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I recently tried an experiment. It wasn't conducted in lab and I definitely didn't follow the Scientific Method that I used to teach kids in OE (Outdoor Education). I only used 2 things: a razor and some confidence.
Relax, all my skin is intact and I'm not having suicidal thoughts up here on Tick Hill.
After participating in No-Shave-November, my beard was really starting to get to me. But instead of shaving it all off and fitting in nicely with society, I decided to try out the "Fu Manchu". My goal was to see if people would take me seriously with this trimmed set of Handle Bars on my face. I didn't change anything else about myself. I wore the same clothes and acted normal. Here's what I discovered: - People stared.............a lot. You would have thought I had two arms growing out of my nostrils with some of the intense glances I got.
- It doesn't fit with my job. I deal primarily with Youth Pastors, who are infamous for the Soul Patch, Goatee, Chin Straps, etc. But the Fu screams out, I'M LIVIN ON THE EDGE!!
- Other than Cops and Truck Drivers, no one else had one........which made me stick out like a traffic cone.
- People thought I was joking at first, but when they saw that I was serious about it, situations got awkward. Classic example of a Snickers commercial, "Want to get away?"
The only other time I've felt out of place was when I went to Kenya for a month and little black kids would stare at me and tug at any kind of hair within reach. I felt more like a God than anything else. They were fascinated. But evidently I took it too far in the Northeast Corner of Oklahoma, where cut off shirts and mullets still reign supreme.
I have this song that I cannot stop listening to because the lyrics haunt me and inspire me at the same time. Many of you know my friend Spencer was a musician (he passed away over a year ago) and how much his music means to me. Well, I got a hold of some music I hadn't heard in a while and I thought I'd share a certain part.
It comes from the song, "So Long Goodbyes".
And you're screaming down a hole that cannot hold your well informed diatribes
Your search for hope is buried low beneath the load of your burning critic eyes
You're happy with comfortable life, but I would cry some tears to see you come alive
And behind it all not scared to fall, but wondering what would happen if you could fly......
And don't you know that could fly?
So say so long to those goodbyes, that you have said so many times before.......
And you're saying them once again
Now turn around and break the trend, face the sun, and lean into the wind......
And the wind of change can be your friend
My friend now say hello to life and hope and second chances that you could never win......
That's why they're not worth it all
So fill the whole and walk away, show them mistakes and grace go hand in hand.
To me, it's such a powerful song that always reminds me of God and how he wants me to live my life. I hope you find something in the songs that you listen to as well.
Well folks, I've gone and done it.....I've succumbed to the coolness of the world and brought myself up to speed so no one can doubt my ability to keep up with the rest of the mid/upper 20's in America. I bought an iPod Touch. And not the small one (8GB), no, I bought the Big Bertha that screams out "My life cannot fit into 16GB!". So now I have 32GB of space to fill with music, movies, videos, podcasts, photos, applications, etc.
It was a tough day on the wallet though, but hey, I'm a big boy now and I'm out of debt, so I can throw down some dough on a pretty cool gadget. I must say, I'm quite impressed that I finally did it. I'm usually about as tight as a pair of jeans on a emo/skater kid when it comes to spending money. I'm a sale rack kind of man and I don't like waste, so there is some considerable thought put into everything I buy, even socks and undies.
I think my biggest fear is that I will get bored of it, like any other toy. Honestly, I don't plan on carrying this thing on my hip everywhere I go. But I do hope to use it to it's fullest capabilities. I'm trying to figure out the whole Apps thing and find some cool ones that I can play with.
Which brings up the question, Does anyone have any suggestions for music, Applications, videos, etc that I can fill my iPod brain with? Fill me in on the cool things of the earth that I have been missing out on. Please, I don't want to be a loser 26 year old.
*****Notice - If you are a 20 something and do not yet have an iPod Touch or iPhone, do not take this Blog seriously. You are not a loser and never will be.
When I entered the world of Blogging, I was proud of myself for wanting to pour out what is really on my heart or mind like it was some kind of confessional. But I've come to find that I am not as innovative or original like some other bloggers out there. Which immediately makes me a little self conscious or takes me back to those days as a junior high kid who wasn't cool enough to do all the other stuff that all the other boys could do (I could suck my stomach in so far that I could touch my spine!). I guess it's just weird to me how little things like a blog can make you think about yourself how you stack up against other people. It's stupid really. I've sat many times at my computer trying to figure out something cool to write about. Lame, I know. Don't judge.
But then again, here I am pouring out my thoughts. What a conundrum.
I love blogging and I think I've learned a little about myself in the process. I'm putting my thoughts out there just as I am. I can't pretend to be a poet or try and act like I live the most fascinating life. I mean, I live in Quapaw, OK. No offense fellow Quapawnians (Go Tigers!).
I honestly don't even know if anyone reads this. I'd like to think that people check it weekly to see what's going on in my life, but that would be a wee bit pretentious of me. Maybe I'll just do it for the sake of doing it.
I hope you don't want to stab yourself in the eyes after reading this. If you do/did, seek immediate medical help.
Well folks, a beautiful day spent driving around my land with Kristen Collie, my wonderful Aggie co-worker, got even better when we stumbled upon a piece of land that once beared a house and family. Now, all that is left is an old garden, some sheds with tons of snakes, and you guessed it.....
A Trampoline
It was like a beacon of light. I couldn't help myself but to go and jump back into my youth. I always wanted one, but knew we couldn't have one because we moved around so much. To have one now is like a breath of fresh air. I spoke to the owner of the land to see if he would mind me taking it to my house and he didn't even realize it was there. He assumed everything back there was just trash.
Just goes to show you, one man's trash is another man's treasure.
I love Minivans. I can't help it. They are so incredibly user friendly and come with the coolest amenities.
Yes, I do realize I am 26, single, and most of all, a male. But I don't care. I am counting down the days until I get one.
Help me out here folks. I have developed more and more of a love for reading since graduating. I guess I just have more time. Every morning I wake up and read for about an hour and then go about my day. Usually, it's some kind of Christian book that teaches me or enlightens me on an issue. I love starting my day off with God and wrapping myself around a concept or story about Him. But I'm always up for anything.
But I need a new one as I am finishing up my latest book, "What Paul Really Meant"
So I need some suggestions. To give you an idea of what I have read lately, here's a quick list: What Paul Really Meant Serve God, Save The Planet Financial Peace When God Writes Your Love Story Celebration of Discipline I Don't Have Enough Faith To Be An Atheist
Help a brotha out here
Pranks, it's whats for dinner. It's what makes summer camp even that more amazing.....until it happens to you. Except in my case. You see, I went to Texas for a few days and saw the family, ate some delicious College Station cuisine, watched some Fightin Texas Aggie Football Practice, and relaxed to a point where I almost felt bored. Upon my return to Okieland, something just didn't seem right when I walked into my house. My walls, furniture, appliances, cabinets, knick knacks, etc. You get the point. EVERYTHING was covered. But covered in what you ask?
Post It Notes.
It literally took me about 3 minutes of just walking around my house to really take in the fact that everything I was looking at was covered in 3x3 inch Post It Notes. Just try and take that in for a second. After not saying a word for about 5 minutes, my phone rang and the culprits were laughing and reveling in their accomplishment. The culprits being Deborah Lovejoy and Taylor Self. Here are some numbers they gave me. It took them 3 days to post 10,000 Post It Notes around my house along with about 130 pictures that they hid around my house. The photos are the most random arrangement I have ever seen in my life and I must confess that I have looked hard and have only found about 93 so far, which means I will be finding these things for weeks to come. The last one I found was tucked in a pocket in my jeans at the bottom of my drawer. So they went all out. And it was truly amazing. I mean seriously, I am still blown away and this happened over a week ago. I haven't even made a dent in taking them down either. I started taking down the ones where I needed. For example, in order for me to sit down, I had to de-Post It Note my recliner. When I was hungry and wanted to cook, I had to de-Post It Note my stove and microwave. Ridiculous. And amazing at the same time.
So here's to you Deb and Taylor and all the other peeps that had a hand in this: Y'all got me good and it will literally stick with me for a while.
Here's some pics-
My Living Room  My Coffee Table  Deborah doing her thing  Taylor doing her thing 
I love God. A whole lot. He shows himself in the craziest ways and craves my attention and passion and obedience. But gosh, I suck at doing that full time.
As sure as the sun rises and the seasons change, my attention and focus shift from God to useless stupid things. I'm guilty of being a habitual person. Literally, when I find something I like, I just continue to do it, regardless of how old it gets. I do it with food, music, clothes, routines, etc. The only time I'll change it is when I'm either forced to or someone shows me a new cool thing to shift my focus. So I love my habits, but then I also hate them. Dumb, I know.
Let me give you an example of what I'm currently pushing through: This whole summer I've been on fire for our ministry up here at Cave Springs. Getting up was never a problem, starting my day with prayer and coffee, and then heading in to greet people and serve like a mad man til later that night. And then get up and do it all over again. It was beautiful. Nothing broke, not too many hiccups, I got to work with amazing people, and Churches were having amazing times.
But this week has absolutely sucked. It's been one of those weeks where things just don't happen like they normally do. And I promise I'm not naive enough to think everything should be constant. But things just started breaking, I tore open my knee on a rock, activities didn't run like they should, I had no amazing staff by my side, and worst of all, I just became more and more frustrated with each little thing. Today, I just stopped what I was doing because I was about to punch a hole in the wall. I sat and just vented to the wall about what I was pissed about. Pretty pathetic, I know. But it's even more pathetic that a week ago I was singing praises and now I'm yelling at the top of my lungs because things aren't the way I'm used to.
I realize this is part of life. I get that. We live in a broken world and I'm a sinner which don't really go well together.
This may have made no sense to you. Maybe I just needed to vent to something other than a wall. On a side note, I'm not pissed anymore. I will be again one day, but not tomorrow. Weird.
There are Seasons for everything.
Solomon mapped out virtually everything a person can go through over the course of their lives when he wrote Ecclesiastes. And he is still spot on to this day.
I happen to live through some seasons myself. Granted, the seasons I go through are pretty planned out in terms of what I expect. There's the Fall, Winter, and Springs Retreat Seasons.
And then there's the Summer Season. For the last 4 years of my life, I feel like most of my time is spent prepping for the Summer Season. Obviously, I work in a ministry dominated by kids craving the summer experience and churches seeking to unleash a week of fun and small group discussions. But then it ends. Just like that. Yesterday, it ended for me. For anyone who has ever worked at a summer camp, you know what I'm talking about. Reality hits when you drive away from camp. The reality that you won't have to eat the same food every week, clean the same dorms, work the same activity, lifeguard, share one bathroom for 10 people, etc. The list goes on and on.
But I can't just sit here and try and relive all memories I had. Of course I will keep up with everyone. But more importantly, this new season is an opportunity for me to try something new with my life. Here are some things I want to do in this Fall Season:
Build a deck for my house
Finally learn to play the guitar (already started this one, thanks to Taylor)
Run 5 miles on a consistent basis
Cook
So there it is. As somber as this time of the year is for me, I've got to recharge for the next Season of my life. If you have any suggestions for something else I can try and do, send them my way. I'm up for almost anything.
As you might have heard earlier this past weekend, Northeast Oklahoma was hit hard by two crazy big tornadoes. Picher, OK took the brunt of the two twisters and pretty much decimated the small town of a 1,000 or so people. And in case you're wondering where we are in relation to that, it's only about 4 miles. 4 very small miles that can change your perception on just how lucky you are. It was almost 6pm when Rudy (our wrangler up here at Cave Springs) called me on the radio telling me to step outside and take a gander at what was heading our direction. As I looked to the sky, I saw blackness and the remnants of 2 tornadoes that had just dissipated and went back up into the sky, effectively skipping right over the camp and saving us from utter destruction. My first thoughts were, "dang, I didn't get to see it actually on the ground moving." But those thoughts changed quickly when I imagined what might have been. It's kind of weird because I think in reality, all of is would like to witness something like this because of the sheer magnitude and power of something we can't control or stop. When I lived on the East Coast, it was the same way with hurricanes. You always thought they were cool from a distance, but once they got close to you, you were scared and praying for mercy upon whatever the storm touched. So after all that going through my head, my thoughts turned to who did take the hit of those 2 tornadoes, which the Meteorologists tagged with Class 4 classifications (the highest is 5). In the next 10-20 minutes, people were calling us asking if we were okay and going through their own checklists of who they have called and heard from. The lone person no one had heard from was Dana Kelly, our Director of Food Services at camp. Moving forward a couple days to today, Rudy and I drove out to her house and witnessed the devastation of Picher. Dana lived right in the path of the tornadoes and her house was hit hard. Although, she didn't take nearly as much pounding as her neighbors. Only about 100 yards behind her house, 6 people died in an area that was cluttered with empty places where houses once stood. Where memories had been made by families that once lived there. Just driving there, it was hard to take it all in and then comprehend the fact that I still have everything. We drove past one house where a man was literally sitting there staring at this huge pile of rubble that I can only assume was once a place of security, happiness, and bliss. But he was just sitting there staring at it. And here I am driving through all this staring as well, but with no loss. Well, I take that back. A loss for words. We got Dana's things all packed up and luckily, all of her major appliances were still in working order. Now she literally has to abandon her house so that insurance people and FEMA can come in and inspect. I felt like a huge idiot when I asked her what her next move was. She responded with, "I don't know" and it seemed to be sufficient. How do you know in a time like this when in a matter of 10 minutes, everything is stripped from you? Fortunately, she has a place to stay and is ready to move past this whole mess. I'm sorry if this was a depressing post. But it was something that hit me really hard and something I will never forget.
What the heck do I put in a Bedside Table?
I just recently bought some pretty nice furniture and thought I was all grown up until I came to this conundrum. I feel like an idiot with these nice matching tables and yet, I don't do anything with them.
If you know anything about me, I love to be efficient and everytime I see them, I hate myself for buying them because they don't do anything for me. All I use them for is setting my clock and phone on at night. In my ridiculous mindset, something has to be done about this. I thought about putting a Bible in there but then thought it was stupid because I felt like I was a Gideon trying to fill a hotel full of the Good Book.
So here's my idea: You tell me what to put in there.
I'll let whoever responds to this post figure out this dilemma. Now, let's be reasonable here kids. I'm not stuffing a gorilla or something stupid in there. But give me some suggestions here.
It's killing me.
Help a brotha out.
Howdy folks, it's time for another rousing rendition of Tales from Oklahoma. These Tales gives you a taste of what its like to live in the Okie State.
As many of you know, I switched my Driver's License over to an Okie license but in the process, got a little more than i paid for ($22.50 by the way for a license). After having it only a week, it was brought to my attention by some amazing colleagues down in East Texas that my birth date was wrong. I thought they were messing with me, but alas, they were not and the birth date they listed for me was August 11, 1962. If you're like me, you did the obvious thing and went back to the Drivers License Office and told them about all the Hullabaloo. Here's an account of what went down between me and the four Ladies behind the counter: Me: Howdy Ladies, my name is Mike and I seem to have a problem with my Driver's License. The Ladies: Well, what seems to be the problem sir? Me: Well, it says here on my drivers license that I was born in 1962. (a few moments of awkward silence and confusion ensued) The Ladies: So what's wrong?
Me: Well Ma'am, I'm not 45. I'm only 25. (more awkward silence) The Ladies: Well, what do you want us to? Me (very calmly): Give me a new Driver's License The Ladies: We can't do that here Me: But this is where I got it in the first place The Ladies: Yes, but if the system has you down as a 45 year old man, then you have to go to a Sheriff on either a Tuesday or Wednesday and get it worked out there (It is Monday). Me: Why a Sheriff, this is the Driver's License Office? The Ladies: Because it's illegal to access information from people's files. Me: You don't have to access anything, I can prove right here and now that I'm only 25 (I preceded to show them 2 old driver licenses, a birth certificate, and an old military ID) The Ladies: We can't accept those documents, they've all expired and the Birth Certificate is a copy, not the original. Me (becoming a little more frustrated): Yes Ma'am, a copy of the original, which states my birthday along with every single source I've shown you. The Ladies (becoming a little upset with me): I'm sorry Honey, there's nothing we can do here. Me: Well what if I can't make it over to the Sheriff's tomorrow or Wednesday? The Ladies: I'd drive really careful because if you get pulled over, they could arrest you. Me (obviously frustrated): I would get arrested because a small error like this? The Ladies: Yes Sir, it's a big deal to have false information on your ID. Me (beyond frustrated and staring at the ceiling knowing that no matter what I said, they wouldn't budge): Don't you think this whole thing is a bit silly? The Ladies: Yes Sir, but it's Oklahoma. Me: Does everything happen like this in Oklahoma (I kind of wished I hadn't said that) The Ladies (cheerfully I might add): Yep. Me: Well let's hope I don't get arrested in the next week or two. The Ladies: Good luck! God Bless Oklahoma and its many servants.
So while I was driving today, I decided to turn off the iPod (sorry Apple) and check out the local flavors of AM/FM radio. While scanning the waves, I came upon a Christian Soft Rock station that immediately made me want to change it because I don't really get into that kind of stuff. Now, don't get me wrong, I love Relient K, Shawn Mcdonald, Souldancefree, David Crowder, etc. But much of the "Christian" music today and of years past just seems really cheesy and cookie cutter. So, while looking for a new radio station, I stopped at one playing some old school Third Eye Blind, one of my favorite bands. And it occurred to me that I switched from a song about Jesus to a song about crystal meth and was not at all phased by it. Does this make me a bad person? Of course not, I get that. Or how about this: I went to church this past weekend and the pastor asked the congregation what they surround themselves with; do they watch R movies, listen to "bad" music, hang out with trouble makers, drink, etc. To me, that sounds more like, "Are you building a bubble so that nothing can come in and get you?" I don't want to live like that personally. I think it stems from the notion that people think what you listen to or watch is what you will become. So if I watch a R movie I will go on a killing spree or go to strip clubs (not that all the R movies I watch pertain to that by the way, just an example!). I believe this is more so related to maturity and self awareness. Now, I know I am not the poster child for maturity, but I'm not going to let a song or movie or beverage control me or what I can become. I understand it happens though, which is why I heard that sermon on why I should rid myself of all that stuff. But why can't Christians understand why some of us can hear a non-Christian song and be okay with it? Or drink a beer and not become a drunk and so on and so forth? I honestly left church feeling a little bit guilty because when the pastor went off on that rant of things you shouldn't do, I might have been the only one in the 1,000 seat auditorium not nodding my head in agreement. I don't consider myself a rebel, but I kind of felt like one that Sunday. Anyone have any thoughts?
Well, I did it. I went furniture shopping today for my house I'm about to move in to. I feel like I aged 10 years by looking at bedroom sets and desks and living room sets all day, but its necessary considering I own absolutely zero pieces of furniture. So I sold my young soul and became a Yuppie. Is that bad?
Here's what I got.......
Queen size bed (pillow top suckas!) Sleigh Bed frame Dresser End Tables Desk Coffee Table
Now, I obviously didn't buy all this. I'll pay it off over the next years. It felt so weird doing all this as I constantly called my parents to make sure I wasn't getting ripped off. But the good news is I am finally growing up and will have nice stuff. I'm used to cinder block tables and single beds that just lay on the floor.
Now obviously, this will probably all be thrown out when I get married.........if I get married. But for now, I like it.
Is this lame that I spent a good 7 hours looking at furniture today?
For my next act, I will fulfill the request of the one, the only Nick Robinson. He suggested I describe a normal day for me up here in Oak-la-Home-a. So here we go.........
6:00am - my alarm goes off, and I hit the snooze button.
6:09am - my alarm goes off again and I reluctantly get out of bed and head to the shower.......I'll go no farther into that 6:17am - after a wonderful hot shower and brushing my teeth, I dress myself in some variety of navy, gray, and khaki clothing garments. 6:20am - probably my favorite part of my day. I sit down with a book and coffee and drink and read (at the same time). Right now, I'm reading Streets of Laredo by Larry McMurtry. It's the sequel to Lonesome Dove, my all time favorite book. I generally read for about 45 minutes to an hour. 7:30am - head to the dining hall for some good grub. The food is amazing up here, enough said. 8:00am - greet guests and find out any special needs they may have for the day. Those could include anything from facilitating activities (i.e. ziplines, paintball, skeet shooting) to fixing any small problems they may have with their meeting room or dorm. 9:00 to 11:30am - start cleaning something. Along with being a Retreat Coordinator, I am also the Manager of Housekeeping.......impressed, jealous, attracted????? I clean anything and everything that guests could touch, use, or see. Of course, I have quite an amazing couple of young ladies (Tracy and Kristin) that do roughly 99% of the cleaning as I try and learn how to do all these things at once. Without them, I'd be a mess. 11:30 to 12:30pm - lunch for myself and guests, pretty much the same thing as breakfast, except the food gets better as the day gets older. Seriously, its awesome. 12:30 to 4:30pm - this part of the day I try and devote to planning and emails and such. By planning, I mean I am trying to plan out the next week in terms of who is coming, what are their needs, meeting rooms assignments, activities, etc. I work with Rachel to figure out programs staffing and we make sure that all activities will run smoothly and efficiently. Also, I am trying to plan Sky Classic, which is Cave Springs Summer Camp for kids 7-16 years old. It's a beast, but its worth it considering this is my first love in the camping industry. Emails have become a huge part of my life. Yeah, I know that sounds lame, but its true. I talk to as many 3 or 4 groups during the span of the week and we try and plan out their stay here. Some can be very easy and laid back and some can be very picky and high maintenance. 4:30 to 5:30pm - dinner for me and the guests (in that order suckas!) 5:30 to 9:00 - back at the office for more planning, inventory, and other random things I want to catch up on. Right now, I'm trying to recruit 16 amazing Program staff for this summer. That has become a larger task than I could ever imagine. I'm also trying to understand budgets and planning the summer months which represent 80% of our business. I want to be ready for that one. 9:00 to Bedtime - Sportscenter, Skype, answer personal emails. So there you have it. I am one lame Retreat Coordinator. Hopefully I'll get better at making more time for myself and getting away from the office. As for now, I love what I'm doing and enjoy the long hours. Having said that, I have no life outside of work yet, but I just moved here and plan on getting plugged in with a church. It will all come with time. I hope this didn't give you a nosebleed. Stay tuned for more from Miami Mike.......I kinda like that nickname, maybe I'll just start calling myself that. Total props to Nick on that one. p.s. - I plan on changing the appearance of the blog whenever I get a chance. It's pretty boring right now, I know. Polka dots aren't really my thing.
So here I am in Miami........Oklahoma. Not the kind of move you would expect from a recent college graduate. But hey, who gives a crap. I'm adapting to my surroundings like a freaking chameleon. Some things I've learned since heading to the northeast tip of Oklahoma (in no particular order):
1. Don't pronounce it like the normal, hip, flashy, fancy, bikini clad ladies, over muscular dudes that make you laugh instead of being impressed. No, instead, pronounce it like you live in a place where rocks actually grow out of the earth rather than grass, where Wal Mart sets the latest fashions trends, where logic goes out the window and mullets are king. That's right, you're in MIAMAAAAA.
2. Everyone has a little bit of Native American in them........I think I may be 1/64 Quapaw now.
3. Casinos are the only thing open past 8pm. Oh, and meth labs too I guess. But I haven't seen their hours yet.
4. Pick a side. OU or OSU. Just do it for heaven's sake. It will save you time trying to explain you're not from around here and really don't care. I picked OSU by the way, which I've come to find isn't the popular choice.
5. Super Funds are not Super Fun. Actually, they are a place where lead and other deadly gases have mixed under the Earth and can cause a town to be evacuated. Picher, OK is the last lucky town to have this honor bestowed upon them. Trouble is, some people don't want to leave. Remember what I said about logic?
6. Learn the Turnpikes. And bring cash.
Okay, I think that may be a helpful list for any potential movers on their way up here. While it may seem that I hate life up here, I would like to step in and say that life is good. I love my new job, the people I work with, and the Lord I get to serve.
And yeah, I did put a cheesy Christian ending in there. And I don't give a crap.
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