The Top Ten Reasons Why I Love Being a Children/Youth Worker in a Church (in no particular order):

1) I never lack for something to do.
2) I get lots of practice coming up with sufficient answers to personal questions asked by congregants.
3) The crazy things that happen in Sunday School and Youth Group make excellent stories to tell at parties when the conversation runs dry.
4) I have perfected my poker face, since I can't look surprised or shocked when kids ask strange or inappropriate questions.... and just when I think I've heard it all, another shocking thing is said that makes me realize I have so much farther to go before I'm actually jaded.
5) Despite the fact that my office averages about 90 degrees because it sits directly above the boiler, and the dog outside my window howels and barks constantly, I'm thrilled to have my own office and not have to share a room with 3 other church interns anymore.
6) Church Council and congregation members seem to know things about me, even though I can't remember telling anyone the things in question.
7) Congregants like to pull me aside after church to ask me questions that have absolutely nothing to do with my position at the church. I've learned to just smile and nod.
8) Children seem to pick the worst moments during Worship to leave to go to the bathroom. This adds some entertainment to church; I like to guess when each child will leave. I'm usually right.
9) Youth Group is never dull, especially since many of them have no inner filter. This is similar to Sunday School, except the questions tend to get more involved and/or personal with the older kids. My love life is the most popular thing to ask questions about, which has led to some fun (and awkward) conversations.
10) There is always someone to talk to! :)

Forgiveness and Priorities

This past Sunday, we had a "Healing Service" at church. I don't know about you, but when I think of a healing service, I think of the crazy tele-evangelists that smack someone on the head and say "You're healed!" Luckily, this was not how it was at the church. We were to not only pray for physical healing, but for that one thing that is keeping us from God. Those of us who wanted to were invited to come up and have the "laying on of hands" to pray for whatever healing they wished. We could say what we were praying for to the pastor or the nurse-- or not, it was the person's choice. I had never had an experience like this, so I was hesitant to go up at first. I did, however, finally go up.

I had expected to not discuss what I wanted to pray for, but when I got up there I found myself saying out loud what was keeping me from God: "I want to be more forgiving." I surprised myself; this wasn't what I expected to say-- but as soon as I said it I knew it was true. I had been harboring dislike for those who had hurt me deeply, and I needed to let go so that I could further my relationship with God. Forgiveness, I now know, does not mean that you approve of the action. It just means that I am unwilling to hold in that pain anymore. And so I prayed that I would be able to forgive.

Later, I had a funny conversation with the Pastor and his wife. Somehow we got on the subject of priorities, and the conversation went something like:

Me: Well, now you know where [the pastor's] priorities lie.

Wife: Let me tell you a story about priorities! When he proposed to me, he said "Now, I want you to know that my priorities are God, church, and you-- in that order."

Pastor: I said that?!

Wife: Um, yeah you did.

Pastor: Well, I must have, because it's true. I just wanted her to know where I was coming from before she made her decision!

...That conversation made me feel tons better. I'm not some crazy person with weird priorities-- people in ministry feel the same way I do!!!

Only in the '70s

I would like to thank Michelle for calling my attention to this video:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2657697036715872139&q=protein+synthesis

The first three minutes consists of a professor explaining the process of protein synthesis; if you're anything like me, you'll find it pretty boring. My suggestion is to fast forward through the first three minutes and get to the good stuff.

The "good stuff" is a creative dance interpretation of protein synthesis, filmed in 1971 at Stanford. This dance consists of a couple hundred students running, dancing, and rolling around an open field while a narrator speaks and a band plays. I don't know which part is better-- the narrator changing the words to Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky" poem to talk about amino acids, the band's ultra retro music (complete with bongo drums and a cowbell), some singer guy periodically yelling and singing about peptide bonds and tRNA with extreme enthusiam, or the big hippie dance party on the field symbolizing the process. It makes me wish I had lived during the '70s-- it looks like tons of fun!!!

Oh, and I think Wayne would have made a great dancer in this video. If you know Wayne at all, this image should make you fall off your chair in hysterical laughter. (Are you happy, Wayne?? I finally wrote about you!)

Singing with Soul

I'm an addict.

No, really. I am. I'm addicted to singing.

I sing in the shower, in the car on the way to work, as I walk to class, as I (haha) clean my apartment. I randomly burst into song when someone around me says a sentence that reminds me of a lyric, and I sing in three different singing groups. Now that I'm thinking about it, my life is as close to a musical as it could possibly be. The only thing missing is the perfectly choreographed dance breaks that are supposed to look spontaneous but have actually been rehearsed to the "T."

Oh, wait, I have Praise Dance for that.

The thing is, I love singing. And I've realized lately that my life would be missing something if I didn't sing. It wouldn't have that "oomph." And, I think I like singing partially because I know that I'm somewhat talented in that capacity. Is that prideful?

However, I became extremely self-conscious of my singing ability on Thursday night, when a member of the choir invited me to informally sing a duet with him after rehearsal. An accomplished Jazz pianist and singer, he was in his element as he took the notes on the page and changed things within the key structure to add syncopation and his own style. He took a traditional Christian hymn and made it sound like a Duke Ellington hit. When I sang with him, I realized that I was not equipped for this style. My classical training meant nothing in this arena. I continued singing the notes exactly as they were written on the page, until finally he shouted over the piano "Have fun with it!!!"

"I am having fun!" I wanted to protest. But I realized that, in this style at least, I'm a stick-in-the-mud. I'm a musical party-pooper. I can only follow the notes on the page and sing those well. The minute I'm asked to put my own style into in, I'm screwed. I'm basically a music monkey.

Boy, was that a blow to my pride. I may be a "good" singer, but I have a really long way to go if I want to be versatile. Right now, I can only sing what's given to me. I need to learn how to make the music my own. I'm guessing that this may not be a learned skill, but I can at least try.

I need to be able to "sing with soul!"