Campus Ministry in Kansas

I am sitting around a table with all the campus ministry directors in the state of Kansas. I am quite surprized, this is really refreshing. It is beautiful to look around the group and hear where these people were born - to listen to their joys and their struggles. I am moved by Daisy from Uganda, a professor, a mother of 5, a campus minister at a small university. I want to invite myself to her home for dinner. I love that our TX friend, Matt Stone has moved to KS and is serving alongside us in campus ministry - even though it is at our rival school, K-State. I am thankful to see Katie Trinter, a student of ours from our time at SMU who has ventured to the heartland, exploring and exercising her innate gifts as a pastor. I am inspired by Steve, a religion professor at a Methodist college in Kansas. Such a humble person, yet he is intimately acquainted with Wesleyan theology. The other Steve is a jolly fellow, open and relational. As for Ashlee, I discovered that we know some of the same people from the seminary we attended. She and I are now friends on Facebook. Then there is Kurt, who knows every United Methodist person in youth and college ministry throughout the state; Natasha, who arrived in Topeka a month ago; and Linda, who in her 4th year is still learning but starting to experience the fruit of her discipling.
Creighton invited our friend Gregg Taylor to come share about his ministry at University of Arkansas. Wow, I love this man. I learn so much from him when I am around him, in conversation with him. Thing is, I have to pull it out of him. He does not force himself or his thoughts on people - but when asked, he just pours forth wisdom.
He challenged our paradigms.
Think, in the context of your ministry, about how you would answer these questions:
Where are we (what kind of world do we live in?)
Who are we? (What does it mean to be human?)
What's wrong? (What is the fundamental problem with the world?)
What time is it? (Where are we in the biblical story - God's story?)
What's the remedy? (What will fix the problem?)

God I pray for each of these campus leaders today. I pray they will be inspired, motivated, challenged, moved and strengthened by this weekend together.

My husband is a badass.

With his bare hands and from scratch, Creighton constructed the coolest fort in the neighborhood. He set the posts in the ground - 3 feet of concrete. Friends, right angles are tricky. He actually got everything straight.
The Alamo is complete. And to top it all off :) we ordered a custom-made red and blue Texas tarp (which, for the good people of Lawrence KS, cleverly doubles as KU red and blue).
3 cheers for my man.

How about Venus?

I want to use proper language with my children when describing genitalia. With boys, it's easy. It's a penis. Plain and simple. With girls, a bit more tricky. There is a urethra, a vagina, a vulva - - and so much more.
I want to give my daughter the correct lingo, but what is the correct lingo?
So I decided to make up my own correct lingo. I am going to call it Venus. Adequately describes the mystery and complexity of the whole system. Merely a bonus that it rhymes with penis.
I know no one will ever read this - that is why I even felt the freedom to write it. :)

Whaddayaknow!

I tevo'd Discovery Channel's "Planet Earth" episodes. Just getting around to viewing them. Absolutely breathtaking. As I watch, I shake my head in belief. Intelligent design is an under-statement.
Something is happening to me as I witness all the perilous and glorious wonder occurring around the globe.... I am starting to care.
Maybe there is some sort of subliminal messaging system between frames, brainwashing me at a subconscious level - I am not sure. But there is a stirring within me to actually make myself aware of my consumption and waste, my consumerism and apathy. For many years I have paid lip service to "green" efforts and conservation. I have even had seasons of recycling and choosing paper over plastic. Aren't I special?
Not to discount those things, but that is the bare minimum we should ALL be doing - ALL the time! There are a multitude of things beyond that we can participate in.
Nature.org has lots of ideas about how we can make a big difference with just a few minor adjustments to our lifestyles.
Recycling is so simple. Just google "recycling" and "Lawrence" (or your own city), and whaddayaknow - - lists and lists of drop-off centers, city efforts and even curbside services (for a small fee).

I want to challenge you as I challenge myself, to take just one step toward preserving the awe and beauty that exists around God's creation.

Random Stemware

I'm sipping on a half-glass of wine (little penguin merlot, vintage 1 year ago) in a crystal goblet my mom gave me. She started a crystal goblet collection for my sister and I when we were in our twenties. She found great deals on single goblets, so now each of us has a montage of 10 or 12 random stems. I love it. Even for practical reasons -- when people come over, they will not be confused as to which goblet is theirs. Mainly I love my collection because my mom gave it to me. She was always on the lookout for a stemware steal.
We have a cousin named Kathy. Mom attemped the collection for her as well. Kathy's mom, my Aunt Vicki, a T-totaller (nothing wrong with that) forbade my mom from buying her daughter any item that would encourage the use of alcohol. So my mom started Kathy a crystal candle-holder collection instead.
I wonder if tonight, my cousin Kathy is sitting in her living room on her laptop starting her blogpost with, "I'm lighting a votive in a crystal candle-holder my aunt gave me..."
Just a little thing, a memory of my mom that makes me smile.
Sweet dreams.

Remembering Pamela Whitby Strong

It has now been 5 years since the fabulous Pamela Whitby Strong lost her life to that murderous s.o.b. - cancer. She died when Canon (my eldest son) was 5 months old. I have photos with the two of them together. It seems like an eternity ago, yet sometimes only yesterday.
We have a ritual of remembrance which we observe twice a year. Once on her birthday, November 18 (1946) and once on June 21st, the anniversary of the dark day of her death. We dine at the Cheescake factory. Mmmmm.
In the spirit of the Passover Sederists who set out a special goblet to be filled with wine for the prophet Elijah, we order a Cosmopolitan and set it at the end of the table. I don't drink the cosmo because I don't like to drink liquid fire with a cranberry twist. But we take a tiny taste and giggle, wondering what she ever saw in that beverage beside fact that Oprah introduced it to her.
We order anything we want for the main course, but when it comes to dessert, the white-chocolate rasberry truffle cheesecake is a must. Mom and I used to split it. Unfortunately I will never branch out to a new dessert at the Cheesecake Factory, for that would feel like betrayal.
Sometimes, I bring pictures which jog memories of cherished days gone by. Sometimes others join us, particularly if they miss her too.

I grieve for you Mom. My heart aches for you. I miss you so much. I can't believe you were stolen from me - my children have been robbed of a relationship with you. There is a hole in my life that will never be filled.

You made me who I am today - well, the good parts anyway. I am grateful for the 30 years I had with you. Please come visit me in my dreams.

Did I seriously go there?

We took our 3 little kids to the pool today. Canon, the 5 yr old is learning how to do all sorts of fun things like jump off the diving board and slide down "that giant, giant, big blue swirly slide". There is a fun, challenging activity where a person, holding onto a net overhead, attempts to get to the other side of the pool on "lilly pads" which are flotation pads connected to the bottom of the pool by a single chain. My son and I were having a great time until the strangest thing happened. Canon fell off the first lilly pad, so instead of making him go back to the end of the line, I helped him out and put him back where he had just started.
Suddenly, from 20 feet away on the side of the pool I hear, "HOW DOES THAT WORK?!" A teenage girl was shouting at me to make Canon go back to the end of the line.
Surreal.
I was actually being bullied by a teenager. This has not happened to me since, well, since ever!

I lovingly walked Canon back to the end of the line and told him to wait there. I then walked calmly over to the young woman to -ahem- express my heart.

I actually got into a mouth-off with a teenager! I couldn't believe it. I won't share the exact words, but I have to say I was holding my own. I had some real zingers. The Nikki of the distant past would have been so proud. Then when she started talking ungly about my son, the mamma bear came out in full force.

While getting into a pissing match with someone half my age was pretty invigorating, I thought about this strange interaction the entire rest of the night. I told my husband about it and after we had an awkward laugh, we began to pick apart the conversation and discuss the situation like real grown-ups and the nerdy pastors that we are.
I asked, I wonder how I could have handled that in a more pastoral way.

I think about that girl and what it would have been like to meet her under different circumstances. What if she showed up at my church or youth group or campus ministry? I wonder about her family life. I wonder if she acts like a bully so that she can protect herself. I wonder if there is any softness there that could be nurtured. Is there anyone singing her songs of love and trust and goodness and peace? I wonder how she views herself. Does she even see her beauty? What messages has she been given her entire young life? Is she a wounded cat in a corner, having to fight just to survive?

What is my excuse?

Chipotle shares the love.

We barely got in the door. The last people in line because we jimmied our way in as someone was exiting. Hey, it was 9:59.
As we inch our way toward the front, we have time to breathe in the smell if grilled peppers, fajita meat and corn tortilla chips. I declare my love for Chipotle. I can't believe that there for a few months I got drawn into claiming Freeb!rds as my favorite. Chipotle surely felt betrayed, but has welcomed me back with open arms, no hard feelings.
The line was out the door because Chipotle (nationwide) spent the day giving away free burritos to anyone who brought in a canned food donation. They do this kind of thing all the time. And the brilliant thing is that their marketing is largely done by the general public - word of mouth! Know how we found out about the canned food donation give-away? Someone at our university started a facebook event this afternoon alerting all friends of this free delicious dish.

We could really learn a lot from Chipotle. For one, their website is amazing - it's creative and clever; a whimsical journey of pure goodness. Second, they advertise in unique and fresh ways. They have somehow mastered the art of creating a buzz, so that they have to do very little advertising - - we do it all for them! Campus ministers, let's figure out a way to do that! If any of you have tapped into buzz marketing in any successful way - please share! And finally, "free stuff". We have heard the manager at our local store say multiple times humbly, "It's free food. People always come out for free food." It is so fun to give away free stuff! And with just a little effort, you can often get your free stuff for FREE! Should we bribe people into the Kingdom? Absolutely.