.

The Good Life

2008-07-09T12:34:00.000-07:00

Life is good here in Prague. The weather is pleasant, the architecture is divine, and all the food/drink is on a whole 'nother level. I spend my time talking to people about anything and everything; in pubs, in parks, in cafes, in museums, in English and Czech, and generally I am pretty satisfied most of the time. It is the little things about this culture that sometimes catch me off guard. I love that instead of going to wal-mart I have to go to the butcher, the baker,(the candlestick maker..) the vegetable stand, and the supermarket to get the things that I need to eat for a week. What can upset me is that sometimes I find myself being dissatisfied that things aren't as "convenient" here as they are in America. My dissatisfaction comes from realizing how lazy living in the states can make you if you aren't careful. I have no car, and I don't need one since the public transportaion system here is more than satisfactory. I have no internet in my flat, but once again wireless is not hard to come by in the city. I do have a cell phone that I use often, but that is the only real "convenience" that I feel has carried over from my former life to my new one. I am so happy for the opportunity to live and work cross-culturally, I can see and feel the ways that I am growing, and I can't wait to return home with thousands of new experiences and stories to share with my friends.

The Czech language is hard. Even native Czechs can agree to that. I have been taking language lessons three times a week for the last month, and despite the progress made it is still quite easy to feel overwhelmed and useless in a Czech-speaking world. Today I was at a restaurace(czech for...thats right, restaurant)and I ordered what I thought was a salad, but instead I got a bowl of what I think was soggy shredded cucumbers soaked in pure vinegar. Gross. This is what they call a "cross-cultural" moment.

Top 5 things I have seen since the last post:

5. Envelopes from sienna. They are beautiful.

4. The wrong train stop for Nelahozeves (Dvorak's birthplace). I sat in a middle of a field on a concrete block for an hour because of it.

3. The house where Dvorak grew up, the place where he is buried. And his viola/piano.

2. The men's Wimbledon Final.

1. A Czech woman wearing a t-shirt with nuns holding shotguns sharing a speech bubble that said,"We hate T.V.".

Josef Tava

2008-06-28T07:30:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago, I took the number 22 tram out to Dvorka Sarka and got off at the last stop, right by the mcdonalds. I met Mark Richards there, who is actually a native Czech who studied in America and is starting a prayer retreat center out in one of the national parks near Prague. The center will be contained in three very old buildings in the middle of the woods, im talking early 18th century old. He and his family have been working to restore these buildings over the past 10 years, and it is a slow and difficuly process, but I can only imagine how beautiful and perfect this place will function one day as a retreat for Christians in the Czech Republic.

I went out to meet mark because I simply was going to walk around the campus and pray for the buildings, the future inhabitants, the restoration, and basically every facet of the process. I prayed for a very long time. It was an interesting thing, to walk around this beautiful old eighteenth century restaurant and house, praying for it's future. Mark had such appreciation and avid passion the prayers that would be offered up for the place that he has poured his life into. It was so encouraging to be freshly reminded of the power and privilege of prayer. So good.

Top Five things from the past week:

1.I saw Uma Thurman walking through an alley in Old Town Square. It was the best 8 seconds of my life. She walked right past me.

2. I cut down about an acre of 5 foot tall grass in the woods at Dvorka Sarka, with a scythe. From the 18th century.

3. I went up to a monastery on top of the mountain next to prague, for the second time. It is surrounded by rose gardens and has one of the best views the city has to offer.

4. Seeing a large group of drunken Germans get stared down in the metro station by a few extremely hard Czech guys. The germans were singing the glories of Deutschland, literally, and at high volume. Germany kind of sucks to Czechs, at least these guys certainly thought so.

5.The weather of the past three days. Nothing better than a breezy, sunny day in Jewish Town, the synagogues are all brazen and guilded, and they really catch the light so well.

top five!

2008-06-23T02:46:00.001-07:00

5.almost got pissed on by a man in a park. i didn't really see anything, but i walked past a tree, and he let out a yelp and stumbled away, still peeing.

4.a room full of assorted people who were laying on the floor, making invisible snow angels, and generally just relaxing. it was the warm-ups for my contact improv class, which is sweet. just google contact improv dancing, and it will all make sense.

3.a beer garden full of czechs dressed up in red white and blue, who were the happiest people i'd seen, until the last 5 minutes of the match, when russia scored twice and won. i thought the place was gonna explode.

2.a group of american college students (from ohio) about to pay 500 crowns for a beer. the handsome barman, (brian gillikin) took pity and told them it was in fact only 30 crowns for beer. it's always fun to ask. know your exchange rate, people.

1.a rose garden lining the top of the large mountain/hill outside of prague. it is tended my monks who stay at the monastery in the middle of the garden, and those monks actually brew their own beer. word.

dobry den.

2008-06-23T02:21:00.000-07:00

so czech is a really difficult language. it's not a romantic language, in fact it's sort of the opposite, so having learned spanish before czech has made learning czech more difficult. the vowels are pronounced different, the consonants include both hard and soft, and it's hard for me to discern where one word ends and the other begins. when i am at a supermarket or a karnavoka (coffee shop), I find myself responding to a befuddling blur of czech with a response spoken in spanish. i think this is because my mind knows that i'm not allowed to speak english, but since it takes me years to form sentences in czech i immediately switch to spanish. if im not careful, i'll start streaming spanish at some unsuspecting tram conductor who is confused by the spaniard-american who can't speak chesky. i was actually once pleasantly surprised by the baggage check dude at one of the clubs in old town. i went upstairs to drop off my bag before the dancing took me, and he said something in czech that i didn't understand. i tried a few feeble czech sentences and then helplessly lapsed into spanish. his response brightened the room: "Catracho, no? Mi amor, espanol esta aqui!" Which translates to, "Honduras, right? I love it, spanish in prague!". He was from spain and working in prague, and apparently my accent is still authentically honduran. cheers to that.

euro 2008 is pumping up in intensity. i love football (soccer, dummy) in europe. no american sport brings thousands upon thousands of screaming fans into the streets to watch games on huge screens. it is such a unanimously loved sport, and I love that that is the case. im for spain all the way. they played a shotty match against italy last night but won in penalty kicks. here's the link:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/euro_2008/7468465.stm

overload

2008-06-16T00:07:00.000-07:00

“Prague doesn’t let you go. That little mother has claws…”
-Kafka

It’s only day two and I have found this saying to be quite true. I don’t usually think that love at first sight is a very practical way to describe one’s affections for someone, but I think if you are talking about geographic locations it could be a very fair statement. I had heard of the beauty of Prague, how amazing and historical it was. Well, it’s all true. Easily the most beautiful and well put together city I have ever been to. The public transit system is flawless, and the buildings are eloquently baroque in architecture. There are pubs and cafes dotting every street, and people of all nationalities and tongues are constantly flooding my synapses with appearances and languages that intrigue me to no end.

Break. Right now my roommate Will is playing a Dvorak violin concerto in our kitchen, and it is very VERY pleasing to my ears. His intonation is off the charts.

My team is an amazing group of people from across America, and I am very excited to get to spend the next two months with them. We get along well and are all excited to see what will happen in the next two months. Today was Sunday and so me and the team went to the church plant in Prague 6. It is called Faith Community and technically it is a church plant of Midtown in Charlotte. It is pastured by Phil and Shana Davis, who are a WHM missionary couple. Before and after church the team and I spent all day moving around the city getting acquainted, as our internship will consist of us traveling around the city meeting people for meals or drinks and hanging out with them, getting to know them, and trying to plug them in with the Christian community that the WHM team has formed.

I have so much to say and too much time to say it. I need to let it all simmer a little before I try and form it into words. I’ll be keeping this regular. Check the flickr for pics soon, I gotta find a camera cord to upload them, and I’ll probably do that tomorrow. I left mine at home.

Love,
Michael

im here.

2008-06-14T12:16:00.000-07:00

I don’t sleep well on airplanes. I am sitting on the right side of the middle row of an Airbus A-330 600 flying 34,000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. I am sitting next to a woman from Germany with two adopted children from Guatemala. She speaks English; not well but she still speaks it. I am sitting on the second story of a two-story airplane.

It has all kind of hit me at once. Preparing for an internship that was rather ambiguous in it’s description has looked like Michael praying that God will “prepare”, and “provide” him for what lies ahead, whatever it is that is lying ahead. When I say it all hit me at once what I mean is that I think God chose to wait until I was on the plane heading to Prague to give me a solid reason for why I raised bookoos of money to go to a foreign country to ” build relationships” with people and hopefully share the good news with them.

This morning at the World Harvest sending center all the full-time staffers gathered with the London and Prague interns and prayed over them before we left. They asked us to share specific prayer requests concerning the next two months.

---Hold on. The little Guatelmalan girl, Rosie, just laid her head on my shoulder and is ------snoring. Very adorable.

I have been struggling over the past two months to well, justify, me going overseas at this point in my life. I shared with the WHM staff that I not in a totally financial secure position and as a result really was having mixed feelings about my eligibility to raise support to do the Lord’s work when I could be working to solidify my fiscal standings. They were very understanding and encouraged me and prayed for me; that I would turn from fear and cling to faith, that I would really believe in the Lord’s provision and sovereignty. It’s hard, you know?

So I was sitting next to Rosie and we were watching “Horton Hears a Who” on our little T.V.’s that we have. As I was watching this movie, a rather shocking dichotomy was set before me. In this movie, Horton the elephant finds a speck of dust and hears a voice eminating from this speck. Upon further investigation, we find that this speck is actually the world upon which the Who’s of Whoville exist. There world was so small compared to Horton’s, yet he was inextricably drawn to protect them and make sure that they went on existing.

It is so easy for me to get caught up in my small world. I easily freak about monetary security and it is easy for me to forget the goodness of God when things are tight. The realization that hit me was this: I am going to where I am going to have my small world stretched to a completely unrecognizable, new size. So much of this internship is about the Lord using other people to teach me, as opposed using me to teach others. If I succeed in the latter it will be a miracle. Oh, and Im not saying that Horton is a Jesus symbol.

Rosie wants be to play her gameboy, so I am afraid I must indulge her. I’m not even in Prauge yet, but I’m going to do a top 5 list anyways (sorry will, it’s a good idea).

Top 5 things I have seen after leaving home.

1. The smiling face of Christopher Taylor and Grant Withington in the Chattanooga airport. Topher and I ended up making the entire trip to Philly together.

2. The 300 dollar travel voucher that Northwestern airlines gave me for overbooking my flight from Detroit to Philly. I was delayed an hour and a half, so the way I see it I got payed over 100 dollars an hour to take a refreshing afternoon nap in the Detroit airport.

3. The Elvis impersonator that sat directly in front of me on my first flight.

4. A German mother of four that was laughing uncontrollably with her children as they ALL exited one of the bathrooms downstairs in the plane. Those bathrooms are tiny.

5. Sienna’s face upon arriving in Chattanooga. What a good stay I had.

Easters, and beyond.

2008-03-25T10:45:00.000-07:00

Major happenings: Easter break has just occurred, and I have returned to school safe and sound. Safe definitely, sound not so much. I have 3 tests and two papers, all happening in this 4-day academic week. I'm not exactly sure why this is, but it is and I am seriously debating whether or not I have the time to write this post.

Easter was excellent, friends came from near and far and good food was et by all. We had hours of fun on the ping pong table, the trampoline was enjoyed often, going for walks and sitting and smoking away the day on the front porch was one of the preferred pastimes. Oh and not doing anything productive, did I mention that?

This picture is dear to my heart, it shows the incredible flexibility that my friend Kyrie Howard is capable of, and I think it pretty much captures the attitude of our easter break. More amazing flying pictures after the jump!
--->FLICKR<----

Spring Breankuet

2008-03-16T14:38:00.000-07:00

So I have to topics to cover: 2 weeks ago was my spring break. Myself and Sienna drove to Sumter for a couple days, then we drove up to Cambridge and chilled there with her fam for a couple days. We made a detour up to Philadelphia to see the wonderful Brae Howard before she took off for China, and that was divine as always. Secondly, this past weekend was Covenant College's Spring Banquet at the Hunter Museum of American Art. There was good food, good jazz, and a mediocre d.j./sound system; all in all it was a spectacular night.

Thirdly, I bought a new camera today. I have been sporting a digital SLR for a while now, and it just became a little too cumbersome so I went out and got the Canon SD750, a very highly reviewed 7 megapixel ultra-compact. It has made me very happy, just in the few hours i've owned it. Check out the flickr for more examples, they should be appearing more often now then they have in the past...

Minor Keys for Major Problems.

2008-02-07T11:30:00.000-08:00

Sergei Rachmaninoff published his Prelude in G minor no.5 in 1901. That was 107 years ago, but it still sounds futuristic to me. This piece is one of three I am working on for my sophomore platform in April. Check out this wonder of piano repetoire.

Chop Shop

2008-01-12T21:03:00.000-08:00

I cut my hair, and I can finally take myself seriously again. Except for the mullet that I left dangling at the nape, it actually looks pretty legitimate.

East of....hmmm. Eden?

2007-12-28T23:18:00.000-08:00

East of Eden is the novel that I have been reading. It is one of Steinbeck's finest, and it is probably one of the best books I have ever read. The character development is unparalleled; I am afraid that he so accurately uncovers the wickedness of the human heart (especially the FEMALE human heart) that I will be driven to avoid becoming friends with any more women to avoid entangling myself with one of his characters. I have about fifty or so pages left, and I'm thinking about staying up later than 2:30 A.M. to finish it.

I have been home from school for about two weeks now, and once again all the critics in my mind agree that Sumter, SC is the most recuperative place for my soul to exist. Not much can surpass the warmth of family and friends coupled with the time to pursue non-mandatory things that actually, dare I say it, are enjoyable to me? Today the life of Michael Kendall looked like this:

Wake up around 9-9:30.
Eat breakfast with Mom in front of the fireplace.
Shower, change clothes.
Change oil on my car (while narrowly avoiding destruction when my car fell with me underneath it).
Make sculpture with my stick welder.
Practice piano.
Read Steinbeck.
Practice more piano.
Read more Steinbeck.
Take Sarabeth out for a smoothie.
Watch a movie, have a smoke, go to bed.

Please, contain your jealousy. Feel free to stop bye, I would love to entertain you. I think tomorrow I am going to go shoot guns in a field. By myself.

Still life with Apples on a Pink Tablecloth

2007-12-09T12:47:00.000-08:00

This painting is one of my favorites. It reminds me of home by way of reminding me of mother. She is a watercolor painter and can recreate beautiful still life's in almost as fair a fashion as Matisse. At this point in time it is Sunday afternoon on December the eighth. I have only 2 exams left and there is only half a paper left to type. Finally, a light at the end of the tunnel. On Monday I will turn in 6 project analyses for Music Theory, a paper for Music Theory, and a final project, also for music theory. I didn't think I would finish this last week alive. I have been getting 3 or 4 hours of sleep consistently for a week now, and I am more than ready to break that pattern. As I sit here at my desk with my Henri Matisse still life on the right and my favorite novels and texts directly above, I find myself wanting to crawl in side one of their stories, or to try and reach into his painting and grab one of the apples and taste it's brilliance for myself. When one is constantly engaging in academic toil for two, three weeks at a time with hardly the spare second to think, they become covered with what I would define as the academic sweat. It is an exoskeleton made up of runoff from fluorescent lighting, computer screens, and dusty books in rickety study carrols. It diminishes the subject's ability to sample the brilliance of existence by distracting him with the mundane. This is not so much a tangible physical film that can be washed with soap and water, it is more a mental cloud that descends upon the subject of toil and doesn't leave until that individual is displaced into an atmosphere of calm, peaceful thoughtlessness. Thoughtlessness in the sense that results for an absence of scholastic toil and hardship. I cannot wait to return home to peaceful Sumter and engage the minds of my family with the acumen I have accrued this semester. I also can't wait to not have to think about whether or not I can afford (timewise) to blog...

The Long and Winding Road....that leads...

2007-11-04T20:34:00.001-08:00

Im not sure. I know that this world is not where my soul was ultimately designed to exist, and as days go by I am becoming more and more aware of that fact. Being a student of music I am discovering daily how far away I am from knowing even half of what there is grasp sonically and theoretically about the subject. The liberal arts provides welcome respite, but I often find myself feeling bogged down and overwhelmed with daily assignment, papers, lessons, etc. My relationships fail, my mind fails, and most of all my faith falters. It is so difficult to accept the reality of my deprivation. When I spend time dwelling on my state, I grow sick and tired of mentally listening to myself gripe about my problems. Im out of money, out of time, and out of love. I need not try and separate myself from this snapshot of Michael's life, because in reality it is the most accurate picture that any artist could paint. I am sick, sinful, self-absorbed, and lost. I need to learn to cling to he who is greater than the world. Im adding these, the tiresome words of a college student who, like the majority of those in his similar stage of life, is feeling down. I hope it doesn't come across as elctro-garbage.

Where the Sidewalk Ends

2007-10-02T17:15:00.000-07:00

For the past two months I have been putting the finishing touches on a piece I started writing last semester. It is a choral piece written for an SSA choir and a percussion ensemble. The text I set was Shel Silverstein's "Where the Sidewalk Ends". I took a somewhat different approach to writing this in that I have chosen to write the score out by hand and include colors and illustrations on each page of the score. These are intended to help guide the performer in his or her interpretation of the piece, and will hopefully add a little more freedom to the piece itself and to the way the conductor/ensemble approaches it. More to come as I finish it up completely and have it performed/published.

P.S. I will be entering this piece in a Young Composer's Guild Competition at UT in Knoxville in November. Sir!

Where the magic happens...

2007-09-18T06:51:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would expose the world wide web to my current place of residence. It is here that Pascal wrote his thoughts, where Edison made his light bulb, and where Dan and I get our chill on daily. Feel free to stop by anytime.this couch was 20 bucks.

Poor, and not poor, music.

2007-09-10T17:04:00.000-07:00

Checkthis. It is a pretty accurate and very humorous review of the wanna-be party rock band Jet's new album "Shine On".

After you've done that, go to the hype machine and look up Magic vs. Midas, the second track off of Sunset Rubdown's new album. Stellar!

Phil Collins, gorilla style.

2007-09-06T07:45:00.000-07:00

This is just a really cool video. I only hope that I play the drums with such convincing amounts of energy and passion.

Booom

So Happy to Be at School!!!!

2007-08-28T21:21:00.000-07:00

if you can't laugh at yourself, youre doomed.

Get Happy

2007-08-26T18:09:00.000-07:00

go check out this claymation short. it poses some really great questions in a really creative way.

Smiles...

One Sentence.

2007-08-25T08:54:00.000-07:00

I just stumbled upon this website, and I found it to be very interesting. People telling a story in one sentence; succinctly and accurately. Be grateful for the gift of words. Check it out:

SWEET

Discovered, finally!

2007-08-23T19:52:00.000-07:00

So there is this communal news organization that operates a lot like wikipedia called NowPublic. They emailed me about using one of my photos to accompany a story by the associated press on wild horses. They chose one of my pictures of the horses from Shackleford Banks to put in their slideshow. Check it out and be proud of me, alright?
(Go to my flickr and scroll down.)

Bing, bang, bong.

2007-08-21T17:44:00.000-07:00

I am about to embark upon a 4-month journey of musical toil and triumph. I am scared, excited, and determined. May the creative juices flow and may I truly learn to tickle the ivories.

Motorcycle/Everything Diary: Part Deux

2007-08-16T20:31:00.000-07:00

A lot of really great things have happened to me over the past 3 weeks. It is kind of difficult to try and sum them up in a paragraph, but here is the feeble attempt.

As soon as camp was finished I drove nine hours to the outer banks. It was here that I was sweetly reunited with my family and the family of my brother's girlfriend. My two and a half days there consisted of an 8 mile sailboat excursion to the core banks (solo on the sunfish), kayaking, fresh crab trapped of our dock, and a sweet bike ride with my sister. Here is a pic of the wild horses that are on Shackleford Banks, which is about a 15 minute boat ride from my house.

After the OBX I drove to Raleigh and flew to Philadelphia to spend a week with aubren, dan and kyrie. We took a day to New York which consisted of a really sketchy bus ride on the China Town bus , really great food, really really great art, and priceless fellowship. Pics:
Then to top it all off, when I returned home I drove up to Greenville, SC and purchased Dorothy Robin. No, I am not supporting human trafficking, because Dorothy is not a human being. Dorothy is a 1972 Honda CL 500. Aka, the coolest motorcycle in the world. I will be using this as my primary mode of transportation at school; my car will be parked somewhere far away where I don't have to pay for a parking sticker. See you there. Oh and rides are free.

Motorcycle Diary: Part 1

2007-08-01T18:00:00.000-07:00

So today was a very good day for a number of reasons. This morning I woke up and drove to Pickens, SC two accomplish two things. I had to get a new driver's license made before Monday because in order to board a plane you have to have a valid form of I.D. Since my old driver's license had separated into 3 different pieces, it no longer fit that description. So I needed a new license and I also had to take my motorcycle permit test to receive my motorcycle license. Two hours and $6.50 after arriving I drove away with two shiny new pieces of plastic in my wallet. With that finished, I only have to lay hands on an actual motorcycle. Here is a picture of the one that is starting to look optimistic in terms of me owning it.Man oh man I can almost taste it.

Finish Line

2007-07-28T17:13:00.000-07:00

I'm five days away from leaving my summer home. Being at Ridge Haven has been two solid months of blessings and I am sad to leave it again. I haven't really sorted out all of my mind's thoughts about the summer and how it has changed/affected me yet, but I do know that God has used this summer to mold me into a more recognizable likeness of his image. The distance between the two is still incalculably vast, but nonetheless I am encouraged.

A week from Monday I will be flying from Raleigh to Philly to be with Danboy, Sienna, and Kyrie. It will be a time of excitement and discovery, filled with adventures and shenanigans.

Lord of the Dance.

2007-07-11T11:50:00.000-07:00

The coolest thing happened to me this week. This week MTW has it's re-entry conference for missionaries who have been on assignment for a long time. They come back to America and come straight to Ridge Haven to de-brief and acclimate themselves to an American lifestyle again. The junior high and senior high mk's are in cabins, and there are only 12 of them. I and one other counselor have 2 and 4 guys each, respectively, and the same with the girls. On Wednesday night Ridge Haven had a hoedown at the recreation shelter for the missionary families. The dancing was pretty sweet. I have a kid from South Africa and another from the Ukraine, and boy could the break it down. The counselors taught everyone the 16 step and the 32 step, both really cool line dances. After a while though, I really felt the spirit lead and I broke off from the group and went off into a corner and started to dance by myself. After about one hour I was soaked with sweat, bleary eyed grinning like a monkey. It felt soo good to just flail about with no objective and no audience, just letting the beat move me and in turn allowing my soul to be moved. I called upon the wise words of Chris Tucker,

"Free your mind and yo' booty WILL follow."

Oh if he only knew how accurate he was. Anyways, all of this to let you know that I danced really really hard for all told maybe an hour and ten minutes. I would have loved to dance more but something amazing happened. Something unthinkable. By far the most honorable and dazzling feat I have ever achieved.

I passed out.

That's right, I literally danced til I dropped. I wasn't aware of it until I was looking up at the concerned faces of Rachel and Megan. There eyes communicated concern, but even more they were shouting jealousy and admiration. They helped me to my feet and I teetered over to a picnic table, where I promptly downed two bottles of water. I guess I was sweating so much that I became dizzy and then unconscious from dehydration. After drinking the water and sitting still for a little, I got back on my feet and two-stepped/bottydanced/windmilled myself into oblivion till the night was over.

The only part of this story that is fabricated is that Rachel and Megan (fellow counselors) weren't at all impressed. They pretty much said I was really weird for actually being impressed with myself. I promptly re-assured them that they would never understand why it was awesome that I had passed out, and as a result of that lack of understanding they would never ever be able to really dance their heart out.

What fools they are. DANCE!

Sand, seaweed, and really good food.

2007-07-05T14:33:00.000-07:00

Three things that are a part of a Kendall family beach week. An offshore tropical storm spun up a bunch of seaweed that has made it's way to the seashore. The aunt's and uncle's cooking is pleasing. And the sand is a beautiful contrasting white to the green-blue of the sea. I am very happy to be here, but it's not quite right without the bro. Go here for more pictures:

siennataughtmehowtodothis

High above the mucky-muck.

2007-07-02T18:28:00.000-07:00

This is the real post.

This week and the one before it were a real one-two punch. I am not going to dwell, but I learned more about the Kingdom and Family of God in these two weeks then I have in all of my life. I recovered famously from my sickness and was back with my boys a mere 7 hours after I started throwing up. I also want to throw out a thank you to anyone who was praying for me and the guys. I had a camper come to know the Lord this week, and I am positive that without prayer nothing would have been achieved.

So there is some cool stuff I have been doing recently, and the time has come for me to share them. Tree-bending is a sport that I think originated somewhere in Canada, and in spite of it's sub-standard country of origin it is a really really cool thing to do. Tree-bending is a rather simple activity, and the name pretty much sums it up. A rough description would be that you climb up an undeveloped sapling, usually about 30 feet or so high, about5 or 6 inches in diameter, and then wait till it bends to the ground. In reality, you are sweating blood from the effort of trying to pull your self up the flimsy pole of a tree that you are attached to. Since it is a sapling, there are no branches on which to hang or stand, and so you have to cling, quite literally, for your life. When you get to the top, you kick your legs out the side and the tree bends dramatically down until your heels reach the forest floor. At this point you let go and the tree goes whooshing back to a vertical state no worse for wear. It is so. much. fun. As much fun as it is, it is equally exhausting to haul my 190 pound body up a skinny little wooden pole with no substantial support except that which is coming from my arms and thighs wrapped around the tree. After two or three ascents, I am so sore and winded that I can barely even spell the word tree. Or climb.

I also have been called upon (last weekend and this week as support staff) to blaze what is left of the West Trek trail on RH property. It is the most difficult trail on all of the campus, and it was started a couple years ago and never finished. They got as far as a really beautiful gorge would let them, and now I and my buddy Dan have to chop our way through Rhododendron and Oak and God knows what else up the side and over the top of this gorge and finish out the last couple miles of the trail. It takes a while, but is very rewarding. Hopefully with a week's worth of time we will be able to finish. It makes me feel pretty manly and stuff to ride a four wheeler into the woods and spend the entire day chopping and cutting my way towards an unknown objective. The unknown is the good part. It keeps you going until you know it fully, and when you know the unknown, you really sleep well at night.

I will be putting pictures both of tree bending and trail blazing up as soon as I can make some space on my hard drive. I love living in the smokies, mere miles away from the continental divide and in the midst of God's "Wilderness Cathedral". I am indeed very fortunate.

Im sick.

2007-06-28T10:44:00.000-07:00

It's true. The only reason i can blog right now is because I am sick and had to be taken away from my campers till my fever goes. Pray that I stop barfing and that I de-feveratize my life.(Shaving Cream Hairdo Night)

I am all unrighteousness.

2007-06-24T20:37:00.000-07:00

This week really taught me a lot about myself and my never ending patterns of sin. Praise the Lord that I am dead in my transgressions but alive in Christ. I have another week of Junior camp coming up, so keep praying for patience and energy. I will do a real blog tomorrow hopefully. Let these pictures speak of the commitment required of a Ridge Haven Counselor.

a little harder than was expected.

2007-06-17T19:52:00.000-07:00

My first week is done. The second is yet to come.

I can't put new pictures on here or my computer because my camera and computer are in a fight.

Junior camp this week, so pray for energy and lots of Holy Spirit action.

I am sunburned, tired, and very very hapy. My bow arm is getting stronger, along with the knowledge of my own depravity. Sorry this post is so wimpy, but I really gotta go.

Danboy Rooms Godzuki Jr.

2007-06-10T20:03:00.000-07:00

This weekend I went and visited my illustrious rooms at his abode in Asheville. Needless to say, it was a great time of fellowship and roo roo. I got there Saturday morning and we just kind of chilled and shot some hoops. That afternoon he and I went up to the Blue Ridge Parkway and hiked up to this really sweet spot that belongs to us now. It was this little rock outcropping above the parkway that noone ever goes to. We climbed up there, removed some clothing, and basically just did that which room/soul mates do. We talked for hours, watched the sun go down, and trespassed on government property. That night we went to his pal Tim's house and had ice cream and watched Road to Perdition. It is seriously one of Tom Hanks' best movies. And it is definitely Jude Law's supreme achievement in his career. His character is really really well done. After that we went to bed, woke up and went to church at Trinity. It was really cool to get to see some of my old friends that were apart of the intern team I was on in Honduras. I went out to lunch with them then made my way back to Ridge Haven. It was a very fulfilling and enjoyable weekend overall, except for one little detail. I FORGOT MY CAMERA. $%^#*@#*!@#$*&. I was so mad, and especially since the parkway is one of the most picturesque spots in the eastern United States. I tried to upload some of the photos from Dan's computer, but it didnt really work and I only got a couple. And they were only of me. Go to his blog to see better photo documentation of this weekend.

On a different note, I will be a counselor in the Senior High Great Adventure camp this week. Pray that I will be pursuing these high school guys daily, and that I will also be bathing them in prayer the entire week. Energy and patience are a must have too, so knock yourself out praying; I don't mind if you pray for other stuff too. Like that I will find buried treasure or something. Or a dinosaur skeleton. Seriously pray for me. Till next weekend- here are the substandard photos.

Camp Begins...

2007-06-03T13:29:00.001-07:00

Today is Sunday, and it has been a very good Sunday. I went to church at Grace PCA in Asheville this morning, then I came back to Ridge Haven and we had Chicken Pot Pie. It was diverting. After that, I went into Brevard and purchased some necessaries from Lookng Glass Outfitters. After that I came back to camp and took about a 45 minute shower, then an hour and 45 minute nap. It too was diverting. After I am done here I plan on going and shooting some arrows into the middle of the bullseye at the ol' archery range, then maybe some bouldering to really cap the day.

Now that you are up to date on my sabbath, I would like to let you know about the upcoming week. Yesterday marked the official end of counselor training. We as counselors have been embedded with Trinitarian evangelism techniques, CPR and AED capabilities, all the outdoor adventure activites you can imagine, and how to cook steaks over a fire. I am truly ready to take on the world. Actually, that is the opposite of the truth. I am grateful for the training I have received, but I am also very aware of the fact that I am in no way ready for the upcoming week. Last summer I remember feeling absolutley reinforced and solidly prepared to lead and disciple a cabin of campers. I quickly found out that I was nowhere even close to being ready for it, and was dangling from the end of my rope by Wednesday of the first week. Pray that God will give me supernatural energy and dedication to my kids. It really takes absolute selflessness in order to serve your kids, and if I had to think of one word that would describe the polar opposite of my nature, I think that selfless would be it. It is so hard to lose yourself for the sake of a bunch of 8 year old dweebs who just want to have fun. I love just having fun, but pray that God would also give me the courage to purusue them on a deeper level, and that I would be able to have beneficial one-on-ones with each of them before the week is over.

I am very excited about camp starting, but one of the downsides is that I will only have access to the computer/internet on the weekends. Expect delayed posting as a result, but do not count it as a lack in activity. I assure you I will be more active then I have been in a long time.

P.S. I am memorizing the whole book of Ephesians (hopefully) and doing 100 push ups a day. Boo-yah Gilbert's...

2007-06-03T13:29:00.000-07:00

Faith of Our Fathers.

2007-05-29T06:32:00.000-07:00

Whell. It is 9:30 a.m. and I just hiked back from the campsite to campus and took a shower. It feels really good to shower after 3 days of very sweaty activity, and it is also very satisfying to finally wash the blood that has been caked onto your legs along with dirt and sweat. That's right, I bled in the dirt, and I didn't do a thing about it until this morning. Needless to say it was a killer game of capture the flag, and the consequences of my actions are that I now have a gimp right leg. I ran into a tree last night and spiked my leg on a rouge branch from this stump that picked itself up and set itself down directly in my path. Im not really sure if that is how it went down, but I definitely didn't see it there before I hit it, and even though it was dark I am pretty positive I am too slick to just run into trees in the dark (I wish). Yesterday was a good day in spite of all injuries. It started off with some morning testimonies and worship, then training on the mountain bike trails, archery, and bouldering. All Im gonna say about the archery is that you all should probably start referring to me as Robin Hood. That's right, 6 bullseyes in a row from about 50 feet. No big deal, it's just how I live my life. If you ain't first, your last (j/k about the first/last thing. but no j/k about the bullseyes. that really happened). The bouldering wall is pretty fun, the designer really worked in some really challenging problems. So challenging in fact that only me and one other counselor could traverse the wall. It will be interesting to see junior campers give it a shot. Mountain bikin too was a lot of fun. The trail we took is really difficult, especially for people who haven't ridden a bike since age 7. I had the esteemed privelege of seeing 3 noob counselors rack themselves in a very big way on the first big hill. It was good times. Last night we camped out and captured flags, today we go white water rafting and backpacking. Could things get any better?

Photo Post.

2007-05-22T20:09:00.000-07:00

Okay first they are in reverse order cause im bad at blogging. Second, I always take my lightsaber, even during counselor orientation to Devil's Courthouse

You can have all this world.

2007-05-20T22:05:00.000-07:00

I am sitting on my bed at one in the morning on my birthday trying to rack my brain for all of the things that I am sure I have left off of my packing list. There are lots of little random things that you normally wouldn't include on such a list that are absolutely crucial to have at camp. I think I have it all, so I'm just going to stop worrying about it. I have had a very fun and edifying 2 weeks back here in ol' S.C., and I have felt the Lord begin to prepare me and my buddy Trey as we gird our loins for the intense atmosphere that is camp ministry, Ridge Haven style.

I played the prelude in church this morning, and it was Beethoven's Sonata no. 1 op. 94 in G minor. I don't think I have ever enjoyed playing classical piano more than when I did this morning. Playing a piece that was composed only by direct inspiration from our savior in order to help prepare the congregation's hearts for worship is one of the most comprehensively fulfilling experiences I have ever experienced. I hadn't looked at it for about 3 weeks since my jury, and to my amusement I played it head and shoulders above the level that I did in my jury. Go figure.

I have wanted for a while now to blog about the book I am currently reading, but I haven't quite had enough time to get deep enough into it to really spell it out yet. The book is called "Amusing Ourselves to Death" by Neil Postman. It is a critique on the decline of the methods of communication over time, and the effect of the most current method, television and mass media, on todays culture. He diagnoses the problem as this. Humans and all of creation were created as part of a narrative. That narrative includes our individual lives, and the lives of those before us and those that will come after. We were created to view our circumstances in light of that eternal narrative. Since we are a part of this tradition, we should weigh the heaviness and/or lightness of our conditions in light of eternity. He shows that the biggest problem with todays deteriorated form of over-convenienced mass comunication is that we start to exist within small chunks of time. T.V. and radio are scheduled in hour or so long bytes, and the unconcious affect of digesting said forms of dialouge and entertainment is that we cease to exist as a part of a narrative but as a part of a convenient, self-centered short amount of time that is usually dedicated to our own gratification. Dialouge and communication becomes devalued; easy come, easy go. A common result is the LOL BRB TTYL LYLAS and all the impersonal abbreviations that are becoming a regular part of todays conversations.

The part that I love the most is how hopeless existing in such a state can make one feel, because it directs us back to the creator and the reason for which we were created. Being consumed with stress or rage or despair is a result of living in the moment. Our hope is in the Lord, the Lord of the past, present, and future who has ordained our steps and is watching over us, and we as Christians have the responsibility and privelege to enjoy and enrich the Christian Tradition that we are a part of. Thank you, Neil Postman.

It is now 1:24 in the a.m., the morning of my birthday. Nineteen doesn't fell any different. If anything, it feels like a step back from eighteen because of how far it makes you feel from twenty. Oh well, Im just happy that God allowed me to be alive. What a joy it is to breathe the air and drink my mom's delicious sweet tea and read good books and smoke cheap cigarettes on the front porch, all at the same time, all in one day!! Man, life is GOOOD. I mean, goodness. God is Good.

Pray for me that as I travel and settle in at camp tomorrow that Christ will work through all of the different speakers and teachers that will be a part of the training process. Also pray that the counselors will really be given a heart of absolute servanthood for the summer. Especially me. I love you wallballers.

Closing Up Shop...

2007-05-15T20:51:00.000-07:00

This week is the final stretch of my time at home. It makes me sad but at the same time I am really starting to feel the anticipation for another amazing summer at Ridge Haven. There are little things that have started to happen that start to move me more in the direction of camp. I bought a watch and a new pair of shoes, both of which are crucial for having a succesful camp counselor experience. I've started consolidating my wardrobe in anticipation of long, sweaty days with little need for all the fashionable bells and whistles that appear so frequently in my choices of clothing (not). As I prepare for this, I want to show you some of the things that I will be missing here the most. Friends.Family.Longboarding adventures in Stateburg at One Mile Hill.

N.C., here I come. Oh and Scott too.

[ ] As All Get Out

2007-05-14T07:45:00.000-07:00

This Wednesday I am going down to Charleston to hang out with my buddy nate and play a show with him at The Map Room. I am really really excited because me and nate have this musical connection that has been developed since we were like 15. We started playing together in early high school, and now I am at college and he is in two pretty serious bands out of Charleston. He plays bass in the band The Explorers Club. Check them out at www.myspace.com/explorersclub, they have a really cool sound. The band that im going to play keys/tambourine/synth for on Wednesday is called all get out. www.myspace.com/loudasallgetout . Im really excited to get to spend a lot of time with nate and also getting to play a show again. It's been awhile. Anyways, check out those sites. See you on the web.

ow. ouch, ow ooh.

2007-05-12T22:22:00.000-07:00

Ouch. That is the only word that can accurately describe my insides right now. Ouch is now an adjective.

it starts today.

2007-05-09T21:57:00.000-07:00

Today as in 8 hours or so from now. I am done lazing around and recovering from school. being so sedentary has kind of left me gasping for activitiy. I decided at the end of this semester to set goals for myself this summer that are not outlandish or unreasonable, because I want to enter next fall feeling like I am further along then when I left a couple weeks ago.

1: I am going to practice my sight reading like mad this summer. It is the main thing holding me back in my piano study, and at this point there is no good reason why it's not up to par. This will mean lots of hymns and a couple Beethoven sonatas and/or Bach preludes.

2: I am going to read 3 books. I started reading the first one today. It is called "Amusing Ourselves to Death" by Neil Postman. It is a really thoughtful commentary on the consumerist, entertainment-minded culture that we are a part of, and the damage that it does to the unconciously participating individual. The next two are TBA.

3: I am going to try and memorize all of First John. I tried last summer and came up a couple chapters short, so theres no reason why I can't git-er-done for this one.

4: I can't remember the last one, but I wrote it down in my journal, so don't worry.

I feel like these are things that are accomplishable in spite of having a busy summer at camp. It is good for me to have an agenda on the backburner for when you come across spare time; it really helps eliminate lazy procrastination.

God has really been getting a hold on me recently, and in a manner that I am not too familiar with. Its so humbling to see him provide in ways that you know you don't deserve. I have been blessed with really incredible friends, and it is so encouraging to know that you have them behind you to help with struggles you are dealing with. Seeing God provide in this way in spite of my continuing delinquency towards him is such a wake-up call. As a Christian I am usually most aware of God's presence in my life when I come to a point where I am so desperate that I finally, after all else has failed me, turn to him for a way out. What I have seem lately though is that God is pleased to bless me when I feel as if I don't particularly need it. While that exposes my foolish method of self-evaluation, it also brings to my attention that being surprised by God's grace can be most humbling when you least expect it. Blessing heaped up on blessing. I am confronted with the fact that Christ's presence in my life is all-encompassing, in good times and bad, on his schedule and not my own. What a reassurance and privelege we have to approach the throne at all times in all places with the promise of hope.

I miss my Danboy the hard way.

home again, home again, jiggity jig.

2007-05-07T23:32:00.000-07:00

well, here is a running description of my return home. it starts with me being in the car taking lame pictures of myself driving home, traverses through longboarding in stateburg with dave, making delicious omelets at 2 in the afternoon, wearing the sweetest shirt in the world that trey gave me, and loving life at home. i miss my normal friends so much.

oh yeah and i delivered the pic in front of my house. where are the others, huh? i want to see them.

flavor flav

2007-05-03T22:25:00.000-07:00

These are some pics from the last stand of the band. We came, we saw, and a lot of people danced. Good times.

final farewells and concert

2007-05-03T01:18:00.000-07:00

Welp i just said bye to tobi, and now I'm really depressed. Saying goodbye to my friends has never been so hard before, it's really really weird. I don't like it. Tomorrow I have dress rehearsals most of the day for the celebration concert on friday night. I am performing with chorale and yazz band, so be there. I can't wait to get out of the empty shell that this school has become in the past two days and be home with my family and friends. Can't wait, and here they are...

freyunds

2007-05-01T21:01:00.000-07:00

Todays was the last day before Kyrie and Sienna leave, and their impending absence is bringing a sense of finality to this semester. We went down to Vincent and Kiko Howard's and had burgers and not beer, and some sweet times on the trampoline. I have enjoyed the last month of this semester so much more than the rest of it. I have really cool friends, and we have had some really sweet fellowship. Here are some pics of my friends. World, be jealous.

happy

2007-04-30T15:54:00.000-07:00

This song has appropriately alleviated all feelings of strife from earlier today. It is called 'Feels so Good' and it is by the amazing Chuck Mangione himself. It is incredible how music has the power to dampen one's spirits then pick them right back up again. Thanks Chuck. Feels So Good by Chuck Mangione

angry

2007-04-30T07:40:00.000-07:00

I just played my piano jury and it was absolutely humiliating and awful. I was sick for three quarters of this semester and have gotten in maybe a third of the time that I would need to prepare my pieces well, and I just wasn't ready to do it. A jury is supposed to be an accurate representation of how hard the student has worked for the semester; their best work. What just happened in front of the music faculty was a joke. I am angry that I was forced to play in spite of my condition, and I will be even more upset if I get graded down significantly because of it. This is the most upset I've been in a long time. I punched a wall, and now my hand hurts.

Don't think twice, its all right.

2007-04-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

Today is cleaning day and it is also the last Saturday/weekend I will spend at school. I am ready to get home and relax for a little, maybe write some music, maybe not. We will see. I have 3 exams, an 8 pager, and a piano jury left before I am gone. I will be very very relieved when all this is behind me. Bob Dylan has really been speaking to me recently, I think his lyrics are really sweet and often applicable poetry. Thanks, Bob.

photo boof

2007-04-26T20:57:00.000-07:00

Check out these sweet pics taken in the "Cave of the Spectacular Conceptions".

2007-04-24T20:53:00.000-07:00

Check out this cool video of Sony's commercial for the Bravia TV thingy. It is set to Jose Gonzalez's Heartbeats and is really sick. I suggest you go to the sony website to see the "Bravia" High def. version, because it is even cooler.

square one?

2007-04-23T07:33:00.000-07:00

Today is a monday, and a good one at that. I think that mondays exist so that God can have a universal avenue to remind us that we are lost without him. This monday has been a good one so far because I have been reminded of that fact incessantly starting at 12 am. Yesterday my girlfriend and I broke up. There are a lot of reasons for it that don't need to be talked about on the internet, and to be honest I really don't feel like explaining it 100 times in the next few days. I covet your prayers as exams and juries approach, emotional overload is just beyond the horizon. It all ended on good terms, and without a doubt the Lord is being glorified through our decision. Pray for me that I will be able to rest in the midst of a lot of turmoil and finish school responsibly. That dude up there in the corner along with my bro, danboy, drew, and scotch have all been very helpful. I love those guys.

On a lighter note, I wanted to let the world know that I plan on buying a motorcycle at the end of this summer. Ideally I would like to accquire a early 70's Honda that doesn't run, that way I will have to fix it up and put my sweat and tears into it, developing a real sense of ownership and tenderlovin'. Hopefully Drew is going to do the same. If you're jealous I understand, just don't let jealousy overcome the sense of admiration that is undoubtedly stirring in your bowels as you think about me cruising on top of Lookout Mountain in the warm summer air, throwing peace signs to little kids playing on the sidewalks.

2007-04-22T12:13:00.000-07:00

This has been a really busy week. I have been downtown 4 out of the past 5 nights, Ive gone to 3 dance parties, organized and participated in a wallball tournament, jumped off the pier, and gone to a concert. It is now Sunday afternoon and I just got back from the Drexler's house in St. Elmo. What a sweet place to eat incredible food and have amazing fellowship with friends. Being there this afternoon was a reminder of what my home is like. I love being with people who thrive off of hospitality. The salad Mrs. Drexler made was a lot like this kind that my mom makes. This is the final half-week of class, and I am not ready for exams, juries, and going home. Im kind of anxious about going home as well because I have been forging some really solid friendships in the past couple of weeks with my pals and it's kind of anti-climactic to peace out right when you start to really enjoy yourself with your peers. Oh well, I can't complain about this summer, because I get to spend it with a community of amazing people at Ridge Haven hanging out with kids the whole time. I mean, what more could I ask for? I am excited, yo.

I am Kanye, and you are not.

2007-04-03T16:34:00.000-07:00

I am all better, the doctor told me so. I finally got a clean bill of health today from my doctor. It is really relieving to not have to worry about what I do and how it affects my health. He said that I can do whatever I want. Aaand I listened to all of Late Registration today and realized that I missed Kanye West, and that I regret dismissing him the way I did in the past. Easter break is in two days, and not a day too soon. I will have finished all my make-up work and had one make-up lesson. Piano is rough right now, but I don't really care. The SoulForce equality ride came to Covenant yesterday, and it was good to get a glimpse of the northeast-mid atlantic region's view of what a christian school should look like, particularly in it's orientation towards homosexuality. I had some really good conversations with some of the riders and I really felt like good dialogue was being held between the riders and students. I gotta go. I gotta testify..come up in the spot lookin extra fly.....

2007-04-01T15:06:00.000-07:00

So I am now almost superficially recovered from my last bout of illness, and am not so excited about all the extensions I got on tests and papers. I have 4 tests and a paper due by Wednesday. I am also way behind in my applied music lessons, so who knows whether or not I will be having a jury this semester. I am kind of worried about that, but kind of not also. I hate being behind, and it is extremely frusturating to know that I haven't made the kind of progress that I could have musically this semester if I hadn't been sick for 6 weeks out of the semester. I am trusting God that this is all going to work out, and it has been nice to be able to really let go and just focus on what is next. I am going out west for Easter break to see Lauren, and that is something that I am really looking forward to. I have kind of set that visit up as the light at the end of the tunnel that is this week, and if I can just make it through this week I will be more established after break. I just want to feel on top of things, ready to tackle whatever comes my way. I have yet to experience the feeling of being ahead of schedule and not lacking anything in terms of assignments or practicing. My jazz lessons are really out of whack; not only have I been sick, but Mr. Ward has had gigs out of state for the past two weekends, extending my dry season of piano instruction. Hopefully if I work very hard this week I will be back on track academically, which should lend itself to increased productivity on the piano side of my life. Who knows.

SB, School, Sickness round 2...

2007-03-21T06:24:00.000-07:00

Today is a wednesday, the second Wednesday after spring break. I have had a lot of different things happen to me in the past couple weeks, none of which are that exciting, but nonetheless, this is a blog, and I am blogging. Spring Break was for the most part awful. The first two days my family and I went snow skiing in West Virginia, and that was sweet. The weather was perfect, and we got about 5 inches each night. After skiing with my family, my brother and I promptly returned to Chattanooga to work. This entailed me groveling after old women who seemed to feel it their duty to have their way with me (figuratively). I spent the rest of the week scraping out gutters, raking, weeding, even helping this one woman move her entire house using one mid-size U-haul van. It was torture. I also didnt get any schoolwork done, which was at the top of the list before break began. Oh well. School began, classes resumed, and I sank into the daily grind of being a music major/impaired student/procrastinator. Not too long after break began, true to form I fell sick again on a Thursday. I wisely sidestepped nurse Barb and went straight to the doctor, and was promptly diagnosed with Bronchitis, Sinuitis, and possibly the flu and/or strep. All I know is that I have a fever of 104, im barfing, coughing, blowing snot, and generally being miserable 24/7. Its ok though, because I got an extension on two tests and a paper as a result. I hope this is good enough for now, and I will return here again soon. I look forward to the summer.

2

2007-02-27T05:49:00.000-08:00

I am reading The Name of the Rose by Umberto Ecco and it is sweet. In spite of a recent streak of major procrastination in my studies/practicing recently, I think I am balancing the time spent working and time spent reading kind of well.
I have an audition at USC on saturday, and I feel like the chances are good that I will make a complete fool of myself. I just dont have the time to prepare all those pieces. Oh well, we will see. I still don't know if I like this.

1

2007-02-26T15:43:00.000-08:00

Just coming to the point where i am realizing how behind I am. Not so much in my physical assignments like papers, etc., but just emotionally and mentally behind. Being out for so long at the beginning of the semester has taken more of a toll than I think I realized. I am behind in my 3 music lessons the most, and so as a result im going to go spend a large amount of hours downstairs in the chapel banging my head against the piano. I hope this whole blog thing isn't just a huge waste of time. It makes me feel sophisticated.