Photo of the Week! Super Late! Woops!

This past weekend fellow US-2, Mistead Sai and I were able to meet up in Chicago and go to church and catch up! I was really excited to meet up and see where Mistead is living and working and get a window into his missionary experience! In addition to Mistead I was able to visit with some great friends Ann Watson and Elizabeth Atkinson in Chicago!

Photos of the Week!

This week's photos of the week is of another awesome fundraiser that was put on and helped NOAH. The fundraiser was called Warm Hearts, Warm Bodies where a local choir sang and served a meal to those that wanted  a coat for the winter and those that were able to donate a coat. It was a beautiful night of caroling and just Christmas cheer, not to mention some great food provided by one of the Unions.

A Pretty packed house to see the Deep River Choir!

The Practice Run- A Testament to My Morning Confusion

Alright so I have a pretty funny story for you to happen to me on Tuesday earlier this week. So I woke up at 7:20 AM freaking out because our Forgotten Harvest the donation, that brings food for some of our volunteers, comes at 7:35 and I have to be at the building with carts ready to pick it up and bring it in the church. So I pop out of bed, throw some clothes on and jump my car and drive as fast as I possibly can to get the church by 7:35. I sprinted upstairs grab the carts brought them downstairs in the elevator and waited. As 7:45 rolled around the thought that I missed the donation and that everyone was going to be frustrated with me a they get no food for the week. I waited and waited until I looked again at the time on my phone to realize that it was infact Tuesday…our Forgotten Harvest donation comes on Wednesday…

Needless to say I was a little frustrated...I just walk out the building, leaving the carts and everything ready for me to deal with when I get back to work. So I went home got ready and biked back to work, with every intention of telling no one of my eventful morning. As expected it got out after I mentioned it to a coworker and the maintenance man questions my early arrival... I have to admit I think some people really enjoyed this story because they were able to give me a hard time especially Joni and a lot of the people at work joked about me trying to get to work so early but the way I see it is, it was all just practice for Wednesday right?

Photos of the Week- It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!

Here are just a few pictures from the past weeks! I know it is a few more pictures than last week, but I just have a lot that I want to show ya! All these pictures are from "Christmasyish" events all going on around the city of Detroit! It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

These first two are just of Noel Night! Noel Night is pretty much just a street festival that is devoted entirely to celebrating Christmas! The museums open up and have all kinds of different shows from brass bands to banjo picking blue grass, to big choirs. In the first you see some of the vendors and street crowds and on the second one there you can see the ice sculpture contest that went on! Sadly it was an unseasonable 40 degrees out that night so a lot of the ice was melting pretty fast!

These last two pictures are just from the city of Detroit. There was a big tree lighting ceremony in November where people came from all over the suburbs to enjoy the countdown and the Christmas festivities, but I thought it more fitting to share these photos after Thanksgiving!

Photo(s) of the Week!

So sorry for those that have checked for the picture of the week on Sunday, but I must admit this has been a very busy week! My mom, dad and sister were able to come up from Charlotte for the holiday and the weekend! Here are just a few pictures from their visit! More to come about Thanksgiving!

Out for my Dad's birthday!

Yeah we're just goofs

Photo of the Week- Walk A Mile In My Shoes

So this weekend we had 2 awesome events with NOAH! It was a pretty awesome weekend! So these are some pictures of the event called "Walk a Mile in My Shoes" put on by the H.A.N.D. Network.  This was an event where hundreds of people came to do a walk for awareness of homelessness on a 6 mile round trip walk down the sidewalks of one of the busiest streets in Detroit. The NOAH Project was in attendance as the turn around point and rest stop serving hot chocolate, apples and water on the beautiful Saturday morning!

Some of the NOAH Crew!

Here is our booth, pretty packed!

Here you can see the masses about to cross the street to come to our booth!

"Justice"

I have found "justice" to sometimes be a buzz word in many circles. I feel the word “justice” is sometimes thrown around as a tool to evoke emotion (similar to the word “love”). I think there are times in my stint here where I have been shown the simplicity of justice. Justice does not have to be this big grand, over arching idea of fighting on the front lines against a huge oppressor, but justice can be enacted through building a relationship, or simply helping in a compassionate way. Of course I do feel justice may still look like a grand fight against tyranny in some situations, but in my work at NOAH I have seen justice on a smaller, just as meaningful, scope. I hope to live out justice with compassion and an open ear to listen, and an openness to help in what ways I can. All the while fight against the predisposition to pity a person because to pity a person can be a injustice in itself. These are just a few thoughts on justice that have come up in recent conversations, what do you think? Disagree?

Happy Wednesday Yall!

Photos of the Week- Imagine What's Next!

This weekend I had the awesome opportunity to go to the Imagine What's Next Conference through the United Methodist Church in St. Louis, MO! This was an awesome time where 550 young adults gathered to discuss and "imagine" what possibilities there are for the church in a social justice minded environment! There is certainly more to come about this conference, but here are just a few of the photos from the awesome weekend!

 Brad and Gretchen, I'm not really sure why we are using that pole as a prop but whatever!

 GBGM Reunion! There were 6 current US-2's in attendance and a few people from the GBGM staff, here we have Elisabeth (US-2 in Texas) and Brinna (US-2 in Montana), and Dan (on staff at GBGM).

 The view from the top of the arch

Nice sunrise behind the arch right!

Why did I drink that coffee? What if I have to pee??

Here is a random and crazy story, happened yesterday:

Scene: Central UMC was a polling location yesterday and amongst the chaos of having two voting districts in the building, being drafted as a poll worker (that sounds weird) and still keeping social services open with NOAH.

Story: So I was in need of some cleaning supplies, so the maintenance worker, we will call him Jim and I took the elevator to the 5th floor to get to the supply closet. However, as we were going up there was a sudden jolt and the sound of a spring breaking...yes it happened...the elevator broke while I was on it! In case I have not shared it with you one of my many oddities, this is one of my weird thoughts, I have a fun game in my head in which whenever I get onto an elevator I automatically think "what if I get stuck on this elevator, with these people?" Well it finally happened to me...we were stuck. I asked, "has this ever happened before?" To that Jim answers, not since I've been here." (Jim has been working with the church for over 20 years). Immediately, I am thinking of the stories and movies I have seen where people are stuck on an elevator for days, so I am mapping out how to bust through the ceiling, and taking an inventory of the granola bar in my pocket and regretting the coffee I drank an hour prior. However, we opened the doors (slightly anti-climatic I know) and I jumped off as fast as I could (because I have seen the movies where just as the character gets off the elevator, it releases into a free fall to crash at the bottom of the shaft). Looking at it now, it is a pretty humorous story I must admit, but the elevator breakdown could not have happened on a worse day as we had people in scooters and wheel chairs on the second floor voting, and 4th floor eating after voting. So we spent a great deal of the next few hours carrying people down the stairs, scooters and all. What an adventure!! 

Anyway, it was a wild day, but to be honest I love days that are busy and slightly chaotic (every so often). It was really cool to see people from all over the church and community come out and work tirelessly to help people to vote in any way possible. Also, this has certainly taught me for the future, be nice to the people working/volunteering at the polls, maybe they just carried someone down the stairs because the elevator broke down? Never know!

Have a great Wednesday!

Photo(s) of the Week- HALLOWEEN!

So this week's Photos of the Week totally deal with Halloween! On Saturday night a lot of the local service volunteers got to sport our costumes and hang out. Then on Wednesday we had trick-or-treaters come by! It was so great to see people weathering the rain and cold to have a little community fun! My personal favorite was we had someone dressed as UAW Union Rep come by! Talk about creative hahaha 

Anyway on a serious note there had been reports of three rapes occurring in the area, but I must admit it felt great to see parents not let that stop their children trick-or-treat as about every group had a parent walking along (or driving along) with them. And a great deal of the area churches had groups of people driving around just to add to the security.

This is Luigi, Sherlock Holmes and Mario (AKA: me (duh), Joey and Joni)

THE awesome pumpkin named: Pumpkinula! (I am biased this is the one I carved)

And the other jack-o-lantern! As you can see we were handing out candy too! These two pumpkins are actually making delicious pies and soups now too!

Do You Have Money For The Boots?

This weekend I was at the United Methodist Men's Meeting for the Detroit Conference. It was a great meeting in Utica, especially the week after going to the United Methodist Women's Meeting in Saginaw last weekend to represent as a US-2. I woud like to just share a story that the speaker, Pastor Dave Gerber shared with the men.

Pastor Gerber:
Pastor Gerber was working with a church in Nevada and a man sleeping on the street came up to him, knowing that Gerber worked with the church, and explained that he needed a pair of boots for a job that he had just received. Gerber was more than willing to lobby the pastor to see if the church would buy the boots for the man. However, the pastor said no, they did not have the money. Gerber explained how very mad he was with the situation, that a congregation of nearly 450 was unable to come up with the money to purchase a pair of boots.
     Fuming from the encounter Gerber went for a drive. Gerber describes the frustration with a church that was unwilling to help a man in need, church that is so stuck-up and so self-centered. It was around this time at the climax of anger that Gerber feels he heard from God. The voice is asking, "do you have money for the boots?" In that moment Gerber mut answer, "yes." 
     
There was a little more to the story, of how Gerber bought the boots and actually formed a caring relationship with the man and the two have become good friends. But the point that Gerber was attempting to make was that he expected the church to act, he expected the church to give the money. However, he completely overlooked the fact that he was a part of the church. He was frustrated with the church's inaction, but didn't recognize his own apathy! WE are the church, let us not blame the church for our own complacency. "So be a person that cares for people" -Pastor Gerber

Hope you are having a great Saturday!

Photos of the week!!- The Stinkin WORLD SERIES!

As you have expected this week's photos of the week are all dealing mainly with the World Series! Where two games were held right here in Detroit!! It was a great time for the city and a great time to be here! We were able to watch the last 6 innings of the last game of the series from the roof of Central UMC (where I work remember?)! It may have been a pretty boring series with the Tigers getting swept, but Dan it was awesome to see the city come to life and be so crowded!

Photos of the Week-Run Forest Run!

This weeks photos of the week are all dealing with the half marathon! I know they do not have much to do with my missionary service here but they are stinkin awesome (I think anyway). A friend here in Detroit was unable to run the 1/2 marathon so at the last minute I was able to take his spot! It was great!! 

 Before the 1/2!

 23,000 people ran in Detroit over 3 races on Sunday!

This is some of the image that I was referring to in my previous post of how beautiful some of the scenes were during the run.

And hey look at that we all made it!

Be Excited!

So today's blog is all about our ability as people to get excited over something.

What makes you excited? I don't mean like a "yay I'm excited" I mean like you actually want to leap for joy or hoot an holler.

Today I ran a half marathon that crossed over to Canada o the Ambassador bridge, then snaked back to the US in a tunnel, so for a mile we were running underwater! It was so very awesome, so I guess I am sort of still on that really excited running high somewhat, so bear with me.

It was in crossing the Ambassador bridge just before sunrise that I experienced this excitement that makes you just want to yell, it was beautiful and to be running with 23,000 others to share that experience was almost just too much. I loved the feeling of having the view and at the same time I felt like I was challenging my body to be better.

Directly following the run Joni (a coworker) and I went out to a church in the suburbs to give a presentation for NOAH. It was here that I saw another excitement. In speaking to some of the people at the church there was a certain excitement about getting more involved in some way shape or form at the NOAH Project. More excitement.

So again, what gets you excited? I feel that we allow these moments to be fleeting, to be small memories of a great feelings. So I got to thinking, what gets me excited? Well I should continue doing what makes me excited because I think those things will be things that I will do best and also enjoy. So I am not proposing that I constantly run accross a bridge, or that I am constantly brainstorm ways that agencies can be more comprehensive, but I am saying this is what the community or church should incite. I think it is a job of the church community to understand what excites each other and then challenge the congregation to act on this knowledge. May we never live void of excitement, I just don't think the Lord would desire that. maybe excitement is simply the harmony of what we love and what the world puts before us, in turn what the Lord places before us. What resonates with you? What makes you excited?

Also, pictures will surely be up soon, and almost surely will be the photos of the week! Thanks for reading! Thoughts?

Blast From the Past!

Hola!

      So it has been a little bit since I have posted on here and I first just wanted to take a moment to say thank you for reading and thank you for being interested! Thank you for thinking of me and thank you just for checking this out! I have soooo many thoughts right now and well I guess they will just have to wait because that’s right, get excited, its story time!

      So the story actually starts waaaayy back in 11^th grade I believe it was (yes I still remember it). I was on a mission trip in Philadelphia and we were riding the subway to our next soup kitchen we were serving at. So we are all in the same church, from Matthews United Methodist and actually all wearing the same youth group t-shirt. So a man curiously comes up to me to start a conversation. We talk about what we are doing there in Philadelphia and what we hoped to accomplish and how. I remember he was very interested in hearing more about what I knew about the Bible and just my beliefs and how they affected me. So as it is a train, his stop came up and he said “My name is Brother Chris by the way, but hey give me a call, I’d like to hear more about this and get to know the church you are staying in.” He hastily jotted down his contact information and the best time to call on a yellow sheet of paper and disappeared off the train. At this point in the story I would love to say that I contacted him and connected him, but when the time came for me to call, when he said he would be free, I vividly remember asking to borrow a phone from the leader and simply not having the courage. “Tomorrow” I reassured myself. Tomorrow came and went and I forgot (or selectively did not remember). I'm really not sure what, if anything, would have happened had I called, but I remember this story very well. However, I kept that yellowed piece of paper.

      So years later I find that I still have that paper, and although the hastily written number is most likely useless and certainly faded, I keep the paper intentionally. To me this paper is a reminder of a mistake, not that I am just beating myself up about it, but that I am simply remembering an opportunity just to be kind and step out of my comfort zone and act. Act upon the opportunity laid so perfectly and easily in front of me. I was scared. So fast-forward to this year. So as I moved into my office I had a corkboard filled only with pushpins. I brought in random pictures of myself and friends, family and just landscapes and at the back of the envelope of pictures; I find this yellow sheet of folded paper, reading “Brother Chris 6:00-8:00pm” and a phone number. I pinned it to the bottom of the board as a reminder to listen when the spirit says listen, to stay when the spirit says stay and to act when the spirit says act. I tell this story, not show guilt, but as a personal reminder of the importance of moving and maybe just a little reminder or myself and everyone else, may we not forget to act. 

Photo of the Week!- Puppy!!

Alright so I know the last week has been pretty weak in depth, but these photos of the week are just really exciting!

Brian and I had a good friend go out of town for the week and we were able to dog sit for the week, well his name is Duncan and these are just a couple pictures of him, more pictures to come from last week, I just haven't been able to upload them off of my phone! I hope you are having a blessed and wonderful day!

Photo of the Week- Just a Little Late :-)

Hello, hello! So very sorry to come to you so very late, but I have actually recently been a little sick with a pretty nasty cold, but hopefully I am getting over it, that's my excuse anyway haha...anyway last week's photo of the week comes from a Friday Night! 

This is a picture from the festival Delectricity, which is an art festival focusing mainly on the arts using electricity. This was the first annual festival and at this stop in the festival we met an awesome couple from Baltimore, Maryland who harnessed the reverberations of a drum to make electricity and cause a light to flash. A few of my friends and I enjoyed playing these drums for quite a while, actually you can see a few of them still playing the drums. I really just liked the picture with the man holding the Jesus loves you sign off to the side, this man walks all around the city with the sign (personally not my favorite way of witness, often times it seems to do more harm than good) and the lights.

As I mentioned recently in a post these festivals really display to me drive to better Detroit. These festivals drive the people pf the city to continue to stand behind the city and better the city!

Photo(s) of the Week!!

This weekend I had the opportunity to go to Ann Arbor, MI with some friends just for some time to enjoy the beauty of Michigan autumn! These are just a couple of pictures from the trip, but I thought they would serve as an awesome depiction of the day trip! A lot of the areas and parks reminded me of the beauty of Boone, but I have to admit some areas of Ann Arbor and the surrounding area give Boone a run for its money!

Be CONVINCED

       I guarantee you have heard it before, it is a tried and true statement that appears this time every year and with a certain vengeance every four years. I have heard it about a1,000,000 times in the past couple months, and don't worry if you have been living under a rock, you will probably hear it in the next 50 some odd days until the election. You may be curious what the statement is, here we go, lets take away the suspense: "people have died so you may have the right to vote". 
      I have no issue with the statement itself, really it is not so bad, but what gets to me is why it is needed...The times that I have heard this statement seem to be at the end of a long tirade trying to CONVINCE someone to vote. Yes I capitalized "convince," I do that because it is just darn frustrating! America must be convinced!
      Earlier this week I was at a panel discussion called "The Democracy Panel." The above statement was thrown around several times and it really sparked a certain idea in my head. It is amazing to me that people must be convinced to give their opinion. Granted I know America is by no means perfect (no where close), but what kind of ignorance and apathy does it take to not even try to remedy a hurt and somewhat broken society? Don't get me wrong I do not believe that just voting will remedy everything, but I feel that everyone must have an opinion, so why not share it?
      A story for the closing: During the panel some of the issues of the previous presidential election were discussed. One such issue was people showing up to the wrong polling area and then deciding they just no longer wanted to vote. Laziness. Pure laziness. Why is it that we have become so lax with the responsibility to have our voices heard. As people all around the world clamor to have their voice heard, some simply say "its not worth getting all the way back in my car and driving down the street," or even better its not worth actually reading my voter registration information to find out where to go. Laziness. I am not sure where you stand with the candidates, but I pray November 6th you are educated and ready to cast your opinion along side 314,000,000 other people!
     So I have heard that saying many times, but I will continue hearing it and continue to think about it. The line simply tries to evoke some sort of desperation, some motivation, to put into perspective the importance of adding what seems like a small voice to the chorus of millions. Lets add our voices.

Cucumber Soup

Well I just thought I would share a lovely picture with you! This is cucumber soup...I am just stinkin proud out it because I've never made anything so odd and well it turned out pretty okay!!

I know I know doesn't look too appetising though, but its not bad! Score one point for the day!

Photo of the Week- Big Week!

So this week I recieved my Michigan ID! I have to admit I was pretty stinkin excited about it, and unlike my NC ID it actually does not look like a mug shot...as much haha But now I am actually registered to vote as a Michigan citizen and I can vote on the local government also. Fear not I am still very loyal to ole North Carolina, saldy though that ID now has a corner cut off of it...

On another, more personal note: The beard is still coming in! I have not trimmed it down since I have been here in Detroit! Why you ask? I do not know, just seems like the thing to do for now...

I hope you are having a great Sunday! I have some great stories started I hope to get to the coffee shop soon to post them sometime early this week! 

A Prayer of Humility, Motivation and Determination

Today I would like to share a prayer that I am sure some of you have read before or at least heard before. I heard this prayer for the first time a long time ago, but I have lately used it for a bit of meditating. I have just tried to mull it around in my head as much as I possibly can. I think each time I read it, it will instantly recenter me and essentially humble me. At different times of me reading it different parts speak to me. Maybe you can get something out of it too! Check it out:


May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships, so that you will live deep in your heart.
May God bless you with anger at injustice and exploitation of people and the earth so that you will work for justice, equity and peace.
May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer, so you will reach out your hand to comfort them and change their pain into joy.
And may God bless you with the foolishness to think that you can make a difference in the world, so you will do the things which others say cannot be done.


I think so often in we feel the need to be needed. I think we even see this with the LORD. The idea that God needs us... I find a good bit of issue with that... I think that by looking at things through that lens we can so easily give ourselves an ego boost that can be detrimental to the service that we are called to do. We are called to be humble, to be unrelenting and to be determined. I think this is what this prayer teaches me (of course among other things haha). Read it again, what do you get from it?

Photo of the Week- A View!

So this week's photo of the week is pretty simple, a beautiful view. This picture was taken at the top of the Renaissance Center this week. I feel I have been working one on one with just so many amazing people and hearing so many awesome things about the city of Detroit, to catch this view right at sunset was simply awesome! In this picture you can see Bell Isle in the middle of the river and in the far off distance is Lake St Claire. This is mainly east Detroit which you see and well I think sometimes it is important to simply sit back and look. To not try and understand or try not to even think. Instead just look at the view and behold the beauty of creation (divine creation and the creation humanity has constructed). So thats this week's photo, maybe try and do the same where ever you are, find some high up place and just take it in, its kind of cool to feel small!

Where is the cartoon Moses in Exodus?

So I have a really short idea that I would like to throw out there today and it has been brewing in my head since training ( over a month ago)  but has come to a point in the past couple days...

So I was speaking to a friend a while back about the stories that we find in the Old Testament Bible. These stories often times paint vivid pictures of how people related to God in different ways. However, as someone who has grown up in the church I went to Sunday School and in the mornings I heard these different stories, I watched those movies and I imagined what happened. Now I do not at all wish to get into a discussion of taking the Bible literally word for word or anything like that, but I find I have a certain image of what these stories look like. And the best way I can describe this image in one word is "clean."

Since I have moved to Detroit I have begun reading through the Bible more regularly. I am currently in the middle of Exodus and around chapter 15 of Matthew. And well I am finding some conflicting images. See I for some reason cannot get these 3rd grade Sunday School images of the stories out of my head, but as I read these stories and these accounts of mankind's interaction with God and each other I find these to not be so accurate. As a child I saw The Prince of Egypt and other little cartoons of these characters and to be honest it was when I was a child that I heard a lot of these stories. So upon hearing these stories, watching these clips and seeing these cartoon like pictures on the walls I formed an idea of what happened. Now of course there may be the random sermon that may read over a portion of a story like the burning bush or the sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham, but I have failed to see these stories in their entirety. Why?

My mind is so confused in making images of what I am reading and what I have so deeply instilled in me. The image of God as an old white man with a white beard who is up in "Heaven" (aka the sky) looking down on me smiling, or who is angry and about to "smite me" (whatever that means) continues to haunt me! I want so badly to pull away from this boxed in image of a creator and these rigid, unemotional, questioning, but never REALLY doubting people who follow this God. Reading through some of these stories at this point in my life lights a new fire in my understanding of what it looks like to see the Old Testament as living breathing work that I can continue to learn from. I suppose in one word if I were to describe these stories and the image they leave me with now is "dirty." 

So it is quite the change. I feel it is my duty as one who claims Christianity and claims to somewhat understand the ins and outs of scripture to actually read it. I can no longer rely on these concepts of God that I formed when I was a child. Concepts where killing a man was him accidentally falling (like in Prince of Egypt) when in the scripture it says Moses "looked this way and that, and seeing no one he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand" (Exodus 2:12). Now I am not inferring that it was bad for a 3rd grade Brandon to see those cartoon stories and video clips, of course it makes sense to depict the stories in that light. However, I am frustrated with the 22 year old Brandon for allowing himself to continue to rely on those thoughts solely. Through out my undergrad I was challenged with these thoughts and challenged with knowing the Bible, but maybe I haven't made the effort, maybe I haven't been as passionate, maybe I was so much more concerned with reading the Bible as a textbook and not as a book that can provoke REAL life change. Maybe I was putting the Bible itself in a box. A box that was full of cartoon characters that fit neatly into my 3rd grade theology, right next to that big old white bearded God. So now I will keep reading, I think I am falling in love with the stories of people with real doubts, failures, pains, triumphs, fears, mistakes, victories and real emotions. I suppose in short I am falling in love with these people obeying, ignoring, failing and all the while desperately doing all they can to get to know the creator. Shouldn't we do the same? So here we go, onward through Exodus, coming with?