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Tonight our youth ministry decided we’d do something for others instead of ourselves. Instead of going from house to house asking for candy and handouts, we asked for non-perishable food items for a local food pantry. And we didn’t accept any candy.

This is the second year we’ve done this. Last year, Halloween landed on a Wednesday and instead of holding youth service, we loaded our students onto our church bus and dropped groups off in four different neighborhoods around the church. It’s a perfect night for this because people are already expecting visitors to be coming to their door. Most are pleasantly surprised that a group of teenagers are thinking of others instead of themselves.

Because we didn’t have a captive audience (non-youth service night), we had about 25% of our group show up. We had a blast and collected a ton of food for people in need. I’m so proud of our students who are willing to give and live selflessly.

When we finished, we helped out at our church’s Trunk or Treat event (see picture).

To celebrate, we pelted each other with dodge balls for about an hour before going home.
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I voted early today. I’m not going to be around next Tuesday and wanted to make sure I did my part.

I didn’t realize how crazy it would be.

When I got to the township office, the lady there (turns out she’s my sister-in-law’s aunt!) told me that it would be a 2 hour wait. So I sat down with a book and waited. When all was said and done, my name was called about an hour and a half in. Not too bad.

The voting went well, but I have a question. Maybe I’m not doing due diligence before I get into the booth, but what’s with section on Judges? There were about six on the list and I’ve only heard of one of them. I’m not typically in the courtroom, so I’m pretty much clueless about what these people are like or why I should or shouldn’t check yes by their name. Every time I vote I just stare at the page trying to figure out what I should do. Is there some sort of “Voter’s Guide” for judges?

At the end I got an “I Voted” sticker. Something about that just makes me proud. Whether or not my candidate gets elected, I’m proud of the fact that I live in a country that gives me the opportunity to voice my opinion. And I guess I’m proud that I acted on that opportunity.

Don’t forget to cast your vote on Tuesday, November 4, 2008.
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For me, the horn is an essential tool in the automotive arsenal. The horn is my friend.

Apparently not everyone is friends with their car’s horn.

I have another friend (a non-inanimate object) who ignores this powerful ally in the fight against congestion. Last week he was driving myself and some others to lunch. Someone in front of us decided to stop their car and begin to perform an illegal u-turn in front of us. The key to this sort of manuever is to do it quickly, so traffic doesn’t have to stop and a certain someone with flashing lights doesn’t see you either.

This man apparently never got that memo.

He proceeded to block our lane of traffic with his back bumper. We slowed and then stopped in order to avoid contact with his car. All he had to do was scoot forward and we could have passed easily. But the guy just sat there blocking traffic, performing an illegal u-turn and waiting until oncoming traffic lane was clear for two miles before moving. As amazing as this is, it pales in comparison to what happened (or rather what didn’t happen) next.

My friend ignored the horn.

Maybe he was in shock. Maybe he’s just nice. Maybe his horn is broken. But there was nothing. Simply no reaction.

Other than setting the clock on your car radio, the horn is probably the most difficult, confusing and dangerous piece of equipment in your vehicle. Ignore it and you miss out on the fun. Use it too much and people think it malfunctioning. Press it down too long and the person you used it on begins to follow you home. Using the “quick tap” to let people know you need them to move for you is a just a split second away from the “road rage blast”.

Knowing when and how to use the horn is critical to an effective and enjoyable driving experience. Like anything else, perfecting use of the horn requires skill, practice and a little bit of pent up frustration. Happy honking.
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When I was in college, my roommate was Jamie Kemp. He, Joel Schidmgall and I would spend hours on end just hanging out. We didn’t have usually have an agenda or any particular activity (though we did play a lot of Golden Eye on the N64). We didn’t need to do anything, we were content just with our friendship, conversation and laughter. Some of my favorite memories are from those times.

Tonight we had Jamie and his wife, Tasha, over for dinner and we spent several hours just “hanging”. They are missionaries Indonesia who are in the midst of raising support for their first term on the field. For me, it’s a bittersweet experience. I’m excited for my friends who’s dreams to be on the mission field are finally being realized, yet at the same time I’m sad to realize that in a few months, they’ll be half a world away.

I’m so appreciative of my friendship with them. We laugh. We share our lives. We’re honest. We care. There are no masks, no hidden agendas and no need to impress. There’s really no catching up or awkward silences. It’s authentic relationship that I rarely see in other places. In college, Jamie and I used to say that we’d “mastered the hang”. After evenings like tonight, I think we’ve still got it.

You can read more about the Jamie and Tasha and their burden for the people of Indonesia at their website.
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