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Last Monday, the students from crew got together to make a movie. One of our students wrote a script for one of our movie days last summer (he was going into 8th grade at the time). We didn’t get around to it until now.

We’ll be doing another make a movie day in about a week. I’ll make sure to post whatever crazy stuff we come up with then, too.

FYI, the head on the church’s video camera is going out on us. You may notice minor distortion of the video and audio. Actually, most people probably won’t notice (or care), but I thought I’d mention it in case you do.

I don’t like talking about movies too much on my blog because I know the moment I do, there’s the possibility that I’ll offend someone or give the impression that I endorse something that isn’t 100% wholesome. So if you’re that person, just ignore the next couple paragraphs. This isn’t really about the movie anyway.

Anyway, I watched the movie Juno tonight. First, I’m about 7 months late in discussing the movie, but I’m too cheap to drop the cash at the theater. There are two sides of my movie watching experience. There’s the one side that concerns how much I enjoyed the film and there’s the other side that deals with what this film can teach me about culture. Walt Mueller has often said that culture is both a map and a mirror. It’s a map in that it shows us where culture is going and it’s a mirror in that it reveals who we have become. He has an excellent review of movie here.

I enjoyed the movie, but watching it reminded me of the brokenness, struggles, hurts and pressure that many teens face. It does a great job of showing how these teens and the people around them deal with the difficult issues related to teen pregnancy, love and relationships.

Just after watching the movie tonight I came across this article. It’s about a high school in Massachusetts where 17 girls are pregnant. Apparently these girls made an agreement with each other to get pregnant and raise their babies together. The saddest part of the story is when a recent graduate who was pregnant her freshman year answers why these girls want to have children: “They’re so excited to finally have someone to love them unconditionally.”

Though this “pregnancy pact” is unique, I don’t believe the desire for unconditional love is unique. With all of the physical, social, and emotional changes taking place during the Jr. High and Sr. High years, it’s critical that students know that they are loved and accepted for who they are. This is especially true since they’re in the process of self-discovery and they’re uncertain of who they are or who they will become. They need reassurance that someone out there cares about them.

I once heard that kids don’t hear “I love you” from their parents enough. I’m sure it was some bogus statistic. But it’s stuck with me nonetheless. So one of the things I do with my boys is ask them, “Who does daddy love?” Kent’s a bit too young to understand, so I answer for him. Parker and I have made a game out of it where he names everyone he knows until he answers correctly with “Parker”. I do this almost daily with them because I always want them to know that I love them unconditionally. I never want them to have doubts about my love for them.

And that’s where our job comes in. As parents, teachers, youth leaders, friends, peers, etc. We all have a role to play in the lives of students in helping them look for love and then (more importantly) find in the right places.

Wow. Marathon post. If you’re still reading this, then give yourself a gold star.

Yesterday I blogged about OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). Today I’m posting about something equally disturbing: OCB (Old Country Buffet).

For some reason the pastoral staff at Stone Church loves this place. To me, it’s one step above a feeding trough. Even with the sneeze guards, it’s a petri dish of germs with utensils that have fallen into their serving platters.

There are two items at OCB that I don’t mind eating…usually. The fried chicken and the corn (they didn’t serve the later today). Everything else is just a bit “bleh” for me. Mashed potatoes? Fake and pasty. Carrots? Bitter and chewy. My stomach’s been screaming at me all evening for having eaten there.

And don’t forget the “waitress” that clears your dishes. Couldn’t I just do that myself? I mean, I’m already serving food to myself, why add a third party to get my drink and then take my plate away like I’m a two year old? Are these Waiter University dropouts? Are they waiters in training and haven’t been taught how to take a plate to a table? Does this person make the place more “classy”? To me it’s just another person I have to unnecessarily tip.

I think the staff likes OCB because they can make their own salad. The fundamental flaw in this, of course, is that “old country buffets” (if they ever even did exist) were probably not known for their vast amounts of rabbit food. Instead, I imagine buffets in the country involved meat and other good and important foods, like meat.

I think next week I’m going to come to staff meeting with a head of lettuce and throw it at anyone who suggests we go there again.

What are the restaurants you don’t like to eat at?

I’ve never been officially diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, but I’m pretty sure some aspects of my personality line up with it. I don’t obsess over everything, it’s usually just focused on a specific area(s) for a particular amount of time.

A month or so ago it was keeping up with Twitter. Whenever I got back to a computer I’d check to see who had written what and whether or not I had missed any interesting links. Then I started using it with Google Talk and things got a bit easier. With all the issues Twitter’s been having and the growing number of people I’m following, it’s forced me to reduce the need to catch everything. And that’s a good thing.

My main problem now is my Google Reader. It’s way too full. Somehow I managed to get myself up to 52 subscriptions. Granted several of these feeds are seldom (if ever) updated, but on the other hand there are two that post at least 10-15 a day.

So my friends of the interwebs, how do you manage everything?

I love my boys. Sure, they can grate on my every last nerve at times, but when all is said and done, nothing could ever change how much they mean to me. I’m fortunate to have two healthy, overactive sons who remind me about what’s important in life and what isn’t. Parker’s constant questions about the world and life remind me of the need to learn, explore and grow. Kent’s laugh from his belly reminds me not to take things to seriously. I consider them a priceless gift from God.

Parker and Kent, thanks for making me a proud dad.

(I’ve updated our online pictures. For more pics of the boys, click here.)