Posted by: Tone | July 13, 2009

Why Intimidation Sucks

Before I post for today, I have this very important announcement. Starting today until August 3rd, every Monday you can get a free iced or hot mocha (7 oz) from McDonald’s with McCafe’s. Every Monday. I don’t know what you’re waiting for, I’m going to go get mine today… and for the next couple of Mondays.

There’s no smooth transition from free mochas to regular blogging, but I couldn’t help letting you know. I’m very excited. My trip to the Rosebud Indian Reservation is starting to become a distant memory, one of which doesn’t bring about many blog posts at the moment. But I do think I have one more topic to discuss before putting the issue to rest. This concerns one of the greatest lessons I learned while on the Rez.

I’m not going to lie. I’m easily intimidated by other people. I know I should be more confident, that I should be willing to put myself out there, but I just let others get to me easily. There is one student in the youth group that I work with that I was always afraid to talk to. The funny thing was it has nothing to do with the student, but rather the parents.

I’ve had a difficult time with the parents and have felt the wrath of their anger multiple times. I figured that since they had such a disdain for me, that they would instill this disdain into their children as well. As a result, I never really allowed myself to talk to this student for the fear of the pre-established hate.

As the trip progressed I allowed myself to talk to this student and get to know them. Not only that, but I allowed myself to joke with them and laugh. It turns out the student really has no disdain for me at all and the only thing getting in the way of being better friends was my insecurities.

This is something many people have transcended dealing with, but I’ll admit I am prone to it from time to time. Don’t allow yourself to be intimidated by other people. Easier said than done, but think of all of the missed opportunities from intimidation. The best way to deal with intimidation is to confront it head on. Don’t allow yourself to be intimidated and strike up a conversation. It will be awkward at first, but you never know, it might be keeping you from a beautiful friendship.

Intimidation stems from so many different things, but you’ve got to be comfortable with who you are. You’ve got to realize that you are who you are, and that nobody else can do anything about it. While it is still important to listen to others and allow yourself to learn from their feedback, you have to be comfortable with your inner most being. This is a problem so many young adults face, but I think it gets easier as we get older. We finally “find” ourselves and have a better grip on who we are.

Until then, the process can be awkward, but it’s part of growing. Don’t let intimidation get the better of you. Besides, you probably have no reason to be insecure anyway.

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Posted by: Tone | July 10, 2009

The Risk of Metaphors in Writing

Currently I’m reading through The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. While the ideas presented in the book are interesting, the sprawling 694 pages of prose however, are not as riveting. While Rand does all of us a favor by turning her ideas into symbolism and metaphor, it doesn’t help when the symbolism, is well, blatant. They always say a spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down, but reading The Fountainhead is a lot like drinking Children’s Tylenol. It’s supposed to be cherry flavored, but we all know it still tastes like garbage.

But, this isn’t a review of The Fountainhead. That will come when (if) I ever finish the book. The issue that it raises for me though is how to properly use literary devices. I do think that there is power behind symbolism and metaphor, it allows the reader to use their imagination while at the same time trying to understand the point the author is making. However the danger of using such literary devices is that the message may be lost on the audience. But isn’t that the risk or using metaphor and symbolism? The message may be lost, but if they get it, it will be twice as powerful. The question then is if the potential risk is worth the payoff.

I would always argue yes. The human mind always craves to be entertained, and by putting your ideas into an entertaining vehicle, you’ve made it that much more memorable. Plus, if your audience understands your use of symbols and metaphor, it allows the reader to critically engage with your thoughts and figure out why you chose to use the symbols you did. Anybody can write their ideas out for people to read, but a true artist is able to turn those ideas into some beautiful.

That is part of the risk. You must be someone who is able to produce such art. Such art is only produced with practice and experience, so if you feel like you can’t (like this writer), then keep trying. It will come some day. I hope.

Until then, I’ll have to stick to blatant “in your face” writing. I should mention that blatant use of metaphor *cough* Ayn Rand *cough* doesn’t count. That is still just blatant nonfiction. But perhaps there will be a day when my fiction will not only be entertaining, but meaningful. These are the joys of the journey of a writer.

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Posted by: Tone | July 8, 2009

Why Ministry Doesn’t Work on the Rosebud Indian Reservation

It’s been more than a week since I’ve returned from the Rez and I haven’t written any solid post on it. For that, I’m sorry. You can only blame sickness so many times, but personally, I blame jet skis. See Monday for what I’m taking about.

Going to the Rosebud Indian Reservation is always such a mixed experience. It can be an uplifting experience because you are forced to embrace a life of simplicity. All the complications of life tend to fade away and all that is left is figuring out how to serve others. Although it is a tiring way to live life, it can be a rewarding one. One might go crazy doing it constantly (and by one, I mean me), but it is always nice to shake up the system so.

However, one of the most frustrating things about being on the Rosebud Indian Reservation is seeing how many churches exist on the Rez. Going down the streets of Mission, SD, you can run into more churches than I can count on one hand. Now let’s face the facts for a second. Mission, let alone the Rosebud Indian Reservation, isn’t the most densely populated place on earth. One would think with so many churches that you would see more people wanting to embrace a Christian lifestyle. Instead what is seen is quite the opposite. A lot of churches with no one wanting to inhabit them.

This is what drives me crazy about the Rez. There are many people there that want to make a difference for Christ, that want to reach out to people on the reservation, but yet, they all have their own idea of how to do it. They all refuse (mostly) to work together. Imagine what could happen if everyone banded together with one common goal, to glorify the name of Christ, instead of lifting up their own personal mission.

It it moments like this that lead me to believe that ministry is dead and perhaps the Holy Spirit is either a) not being utilized or b) not real. If God really wanted to reach out to this people, wouldn’t He take all of these “willing” servants and make sure they are all on the same page?

I don’t think there will be a large shift there until the local ministries can begin to learn to work together. That usually requires humble spirits and selfless attitudes, but those are hard to come by wherever you are, not just the Rosebud Indian Reservation. Perhaps there will be a day when people will be able to lay aside their differences and work together. Until then, the message will be fragmented and the audience  confused.

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Posted by: Tone | July 6, 2009

My New Favorite Activity

This weekend was another continuation in Tone becomes a man week. But the only reason I write a continuation from that post is because I think I’m in love. I did something this weekend for the first time, which I’m not quite sure why I never have before. I am truly bewildered because I have found that I love it so. What is this mysterious activity? It’s Jet Skiing.

You know you want to be them!

You know you want to be them!

Yes, this weekend I had the pleasure of jet skiing for the first time in my life. I’ve always wanted to go but I never knew anybody that had one. I was up at a friend’s cabin this weekend and almost experienced pure giddiness when I saw a pair of jet skis docked at their dock. I never asked for the opportunity to drive them, instead I was asked if I wanted to learn.  Faster than controversy comes to Sarah Palin, I jumped on the opportunity and began to learn how to operate the craft.

Let me describe it like this: The most fun you will ever have in your life. Period. It’s like all the joys of riding a motorcycle, but on water so you can be even more reckless. The sheer joy of riding across the water at speeds of 50+ MPH, the terror of jumping your ski into the air for the first time, the thrill of taking a turn so hard that you are only holding onto the ski with one hand. Words can’t even begin to describe (exaggerated I know) what a joyous experience this is.

Needless to say, I now am experiencing jet ski envy. Perhaps when I am a real adult with a real job it will be my luxury purchase. They are not the cheapest things on the planet, but if you’re going to be spend all the money on a boat, why not just buy a jet ski instead? Seriously. There’s no reason not to, unless you’re a pansy. And you’re not a pansy are ya? If you are so fortunate as to own a jet ski, then know that I envy you, you lucky person you. They say it’s always better to share…

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Posted by: Tone | July 3, 2009

How I Became a Man

I’ve got great news. I have finally become a man. I kid, I kid. Well, in part. One might say that I’ve never been a manly man. I didn’t really play many sports as a kid, I can’t really find my way around a car or any machinery for that matter, and I’m not the greatest at constructing anything. Three strikes, and you’re out.

Even though I’ve gotten over my masculine insecurities long ago, I did have a pretty intense “manly week” last week which will boost my man cred. So I couldn’t help but share these great stories.

Man Story 1: I learned how to drive a manual. As I was on the Rez last week, I didn’t have many options for vehicles and had to force myself to learn how to use a stick. At first I was nervous because I wasn’t sure how much I was going to embarrass myself. Then I realized that I have my motorcycle license and driving a manual can’t be that much different. Turns out it’s not, the footwork is just a little weird. I’m not going to lie, at first, it was a bit… awkward, but by the end of the week I was shifting like a pro. In fact, I kind of want a manual now because you can accelerate way faster than you can in an automatic. I also found that a manual does a great job of keeping your speed down as well. In order to not go over the speed limit, I didn’t change gears and it kept me within the speed limit. It was like forced discipline.

Man Story 2: I learned how to drywall. One evening in the dorms a group of our students were playing a game of deathball. The game is simple. Two garbage cans on both ends of the halls and get the ball into the can, by any means whatsoever. You can imagine the hefty amount of injuries that would ensue. In an unfortunate turn of events, a student’s head went through a piece of drywall. For the next 24 hours non-stop, I gathered the supplies and learned how to patch a piece of drywall. By the time it was all said and done, it looked pretty good. I was even told by one of my contractor friends I could be his mud man if things didn’t work out for me.

Those are my coming of age stories, but perhaps you have some of your own? If you’ve got a story worth sharing, leave it in the comments below!

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Posted by: Tone | July 1, 2009

Body Shutdown

I woke up Monday morning fine. I thought life was going to be great. I would be recuperated, I could post some great blog entries about my trip to South Dakota, and I could catch up on miscellaneous things in my life. Turns out my body had a different plan.

After lunch on Monday, my body shut down. I could barely move, I had the shivers, and my body hurt all over. I was struck with a pretty intense fever. This is something my body does every now and then when I over exert myself, which is what happened the last three days on the rez (more stories to come later). But basically, my body handles the sleepless and strenuous circumstances for a time, but once I stop, my body says no more, and makes me bedridden.

I took my temperature and found that it was 101, definitely fever territory. But it boggles my mind. I understand that the body heats up when it is producing antibodies to fight infection, but I have a hard time grasping the fact that your immune system can be working so hard that it raises your temperature that much. It just makes me think that the immune system in my body is running a marathon causing the internal body temperature to skyrocket. So I’m sorry body, hopefully you can rest soon.

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