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songs in the dark
here's a little something i wrote about what i learned at the kansas/nebraska college fall retreat last week.
a friendlier fedex
"conversation" with fedex computer automated answering system:
fedex:thank you for calling fedex. if you know what service you are requesting please say it now. (pause) if you need to schedule a package pickup say "schedule package pickup", if...
me: schedule package pickup
fedex: please say your fedex account number now.
me: uhh...
fedex: please say your fedex account number now. (pause) if you don't know it say "i don't know it"
me: i don't know it
fedex: that's ok, say "representative" to speak to a customer service representative...
me: representative
the nice computer voice lady was consoling me for being ignorant and needing help.
kansan with good taste
i was on campus at wichita state yesterday and happened to be wearing my alabama hat.
wsu student: "nice hat dude"
me: "thanks"
wsu student: "are you a bama fan?"
me: "yeah, born and raised. are you from alabama?"
wsu student: "no, i've just always loved the school."
that's a good man.
krispy kreme coming
there's a krispy kreme opening across the street from my apartment. i noticed today they have a sign out front saying it's opening in 27 days. i could double the record!!
california wrap-up
thursday night God did cool stuff. after the sound system went kaput and mike decided it would be just easier to yell, the kids focused in on what he had to say. i think the fact that there was no sound system actually helped. it forced them to really listen instead of just sit and hear and pick up the high points. 3 students accepted Christ, 12 surrendered to a call to missions or ministry (more on that later) and 15 others made some other kind of decision. cool.
i got the chance to talk with the ones that surrendered to a call to missions or ministry. most had no idea what God wants to do with them. and that's ok. my call and calling came basically in one fail swoop, so luckily there was a former international missionary whose call and calling came 12 years apart that helped encourage those that didn't know quite what to do yet. it was really cool to see those who just knew God wanted to use them..and now they're waiting to see for what.
friday was the camp-wide trip to sea world. the plan was to be there from open to close, which means 10 am - 11 pm. that's a long time. there's lots to see at sea world but that makes for a long day. i ended up staying most of that time and spent most of the day with mike, kandace and melinda. we had alot of fun. especially when melynda had a huge gullible moment and was worried that the "dad" that fell in the tank and was being flipped around by the whale was going to get eaten. turns out the "dad" was a sea world trainer and very good actor. good stuff.
melinda also has a small hangup about the real shamu not even being alive anymore even though the park continues to name their whales shamu. she still wanted a stuffed "shamu" and when we ended up at the carnival section of sea world i made a deal with her that if she paid for me to play one of the games with her that i'd give her the shamu if i won it. she refused. things got heated and so i told her i'd play her in the game and i'd pay and if i won the shamu i'd keep it. i won it. i knew the race was over as soon as my first ball went in the blue circle, the one worth the most points. of course i rubbed my victory in melynda's face, maybe a little too much, and strutted around the park with my prize. however, when i got back to camp that night, before the girls, i left it on melynda's bed. (awwweee... yeah i'm a nice guy)
saturday was spent cleaning up, packing up and saying bye. mike gave the kids an ending challenge and then we headed out. mike took me down to san diego to spend the night before my flight out sunday morning. we got to see mission beach, which is the stereotypical southern california beachfront with boardwalk and all, and the mission bay area. i'd definitely like to go back to san diego sometime and see more of the sights and get some scuba diving in.
this trip was great for me. it gave me a chance to really think through and verbalize what doing missions has meant to my life. it was also great to be able to spend some time with another usc2'er and make some new summer missionary friends. now if i can talk them into letting me go back next year...
california beach
i went to the beach today in oceanside harbor. the beach here has the coloring of an ashtray. the closer you get to the ocean the darker the sand gets and then it gets lighter again. the cool part about it is that when the sand washes away it has the cool kaleidoscope of different colored sand effect. there aren't any shells either...just smooth stones. they still hurt to step on. played a little frisbee...and a little football and didn't get burned. mainly cause i kept my shirt on cause the water was freezin cold.
i got a good response for sharing about my missions stuff in the morning. that's my main point of being here. i had a kid come up tonight and say he really enjoyed it and wanted to know how to be a missionary. cool...that's the whole point.
tomorrow..adventure rec. whatever that is.
california characters
i thought i'd give a little info on who folks are and what stuff is whle i'm here.
stram: state recreation adventure mountain & marine camp
mike: mike is a fellow usc2'er, who i went through interviews and orientation with, and camp pastor here at stram. his usual job is working in the california southern baptist convention office as youth evangelism coordinator. cool guy.
melinda: melynda is a summer missionary at the church of one of the assistant camp directors. she goes to school at mississippi college.
kandace: kandace is melinda's summer missionary partner. she goes to mississippi state. (fellow southerners.. :) )
don: camp director.
that's all of the peoples' names i can think of right now. if anyone else of interest arises i'll explain them as i go.
california day 1
after a successful couple of flights that actually put me in san diego, i had no trouble finding the two guys standing by the baggage claim holding a piece of paper with my name in big bold print, awaiting my arrival.
going into this deal i knew basically two things about this camp. we were camping in tents all week and the recreation included water activities like snorkeling, deep sea fishing, a water park and a trip to sea world. the first thing the guys who picked me up was, "it's really loud where we're staying." this kind of confused me. campgrounds aren't really known for their loudness. so i asked, "at the campground?" they kind of snickered and said yeah, there's a construction crew right beside us that starts to work at 5 am and a train that comes through about midnight. i still didn't get the picture.
after a somewhat lengthy drive through san diego and on northwards and after a brief geography lesson and an explanation of the "marine layer", cloud cover, and that it actually makes you burn faster than on a clear day, we finally arrived at our "campground," two little leauge baseball fields. smack dab in the middle of a subdivision right off of the highway.
ok so we're still camping in tents, there are port-o-potties and the typical rec league facilities available. there's port-o-showers available as well. there are a couple of summer missionaries here and a usc2 friend of mine who works in fresno, ca and is serving as the camp pastor here this week.
for dinner, beef stroganov. i'm skipping.
well california though
well i'm off to sunny southern california for a week. i'm the "camp missionary" at california state convention's S.T.R.A.M. camp. i don't know what that stands for but the camp is their marine camp. marine as in water, not as in the armed services. anyway, i'm told my week will consist of deep sea fishing, snorkeling, water parking and such as that. we're also camping out for the entire week should be great. i'll tell ya all about it as i go, or when i get back.
sidetracked
sorry no posts lately. i'm back on a regular schedule. i've been doing some traveling and was stuck on a dial-up so decided to only post quick things, check email and read my rss feeds. so anyway...i'm back.
i'm also considering a new format for the blog. maybe a sideblog with the weird links i find instead of making them entire entries...it proly won't happen but it's a thought all the same.
the greatest show on earth
yesterday i went to see the 133rd ringling brothers & barnum & bailey's circus in topeka with jamie jo and the family. i've been to the rb&b&b's circus before but i was very little and remember very little about it. there were clowns, dancing elephants and horses, trapezeists (?), daring motorcycle riders, highly skilled dogs and of course fierce tigers hopping around on their hind quarters like kangaroos. the grand finale was "bailey's comet" featuring a man being fired across the arena from a cannon, that looked more like a sci-fi laser gun, and flying in flames safely onto an airbag.
the death defying feats are just as death defying today as they were 133 years ago when the circus began, but the "oohs" and "ahhs" just weren't there like they would have been then. we see stuff like this everyday now on tv shows like "fear factor" and "survivor". the flashy lights and the show of the circus is unique, but the danger involved isn't. i hope the circus can live on for another 133 years because it isn't everyday you get to see a tiger pretend to be a kangaroo.
a/c not-so-fixed
a lack of freon was not the problem. it is now 85 in my apartment.
before someone posts the obvious "wah! wah! cry me a river" comment (i'm expecting this from jamie jo), i realize that there are those in the world that don't have the luxury of a/c and would love to have it 85 in their apartment. however there are two major things different between me and them. first, they've never had a/c and so they have adapted, it's a survival of the fittest thing. secondly, and more importantly, i'm paying for a working air conditioner.
i'm done.
oh yeah...
i just read my post and realized i'm not a college student anymore. but you get the idea.
oneday03 afterwards
wow. that was cool.
how many times do you get to hang out and worship God with thousands of other college students? for me, twice so far.
i learned a few lessons from oneday03.
1. there is a huge difference between "water resistant" and "water proof" tents. this lesson was learned on saturday night after a torrential rainfall soaked everything i owned in texas. my shoes are still wet.
2. some things wet are tolerable. a sleeping bag is not one of them.
3. 15 passenger vans pulling trailers don't do well in mud. however, watching the owners try and push them out is fun.
4. it is possible to go 3+ days without a shower. but only if everyone else around you does as well.
5. port-o-potties are very dark at night.
6. the ratio of women in line for a shower to men waiting in line is approximately 100:1.
i did learn some spiritual things as well. God reminded me of some stuff i had forgotten and kind of whacked me on the side of the head with them. that's good though. it's always a good thing when he does that. what's sad is how quickly i forget them again.
i think the hugest thing from the weekend is john piper's explanation of how little, insignificant and nothing we are. kind of a downer huh?! but it's true. everything is about God. we are nothing but what God has made us because God is inside us.
second hugest was this. it's not about do's and don'ts or can and can'ts it's about falling in love with God and living your life the way you want. the do's and don'ts take care of themselves after the first part. it's just that simple...and just that awesome.
oneday03
well i'm headed to sherman, tx for oneday03. i am one of the lucky who were able to attend the first oneday and still find myself qualified to go to the second, though thankfully not as a student this time. there are 5 students from the bcm here at wsu going with me and we're traveling with 6 from another Christian group on campus as well. it should be a great time to get to know them and each other a little better. the road trip and camping will expedite that process i'm sure.
for those that understand what oneday is all about i hope you'll be in prayer for everyone that's down there. maybe since you weren't able to attend you can take a little time out this holiday weekend to have your own personal oneday..or oneevening..or onehour..whatever you need.
i'll share about it when i return. i will no doubt have pictures to go along with the stories as well.
wicket's new toy
i got wicket a stuffed bear. he seemed to enjoy the one at jamie jo's house this past weekend so i thought i'd invest in one for him. he doesn't really play wiith anything else he has...typical kid i suppose. jamie jo said our kids can play with the boxes from other kids' toys. i suggested letting them play with the boxes from my ps2 games. i'm not sure she laughed...anyway, it seems that the bear is exactly what he needed. more pictures
matrix reloaded
i'm going to see the matrix reloaded tonight. i've read the beginnings of several reviews by folks who went to see it in the sneak previews last night. all are somewhat negative. it's hard to tell for sure wether the negative reviews are coming from the reviewer having built the movie up into something unachievable in their mind, which i've probably done as well, only to be disappointed by reality.
i've worried ever since reading information on the incredible technology used in the making of the sequels that they would become just another action movie to showcase the technology and vision that the wachowski brothers had come up with. as impressive of a movie as that would make, it would fall short of the depth of plot and philosohpical issues and symbolism that the first matrix hit on.
i guess i'll see tonight.
not my cd
i pushed play on my cd player in my living room, of course assuming that whatever cd was inside would be fine because it's my cd player and i live alone and who elses cd would be in there. turns out the cd wasn't fine. it was the soundtrack from "moulin rouge". you guessed it..it wasn't my cd. written in familiar handwriting on the cd was "jj".
congratulations jj, you made the blog.
wedding countdown
in honor of the fact that one year from today i will in fact be getting married. i have installed a handy dandy countdown timer on the right hand column so that you can all see how long you have to get your gifts in. and also how long until i will no longer be mr. brad simmons but mr. and mrs. brad simmons..wait..that doesn't sound right.
my bloginality
according to bloginality i am an ISTP blogger (this website is a blog).
This makes your primary focus on Introverted Thinking with Extraverted Sensing
This is defined as a SP personality, which is part of Carl Jung's Artisans (Sensation Seeking) type, and more specifically the Crafters or Mechanics.
Because of your desire for action and independance, you will change the format of blogging or design frequently to keep it interesting and different. Your loyalty may have you reading the same blogs over a long period of time. Even though you could be easily bored with blogging, you might find that because you like following a project through, this is a good way for you to use your alone time to sort the facts you pick up through the day.
sounds about right.
famous ISTP's:
Charles Bronson (actor)
Tom Cruise (actor)
James Dean (actor)
Clint Eastwood (actor)
Zachary Taylor (U.S. president)
Burt Reynolds (actor - "Bandit")
Keith Richards (?)
Charlie Yeager (test pilot maybe)
Frank Zappa (?)
courtesy typelogic.com
spring break in alpine
i spent spring break in alpine, texas with the baptist campus ministries group i work with at wichita state. on saturday, march 15th at 6:30 am ( it would have been 6 if someone - randy - had taken the time to pack the night before instead of getting up that morning to do so ) we left wichita headed for texas with a 12 hour drive ahead of us. the trip down was fairly uneventful except when randy drove, then we all either closed our eyes or caught up on prayers as we hoped to make it out of the city in one piece.
jimmy reincarnate
i got a new jimmy. it's a 99 and it's blue. not that really light blue but a really really dark blue with a couple of white pinstripes just below the windows. it was a good deal, only 32k miles on it. if it's as good to me as the first one was i'll be happy. now i just gotta get me a new bama sticker for it and we'll be good to go. it doesn't have a plate holder thing on the front for the bama plate i've got. i gotta look into getting one of those.
anyway..yay..i have a new car. i will never again be a "first time buyer", which basically means i am one step higher on the "let's screw this guy" food chain at a car dealership.
wrecked jimmy
here's the jimmy. isn't it sad. they stole my frisbees and my bowling ball out of the back. i hope they enjoy them. they also took my cd player.
its about 7 years old and the cd magazine wasn't in it. isn't that unfortunate. looks like they went mudding before they wrecked it..or maybe as they wrecked it. chodes.
bye bye jimmy
well i'm in alpine texas with my group from wichita state. unfortunately someone decided to take the jimmy for a joy ride back in wichita and crashed it. the least they coulda done is just steal it and not wreck it...oh well. guess that's too much to ask. anyway be praying i figure out what to do..and then have the funds to do it. i'm really sad to see my jimmy on saturday..if i can get a ride to the tow place that is.. :(
that big idea
that big idea i was talking about long ago is done and now we'll see how it takes off. check it out yourself at www.meaningfulmedia.org.
barbershop talk
i got my hair cut today which is always an adventure. found a cool barbershop decorated with sports stuff, a putting green, a bigscreen tv and another one in the corner. my only complaint was the one in the corner was on QVC and no alabama stuff hanging up. guess there's not alot on during the day though.
successful retreat
this past weekend the group i work with at wichita state, along with a couple of other campus ministries, had a winter retreat at a campground near wichita. it was a great time. folks from the different groups formed friendships and everyone had alot of fun. the theme of the weekend was God's call and the different ways it comes and effects us. we even played some paintball. here are some pics over at the bcm website.
spilled spoiled milk
my kitchen table is the same color as a jug of milk. this isn't something that i would normally notice, or even think to comment on. however it is something that will cause you to not see the milk when it's left sitting out...for 5 hours or so.
i took a vote and even though i immediately put it in the freezer, hoping that would undo the damage, it turns out the milk is a gonner and so there goes a perfectly good gallon of milk.
ideas
i have all these ideas and i can't help but think that i wouldn't be having them if God didn't want me to go through with them. so now i just have to go through with them. it could be cool stuff that lots of people would get lots of use from, and then again it could just be a huge waste of time. well it wouldn't be a waste of time, it just may be that just a couple of people would get use from it. we'll see. i'll keep you posted.
name that section
if you were going to have a website for a student ministry like this [wichita state baptist campus ministries | baptistcampusministries.com] and on that website you were going to have a section where students would write stuff about what's going on in their life spiritually or devotions or thoughts and then other students could come and comment on it...what would you call it?
leave your suggestions in the form of comments below. thanks.
and now it's live..mostly
well as you're probably noticing there's not much in the way of content or comments around here but some of the entries go back sometime. this wonderful site of mine was a long time in the making and the testing and now it's finally out here for all the world to see. i hope both of you will come back soon.
an explanation for hiccups is found!! [new scientist | newscientist.com]
my love of dance
for those of you that don't know, my fiance is a dancer. specifically she's a ballerina. i am learning to love it but please...give me some time. i ran across this editorial column [the miami herald | miami.com] by dave barry (comedian type guy) about his love of dance (sarcasm) and his personal struggle to appreciate its artistic beauty.
my sentiments exactly.
a better, more cultured brad
well i guess i'm officially cultured now. i went and saw fosse [google:fosse | google.com] with jamie jo tonight. it was what i would call...ok.
for those that know me you know that it was definitely not my idea to go see, but i was happy to be able to take jamie jo. its basically a bunch of dancing choreographed (made up by) this guy named fosse. some of it was kinda cool. there was a bit too much homosexuality in act 2 though.
but i'm cultured now i suppose. i've sat for 2 hours watching men and women dance around in black tights and do things that took an awful lot of work for them to be able to do..so they could culture me and countless other uncultured folks.