It's my last day at Heartland. I go to Dallas 9 o'clock tomorrow morning. I'm there for a week. I leave on Wednesday for Chicago. I'm there for two days. I'm in Grand Rapids on Friday. The End.
Goodbyes are so strange. So strange. It's one thing leaving something that you're okay leaving because you have an opportunity to move on. Go forward. Get going. It's another thing to leave something that requires real, authentic emotion to leave your body while the person or place leaves you. This summer has been full of hello's and goodbye's. See ya later's and It was nice know you's. Who was that's and I think I remember them's. Being at a church with 8000 people has had its ups and its downs. However, the relationships that I have built have been incredily rewarding and have made me consider myself very greatful.
What's sad is that often times, you don't necessarily know how much of an impact you've made on something until you leave. I have had some incredible affirmation while I've been here but about two hours ago, I had my going away party (see: cake and Dasani water bottles). It was very nice to see some of the church staff for the last time and them give me some encouraging words. Dugan, my best friend that I've met here, spoke very kindly of me and gave some funny, quirky comments. Mike Hickerson, my golfing buddy/boss/Sr. High Head Directional Leader, told everyone that I would be perfect for hiring at any point down the road and that I gave as much if not more to Heartland as I recieved. And then Tammy, my host mom, could hardly speak because she was crying too much. I was shocked by that. Tammy, an incredible woman and sooo nice, has been nothing but hospitable and a joy to be around. But I had no idea that what ever I've been around the Buteyn's (Host family's last name) was worth crying over. Little things like that continue to encourage me to be myself in all situations. I've only been me here and people have really accepted me as a good friend, trustworthy collegue or family. It's been hard.
But with that, my time here isn't done yet. I still have about one more week and two days of "work" left although none of that will be spent in Rockford. It should be fun though. I have a busy life ahead of me and a lot more goodbyes to say. The ones ahead are going to be harder but they are also going to be more memorable. I have loved my time here at Heartland but it also has proved to be another short stay in my proverbial journey. Someone told me today that in their prayers for me, they believed God was telling them that wherever I would land would surprise me. I think that's going to be true. I don't know if it's going to be a good surprise or a tough one to deal with, but my life, I hope, will not prove dull. I won't have it any other way.
Thanks Heartland Community Church.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Trial and Error
Here we are. I'm six days away from leaving Rockford. This summer has been a whirlwind to say the least.
I just got back from my last vacation time which was spent ironically (or maybe not so ironically) in Holland, MI. I spent some time with Mel and her family. It was great out there. I'm going to miss her a lot. That's all I'm going to say about that.
As far as my internship goes, wow. To say that Heartland moves fast would be an understatement. I got in this morning, eight hours after I got home last night, got pulled into a meeting about the Dallas mission trip that I'm going on with the Senior High. I was told that my I am leading a group of ten or so senior highers with another girl I work with and that I'm also going to be single handedly leading a mission project for a vacation bible school with one of the churches that we'll be partnering with while we're in the big D (Dallas). Then, I was told that we need to leave earlier than expected and was asked if I was okay with leaving on Thursday instead of Saturday Morning. So now I'm going to be leaving on a jet plane (I don't know when I'll be back again...) on Thursday afternoon sometime, working with one other guy from Heartland, getting all of the sites prepared for the senior high's arrival, and then doing some other work where necessary. It should be good. It's just a lot to come home to after vacation. But I wouldn't have it any other way.
I've said a lot that this internship has been great and different and exciting and interesting and thought provoking and good and slow and too fast and ambiguous and everything else. It has still been all of those things. To try and label it something would be naive. It just wouldn't be able to be done. I came into this church thinking that I might run into some pretty arrogant people seeing as the people I had talked to on the phone had said some things about Heartland that made them seem pretty high and mighty. However, after I realized that communicating over the phone does not do communication justice and that going into a ten week long internship with a sour attitude might be shooting myself in the foot, I let my eyes be opened for a second time. I'm glad I did. Everything that followed after getting here happened quickly and happened well.
So now, as I start to look back on this internship and not ahead anymore (although there is plently to look forward to), I realize that the questions that I hoped might get answered are still out there. However, those questions are more refined and some of the answers that I was hoping would get answered did. Because of these ten weeks, I know that going into ministry does not mean the same thing for any person, church or talent. I know that if I wanted to get involved in ministry and make it my vocation, I could do it with the talents that I have and I wouldn't necessarily have to reform to my surroundings. My surroundings, hopefully, could help shape me but also challenge me enough so that my talents are complemented and exuded out of me. And that's when ministry works best- when the place in which God is explored or searched after or studied or whatever, really makes the source of those actions, the person, shine at what he or she is good at by challenging them to strengthen their strengths. Basically, that means that we as people need to worship God with what God has given us to worship with. If we're painters, let's paint and praise God through that. That doesn't mean that our canvases need to be filled with crosses and sunsets. But because all things are God's, anything that is painted is of God and thus honors him.
So when I think about myself, I think about a couple of different things. First of all, I have never really labeled myself as the smartest guy. I am very capable at getting good grades but that's only when I study. Because of that, I don't think that just trying to teach will come easy to me. If I wanted to teach right now, I think I could make a very relevant teaching to a congregation but the depth of it might be very exegetically shallow. And for me, the exegesis of a sermon is where most of my inspiration is generated from. Teaching how jealousy hurts my neighbor might impact me and it might even get at me emotionally, but for me, I don't think it changes me. Until I know what Jesus was going through during the time of when he talks about jealousy (I don't know when or where that is in the Bible so don't quiz me), I am not truly impacted by it. I need to know what was happening so I can make all of the other relational connections. Why was that person jealous? What did it do to that family? What could have happened to prevent it? Why is Jesus so adamant about this situation? Why did he pick this one to talk about? How does it relate to me? Yes that is called contemplative exegesis but for me, that only happens after the exegesis. I can only relate something to me correctly when I know that the history of it is sound. Otherwise, I'm only relating what I think is supposed to be related and that is sort of like a red herring fallacy (claiming that this claim is false because you refuted the wrong interpretation of a certain argument).
So this intenship has been great for me because it really has opened my eyes to some really new ways of doing ministry. I don't know what I'll be doing in a year from now but I do know that personal contemplation is the best way to start working that stuff. "You can't grow unless you change." "The Muscle doesn't grow any stronger unless you rip it." "Why do we fall down? So we learn to pick ourselves back up." There is a lot of quotes like that. Probably because life works like that- in a trial and error method. Hopefully, the final victory outweighs the minor errors. I bet it will.
I just got back from my last vacation time which was spent ironically (or maybe not so ironically) in Holland, MI. I spent some time with Mel and her family. It was great out there. I'm going to miss her a lot. That's all I'm going to say about that.
As far as my internship goes, wow. To say that Heartland moves fast would be an understatement. I got in this morning, eight hours after I got home last night, got pulled into a meeting about the Dallas mission trip that I'm going on with the Senior High. I was told that my I am leading a group of ten or so senior highers with another girl I work with and that I'm also going to be single handedly leading a mission project for a vacation bible school with one of the churches that we'll be partnering with while we're in the big D (Dallas). Then, I was told that we need to leave earlier than expected and was asked if I was okay with leaving on Thursday instead of Saturday Morning. So now I'm going to be leaving on a jet plane (I don't know when I'll be back again...) on Thursday afternoon sometime, working with one other guy from Heartland, getting all of the sites prepared for the senior high's arrival, and then doing some other work where necessary. It should be good. It's just a lot to come home to after vacation. But I wouldn't have it any other way.
I've said a lot that this internship has been great and different and exciting and interesting and thought provoking and good and slow and too fast and ambiguous and everything else. It has still been all of those things. To try and label it something would be naive. It just wouldn't be able to be done. I came into this church thinking that I might run into some pretty arrogant people seeing as the people I had talked to on the phone had said some things about Heartland that made them seem pretty high and mighty. However, after I realized that communicating over the phone does not do communication justice and that going into a ten week long internship with a sour attitude might be shooting myself in the foot, I let my eyes be opened for a second time. I'm glad I did. Everything that followed after getting here happened quickly and happened well.
So now, as I start to look back on this internship and not ahead anymore (although there is plently to look forward to), I realize that the questions that I hoped might get answered are still out there. However, those questions are more refined and some of the answers that I was hoping would get answered did. Because of these ten weeks, I know that going into ministry does not mean the same thing for any person, church or talent. I know that if I wanted to get involved in ministry and make it my vocation, I could do it with the talents that I have and I wouldn't necessarily have to reform to my surroundings. My surroundings, hopefully, could help shape me but also challenge me enough so that my talents are complemented and exuded out of me. And that's when ministry works best- when the place in which God is explored or searched after or studied or whatever, really makes the source of those actions, the person, shine at what he or she is good at by challenging them to strengthen their strengths. Basically, that means that we as people need to worship God with what God has given us to worship with. If we're painters, let's paint and praise God through that. That doesn't mean that our canvases need to be filled with crosses and sunsets. But because all things are God's, anything that is painted is of God and thus honors him.
So when I think about myself, I think about a couple of different things. First of all, I have never really labeled myself as the smartest guy. I am very capable at getting good grades but that's only when I study. Because of that, I don't think that just trying to teach will come easy to me. If I wanted to teach right now, I think I could make a very relevant teaching to a congregation but the depth of it might be very exegetically shallow. And for me, the exegesis of a sermon is where most of my inspiration is generated from. Teaching how jealousy hurts my neighbor might impact me and it might even get at me emotionally, but for me, I don't think it changes me. Until I know what Jesus was going through during the time of when he talks about jealousy (I don't know when or where that is in the Bible so don't quiz me), I am not truly impacted by it. I need to know what was happening so I can make all of the other relational connections. Why was that person jealous? What did it do to that family? What could have happened to prevent it? Why is Jesus so adamant about this situation? Why did he pick this one to talk about? How does it relate to me? Yes that is called contemplative exegesis but for me, that only happens after the exegesis. I can only relate something to me correctly when I know that the history of it is sound. Otherwise, I'm only relating what I think is supposed to be related and that is sort of like a red herring fallacy (claiming that this claim is false because you refuted the wrong interpretation of a certain argument).
So this intenship has been great for me because it really has opened my eyes to some really new ways of doing ministry. I don't know what I'll be doing in a year from now but I do know that personal contemplation is the best way to start working that stuff. "You can't grow unless you change." "The Muscle doesn't grow any stronger unless you rip it." "Why do we fall down? So we learn to pick ourselves back up." There is a lot of quotes like that. Probably because life works like that- in a trial and error method. Hopefully, the final victory outweighs the minor errors. I bet it will.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Movin' and a Shakin'
July 15. Today's date. That's ridiculous. I was looking up my days of work left and I have 10 more office days and 18 more days of work left in total. I cannot believe that my life is moving so quickly.
So there are a couple big things that have happened since the last time I wrote. I suppose the biggest thing that happened was when Mike Hickerson, the head leader of the Sr. High and one of my bosses, called me into his office. He asked me what I had been getting out of this internship and what I had enjoyed and what I didn't. He then told me that often times in an internship, the intern is stuck doing work that many people don't like doing (which is what I was doing the first couple of weeks here) but even more often, the host of the intern doesn't get nearly as much out of the intern as the intern gets out of the host. Usually, he said, the host gives the intern a lot of opportunities and more often than not, those opportunites are not things that are really ready for the experience that the intern contains. (You should know that at this point, I'm thinking, "Oh crap. What have I done here?") But then he said to me that it wasn't the case with me. He said that everything that Heartland has given me, I've been able to accomplish and contribute right back. He said that this was the most even internship that I could have had. Even meaning me taking and giving. He also said that he personally has loved working with me and that everyone that he has talked to has had all great things to say about me. He finished it with: "I don't know what you're doing next year after you graduate and I don't know if I'd even have a job to offer you or the money to do it with, but I would hire you in a second."
That was incredible to hear. It just affirmed a lot of doubts that I've had since I've been here and it gave me a lot encouragement throughout. Obviously this is not a job offer nor is it something that I am waking up at night thinking that maybe I should try and pursue after this. I don't want to live in Rockford and I don't know if I want to work at a church. However, to know that my goal from the very start of wanting to give back to Heartland as much as I will take being accomplished is very affirming. What's even greater is that I didn't spark the conversation either. Mike was the one that asked to talk to me and took the time and made a point of telling me some very detailed and great things. Moreover, it also really affirms the fact that I have not just been sitting and absorbing. I contributing. I'm doing stuff around here that matters. I'm not just full of ideas that people are considering because I am the intern. The people I'm working with really enjoy my ideas and think they're good. Good enough to even hire my brain.
Maybe it's sad that I wanted this affirmation so badly. Some people say that I should know by now that I always have something to contribute but it doesn't always feel like the case. I really want the encouraging word. Well actually, that's not necessarily true. I want the encouraging final word. I don't really want nor need the, "you're doing a great job! Keep going! You're doing great!" I sort of feel like that is usually premmature. It's almost as if those words aren't genuine. Often times, in my mind at least, the encouragement is for lack of an ability to give good criticism. When I'm working on something, anything, I want it to be the best. And I know that what ever I do will not be the best on my own account. I need the ideas and views of other people. I need them to give me their opinions and criticisms. It's pretty obvious that the world doesn't see life the same way as one person and it's even more obvious that the world doesn't see life the way I do for sure. In order to relate, I need others to tell me how they see things. So when Mike and the other staff at Heartland helped me along by giving my projects and giving me their ideas to collaborate with, that was the encouragement I needed. And when they told me that I did a great job, that was the affirmation I needed.
Anywho, my life at Heartland is going and going to stop here soon. It's been great thus far and I'm more than happy to be at this church than any other church I could have been placed with. I've heard of some of my friends running Vacation Bible School, doing sermons, working at coffee shops, and such and while some of those things really interest me, I don't think they are FOR me. VBS isn't my thing so much, I want to be waaaay smarter before I teach, and the way things are going, I might be working at Starbucks right out of school. I needed to be surrounded by great friends that love God and love the church and I was/am this summer. I don't have all of my questions answered nor do I have all of the answers (that I do have) finely tuned. However, I do have more answers and better questions. I'm looking forward to the last part of my internship. It should be a solid ride.
So there are a couple big things that have happened since the last time I wrote. I suppose the biggest thing that happened was when Mike Hickerson, the head leader of the Sr. High and one of my bosses, called me into his office. He asked me what I had been getting out of this internship and what I had enjoyed and what I didn't. He then told me that often times in an internship, the intern is stuck doing work that many people don't like doing (which is what I was doing the first couple of weeks here) but even more often, the host of the intern doesn't get nearly as much out of the intern as the intern gets out of the host. Usually, he said, the host gives the intern a lot of opportunities and more often than not, those opportunites are not things that are really ready for the experience that the intern contains. (You should know that at this point, I'm thinking, "Oh crap. What have I done here?") But then he said to me that it wasn't the case with me. He said that everything that Heartland has given me, I've been able to accomplish and contribute right back. He said that this was the most even internship that I could have had. Even meaning me taking and giving. He also said that he personally has loved working with me and that everyone that he has talked to has had all great things to say about me. He finished it with: "I don't know what you're doing next year after you graduate and I don't know if I'd even have a job to offer you or the money to do it with, but I would hire you in a second."
That was incredible to hear. It just affirmed a lot of doubts that I've had since I've been here and it gave me a lot encouragement throughout. Obviously this is not a job offer nor is it something that I am waking up at night thinking that maybe I should try and pursue after this. I don't want to live in Rockford and I don't know if I want to work at a church. However, to know that my goal from the very start of wanting to give back to Heartland as much as I will take being accomplished is very affirming. What's even greater is that I didn't spark the conversation either. Mike was the one that asked to talk to me and took the time and made a point of telling me some very detailed and great things. Moreover, it also really affirms the fact that I have not just been sitting and absorbing. I contributing. I'm doing stuff around here that matters. I'm not just full of ideas that people are considering because I am the intern. The people I'm working with really enjoy my ideas and think they're good. Good enough to even hire my brain.
Maybe it's sad that I wanted this affirmation so badly. Some people say that I should know by now that I always have something to contribute but it doesn't always feel like the case. I really want the encouraging word. Well actually, that's not necessarily true. I want the encouraging final word. I don't really want nor need the, "you're doing a great job! Keep going! You're doing great!" I sort of feel like that is usually premmature. It's almost as if those words aren't genuine. Often times, in my mind at least, the encouragement is for lack of an ability to give good criticism. When I'm working on something, anything, I want it to be the best. And I know that what ever I do will not be the best on my own account. I need the ideas and views of other people. I need them to give me their opinions and criticisms. It's pretty obvious that the world doesn't see life the same way as one person and it's even more obvious that the world doesn't see life the way I do for sure. In order to relate, I need others to tell me how they see things. So when Mike and the other staff at Heartland helped me along by giving my projects and giving me their ideas to collaborate with, that was the encouragement I needed. And when they told me that I did a great job, that was the affirmation I needed.
Anywho, my life at Heartland is going and going to stop here soon. It's been great thus far and I'm more than happy to be at this church than any other church I could have been placed with. I've heard of some of my friends running Vacation Bible School, doing sermons, working at coffee shops, and such and while some of those things really interest me, I don't think they are FOR me. VBS isn't my thing so much, I want to be waaaay smarter before I teach, and the way things are going, I might be working at Starbucks right out of school. I needed to be surrounded by great friends that love God and love the church and I was/am this summer. I don't have all of my questions answered nor do I have all of the answers (that I do have) finely tuned. However, I do have more answers and better questions. I'm looking forward to the last part of my internship. It should be a solid ride.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Sprinkling and Dunking
Hey You Crazy Blog!
Sorry it's been so long since I've written anything. My head has been spinning with many-a-thing to do and very little time to do those things in. Here's a quick recap of what I've done in just the past week. First of all, I am working hard on doing this Mighty Family Smashup thingamajig. The MFS is a family focused, 30 minute drama, teaching series that Heartland does once a month about nine months out of the year. It's target audience is families of fifth graders and younger. Each episode is focused on family issues like jealousy or telling the truth or just how to be better family members/people in general. It's pretty innovative and more fun than anything. It does get a message across though in a pretty exciting, Jr. High-ish kind of way. (That's not supposed to be a diss. It's supposed to be geared down on the ol' maturity level) So I've been help writing and critiquing that. I don't do much writing, just three paragraphs in a thirty minute episode but I have helped give my input and ideas for other people to run with.
Also, there was a giant baptism of like 350 people or something ridiculous like that this past weekend and I had an opportunity to be a part of that. I even helped dunk someone. Whole different story which I will get into later. The way the do baptisim around here is pretty different. They have a baptism service and then they have an immersion service. For the baptism service, they shrink their normal seven services to five. Then, during those five services, instead of a message, they have everyone who signed up and registered to be baptised come up to the platform. Then, there are about six people with bowls of water doing the normal baptism questions like, "Do you believe in Christ alone" and "will you allow Him to lead your life?" They then answer and the baptiser does the sprinkling of water on the forehead. Backing up just a bit- in order to get up to the platform, you have to write up your testimony and make a very firm committment to Christ. The elders then read those and accept people's wish to be baptised. No child under 12 or 13 is allowed to get baptised unless he/she meets with an elder for a one on one session. For the immersion service then, all 350+ people meet in the parking lot where a pool is set up outside. Heartland rents a pool and bleachers and speakers and makes it a party with a big barbeque and the whole schpeel. Then, all 350 people make their way into the pool, six at a time again, a verse is read for each group, the words are spoken by the pastor, and people get dunked. It's a pretty/very big deal around here.
After the baptism and when everyone cleared out, my friend, Carson, and I then jumped into the pool and swam around with Dugan, who was already in the pool. It was a good time. For those of you that are thinking that sounds really disrespectful. I promise you, everyone was so far removed from the pool that no one was offended. Not to mention, the jumping into the pool is apparantly a Heartland tradition. I was lucky enough to be a part of it. However, when we were in the pool, there was one more guy that did want to be baptised and Dugan being the Youth Leader on staff had the "authority" to do so. So Dugan introduced himself and I did the same and while Dugan asked him the whole set of questions, I helped dunk the guy and bring him back up. My role was very inconsequential but it was cool being a part of someone's baptism.
Now, my whole mindset towards the mass baptism is kind of blurred. I just don't know how I feel about it. I mean, there is something to be said about a traditional baptism where three-seven people make their committment to Christ in a very public way where the congregation viewing them will remember the baptis-ee's face and hold him/her accountable. However, there is also something to be said about a celebration made out of baptism where hundreds of people get baptised as part of a huge community. I guess I thought the prior was a little more personal which I like. The latter is a little less personal but then I started thinking about where baptism got its start. Maybe, just maybe, when John the Baptist was doing baptism, it looked more like the way Heartland did it and less like the way most people are accustomed to it. Maybe, baptism was about the masses but an individual commitment. Maybe. I don't know. I am definitely more used to one way and would prefer to do baptism the way I was baptised, but I can see points for both. Regardless, being a part of Heartland's Baptism service was a very cool thing and the change in people's lives seemed evident. Whether or not that's true is, I suppose, debateable, but that's pretty cynical. I would much rather give those people my blessing and pray that their lives are changed forever. I mean, isn't that what baptism is about anyway? Making the committment to Christ and having your life reflect that?
So with all of that said, my time here at Heartland is drawing very near. Here's my schedule. I work today and tomorrow (Thursday). We're off Friday for the 4th of July. I go to a Brewer's game on Saturday for a Bachelor's party. I work until Wednesday with Monday off, because that's my day off. I then am at my sister's wedding from Wed-Sun. I work that next week. I'm then off from Sun-Wed for a little family time with Melissa and her immediate family which will be awesome. I then work a week and a half more, and then I'm off to Dallas for a mission trip with the Sr. High and then I'm home in Chicago on the 6th of August for the Summit Leadership conference and then I'm home for good on the 8th. The rest of this internship is going to fly by. It's been good and great in parts. It's never been disappointing. It's given me some answers and some great questions. It's given me direction and a scope to follow. I can't really ask for more than that. It's hard being a part of Heartland only because it could just as easily function with or without me. That's not to say my work in inconsequential. It's just to say that the work I've been given (which has been a lot), is almost always a little off the target of my main interest. I've enjoyed what I've done here. Very much so. It just hasn't always been the bulls-eye.
Last cool thing- I've been offered a chance to do some research for one of the teaching pastors around here. That is very cool. I like that idea a lot. Muy Mucho. Have a great you crazies.
Sorry it's been so long since I've written anything. My head has been spinning with many-a-thing to do and very little time to do those things in. Here's a quick recap of what I've done in just the past week. First of all, I am working hard on doing this Mighty Family Smashup thingamajig. The MFS is a family focused, 30 minute drama, teaching series that Heartland does once a month about nine months out of the year. It's target audience is families of fifth graders and younger. Each episode is focused on family issues like jealousy or telling the truth or just how to be better family members/people in general. It's pretty innovative and more fun than anything. It does get a message across though in a pretty exciting, Jr. High-ish kind of way. (That's not supposed to be a diss. It's supposed to be geared down on the ol' maturity level) So I've been help writing and critiquing that. I don't do much writing, just three paragraphs in a thirty minute episode but I have helped give my input and ideas for other people to run with.
Also, there was a giant baptism of like 350 people or something ridiculous like that this past weekend and I had an opportunity to be a part of that. I even helped dunk someone. Whole different story which I will get into later. The way the do baptisim around here is pretty different. They have a baptism service and then they have an immersion service. For the baptism service, they shrink their normal seven services to five. Then, during those five services, instead of a message, they have everyone who signed up and registered to be baptised come up to the platform. Then, there are about six people with bowls of water doing the normal baptism questions like, "Do you believe in Christ alone" and "will you allow Him to lead your life?" They then answer and the baptiser does the sprinkling of water on the forehead. Backing up just a bit- in order to get up to the platform, you have to write up your testimony and make a very firm committment to Christ. The elders then read those and accept people's wish to be baptised. No child under 12 or 13 is allowed to get baptised unless he/she meets with an elder for a one on one session. For the immersion service then, all 350+ people meet in the parking lot where a pool is set up outside. Heartland rents a pool and bleachers and speakers and makes it a party with a big barbeque and the whole schpeel. Then, all 350 people make their way into the pool, six at a time again, a verse is read for each group, the words are spoken by the pastor, and people get dunked. It's a pretty/very big deal around here.
After the baptism and when everyone cleared out, my friend, Carson, and I then jumped into the pool and swam around with Dugan, who was already in the pool. It was a good time. For those of you that are thinking that sounds really disrespectful. I promise you, everyone was so far removed from the pool that no one was offended. Not to mention, the jumping into the pool is apparantly a Heartland tradition. I was lucky enough to be a part of it. However, when we were in the pool, there was one more guy that did want to be baptised and Dugan being the Youth Leader on staff had the "authority" to do so. So Dugan introduced himself and I did the same and while Dugan asked him the whole set of questions, I helped dunk the guy and bring him back up. My role was very inconsequential but it was cool being a part of someone's baptism.
Now, my whole mindset towards the mass baptism is kind of blurred. I just don't know how I feel about it. I mean, there is something to be said about a traditional baptism where three-seven people make their committment to Christ in a very public way where the congregation viewing them will remember the baptis-ee's face and hold him/her accountable. However, there is also something to be said about a celebration made out of baptism where hundreds of people get baptised as part of a huge community. I guess I thought the prior was a little more personal which I like. The latter is a little less personal but then I started thinking about where baptism got its start. Maybe, just maybe, when John the Baptist was doing baptism, it looked more like the way Heartland did it and less like the way most people are accustomed to it. Maybe, baptism was about the masses but an individual commitment. Maybe. I don't know. I am definitely more used to one way and would prefer to do baptism the way I was baptised, but I can see points for both. Regardless, being a part of Heartland's Baptism service was a very cool thing and the change in people's lives seemed evident. Whether or not that's true is, I suppose, debateable, but that's pretty cynical. I would much rather give those people my blessing and pray that their lives are changed forever. I mean, isn't that what baptism is about anyway? Making the committment to Christ and having your life reflect that?
So with all of that said, my time here at Heartland is drawing very near. Here's my schedule. I work today and tomorrow (Thursday). We're off Friday for the 4th of July. I go to a Brewer's game on Saturday for a Bachelor's party. I work until Wednesday with Monday off, because that's my day off. I then am at my sister's wedding from Wed-Sun. I work that next week. I'm then off from Sun-Wed for a little family time with Melissa and her immediate family which will be awesome. I then work a week and a half more, and then I'm off to Dallas for a mission trip with the Sr. High and then I'm home in Chicago on the 6th of August for the Summit Leadership conference and then I'm home for good on the 8th. The rest of this internship is going to fly by. It's been good and great in parts. It's never been disappointing. It's given me some answers and some great questions. It's given me direction and a scope to follow. I can't really ask for more than that. It's hard being a part of Heartland only because it could just as easily function with or without me. That's not to say my work in inconsequential. It's just to say that the work I've been given (which has been a lot), is almost always a little off the target of my main interest. I've enjoyed what I've done here. Very much so. It just hasn't always been the bulls-eye.
Last cool thing- I've been offered a chance to do some research for one of the teaching pastors around here. That is very cool. I like that idea a lot. Muy Mucho. Have a great you crazies.
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