Everything's Fine...

Call me a positive thinker, but I don't like to dwell on negatives.  When I go out with friends and they say, "Hey, how've you been?", rather than reply with a simple, "I'm good, and you?" I'm more prone to say something like, "Excellent!", "Fabulous!", or "Top-Notch!"  Admittedly, that's partly just because I like to use big, funky words.  However, sometimes the reason I use such big, grand, positive words is because I'd rather not draw attention to the fact that I'm currently in the middle of a huge, whacked-out transition from a place that's been my beloved home for 8 years to a new place that, though I've lived here before, still doesn't feel quite like home to me.  I like to fit in wherever I go.  I like to instantly take part in society, whether I'm adapted to it or not, and I wish—oh how I wish—that I could just skip the whole "adapting" process that comes with any cultural transition.

If I'm not mistaken, this "shock" has a name, and it's one that I've heard all of my life growing up but never truly believed in.  I'm experiencing culture shock, you see, and while that may not seem like a surprise, it's surprising to me because it's something I've always firmly believed myself to be immune to.  "I can go right back and fit right in," I told myself.  "Things will feel totally normal.  I'll slide right into the USA, straight into that spot that's been waiting for me all these years, and I'll pick things up right where I left off.  It'll be the most natural thing in the world."

How wrong I was.  I should have been smarter than that, and if I do say so myself, I am smarter than that!  I, simply and truly, am not an American teen.  I'm a teenager, born in the USA, who has lived literally 78% of his life in Latin America.  By that reasoning, I'm more Latin than I am American!  I'm starting to realize this more than ever lately as I try to get out, socialize, be a part of the American culture again.  You see, there's a common illustration about third-world kids involving blue and yellow clay.  As kids raised in two or more different cultures, we've got a little bit of blue and a little bit of yellow.  The result is a clay that is neither blue nor yellow, but green.  We've got a little bit of both, meaning that while we can adapt to multiple cultures, we fit into none of them perfectly.

The problem is, there are times where I just want to be one or the other.  And there's no better way to be reminded that you're green than to go out with a bunch of blue people.  I'm usually embracive of my green-ness!  In fact, I'm usually proud of it!  There are times (such as when I wrote my very first blog post) when I just wanna' shout it from the rooftops!  "I'm GREEEEEN!!!!! :D"  (Smiley included for visual imagery.)

But, to be honest, there are times when I just wanna' take a bunch of that blue clay and smear it all over the surface of my green, cover it all up, not let anybody see it, and just have them believe that I'm content to be blue, just like them.  I'm still green inside, but you wouldn't know it at first glance.

It's not that I don't like my green self.  It's the fact that I like to fit in.  It's that I like to have it all figured out.  I don't like the awkward transition phase of moving.  I don't like culture shock.  A lot of the time, I just don't like feeling different.

It's that transitions stink, and they're hard.  And it's that sometimes I struggle with feeling like I don't fit in, like I'll always be different from my friends.  Yes, sometimes I struggle to remember God's goodness—that I am His handiwork, and that He's been in absolute control of my upbringing form Day1!— and loose myself in negativity.

But then again, I'm not one to dwell on the negatives!

That's why when people ask me how I'm doing, I say "I'm excellent!"  I say it because it's the truth!  Even on my worst day it's not hard at all to see that I'm incredibly blessed!  I couldn't count all my blessings if I had thirty hands!  As I stop and think, there's hardly a negative light to shed on my current scenario!

For one, my transition isn't that hard.  There are way harder transitions than re-adjusting to a life of total comfort and luxury!  Moreover, I'm not jumping into a new culture, but re-learning an old one—one that I already know how to be a part of.  Another plus?!  I've already got friends (however "blue" they might be!) who love me and who will be a vital part of my transitioning back in to the United States!  I've also got ALL of my college paid for in full and I've very likely got a job on-campus for the first year.

Then there's the advantages to just having been an MK!  I've got a broader worldview than most people my age, just from having lived overseas most of my life.  I've seen God take care of us every single day overseas—and every single day since we've been back.  I've seen Him provide us with cars, houses, and food for every single meal, no matter where we live.  I also speak two languages!  Even when I go looking for a serious job, I can aim higher than most.  Every time God has called us to a place, He has been more than faithful.  He's shown us infinite grace, and He's not about to stop caring for us now.

All that to say, sometimes I struggle, but if I ever feel different, I never feel like an outcast.  If anything, I feel loved and blessed!  So why am I complaining about being green?  Green is awesome.  And you know what?  Everything's gonna' be just fine.   :o)

"Search me, o God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts."

Psalm 139:23

 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ...And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin... If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?  So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Matthew 6:25, 28-33 

Just Can't Keep It In!

Posting time.  It's been months since my last post (I think my last several posts have started this way), and loads of things have changed in my life since I've last written!  The biggest change has much to do with why I'm sitting in my grandparents' house chillin' with my family as I write.

But FIRST!  A disclaimer!

What follows is not intended to be my best piece of writing.  It's intended to convey exactly what I think and feel about the best thing I have ever been blessed to be a part of—Highest Praise. As the name implies, it's a musical program, so if you don't like music, well, it's not for you!  But if you do, then by all means, read on good man!    

Where was I?  Ah yes, sitting in my grandparents' house.  We are officially back in the USA—for good!  We've said goodbye "see you later" to Costa Rica and have relocated back to the United States after 8 years of paradise.

And I've gotta' say, it's a little bit weird!  It doesn't feel weird for ME to be back, but it's been just plain strange to see my family all back in the US for good!  (They need to be back in Costa Rica where they belong!)

Luckily, I've been just a little distracted.  I just finished my second and final summer of Highest Praise.  For those of you who don't know what Highest Praise is, someone once described it as "traveling church camp choir for high schoolers".    I would call it "intense music ministry camp for high schoolers".  You can read all about it right here.  Of course, I can't talk about Highest Praise and not say my piece.  I'm not going to describe exactly what goes ON (you can follow the link for that); I'm just going to tell you why it's the best!  You see, I'm convinced that, despite other churches and colleges having their traveling bands/choirs, there is none better than Highest Praise.  I'll give you a few reasons why right here, and if you're reading this as a high schooler who likes music, you can decide whether or not you think it such a great opportunity as I do.

For one, Highest Praise simply has the best people!  Now, I'm not dissing other colleges, I'm just saying that you won't find any people who are more committed to knowing you and investing directly in your life than  Mary Green, Scott Handley, and Doug Pogue, our wonderful Highest Praise directors. Secondly, no other program allows you to bond so well with other people your age. Don't take my word for it—ask anyone else who's been on tour!  We're a huge, close family; a big, personal support group.  Anyone who's been can tell you that the friends you make on Highest Praise aren't like the friends you make elsewhere in life.  They're for life.  They're a whole part of your life.

Lastly, Highest Praise is the best because, while you minister to others all tour, the program is really designed to minister to you.  There's a life-changing message at the core of each year of Highest Praise, and it's not meant just for the audience.  It's meant for you.  And it works.  You can't experience Highest Praise without growing deeper in your relationship with Christ.  Last year taught me to look outside of "my own little world" and look to those around me.  I realized that life is not about me, but about everyone else.  This year's message had to do with "the heart of the matter".  God doesn't look at the outside.  He doesn't care what we look like, if we're funny, fun to be around, or even about what we've done.  He looks at our heart.  He looks past our mistakes and our pretenses to see whether we're set on knowing Him and obeying Him in our heart.   Likewise, when you stop looking at that one annoying person as "that annoying person" and try to see them as God sees them, you will usually find a beautiful heart, "crafted by God's hand and perfectly planned to be just who [they] are".



For me, Highest Praise is more than a 12-day bus tour with incredible friends.  It's a 12 day bonding experience with brothers and sisters.  It's a challenge to grow, an environment to grow in, and the ultimate support-group all rolled up in one—and it's all tailored just for you.  For teenagers that love God and love music, that is.

It's not a just a musical performance.  It's a full blown musical ministry.  It's where you'll meet friends you'll keep for a lifetime.  It's where you'll "just sing" and change the life of a person, a family, a congregation.  It's where your life is changed and you change lives.

It's the highlight of the summer.  It's the highlight of the year.  It's the event worth looking forward to.  It's number 1 on my list.  It's better than church camp.  Better than a youth retreat.  Better than band.  Better than choir.  It's all those things combined.

It's everything worth devoting 18 days of your summer to!  It's beyond your wildest expectations.  I love Highest Praise.  If you're a high-schooler and are musically talented, this is my shameless ad—you need to do Highest Praise.

Follow the link in the sixth paragraph and try out for Highest Praise 2013!  You won't regret it.

(P.S.  The website is still currently set to Highest Praise 2012, but the application forms are still the same!)

Our Family Group (#1).  We're the best!
Thanks to Jordan Baker (seen standing and about to driver her fists into Sam, who is lying on the ground) for granting me unasked permission to use this photo. ;)