Sunday nights are fun

Hey gang, long time no see :)

This is a good moment right here...the end of a Sunday, the checkbook's balanced, my room's quasi-organized (I know where everything is now), I've made my list of things to do tomorrow (don't look at me like that. I'm not that anal. I probably won't get half of it done, anyway), and now I'm putting down this quick blog before me and my glass of blueberry-pomegranate juice go kick it with some reading before I knock out.

And if I sound like an old man, it's only because I'm practicing for marriage ;)
Seriously, though, for someone who spends as much time running full tilt at life as I do, times like these are a rare blessing.

And it just struck me again that I'm graduating on Tuesday. Tuesday! Graduating! Isn't that nuts? After all the delays, set-backs, detours, and near-quits, I'm walking the stage at the Pharmed Arena to shake hands with the dean I've spoken to once and the President I've never met of the university I'm not quite sure I totally disliked.
Six years. Sheesh...
When I think about it, it really isn't that long of a time, especially in comparison to-Lord willing- everything else I've got coming (I plan to live to be 120 at least). I think what makes it seem so huge is the sheer amount of life I managed to pack into those years.
More first times than I can bother counting right now, some good, and some I'll just say that I learned from :).
Lots of laughs. Many, many very stupid stunts that were definitely good ideas at the time (quarter stick of dynamite under a trash can in the backyard at FSU, anyone?). Lots of tears. A lot of wondering when I would finally meet Stephanie.
I could probably go on for a while, but I'll spare you the litany for now. What's really neat is being able to look back and see all the places where time and time again what seemed like unconnected and at times very painful coincidences were divinely knit together in a way that propelled me towards something better.
Times like these are a cool reminder for me of the really important things.

Okay, time to go read. Peace!

Hi

Hey gang! Long time no see!

I apologize for the recent lack of posting; I chalk it up to being partially swamped, partially uninspired, and partially distracted (read: lazy).

I'm going to try to get back in the saddle this week or next. For now, feel free to check out the video we showed at FRC this weekend to promo next weekend. Notice the stunning brunette in the second scene...;)

My sister, the wife

So my sister and Dustin are officially married, off on their honeymoon...what a wild thought; I remember our Middle School days when I used to embarrass her by obnoxiously pointing at boys she thought was cute ("oh, which one, sis? THAT one? Ow! Why'd you hit me??").
My, how time flies. Like Stephanie even said today, we've been engaged for four months already and it feels like I proposed yesterday. I strongly suspect that once we're both graduated in May and the actual nuts and bolts of the wedding planning begins that things will only accelerate even more.

Hmm...1 o'clock already. I guess I should get on with things so I can get some sleep before Easter Week officially kicks off for me tomorrow.

So anyway, back to Milena's wedding. In hindsight, I am struck firstly by how much everyone seemed to enjoy the event, despite the occasional lapses in certain areas I was sure would cause certain members of my family to completely flip out. As far as those go, Steph and I spent a good deal of time on the drive back to her house critiquing the things that needed to be critique and making notes of what we liked and what we would avoid (such as photographers who show up an hour and half late and forget to photograph half of the family, for starters), and what would could improve on. However, minor critiques aside, and independent of what anyone else might think or say, it has to be noted that my sister and Dustin had the time of their lives, and I know they'll be remembering the day fondly for the rest of their lives.

Despite all the headaches that cropped up in the days leading up to and even during Milena's nuptials (being a groomsman and the audio director and the video guy all at the same time is grueling work), I've still got to admit that I love weddings.
The symbolism and the sacredness of the ceremony, all the different layers and meaning behind everything done and said, fill me with a wonder that I can meditate on for hours and not get tired of. I love the fact that a span of time can be so packed with significance, so well leveraged and weighty. It's such a neat counter to the myriad influences in the culture around me that so often pull me towards the superficial.
Rob Bell once did a speaking tour which had for its title "Everything is Spiritual." I never got to hear the talk, but that tagline has been burning holes in my lobes for months since I first heard it. It's a phrase that brings more and more delight to me the more I think about it, and I think the reason it does is because I believe that everything is. Let me point to the opposite of that to illustrate what I mean.
Sometimes, when we don't want to think too deeply about why we did some action, we use the phrase "for the hell of it" to provide a reason for it. Think about this for a minute. What are we really saying? If that's true, if the reality is that there's really no reason or higher purpose behind what we were doing, then what we did was a complete waste of time, and we don't get time back once we've spent it.
I'm not arguing against youthful spontaneity or a simplicity that brings joy; the benefits of those things are obvious, but what do I think is a little sad is when I allow myself to think that the time I spend has no real significance, and in doing so, I miss the chance to enjoy a moment I'm never going to get back. The fact is (and I've said this before), I'm becoming the man I'm going to be for the rest of my life. On my wedding day, nothing is essentially going to change about me. For the most part, I will be the result of the choices I've made up that point. Scary thought, isn't it?

So here's why I love weddings: everything matters in a wedding. There's symbolism everywhere, if you're willing to look for it. The unity candle (or sand). The placement of the officiant in relation to the bride and groom. The wedding ring. These things point to something deeper, and I enjoy it because it's a reminder to me that the time I spend matters beyond this moment.
It's the reason Steph and I couldn't keep our eyes off each other as we stood across the aisle during the ceremony, knowing what it meant for Dustin and my sister and knowing what it will mean for us one day. Everything is spiritual. It's a phrase that reminds me that there is beauty in the mundane, and I'm glad for it, because I tend to forget that it's not all there for the hell of it. ;)

tiredness...

In case you're wondering where I've been, here's a quick rundown before I pass out for a quick Sunday nap...

Today: helped lead worship @ Flamingo & sang a neat little Lenny Kravitz tune. Brian taught on obedience. (The video team was all over the place this weekend! Word!)

Yesterday: My little sister's wedding. I was the audio/video guy and a groomsman...so actually that day actually started days before the ceremony when I started putting together the slideshow for my sister and her then-future husband...there's a whole lot more to tell, but that'll come later.

Friday: finished two videos, & went to the wedding rehearsal/dinner...stayed up way too late in order to finish the slideshow

Last week: videos, videos, videos

Last Sunday: filled in for the worship paster at the Hallandale Campus.

The week before that: the aforementioned vacation.

So, it's been a very eventful past few days, and while it's true that there were times that things seemed to be getting out of hand with the amount of hats I had to swap around in order to keep all the plates spinning (metaphorically speaking), I did find several well-spent quiet pockets of time here and there to unwind and reflect and basically keep myself from turning into a human DOing rather than a human BEing (it's funny how much discipline spending time in quietness requires of me. Or maybe it's sad. Or an odd mixture of both).

That said, I'm outta here!