Skippy's Renewed Outlook

Well, now... I've got a lot of ground to cover since last time

I've finnally been fully assimilated into my crew at Daktronics; I got my own nickname toward the end of Wednesday! All the guys who were there before I joined had one (though not really used for the most part, except for Junior) Anywho, Levi decided to start calling me SKIPPY.

*** Started this post aobut 13 hours ago now. Started after cleaning up from work. So hot and sweaty... it was a day I just had to survive.. so anyway, I left my typing to try and give Brandi a ride from her work. Failed misserably... I arrived a few minutes too late, but waited around a bit to make sure. Drove around a few likely paths she might have taken... felt like a dork... gave up... went home and crashed. ****

So anyway, part of my new outlook came from a visit to Total Eyewear. Now I'm looking out through a new pair of frames! Change is good. Even if my viewing area is a little different size and shape. I'm getting used to it.

I've made a new friend at work since my last posting! Jay just moved to Brookings with his wife, Lisa. While she sought a job at SDSU, Jay came to Dak. Where we really hit it off was when he got me talking about my weekend plans (for what is now last weekend). I said that I was going to a Christian music festival in Orange City and his eyes just lit up -- which caught me off guard. The first band I mentioned was the ApologetiX, and his eyes lit up even more. I was even more surprized because they're a little more obscure than most christian bands. We wound up talking in the parking lot after work for a good 30 minutes before heading home (usually a real stretch for me to talk that long).

Then there was the festival itself. Rise Above was a wonderful experience! Kim and I departed early in the morning (which felt like the middle of the night to me) picked up Dianna and Christa in Sioux Falls and pressed on to Orange City. (no AC but it was only starting to warm up, so we were okay)

We arived in plenty of time to hear the first band, Foolish Things. Within the first few songs, God struck me with a spiritual 2x4.
"Remember me?" He was saying. "Remember when you said you were going to be spending more time with Me this summer? What ever happened to that? I love you, Kevin. I have someting incredible that I still want you to be a part of. And go ahead and be yourself; that's who I made you to be"

Something along those lines anyway... it didn't come in actual words, so it's hard to say that I've done justice to it. He also used one of their songs to uncover a bit of a plan/vision He'd put in my head a while back that I'd let fall apart because it extended so far beyond my comfort zone. (You'll be hearing more about this in days to come) I want to help people avoid mistakes I've made... but that means bringing my mistakes into the open... a thing that frightens me horribly, but *gulp* if that's what God wants... (pray for me while I work up the nerve?)

So, yeah. The lyrics of Foolish Things really spoke to me. Enough so that I deemed it necisary to buy a CD and get them to sign it. Discovered that all the band members are very cool and very Real people, as well as good musicians/lyric writers.

Then came the ApologetiX. They totaly rocked my face off! (and back on again!) They opened with "We're in a Parody Band" A totaly appropriate introduction for the many people there that probably hadn't heard of them before. I couldn't help wondering how many people were wondering why they had chosen to play "We're an American Band." ^_^

They were so much fun! So much good music! So much goofyess on stage! They quoted Strong Bad and various movies throughout the performance. They even spoofed an on-stage diolog/gimic thing that Audio Adreneline has done with a cow bell. (The Apologetix used a tamborene [thanks Dianna for pointing that out to me]) There was nothing they wouldn't touch. Even in the way they talked to the crowd and in the way they delivered God's mesage. That was the best part about them, that they were being totaly real about who they were and what they believed.

"I need 10 volunteers for this next song.... no you can't volunteer other people...... yes! these are the 26 people I picked out..."

"Sing it Muffin Man!"

I wore myself out dancing along. ^_^ I had already met the band a couple years ago when I was on the stage crew at Son Shine, so I decided to get them to sign something for my beloved Alicia, who had been unable to come because she had to work. (made me sad that she wasn't there, but so very proud of her that she stuck with her job)

Getting though the autograph line and getting our picture taken with them took long enough that we almost entirely missed Go Fish, but it was worth it to get to meet such deligtfully goofy people! (and to witness guitarist Karl being shot in the eye by a random fan's marshmellow gun which had been encouraged by other band members)

Then came lunch. There was a open building with bathrooms and air conditioning in which we sought refuge. I took a quick nap on the floor

*** it's now well past midnight... Kim came home from work and we watched Jumanji plus bonus featurettes and now I'm talking to Tom online, who I've not seen for some time now. Daktron has finally gotten ahold of him to line up an interview. His current job is of the "survivable" quality... let's all pray for something better from Dak! ****

So ... where was I? I like to write. I didn't even realize how long it took me to write all that until suddelnly it was hours later.

Anywho, I need to wrap this up so I can go to bed.

I really need to mention the final speaker. A man with muscular distrophy. Said he used to feel useless and unlovable. I felt like I could relate to his physical slowness and weakness with the mental slowness and distractability that comes from my ADD, frequently resulting in similar feelings of uselessness... I wish I could remember more, but what still really stands out in my mind is the encouregement he got as little nephews and nieces came into his life as well as his new wife. That and this sudden vivid clip that came into my head as he described the love that God was showing him through these people:
An vew from above of "me"... not how I really look, but a cluster of images that represented hobies, interests, mistakes; anything to do with me... the view point rapidly drops past the mistakes and disabilities, continues past my abilities and intrests, down to the singular, glowing core of ME. My very essence, that part the REALLY matters to God and the people in my own life that love and encourage me. The other stuff only matters because it's connected to me (not to say that it doesn't matter) God's love, real love just cuts that deep.

If God could get a man with muscular distrophy to walk onstage and talk openly about his troubled past... I can't help feeling that God's preparing me for something -- maybe not big in a lot of people's eyes, but plenty big for me.

In church the next day (Father's Day) a guest pastor talked about how God plants His vision and plans into the hearts/minds of his men. One of the prime requirements that I'd been laking most lately was needing to spend time in the word and in prayer so's to be more open to and able to hear these ideas (see also: somewhere above)

Well, now, I think that's more than enough for today.

May whatever part of the day you spend awake be a good part!