Saturday, August 28, 2010

Fun at Church

So JP (Fiance and all around awesome dude) and I are going out for Greek food tonight, and it reminded me of a story from school in Hawaii.

So I went to Maranatha Christian Church and Academy * for a year when I lived in Hawaii.  It was a predominately Filipino school.  As in: when I wasn't there it was a Filipino school.  It was a super great school to attend.  Seriously, the students were some for the nicest people I have ever met, the teachers truly cared about the students and the pastor/principal was dedicated like no one ever was to the success of the church, school and everyone in it.

I said that to say this**:  I am about to totally make fun of something that happened there and everyone who attended.

At the end of the year the school had an assembly as most schools do, and they had a special guest speaker; a traveling preacher and his beautiful Samoan wife.  I do not remember there names, it was a long time ago. 

First I need to tell you that I grew up in a Baptist environment; quiet churches and generally reserved people.  Maranatha was a charismatic church were speaking in tongues was common along with holy laughter and general rolling in the aisles.  I had never seen anything like it.  During the weekly chapel for school there was never anything like that, just sharing with everyone what you needed everyone to pray about, blessings, etc.

So the assembly started off with singing and a prayer, pretty average, then the Samoan wife did an interpretive dance about her love for Jesus.  Okay.., weird a little.., but okay.  Then the preacher delivered his message.  People were shouting Amen a lot and Yes! and the like.  Loud, not what I was used, to but okay.

Then the preacher started "speaking in tongues"***.

I will never forget what this guys version of speaking in tongues was.  Let me quote:  "Mousseeka moussaka mousseeka moussaka mousseeka moussaka moussaka..," and so on like that for I'd say about a half hour.  Everyone in the church is getting worked up, humming, then some start laughing hysterically while others start speaking in tongues.  This was completely frightening to my 15 year old self, by the way.

While the preacher is doing his "Mousseeka Moussaka" bit, there's someone "interpreting"*** what he's saying to mean all these different things even though he's saying the same two words over and over.  We need to recruit help people find Jesus, we need to confess our sins, we need to get closer to the Lord, etc.

(Speaking in tongues is suppose to be this event were you get into the spirit and the Holy Spirit speak through you in a "Holy Language"***.)

Apparently the Holy Spirit was super hungry from what I understood because Moussaka is a delicious Greek casserole with potatoes and beef.

I think I'll invite the Holy Spirit to dinner tonight.

_______________________________________________________________________________

*If you look at the map in the link, scroll towards the upper right along Center Street, I lived up there, right next to the Ewa Forest Reserve.

**A nod to a fun conversation with Mr. Eric about another great preacher we know.

***No hate mail for the quote marks please, just because I don't believe a word of it doesn't mean you can't.  Nor should it mean that you need to berate me about it.  Thank you and have a nice day.

Friday, August 6, 2010

An Evening Out

I'm off to the Shady Characters Art Show.  Hope to see you there!

All the artist in the show are great but I really just what to see this guy's work.  His website is here.

He did my muffin baking robot and it makes me happy every time I see it:



What, didn't know I collect robots?  More on that later.

****UPDATE****


The show was AWESOME!!!!


Thursday, August 5, 2010

The Game Show Only JP Would Win

So I'm terrible at names.  Not just people I've met but people I've known for years.  Also people on TV and movies.  Also the names of said movies and TV shows.

I am however very good with faces.  Really good with faces, which is why I haven't pissed off every friend  and acquaintance I have. 

So the following are typical examples of the conversations JP (fiance and all around awesome dude) and I have while watching a show or movie:

Scenario 1

Me:  Hey, it's that guy!  You know.., he's in that movie where he kills himself and he's in college or something.

JP:  Huh?

Me:  And he's on that show with the angry man.

JP:  Robert Sean Leonard?

Me:  Yeah!

Scenario 2

Me:  Hey, it's that guy!  From that show you like with the alien robots?

JP:  James Callis?

Me:  Yeah?

JP:  Battlestar Galactica.

Me:  Yeah, that one!

Scenario 3

Me:  Hey, it's that lady!  You know, she was on that superman show.

JP:  ...

Me:  Uhm.., and that show with the.., ladies?  Uhm.., you know, one looks like an alligator, the other one looks plastic?

JP:  Sex in the City?

Me:  No, she looks like a horse and the other one looks like a drug addict.  I'm talking about the one with apples?  And they don't have jobs or something?

JP:  Desperate Housewives?

Me:  Yeah!

JP:  Teri Hatcher?

Me:  Yeah!

I really don't think anyone else could understand the way my brain remembers things except JP. 




Also, this is a few examples of how I have people listed in my cell phone so I can remember who they are when they call or secret nicknames I've given them to jog my memory:

Chris - Artist, Sally's

Chris - Good cook, Diana's

Chris - Navy

Chris - Stupid

Cliff - Atari  (Atari is my way of abbreviating someone who gets up in my personal space too much.  As in space invader.  Usually a hugger.  Get it?)

Joe - White trash

Joe - Car fixer

Amy - DA DNR (Drug Addict - Do Not Resuscitate as in do not answer the phone.)

Johnny - Stinky Squirrel Pants

Josh - King Tut

John - French Jesus

Julie - MHI DNR (Mental Health Issues)

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Dear John Letter to a Grocery Store

Dear Dekalb Farmer's Market,

By the time you get this letter, I'll be gone.  I tried really hard to make this relationship work but you just won't let me in.., until I've checked my backpack or reusable shopping bags at your entrance.  I cant help but get the feeling you don't trust me.  I certainly can't miss the giant signs you're throwing up.., about checking my bags.

The crowd that you run with made me very uncomfortable, all those hippies, I always felt like an outsider.  I guess because I bathe, drive a car that isn't practically made of political opinion stickers and brush my teeth.  Not that you'd notice of course, you always smell of rotting fish, everywhere.  Not just in your fish department but all the way across your store.  It just killed the romance.  Forget a nice afternoon of smelling the stem ends of fruit to see if they're ripe; the only ripe thing anyone can smell is you!

And Honey, I hate to break it to you but your proper title is "International Market".  Farmer's markets are places you can go to purchase goods directly from the farmers who grew said goods.  Just drop the whole "farmer's market" thing, you're not fooling anyone.

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't all bad.  You have really great deals on spices!  Maybe you can elaborate on that.  And remember, good unspoiled fish smells like nothing; try to be a good fish.

With All My Love,

Rikki