carbonated joy

“Like waking up from the longest dream, how real it seemed
Until your love broke through” (Keith Green and Randy Stonehill)

We stumble through the dark in a deep slumber.
Trying to find our way.
We nod off, dead to the world around us.
It’s tempting to sleep through the madness and try to imagine it’s a bad dream.
Cynicism can make us sluggish.
What can we do? The darkness is too thick.
So, we hit the snooze button and roll over.
But…
There is an awakening that has to take place.
It starts with us.
We must get woke to love.
We must get woke to find wonder.
We must get woke to do good and be kind.
We must get woke to dream with our eyes wide open.
We must get woke to the struggles, fears and hurts of our fellow dreamers.
We must get woke to overcome the darkness with light.
There is an awakening that has to take place.
It starts with us.

Buzz Aldrin is one of my heroes.

For starters he has a super cool nickname…Buzz! His real name is Edwin Eugene, so Buzz was clearly a upgrade. One of my favorite characters from my second favorite movie was named after him, Buzz Lightyear. That alone makes him matter to infinity and beyond. But, wait there’s more…

Buzz defied gravity!

That’s right…

He walked on the moon!!

Buzz Aldrin was the second human being to EVER step on the moon in 1969. (Neil Armstrong was first)

But, wait there’s more…

That’s not all that Buzz did on the moon…

He might have been the second person to walk on the moon, BUT, he WAS the first person to pee on the moon! (Blame it on my middle school mindset, but I think that is pretty awesome!) I like to think he wrote his name, because that’s what I would have tried to do, I don’t even know if that’s scientifically possible.The point is he left his mark!

But, wait there’s more…

That’s not all that Buzz did on the moon…

As you can see from the picture, Buzz took the first space selfie!!

But, wait there’s more…

That’s not all that Buzz did on the moon…

Before anything else, Buzz Aldrin took communion on the surface of the moon.

Yup, it’s true…

Just a few minutes after touching down on the surface of the moon, Aldrin made the following public statement:

“This is the LM pilot. I’d like to take this opportunity to ask every person listening in, whoever and wherever they may be, to pause for a moment and contemplate the events of the past few hours and to give thanks in his or her own way.”

He then shut off the radio and right there, on a magnificently desolate rock, 250,000 miles from home, he took communion. Rather than revel, he remembered.

Here is his story of what happened:

“In the radio blackout, I opened the little plastic packages which contained the bread and the wine. I poured the wine into the chalice our church had given me. In the one-sixth gravity of the moon, the wine slowly curled and gracefully came up the side of the cup.
Then I read the Scripture, ‘I am the vine, you are the branches. Whosoever abides in me will bring forth much fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing.’ (John 15:5)

He had accomplished the impossible, he had done the unthinkable!! And, during the biggest moment of his life, he stopped to remember that he had a traveling companion besides Neil Armstrong.

He stopped and remembered.
He acknowledged that in the impossible and the impassable he was not alone.

Every one deserves the chance to fly, to rose above the world.
But, here’s the thing…nobody defies gravity alone.
And it’s always best to travel with the one who holds the stars in his hand and created the cosmos.
Stop and remember.
In the really bad times, remember you are not alone.
In the really good times, remember you are not alone.
Don’t travel alone!
Let your travel companion take control.
Gravity can be anything that pulls us down.
It can be lies we believe, it can be labels that others put on us.
Don’t give into the pull of this world.
The darkness of this fallen planet can suck you in like a black hole.
Cares and troubles are constantly trying to weigh you down. Give them to your traveling companion. He knows what to do!
The unthinkable is only unthinkable because it’s undone.
But, someone has to be brave enough to step into the unknown.
Be brave and defy gravity!
Walk places no one else has ever tread.
Leave your mark!
Do things no one else has done.
Do the unthinkable.
Go on, space ranger, find your moon.

Everyday it’s the same old maddening thing,
On the road all the cars aren’t even crawling.
This freeway has become a big parking lot,
I wish I was able to just drive 55, but I’m not.

We are all creeping along, one irritated herd,
A lady in a green Mazda just shot me the bird.
I’m just trying my hardest to get to work,
And, SUDDENLY, I get cut off by some jerk.

Red brake lights are all that I can see,
Gas fumes are causing me such misery.
Moving along at a blistering 0 miles an hour,
Instantly makes my sweet disposition sour.

Oh brutha, I’ve got the brake light blues,
Better call the boss and give him the news.
Looks like I’m gonna be late again,
This traffic makes me want to sin.

I’m in a traffic jam, man.

Yes, my friends, October is true Magic! Here are 20 reasons why…

20. The leaves become the world’s greatest acrobatic artists as they change colors and fall to the ground with the greatest of ease.
19. It’s good itchy fun to lose yourself in a corn maze.
18. You get the chance to watch the Thriller video a couple hundred times.
17. The scrumptious peanut butter taffy with waxy orange and black paper wrappers.
16. It’s chilly enough that you can wear big sloppy sweatshirts, but it’s not too cold that you can’t still wear cargo shorts.
15. Cobwebs become a decoration.
14. EVERYthing, from pop tarts to poodles, gets pumpkin spiced.
13. Two words…candy corn.
12. It’s perfectly acceptable for adults to wear capes.
11. The heated debate begins about: “is it a stocking hat, beanie or toboggan?”
10. You can watch NASCAR, Football, AND Hockey all on the SAME day!!!
9. The word “seasonal” gets redefined on a daily basis.
8. It’s a great excuse to eat chili.
7. Groucho Marx, St. Francis, John Lennon, and Minnie Pearl were all born in October.
6. Suddenly, it’s cool to dress like a lumberjack with a thick flannel shirt.
5. Your lawn becomes crunchy.
4. Oktoberfest.
3. Coffee tastes EVEN more delicious than usual!
2. happysocktober.com – check out this BEAUTIFUL idea for making and helping friends!!
AND…
1. Because, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

I’m holding a sleeping Moonpie in my arms.
After fighting it, my granddaughter has finally given into deep slumber. (Why does she fight sleep? Doesn’t she realize it’s awesome?)
She is close enough that I feel her warm breath on my face.
She smiles in her sleep, and I wonder is it gas or is she dreaming…
And if she IS dreaming, what, in the world, does a 5 month old Moonpie dream about?
Big bottles?
Her Mom’s smiles?
Does she dream about dogs in pink tutus dancing the foxtrot, or her Dad bellyflopping into a kiddie pool full of marshmallow cream?
Does she dream of polka dotted dinosaurs playing happy syncopated ukulele music?
Or are her formula fueled dreams about crawling away to faraway places inhabited by talking mice in big yellow shoes?
What are the sweetest sweet dreams that the Moonpie dreams?
I’m left to wonder.
I DO know what I dream of when I find sleep…
I dream of big adventure with a little Moonpie.
They are the sweetest of dreams.

You might be short-ish if your head has ever been used as an armrest.

You might be short-ish if you have a fear of hightop chairs.

You might be short-ish if you roll your eyes when you hear people who are 5’7″ complain about being too short.

You might be short-ish if you love hotel soap because it makes you feel huge.

You might be short-ish if you hate urinals.

You might be short-ish if you’ve never owned a pair of pants that didn’t have to be hemmed up.

You might be short-ish if you’ve ever been mistaken for a 5th grader.

You might be short-ish if you regularly make friends at the grocery store by asking complete strangers to get something off the top shelf for you.

You might be short-ish if people can’t tell if you are wearing cargo shorts or capris.

You might be short-ish if you’ve hugged someone and ended up with your face in their armpit.

You might be short-ish if at least twice a day someone feels compelled to remind you that you are actually really short.

Most of the schools in our community have “Spirit rocks”.
It’s nothing mystical, it’s a chunk of stone with spray painted student salutations. They usually sit by the entrance for all to see. Parents rent the rock for a day so the rock changes constantly. Some schools in our area have two or three rocks, each custom painted by a loved one. They are immovable public displays of affection. They say “happy birthday” or “congratulations” in bold letters that run down the side of the stone. The spirit rocks get painted so often that there are usually about 147 layers of latex paint. The rock becomes a little rubbery.
It’s a billboard boulder!
It’s a really cool idea.
It’s a stone statement…
I love you…
I celebrate you…
I see value in you…
I’m glad that you were born…
And I’m going to let the world know by vandalizing a rock.
It’s a beautiful thing.

Here’s some crazy thought graffiti…
What if each one of us had our own personal big rock in our front yard and every new day it got painted?
Just imagine it…
We would wake up every day to discover an immovable public display of affection just for us.
Waiting to catch our attention and capture our heart.
It would be completely new and different every day.
Some days the rock would be painted in bright colors, some days would bring subtle hues, and inevitably and sadly, some days the rock would be dark. Real life is multicolored, and our Spirit rocks would reflect that.
But no matter the tint, there would always be a new word, it would be something fresh that you needed to hear that day.
Just imagine it…
a message crafted and customized just for you…
I love you…
I celebrate you…
I see value in you…
I’m glad that you were born…
It would be a true Spirit rock.
Spray painted love notes from your heavenly parent.
Just imagine it…
Take a minute and listen…
What would the Spirit paint on your rock?

This is Frank.
He is a cardboard unicorn.
He is a resident of our youth room.
He is not real, he is just fun.

We have have him in our space because we want to create a place of wonder, a place where imagination can run wild like a mythical horned stallion.

But, evidently Frank bugs some people.
They turn him around so he can’t be seen.
Then, they hide him behind some other props.
It seems there are unicorn haters.
They don’t tolerate myth.
They fear Frank.

We brought Frank into our space because we think middle schoolers are confronted with enough ugly reality everyday. EVERY thing in their life is changing. They are constantly looking for a place to belong and they are being told they don’t measure up. They feel ugly, alone and unwanted.
They need to be reminded of wonder.
Their story is a little confusing and scary.
They need some myth in the middle of their mess.
They need the hope of a better story.
That is what myth does.
It invites us to be citizens of imagine nation.
It opens our minds and hearts up to the possibility of living a better story.
We are a people in need of myth.
Myths are about mystery, wonder.
Myths point to something bigger than us.
Myths provoke us to climb mountains and storm castles.
Myth can make us brave.
Our lives are myths, not fairy tales.
We can’t kill the unicorns.

But, wait…
Let’s be Frank…
Wonder scares us.
Imagination is an offensive act to those who are lost in certainty.
Fascination freaks some people out, it isn’t very practical, you can’t contain it or control it.
I mean, come on, there is no room for myth or merriment in the real world…right?!
There is no place for imagination.
Real men don’t believe in unicorns…right?!
It’s childish.
But, wait…
THAT is the point!
Let’s be Frank…
We have to shake off our cynical selves and rediscover myth and mystery.
We need to lose ourselves in a senseless Wonder.
It’s never too late to saddle up your unicorn.
Let’s ride!

There once was a place…

There once was a place with many different looking people. THAT is what made the place beautiful.
There once was a place with many different thinking people. THAT is what made the place interesting.
Once a day all of the beautiful, interesting people would stop everyTHING to sit down and swap shoes with someone else.
Then they would walk a mile or two.
They would stand tall and kneel low.
They started to see things differently.
perspective changed…
And that made ALL the difference.