Annual Conference-Day 2 and Day 3

COMBO-POST!

Yesterday was SO exiting, and I was SO exhausted, that I didn't have time to post last night. Sorry about that, guys. This will also be a quick type, because CATS is on. If you know me, you know that that is my FAVORITE musical of all time. So I apologize if there are any typos. But, come on...it's CATS!

DAY 2 (June 6, 2011)

In case anyone is wondering, Sonic has this lemonberry slush, and it's sooooo good. :) We had Sonic for breakfast. It was pretty good.

This year's theme is "With the Poor", based on Galatians 2:10. "They asked only that we remember the poor, which I made every effort to do." (Holman Christian Standard Bible-from my Nook.)

Apparently there is a new way of voting. Does this mean I won't be kicked off the floor this year? Here's to hoping. (Note: This did NOT mean I wasn't kicked off. In fact, they didn't even let me on the floor!) It sounded very confusing to me. (Note: Apparently, it was very confusing to everyone else, too.) I was only halfway paying attention. The man explaining everything made an American Idol reference. It was kind of awesome.

First, we had the Laity session. Mostly it was people talking. We sang a song. ("We All Are One In Mission") Then, some more people talked.

They talked about domestic abuse. It was actually pretty cool. They talked about how everyone is different, how to know if you're a batterer, and how to help people who are being abused.

I saw a guy I met at Southeastern Orientation.

I got to see Rev. Tommy, a friend of Mama's, again. Yay! I've never met anyone as gentlemanly as him. I also got to meet Rev. Juliet, our soon-to-be new pastor, and her husband, Mr. Moe. He says he's a "full-time preacher's wife." He's pretty funny. I also talked to Katie McKay Simpson.

Lots of people!

Dr. Marcia McFee led the worship sessions.

"If sitting is what you do best, sit with gusto!"

Wow. She is amazing. She played the drums while she sang and prayed. It was awesome.

Then, MORE TALKING.

Bishop Hutchinson is retiring next year. :( He's pretty funny. I like him. He played "Huck Finn" in the musical "Mississippi Medley." He sang a song from it in his address. It was pretty awesome. He also pretty much fussed at all of the churches that didn't respond to the survey the conference sent out. He even looked over the top of his glasses and scowled. I felt like I was back at school.

We also watched a video about money.

"God is not finished wit us yet!"

Membership in the U.S has decreased from 1968-2009, from about 10,000,000 to about 7,000,000. Holy cow.

Mama ate lunch with the Westley board, and the new director of Westley at LSU. They went to Strawn's, but Ms. Lenora, Ms. Georgia, Ms. Anne, Andrew, and I ate in the cafeteria. We had spaghetti, but I didn't eat much, because I'd had a double cheeseburger for breakfast.

We also went to the athletic center( which they turned into the Cokesberry store), and I bought some new prayer beads. (I lost mine from last year.) We also listened to speeches by soon-to-be new pastors. (Ordination was last night, June 5.) Some of them were pretty interesting.

We had an extra long break, so I went up to the balcony and talked to Ms. Georgia, Ms. Anne, and Rev. Lucinda. We talked about sudoku. (It was more that sudoku, but that was part of it.)

In the athletic-center-turned-store, we found a book called The Gospel According to Disney. You can't get more legit than that. (Note: Not only did we buy that book, but we also bought another book about Disney and religion.)

One of the men who was talked had almost lost his voice. :( The money report bored and confused EVERYONE. I gave up, and started playing sudoku. Then we listened to people talk. This time, it was retired ministers.

For dinner, we went to 'Counter Culture' and I got a grilled cheese sandwich, chips, and a 'Banana Crack'. I was expecting a normal sized cup with banana slices, with a little bit of frozen yogurt on top. Nope. It was HUGE. I'll post a picture later.

After dinner, we went to the ordination service, witch is one of my favorite parts of Annual Conference. The sermon was AMAZING. The Bishop pretty much laid it all out there. He talked about letting/inviting people into the church, not keeping them out.

When we got back to the hotel room ,we were to tired to even think about pie. That's pretty darn tired.

DAY 3 (June 7, 2011.)

This morning was the Laity breakfast. It was pretty yummy. The speaker talked about education, and about how we can help improve education, and decrease drop-out rates.

The speeches this year have been AMAZING!

"If one is a United Methodist, then every day is a day of caring."

Then, MORE TALKING! Although the multi-cultural report was pretty interesting. I like Juan Huertes' bow tie. It's purple and plaid. Pretty funky! [Today must be bow-tie day.]

One retiring pastor, for his speech, simply said this:

"There once was a pastor named Ken

whose career had come to an end.

He was invited up north

to give a report

then turned, and left with a grin."

Then he turned, and left with a grin. It was probably the best report I've ever heard.

More stuff happened, but I'll have to tell you about that tomorrow. There is pie calling my name, and it's late.

Annual Conference-Day 1

The drive up to Shreveport was rather uneventful. We passed some cows, and I slept a lot. We saw a horse trailer with a fake horse head sticking out of it. It was rather humorous. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture. We left later than we had planned, but we can still check in tomorrow morning, so it’s all good.

We made it to the hotel about 6:00, and got checked in and everything. Of course, the first thing I did was set up my computer. I also did the customary/mandatory “run and jump on the bed”, and yes, it felt AWESOME. The bed is approved.

It rained shortly after we got to the hotel, but not for long, and it didn't rain very hard. It mostly looked dreary. Due to the dreary weather (and the fact that Dominoes’ delivers.), we stayed in the hotel and ordered pizza. It was pretty yummy.

There is this pie place called “Strawn’s”, and OH MY WORD. Their pie is DELICIOUS. Strawn’s isn’t in Baton Rouge, so we HAD to go get pie for desert. Again, it was yummy. We decided to get half chocolate and half coconut, so it would last us three days. (Maybe.) My personal favorite is strawberry, but after a few days, the strawberries would start to get funky. When we go to the one near campus, I’m getting strawberry. :)

All in all, it’s been a relatively uneventful day. I’m about to go check out the pool with Ms. Lenora. :) Tomorrow should be more interesting. :)

How Gays Are Out to Destroy Us All [SATIRE]

Note: As the title says, this is a satire. It was written to make a point. If you don't like it, I'm not forcing you to read it. I ask that you do read it, however, as you might find it interesting, and you might learn something. I thoroughly enjoyed writing it, and I hope you enjoy reading it.


The human race is under attack. We are being threatened by a group of people bent on world domination. These people are everywhere; in our schools, at our work places, even in our army. Who are these people that are out to destroy us? The answer is simple: Gay people. And it's not just gay people. Gays and gay rights activists are in cahoots; they're working together to bring about the end of our species.

Many gay rights activists claim that being gay isn't a choice, but that people are "born that way". This is a lie. Of course it's a choice! Gays, Lesbians, and Bisexuals are willingly choosing a lifestyle where they are constantly bullied, teased, and told they'll be damned for all eternity, simply to outrage society. It's a desperate cry for attention, not just from teenagers, but from adults as well, even the elderly! That's why nine gay teenagers took their own lives in September of 2010: They wanted the attention.[1]

The push for the legalization of gay marriage is another example of the cry for attention. Why else would gays and gay rights activists push so hard for the legalization of gay marriage when they already have an institution that is practically the same: the "Civil Union". Sure, since there are no national standards accompanying"civil unions" or "domestic partnerships", there is the possibility that, while a same-sex couple in Vermont can have health benefits and life insurance to provide for their partner, a same-sex couple in Oregon would have no benefits available, should one of them get sick or die.[2,3] There is a very simple solution to this: don't get sick. Or you could just move to Vermont.

This cry for attention, these rallies and parades, are all part of an underlying plot to turn everyone else in the world gay, and, therefore, cause humans to go extinct. By convincing everyone that being gay is acceptable, and then turning everyone gay, gays would cause human reproductive rates to decline until we were no longer producing any offspring. After that happens, it's just a matter of time until everyone dies, and the human race is no more.

We must prevent this terrible outcome by continuing to ostracize and reject these masochistic attention seekers, and drive them to suicide, so that there are no more gays, lesbians, or bisexuals left to threaten our race. Push them into lockers, deny them the right to life insurance to provide for their partner, condemn them, damn them, so that they won't tempt others, and destroy everything man has worked for. It's not discrimination. It's self preservation!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.youtube.com/user/itgetsbetterproject

http://www.thetrevorproject.org/


1. http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/septembers-anti-gay-bullying-suicides-there-were-a-lot-more-than-5/discrimination/2010/10/01/13297

2. http://www.leg.state.vt.us/docs/2010/bills/Passed/S-115.pdf "Marriage is the legally recognized union of one man and one woman two
people. When used in this chapter or in any other statute, the word “marriage”
shall mean a civil marriage. Terms relating to the marital relationship or
familial relationships shall be construed consistently with this section for all
purposes throughout the law, whether in the context of statute, administrative
or court rule, policy, common law, or any other source of civil law."


3. http://www.leg.state.or.us/orcons/orcons.html "Section 5a. Policy regarding marriage. It is the policy of Oregon, and its political subdivisions, that only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or legally recognized as a marriage. [Created through initiative petition filed March 2, 2004, and adopted by the people Nov. 2, 2004]"

On A Friend.

Earlier this week, a friend of mine from church committed suicide. His death came as a shock to all of his church friends, as he always seemed to be very happy at church. He was always smiling, always exited about whatever was going on. He was one of my buddies, that I would hug almost every Sunday morning. He had been active as a leader in the youth group, and taught a sixth grade Sunday school class.
None of us saw it coming.
The loss of someone so routine is devastating. I know that I, personally, took his presence for granted. He always was there, and he would always be there, asking about the newest trip for youth, or checking in to see how I was doing.
What amazed me was the church's response. He died around 9:00 PM. By the time my parents got the news (around 10:30 PM) several of the men in the church had already made it to his wife's house, and several women were already on their way. One couple in the church sent their children to their grandparent's house (also members of the church), so the couple could go be with his wife.
The church flocked to her side.
We may not always agree on theology, and we may not agree on how the church should work.
But when a person in the church needs someone, we're there. We are a family. We support each other.
I guess the church's response shouldn't have amazed me. People coming together is nothing new.
The church's response comforted me. It was comforting to know that, even if it's 10:30 at night, someone will be there.
I felt that comforting presence after the death of my great grandmother two years ago, and then again after the death of my grandmother last fall.
It's different when you look at it from the outside. It's different when you're not the one consumed with grief, and can see the church coming together. Don't get me wrong. I'm grieving. He was a friend of mine, and a big part of my life. But the focus is on his family, and those who knew him better than I did.
People sometimes ask where you see God at work.
I saw God at work through him.
I see God at work right now, in the rush to comfort his family, in the rush to help the younger ones understand what's going on, and yes, in the grief of the church. We can't always come together on issues, but we can come together to love.

~~~~~
Thank-you for being such an important person in all of our lives. You certainly made an impact.
There are not words that can express the loss that we feel.
You will be missed.
Please, rest peacefully.
~~~~~

Whatever Happened To Compromise?

So, you've probably seen all the hulabaloo in politics recently. (If you haven't, where have you been?) Both sides are screaming "I'm right! I'm right! You're wrongggg!".
Is this actually getting us anywhere?
I don't think so.
As children, we learn certain things. Our parents teach us to share with each other, to be courteous to one another, and to work together. We learn about compromise at a very early age. So why does it seem to disappear as we get older? Why do the simple lessons we learn cease to be important as time goes on?
If politicians (and people in general) can learn to work together, and compromise, we might actually get something done. As it is now, all people are doing is yelling at each other, and that's never solved anyone's problems, has it?
Another question I have for America is "when did helping people become a bad thing?" People refuse to help the poor with their medical bills, refuse to help them go to school, and then complain when they don't do anything with their lives. If you don't know how to work in a car factory, and don't have money to go to school, how are you supposed to work in a car factory?
You're not.
Simply shelling money out to people, won't help, but giving them the resources will. Sure, some people are just sitting on their bums, accepting relief checks, and not attempting to do anything with their lives, but I'm convinced that a vast majority of unemployed people want to make something of themselves. We just need to give them a chance.
"Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, he'll eat for life."
If we don't help each other, we're going to collapse. Our society isn't going to survive if we only focus on helping our selves. Besides, there's this amazing feeling you get when you help someone, especially if you don't expect anything in return. That's one of the reasons I love mission work so much. The feeling I get from doing something, especially something with my hands, and being able to see the result, is one of the most amazing feelings ever.
In church today, the preacher mentioned smiling. Of course, I had to try and keep myself from smiling. (It didn't work very well.) One of the things people comment on is my smile.
I'm slightly self concious about my teeth. For a long time, I had this HORRENDOUS overbite. (That's what happens when you suck your thumb until you're in fifth grade.) Then, in middle school, I got braces. (Maybe about seventh grade? I'm not entirely sure.) In my freshman year, I got them off. Since brushing was kind of difficult with braces, there were a few trouble spots, and I got my first cavity. (I was FREAKED. OUT.) Now that I've gotten the cavities taken care of, I want to whiten my teeth. Other people may not notice the spots, but I do. I notice every scar, every spot, every imperfection. In my mind, I know it's not that big of a deal, but it still bugs me from time to time.
However, despite all of the flaws, people still compliment me on my smile. Today, my dad explained that the reason people like my smile is because I mean it. He said some of the most beautiful smiles he's seen were from people with no teeth.
People say I smile a lot. Its true.
There was a book I read, called Sideways Stories from Wayside School, by Louis Sachar. It's a cute little book with short little chapters full of absolute silliness. One of the chapters stuck with me, however. It's only three pages long, and it's about a boy who smiles a lot. His classmates ask him why he is smiling, but he just shrugs. Finally, when the yard teacher asks him why he's smiling, the boy replies "You need a reason to be sad. You don't need a reason to be happy."
When I first read that sentence, the truth of it didn't really hit me. It wasn't until much later that I realized how true it was, and how much it applied to my life.
The reason I smile is because it feels good. Life is to short to be unhappy all the time. I know that I always feel better when someone smiles at me, so why not smile at everyone else? I enjoy smiling. There are so many reasons to smile, so many opportunities to share your joy with the world.
I enjoy finding the beauty in life, in the world around me, and in the people who surround me. If you're not going to enjoy life, what will you enjoy?
On the last day of summer this year, I went to the park with one of my friends. Both of us took our dolls with us. We played on the playground, and played with our dolls. Granted, we didn't dress them up in every available outfit and make them walk around a plastic house, but posing them and taking pictures of them counts as playing. We realized that that day was the last summer as "children." Next summer, both of us will be eighteen, we'll have graduated from high school, and we'll be on our way to college. So we took the opportunity to behave like children. This doesn't mean that we won't have our childish days, and we'll stop watching the kiddie shows and getting happy meals, but it does mean that we'll start to have more responsibilities, and we won't have as much time to at like children. We'll be voting, we'll be going to college, we'll be starting the next stage of our lives next summer. So we took the opportunity to enjoy the last day of our school-age summers.
Sometimes life starts to feels like it's coming at me too fast. It feels like the whole world wants me to grow up, when I'm not ready. Sometimes, when I start to see all of the hate in the world, and all of the things that are wrong, the emotion will start to build up, and I'll get so angry that I want to cry. That's when I pick up a book, or turn my Ipod on and dance around my room. That's when I pop a Disney movie into the VCR and curl up on the couch, and begin to feel like a little kid.
Children aren't born hating people. Children are taught to hate people. Children are born with no judgments, no prejudices, no sense of evil. They don't hate the people they see. While their parents may look at a person, and see all of their faults, all of their shortcomings, children can look at the same person and just see another human being.. They don't see the serial killer, they don't see the terrorist, they just see another person. It isn't until they're taught that they ought to hate someone, that they actually hate them.
Kids? They've got the right idea.
There really isn't enough love in the world. There aren't enough smiles. There aren't enough children. There isn't enough innocence in the world.
We should change that.

"My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy your ice cream while it's on your plate." ~Thornton Wilder