Mo Money Mo Problems

I bought the new Eminem album, Recovery, and I love it. It was totally the opposite of what I expected. Sick beats, sick flows and it has a lot of heart. Eminem is pretty vulnerable throughout the whole album. There are also some songs that would seem to not be Em's style but he pulls it off. He even samples "What is Love" by Haddaway in a song he does with Lil Wayne. I recommend it for anyone who loves Em or loves hip hop.

As I was listening to it, a thought returned to me that has been there for a while. Most Christians will claim that money isn't everything which is good because of course Jesus tells us we can't serve God and money. So, money is secondary to most of us, except if you believe in that prosperity gospel stuff. However, whenever a celebrity has personal problems, I've heard many Christians say "I don't feel bad for them, they have a lot of money". Or pro athletes can't have personal troubles because they get paid millions to play whatever sport they play. If money isn't the solution to everything, why do we think it will solve a celebrities problems? Doesn't matter how much money you make or how famous you are, you can still get hurt. Divorces still bring pain. Death still stings. Relationships are still just as hard. Sure, they may not have to worry about other things that the working class do but that doesn't mean they still don't deal with pain.

If you haven't seen this yet, go see it!!! It is fantastic. I'm going to say best trilogy ever...haha. I even teared up at the end. There were some cute kids saying cute things so that made it an even better experience. Before the movie, this one girl went to the bathroom with her mom and sister and told her dad, "now you be a good boy or else I'll tell your mom and she'll spank you." Too cute. Another girl behind me would comment whenever the characters were sad or happy. "Oh, he's sad mommy" or "All Happy!" or "Oooh Oooh Mommy, garbage truck!"

Sinfully Delicious

I had dinner tonight at the home of one of the couples from church. They live right down the street from church and I'm jealous of the Ford F150 parked in the driveway. I will get one of those one day. I started the evening by having a beer with Larry out on the deck. We chatted and enjoyed the beautiful weather while the pork roast rotisseried(?) in the grill. Our side dishes were mashed potatoes and green beans and some italian bread. We moved into the living room where we played some wii bowling. I bowled against Larry twice and we split the games, then Marie said she wanted a piece of me. So I bowled against her twice and we split those two games. While she made dessert I bowled Larry in the rubber match and won. We had strawberry shortcake for dessert and then Marie and I bowled our rubber match. I think she used the dessert to throw me off of my game because she demolished me in the final game. I'm looking forward to the rematch.

Is that an Alpaca?

Meet Elmer and Danny Boy!!!

First Sunday

I am getting comfortable living out here. I know where almost everything is, at least anything I would need. I even found my gumbo file seasoning today at an organic food store. I'm not as far out into the boonies as I thought I was. Although on Sunday I went out into the boonies where my host family's cottage is. Above are a couple pics.

I preached for the first time at Theresa Presbyterian this past Sunday. I felt nervous prior to the service starting but after that I was fine. The awkward thing was sitting up by the pulpit where everyone could see me. I got good comments about the sermon and everyone was pleased. I actually have an itch to preach right now. It was nice to prepare a sermon and not have classes or exams to worry about.

I have already learned that my church is pretty laid back about things which is good for me. In each bulletin they list joys and concerns from the previous week. One of the joys this Sunday was that the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup. I am definitely in the right place.

making up...

I think Fringe will end up giving me all I wanted from Lost and never got. Or at least I hope so...

Wooooooooo! Here the come the Hawks, the might Blackhawks!!!!! Stanley Cup Champs!!! I can't believe it. The winning goal was crazy!!! I am just supremely happy and I will spend lots of money on championship gear!!!

Construction

Just had to post that I got to use one of these bad boys today!!! It was lots of fun once I got used to the controls. Just one step closer to being a country boy!!!

Home Sweet Summer Home

I arrived in Theresa, NY yesterday after two days of driving. I left Chicago on Wednesday morning at 8am and arrived in Rochester, NY at around 8pm. It was a looooong day of driving but pretty smooth sailing most of the way. Stayed with a friend overnight and headed to Theresa on Thursday. I met the pastor of the church I will be interning at and we talked for a good hour. I then went to the house I will be staying in for the entire summer. I will be living with a family(mom, dad and youngest son). They are supremely nice people and are hospitable beyond belief. When I first arrived I was a bit nervous. I sat on my bed as I tried to unpack and stared out of the window for a while. I could see cows roaming the land and I realized I was out of my element. I wondered how I had gotten to this place and questioned why I came here.

Today, the uneasiness is almost completely gone and I am looking forward to my summer here. I think I will learn a lot this summer. Not just about my own calling but about life in general. I realized that I needed to go somewhere far away in order to grow more. My prayer is that God uses me to teach the people here but also that I would learn a lot more from them. I took some pics today and you can see them here