Amazing Reads: My Name is Hope

My Name is Hope

By John Mark Comer

My Name is Hope, which is written by one of my new favorite authors, John Mark Comer, addresses several tough topics. If focuses primarily on anxiety and depression. Now, you may think to yourself... I don't have anxiety and I don't have depression, so this book doesn't apply to me, right? Wrong. The thing about this book, and books in general, is that you can find something to relate to in one way or another. In this book, the section about worry applied to me the most. I spend a lot of time worried over every little thing. I worry about school. I worry finances. I worry about my level of chocolate consumption. I worry about the future. I worry about everything. Everything from the mundane to the major. I don't have to though and I know that. John Mark Comer uses this book to address a range of human emotions. Don't get me wrong, it is okay to have emotions. We're human. We tend to be emotional beings, some more than others, but emotional still the same. Recognizing and addressing the emotions you feel is important. 

Favorite Quotes:
-"God allowed a flawed, emotional train wreck to lead Israel- his chosen people. But not only that, he took David's raw, brutally honest lyrics- gushing with fear, anxiety, doubt, depression, and questions about God's faithfulness- and made them part of the inspired scriptures." -John Mark Comer
-"Life without the full spectrum of human emotions is empty and dull. God made us to feel." -John Mark Comer
-"Can you imagine what it would be like to stand in front of the Creator? The problem is that we fear all the wrong things: the future, money problems, the what-ifs. We need to fear God. If we get that right, the other fears fade into the background." -John Mark Comer
-“Humility is not thinking of yourself at all. The humble person is lost in the needs of others.” -John Mark Comer
-"Worry can be a gift because it shows us what we are really passionate about...we should put our hearts' passions into the kingdom, not the fleeting, temporary things that we spend so much time worrying about." -John Mark Comer
-"Humans need a mission. Vision. Goals. Plans. Something on the horizon for which we can work, sweat, and pray." -John Mark Comer
-"Grace is a past event. We have been justified. We have peace with God. We have gained access. But it's also something you have to stand in. You have to believe and trust and stand in the work of Jesus on the cross." -John Mark Comer
-"Gratitude is all about perspective. We are blessed. Never forget that. Never stop thanking God for grace." -John Mark Comer
-"Worry about nothing. Pray about everything. Thank God for anything." -John Mark Comer
-“The church is a hospital—a place where sick, broken, wounded, flawed people are made new by Jesus.” -John Mark Comer
-"Yes, there are days, months, and for some of us years, of mourning. But it's only for a night. It's only for a time. There is a light breaking over the horizon." -John Mark Comer

Amazing Reads: Life Together

Life Together

By Dietrich Bonhoeffer

This story is a bit odd. When you think of life together, you generally think about living in a community and growing. Dietrich Bonhoeffer illuminates his unique fellowship in an underground seminary during the Nazi years in Germany. His journey for fellowship was definitely as interesting as it sounds, having him constantly choosing his Christian community in place of the cultural norms during that time. Bonhoeffer gives practical advice on how life together in Christ can be sustained in families and groups. It makes sure to draw attention to the role of personal prayer, worship in everyday work, and Christian service as simple, almost biblical, words. Currently living in an intentional Christian community, Life Together gave further insight into what that necessarily means. It is a short read, coming in at 122 pages, but it is packed full of information to be thoroughly reflecting on. 

Favorite Quotes:

-“We pray for the big things and forget to give thanks for the ordinary, small (and yet really not small) gifts.”-Dietrich Bonhoeffer
-“If my sinfulness appears to me to be in any way smaller or less detestable in comparison with the sins of others, I am still not recognizing my sinfulness at all. ... How can I possibly serve another person in unfeigned humility if I seriously regard his sinfulness as worse than my own?” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer
-“We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God. God will be constantly crossing our paths and canceling our plans by sending us people with claims and petitions.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer
-“The Christian, however, must bear the burden of a brother. He must suffer and endure the brother. It is only when he is a burden that another person is really a brother and not merely an object to be manipulated. The burden of men was so heavy for God Himself that He had to endure the Cross. God verily bore the burden of men in the body of Jesus Christ. But He bore them as a mother carries her child, as a shepherd enfolds the lost lamb that has been found. God took men upon Himself and they weighted Him to the ground, but God remained with them and they with God. In bearing with men God maintained fellowship with them. It was the law of Christ that was fulfilled in the Cross. And Christians must share in this law.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer
-“Who can really be faithful in great things if he has not learned to be faithful in the things of daily life?” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer

I'll just be a Twizzler...

This week has been a week filled with many joys and much reflection. Reflecting on how we define ourselves. Reflecting on what others define us as. Reflecting on how perception varies. 

The questions that has been stirring through my head all week is... How much does my past define who I am? How much of it is me letting it define me and how much is it actually defining me? We did an activity in class, where we had notecards on our foreheads that were meant to define who we are. Four of the notecards were people that were disempowered and 2 were people that empowered. It was a strange activity, but it played greatly into the questions I asked myself. Honestly, I don't have the answer to my questions. I may never have the answers. It is something I still have to think about though. 

We started the week with having a bunch of the Philly Project people coming to visit. They enjoyed a beach day and we got to enjoy dinner with them. This is us outside our house:

Halfway through the week (on the 4th of July), we had Encounter Philly come visit and a bunch of people from last years OCBP spend the day with us. We bonded on the beach all day, stopping briefly to enjoy dinner at the house. This is us on the beach:

Favorite Moment:
As you may know, this week was the 4th of July (cue fireworks, cheers, and celebration of our troops both here and overseas). For the holiday, we had a ton of guests come and visit. We even had the opportunity to host Encounter Philly for the day. (Note: Encounter Philly is another CCO sponsored summer opportunity. It is similar to OCBP, just in Philadelphia.) We had a wonderful time together from spending time by the water to worshipping on the beach and watching the fireworks together. Hopefully, we will get to spend a lot more time together. They are a wonderful crew and we were blessed to have them. 

Strange House Concern:
This one deserves two, mainly because one happened Saturday and one has been an all week kind of thing. 
The all week kind of thing is: Many people seem concerned that I will somehow manage to find a way to get injured again and are working to prevent that from happening. While I appreciate it, I also realize that I am extremely clumsy. When I say extremely, that is an understatement. I tried to get back on the longboard on Tuesday (even though I am still healing from my longboard injury last week) because I don't want it to stop me. If I stopped doing something I wanted to try because I got injured before, I would never be able to do anything. Just think back to when you were a kid learning to walk. I'm sure that most of us don't remember that time, but bear with me. When you are learning to walk, you struggle. You fall down time and time again. The incredible part is that you get back up and you don't stop until you got it. Now, although I am grown and what I am trying to learn may seem bigger than learning to walk, the same concept still applies. I will inevitably get injured again, but I can't let it stop me every time I get injured. 
The one that happened Saturday: We lost the key fob to get into the building between 6:10 am- 9:30 am. Now, I was blissfully asleep until 1:00 pm, but imagine my surprise to having to wake up to that. If we don't find it, then we have to pay to get a new one. Hopefully it shows up because we don't want to buy a new one. UPDATE: We were not the ones that lost the key fob. The Tabernacle lost it, so none of us were to blame and they got us a new one. 

Featured Places of the Week:
Brown's Restaurant- This is located on the boardwalk. Now, the only food I have tried there so far is the donuts. I tried one of the cinnamon donuts and it was fantastic. It was warm, fresh, and delicious. It is a plainer donut than I was used to, but it was fantastic still the same. It reminded me a bit of Krispy Kreme, simple, but classic. 

Ocean City Coffee Company- I often go here to do my reading and to get away from the house for a little bit. They sell a variety of coffee and tea. I tend to get tea when I go, but sometimes I go just to go. It's a great escape in a wonderful place filled with wonderful people (and of course free wifi).

Favorite Quotes of the Week:
-"I'll just be a Twizzler for 24 hours." -Hunter (He was a guest from Encounter Philly. He said this in response to me telling him to put on sunscreen, since he was pale and a red-head.)
-"You smell like fried chicken." -Stephen (when he went to take some pictures with Chrissy)
-"I think they spelled immigrant wrong." -Stephen (in response to reading migrant workers on his homework assignment)

What I missed back home:
This section is new, but it's something I thought I should add. Part of being here means missing things back home. 
This week I will talk about my dogs. I have three dogs. All of them are part of the Cane Corso breed(a type of Italian Mastif). Chai is the oldest at 6 years old. She is in the top photo, lounging on the right side. Her daughter, Espresso (a.k.a. Essie), is 3 years old. She is in the top photo, lounging on the left side. Java is the latest addition to the family and is Espresso's 4 month old son. He is in the bottom picture. (I know, he is big.) On July 4th, he went swimming for the first time. Espresso acted like my parents were trying to purposefully drown her son. He was perfectly safe! Essie was just being an overprotective mama bear. Essie then proceeded to inadvertently cause others to worry, since my mom tried to calm her down by stating that she was not trying to drown the baby. (Although, I do understand why others nearby would be concerned by that statement. Context definitely matters.)

Who I have met with so far:
-Seirra
-Christin
-Stephen
-Abby Grace
-Lilly
-Casey
-Jamie
-Harrison
-Sarah
-Tessa
-Molli
-Noelle
-Emily
-Katie
-Mikayla
-Lydia
-Adam
-Essence

Amazing Reads: Mercy Never Sleeps

Mercy Never Sleeps: Sleepless Thoughts on Faith, Heaven, and the Fear of Heights

By Jamie Blaine

Does life ever just not go the way you planned it? That's exactly what happened to the author, Jamie Blaine. After a series of oddball jobs that didn't really seem to pan out, he became a late-night psychiatric crisis guy. He walks us through some of his calls. The book description on the back cover says "Jamie travels time to untangle his own story of God through the wilderness, battling alligators, acrophobia, anaphylactic shock, Christian tricksters, Christmas, insomnia zombies, hymn-singing bridge jumpers, preteen bullies, paranoid ER patients armed with knives, hatchet-wielding housewives, septuagenarian pugilists, locust swarms, and ghosts of the present, future, and past. Jamie Blaine's life isn't exactly going as planned. When a twist of fate places the late-night psychiatric crisis guy on 24/7 call, his insomnia ramps up to desperate stages as he veers closer to becoming the very kind of person he's trying to save." If that doesn't say it, I don't know what will. I consider it a tale of self discovery. Discovering who he is, not only in his faith, but also as a human being. Although it was not my favorite read of the summer, it was cool to hear someone else's story, to hear how their life went nowhere close to their plan.

Favorite Quotes:

-"I’m working a dead-end dangerous job in the middle of the night for not much money and no place for advancement. My social circle consists of junkies and schizophrenics, inmates, suicidal housewives, cops and ER docs, and convenience store clerks on graveyard shift. In one sense I am alone in the wilderness, the best possible place to meet God. In another I am drifting too far, needing to settle down and get serious about making a life. Am I lost? Or found? I wish I knew." -Jamie Blaine

-"Nothing gets easier; we just find better ways to admit how vulnerable we are." -Sean Beaudoin (Jamie Blaine used this quote to begin a chapter)

-"Truth came from a lot of strange places in the Bible. Misfits and loners and loose women. Outcasts, outlaws, oddballs, and thieves. Jesus ran with a rough crown. And he warned the religious about labels and easy assumptions. Those people you're calling lost might be closer to the kingdom of God than you." -Jamie Blaine

-"There is a mystery in the darkness that connects us. Beyond matter and energy, gravity and time. Maybe there really is just one secret to life." -Jamie Blaine

-"I am thankful for the wind and the still, small voice. For grace and mercy, each day's chance to start again. The stars are thick, and the path endless." -Jamie Blaine

Welcome to the Loft: Meet Essence

Name: Essence

School Attending: Allegheny College
Major: Double major in Neuroscience and Psychology

Where are you from? New Brighton, PA

One fun fact about you:
 She does not know how to swim.     

What is your favorite color?

 Green. 

What are you passionate about?
 She is passionate about helping people however she can.  

Why did you choose to do OCBP?
 God told her to come here.

Who was the first person you bonded with here at OCBP?
 AbbyGrace and Lydia. 

What is your favorite moment at OCBP so far?
 Probably the one night we had worship in the staff apartment. It was amazing.   

Where is your favorite place in Ocean City?
 She is still figuring that out. 

What job do you have down here?
 She works at the Surf Mall on the Boardwalk (at the Rockstar store within).

What is your favorite job moment so far?
 When she had someone come in that said he was a clam fisher. They had an interesting conversation about it multiple times.  

Anything else?

 Essence is a cutie. She is always seen smiling. She also isn't afraid to cry, which I appreciate. W

He is still my God.

Honestly, it was a rough week all around.

I started the week off by bruising the bone in my right arm trying to longboard. I ended up in a sling for a couple days and I am still working on building up the muscle strength. I have learned to ask for help though because I have learned that I can't do it all. It's good to ask for help, even when you want to do it on your own. Sadly, this was not the first injury of the summer. I injured my shoulder learning to surf. Many people seem to try to stop me from doing certain activities, but I am constantly getting injured. They are just going to have to learn to get used to it. The potential of getting injured is not going to stop me from doing anything fun.

This week was also a sleep deprived week. My arm hurts every once in a while and needs to be slightly elevated, but I twist and turn a lot in my sleep. I wake up often because it just irritates me. With not getting much sleep, I was getting easily irritated. It was irrational, but it also encouraged me to take more naps and think about self-care more often.  

Favorite Moment:
One of the students, Katie, works at Dockside Kitchen. There was a soft opening this week, so friends and family were able to eat for free. I got Eggs Benedict with lobster and bacon, Lobster roll, and old bay mac and cheese. It was delicious (and all free). 

Strange House Concern:
Are we actually seen? I know that sounds strange, given that we live in a house with 28 people. There is honestly no space to be away from anyone. If you want quiet, your best bet is to go outside. Really, there is no escape. We are physically seen, but what seems to be the bigger concern is if we are seen as we truly are. We focus so much on our physical health, but avoid our mental health. We are learning to ask not only about how we are doing, but how we are REALLY doing. The one word in the middle makes a huge difference. There is no way to lie, since people in our house tend to see right through the lies. 

Featured Places of the Week:
Yianni's- I went there for girl's night dinner. When we got there, they brought us fresh hummus and pita from right off the grill (so it was warm and super soft). It was delicious. On top of that, I still got an entree, so I chose gyro of course (since it was a Greek/American restaurant).

Frank Theatres- We went to the movies to watch Incredibles 2 as a group. It was a fantastic movie. I will make sure not to spoil the movie. The mini movie in the beginning was incredibly weird, but the movie was well worth it. I just hope we don't have to wait another 14 years to watch Incredibles 3. 

Favorite Quotes of the Week:
"My God can. My God will. Even if he doesn't, he is still my God." -Geraud
"For shame." -Me (I've learned that I say this quite a bit. I said it the other day when my boss' son did not want to help with inventory. Understandable though because he doesn't get paid to do it.)

Who I have interviewed so far:
-Seirra
-Christin
-Stephen
-Abby Grace
-Lilly
-Casey
-Jamie
-Harrison
-Sarah
-Tessa
-Katie
-Emily
-Noelle
-Molli
-Mikayla
-Lydia
-Adam

Welcome to the Loft: Meet Adam

Name: Adam

School Attending: Slippery Rock University
Major: Integrated Marketing Communications with a minor in Social Work

Where are you from? Mount Lebanon, PA

One fun fact about you:
 He likes to write poetry.   

What is your favorite color?

 Green.

What are you passionate about?
 He is passionate about working with the homeless, human trafficking, and sex trafficking people. 

Why did you choose to do OCBP?
 He applied freshman year, sophomore year, and junior year. This year he finally got in and God put it on his heart to go. 

Who was the first person you bonded with here at OCBP?
 Casey.

What is your favorite moment at OCBP so far?
 Worship after class this past week. 

Where is your favorite place in Ocean City?
 The boardwalk. 

What job do you have down here?
 Air Circus on the Boardwalk.

What is your favorite job moment so far?
 His job interview itself because his boss asked strange questions. 

Anything else?

 Nope.