It’s eleven thirty. I’m about to go to bed. But yesterday I bought a house. We are now home owners in Oxford (or just outside of). So today I loaded up a whole bunch of stuff and took it over there. Tomorrow is more of the same. And some painting too.
Soon, we’ll be out of our 800 Square Feet.
We’re so happy.
Pics soon.
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This is where I’ve been living for the last five months. There are five of us and a dog in here now. I estimate it to be about 800 square feet. A space this size would go for about $300,000 in downtown San Francisco. But it’s quite different in Mississipi.
Pardon the messiness. But we’re packing up to move! We should be home owners tomorrow. We’re closing on a house in Oxford. Then we’ll be able to actually be a part of the community! And no more driving acorss Hwy 30 multiple times a day.
I know my wife may shoot me for how chaotic the house looks. But everyone was still asleep before I left this morning, and grabbed some quick vid.
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Oxford, Mississippi could be known for a lot of things. One of those things is “The Square.” The Courthouse Square sits in the center of town just a few blocks up from the campus of UMiss. It is full of shops and stores and restaurants and clubs and law offices.
The summers that I worked at Camp Lake Stephens I’d often times come look around The Square at Uncle Buck’s (a music store that is no longer there) or look in an art gallery or two. I always stopped in Square Books or Off Square Books too. The Square can be a very cool place. Lots of good eats.
Anyhow, I found this short video that highlights The Square. And it just so happens to be hosted by a friend of mine, Micah Ginn. Enjoy
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For the summer The Orchard here in Oxford is moving to one Sunday service only. This is for a few different reasons, and was a difficult decision. And one that raised the next question of if we’re only going to have one service, then do we have an evening service or a morning. We settled on the morning service. And you know what that means, right?
That means that for the first time in the last eleven years of my life I do not have church responsibilities on Sunday evenings. I can’t wrap my mind around it yet, but today is the first one of the summer. So now I might go swimming or take a late afternoon nap, or go out to eat, or rent a movie or a host of other things.
But as much as I look forward to some Sunday evenings off, I think I may already be looking forward to some fall Sunday nights with people walking across the parking lot and through the doors of The Powerhouse for church.
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click the map for an interactive experience
It’s crazy to see how the prices are moving up. when I first went to college I remember $5 would get me nearly 6 gallons of gas. Most people think gas will be over $4 here in Mississippi really soon. It stings going to get gas. But then I look at this map and don’t feel so bad. Or maybe not as bad as other people are feeling.
What color is your state? What did you pay per gallon the last time you got gas? I think mine was $3.69
GasBuddy.com is actually a pretty cool site if you spend a little bit of time looking around.
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But by now most people know about the tragic accident where Steven Curtis Chapman’s youngest daughter, Maria, was hit by a vehicle in the driveway of their home yesterday evening. The vehicle was driven by an older brother, and the girl had just turned five years old less than two weeks ago.
I ache for the parents who are missing a child now. I cannot wrap myself around what they must be going through as they miss their little girl. But I ache too for the older brother who is experiencing a heaviness of life that is immeasurable. And then again for Steven and Mary Beth as they are their for their son. It hurts both my head and my heart to try and comprehend the range of emotions and thoughts that are happening inside the family. So pray for them.
And then I try to figure out God some more and the questions I read of “Did God do this?” or “Did God allow this?” or countless others. One day, I hope to understand.
The Chapman’s had six children. The youngest three were adopted girls from China. Here are a couple of videos of Steven and his youngest girls:
Maria Sue Chapman, adopted and youngest daughter to Mary Beth and Steven Curtis Chapman, was killed Wednesday night in a tragic accident in the family driveway on Wednesday evening. She was LifeFlighted to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital but for only reasons God can explain she went home to Him… not to Franklin as we all so desperately wanted.
Your prayers are needed for all in the Chapman family. This is a family who has so generously loved and given to so many. Just hours before this close knit family was celebrating the engagement of the oldest daughter Emily Chapman, and were just hours away from a graduation party marking Caleb Chapman’s completion of high school. Now, they are preparing to bury a child who blew out 5 candles on a birthday cake less than 10 days ago. These words are unthinkable to type. And yet we trust in a God who was not surprised by this and because of Jesus I am certain through faith in Him we will see Maria again. – Jim Houser (Manager)
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If you don’t know what the Nooma series of videos are, then this won’t make any sense. If know about Nooma, but you’ve not seen the one entitled Sunday, then it might not make much sense. But in a nutshell, they’re videos to spur discussion and conversation about spiritual matters created by Rob Bell. They are worth checking out fo sho.
But anyway, a year and a half ago John, Stevie, and I went to Grand Rapids/Grandville Michigan to attend Isn’t She Beautiful at Mars Hill. We went looking for the nearby restaurant where the Sunday Nooma was filmed. We found it. And this below is very much like the opening shot of that very video! This is at the Rainbow Grill in Grandville, MI. Snow was all around!
When we asked the servers there at the restaurant which booth he’d actually sat in when doing the video shoot, not a one of them had a clue what in the world we were talking about.
Stevie, who was videoing, is getting married this weekend in Gulfport. I think I’m going.
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Addie was not feeling well most of the day (Wednesday). She woke up that way. No real symptom other than no appetite and wanting to lay on the couch or bed. She didn’t feel nauseated specifically, but didn’t want to eat for concern of throwing up.
We checked her temperature and she had a moderate fever. Nothing to be alarmed about, but obviously not her normal temperature.
She goes to bed with a dose of Children’s Tylonol. But I awake at 3 something with her in the bathroom whimpering. She says she needed to go to the bathroom and now feels like she can’t get to sleep. So I get up with her.
So now I’m sitting on the couch. She finally fell asleep. But is next to me with her head propped by a plastic garbage can. She did drink some water all at once, and she threw it up earlier. So we’ll see how the morning goes. I’m going to try to move her into her bedroom and let her finish the night morning in her bed.
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Emily had a really neat post yesterday. She wrote a letter to her self when she was 16. She invited others to give it a shot as well, so I figured it could be interesting. So here goes:
Dear, Blake,
Dude, you just finished your sophomore year of high school. The next two years are two of the most fun ever. Make sure to enjoy every minutes of it.
Listen to Mr. Ortiz. Most everything he says is either wise or funny. It’s great when it’s a combo deal. And pay attention in class. You’ll want to use that Spanish later on. Trust me. Oh, and your senior year he’ll have something really, really important to share with you. Listen.
Invest in your friends. There are plenty of people you go to school with you’ll never hear from again. But there are some you will. And there will be some you wished you’d kept up with better. So invest in your friendships.
Don’t cuss like in some of that rap you listen to. It really isn’t as cool as you think. Watch the sarcasm. Make sure you know who appreciates it and who doesn’t.
Amory is a cool little city. But stretch yourself by looking outside of North Mississippi. There is tons more out there. Tons. Start looking at different time zones and different countries.
Do a ton of stuff with your youth group. You’ll grow from being there. But learn to grow on your own too. Ask Mr. Ortiz about it.
Spend a lot of time with your granddad. He loves you, but sometimes shows it in funny ways. Learn how to cook from him. He won’t be around forever. And when he passes, be there for your grandmother as much as you can. She’ll need you.
Go to some retreats at Camp Lake Stephens. Becoming familiar with the lay of the land will be beneficial at some point in your life. And learn to enjoy sleeping outdoors. Without a tent. When it’s 80 degrees at night. Oh, and Oxford isn’t so bad.
Algebra might seem worthless to take right now. You may think you’ll never use it. You’re probably right. But study and do well anyway. It’s still good to learn those good study and preparation habits. You’ll use those habits in college (where you’ll take College Algebra and never use it either) and even when it comes to work.
Try not to frustrate your mom so much. She can’t help being over protective. And it’s all done in love. She really does adore you. Laugh even when she’s not funny.
You won’t know what you want to major in when you go to college. No worries. You won’t know what you want to do for quite a while. Just keep praying and asking God to prepare you for whatever He’s got in store.
You’re planning to work this summer to buy a camera, right? Never put it down after you get it. Love it and show your love of the world through it. Get better at it. Grow in it. You’ll thank yourself for it later.
Spend time at your aunt & uncles in New Albany. They have a fantastic place. You can hunt, fish, camp, sleep really late, and eat lots of wild game there. Plus, they’re fantastic people.
Love your dad through every step of the way. Invest in your relationship with him. Let him know how much you love him. Even if is seems dorky. Make sure he knows.And then stretch some more. You won’t always be able to eat a log of cookie dough and not feel any effects.
Start journaling a lot. You’ll love to look back a week later, a month later, and especially years later. And it helps to get your thoughts in order. Put some of those pics you’re taking with your writing.
Listen to lots of music. Old, new, everything. Read tons of books. Bestsellers and classics. Watch lots of movies. And read the Bible as much as you can.
What sort of letter would you write to your 16 year old self?
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Quite funny and cute.
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