Pandemic

Maybe I should be a doctor...because I am so good at curing disease.

Not. But I did have fun playing this board game. Pandemic is its name. Perhaps I have had an unfair advantage in that my game allies were really good and well versed in the disease curing realm. We killed disease. Take that.

Perhaps instead of being a doctor, I should go see one. One that deals with hearts and minds and confusing emotions. Growing up sucks. Yes folks, I said sucks. There...I said it again.

Speaking of growing up...of which I was...teenagers really are dumb. We don't really realize how much we grow until we have. You may now all collectively say "duh" at once. Do people still say duh or is that so 3rd grade?

Anthony...you were missed.

Book Review: The Irresistible Revolution

The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical
Author: Shane Claiborne

The Overview:

I tend to not like trendy christian books that everyone is talking about. Lame...yes, but true nonetheless. Books by Rob Bell, Anne Lamott, The Shack and this particular book have been on my "too trendy for my taste" book list. I would probably really resonate with what the authors are saying, but for some reason...I just can't crack the first page. But...perhaps the tides are changing because I made it through this book and even started reading the intro of Velvet Elvis the other day.


The Good:

A borrowed book means no highlighting and therefore less memory, so I have less specifics to share, but overall...this is definitely a thought provoking book. Good and often great in both presentation and pulp. I love that when he had questions he dove straight into an experience that would give him the answer. Whether living in Calcutta with Mother Theresa or taking back a church in Philadelphia for the homeless who took sanctuary there. Also on the love list of this book is the way he uses terms that have definite unfriendly connotations to make a point about Jesus and the way He loves and the way Christians should be relating to the world....like the word extremist. We are to be extremists for LOVE!


The Bad:

I couldn't quite decide if Shane and I would be friends. A lot of what he writes about make me want to do a little cheer and join him instantly, but at the same time I could recognize that I had my defenses up while I was paging through reading his thoughts on social justice, the state of the church and even Corporate Responsibility. I am not sure I was defensive because I disagreed, but perhaps because the way we approach our common thoughts is very different. Our ideas on Corporate Social Responsibility do in fact clash sometimes. Which made me want to talk to him in person and sort of hash out what he really meant by some of the things he said.


The Memorable:

There are way too many quotable moments to even pick a few to share.


The Recommendation:

Read with an open, but discerning heart. Embrace the ideas of authenticity in the personal revolution you find yourself in and pursue ways to challenge the world's perception of God.

Social Media has taken the stage

Twitter, foursquare, apps, Facebook, Google+, etc have found their way into the Adventist communicators vocabulary...finally! finally? I guess the tone you take depends on your personal preference to the-140 characters or less-world we live in now.

I'm in Chicago for the Society of Adventist Communicators convention. Arrived on Thursday and I am headed back to Seattle tomorrow, but in the meantime my little baby notebook is full of thoughts about these posting things that I have tried to keep at the controlled edges of my life for quite some time now. I was not an early adopter and I just think the whole thing is far too trendy and invasive for my liking, but I think the posting monster might take my imagined control quite quickly and in the very near future.

Working as the Marketing, Recruiting & Public Relations person at Auburn Adventist Academy means that it is sort of my job to be into this online social experience we find so valuable and rewarding these days. I have been rebelling mostly. I post to our Auburn facebook only when I have to and I have been refusing to dive into "Tweeting." (Does no one else thing that is the most ridiculous addition to our English vocabulary?) Anyways, my personal feelings aside, based on what I have heard this week, I think I am sort of excited about the possibilities that can be cultivated through proper use of social media. Even "tweeting"...blast.

Side Note: Kessia is the coolest. She was here with Adventist Information Ministry (AIM) from Andrews. She is employed as their social media guru while she is in between her masters and doctorate studies. Wise. Engaging. Authentic. So cute. Her passionate personal feelings on the matter is why I now have these...

@jessijoturner  [and]  @AuburnAcademyWA

don't hate.


the changing face of social media...xkcd's "Map of Online Communities"

xkcd - spring 2007

"Map of Online Communities 2"

xkcd - spring & summer 2010

The 2010 Social Networking Map by Flowtown

tribute to xkcd - 2010

kessia...if you read this...know that you were the very first "follow." Be proud!

{ ]

Hi. My name is Jessi and I am a workaholic.

My to do list is long. My energy gone.

Will I change...probably not.

Cause of Death: inner and outer expectations

---

I am in the midst of planning family weekend.
The chosen theme is Life Balance. Ha!
Totally unrealistic. Who has time for balance.
A nice sort of idea to ponder while waiting for the printer to print though.

I guess I should probably change my blog subhead or have a change of heart. one of the two.

Fred Meyer Cart Guy

Sunday...6:45am…I roll back over really not wanting to get up. Too bad Puyallup is 30 min away and I have to be there by 8.

8:30am…Finally make it to my destination with only one missed exit, one large turn around and the gas gage at "E"

9:00am…Psych myself up for a day spent at the Car Show/8th grade fundraiser I am recruiting at.

1:30pm…Realized eating two hotdogs was too much for one day. Also realized that the van's battery was dead. Guess I'll be at my booth till the bitter end till the nice man who is running the show can jump me.

3:20pm…van back in action still reminding me that she is thirsty. Takes about a decade to find a 76 gas station that the school's card will work at. Turns out most of them are out of commission.

4:20pm…van back at Auburn. Me back in my car…let the errands begin. If I don't run errands today, they won't get done. Last week I was asleep as soon as I walked in the door thanks to jet lag and a brand new job…not conducive to getting anything accomplished in the evenings. Turns out I can get a lot done at 3:30am when I wake up for the day.

6:30pm…ding! last stop…Fred Meyer…check! My gas tank is no longer empty and neither is my refrigerator. I let the cart slam into the parking lot holder and I am headed home.

10:35pm…check the car twice, check the apartment three times, check my bag 18 times. Nope…no wallet to be found. Panic. Prayer. Pacing.

10:36pm…the cart slamming into the other cart at Fred Meyer runs slow motion through my head…OH NO!!!  Dread feeling hits…my wallet was in that cart…yelling at me with his tiny blue voice, "don't leave me, don't leave me!!!"

10:45pm…think to call Fred Meyer…no one has seen it.

10:55pm…not trusting Fred Meyer phone dude, I jump in my car and head their way. I check the parking lot holder…no carts. I awkwardly crawl around the carts in the entry. I ask the front desk lady if she has seen my tiny blue wallet. She calls the dude from the phone I am guessing. I get embarrassed and want to leave. She says it is better to check…maybe they found it she says. The silence kills me. The lady on the other side of the phone is looking…looking forever it seems like.

Lessons I learned from today:

1.             two hotdogs is too many

2.             remembering what the maintenance guy from the school you work at looks like is key to not looking foolish

3.             car shows are much more fun when you know something about cars

4.             Keeping track of precious things is important for maintaining proper stress levels

5.             Man is basically good. You don't believe me? Ask the Fred Meyer cart guy who found my little blue wallet. He left it alone…my dollars are still there…and he turned it in. What a good guy/girl...whoever they are.

Book Review: Strength to Love

Strength to Love
Author: Martin Luther King Jr.

The Overview:

Oh, Reverend King...you rocked my socks! I should get paid by the publisher or something because I have been telling everyone and their brother how good this book is. I'm not a sermon reading enthusiast, but this collection of sermons penned by the man who had a dream, but first had a church and a whole ton of conviction kept me turning the pages.  His 1950s wisdom for a segregated America is still incredibly applicable to our "social injustices are not my problem" America. Preach that social gospel Brother King!





The Good:

Each Sermon/Chapter talks about something a little different: Nonconformity, Communism, Weakness v. Strength, Liberalism, Nonviolence, etc. But a couple of the chapters were instant winners for me.

Chapter 8, the sermon entitled, "The Death of Evil upon the Seashore," asks the question, "Why does God allow evil to exist?" King's answer is neither arrogant nor passive and gives an interesting perspective on God's power v. God's purpose. Look up the chapter online and read it for yourself!

I just finished the last chapter, Chapter 15, "Pilgrimage to Nonviolence" and I almost wish that had been the first chapter because it gave a lot of context about the time period and King's personal life at the time of these sermons as well. It talked about his personal philosophies, how he came to the conclusions he did and how diving into various theological theories rounded out his view of man. Super interesting. I would definitely suggest reading this particular sermon online if nothing else.


The Memorable:

"God has two outstretched arms. One is strong enough enough to surround us with justice, and one is gentle enough to embrace us with grace."

"The gospel at its best deals with the whole man, not only his soul but also his body, not only his spiritual well-being but also his material well-being. A religion that professes a concern for the souls of men and is not equally concerned about the slums that damn them, the economic conditions that strangle them, and the social conditions that cripple them is a spiritually moribund religion.

"Most people, and Christians in particular, are thermometers that record or register the temperature of majority opinion, not thermostats that transform and regulate the temperature of society."

"We must learn that to expect God to do everything while we do nothing is not faith but superstition."


The Recommendation:

Enlightening, historical, heart-changing.

a monday...with the label of last

Today is my last Monday interning at World Vision.
Jenn says that I am a very sentimental person.
This is true. Good memories are like hugs.
I like hugs.
I also like cupcakes.
I think the one I just devoured will be my last of the day.
We don't normally have cupcakes, but today was someone's birthday.
Sometimes lasts are hard for me.
It is hard for me to say good-bye to good things. To let go.
Let the current do it's job Jess.
Let the next adventure surprise and delight.
Jump in and don't hold back.
Hugs, and cupcakes, and good things will come again. They always do.



I am not sure the bit about the last cupcake was a whole truth...



...but I guess you'll never know.