This post is dedicated to Finnigan, the happily grumpy Irish rabbit who graced our household for seven glorious years. If there is a rabbit heaven, Finnigan is there now eating assorted General Mills cereals.

Today got off to an interesting start. For the past three Sundays I have gotten up early to go to 8:00 Mass at a local Catholic church in eastern Tennessee. The first two weeks were great. I was welcomed by several friendly parishioners and I greatly enjoyed the sermons.

Unfortunately, week three did not follow suit. The readings were good. They kicked off with a little Old Testament from Wisdom 1:13-15 and 2:23-24, which concerns death. It says that death is not an instrument of God, basically, and that those who belong to Satan experience it. I am elated at the thought that I do not have to face death. I had never really paid much mind to it before today.

The Gospel reading came from Mark 5 and was about Jesus raising the daughter of Jairus, a synagogue official, from the dead. I was disappointed that the priest didn't read the section in the middle where Jesus heals the woman who has been subject to bleeding for twelve years; there's a lot of great stuff in that story. Regardless, the story about Jesus raising the little girl from the dead is incredible as well. I was excited to see how the priest (or deacon; I'm not entirely sure) would tie it in to his homily.

The homliy started out on a grave note. Going off of the reading from Wisdom, the priest (or deacon) noted how our society is becoming numb to death. It is becoming more and more culturally acceptable and commonplace for people to die. I thought he had a solid point there; death, on the surface, is bad and it is becoming more prevalent through things like terrorist attacks, school shootings, and many other things. Predictably, the priest steered the sermon toward abortion. He also mentioned euthanasia as a sign of the world's insensitivity to death, but he focused mainly on abortion.

He said that we, as Christians, need to act; we are spiritually dead and we need revival (he said he could use this word because he used to be a Baptist preacher). As Christians we are indeed called to act and cry out against injustice in this world. But he pigeonholed abortion as the only injustice to care about. He said we need to get people into office who will fight abortion. He said that if we do not in that way, we are murderers. Then he went on to commend the conservative party for voting against a certain amendment. Then he proceeded to condemn liberals for supporting this initiative. He specifically used those terms in his sermon. I walked out at that point.

Nowhere in the sermon did the priest/deacon talk about God's love. He shared an entire story chronicling Jesus' love and power, but overlooked it and gave a message of condemnation. Yes, abortion is bad. Yes, death is bad. But death is merely a symptom; deep down, the root of the problem is sin, instilled in us since Adam and Eve's fall. Abortion, euthanasia, and every other form of death is a result of sin in ourselves. Condemnation will do nothing to resolve this condition of our hearts. The only thing that can stop an attack on life is the love of God. God is sovereign and is in control of EVERYTHING (1 Chronicles 29:11). While things like abortion are not good, God will work good from them. Through everything that happens, God will conform us to the image of His son Jesus. Everything. Even abortion. And the world is so much larger than abortion alone.

I was hoping for a happier post to dedicate to Finnigan. I'll dedicate the next one to him.

Things I Got Paid to Do Today:
1. Read the Bible
2. Feed ducks
3. Eat chili fries
4. Make pyramids out of barbeque sauce packets

Left-handed Watch
Being left-handed is going well. Several people have asked me if I'm left handed. Good...good...

Windy Gap, Skit Night, and Extra Hours

Yesterday marked the first day I worked over six and a half hours! When I arrived at Grandstand I discovered that I had been relegated back to the kitchen. I wasn't too happy with that, and it showed through my lack of conversation and my dour demeanor.



Fortunately, soon after work began, Marie (the acting manager of the day) asked me if I would like to pick up some more hours at another restaurant across the park. I quickly accepted the offer and continued to work dismally until 2:00, two hours before I would make the trek to my new workplace. The turning point of my day was fueled by a certain recording artist named Bonnie Tyler. As I stood nonchalantly at the burger assembly line, the words "Turn around..." passed through my mind and made their way through my lips. They soon followed by the phrase "Every now and then I get a little bit lonely, *mumble mumble mumble mum...*" In seconds I was belting out "Total Eclipse of the Heart" for all the world to hear. I may or may not have gotten odd glances from my co-workers. Regardless, it brightened my day.

At 4:00 I got to go to Splinter's, a small shanty of a concessions stand all the way across the park from Grandstand. I worked drinks for a while and was asked to close out the registers. Long story short, people who had met me two hours prior entrusted me with roughly $7000 in cash. As I walked through the park I innocently developed an elaborate heist plan. I don't plan to execute it, but maybe if I get bored...

On Thursday I got to go to Windy Gap, a Young Life camp in North Carolina, with Craig and Sydney, two friends that I worked with at Frontier Ranch in Colorado two years ago. Our friend and former co-worker Ryan is interning at Windy Gap this summer, so we planned an impromptu work crew reunion. James Ballard, a wiry fellow from South Carolina, also came. We had a blast. It was incredible seeing how our friendships have gotten stronger despite not seeing each other for a year and a half. There was so much love among our work crew...it's amazing how God is still using us in each others' lives.

I got back from Windy Gap just in time for Skit Night at D-Focus. Each cabin, mine included, had prepared a skit over the course of a two weeks (give or take), and we all got to perform them for each other, much like a Young Life club. It was a blast. My cabin devised a skit entitled "The Rise of Saul," which chronicled the rise to power of my cabinmate Paul's evil alter ego in a medieval setting. It was a lot of fun. And afterward, we ended up winning Cabin Clean-Up for the week! We won dinner with the Fullers, the family in charge of D-Focus. That means a break from cereal and Ramen noodles for Paul and a wonderful meal for the rest of us as well. I am ever so excited.

More to come soon... Crossfit is calling at the moment. 20 minutes of running 400 meters and maxing out on pullups...as many times as I can. I'm shooting for 9. Bya.

Open Mic Night

As I typed my entry yesterday, my friend and roommate Jake entered the room and asked if I would be interested in doing something with him for Open Mic Night at a local coffee shop, the Tin Roof. I was already thinking about doing something, but his offer pushed me over the edge. Jake is a pretty good rapper. He wrote a little something about coffee, which we, along with Alan (an insanely talented musician who played the cajon [drum box] for the rap), practiced for twenty minutes before going to the Tin Roof to sign up. I hastily prepared a medley of songs to relate the story of my life to whomever would decide to show up to open mic night. Naturally, it included selections from The Spice Girls, Bon Jovi, R Kelly, and Gloria Gaynor.

In short, it was a blast. Jake's rap was so awesome they asked him to do it again. My medley went over pretty well. It caught the crowd off guard, to say the least. I had a lot of fun doing it. I even played a serious song later in the evening ("Demons" by Guster). Most of our shenanigans were caught on film, so look for the Open Mic Night webisode on the blog early this fall.

And now, back to work...

This morning I had a feeling that the park would be incredibly busy. I just felt it in my bones, much like an elderly chap can sense a thunderstorm in his trick knee. This being the case, the park was, in fact, dead beyond belief. There were fifteen minute stretches when no one came into Grandstand, except for the occasional free water opportunist. Free water is our most popular product, by far.

Amidst this dearth of customers, I busied myself with fun little projects - arts and crafts, if you will. I created three Mah-jong-like structures out of the honey mustard packets, played Jenga with the BBQ sauce packets, and rode "The Scrambler" while on the clock. I'm probably not supposed to do that. There was no manager at work, which gave me much too much confidence to "do my own thing." But, after messing up two of the first three orders of the day, I calmed down and made things about the customers and not myself. Sometimes I get sucked into doing what I think is funny, which can lead to uncomfortable or seemingly disrespectful situations. Just because I think something is hilarious doesn't mean everyone will think the same. Especially ladies between the ages of thirty-six and fifty. It just doesn't happen.

One possible reason for the tumbleweed-inducing lack of customers at (unspecified amusement park) might have been the torrential downpours that came and went throughout the day. When we were getting ready to close at 4:00, an intense rainstorm began. As my co-worker Chris was preparing to close the shop door, a large crowd of people came in seeking shelter from the storm. After many raised eyebrows in the kitchen regarding how to handle the situation, I suggested we stay open another half hour to accomodate our guests (and log some more hours; I'm pretty desperate). It was a great experience; I felt like I was Noah, but instead of gathering animals I collected stray amusement park-goers into my ark/fast food restaurant. I was basically Noah with a deep fryer. Good times.

Work Related Tidbits

Over the past few days work has been giving me a great deal of stress. I'm being shorted on hours, which has been a hot topic for the duration of my time working at (unspecified amusement park). The Discipleship Focus program has it set up to where I am guaranteed 30-40 hours per week, preferably 35. I have consistently gotten only 24-27 hours per week because the restaurant in which I work ALWAYS closes early. I am scheduled until 5:30 most every day, but, without fail, we always close at 4:00 or 4:30. It is very frustrating, and people have been trying to switch things around for me for the the last week. There has apparently been a substantial amount of miscommunication among the higher-ups regarding my situation. I'm quite frustrated, but there's not really much I can do.

There are parts about my job that I do like. Well, not so much "parts" as people. I work with several elderly folk who are quite nice. Frank and Hazel, a delightful married couple, are from Texas and have worked at (unspecified amusement park) for the past few summers. Frank is always in the back washing trays and telling tales from the chronicles of his life. I enjoy listening to him while I take my 10 minute break. He loves talking and is a great joy to work with. Just don't wash the fryer parts in his sink. Then he will turn on you.

Hazel, Frank's wife, is a cheerful white-haired lady who usually serves drinks in the front of the restaturant. Hazel and I make a formidable team when I work the register, efficiently slaying complex drink orders in a matter of seconds. She is very positive and encouraging, and she is a small ray of light in my mostly dismal work situation.

Then there is Miss Rita (upon Southern custom, I have taken to addressing older women as "Miss"). She is a character, to say the least. She is short, boisterous, and could talk about her grandchildren for ages. On several occasions she has pulled me aside to admire pictures of her grandchildren (and, today, great-grandchildren). She might be trying to hook me up with one of her granddaughters, but I think I'm safe. Most of her family resides in Mississippi.

Then there is Dave, whose last day was today. He's a tough old fellow who typically mans the grill. He is the sentinel of the kitchen and will tell you the absolute best way to handle any kitchen-related situation, whether you already knew it or not. He and I had an interesting relationship. I only worked with him in the kitchen for one day, and he was quick to share his wisdom, even though I knew most of it. But, having respect for my elders, I happily smiled and nodded profusely. That basically sums up our relationship. Now he and his wife are leaving the realm of (unspecified amusement park named after prominent country musician) to travel the continent in their 75-foot trailer. They're living the dream, I suppose.

The elders in my restaurant are keeping me sane. Except for Miss Martha, who works drinks. She's kind of snappy. She is what you may call a curmudgeon. Look it up.

My work situation is frustrating, but every now and then there are rays of hope. In the grand scheme of things, this is a great opportunity to trust God more. He is the Lord of EVERYTHING (1 Chronicles 29:11; again, look it up). I'm growing a lot. It's good, but times like these are always hard.

PS- I would like a care package. If your heart is moved in some way by these posts and/or what God is doing in my life, you should think about sending me something. Sweets? A letter perhaps?


Much love.
-Michael

The Life of a Cashier/Fry Cook

After two days of working the register in my humble fast-food/amusement park setting, I have a day off, which I am enjoying immensely. Monday feels like a new Sabbath to me.

I spent a good part of this morning doing laundry and working on Chapter 4 of the Discovery Bible Study, which concerns God's purpose for me. It's chock-full of good stuff. One thing that stuck out to me in this chapter is the fact that God has no needs. He doesn't need me to do anything. When I do something seeking to glorify God, in no way can it make Him better or more powerful; it is more like me drawing a picture that He puts up on Heaven's refrigerator door, something He greatly enjoys but in no way needs. He is all-powerful and perfect. And He loves me. How cool is that?

As previously mentioned, I got to escape from the confines of fry-cooking and enter the dazzling world of customer interaction. On Saturday I was trained on the register and got to work the busiest day of my (unspecified amusement park) career. This register job consists entirely of pressing multi-colored buttons on a touch screen according to the customers' preferences. As I send the order to the kitchen and ring up the total cost, the register drawer leaps out of its resting place in an attempt to take a bite out of my torso. The amount of change I owe to the customer then appears on the touch screen, taking away any opportunity for me to perform basic math, rendering my grade school education meaningless. I occasionally try to beat the machine by doing the math in my head, but the sheer simplicity of looking at a screen for all of the answers is often too tempting to pass up.

However, working the register is not always a barren wasteland of practical skills. I greatly enjoy interacting with the customers and asking them about their day. I realize that I have the chance to make their (unspecified amusement park) experience a little better by taking an active interest in them and actually caring about how they are doing.

Sometimes it is painful to see their reactions to the expense of the exorbitantly-priced food. The asking price for beverages is ridiculous, as is the cost of a quarter-pound cheeseburger with fries. Many of the people who come to (unspecified amusement park) are lacking in financial security and their day may be ruined by the sixty dollars they have to spend on lunch for their family of five. It's very tough to be a part of. My friend Jeff and I have discussed the moral dilemma of the egregiously high-priced food and the demand of the consumer. In the end, it seems that the best thing we can do is to ensure great quality of food and service and truly attempt to give the customers the most for their money, which at the current rate is very difficult.

More to come.

JENNA CLAIRE

This post is dedicated to Jenna Claire, who is sitting to my right and will be angry if I don't title it as such.

(Unspecified amusement park), aka FDR, is an interesting environment. Yesterday FDR's main character (initials DRP) came and we took photographs with her. It was quite the experience. Her face looked semi like E.T.'s and her body looked as if she had removed 2 ribs. It was wonderful. Other than meeting this woman, I have also met many a man with a mullet.

There is a girl here who thinks that she may eat healthier than I do. But I disagree. There is no way that that could be possible. Hasn't she seen my food cabinet? She bought wheat germ today just to try to compete with me. False, not possible.

I'll try to explain a typical day in the life of me while here at DFo.

Morning: wake up, go to work. Fry chicken, fries, and anything I can grab in buckets of grease for hours while speaking in Family Guy voices to my sweet friend Jeff.
Afternoon: leave work smelling like grease itself. Shower, and get out still smelling like grease.
Late afternoon: chase eagles through patriot park, meet up with shakonohay indians, auction off police cars for charity
Night time: meet elvis impersonator, travel to box social.
Later night time: blare out on my jams.
if i'm lucky, i get to go on an etad with someone really cool.
thats all i do.

sounds fun huh?

oh yeah. i also keep hearing a lot about this God fellow? i don't know why everyone keeps talking about Him but He seems like a big deal?

But, guess what I am doing tonight! Going to see the movie UP. So good.

Okay, have a great night!


...All of the above was from the perspective of Jenna Claire Barto. She is mischievous, but in actuality not too far off in some areas.

Work is pretty repetitive. I stand in a kitchen clad in green stripes and black pants. I also wear brown shoes, which I have been told are not to be worn with aforementioned pants. I do not heed this warning. I am more or less a fry chef. Contrary to popular belief, it is not a glamorous occupation. My duties include manning the fryer, which is used for two very important purposes: 1) Fry french fries
2) Fry chicken tenders

That's about all of the creativity that I get to exhibit on the job. Every now and then I construct burgers and chili dogs, but pretty much every activity involves a substantial amount of grease.

I have acquired a nemesis already at Dfocus. Her name is Courtney, and after examining my shelves of reasonably healthy food she became determined to eat healthier than me. I had no idea why she instigated this, but I decided to entertain the rivalry. It escalated rather quickly. Before long, by methods unbeknownst to myself, her entire cabin knew whether or not I had mayonnaise on my turkey sandwich for lunch. Spies were constantly monitoring my dietary habits. Over the top? Yes. Hilarious? Also yes. Our rivalry (if you can call it that; it was rather one-sided) has since cooled, thankfully. Apparently she had been eating Kashi cereal three times a day.

I'm learning a lot of solid things about God and my relationship with Him. I'll relate these lessons in the near future. At the moment a 4 egg white omelette is calling my name. Onward!

First Week and a Half of Tennessee

Sorry for the delay. Blogspot has been blocked on the computer on the Discipleship Focus property.

Allow me to sum the last week up before going into greater detail.
-I have decided to document my summer via video camera. Expect a series of episodes this fall.
-I am currently living in a cabin with 4 other guys. It's kind of like camp for college students, except we work, clean, and prepare our own food.
-I am working at (unspecified amusement park) in a sort of fast-food restaurant, clad in an 1880s costume, frying things and constructing burgers and dogs.
-I'm going through the Discovery Bible study with a small group. It has been stupendous.

That's the short list of what has been happening over the past week and a half.

I arrived at Eagles' Call, the Discipleship Focus property, on the evening of Sunday, May 31. I drove eleven hours from St. Peters, MO to Pigeon Forge, TN in a grueling display of solo road-tripping. To keep myself entertained, I filmed myself at random points throughout the drive. I provided insight to my current life situation, shenanigans during the drive, beautiful musical renditions, and, of course, completely random thoughts. And naturally, nearly every segment has a sponsor. Just like real life!

Upon entering the DFocus property, I was greeted by four college-age guys. The first question I was asked- "Are you Michael?" I replied that I was, in fact, Michael. The second question I faced- "Do like Nintendo DS?"
...I had no idea how to respond to this. Apparently the guys in my cabin had decided that I wasn't real since I had missed the first five days of the program. Then they had guessed what I would be like; popular choices were video game fanatic (hence the Nintendo DS question) and bodybuilder. Needless to say, I disappointed all expectations.

I must go to work. To be continued...