Timber-Lee closing and Trinity College and grad school going virtual only.

 Two places near and dear to me are ending their work as we know it in the coming months.  These places are Camp Timber-Lee in East Troy,  Wisconsin, and Trinity College in Deerfield, Illinois.  Both of these establishments have long histories, both recently celebrating a milestone.  In 2022 Trinity College celebrated its 125th anniversary and Timber-Lee celebrated its 75th.  If this were the Electric Company short, Letter Man, The villainous Spellbinder would take out his magic wand and change the first E to a  second L making milestone, millstone.  I'm not sure what to call the millstone. Perhaps it was  Covid, perhaps a change in the culture of education, perhaps a change in the paradigm of Christian camping; likely a combination of all 3.  But the millstone around Trinity International University whose umbrella is around both Camp Timberlee and Trinity has caused business as usual in the college's case and possibly business altogether to come crashing to a halt in the very near future.  

 I was never a student at Trinity, but I have visited their campus on multiple occasions over the past 40 years.  I have slept in their dorms, eaten in their cafeterias, and played frisbee in their courtyards.  I have attended classes, visited students, and borrowed materials from their library.  I even at one time had a Trinity library card. 

In 2016, Camp Timberlee was gifted by the Evangelical Free Church Association (EFCA)  to Trinity International University (TIU).  I have a long history with Camp Timber-Lee. I was baptized in their lake in 1986 at a church picnic. I did a polar plunge in the same lake in January 2020. My wife Amy and our children once attended a home school camp there and our family slept in one if their famous cabooses. I have visited friends who worked there on multiple occasions. I even flipped over a snapping turtle  who had was trapped on his back bicycling near their grounds while visiting a staff member. I was bicycling near the camp, I'm assuming the snapping turtle was a pedestrian. 

Over the past 15 years, I have chaperoned a half dozen or so arctic blast and winter X-treme trips with our church kids groups and youth groups which has included at least one of my children on each occasion. 3 of my favorite things to do at those winter retreats are

1. A trip to their nature center where there is always an obligatory snake pic taken of one of my children.

2. To spend hours playing gaga ball with students.

3. To spend hours playing nine-square with students.

There is a multitude of other things to do at Timber-Lee: Ropes course, rec room, x-country skiing, zip line, sledding, tubing, tobogganing, horseback riding, broomball, and karaoke, just to name a few.  Of course, camps are a lot of fun and make lasting memories.  But Timber-Lee was all about sharing the gospel and promoting Christian growth.  This spiritual aspect of their ministry is the main reason why so many people are shocked and saddened about its demise.    

When camps like these go under there is often talk of getting new funding and continuing the ministry.  Sometimes something comes out of it like the recent change of ownership of what used to be called Cedar Campus in the upper peninsula of Michigan.  Timber-Lee has a plethora of staff, campers, and alumni who would love to see the ministry continue to grow.

As for Trinity College the class of 2023 seems to be the last class as a residential college as they make the transition to distance learning only.  TIU sees this as a new beginning that fits with its global strategy.  I, for one, hope that is true, but need time to reflect on the past and what will surely be missed.  

Love,

Dave

  

A song about Middle School

My Friend Allen Levi is one of the most prolific music artists that no one has ever heard. He performs one song called You'll be famous when your dead" I'm not sure that he wants to be or ever will be famous. But if he ever does catch on, his 16 albums on Spotify will keep the public saturated for a while. I had been listening to one song from each of his albums on Spotify for the past 15 days now, so today when I was grading papers after work, I put the only one on Spotify that I hadn't heard a song from yet and listened to it in it's entirety. The album called People in my Town is a kind of a concept album. Levi interviews people in his town (thus the title), writes a song based on the interview and then plays them back to back on the album. Here is the title track from the album that introduces the concept ...

 . In about the middle Allen interviews a middle school teacher who had been deeply effected by his teachers when he was in middle school. Levi then performs a touching song about the dedicated teachers who love on students. When I first heard this album, I kind of glossed over this song as I was not a professional teacher at the time. The song resonates much more with me now as I am a long term substitute in a middle school setting. But I think this song should resonate with anyone who has worked with young people either as a parent, an educator, or any type of yout leader. If these songs or interviews have resonated with you in anyway consider going tot he bandcamp platform and purchasing these songs or perhaps the full album or maybe sample some more of Allen's music.  WHo knows? You might make him famous before he's dead.

Family Camp: These "guys" should have stuck to skits.

Even though you can't tell by the weather yet, I am on my Summer break from substitute teaching.  Monday was my last day until August.  This summer besides working  a local movie theatre  and the Kane Cougars baseball team as a concessionist I will also be volunteering for a month with my family at a camp in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  

One of the perks of working at a movie theatre is free movies for me and my family.  Last weekend I noticed a new movies coming in called Family Camp and I recognized the people on the poster.  At the bottom of the poster it said it was a Skit Guys production.

I have seen many skit guys skits first as a volunteer at my church youth group and some of them in Sunday morning services.  Here is a good example of their work.

With the prospect of spending a month volunteering at a camp which hosts family camps and because of my familiarity with the Skit Guys and because of my ability to watch free movies at my theatre I took my daughter to watch Family Camp.

As you can tell by the title of this post, I was not a fan of the movie.  I may have walked into the film for free, but I walked out feeling like I had spent too much.

As my daughter pointed out there wasn't much of a Christian message to this film.  Yes we laughed at times but  there wasn't much to the plot and what there was to the plot was recycled from so many movies before. This was especially disappointing as the Skit Guys skits are original, humorous and imbued with a Christian message.  

 In 1979 , the summer before I started high school,  Bill Murray's first movie Meatballs came out. This was the story of a Summer camp and Murray played the head counselor.  In my opinion, it is a very funny movie but a little raunchy.  In the Summer of 1986 I worked as a counselor at a Christian Camp.  When I applied for the position I wrote about how the movie Meatballs was an inspiration to work at the camp.  I referenced the relationship between Murray and Chris Makepeace who played a camper and how Murrays character  invested time with Makepeace's character to bring out the best in him.  

The fact that there  was more of a  believable transformative narrative in Meatballs which is basically a PG Animal House in a camp rather than college setting than in a Christian film is deeply disappointing.  I think the probability of people like me enjoying Family Camp  is cloudy with no chance of Meatballs,

How to get through 2021: Day by Day

I volunteer with our church youth group, It is for 6th graders through 12th graders.  Until recently it was two separate youth groups one for 6th 7th and 8th graders and one for 9th through 12th graders  meeting on separate nights of the week.  During the Summer we would allow the incoming 6th graders to join the middle school group and the outgoing 8th graders to attend both groups.  As the Summer would draw to an end I would give the outgoing 8th graders a short (2-3 minute) commencement  on their last night of the younger group.

In 2016 my son Charlie was one of the kids moving up to the high school group.  I challenged the students to have a "2020" vision of what they hoped to achieve in High School especially how they could be used by God in their new schools.  

Little did any of us know about what the year 2020 held for us. In fact my son's senior year was progressing quite normally until March 13th turned out to be his last day of high school that actually met at the high school.  Since that day, 2020 was a rather tumultuous year (Understatement Alert).  

The events of the past 2 weeks make 2021 look like it's going to be more of the same.  How do we get through another year like that?

The answer both figurarively, literally and musically is Day By Day

 

As this  great song suggests we can not only get through 2021 but thrive in the midst of it by doing these 3 things from Day by Day, day by day.

Seeing God more clearly

Loving God more dearly

Following God more nearly.

So like I told the YG in 2016 vision is important.  The vision that God is showing me for 2021 requires more time Seeing God through time spent in his word, Following God through obedience to his word  and Loving God by loving his creation.  I hope to expound on this more in further posts. Right now I'm just taking it day by day.

My Son the Graduate

My Son Charlie graduates from high school today.  Charlie was home schooled from birth to fifth grade. He was the 2nd born in our family.  When he was born my wife was already "playing" school with our 2 year old  and Big Dude (one of a multitude of nick names we saddled the poor kid with over the years)  was incorporated into their home school routine right along.  He went to public school in 6th grade, we were fortunate to home school him again for 7th grade and did his last 5 years of school in public school.

 

Cubist 

Charlie excelled in high school and we are very proud of his accomplishments.  But this is my blog not his, so let's talk about me.

I have had many roles in Charlie's life.  I was the principal of our home school.  I stayed at home when he was in first to fifth grade and was his main teacher.  I helped him learn to read.  I taught him how to ride a bike.  I've been his coach, his youth group leader for 6 years.  We have gone on two mission trips together and he has even been my co-worker at a local movie theatre.  

 

Athlete

Historian

Cannon Fodder

Our relationship has changed quite a bit over the years.  I've gone from his hero to the embarrassing guy with the bad puns.  This year has been a transition year as he prepares for whatever the next chapter of his life is going to be and I get use to the notion that he will be penning these chapters almost entirely on his own.  I've been trying to step back from a leadership role in his life to an advisory one.  Something I've been getting a little better at lately, mainly because I was doing it so very badly to begin with. 

Roller 

Before I end this post with some uncaptioned glimpses from over the  years, I will share  a hopeful anecdote. Over the past few years Charlie has taken up walking, running and cycling: 3 activities I've really enjoyed in my life.  Last Sunday, he went cycling with a friend from the youth group and they dropped by the house on a way to a local park to toss a frisbee around.  Frisbee is another thing I really enjoy, I walked out to the front yard to say hi and bye when Charlie invited me to come and play frisbee with them.  I'm crying even now as I recall how overwhelmed I was by the invitation.  I went and I had a great time and I think they did as well.  I hope this is just one of many activities that Charlie and I will enjoy together in the years to come.  Not only as father and son but as adults, and as friends.  

 

Muzak Lessons: An Apology to Gordy Jorian

Muzak Lessons
Lessons learned from in-store music.

Introduction

I am introducing my first new segment of the reboot today.  I am currently working overnights at a grocery store.  Most nights they pipe in the in store music throughout the store. Many of the same songs are played several times through the course of the week.    At this time there are no customers in the store during my working hours and most of my work is done independently so the in store audio is like the soundtrack of my work experience.  

From time to time I will be sharing my thoughts based on what I am learning from these songs.  Today I start with a song that reminded me we are prone to the  same kind of mistakes that we give our friends grief over.  Without further introduction I present ...

Lesson 1: An Apology to Gordy Jorian

First of all, before I begin, I just want to say that everyone in life should have at least one friend named Gordy.  Gordy is a cool name. I think with a name like Gordy, you have no choice but to be super cool.  Also I think everyone should have at least one super cool friend.  

My friend Gordy Jorian is no exception to the super cool rule.  I mean among other things, the dude has an imdb page. If that was enough his credits include being a key grip, a gaffer, and a best  boy.  Also he was a grip in the movie Kermit's Swamp years.  Where he is credited as Gordy "Goggles"Jorian.  I mean first of all hanging out ewith Kermit on the set has got to be awesome! An d first you have a cool name like Gordy and you follow it up with a super cool nickname in goggles.  Talk about your embarrasment of riches,  Finally he appears in one of the dvd extras.  Wait, did I mention that he's super cool?

I've known Gordy since 1980 as our respective  high school youth groups did a lot of trips and activities together. We got to know each other better in 1984 when we both began volunteering at our old high school youth groups.  That summer Gordy and I were on a week-long bike trip in Michigan.  One afternoon after we had finished biking for the day we heard a Huey Lewis and the News song on the radio.

I should at this point say that Gordy is a master at music and movie trivia.  This is what a large part of our friendship was based upon.  He is the one that introduced me to Joel Whitburn's the Billboard book of Top 40 hits which Gordy taught me to refer to as "The Whitburn." Each edition would list all the top 40 charting music from 1955 to the time of publication by song and artist.  I point this out because knowing  how in tune he was to all things music makes the next part of the story more poignant. 

The Whitburn

As we were listening to the Huey Lewis song, Gordy confided in  me that when the song first came out he had misunderstood the lyrics.  Instead of The heart of Rock and Roll is still beatin', he thought Huey was singing the heart of Rock and Roll is in Wheaton.  Wheaton, if you don't know, is a western suburb of Chicago once known for Christian publishing and still home of Wheaton College, a Christian liberal arts school.

Now being the  sensitive soul and good friend to Gordy that I was,  I could only react in one way,  incessant ridicule .  In the late 80's early 90's Gordy and I went our separate ways.  He lives in Florida and I'm back in the Chicago area.  We keep in touch through Facebook and that sort of thing.  But to this day the biggest legacy our friendship has left behind besides the copy of the Whitburn I keep at my bedstand is that whenever I hear The Heart of Rock and Roll, I will invariably tell anyone in earshot of Gordy's colossal blunder.  That is to say, until a few weeks ago.

A few weeks ago, I was at work and they played another mid 80's staple Walk of Life by Dire Straits.  I remember liking that song quite a bit back in the day and I enjoyed the trip down nostalgia lane.  The next night they played the song again and again the night after that.  At that third hearing I discovered something that rocked me to my very core.  For 35 years I was hearing the wrong lyric!

At the end of the song there is a line, "after all the violence and double talk, there's just a song in all the trouble and the strife."  The song then ends with you do the walk of life.

Now for years, that is not what I was hearing.  I was hearing

After all the violence down in Bogota
After all the trouble and the strife
You do the walk of life.

So for 36 years while giving  Gordy a hard time for hearing a city in a song that did not appear there, most of that  time I've been hearing a city in a different song that also did not exist.  Gordy caught his mistake in relatively short time.  Heart of Rock and Roll came out in 1983 and by the Summer of '84 Gordy had corrected his gaffe.  Walk of Life came out in 1985 and for 35 years I've been hearing it wrong!

Now this seemingly benign faux pas has gotten me to thinking.  Over the years, when I have seen others struggle in certain areas I have found myself thinking a little self righteously how could they have been so unwise or that could never happen to me.  . Regrettably, I have spent a lot  of time in judgement of others.  I clearly saw the error of their ways but was blind to the similar or worse   transgressions in my own life.

I can truly say that I am better in this regard than I once was,  However,  true humility is a life long process and my own rigteousness is still dirty rags when compared to a Holy God. That being said,  I'm still in process and at least I don't have to worry about that violence down in Bogota anymore.