Thursday, June 18, 2009

Nobody Ever Says…

(Written for Mother’s Day as a Note on Facebook.)


When I was a young boy, I remember getting up early to watch hours of what our family called Saturday Morning Cartoons. At that time, most television shows had lessons that gave moral instruction through one of the characters at the end of the show. But as a I grew older, the lessons were few and far between and what emerged was a campaign commercial aimed at drug prevention. In black and white, I still remember a homely teenager running down an alley from a cop just about to get caught when a voiceover says, “Nobody ever says, ‘I want to be a junkie when I grow up.’” Obviously, they got their point across if I still remember the slogan. Certainly, I didn’t want to be that boy run down by the police and I had a much brighter future for myself. But this morning as I awoke, the slogan came to mind, but with a slight alteration: “Nobody ever says, ‘I want to a mother when I grow up.’” 

With Mother’s Day only a few days past, it’s easier to understand why this was the change that was made, but then there’s the matter of fact. Little girls want to grow up to be doctors that deliver the babies and teachers that educate the children, but nobody ever says, “I want to be a mother when I grow up.” 

On Sunday, my Mom’s side of the family gathered to celebrate Mother’s Day with a brunch. I was asked to pray for the meal and I as sincerely thanked God for the mothers who wiped our bottoms and cleaned up our spit, there were more than a few chuckles in the crowd. And it was the moms who laughed because they had done the dirty work. And it is dirty work. Nobody ever says, “I want to be a mother when I grow up.”

A week ago yesterday, I got wonderful news that my friends Hannah and Lucas had their baby girl. After visiting them in the hospital, I got word that Tim, my Senior Pastor and Hannah’s father, was there for the birth. And I mean there. The story goes that after leaving there, and visiting another family in the hospital with a newborn, he was quite traumatized to say the least. The man of many words and courage and boldness in the most intense situations couldn’t keep a casual conversation without repeating himself. He was in a tizzy. And rightly so, after watching what must have seemed like a gruesome death that only gave precious life. This is the entrance into motherhood, the initiation right. Nobody ever says, “I want to be a mother when I grow up.”

This past year I have worked in ClearNote Campus Fellowship, the college ministry of our church to IU students. I spend a lot of time getting to know students, and the common questions are asked: What year are you? What’s your major? and What do you want to be? You might say I’m looking in the wrong place, but I don’t know that any of the young women have ever answered, “I’m a sociology major, but really I’d like to use what I learn to be a mom and teach my children how to be bold with their friends.” My recollection could be wrong, but there’s only one memorable response that’s even come close. Nobody ever says, “I want to be a mother when I grow up.”

The common testimony of godly women in Scripture is, “All I ever want is to be is a mother.” It is interesting to note that while we were given little record of the everyday lives of the women in Scripture, the precious glimpses we do have concern their fierce longing for children. The conversations of Sarah, Hannah, Elizabeth and even Mary all surround their undying desire for motherhood. About Hannah’s barrenness we hear, “She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly.” Sarah laughed at the very promise of a son by God with a hardened heart. Elizabeth kept her child hidden seeing the Lord had taken away her reproach. Who would ever consider it a disgrace today when a young married maiden is without child? Nobody ever says, “I want to be a mother when I grow up.”

Happy Mother’s Day 2009.


Posted by Lane at 21:04:36 | Permalink | No Comments »

Precedent & Prayer

To those who still visit my blog, though I’ve not written anything substantial in months, thanks for checking up. It’s not so much that I haven’t written because I’ve been busy, but rather I’ve been examining the fruitfulness of all our e-communication. I can’t say I’m too impressed with any of it, and I’m now drawing some connections from Chesterton’s “What’s Wrong With The World.” Though he is speaking to the Feminist’s folly of simply letting the world go it’s own way, it is certainly applicable to communication and all it’s forms. 

“Now this is the attitude which I attack. It is the huge heresy of Precedent. It is the view that because we have got into a mess we must grow messier to suit it; that because we have taken a wrong turn some time ago we must go forward and not backwards; that because we have lost our way we must lose our map also; and because we have missed our ideal, we must forget it.”

Make sense?

Anyways, what I really wanted to do was request prayer as I’ll be preaching again in a week and a half. Please pray that I would be faithful with God’s Word, both before God and His people, and that I would humbly have before me James’ words that teachers will be judged with greater strictness. Thank you.


Posted by Lane at 21:02:54 | Permalink | No Comments »

Thursday, March 5, 2009

In Case You Were Wondering

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Friday, January 23, 2009

My First Sermon

In the life of a child, there are many “firsts.”  We may speak of his “first word” or “first cake” and many other initial achievements and experiences.  We remember these because they are significant and new and exciting.  But we also recall them to see how far we’ve come.  Think about your first step and now look back at all those you’ve taken since.  It’s pretty amazing when you think about it.  In the same way, it is a momentous occasion in the life of a pastor-to-be to preach his first sermon.  And since I don’t necessarily have a mom and dad to throw the celebration, I’ll have to give my own.  I would like to share with you my first sermon. 

But really not my first sermon, but God’s great mercy in my preparation.  Indeed, His hand was strong and His words proved true.  It all began one Thursday evening…

I showed up to the Elder’s meeting at church after my soccer game.  I was a bit tired from our pathetic loss, but excited for this time with the elders.  These gatherings are hands down THE BEST training for any young man in pastoral ministry, guaranteed.  (Apparently my pastor agrees.)  Of course, that depends on the elders, but given good elders, it will be the most vital and fruitful time in the life of any whippersnapper.  Before the meeting got started, a fellow Pastor’s College student turned to me and said, “So you ready to preach next Sunday?!”  I gave a deer-in-the-headlights look as this was news to me.  The other students turned their attention my way as I gave a smile like he was surely kidding.  But he wasn’t.  The email of the preaching schedule had gone out the day before and I was in the dark.  I was to be preaching on 2 Corinthians 1:1-11 in less than 10 days.  Now, I knew that I would open our series through the letter with this text, but figured it wouldn’t happen until the end of January, if not February.  I had spent some time studying this portion of Paul’s letter, but I didn’t have a clue what I would say from it.  This is highly unusual as I frequently have something to say about anything.  Thus, my dilemma had begun.  I was to be preaching for the first time in a week and a half on a text I didn’t hardly understand.  Not to mention that it was the first Sunday after college students arrived back from their Christmas break and we’d certainly have new visitors. 

To supply some appreciation for the text, Paul begins his letter with this praise:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.

Yet I was in much discomfort through my present circumstances.  And this was the Lord’s will.  Paul goes on to say that he experienced much affliction so that he might comfort those in any affliction with the comfort he received from God.  My major concern was that I was preaching through a portion of God’s word that I hadn’t experienced.  How could I relate to the people as Paul did, and then really feed them God’s Word?  But this very thing the Lord God did.  Though I won’t share all the affliction and comfort I experienced that week, I want to share some. 

First, I want to share of a dream I had a few nights before I found out I was to preach.  I won’t go into detail, but to put it simply, I woke up with a shriek and I don’t talk in my sleep.  I was absolutely terrified and called out to God for mercy, pleading as I laid stiffly afraid in my bed.  God was my only refuge in that time. 

Another example can be seen in my constant struggle to know God as Father, not as Master.  In this battle I wrestle to see myself as a son and not a slave, lacking any degree of His acceptance.  But that week in my Pastor’s College curriculum, we read one of the sweetest summaries of justification and sonship in Calvin’s Institutes.  God used these words to comfort me greatly, and the other men as we discussed them in class.  (I would share them, but they’re read in the sermon.)

To continue, a truly gracious and fruitful example of God’s comfort is seen in a call I received late one night.  God used my affliction of slavery mentioned above to comfort another brother.  The Lord gave me an opportunity to practice exactly what the Apostle Paul did and spoke about in 2 Corinthians.  This was a blessing in so many ways.  (This story is also mentioned in the sermon.)

In addition to all this, I spent all of Saturday at the church house in preparation.  It was quite a long day, broken up during the evening for dinner with my mom who came down for the service.  By way of much prayer and study and consideration of our congregation, the Lord was giving me a message for His people.  But around the time I went back to the church house after dinner, I began to get this growing pain in the left side of my chest.  It quickly spread through my left arm and my thoughts wandered to my condition.  As it relates to tension, I’m in the zone when faced with great pressure needing immediate attention, but I don’t deal too well with long periods of steady stress.  Being the alarmist worry-wart I am, I began thinking I might be in for a heart-attack.  I’ve always seen the old man on TV grab his left arm and fall to the ground.  Though I wasn’t old, I’ve had some strange heart irregularities in the past and wondered if this might be related.  (This story makes sense in light of the whole rabies scare exactly a year ago.)  But I decided it wasn’t important to say anything, especially to my mom who would have freaked out.  I would just preach the sermon and pray that God would take care of me.  Well, after a few hours the pain only increased.  A little after midnight I went home thinking that by putting the sermon aside it would go away.  Well, waking up in the middle of the night to the same aching proved me wrong.  I wrestled around on the couch (mom got my bed) for a few hours before I woke up to the same discomfort as the night before.  With the distress signal going off in the back of my mind that something’s wrong, I went on my way to the church to finish formatting my sermon.  (It’s always helpful to be able to read your notes.)  But the whole time that I had been hurting, I had also be calling out to God for mercy and comfort.  I was truly facing something that I was completely entrusting myself to God for.  I remember falling asleep by meditating on the words, “God of ALL comfort.”  And about as I arrived at the church house the pain had left me.  Praise God!  I don’t know why or how, but God had comforted my soul through all the affliction so that I didn’t stress out and truly believed that He would comfort me.  The very words I was studying to preach were my strength and hope. 

Further, if you believe it, God continued His mercy toward me.  In situations where I have to prepare and perform in any way, I become super anxious and quite high-strung.  As Pastor Baker had us bow on our knees for the pastoral prayer, mine were shaking.  But I continued to dwell that my Father is the God of ALL COMFORT.  This wasn’t limited to the life-threatening persecution that the Apostle Paul faced or the upside down crucifixion of Peter.  And again, God’s Word proved true in ways I had never believed it, for He comforted me in that time.  I was completely calm walking up on the stage and began my sermon with poise.  There wasn’t a tremor in my voice and my hands were steady.  This surely could only have been God’s doing.

So I’m writing this amazed as I reflect on God’s faithfulness in so many ways.  It’s honestly the case that I probably received more benefit and up building by His Word than all those who heard me.  He was a stronghold in time of need.  So I direct you to my first sermon with a full testimony of God’s work in me.  I don’t want you to think that because of God’s work in me through preparation it is something special.  It’s not.  But if you’d like to listen, you can download it here.  I hope that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ might comfort you in your affliction as He did me.

Posted by Lane at 02:37:24 | Permalink | No Comments »

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Screaming Hypocrite

So I completely missed November by a long shot and December’s already half over.  I’ve got at least one good excuse, which is that I no longer have the Internet at home.  Ever since we’ve moved into our new place in August, I’ve had a the FREEDOM of not being plugged into the World Wide Web.  It’s really been one the best decisions my roommates and I made, saving us from it’s demands.  More on that later.  But right now I’m writing from some generous friends’ basement where I’m doing laundry.  The darks are in the washer and the whites are waiting.  And that fact that I just wrote that on my blog on the Internet is just another reason why it’s such a waste of time.  Okay, I’ve gotten started again…

I’ve been thinking a ton about the pressures and demands that I have, which aren’t that heavy.  I don’t have a wife and children to provide for, my job at Chase seems pretty secure, and I’m not in debt, except I’m a little behind in paying for the Pastors College.  (Support, anyone?)  But really, I have some ministry responsibilities, house chores, important relationships, but none of them are great in weight.  (There are others things weighing me, but that’s not for the blog.)  But for some reason, not having the Internet is a huge weight on my shoulders.  This sounds silly, and maybe it is, but I have to go somewhere else, primarily the church house, to get so much of my ‘work’ done because it’s bound to the Internet.  It’s through emails, websites, Facebook, etc, and not having immediate access, yet everyone assuming you, do frustrates me.  I don’t send over half the emails I write because they’re immediate responses that are obsolete by the time I go to send them.  I just don’t get things done not having the Internet.

Here’s the other side of the story.  Real relationships suffer.  I’ve been thinking about this over and over and I’ve almost come to the conclusion that the Internet should not be used for personal/social interaction.  Send me a file, okay.  Need me to send in homework, fine.  Want me to get to know you through Facebook, which can tell me more information that I’d ever want to know, sick.  Now, no one is saying get to know me through Facebook.  We’re just screaming it in our profiles.  It took me many months to put up anything about myself because of convictions along these lines.  But again the point is, real relationships suffer, and rarely are ever edified by Internet interaction, what I’ll just call Inter-action.  It’s the same idea as text messaging when you have a freakin’ cell phone in your hand.  Let’s talk to each other!  I know I sound stupid saying this on a blog, but where would I say it in public?  Where’s public discourse, debate, and interaction?  The newspaper does, but then again, it doesn’t.  In the university?  While being the only place for a face to face interaction with a group of peers, this is hardly an honest attempt to facilitate profitable dialogue.  Everyone can share their opinion, except the Christian whose thoughts are informed by the Word of God. 

Okay, so here’s what I’m really asking for.  I want to think criticially about how I use the Internet.  What should the Internet be used for?  What should the Internet not be used for?  I’m not saying it’s devoid of value, but as with everything man gets his hands on, it’s perverted and abused.  So really this is a confession of my own abuse, and how I feel pressure from others to abuse it.  Honestly, I’m scared that we’re able to access all our passionate lusts at our fingertips, and think we’ll spiral out of control.  There really are few restrictions on the Internet and we can get almost anything we want from it in some way, shape or form.  So I’m just confessing and asking that we be aware of ourselves.  Maybe this will start a discussion where we could get together in person and investigate what kind of guidelines should inform a godly use of the Web.  I’m up for talking.  And if you’re not in Bloomington, feel free to leave a comment.  I know one thing the Internet does is bridge gaps of time and space.  So that’s my rambling.  Aren’t you glad I haven’t said anything else in two months?

Posted by Lane at 20:15:21 | Permalink | No Comments »

Friday, October 10, 2008

Mauied - Part 3

Tuesday was another family adventure day and would be our last. The Underwood’s were taking off the next morning for a few days in Oahu and would fly back to California from there. This would be a challenging day, not so much because we were going to bike down a volcano, but because we had to get up at a little pass 2 in the early, early morning.

I’m not really sure how, but the Bowman’s awoke on time and had no problem rising at 2:15 AM sharp. We soon got on the road to meet the Underwood’s at the local ABC convenience store and gas station. After waiting a few minutes, they arrived and we headed to the other side of the island to a small town named Haiku. There we met some other eager bikers, mostly newlyweds, who dared get up this early. I can just imagine a couple’s first major married fight as one is dragging the other out of bed for the bike tour. But we checked in, got our gear, jumped on the bus, and headed up Haleakala, the 12,000 foot volcano that over time has erupted to form Maui. Our tour guide, Jason, was great and informed us of the island’s history and the significant sites along the way up. I’ll be honest, I didn’t stay away for the hour plus ride up the mountain, especially since it was still dark. But when we got to the top and stepped out into the frigid 40 degree chill, I didn’t have much of a probably staying awake.

At the top of the volcano is a recreational center with a large parking lot filled with cars and other buses. Many people were inside keeping warm until the due time for the sun to show his face. Our families decided to trek up the trail to the very top of the public portion of the rock. The darkness was beginning to fade as we looking with anticipation above the clouds. The LORD God was going to once again “bring up” this beaming glory. It reminded me of this portion of G. K. Chesterton’s Orthodoxy

“For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that every morning God says, “Do it again” to the sun.”

And with a burst of bright light, the sun’s first beams shone forth. Below is one of my favorites from the morning.
A short while later we hoped back on the bus to meet the bus with the bikes. After some instruction and a short demonstration, we were flying down the volcano road. But I must first point out that my mother and father don’t spend much time on 2 wheels. This may be displayed in the way that my dad dressed for the trip. He was wearing a skater skull print hoodie (borrowed from Jade’s friend), his navy work pants, his classy Reebok flip-flops, a Kelty hiking pack, and a very large dirt bike helmet. And mom didn’t feel too comfortable flying down a mountain on a bike. But the view was beautiful. Winding down through 7 different ecosystems gave us an eclectic picture of Maui. As the sun rose so did the temperature, and we were able to more comfortably enjoy our trip. By the time we made it to the bottom there was a strong drizzle and soon we were soaked. After about an hour and a half of biking down we finished our excursion and met up at the post. It was a breathtaking journey.

I’d love to share more about the trip, but it’s been a while and I need to move on. I will say that I got up on an 11 foot monster paddle board and called it surfing. That was a highlight. The time with my family after the Underwood’s left was good as well. I especially enjoyed the time I spent with my sister’s host family. Who knows, maybe they’ll let us come out again. Until then, Mahalo for reading.

Posted by Lane at 02:16:21 | Permalink | No Comments »

Friday, October 3, 2008

Mauied - Part 2

Ever since I we was a very young boy I have loved sharks. I know most people might find this odd, or even a little disturbing, but the mysteriousness of this predator excites me. In fact, I have always been interested in ocean life - tropical fish, dolphins, whales, octopi - anything in the deep blue sea. So our plans to go snorkeling at Molokini, a small island off Maui with a beautiful bay, sounded like a trip I would never forget.


We left early Monday morning for Lahaina, a popular port on the southwest side of Maui. Both families were along for the ride and everyone was pretty excited. After getting some breakfast on the boat and a sales pitch for the underwater digital camera, the cousins chipped in for the rental. We cruised around the island and then pulled into the bay joining a half dozen other boats. After a few more instructions from “Cappy”, a retired Chicago Bears fan, we were gearing up for the clear blue waters. I think I was the first or second in of a hundred people and soon screaming in my snorkel at every fish I saw. Yes, I was like a kid in a candy shop. There were triggerfish and parrot fish and angel fish and butterfly fish and sea urchins and wrasses and all the fish I used to study in my Field Guide to North American Fishes. I even saw a White-Mouthed Moray Eel. But after documenting all the fish with the underwater camera, I headed back to the boat to pass it off. As I was about to get out, there were a few guys investigating something towards the front of the boat which was facing deeper water. And then I heard the magic word: Shark.


Now, this wasn’t a panic-like Jaws is coming our way with his 3 foot dorsal fin blazing through the ocean top. But nevertheless, it was the feared creature of the deep. So I cautiously swam around the side of the boat, but couldn’t get a glance. Apparently, it swam out to deeper water. So I went to the other side of the boat to see if it might have tried to sneak around back. Sharks are like that, you know. No shark there, however, so I headed back to shore.


Continuing to marvel at the many fishes I swam along the corral-laden cove. And after a short while, there, right in front of me gliding over the bottom of the ocean floor was a man-sized shark. About 6 feet long, this fearless predator was swimming 5 feet below me. So after a quick pause of amazement, what did I do? You bet. I followed it. And as I did I was screaming “Dih ih ahhum” in my snorkel. Translation: This is Awesome! The shark was cruising the shoreline so I followed close behind, every once in a while glancing back to see if the few others who initially followed were still within sight. After playing Follow The Leader for about 50 yards the shark must have been a bit curious about the mysterious mammal accompanying him so he turned around. At this point, I stopped dead in my tracks. Remind you, I am quite naturally a risk taker, but I decided to tread some water for a moment while he decided what to do. Now, I’ve seen sharks do this on video footage, but never heard the phenomena explained. After turning back my way, he continued to look around and eventually turned a full 360 degrees. I imagine he’s watching his back, but there may be some other explanation. But he seemed content with his investigation so I began to swim behind him again. But after another 20 or 30 more yards I was quite far from the boat, even though I was approaching another group of snorkelers. I decided it would be best that I head back. I think I’d used up the past 3 months adrenaline and my senses were coming back to me. But as I retreated to the designated area, I couldn’t help but repeat, “Dih ih ahhum, ahhum!” I spent a little more time finding some new fish I hadn’t yet discovered and then it was time to leave.

So that’s my shark story, complete with pictures. I’ll try to finish up recounting the rest of the trip in the next few days. For those of you interested, I did some research. I would identify the shark as a Whitetip Reef Shark. They’re pretty common in the area and will only bite if aggravated. Or maybe they’d bite for no real reason. Remember my rabies scare? You never know…

Posted by Lane at 02:39:02 | Permalink | No Comments »

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Mauied - Part 1

I’ve been back almost a week now and finally adjusted.  Here’s the recap.


I drove up to Indy on Friday night to stay with the Charlsons, my long time friends living on the south side and working for Ernst & Young.  Zac and I played an hour long game of Suburban Basement Golf, which after many clinch shots from both sides ended in a home team victory.  I flew out of Indy early Saturday morning only to land in Chicago and sit on the plane for over an hour due to Ike’s mainland repercussions.  Initially, I feared I would miss my non-stop flight to Maui with my parents.  However, we didn’t leave until 5 hours after our departure time.  While I would have liked to spend that time in Hawaii, I wasn’t too upset and we eventually arrived later that evening.  Jade was at the airport to greet us with some leis.  We picked up our black Mustang convertible and were off to meet her host family.  Now, I was really excited to be driving a rear wheel drive car again.  I missed my Camaro so much, I would even drive a Ford. I drove up to Indy on Friday night to stay with the Charlsons, my long time friends living on the south side and working for Ernst & Young.  Zac and I played an hour long game of Suburban Basement Golf, which after many clinch shots from both sides ended in a home team victory.  I flew out of Indy early Saturday morning only to land in Chicago and sit on the plane for over an hour due to Ike’s mainland repercussions.  Initially, I feared I would miss my non-stop flight to Maui with my parents.  However, we didn’t leave until 5 hours after our departure time.  While I would have liked to spend that time in Hawaii, I wasn’t too upset and we eventually arrived later that evening.  Jade was at the airport to greet us with some leis.  We picked up our black Mustang convertible and were off to meet her host family.  Now, I was really excited to be driving a rear wheel drive car again.  I missed my Camaro so much, I would even drive a Ford.

Sunday morning I got up and went to an early service at Calvary Chapel South Maui.  They probably had the coolest sanctuary I will ever step foot in.  And no that doesn’t matter one bit when considering what’s important, but it was something good to say.  Later in the morning my family met up with the Underwoods, our cousins from California.  Justin just took a promotion to be head of food services for the Hilton in Dana Point and Jenna works for the LAPD.  Their parents, Shawn and Laurie were along for the trip as well.  We all jumped in our convertibles, a MUST in Maui, to head down the Road to Hana.  It’s a scenic route following the coast from the northeast side to the south with various stops along the way.  Our first was a small waterfall deep enough for some jumping and rope-swinging action.  We also walked some trails, swam at a beach, and went through a bamboo forest to a towering waterfall.  Us kids also found a pool of water surrounded by rock which we could jump into from the road 40 feet up.  After our adventuring came back to the condo to celebrate Justin’s 24th birthday with some cupcakes and friend chicken from the grocery store.Sunday morning I got up and went to an early service at Calvary Chapel South Maui.  They probably had the coolest sanctuary I will ever step foot in.  And no that doesn’t matter one bit when considering what’s important, but it was something good to say.  Later in the morning my family met up with the Underwoods, our cousins from California.  Justin just took a promotion to be head of food services for the Hilton in Dana Point and Jenna works for the LAPD.  Their parents, Shawn and Laurie were along for the trip as well.  We all jumped in our convertibles, a MUST in Maui, to head down the Road to Hana.  It’s a scenic route following the coast from the northeast side to the south with various stops along the way.  Our first was a small waterfall deep enough for some jumping and rope-swinging action.  We also walked some trails, swam at a beach, and went through a bamboo forest to a towering waterfall.  Us kids also found a pool of water surrounded by rock which we could jump into from the road 40 feet up.  After our adventuring came back to the condo to celebrate Justin’s 24th birthday with some cupcakes and friend chicken from the grocery store.

Okay, we’ll save some for later… promise.
Posted by Lane at 22:31:04 | Permalink | No Comments »

Friday, September 12, 2008

It’s Already September?!

I apologize for not writing more frequently.  Our house of men decided a while back that we’re weren’t going to get the Internet and have by God’s grace stuck to our guns.  We’ve found our days much more productive and our fellowship sweeter.  Anyways, it also means I’m learning to make good use of the times that I do have access, which happens to be late night at the church.  So that’s out of the way.


Second, I’ve started back up with the Pastors College classes.  For some reason they decided to let me continue in the program, for which I am very thankful.  It is so helpful to see God confirm desires through men much older and wiser than myself.  The classes thus far have been phenomenal.  In our Systematic Theology class we are reading the classic Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin, digesting the material ourselves to teach class, which is unknown to us when we walk into class, and writing a 2 page paper summarizing the reading which is read by the Dean’s 11 and 13 year old sons.  We are graded on their understanding of our papers.  If we can’t make it clear to them, we won’t be able to make it clear to a congregation.  And yes, they are already very intelligent.  


Third, I’m leaving for Maui in less than 36 hours.  First, I’ll be flying from Indy to Chicago to meet my parents.  It’s an 8 hour trip from the Windy City to the Kahului Airport where Jade plans to greet us with leis.  She’ll have the week off from her au pair position for the Hawaiian family and we’ll also be spending some time with our cousins who we’ve coordinated the trip with.  I will be taken many pictures with my new Canon SD 1100 IS thanks to my generous grandma.  Hopefully I can post an album or two on the blog soon after I get back.  Honestly, I probably won’t be writing much while I’m on the island so I’ll say “Mahalo” for now!

Posted by Lane at 03:34:38 | Permalink | No Comments »

Saturday, August 2, 2008

B-A-NAN-A-S

It’s a quarter to 1 and I’m still up packing. We’re not moving out until Wednesday, but I just can’t resist packing things up in an organized fashion. It’ll be a joy for me to arrange everything in our new place. In the mean time, Gandalf (current and future roommate) and I will be crashing a Bob’s House while he’s on the East Coast visiting operas, Italian joints, and family. There’s a week gap between our lease in this house and the one at 1725 Highland Ave (1764 on Google Street Maps with a big tree in the way. Or if you’d like to steal my liscence plate number, just check out 402 S. Mitchell St.). We’re both pretty excited to get out of this house and into the new one. We’re losing washer/dryer accessibility, but gaining about half a decade of style and less wear and tear. Also of notable mention is the covered front porch… where Gandalf says a porch swing is going. That’s where my girl Banana and I will be chillin’. Let me explain.

So Gandalf is dating Anna, and Ben, our third, is dating Hannah. Knowing they would foolishly be coming to me for advice and seeing that their significant others’ rhyming names, I knew I needed a make-believe girlfriend to help relate to them. So I call her Banana. Joanna and Dianna were too close to Anna and Savannah too close to Hannah. Banana was a bright name, and it reminded me of the pleasant Chiquita woman. On top of that, everyone would know how to spell it thanks to Gwen Stefani. Banana ain’t no hollaback girl, either.

Posted by Lane at 06:29:00 | Permalink | No Comments »