Whew...

So life has kinda been going at a steady pace of FAST and FURIOUS!

I'm taking a night off from the madness tonight to relax and take time to myself. Believe it or not, even as an apparent extrovert, I need some "me time" every once in a while.

My internship is definitely keeping me busy. But I'd much rather be busy than bored. I love having projects that have a start and finish and I can see definitive results. I'm learning so much and gaining a lot of great job experiences through the whole thing.

I'm keeping my promise to myself to not be boring and lame on the weekends. Here's just a few things I've done so far:

-solo trip to DC that included the White House and the Old Post Office building

-weekend trip to Delaware to visit Anthony and Joe that included many bonfires, loud music, and great memories

-intern trip to DC that included the American History Museum, delicious burgers, and the monuments at night

-trip to New York City to visit Stephen and Uncle David that included cupcakes, Coney Island, karaoke, crowds, bright lights, and the time of our lives

-trip to Wisconsin for a family reunion celebrating my Grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary that included pontoon rides around the lake, raw beef on rye, and good family time.

I've already got more plans for the rest of the summer...so keep checking back for another update (it might be a little bit). God's teaching me a lot as I'm learning what another angle of independent life is like. I love it.

erikajane

A Goalie to Root For

by Erika Gebel
Originally posted on The Point
June 10, 2010

The World Cup is just around the corner. This Friday begins the official competition between thirty-two of the world’s top soccer teams. I don’t know about you all, but I enjoy any chance I can get to unite behind a team that represents my entire country. During the rest of the year I’m an avid fan of my various favorite sports teams, but there’s still something rousing about being able to chant U-S-A and wear copious amounts of red, white, and blue.

This year, a certain goalie is finally getting his chance to shine on the world stage. Tim Howard, goalkeeper for the United States team seems to have attained that ideal mixture of experience and skill as he gets set to guard the goal against the top soccer players in the world. That alone would be enough to sit up and take notice of Howard during this year’s World Cup.

Tim Howard also demonstrates immense resiliency and willpower in his personal life. At age nine, he was diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome. In an interview with CNN Correspondent Steve Kroft a few years ago, Howard “says it's difficult to control when he's nervous, stressed or anxious. So how does he control it while being a goalie for Manchester United? "Go figure," he says. "I know. That's the catch." He has always refused to take medication for fear it might dull his senses and reflexes.” Later, in the same interview he says to an audience “I can embrace TS. I can meet it head on. I deal with it, I live with it, I try and excel with it, but I don’t suffer from it. That’s the one thing I don’t do.”

Besides all this there’s a different reason that I consider him to be one of my sports heroes. There’s still something more that sets Tim Howard apart from your average inspiring sports story. It’s his understanding of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In an article from the Christian publication WorldWide Challenge, Howard says, “The most important thing in my life is Christ. He's more important to me than winning or losing or whether I'm playing or not. Everything else is just a bonus.” More recently he talked about his faith in this CNN article saying, “My grandmother, she was a Christian. She tried to instill that in her family, or our family, and it’s been a huge positive in my life, certainly since I was a young adult. It’s always something that I’ve always felt very strongly towards and it was a void that was filled in my life with I accepted Jesus Christ.”

Tim Howard’s story is one that’s worth noticing. And maybe as you watch the World Cup this time around, you’ll be able to cheer for him not just as a great athlete with a determined spirit, but also as a fellow brother in Christ.

Comedy from the pulpit: A laughing matter?

By Erika Gebel
Originally posted on The Point
June 4, 2010

Proverbs 17:22 says, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” I think you’d be hard pressed to find a person who would honestly say he or she prefers a crushed spirit over a cheerful heart. We can all recognize the valuable place that humor holds in each of our lives. One of the beautiful aspects of humor is how it can transcend so many barriers and bring people together in a unique way. Mark Twain once said, “Humor is the great thing, the saving thing. The minute it crops up, all our irritation and resentments slip away, and a sunny spirit takes their place.”

In this interesting article, Bob Smietana shares the passion of Rev. Susan Sparks in her campaign to convince fellow pastors to add more humor to their Sunday sermons. Reverend Sparks has gone so far as to create the “Ten Commandments of stand-up comedy” as a resource for other pastors who are new and open to this idea. Sparks was careful to say that “she wasn’t advocating replacing theology with jokes. But she did remind preachers that in a world where texting and Twitter are commonplace, they can’t afford to drone on and on.”

So here’s my question: Is focusing this much on comedy from the pulpit truly beneficial to the spiritual climate of the church?

I agree with Sparks that “humor does two things. It binds us together as a community. And it breaks us open.” However, when she goes on to say that “when it’s done right, ministry and comedy make people feel less alone,” I feel a bit of conflict. On a basic level I can’t disagree with that statement, but I’m still not convinced that pastors should focus their efforts on making sure their sermons are entertaining and humorous enough to hold the attention of a so-called “sound byte generation.”

I love to laugh. I don’t think church should be a completely dismal place. At the same time, should the joy and laughter in the church be something that is dependent on the humorous material and delivery of the pastor’s sermon? Maybe we should be more focused on the truth found in Psalm 126:3: “The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.” It is the works of the Lord and not witty one-liners from which we ought to derive real joy.

No real time for an update now.

Just know this...people can have pet monkeys as service animals. How cool is that?!

I still don't have WiFi where I'm staying, but hopefully that will get fixed soon, and I can post more often on here. I'm not holding my breath though, no solution has worked at all yet. *frustration*

--erikajane--