When Does This Get Fun?

In my writing, I find myself continually 'dropping' into youth culture. I write about other things, yes, but youth culture comes up frequently.

So, in studying this week for a story involving Christian concerts I came up with mosh pits. My first search led me to mosh pits in general, but I found nothing Christian about them. So I did a search for 'Christian mosh pits.'

As an aside, some time last year I spoke of this topic in our church kitchen and a young man walked past just as I asked if anyone knew about them. His comment? "Mosh pits are awesome!" This young man graduated from high school this year. I am going to see if I can interview him. He also calls himself emo, another aspect of youth culture that I looked into last year. Something else about this young man...last year he wore a very long Mohawk. Though still accepted in our church setting, there were obvious signs of people backing away from him. Once, he shaved his head, leaving a long strip on either side of the Mohawk that had not previously been exposed and then spent some time in the sun...I'll leave the rest of the details to your imagination.

But, back to mosh pits. I found it interesting that the general consensus, at least on the Internet, is that there is very little difference between secular and Christian mosh pits. The biggest difference is lyrical. The style of music? Usually punk, metal or something similar. I did not catch any reference to Techno, but it could be part of the mix too, I guess.

One You Tube I watched showed the dancers on the floor in front of the stage. While the band played, the kids began to jump. This is no two-step, ladies and gentlemen. A large trampoline would serve the purpose well. And, something distinct about the jumping - Their heads loll. Like rag dolls. The jumping began to draw more dancers in, like water droplets that are attracted to others and slide into the larger, congealed mass. The bulk of the crowd in the center held, writhing and twisting, until, as if according to some unseen signal, floor began to appear in the middle, like the parting of the Red Sea. The opening widened. For a moment, the jumping was maintained on the two sides of this expanse and I began to think of clicking off the video. Is this all it is? Then, suddenly, whatever invisible restraint that held them apart dropped away and both sides of the pit ran, ran! into each other: collided without any attempt to soften the impact. I stared, and I think my jaw dropped onto the keyboard. Ouch!!!ouchouchouchouch!

Mosh pits include such activities as slam dancing. This phenomenon involves the jumping of two or three people, as high into the air as they can, and then violently (their word, not mine)slamming their upper bodies together while in the air. Okay....

Then there is crowd surfing. Ever been passed from hand to hand, over the top of a crowd? My daughter saw this once when she was twelve. They dropped the boy on his head. Skull fracture.

The one that made me really wonder, however, was stage diving. Typically, this is done backwards, to avoid injury to softer body parts. I'm sure I don't need to explain this. So if you dive off the stage, backwards, into the wall-to-wall crowd, how do you know they won't drop you? Apparently, this is not a big problem for the kids. I think my chiropractor would cringe, however. Security is typically not in favor of this activity. Just let them try to stop it. Do the words 'mob' and 'riot' sound similar? If not, you need to find a better dictionary.

A recent interview on WayFM revealed yet another injury caused by these activities. The lead singer of a popular Christian band dove off the stage during his last song, microphone still in hand, and broke both of his front teeth out when the mic was violently thrust into this face. Ok, maybe it's just me, but I wanted to say 'duh!'

The scene includes large, flashing lights and music so loud that you can't hear for days afterwards. Stimulus overload. Sensory bombardment.

Mosh pits have etiquette rules, too. The main one? If someone falls down, pick them up. Now, I ask you, why does this even need to be said?

I see two reasons. One, the kids who are jumping are not using their consciences. Or they are not expected to. If they were, they would not need to be told to do this. Two, this is a highly emotional experience. Can you feel the beat? Throbbing and pulsing, reaching into your head, stirring your feet, energizing your soul? Don't we all tap our feet (or at least one foot!) to music? Adrenaline rush, to the max! In fact, they call this 'adrenaline music.'

It's extreme sports on the dance floor.

The emotional, adrenaline-induced high that is achieved first by the music and then the gyrating movement, and then the painful physical contact is unequalled. It's addicting. Literally. Emotionally. Spiritually.

So if you're addicted to extreme dance, I'll bet 'regular life' can seem kind of boring...

Another fact I came up with in my research - this is a wonderful place for pedophiles and gropers. But ladies, if you raise your voice and point your finger, rest assured that your honor will be defended, violently.

So, a question. In the secular community, at least at the Raves that I researched, there is heavy use of energy drinks and stimulants, such as Ecstasy. The purpose of these stimulants is to give them the energy to maintain the activity level for long time periods. At the Raves, the kids often dance with a water bottle in their hands. They have learned that the prolonged excess energy has put many of them in the hospital for dehydration. Another serious side affect of the stimulants is heart failure. The body wasn't meant to sustain that level of activity, and adrenaline for long time periods. My question is this: Are these stimulants prevalent in the Christian scene, too? I use the term Christian loosely here, you understand. Christian means 'of or pertaining to Christ.' What would Jesus do? Would he jump into the pit and throw himself violently against the others, pushing and shoving? I'll let you answer that one.

Hubby's doing well

My husband's surgery went off well, though I get to tease him about the nonsensical things he said while under the anesthetic. His arm seems to be healing well and regaining movement. He's back at work and, though tired and achy, he's doing well.

Probably taking a few days off...

My husband is having surgery tomorrow on his shoulder, so I may take a few days off from blogging to baby him. He deserves a little babying. ;-)

VBS, round 3

So, I wonder if we could do a Principle Approach VBS...that would be a lot of fun to write. Anyone one to join me?

VBS, round 2

Our lessons this week are as follows:

Choose to Believe 1 Jn 4:14
Choose to Act 1 Jn 3:18
Choose Forgiveness 1 Jn 1:9
Choose to Obey Ps 119:60 & Ps 19:59-60
Choose Jesus Josh 24:15

Don't try to put it into an acronym - there isn't one.

They've gone to great effort to make this special for the kids - the decorations are unbelievable, oh wait, that would violate the first day's choice!

VBS and a little 'extra' time

A lot of us take our kids to VBS during the summer. My friend told me she does about 3 every summer! Some moms, like my friend, think it is wonderful, while others find it to be detrimental to their child training. I've seen both, in my experience. I only have two who are still young enough to go, and two more who are helpers, which is a good thing, too. (My life is changing drastically...I also have two who are working!) Wow! Just think on that a minute!

So this week I have some time alone with my 14, almost 15ds. What will we do? We'll study the Bible (he wants to study the 10 Commandments in depth, and we've gotten on this kick about Open Theism, Molinism, and other 'heresies'. I believe that in order to understand the ideas of liberty of conscience, one of my other blogs, we must have a clear understanding of the nature and charcter of God. Without that, LOC can go awry very quickly. So, while talking with Hamlet, some of these things have come up, and Josh is excited about determing not only his own belief but how to answer the questions of others. So, off we go! Our first quest? Winkie Pratney. 2nd will be Charles Finney. Who knows who/what is next?! All surrounded by searching the Scriptures, of course.

Since I process verbally, talking to Hamlet and to my children is as good as any good cup of coffee for me.

Another thing I'm doing is writing. I simply can't help myself! The words boil in my mind until I type them (furiously) and spin them to some good end. Am I good? Well, I really have no idea! Some have scoffed at my writing, while others have told me they couldn't put down the story they got hold of. I'm learning not to be discouraged by the negative responses, though, truly, this is hard for me. The fact is, whether I'm good or not, I HAVE to write. I have a sense that God has given this to me. He is my biggest Cheer Leader (bet you didn't know that was one of His names!). If I do it to honor Him, then He is pleased.

I write to share biblical truths with others. That being the case, I have felt that I must publish. Either that, or give my stories out freely, which has been considered. I'm checking out self-publishing, as I know I'm not good enough to go with a standard publisher, simply because my name is not known. It has become apparent, in my research, that they care only about the income they will make off a writer, and not the content. I'd rather go for good content and leave the income to God. My coach told me that 'books sell because they sell.' It makes no difference if it's good or bad writing. I see this to be true, even for my own purchasing of books. I will buy books whose authors are known to me. We are creatures of habit. Fortunately, God does not make His choices by tradition.

Did I say God makes choices? Hm! Off to do more study! (Can you just hear the glee in my 'voice'?)

Hamlet...take 2...truth, isolation and faith

Well, I think I found him - it sounds like him, anyway. These discussion forums can be very intriguing. It is quite stimulating to talk with such heavy thinkers, especially Hamlet. Well, some of them, anyway. In a recent conversation, questions were raised about exposure to 'wrong' ideas. In this particular forum, which is secular based, there are a number of atheists who post. I find this good for my ability to reason. I watch, mostly, and post little. I feel a little like a lamb among wolves, simply due to the fact that I know so little about their arguments. I'm afraid to speak up, lest I fall under attack like the cute little aliens in Galaxy Quest. On the other hand, I find that the questions scratch an itch in my mind. None of the questions or arguments challenge my faith in God. On the contrary, if I change my mind about something I believed, based on Scripture, then I've grown. I am not swayed by their heavy handed blasting of God, though it saddens me. And not all of them do this. We are challenged to be in the world, but not of the world. These are real people, who have real questions, and maybe I can learn something or be used by God to teach.

In the movie, Thr3e, I found the premise challenging. Ted Dekker uses the circumstance of a young man who is in seminary, writing his thesis on the good, the evil and the person stuck in between. In the process of writing his thesis, an unresolved conflict comes to the fore. His Aunt, who raised him, states that children should be 'isolated with the truth.' But it is very clear that 'her' truth is a conflagration, fanned by intentional deception. The Uncle, when asked when he has left his house, wonders, "why should I leave the house?" And the Aunt states that evil and confusion (not a direct quote) are 'out there.' Hm! Isolated with the truth...

The Scripture says that 'You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.'

My mind is spinning some questions from the forum that might be raised as a result of this statement - Whose truth? and Free from what?

Food for thought.

I lost Hamlet!

Some of you know that I have spent time talking to a young man who refers to himself as Hamlet. I have learned a lot from him. I'll check again, but the apolgetics forum seems to have been wiped out. I can't find it! I don't care so much that I can't read the posts anymore - but it does bother me. What really bothers me, however, is that the connection to Hamlet seems to be gone.

Lost! Lost!

I feel like I've lost a friend.

Oh Hamlet, Hamlet, wherefore are thou?

Writing and Publishing

I like to write. There is something liberating about it. Words can spur us on, or take the wind out of our sails. They can inspire or leave us bereft. Words can form the basis for a revolution and under gird a reformation.

The Word of God, now, that's something else. In creation, God created by the use of words. He spoke everything into existence. Well, not everything - Adam and Eve were formed... but it was words that taught them about God, and words that were used to deceive them. Michael Card says that, when Jesus came to Earth, God 'spoke the incarnation.' Mr. Card is good for word pictures. Jesus chose not to speak at times. But when He spoke, Oh, the truth that came forth! We are told in Matthew that we will be held accountable for every careless word. Ephesians tells us to only use words that build up, encourage and meet the need of the moment. We are told to speak truthfully to one another. And we are told to let our 'yes' be 'yes' and our 'no' be 'no.'

Words. It is said that men only have a small allotment of them each day, while women have three or four times as much. Hm! It's odd, but I can FEEL them! They stir me up inside and bubble out; they flow over the top like too much root beer float. Well, ok, I process verbally, so that's part of it.

Ted Dekker has inspired me to write - he uses words that catch the reader. Sometimes, after they catch, they grab hold and then toss you up against the wall. Oh, to write like that!

The Joy of Cooking

We got a new toaster. The old one got dropped the same week we bought it in '04. I guess it's pretty good that it lasted this long. So, our new toaster is kind of cool - it toasts corn tortillas. Since the novelty is still firmly in place, every time I turn around there's a corn tortilla in my toaster. At least one. Usually two or more.

So Jon and Daniel were toasting some the other day. Frequently when they do this, the middle of the tortilla will bloat out and look sort of like a pillow. Daniel thought it would be cool to slap both sides of it and flatten it out. What he didn't expect was the mushroom cloud that came out the top...

So whoever said cooking can't be fun?

Runs with Dogs, and other necessary diversions

Along with the necessary teaching of why the lid must be kept on the toothpaste, how not to burn the rice and why the warming drawer is essential for keeping the dogs out of dinner, there is the in-between diversion of fun. I believe that God created fun. It is part of that 'rest' that is mentioned on the 7th day of Creation. It is part of that intimate contact with Him, when we laugh uproariously and God joins in. It's that crazy, hysterically funny moment that catches us off guard, and we hear Him say "Ha! Made you laugh!"

Right now, in our family, there is this spontaneous occasion of running with the dogs. Ok, so it isn't always with the dogs. Sometimes, since our kitchen has two doors, a child will come around one corner and I simply have to scream and run the other direction. The dogs can't observe this, of course, and get right under foot in the middle of it all. Each of us has a unique laugh and sometimes the laugh itself instigates more laughter. Snorts, not withstanding.

There is something about laughter that cleanses the soul. It rushes in like an incoming tide and then recedes, leaving gold speckles on the sand. In laughter, two souls can connect and meet in a place where no other emotion brings them together.

Laughter is God's way of bringing completion to our days.