Bishop, 70's, stripper

As soon as I walked into my English class this morning, my prof handed me this book. It is a compilation of what different college students have to say about their prayer lives. Things like how they enter into prayer with God, how it affects their lives and how it is used as a relational building tool. He said he was at a book store, and the man working there thought highly of it. So, good ole Tom A.K.A. TKO got it for me. I have had time to read through the first chapter, and I am really liking it. It is put out by The Catholic Company. It's so cool, and I have never had a prof do anything for me like that. I have been extremely blessed so far with some darn cool prof's too. Well, Tom invited me to go to a mass/service this late morning/afternoon. I didn't have any thing else to do, except go work out at the YMCA, so I said what the heck. Off we went to St. Joseph Hospital, which is downtown Fort Wayne, Tom drove. It was a really good experience. I actually had time to see who the Bishop is for Fort Wayne, and South Bend Indiana. Anyways, I got a chance to go through a Catholic mass and sit down and have lunch with Bishop John D'Arcy. He is an extremely grounded individual, and quite fun to listen to and talk with. Although my time with him was brief, he gave me a good look at the role of a Bishop in the Catholic faith.Now, although I view Bishop D'Arcy as just a man. One who sins just as any other man, and put no type of significance on him any more than the next guy. I do have a better understanding, at least I think I do of his place. When he walked into the hospital, the people in Tom's Serra Club which is a group of devoted catholic men and women who want to make a difference in the community by spreading the "catholic love" if you will, jumped up and just kind of put him on a pedestal. To me this isn't the case. BUT, from what I saw and experienced, these people love the Lord. The repetitive actions of a Catholic religion may just seem like boring words and movements to me, but from what Tom told me, it means so much more and is much deeper to him, and the majority of the people in the Serra club. So, from that experience, I can say this. While it is not for me, and I can see much better ways for my own self to impact people's live in Christ, I can't say it is wrong.

Tom took me back to school, and I finished the day pretty regularly. When I got out of work, I went over to a coffee house/Christian book store where my friend would be playing a "gig." Ryan is a fellow Young Life volunteer, possibly becoming on staff here in the near future, God willing.

Ryan was great, the crowd was sweet too. Most of the people there were from different campus ministries from School. I hope to be getting more involved with these kinds of people. I thought tonight would be a good time to start. SO, I went to a 70's theme dance party. Held at someones apartment. It was time for me to step out of my comfort zone, and get jiggy with it. I went to my best friends parents house, and borrowed some clothes as well as talked with his mom and brother for a while. Here are some pictures from the parteezy. Also, this is pretty much the first party that I have had fun at, where there wasn't any alcohol. It is all a mind set. It really is. If you wanna have fun, you have to make that fun for yourself.I had some slick shoes on too. (Zach, Ryan, Tom)(Zach & Tom)

Strutting their stuff to say the "LEAST!"

It was a lot of fun. It was a lot of like minded individuals, I am super glad I went.

On my way home, I remembered a phone call I got from my friend Tony. He called to tell me he got his Liquid Oxygen tank, and has set up shop. He has started to blow some glass. I had to go over there to check it out on my way home.

Yes, Tony has got it up and running, just like he said he would. It was so strange going over there. I went from a positive up beat, Christian influence, to a place totally opposite. Don't get me wrong, I love every single person in there just as much as any Christian. It was just amazing how different the mood was, the everything. For instance, One of the girls that was over there works in a sex shop type place, that is actually inside a strip club. She politely told me about this "local" stripper who is coming to the club tomorrow, and wondered if I would be interested. I politely explained that wasn't really my thing, and that was that. I just got to see polar opposites today. Both sides are loved by God, both sides need loved by man.

That was my day.