Our (short) vacation to the shore

Sunrise at the beach. Somehow it always looks better at the ocean. Greg Josh and I went for a walk Monday morning. It was definitely worth it.


Doing one of our favorite things to do on vacation . . . eating! Okay, so we do more than that, but that's probably what my mom would say when she's packing the food. However, just to show that we do more than eat, I'd better include a few more pictures.


I think someone added too much Bubble Bath to this pool! What can I say . . . some days you just get washed up. I can't remember if I rode this wave or if it rode me! The waves were pretty aggressive that day, so we did quite a bit of both. It seriously feels like you're in a blender when you get caught under one. I should know, that's how I dislocated my shoulder 5 years ago. This vacation was definitely better than that one!


After riding waves (and after Greg got pretty badly brushburned by one), we decided to have a sculpting contest. We had one the day before which featured cars, but I don't want to talk about that. Thankfully there was not a camera there that day. Let's just say cars were not my strong point! This time we decided to try boats, which were much more to my liking. We were smarter this time and built them next to an inland pool instead of on the oceans edge. We lost a couple cars like that the day before to rogue waves, much to the amusement of people who were walking past and stopping to see what we were doing. I guess they aren't used to seeing three full-grown guys making sand sculptures. (Well okay, to full grown guys and one little boy . . . a little boy who will kill me if he ever reads this!) These are the three boats we came up with. You'll never guess which one is mine! =)








As you can see from the back of this boat, we all had some breakdowns. Some more than others. I think Josh held the record with about five restarts! We all thought it was hilarious when someone else's sand collapsed -- only to hear them laugh twice as hard as ours did the same a few seconds later!


Greg, hard at work. This was his second attempt. His first attempt was significantly bigger, but it kept sinking on him. He made up for the small size by accessorizing with masts and sails.


After sand sculpting, we went back for one more dip in the ocean. We actually weren't planning to get very wet, but Josh had other plans . . .


After running right up behind us and splashing us, he repented and apologized. Well okay, we helped him with the repentance part a little bit =)


Did I ever mention my brothers step all over me? Nothing I like more than Greg's wet, sandy foot climbing all over me! lol Actually, if you saw what happened right after this, you would say Josh and I had the better part of this process. Greg lost his balance backwards and did a rather amazing head plant in the sand. Fortunately he didn't land completely on his head and it didn't really hurt him.


I managed to get up without doing a head plant. I was feeling pretty proud of myself, but this didn't last long. As you can see, Greg had to go and top me . . .


Actually, Greg was the only one who could do this because Josh and I are the only two close enough in height to make a stable platform. I have to admit, it's a cool picture though.


Mom and dad didn't want to do the pyramid picture for some reason . . . so they got one of the few "normal" pictures of the weekend =)


Last picture of the Stauffer guys at the beach. Unfortunately, Heather and Lindsey couldn't clear their schedules to make it down for this trip. It would have been more fun if they had, but they were keeping pretty busy at home and had some exciting times of their own! =) Thankfully, no one got hurt.

Overall, it was a very nice vacation. It was very last minute and involved very little planning, but sometimes those vacations are the most fun. Thankfully, everything worked out, despite a van that started leaking transmission fluid halfway down. God answered prayers and with a cautious driving strategy that involved multiple checkups and not going over 55 mph on the way home, everything worked out and we made it back home safely.

From devotions this morning

I was reading in Duet. 6-9 last night and this morning. In this passage God is talking to the Israelites through Moses before they head into the promise land. In it, He TELLS them that they will forget him as soon as things start going well. We know from history that this is exactly what happened.

How could they? He warned them, right?

In Duet. God told the Israelites what they needed to do. He tells them that when they reach the promised land, they need to consciously take time to remember where they came from (Egypt), and who got them to the promised land (Himself). He told them to review the commands and meditate on their need of him every day. If not, He said they would soon think they had earned the blessings and forget how much they need God. He told them, but as always, knowing is easier than doing.

I was talking to another Christian named Blake after Bible study last night, and we both agreed that mediocrity is the biggest struggle for us. I hate how easy it is for me to be complacent with my own life and not reach out to others, especially at school. It is useless to try to reachout to others if I don't have a passion for God, but a passion for God is something that is nearly impossible for me to maintain on my own. I can do my part by reading and praying, but there is no way I can create a passion for God. Convicting and frustrating at the same time.

If I don't find a way to remember how much I need God, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I will mediocre life. Not too bad, not too good, just lukewarm, and that is exactly what God says he hates. Unfortunately this is the hardest time for me to remember that because life is going smoothly. I need that urgency/thirst I have for God when times are bad, but I don't know how to keep this mindset when times are good.

Frustrating and kind of scary to realize that your biggest battle right now is against something so slow but so natural. Complacency is so powerful that I don't think anyone is really up to the challenge on their own, but that is naturally how we approach it – on our own. Without the grace of God to show the urgency of the need, the result is slow, predictable. As slow and predictable as it is, it will kill you if you don't take an active role against it.

How many mature Christians do you know who know so much that they haven't been really convicted in a long time? How many mature Christians do you know who love God fervently on their own, but haven't had the courage to share this passion outside a “safe” setting (i.e. church or Christian circle) in years? I know of a lot more than I would like to. Reading through Duet., it scared me to realize how easy it is to become one of them.

Experiencing God's blessing is not a safe place to be . . . unless you can remember how much you need Him. That takes conscious effort and a lot of work. More than that, it requires the grace of God. Have you asked for it recently, or have you forgotten that you need it?

Some people seem to naturally realize how much they need God's grace and how unworthy they are. Consequently, they struggle with doubts about whether God's grace really can extend to them. I'm not one of them. I don't struggle with realizing God's grace can cover me -- I can accept that -- I struggle to remember how much I need it. Reading Duet. and talking to Blake made me realize that I may need it most right now. Not so much to save me from drastic sin, but to keep me from being lukewarm.

Enjoying the journey

I like people who have learned to enjoy the journey, not just the destination. It's an easy-going mindset that says you don't have to reach your destination before you can enjoy yourself. I'd much rather be with someone who can laugh when life throws a curve ball than someone who fidgets, fusses, and does their best to make sure everyone around them knows this was not what they had planned. Besides, what are they going to do when when do reach their goal? Hit the magic button that says “You have arrived! Push button to erase the stress you had getting here and start having fun!?” Sorry, I've never seen such a button. In my experience, people who are determined that life will follow their planner usually spend a good part of their life miserable.

Some of my fondest and funniest memories come from times when everything went wrong and I was with people who could laugh about it. On the other hand, some of my least fond memories are from times when things went wrong and I was with people who were bound to be tense until they got things back on track. The way I see it, when something unexpected happens, you might as well roll with the punch, smile, and get ready to take whatever comes next. You're about to start making memories . . .

Unexpected . . . but it shouldn't have been.

“Are you doing homework?” he asked, sitting down beside me on the park bench. “I'm Ben,” he continued, giving me his hand. I shook it, and a few minutes later I was hearing his life story.

Have you ever had a complete stranger walk up to you and start talking to you like you've known each other for years? Well, I don't know how you react in these situations, but it caught me off guard. However, that was okay because this guy was ready to talk without much prompting. He told me how he was quitting college, the drug deal his friend was messed up in, and how he'd had “an epiphany” that week and was flying high since he deiced to quit school and start a business. He talked a lot about the future and how he is going to be a big man in business someday and impact the world for good. I wasn't saying much (I didn't have much of a chance), but he seemed to think our meeting was, in his words, “meant to be” and he mentioned this several times.

Was it? Ordinarily I wouldn't feel like it. Aside from finding out he was raised Catholic, believed vaguely in God, and wasn't interested in coming to Bible study, I really didn't feel that our little chance “meeting” accomplished much. All the same, I don't believe things just happen without some sort of purpose, and God was made it pretty clear this time that he was responsible.

As a commuter at Millersville, it's hard to get to know people. I only go to school or Tuesday's and Thursdays, and between five classes, these are two very full days for me. However, as a Christian I don't feel right just coming and going from a campus where there is so little hope when I have been given so much. Not being the sort of conversationalist who can just walk up to stranger five minutes before class and start talking about the meaning of life, I started doing the only thing I could think of: Praying that God would give me opportunities. Elementary, I know, but it's surprising how often I fail to specifically ask for this. If we really believe that witnessing is more about God working than us, why don't we ask him to help more often?

Two weeks later, a complete stranger walks up while I'm sitting in the park typing a paper and wants to talk about life. Even though I didn't feel that it accomplished much to help him, God used it to get His message through to me loud and clear: “See what I can do when you ask.”

A teacher I agreed with yesterday, and one I didn't.

“Good teaching is like playing catch. You throw the ball to students, and you wait for them to throw it back. Once they throw it back, you add something more and send it back. If either side holds the ball for too long, the transfer process is not working.”

I agree with this. I have seen teachers who have a lot of good things to say, but they are so concerned with saying all that they have prepared that they hog the ball to themselves. They never check in with their students to see if they are following along, confused, or even interested. The point of education is not for teacher to teach, but for students to learn. That is why good teachers check every few minutes for feedback throughout their lesson, instead of waiting till the end to say “does it all make sense.” A head down on the table or a question that no one wants or attempts to answer is a good sign you are teaching but they are not learning. Unfortunately, that happens a lot in schools.

“When people go hungry, the system of government is to blame.”

This professor, who I think is vaguely socialist, said the problem with Americans is that we blame individuals for the wrongs of society when the system is to blame. Apparently the “western” concept of individual responsibility is outdated in his mind. I'd like to ask him what happened in Socialist China during the “Great Famine” when millions of people died due to a shortage of grain induced directly by the “system.” What about the thousands of people in Russia starved because the “system” fell apart?

Sorry professor, but the “system” never has been the answer to the world's problems. Like a mirror, systems reflect underlying problems, but they do little to solve them. Real improvement starts with individuals and works from the bottom up, not from the top down.

From this same professor: “'Christians [a very loose term I'm sure] compose 33% of the world population. Muslims, 19%. Statistically, Christians [lumped in with America and the “west”] can't afford to make Muslims mad. What happens when they do? Sept. 11.”

My question: Is can we afford to appease them? I agree that we gain nothing by intentionally making Muslim countries mad. Any action solely intended to make a large group of people mad is stupid and should be aborted. However, if the part that makes them mad is the fact that Christians and America exist, what are our options? Cease to exist? Honestly professor, that doesn't strike me as a very good option.

A geography lesson on South Dakota . . .

Why? Like any good student, I'm naturally interested in other places. Well okay, the fact that Chrystal is there and I've been hearing all about it doesn't hurt either! *grin* Here's what I've learned so far:

1.Buffalo are much more common out there than around here. I'm slightly jealous that my girlfriend gets stopped by buffalo crossings on her way to church. The only stops I make on the way to church involve annoying red lights and octagon signs – not fascinating animals.
2.Coveralls are still in style in the Midwest! I couldn't find a pair to save my life last year when I needed a pair for skits at camp. Mom eventually found one for me at a re-use it shop. Out there coveralls are sold brand new by the rack.
3.Long straight roads through small rolling hills are commonplace in SD. (Yeah dad, if you were there you could comment on how long and straight they are about ten or twelve times! lol Sorry, inside joke). Can't say I think they'd be as much fun to drive on as the twisting back roads around here, but it does make for some nice scenery.
4.Small communities are more common, and facial hair is in – well, at least for guys that is! (Eat your heart out Greg :) My sisters would say that's a sign that they are redneck or have very little sense of taste, but I can't totally agree with that. Facial hair can look good on some guys . . . unfortunately I've never met a redneck who was part of this group! lol
5.I have one more reason to like South Dakota than I did before ;) I know we are both where God wants us -- and I wouldn't change that – but I will be glad to see her again. Here's a picture for those of you who have never met her.