It has been another interesting week of perspective. I tend to believe you can’t gain full perspective on anything until you’ve seen it from another vantage point. In the movie Dead Poets Society, Robin Williams has his students line up to stand on his desk one at a time and gain perspective, to see things from a new point of view. I’ve found that when I experience drastically different things in close time proximity, I gain the most perspective.

This week is the halfway point, so to rest and reflect the interns went on a retreat.

If you have seen the movie to the title of this blog, please don't go into alarm.  Everything at camp is well and this week has actually given me a lot of reflection time, but I still think the idea of this movie express a lot about my internship and hopefully in good ways.  This week we had an intern retreat for two days at Lake Anna and I am so thankful for the rest and the reflection that I recieved in that time.  It was also good to catch up with the other interns.

In recent weeks there has been a wild creature sited in CHAT day camp, primarily during morning skit time. This strange creatures is known only as "the Will-Da-Beast." Those who have seen this creature describe it as something akin to a rastafarian werewolf with a voice reminiscent of Yoda from Star Wars. Along with his faithful friend Noah (who's strange hairstyle has won acclaim from the international fashion community), Will-Da-Beast has embarked upon an epic journey to rid a post pre apocalyptic world of the Empire of Taco Bell. Noah and Will-Da-Beast have overcome the evil alure of Tacos through a intense training program involving cool whip. Their friendship has survived Will-Da-Beast's betrayal of his calling in favor of a life of fame and fortune. And just recently Will-Da-Beast was freed by his good friend Noah from an evil circus master who had captured Will-Da-Beast and turned him into a sideshow attraction. Where will Noah and Will-Da-Beast's epic journey lead them next? All the kids of CHAT day camp are anxious to find out what mayhem will ensue in coming skits.

Its Monday night already? Goodness gracious! Well, this past week was filled with many more wonderful adventures, and so many stories that I don't even know where to begin. Tuesdays are the longest days of the week.. they can just be brutal. We start at 8 am and go straight through until 7 pm or whenever the last kid leaves the lighthouse after tutoring. After Tuesdays I need some thinking time. This past week Carrie and I got into a discussion on the back porch which made me start thinking and asking myself questions I thought I had definite answers too. If God loves everyone in the World why would he pick such a small select group of people [Christians] to be saved?  

I visited a church this Sunday and had an interesting experience.  It occurred to me that every discussion I've ever had about poverty, about wise spending, charitable giving and so on has been with poor people, unemployed people (including teenagers) or academics (who are either poor or out of touch).  I've never had a discussion about the hard hitting words found in Luke's Gospel with a GROUP of people who are  not only wealthy from a worldwide comparison, but doing quite well for being an American citizen.

"If we are to love our neighbors, before doing anything else we must see our neighbors. With our imagination as well as our eyes, that is to say like artists,  we must see not just their faces but the life behind and within their faces.” -Frederick Buechner

 BROKEN

I am broken and shattered.

I am torn and tattered.