intervening period as it becomes necessary. For now I just wanted to write down my feelings as this semester comes to a close:

I'm excited, nervous, and sad. All of these and more are feelings I have because I will be at HUF next semester. That's right Florence, Italy. I can't wait to be there experiencing Italy and all that comes along with it. At the same time I can't say that I really know the people I'm going with now. Originally my roommate was coming but after we got on the list he decided to drop out, which stinks, but at the same time I can understand it hasn't been easy making all of the arrangements I've had to make. I really will miss all of those folks who will remain in Searcy or that will go elsewhere in the world. A lot of people I really care about will be far away and I don't know how to deal with that just yet.

In other news classes are winding down I only have 4 left for the year and then finals next week then home. Classes have gone really well I was really worried about the prospect of 18 hours when I started, and it hasn't all ways been easy, but I have survived and I am thankful for that.

Most of my current stresses are coming from money. I have to arrange for paying down the interest on my loan for Florence (every month) even while I'm gone. I'm all ready cutting it pretty close on the whole spending money thing for the trip, and to top it off I need to pay $200 dollars to the courts for being on the railroad tracks. I'm hoping it will all work, but I'm just stressed about it right now.

The song for the day is "The Wanderlust" by Flogging Molly, a song that I have been learning on guitar that talks about the need to travel and explore, and the restlessness of the journeyman in me.

-matt

"Pippin's Song" by Billy Boyd

I apologize to any followers of this blog that there has been such a delay in my updates it seems like every time I think about this blog I'm not in a position to make an update. I know its been over a week and if it turns out that I have missed something necessary I will update you all on that point but recounting the events of the past week and a half is out of the question.

So I have about 7 weeks left before my time here in Meredosia is over. I've been here now for 3 and a half weeks now and its been interesting. I'm experiencing a culture I had only ever seen represented on television as a parody of the real thing.

I can't really fully capture how interesting all of it is to me. Everything from the linguistic dialects here to what is considered rude or ordinary. It really is like stepping into an entirely different world.

Yesterday was our car wash fundraiser, and I'm overall very proud of the kids. That being said they started off horribly. They worked slowly and were unorganized to the point that one customer who was in a hurry cleaned the better part of his own car. Phil gave the kids a well deserved blessing out for that and after a few more cars they began to get the hang of it. In fact by the end of the day the kids were able to finish a truck equal to that other customer's in less than 1o minutes. They know where they failed, but the only truly wasted mistake is the one that we learn nothing from.

My only regret about the car wash I have it that I neglected to protect my neck from a sunburn and it HURTS! I followed some advice for a home remedy, whipped egg whites applied to the affected area, and it actually did alot to help. However as a matter of not wasting to many eggs I invested in some aloe vera which has been helping significantly.

By the way 77 days until Auburns first game of the football season! I'm so excited right now I can hardly stand it. I just enjoyed reading an article in a college football preview it was wonderful.

the song of the day will be "Pippin's Song" by Billy Boyd. For those of you who have seen the movie The Return of the King you will recognize this song as the one that Pippin sings when he is in the hall of the Steward of Gondor. Its just such a hauntingly beautiful song and I love what it says. (Fun Fact it was written by the actor who sings it).

-matt

PS. This will be the first time (though possibly not the last) that I will post a link for the song of the day.

"I Will Follow You into the Dark" by Death Cab for Cutie

First off, the Sermon went really well. I won't recount it for everyone but I was told that I did very well and most couldn't tell it was my first sermon, but there is no time for me to rest in that because I need to prepare another sermon before Sunday mainly in preparation since we don't know when Amy will give birth, and that would cause Phil to be unable to preach if it happened to close to a Sunday.

Today I have been challenged (in many ways) to set goals for myself, for the summer. The challenges have come to me both directly and indirectly and I have begun to think about those things.

Today Phil and I got up early and went to breakfast with a member of the church who by all accounts is one of the wiser men I've met so far up here. After taking a small break and talking to my dad we went to Benny's Pizza (a bunch of us from the Youth Group) and it was a very nice time.

I don't have any major stories to tell right now, this is a simple update I just thought that since I hadn't updated in a while so maybe I should.

The song of the day is "I Will Follow You into the Dark" by Death Cab for Cutie, because it has been stuck in my head all day today, and because its a pretty good song.

-matt

"Getting into You" by Relient K

So its been a little bit since last I posted but such is life, who would have thought that going to a small town like this would keep me so busy.

I've been doing a lot here and there movie night not terrible, but I didn't like the movie Seven Pounds as much as all those who ranted and raved about it but I figured out the ending of it pretty soon into it. Today and yesterday (and Thursday actually) a main part of my time has been spent working on my sermon for tomorrow I'll tell you all how that goes once it has gone.

Other than that I met some of the other local youth staff that will be at the teacher's meeting for the upcoming youth camp at the end of the semester. After dinner (thats what they call lunch around here) we went to a baby shower for Amy (Phil's wife) who is set to pop at any time according to the doctor, which will guarantee an interesting time for me as Phil's go to minister at the church. We sang (me and phil did anyway) from a hymn book while the ladies had their fun which was nice though nerve racking (those of you who really know me understand). After which I practiced my sermon (preaching to an empty auditorium) for the next 3 and a half hours or so, during that time I also prayed over the room that the God would send His message through me and that He might be glorified in their lives.

After that we Phil went for an MNO (minister's night out) on the crazy town of Meredosia. I mean we painted the town red (which suprisingly didn't require much paint). We ended up at a local restaurant named simply "The Approach" and it was great food. After that I rode my bike home on a full stomach (not suggested for all of you novice bike riders out there).

And finally I got to chat with my sister a bit which was wonderful to do I absolutely loved it. I hope to hear more from her as the summer goes on. I miss her the most.

The Song of the Day is "Getting into You" by Relient K, because I heard it today and it was just so reassuring to me. Think about what that song says, we ask God, "Do you know what you are getting yourself into?" and his perfect and beautiful response is "I love you and thats what you are getting yourself into."

-matt

"Frankenstein" by The Edgar Winter Group

I guess today technically qualifies as a work day. I spent the better part of the morning thinking up sermon ideas for my sermon Sunday after next, me and Phil will be going over them tomorrow as well as checking out the calendar, and planning a small devo for some of the younger kids, tomorrow evening.

Today was the first time I've had a chance to hang out with the youth, just them and me. I was worried at first but I was happy to find that by and large they treated me well. Today after chasing down some numbers from the director and from Kasi's personal store of numbers, I was able to arrange hanging out with some of them by going on a walk and chatting.

Its still interesting to walk around this sleepy town. Today I noticed a building that seemed to be a small square set up but from the lines on the house appeared to have a volcano pushing up beneath it. Now some of the houses are very nice, but some fall just this side of being condemned. So far of all of them the one I'm becoming familiar with most is the house on my way out of the neighborhood from Mary's that has a what appears to be an old demolition derby car in the car. Its a well beaten car painted all black with a green number 37 on it. I would have loved to see it in action.

After splitting up for a while about 6 plus me got together to watch Paul Blart Mall Cop, with which I was pleasantly surprised I was worried that it would be incredibly low brow and just ninety minute long fat joke, but it turned out to be pretty funny and while there were those moments that make us bigguns cringe a little bit, it was a nice family film.

The Song for the Day is "Frankenstein" by The Edgar Winter Group because it is an awesome song during any movie with the slightest bit of action, including Mall Cop.

-matt

"No Handlebars" by Flobots

today's post won't be too long, since it was a day off, and because Mary ( the elderly woman I'm staying with) seems about ready to go to bed.

As I said today was a day off so I mostly stayed around the house and read the intro's for The Lord of the Rings by legendary writer J.R.R. Tolkien, and The Cost of Discipleship by German theologian and martyr for the faith Deitrich Bonhoeffer, as well as a few chapters in Expert Guide to God, Country, Family, and Anything Else We Can Think Of by famed radio show hosts Rick Burgess and Bill 'Bubba' Bussey. Aside from that I watched a little bit of the news today's headlines? GM Declares Bankruptcy, A Plane Disappears over the ocean on a flight (Lost anyone?), and the Stock Market seems to be rebounding some.

After doing all of that I went on a walk about town and traveled as far east and west as I could go in town (in less than 30 minutes) and thats with stops, and visits. I stopped at the local grocery and grabbed a few things, nothing big I know the church people would kill me if I didn't let them by for me (not sarcasm). Then I went by the church and interrupted Phil's counseling session (on his day off) and grabbed his commentary on the book of Acts.

Phil then sent me to the Hammitt's (Not Preston my roommate but his Great Uncle) where I was given a Bicycle which is in very good condition, I need to figure out something about the seat though, because it hurts my hindend (I'm a big guy but I've got no tochus).

Afterwards I went to Phil's house for dinner and had a lovely chat with his wife Amy while we waited. At the dinner table Ronin (Phil's son, the oldest at a whopping 5 years old) began to talk about the asparagus which related to him about the devil, how if we follow the devil thats bad, and if we follow God thats good and the result of each choice. As he continued to speak it felt like he might be headed for one of those "out of the mouths of children" moments when suddenly he interrupts himself and says "I hope I get a reward from school" Amy and I look at one another dumbfounded while Phil continues to listen to his son patiently. I look at Amy and say "Evel Knievel couldn't make that leap," at which point we both let loose laughing while Ronin continues unabatedly chatting with his dad. Finally I point out how Phil has yet to laugh at which point he too.

Phil will be at the prison tomorrow so I will be essentially on my own for the first time I hope to get a group together to hang out from among the youth as well as get some ideas for sermons, work on my list of grocery "needs" for the church to fulfill (because they insist not because I ask I assure you), and maybe tomorrow evening I can read some more, that would be nice.

The song of the day is "No Handlebars" by Flobots, because someday I will be able to say "I can ride a bike with no handlebars, no handlebars, no handlebars," and because it reminds me of my dear friend Brandon Willits.

-matt

"Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd

So today was my first Sunday, and it has been stressful. Its amazing how different it is to go to church when you are going as part of your job (at least on some level). Things were different (obviously since I'm at a church whose record attendance falls in the 60s not 600s), but not bad.

My lesson this morning on Acts 3 & 4 could have used some polishing. I would attribute my troubles adjusting to this being a serial class as opposed to what I am used to, which is a more idea by idea approach. that coupled with not knowing how long the class should be (I thought 30 minutes; correct answer 45 minutes)

After church we headed to a nice little diner in town the Down Dari Delight. There was one waitress. A pleasant girl to be sure and must have expected us since about half the church arriving didn't phase her one bit. I had a good burger and some fries and was introduced to the idea of a Horseshoe. The Horseshoe (as I came to know) is a piece of bread topped with some kind of meat (chicken tenders on the one I saw) with a load of fries on that and topped off with cheese sauce. So the heartstopping (literally) style of meals is alive and well in the Midwest, though admittedly behind the Southern way of doing things: Bread it, Fry it, Put a stick in it and its a delicacy.

After lunch I spent sometime chatting with Phil at his house, some about how I might be able to better integrate into the youth group, some good ideas were brought up about what they might respond best to. I expressed some concerns that had been eating at me for a time. About these kids backgrounds and how worried I was that even if I reached the point that they trusted me enough to share their struggles with me, what would I say? I don't know what its like to be abused, physically, sexually, or in anyway, I mean my life hasn't been easy I have had my struggles, but I worry that even with those I am still so far from these kids experientially, so how could I connect?

It did help to get that off my chest with him, I had talked with Preston (my roommate) about it briefly last night, but I felt like if I really wanted Phil to see where I was coming from he needed to know how I feel about this. All this is not to say that I'm not going to try, and that I'm not going to lean on God to help me, but it is to say that I reckognize that weakness, and I'm praying that God will fulfill his promise and show his perfection in my weakness (as I know he will).

Tonight at church I gave the youth my first real devo, about worrying. Seemed appropriate. In fact Phil went ahead and pushed me off of my first cliff; he made me sing solo to the kids (an exercise they have all done) I did and they say I'm not too bad. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on that.

So I went ahead and told them about the first time I understood the idea of Matthew 6:25-34 which ends with one of the most calming things Jesus ever said, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." I shared with them about the worry that came over me around the time of my parents, all the things that were thrown up in the air, the things I couldn't know or even control the outcome of (like whether we could keep the house, car, and dogs), and it was only when I let those go that I was able to do something with those things I could help (taking care of my Dad and Sister the best I could, getting and maintaining a job, while balancing that with schoolwork).

As many of you know there is more to come from that time in my life, but I wanted to share with these kids who live in uncertain times, in uncertain circumstances, that they shouldn't carry that worry with them but let it go.

During the devo I read the afforementioned passage and a girl, Ashley (the oldest among the girls still in High School), began to giggle. as I ended my lesson I looked at her and she explained that she was laughing because apparently I say "grow" funny. I don't know what that means really, but I already knew I had a slight accent and I had told them that, so whats the deal.

the Song of the Day is "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Because it is my ringtone and reminds me of home when I'm a long ways off.

-matt

"Carry Me Through" by Dave Barnes

So I'm here in Meredosia, and honestly I really miss home. I've never realized what a blessing it was to be surrounded by so many groups of people to spend time with until I had only the one. Now don't get me wrong I like the people here in the Dosh, but its just so strange.

I walk from where I'm staying to Phil's (the head minister's) house, and what I see is a community that was once a prosperous town. Now it seems the shell of its former self, filled with countless broken homes, buildings that have gone many years without care, and many cars that are just this side of croaking.

I wasn't prepared for the way this town looked and appeared. I mean when most of us think of small town america we think of a town where everyone knows each other, and goes to church together and the worst problem you run into is a little gossip and dancing. That may be an over simplification, but you know what I mean. What you don't imagine is a place full of broken families from divorce. Drug use and production are thriving, as well as alcohol abuse and all manner of domestic violence and abuse. Its a place where since there parents are so hung up on their own stuggles and issues few kids know what its like to be loved or even to have a parent who cares enough to give them rules. Sadly this is closer to the truth of small town America than anything in our imaginations or in Mayberry.

Its been a shock to my system, but the kids are great. The youth group clearly are looking for God in the people around them and I hope they can see him in me. I've had several long talks with Phil and we see eye to eye on what part I can have in there lives and what I can do for them.

I've been here 1 day (2 nights) and it won't be easy, its a different place, a different mindset than anything I've experienced, and a lot is being asked of me, but I'll do what God has strengthened me to do with them and no less.

The Song of the Day for today, is "Carry Me Through" by Dave Barnes. Because like the song says, "There's a mountain Here before me And I'm going to climb it With strength not my own."

-matt