EYE OF THE STORM...

LAST DAY AT 2 LANSING SQUARE
It didn't take too long for some of my colleauges to have recovered from the previous night's festivities. For once, the chicken wings were "hot" enough for Maddy, my fellow-departing colleauge who has no taste buds (due to acquiring a taste for bell peppers at the age of 4). One last meal was shared with most of the T Dot office at Red Lobster and final handshakes were exchanged. For me, it wasn't that "sad" because most are still going to be my colleauges, albeit remotely. Still, it was somewhat sentimental going down the elevator one last time. I was told that my laptop, being 2 years old, would cost the company more to take back and redeploy. So, they made me an offer to keep this 'obsolete' laptop if I was willing to also take its docking station and laptop bag. Uh, okay.

PROJECT CONTEMPO
A conference that brought Chinese Christian professionals together should be an encouragement and a good chance to network with like minded people. The keynote speaker, Ken Fong, shared some interesting ideals, the same ones that he is using to steer his congregation towards a missiological church model (instead of the well-established, stale institutional model). However, many times throughout the day, I found myself irritated that the definition (by some of the leaders) of doing "God's will" was somehow validated by receiving material success. Some of the career track leaders spent way too much time talking about how to zip up the promotion ladder, yet in a way that preserves the ethos that the Christian label is supposed to impose. I wish that there was more of the focus on how to make an impact on the work world, not how to be good in it (as if being a Christian was a crutch and we needed extra 'training' to compensate). Really, what I got most out of this conference was the times spent talking and dialoguing with others that are at various stages of their professional and spiritual journies. This was the inaugral meeting and I'm sure that it will continue to grow and improve.

THE MEETING HOUSE
It is only fitting that my last visit to the Meeting House involved serving on the set up and tear down team. It meant being one of the first ones there on Sunday and one of the last to leave after ensuring that 'church' was properly packed up into the truck. It's encouraging to see others stepping up to volunteer for this oft thankless task, despite having half of our team cannibalized by the soft launch at the downtown location. An interesting message this Sunday: should a church be spending millions of dollars on a building (as they are right now) when problems like poverty and sickness are still rampant in this world?

BUMP, SET, SPIKE
I played beach volleyball, probably, for the last time this year. The weather has been unusually warm as of late. But, alas, all good things must come to an end. I was getting the sense that most people that were there on Sunday were also reaching the end of their vb addiction, cured at least until next summer.

JESUS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD
I often think about how opportunities to help others come up when we least expect it. I was reminded how this has yet to become second nature, and that certain instincts still inhibit me from wanting to help unconditionally. While driving to a family dinner, I happened to be driving on a side street after turning off a major artery. I noticed a man in the middle of the road who appeared to be crossing the street at an unusually slow pace. I slowed down to let him finish crossing, but he did not. I waved him on, but he did not cross. Instead, he approached my door. I rolled down the window, half expecting him to chastise me for driving too fast (?) but then he muttered something about needing to get somewhere. What happened next completely shocked and I didn't react until after realizing that he was reaching for the back passenger door. Habit, I guess, ensured that I always lock my doors and he wasn't able to get in. I recall yelling out "NO!" and said something about having an appointment to keep as I zoomed off. Really, I was more frightened than anything else to think about what had just happened. I glanced in my rear view mirror and saw that he was just about to flag down a BMW...

PEKING DUCK
Unbelievable Sunday traffic congestion meant that I couldn't shower before dinner with my family, so I quickly towelled off any loose sand that was still on me as I arrived at the restaurant. No matter, because sharing an amazing Peking duck dinner with my family was more than enough to take my mind off the uncomfortable feeling of having sand in every possible orfice of the body! And man did we have lots of food!

SPIDER'S REVENGE
After years of practice, I've become a proficient spider killer. Especially at this time of year as the weather starts cooling down, more and more spiders seek refuge in the warmth of human homes. In the past, this meant ample opportunities for me to perfect spider assasination techniques. Only recently have I made made the realization that spiders are also part of the creation that I am to help steward, and thus killing them for sport is wrong. Still, retribution for years and years of spidercide needed to be carried out. Probably the worst thing to happen is to catch the sight of a spider sprinting across the car's dash board as you're whizzing down the highway. Worst, is to watch this same spider dropping down to the area below the steering wheel, where your legs are situated while driving said car. Much worst is that you are wearing shorts and that the mind can sometimes play nasty tricks on you, making you think you feel something when there's nothing there. Let's just say I couldn't wait to get out of the car. Somewhere, a spider is laughing his butt off at me...