RIP Mike.

"And when the groove is dead and gone, you know that love survives." -Michael Jackson

My heart is broken tonight. MJ was a HUGE part of my life. I remember the first time I saw the Thriller video (I was 6 and flipping through channels late at night), then watching it over and over when I was 11, so excited that I'd be dancing to it in competition. I remember sitting on the floor watching "Scream" with Janet, thinking "this is epic." I remember seeing the "Bad" video at my grandparents' house. I remember my heart breaking when allegations came out against him, and it continued to break for him over the last decade or so. When "Invincible" came out, I bought it the first day and wore it out. We used to blast it on the way to school.

Mike was so ahead of his time, so brilliant, and i still can't believe he's gone. he truly IS the king of pop, and his music will live on forever.

ten things, in no particular order

1. my old guitar strings are rusty. [this could be my first hit country album]
2. it's hotter than blazes this week in CCity.
3. Perez Hilton got punched by some guy associated with the BEP, because he called the guy a word I don't feel like writing, but basically, he called Will.I.Am gay, because he wanted to "call him the worst thing he could think of" (something like that). Dude, you're all up on No H8 and Marriage Equality, then you do that? c'mon...
4. I ran 2 miles and biked 5 yesterday... Today I'm shooting for a 3 mile run.
...4.5. I'm becoming a gym rat because I don't like my apartment.
5. CCity is infiltrated with Carnies right now, which is pretty dang exciting in my book.
6. I'm getting ready to head to a funeral for Mr. Keith, who was one of the coolest guys I've ever met. He loved kids, loved Jesus, and loved sports. I'm definitely going to miss that guy.
7. I do not feel ready for camp or the mission trips yet, but I know it will all come together, as only Jesus can pull off.
8. Elkhart Jazz Festival this weekend: Whistle Pigs, Tim Cunningham, and every type of fair food you could dream up.
9. "Single Ladies" is the most obnoxious track ever when you get rid of the lyrics.
10. Grapples (grape flavored apples) are the weirdest thing to hit the market since electricity. fact.

It's almost here...

Cabin groups are forming...
Directors are putting the finishing touches on the week...
Counselors are buzzing with excitement...

Camp is coming. Our team been praying for each of these kids by name since registration started back in March, praying that God will meet them, that their lives will be transformed. We've been praying for our team, that God will bond us together and use us to show His love to these kids. We've been praying for the staff, that they'll use their gifts and talents and love for Jesus to support our ministry.

We have 56 K-4th grade campers headed to Camp Lakewood July 5-10th. Join with me in praying for Christ to touch their little lives in a big way.

random thoughts

There's a lot going on, and not a TON of time to blog, so- sorry about how this will come out. I feel like it will all correlate though.

-we started a free lunch program at church and it has touched my heart more than I thought it would

-i love love love my teenagers. I've spent the whole week with them, and I think they're great

-i'm pretty perceptive when it comes to the ebb and flow of my life, and my bones have been telling me change is coming. My spirit is anticipating something on the horizon. I thought it was grad school, but clearly God has something else in mind, since financially, that door closed.

-i hate house hunting, because I'm indecisive and unsure that's even the right avenue to explore

-i have a lot of eggs in one basket when it comes to our church consultation, which starts this weekend. I've been praying fervently for our leadership, staff, volunteers, parish, and community

-God is good ALL the time. He can do anything, and he knows the deepest desires of our hearts.

dear diary

I've always kept a journal of some sort- whether a notebook or blog or whatever- and now that I work with teens, I'm SO GLAD I did that. I'm not sure why, but it's hard for me to remember a lot about how I felt about things, the questions I had, what I was anxious for or what I was afraid of. I remember a lot of moments or events, but not much more beyond how I see them as an adult/ how they shaped future events. I love that I can go back to my journals and find out what was going on in my mind at the time, because even though (gulp) 10 years have passed since I was a freshman, I can go right back. It's probably one of the best resources for leading my students.

I'm spending time leafing through them in preparation for this coming school year. I have high hopes that this year will be a life-changer, for the students and for myself. I have hopes that each and every day, my students will find themselves met by God right where they're at. I have hopes that we will move beyond the shallow end of the pool in order to dive into something deeper. I want to teach them things that last beyond our culture, beyond adolescence, and beyond their current circumstances. It's going to be a lot of work, but it's so exciting to be a part of something this big :)