Last week was, among other things, a blast from the past. We got to see my good friend Tammy, who lives in Chicago, on Monday, which, as I told her, was a reminder of the joy and value of mentors. It's been quite a while since a mentor has invested in me on a regular basis, and I miss having that kind of a relationship with someone who's older, wiser, imperfect, yet growing and honest. On the other hand, it's been even longer since I've served in that role, and I've never felt that it's gone well. I always managed to screw things up by being racked with insecurity and on top of that, making immature decisions that had to have made those I was supposedly mentoring wonder if they didn't actually have things more figured out than I did. I'm fearful to try on that role again, but I know it's important that I do.
On Tuesday we had lunch with a friend of Philip's named Richard, who Philip went to college with in Tennessee, and his wife, Shelly. They live near DC now. The two of them are way into scuba diving, the idea of which is something that terrifies the sh** out of me. Shelly expressed that it was something that really scared her as well, but she overcame her fear in order to share in something that her husband was really passionate about. Shelly inspired me (though not necessarily to get scuba certified).
On Wednesday we saw my friend Thomas, who is a member of the Indiana-based band, The Elms. The Elms became fairly popular as a Christian band, but are now basically starting over at square one to pursue a career as a mainstream band - something they feel is more suited both to their musical style and their spiritual purpose. They were opening for Shooter Jennings, the son of country music legend Waylon Jennings, at The Social. The crowd was rough, to say the least. Philip and I observed a large man wearing a T-shirt that said, "Put the 'O' back in "CUNTRY." Audience members called out lewd things and drank lots of cheap beer, and it made me proud of Thomas and The Elms to immerse themselves into a crowd like that, which would intimidate a lot of Christians.
This week also marked a major change in our young adult group at church: We are now setting up an information table. I know - not too earth-shaking or ingenious; all it took was a little initiative, but I hope it will help draw in some of the people who are hesitating to actually meet or get to know anyone new in our group. I really long to see people finding life-giving community within the context of a loving church, and so many people, especially those who I see in the 18-30 age group, just kind of hover on the periphery for whatever reason(s). So maybe this table can be the beginning of something, at least within the Hospital Church.
Lastly, Philip's brother got married on Sunday. I was really proud of my husband for being the Greatest Brother in the Entire World this weekend. Despite often strained relations with Luke, Philip stepped up to offer a helping hand when some of the other groomsmen flaked, thought of small details like bringing Luke a handkerchief, and intently paid attention to every event of the ceremony and reception. Hopefully this can mark a new direction for Philip and Luke in their relationship.
Aside from that, I would just like to mention that although Philip and I refused to allow songs such as "The Electric Slide," "YMCA," and "The Chicken Dance" at our wedding reception, I am not too cool to dance to them at the wedding receptions of others. "It's electric!"
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