Put on Your Blue Suede Shoes

Don't we all need feel good days? You know the days I'm talking about... right? Although it was definitely too chilly outside and to chaotic a schedule to truly be a feel good day - today really felt like one. Okay, for those of you who are lost - let me explain.

Feel Good Day - n., A day such that one's heart and emotional existence can coordirnate with physical peace and harmony.

Right... so let's try that again...

Feel Good Day - A day where the sun shines early and the birds are chirping. You get enough sleep to wake up during the sunrise and not feel tired. The sunrise is then observed while walking through dewey grass, barefoot, and listening to everything that is peaceful and natural. A strong rhythm beats in your veins and you feel on top of the world... at least that's what it is for me. There is no more (important) internal conflict and, quite frankly, no one else's opinion really matters.

Today was definitely a Feel Good Day - far from perfect, and far from what the ideal Feel Good Day should be but somehow I could care less about everything going around me. For today, it was just me and God and the song of my soul - which is ironically similiar to Walking in Memphis.

I, like many others, cannot wait for summer. There is something about summer that I have always claimed to detest but really do quite adore. Summer is a season of brutal honesty. In spring, there exists the facade of innocence and rebirth. After summer, autumn comes with it's "aging" wisdom and calm serenity that hint toward the end. And then winter is filled with death and deception. It waits -giving false hope that maybe autumn won't have to end and then fades slowly with small, teasing glimpses of spring.

But summer, summer is the exposure - the honesty - that is lacking for me. In summer, I don't have to smile anymore. I don't have to stress to make other's happy with my grades and my attitudes. In summer, I don't have to waste my days with mindless drone work that may at some point contribute to a higher paying job but definitely does not contribute to a satisfied soul.

Summer brings heat and fire and irritation but it is when you get to see the true colors. It is where you see dedication on the blacktop "marching field" ten hours a day; where you see runners not so gracefully pushing themselves over the hills until they collapse from exhaustion. It is also a place to relax and just be yourself - the pretensions and the facades of high school social classes stop.

The rolling Kentucky hills, covered in soft, meshy grass are made into a beautiful canvas full of paths to be ventured. And on the days romaning these hills, it's where the power of today's materialistic, man-made, man-controlled, man-destroyed society ceases it's grip on me. Out there it is only me and God. Out there... out there I can be me without being judged or ranked.

Any maybe I am disillusioned with life - maybe is summer is just another scientific cycle which just happens to fit in perfectly with a great metaphor. But I don't think so... God is too deliberate to have let something that intricate happen by chance. The most important thing is that we find and appreciate our "feel good" days for what they are... a chance to be free. A chance to sing to your heart's content, dance until your knees give way, talk until your own voice makes you sick, and listen until you start to think that you have possibly lost your own voice.

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into the trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves." - John Muir (American naturalist and writer)

Finding Forrest

On Sunday, our high school service started a series based on a book by Leonard Sweet, Dean of the School of Theology at Drew University. the book is entitled 11 Indispensable Relationships You Can't Be Without. The book discusses 11 relationships that we need to be stable in our lives. All of the relationships have modern and Biblical examples for us to connect to.


This first week, the relationship we studied was that of a true friend. Now, keep in mind, a true friend does not necessarily have to be a best friend. In 1 Samuel 18 all the way through 2 Samuel 1 we learn of the true friendship between David and Jonathan. Jonathan and David become friends, even though, Jonathan's father (Saul) and David are enemies. However, their friendship goes even deeper than that. When Jonathan is sent to kill David by his father, Jonathan instead tells David to be on guard. When Saul sends more soldiers after David, instead of fleeing altogether, David runs to Jonathan to ask for advice and Jonathan helps David escape. For Jonathan to resist his father's orders and aide the man who was pronounced to become king (even though through lineage Jonathan should have been heir), is huge. 1 Samuel 18:1-3 (NIV) states "After David had finished talking with Sual, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return to his father's house. And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself." Then, in 1 Samuel 20:42 we witness again the strength of their friendship. "Jonathan said to David, 'Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord, saying, 'The Lord is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.'' " Jonathan and David were closer than brothers who would do anything for each other. Such great friends in fact, that even their descendants would share that bond.




The other, contemporary example that the book gives is Forrest Gump. The reason he is the modern is example is because of his life long dedication to the people he loves most - whether it is his Mama, Jenny, Bubba, or Lieutenant Dan. One thing that Forrest always asks his friends is "What can I do for you?" Although you may never here him say, it is apparent through all of his actions, that this is how he approaches most, if not all, of the situations he faces.



A true friend is loyal. A true friend will be honest with you when everyone else pretends that life is okay. A true friend shows dedication, selflessness, and a bond that is closer than a brother or sister. I know that I have three true friends -three people than I can go to for just about anything and I know that they will listen. Not only will they listen, but they will help me find a solution - whether that means coping with other people or readjusting my attitude. So my question to you this week is this: Who are your true friends? Who can you go to when the world no longer cares and life doesn't seem worth it anymore?



And don't forget that it is good to have a balance. For girls, it is good to have guys that cut through the crap but you also need a girl that is more than a sister to you for those times when guys just don't understand. And the same thing goes for guys, too. True friends don't come along often so hold onto them tight. And never forget that these relationships aren't one-sided.



To whom are you a Forrest, or a Jonathan? Especially in our society, it is easy to forgot that the world does not revolve around our problems and our stress. Be willing to put everything aside and just listen - sometimes it can be more relaxing than you think.



Tune in next week to find out what the book says next! Of course, any of you are more than welcome to actually join me for church on Sunday - just leave a comment!!!

Playlist: I Will Be - Leona Lewis, Let's Get Together - The Youngbloods, You've Got a Friend In Me - Toy Story Soundtrack, I'll Be There for You - The Rembrandts, Whatever It Takes - Lifehouse