easily amused

I couldn't get the video to upload to the blog from my phone-- maybe I'll put it on facebook in a bit. Eric, Lok, Jared and I watched this microphone spin around the circumference of the table for a good five minutes. Not sure you can tell what that was like from the picture. Blogworth? Maybe not, but still something I want to remember and laugh at later. (I'm starting to get sentimental... I'm going to miss these seniors when they graduate.)

Sprinting through spring

One of the common sense rules in the Underground is "no running." It makes sense because there are tables and obstacles everywhere and really, why would you need to run inside unless something was on fire? The running isn't as problematic as the crashing and subsequent bleeding.

Pretty much everyday down there, I say "(insert kid name), stop running." I've taken to making the repeat offenders repeat "I will not run in the Underground" anywhere from ten to twenty times. It's a temporary fix.

So this is what makes me smile. I'm running the clock for most of the home soccer games this spring. Controlling time is quite difficult. ;)I go from yelling "Stop running" to yelling "Run faster! Get it!" Turns out running outside is essential to a good soccer play.

I'm really surprised that the soccer players don't trip more on the field. They run in such close proximity to each other. That's a lot of feet to trip over plus the ball gets in the way. It seems like when they're all flying around so fast they make instant adjustments to keep their balance. The faster they move, the better they're able to leap over feet and dribble a soccerball. It's amazing to watch.

And that pretty much sums up this time of year for youth ministry. There's so much going on and everything seems to move at an incredibly speedy pace. Camp Sunday was this past week and then next big thing is Youth Sunday on Graduation Sunday. And then it's getting ready for all the summer events. My heart is screaming "Stop Running!" but it's almost more dangerous not to run through this time. The subconscious adjustments to include new events, meetings or conversations are second nature.

Still I think of a quote from my friend Adrian, "Why would you run, unless you were being chased?"

I bought us a puzzle

All week, a handful of UG youth and I have been working on a puzzle. It has 1,000 pieces cut into crazy, abnormal puzzle shapes. It's a picture of a painting of the last supper. You know, all Lent-y getting ready for Holy Week.

The puzzle nerd in me comes down the genes from my grandparents. I think it's maybe quaint to put a puzzle together compared to high tech entertainment options, but it has already proven to be an activity that complements good conversation. Julian, Richard and I spent most of yesterday looking at various pieces and celebrating the small victories of finding two pieces that connect.

"Man, I know this has to go somewhere."
"They all do."

And that's kind of like people, right? We all fit in somewhere. We don't see the whole picture, instead we focus for all the reddish pieces and try to make them work together before looking at the faces or the table or the curtain or the bricks.

Metaphors abound but I need to get ready to leave the coffee house and head back to the church. It's an early out Wednesday. And April Fools' Day. Ought to be an interesting day to be a youth worker.

(I've got pictures of the puzzle project, but don't have enough time at the moment to grab them from my phone. If I'm not exhausted after JUG tonight, I'll come back and edit.)