Everything's right said everything's right
Friday night after work, I decided I was going to go to the Men's Retreat in Alma for the night. I originally wanted to just come home and relax all night after the crazy week that ensued, but decided, as I have with every day this semester, I have to cram as much as temporally and physiologically possible into my conscious hours. And so I decided to go. It was such a good experience. Learned about accountability, dignity, humility, and expression. How pride is a reflection of you but being contrite is a reflection of how you were made. Too think too much of yourself or too little of yourself is a product of the world and is not what was intended.
That night I got closer to a lot of the guys there, learned more about their pasts, and saw that authenticity can lead to those more meaningful friendships. More brotherly bonds.
Also, I played my best game of dodgeball. Our team went 8-2. That followed with a trip to Pizza Sam's, a fine Italian establishment in downtown Alma. Pizza Sam is a mob boss I think. He's an older Italian man that owns and runs the place. Josh Walker, a resident of Alma, tells us that Sam and the law have not quite been on the same page in the past few years. One of these instances had Sam punch the food inspector 3 times for insulting his kitchen. Then he left a horse's head in the guys bed later in the week. Ok, I made that last part up.
After some pizza that rivaled Chicagoland's best, we headed back to the area we were staying and just hung out, played ping pong, 21, Hold 'Em, drums, guitar, and anything else we found at our disposal. Ended up talking with a handful of people until about 4 a.m. when we headed back to Mt. Pleasant to catch the replay of that Pistons brawl. Ron Artest is bad at life.
I was really happy to find out that not every Christian there was pro-Bush and right wing. I happen to 1. despise George Dubya and his administration. And 2. I seem to side more with liberal issues, although, I'm not one extreme or another, and don't ascribe to any party, unlike the rest of this friggin' black and white, you're either this or that, and you have to hate the other side, country. Personally, I have a very strong relationship with Christ so therefore I must be a paradox to all my friends on either side. But yet I don't see why. My biology and environmental studies peers as well as my more left-wing friends ask me how I can be a Christian with these certain values. And my Christian friends seem kind of off-putted by my recent support for wanting to color the states blue. Personally, I feel like helping out those more unfortunate (i.e. the lower class) should be a Christian value, and why it isn't associated does not make sense to me. I could go on with a hundred more issues, but I won't.
The rest of the weekend was nice too. Went tailgating very briefly, came back with pizza and watched Elf again with Todd, then later on went to Applebee's for Tony's 21st and got to hang with him, Kate, Jamie P., Sara W., John, Mark, Ty, and Rose, and some others. Then headed over to Cat's to catch up with her and Ash, cuz I haven't hung out with them in ages. Then, stopped at hotdogs to hang with Meg and her little bro Jacob, and then headed to Tony's to play "Swap".
Sunday I got together with Jake and we got 2 new songs done, minus vocals. Then, later went to the Women's House for Thanksgiving dinner and has some good eats. Joni asked me if I could play guitar for a Potter's thing next semester because they needed some heavy "mmm bring it" rock in one song. haha. And I might be headed to Nashville for the Passion Conference down there with the Lampi's and others. And I can even stay at my grandparents down there too. Could shape up to be a good time.
Later, watched Bourne Identity with Ndumi, Todd and Meg, and then called it a weekend.
Now I think it's nap time. Sometimes when I'm tired I like to sleep.
November 10, 2004 to November 20, 2004.
(A commitment fulfilled)
p.s. I don't reallly wear backwards, upside-down visors.
That night I got closer to a lot of the guys there, learned more about their pasts, and saw that authenticity can lead to those more meaningful friendships. More brotherly bonds.
Also, I played my best game of dodgeball. Our team went 8-2. That followed with a trip to Pizza Sam's, a fine Italian establishment in downtown Alma. Pizza Sam is a mob boss I think. He's an older Italian man that owns and runs the place. Josh Walker, a resident of Alma, tells us that Sam and the law have not quite been on the same page in the past few years. One of these instances had Sam punch the food inspector 3 times for insulting his kitchen. Then he left a horse's head in the guys bed later in the week. Ok, I made that last part up.
After some pizza that rivaled Chicagoland's best, we headed back to the area we were staying and just hung out, played ping pong, 21, Hold 'Em, drums, guitar, and anything else we found at our disposal. Ended up talking with a handful of people until about 4 a.m. when we headed back to Mt. Pleasant to catch the replay of that Pistons brawl. Ron Artest is bad at life.
I was really happy to find out that not every Christian there was pro-Bush and right wing. I happen to 1. despise George Dubya and his administration. And 2. I seem to side more with liberal issues, although, I'm not one extreme or another, and don't ascribe to any party, unlike the rest of this friggin' black and white, you're either this or that, and you have to hate the other side, country. Personally, I have a very strong relationship with Christ so therefore I must be a paradox to all my friends on either side. But yet I don't see why. My biology and environmental studies peers as well as my more left-wing friends ask me how I can be a Christian with these certain values. And my Christian friends seem kind of off-putted by my recent support for wanting to color the states blue. Personally, I feel like helping out those more unfortunate (i.e. the lower class) should be a Christian value, and why it isn't associated does not make sense to me. I could go on with a hundred more issues, but I won't.
The rest of the weekend was nice too. Went tailgating very briefly, came back with pizza and watched Elf again with Todd, then later on went to Applebee's for Tony's 21st and got to hang with him, Kate, Jamie P., Sara W., John, Mark, Ty, and Rose, and some others. Then headed over to Cat's to catch up with her and Ash, cuz I haven't hung out with them in ages. Then, stopped at hotdogs to hang with Meg and her little bro Jacob, and then headed to Tony's to play "Swap".
Sunday I got together with Jake and we got 2 new songs done, minus vocals. Then, later went to the Women's House for Thanksgiving dinner and has some good eats. Joni asked me if I could play guitar for a Potter's thing next semester because they needed some heavy "mmm bring it" rock in one song. haha. And I might be headed to Nashville for the Passion Conference down there with the Lampi's and others. And I can even stay at my grandparents down there too. Could shape up to be a good time.
Later, watched Bourne Identity with Ndumi, Todd and Meg, and then called it a weekend.
Now I think it's nap time. Sometimes when I'm tired I like to sleep.
November 10, 2004 to November 20, 2004.
(A commitment fulfilled)
p.s. I don't reallly wear backwards, upside-down visors.