Brown Paper Bag Lunch Extravaganza!!

Today I went on an extravaganza with some AWESOME people! The Idea of the Day was to make a bag lunch out of a brown paper bag like the ones your mom used to make you in elementary school and Jr. High because it was too hard to bring a real lunch box and all the cool kids had the paper bags with their name written on it. We then took our bag lunches to Kid's Kingdom (the place of Dustin's death to his former self AKA his injury) and had a picnic.

It was nice to take a break from everything and just relax and bask in the sun and the simplicity of life. It was great to get away from the cafateria and have some fun and smiles with everyone. Hannah S made some awesome bean dip to go with chips. After we all ate, we decided that playing ultimate frisbee was not a good idea since it was soo windy. So we elected to play Catch-Phrase. Though we weren't keeping track of points, it was fun to get everyone's brains active by playing a game.

I have decided that I love being with people. Which reminds me of the last chapter of Blue Like Jazz that I read. It was called Alone: Fifty-Three Years in Space. It was talking about how people go crazy when they aren't around people. He shared about his own experience of being around soo many people all the time and then the dramatic change in getting his own apartment and living by himself. He became fantasized with the writer Emily Dickenson... to the point where he went to the old house that she used to live in and claimed he saw her step outside the door and run back inside.

The chapter reminded me of a book I read called Reaching Out by Henri J. M. Nouwen. In one chapter he talked about the situation of being surrounded by people, yet being so alone. I recently experienced this, but quickly snapped out of it thanks to a wonderful person.

Believe it or not, we were star gazing with around twenty or so people and all of a sudden I felt completely alone. I rolled over and pretended like I was asleep and started praying... not that God would send someone to be with me at that time, but that I would be comforted by Him, that I would have strength, and that I would find my fulfillment in Him in this time of feeling alone. It was funny because moments later someone came and jumped on the ground next to me and wanted me to take pictures with them. I saw Jesus in that person that day and was thankful for God comforting me through the person and making me feel like I wasn't totally alone and that others, as well as God, loved me.

I feel soo blessed to be in the place that I am in at this moment. It is a fact that I have three roommates and am around people all day. In fact, I am around people soo much that it's even hard to find some time for myself. I almost never have to be alone. College is such a great experience and I love all the people in my life and thank God for them all the time.

There's something that I can't explain about being in a community with others, especially ones that love God too, that brings me even closer to my creator.

Lord,
Thanks for bringing me to Simpson University and surrounding me with the people I am around daily. Lord I love that in the midst of being alone, You are there with me to comfort me, to love me, to give me value, and give me worth. I thank You that I can grow closer to You when I am surrounded by people who love You and want to follow You. Thanks for the simple things in life... like brown-paper-bag-lunch-extravaganzas. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray...
Your son,
James