365 Days of Service

Day 281 - Mar 25

My friend, Kevin, is on staff at LifeChurch.tv and he requested my help with a video he’s shooting to promote LifeChurch.tv’s involvement in 7 Days of Servolution (See the sidebar banner below). I recently painted a wall mural for our friend’s nursery and he wanted to incorporate the painting and our friends into the video. It was a fun morning. Can’t wait to see it on the big screen.

Tonight I normally serve at our Youth Switch experiences alongside Ryan at the Edmond Campus of LifeChurch.tv. I’ve been suffering from headaches this week, and one thing I have learned about our Youth experience is that it is LOUD. I thought a night of loud music and kids might not be the best cure for a headache. I hate missing out on serving the kids, and especially Ryan, but I found another way to reach out. Our elderly neighbors, I’ve mentioned them a few times over the past year, don’t have a ton of family around. I’ve been trying to find ways to serve them when I can and I’ve discovered that our neighbor, Dwayne, has a sweet tooth. I always get big compliments from him and his wife when I’ve delivered cookies or another dessert. One night this week I made a chocolate cake so I took them several pieces of cake. When they answered the door and saw the cake, his face lit up. It feels like playing Santa Claus! They are great and I hope they enjoy the cake.

This post is about our “sometimes” cat, Chewy (Chewbacca, because he talked incestantly, as if we could understand every word), and unfortunately, we think he’s met his end. There is a cat (I drove by a few times to be sure) lying in the road outside our neighborhood on the busiest street around. I’m fairly certain it is Chewy. I tried to get him into the adoption program where I volunteer, but they eventually decided he wasn’t a good candidate. Ryan and I talked about it and decided to care for him as an outside cat. (He did not get along with the two inside - even getting in a fur flying fight with one). He visited us often and kept me company while I worked on projects in the garage. He spent the entire winter last year cozying up to Burrito (our other outside cat) and then did his own thing all summer and fall. He visited us for a couple of days last week when it was really cold, sleeping in the garage like last year.

I am sorry we weren’t better able to give him a home where he could live out his days in safety. Getting attached to an outside cat is tough. We will miss you, Chewy. Thanks for the good times buddy.

I adopted out Pickles to a great lady today. He will be well cared for and loved so much by his new family. It was a joy to see him go to a great home. I was so happy!

See you Pickles - you’re a lucky boy!

Pickles has a new home!

I got an email from a volunteer at the Oklahoma Humane Society last night letting us know that our kitten, Ponder, had been adopted. I was so excited to hear that. He’s such a beautiful and sweet boy, I wanted someone to fall in love with him just like we did. Of course, that opened up the discussion of “Do we go rescue Pickles so he doesn’t have to be alone?” But, we’re holding out. I’ll go by the adoption center and check on him today, just to make sure he’s not lonely. Pickles is not the kind of cat you should really worry about, he’s always been pretty independant and happy-go-lucky. But just thinking of him in a cage without the brother he’s had his entire life is sad… I will not give in.

Bye Ponder - have a great life!

Ponder has a new home!

My brother, Ethan, and his wife, Julie are expecting their third girl this November. I am so excited. When Ryan and I went to visit them in Nashville, we had a chat about the baby’s name one night. Ryan and I are only experienced in naming pets, and maybe a few inanimate objects here and there, so we lean toward the more unusual and edgy names. For example, our friends the Bishops recently had a baby boy and Ryan wanted to name him Knight Takes. (You’ll get it in a minute). I’m leaning toward Talon for the next male that comes into our house. We recently dubbed some kittens, Pickles, Ponder, and Tormey, for instance. But Julie wasn’t taking our bait. I can’t even remember some of the names we picked, but they didn’t mesh with Julie. Well, the good news is they came up with a good one all on their own, Audrey Lynn. Aww. So sweet! I can’t wait to meet her. Good job Ethan, Julie, Alyssa and Megan.

I was checking email earlier today at an account that I have specifically reserved for junk mail these days, and I came across an email from the guys at Jesus Branded - definitely not junk (reminder: update profile). Earlier this year I took a look at their newest line. These guys are doing something that I think will have reaching impact on our culture - creating cool, modern, intriuging clothing that carries a message about Jesus. Their creativity and subtly carry their stuff into the mainstream so much better than a shirt that shouts “I am saved, are you?” Their passion for making cool clothes that don’t shout like the street preacher is something I think we can all appreciate and support. Here is a link to their newest collection, if you’re browsing: http://www.jesusbranded.com/Articles.asp?ID=187.

Day 67 - August 16

I went out to the lake with the dogs today - the weather this week has been fantastic. We had a good time and they got good and worn out (my favorite result). I called Ryan on the way back and we decided we would finally go see The Dark Knight. He’s been asking for weeks. Knowing how dark that movie was, however, I’d said we’d have to go early in the day. I am so glad we did. We got home with plenty of time to think about other things for a while before getting in bed. I’m still convinced that I’m going to see plenty of Batman or the Joker in my dreams tonight, however.

Before we left the house I decided I’d buy a movie ticket for a random person tonight. We had a guest speaker come to the church this week and he told a story about challenging people at his church to live “random acts of service” out in their everyday lives. They hand out a card similar to the “Revolutionary Love” cards we hand out at the Internet Campus when we do something similar. In the past I’ve paid for people behind me in line at the drive-thru. He told a similar story about one of his church members buying food for someone and leaving the card with the cashier. Their card says something like “Just a little note to let you know God loves you”. Well, this guy contacted the church and let them know that he had actually planned for THAT MEAL to be his last. He was planning a suicide when he returned home. Getting that card simply let him know that someone, and God, cared about him and kept him from making that final decision. I thought that was an incredible story - so much more motivation for living out 365 days of service! Well, I hope that even if our movie ticket doesn’t save someone’s life - at least it might make their day.

Funny side note, I had to ask two different ticket sales guys to let me buy a ticket for someone else. The first guy said he could not do it because he thought it might be breaking the rules. The next guy did NOT understand what I wanted to do. He kept saying, “I’ve never had anyone do this before” and he didn’t understand why I wanted to do it. I had to argue that it was simply a good deed - something nice for someone else. That was very confusing, apparently. Finally I handed him the ticket and the Revolutionary Love card and said, “Give these to the next person who asks for a ticket to that movie.” He turned the Rev Love card around and read it. It thoroughly confused him. Note to self - in the future I might be able to do a kind deed for the ticket sellers. Apparently they don’t see many good deeds done.

This is just a post to introduce you to two wonderful little guys. I’ve hand-raised these two kittens since they were 10 days old. Kittens don’t get much funnier or sweeter than these guys. Friends of mine found them in their attic after mama abandoned them. I had never hand-raised or bottled orphaned kittens before. Trust me, I won’t be doing it again anytime soon. But this was a great experience and I truly couldn’t imagine a better outcome than these two hilarious brothers. They are ready to be adopted and I really hope they go to awesome families. Ponder is black and white with a cute pink nose. Pickles (because when he was tiny he managed to get into some pretty interesting situations) is all black with a speck of white here and there. Are you interested? You can find out more about the adoption process through the Oklahoma Humane Society’s web site. I’d be happy to answer any questions!!

After doing some research and having read some about the effects a gluten-heavy diet can have on certain health conditions (hypoglycemia, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, Thyroid Disease, Addison’s Disease) I consulted my dietitian (thanks Mom!) and have started a gluten-free diet.

This post isn’t related to any thing service-oriented but I wanted to share some links that at least explain what a gluten-free diet entails. It’s more complicated than I first suspected but overall I think the effort will be beneficial. I haven’t been diagnosed with a gluten intolerance but simply want to see if there is any improvement in my overall health issues related to blood glucose levels, fatigue, and digestion (absorption of nutrients from the food I eat). I’ve been treating most of my symptoms with medication and heavy-duty vitamin supplements. Perhaps changing my diet will free me from the bondage of high doses of medication. Perhaps not. But everything I have read about it so far and the results I’ve seen after only a few days are encouraging. We will call this my 30 day project inside the bigger 365.

Here is more information on eating gluten-free for those of you who may be interested:
Quick Start Diet Guide - PDF
Gluten Free Diet Examples - PDF