Lost in Translation: Boston

Well as many of you know I am going to Boston. I am traveling with 2 other friends, Sam Weatherly and Heidi Elizondo. Here is a quick play by play of what has gone on from leaving Fresno to arriving at Gordon College; the site of the 'conference'.

San Jose Airport:
1. McDonalds in Santa Clara had curb-side pickup and catered breakfast, lunch and Dinner. Probably the nicest McDonalds we have been to.
2. On the bus from long-term parking to the San Jose Airport terminal there was a lady that asked about 5 times if this was the stop for Alaska Airlines. After the loud speaker in the bus told us where to go the lady asks, "I did not hear a word that said. Are you gonna drop me off here?"
3. Saw San Jose Earth Quakes at the Delta ticket counter. (Major League Soccer team for those who don't know)
4. As mentioned in prior post; stood 2 people behind Jerry Rice at the security checkpoint. No we did not talk to him, we were scared. But when we asked the guy at the counter if it was indeed Jerry Rice his response was; "Duh, he was only wearing his ring around his neck!" Side note: Sam bet me $2 that it was Jerry and I didn't believe her. She won.
5. While going through security checkpoint Heidi got yelled at because she put her computer, backpack, sandals and contents of her pockets in the same bin. Sam thought she was getting out like a bandit till the guy asked I need to inspect your bag for a blade. She had her athletic tape cutter from volleyball in her bag. He offered to return the cutter after removing the blade, but Sam responded in her disgust, "it's no use to me anymore, I don't play volleyball anymore" and walked away [of coarse in a non-snobish way].

I know you are thinking to yourself right now our trip could not get any better, but just keep reading!

Logan International Airport
1. Flight was hassle free, however Sam came down with something and slept pretty much the whole way! She didn't even eat her $8 sandwich she bought in Salt Lake City. In Sam's terms, "you know I am sick when I don't want to eat".
2. We have rental car reservation for AVIS. I call AVIS and they say that we can "take the Budget shuttle because AVIS is right next to it". This was bad information.
3. While on the Budget shuttle the driver, who was named Joe and had a wicked comb-over, asked where we were headed. I replied, "Winthrop". Joe Comb-over proceeded to give us step by step directions to Winthrop and none of us really listened because we were too tired and had directions already.
4. Joe Comb-over gave a ride to the AVIS station and we got the car and drove to Winthrop, got to our hotel and went to sleep.

Winthrop to Boston
1. When we woke up Heidi realized she had left all her make-up in Fresno, sitting on her bed. However, she did have her mascara & eyeliner in her purse.
2. Our first stop was a grocery store 'Shaws' in Winthrop to get some essentials: HEIDI - things she left @ home SAM - nasal unclogger (remember she got sick on the flight) MIKE - nothing (typical male who remembers everything!)
3. We then made the trip towards Boston. Went along the Atlantic Ocean where we got on the 1A South to the Rt. 145 to Mass Pike. When we went into the tunnel I said "hold your breath"; I didn't realize it was about 6 miles long. Don't worry we didn't hold our breath that long!
4. We finally made it into Boston and got off the Mass Pike in the financial district. We drove by the Hay Market, Feneuil Hall and countless other landmarks trying to find parking. We finally found parking in a garage.

Boston in a Day
1. We made it into Boston around 12 noon because we wanted to sleep in. That meant we had half a day to see Boston. We first had to make a stop at Kinko's to fax Heidi's drivers license to her fiance in California.
2. Next stop was Quincy Market. This is probably one of the things I remember most of the times I visited my sister in Boston not because of its historical value, but because it has one of the most amazing food courts. I'll get back to that in a second.
3. We went to the 'fake Cheers' gift shop and bought some souvenirs for people at home. My main focus was the food. We then went to get some food. HEIDI - Bowl of Clam Chowder SAM - Clam Chowder in a bread bowl MIKE - Kielbasa Sausage & Fries.
4. We then set off on the Freedom Trail:
--Paul Revere's House (to escape the 20 minutes of rain we got)
--North Church (Where the 2 lanterns were shown in the Steeple during Paul Revere's Ride
--Saint Steven's Church (Where Rose Kennedy's Funeral took place)
5. Stopped at Mike's Pastries in 'Little Italy' to get Canolis...mmmm....canolis.
6. Walked around trying to find the T station to ride to the South End to see the prudential building and Fenway Park.
7. We went to the Sky Walk at the Prudential Center on the 50th floor. While on the audio tour Heidi happens to leave cell phone doesn't realize till we are on the T going to Fenway Park.
8. Didn't realize the Fenway stop on the T does not exactly drop you off at Fenway Park. It was about a 5 block walk.
9. We made it to Fenway and first went to the team store on Yawkey Way to buy some tourist essentials. SAM - A Boston Red Sox pint glass for her boyfriend "OF COARSE its $20", she said, when told the price by the unassuming employee HEIDI - Red Sox hat for her fiance MIKE - Nothing
10. Walked around the park and took pictures. I had a moment where I was disappointed with Sam's boyfriend, Matt because she asked "what is the green monster?"
11. Wanted to go see the 'Original' Cheers. Had an idea where it was, but had no idea where to get on the T to get there. So we had legs and walked; it was a solid 15 blocks!
--Heidi decided to wear little Old Navy sandals and by this point she was hurtin'. But she was a trooper and we finally made it. The key was to keep talking because then we could not focus on how much further we had to walk. BTW it was about an hour walk from Fenway to Cheers.
12. Once at Cheers we sat down for a lovely pint of Sam Adam's Summer Blend, amazing buffalo wings and burgers.
13. We asked the waiter at Cheers the best way to get back to the Government Center was. He said it would be about a 10 minute walk and we just rolled our eyes at him and said OK.
14. We made it into the vicinity of our parking garage, but had not idea where exactly it was! We walked in the direction we thought it was with our big tourist map in had. Standing at a corner not really sure which direction we should go an older couple asked where we were heading. Our response, "to our car that is in a garage we don't really know where." We did know it was by a big post office. From that information the couple directed us right where we needed to go.
15. As we are walking to our car Heidi is feeling "injured." Sam and Mike are laughing!
16. We approach the car and I notice there is not window up on the drivers side door. I immediately looked on the ground for glass, but there was none. I then realized I had left the window open with my Ipod and backpack in clear sight. Nothing was gone. Thank you Bostonians for being nice!

Boston to Gordon College
1. Driving down Rt. 128 towards Wenham and I get a call. I look over at Heidi and say, "you're calling me" from the phone you lost. I answered and it was a lady from the Sky Walk that had found her phone. Once again, thank you Bostonians!
2. Heidi relieved, but still injured! Sam and Mike still laughing!
3. Made it to Gordon College and hanging out in the dorms as Sam asks, "Milanos anyone?"

So this is a quick (um detailed) recap of our trip so far. We have had a lot of fun seeing Boston together and have definitely had some good luck to boot! We will definitely keep you updated on the happenings in Boston!

Mike (Sam and Heidi)

Thirsty Thursday: On Friday

I am coming to you today from the San Jose Airport. I am flying to Boston for a work conference, or that is what I am telling everyone.

Before we get onto more pressing matters I must start by saying I just stood behind Jerry Rice in the security line at the airport!! And no I did not talk to him. I wanted so badly, but felt I would try to be respectful and not bug him. That is also another excuse for saying I was chicken! But we did get this paparazzi picture.

No that I have that behind me I may proceed. The last week has been one of turmoil and really seeking God's will. Over the last few weeks I have been going through the struggle of knowing I need to seek after God with all my heart, but not really having the desire to. I have been really trying to follow along in my life journal reading plan to keep me consistent. Over the past week I have done well following that and it has really encouraged me. I have been reading through Proverbs and Romans with the reading plan.

From Proverbs I have been reading about seeking wisdom. All through the passages I have been reminded that if I truly seek after God's wisdom He will grant it to me. One passage that stood out to me is Proverbs 3:7-8 "Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones."

In Romans I have been encouraged by God's promise that I am His own and free from the bondage of sin. It is very easy to fall back into the cycle of feeling overwhelmed by the sin nature in me. It is here in Romans that God uses Paul to remind me that God died and overcame the power of sin. Romans 8:1-2 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death."

Well I am about to board the plan so I hope you find this encouraging today even though it's a day late!

Global Warming: Reality - Hogwash

Gene this one's for you. I miss being around your cinical self. Oh good times in EAH 3.

Thirsty Thursday: Grace is Sufficient

"To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surprisingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."--1 Corinthians 12:7-10

Last night I had a conversation with a good friend of mine, Dave Obwald. We were talking about a season of life I am going through right now and he kept reminding me, "grace is sufficient." Later that night when I was ready for bed I could keep hearing that run through my head; my grace is sufficient...yeah I know, I told myself. My grace is sufficient; yeah. I know. My grace is sufficient; yeah God I know. My grace is sufficient.

I felt like I was in the scene of Good Will Hunting when Robin Williams keeps telling Matt Damon that "it's not your fault. It's not your fault." It is very easy to just brush that statement off and not do anything with it. I've heard the phrase, my grace is sufficient, a million times and probably nodded my head every time. I am just thankful that I have people around me to strengthen and encourage me in times of weakness.

Last night I really needed the reminder that God's grace is sufficient. Especially, when relationships get tough it is easy for me to take over and try to do things on my own. I just need to remember "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

Advice Corner

When you are looking at buying a house I have a piece of advice for you. AVOID A HOUSE WITH A POOL, unless you really enjoy spending hours trying to figure out stupid and ridiculous issues. I.E. my pool currently has a layer of little particles on the surface that the skimmer is not filtering and the leaf net does not catch it. The little things like that drive me insane.

However, if you like fiddling with things like that or have the money to pay someone to do the upkeep for you enjoy your new house with a pool.

Just my advice.

FYI...on the positive side, the electricity it generates has not been very much at all. My gas/electric bill for last month was under $100 which is a wonderful thing!

Habits

From Oswald Chambers once again. Speaking about habits.

"Love means that there are no visible habits--that your habits are so immersed in the Lord that you practice them without realizing it."

Naturally 7

I went to the Michael Buble concert on Tuesday night. He is definitely a great performer and makes it look so easy. However I would like to share with you the group that opened up for him.

The group is called Naturally 7. They are an all acapella group that uses "vocal-play" to create the music around them. Check it out you will be amazed.

Thirsty Thursday: Perseverance

"And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." Romans 5: 2-5

Perseverance as defined by Mirriam-Webster: to persist in a state, enterprise, or undertaking in spite of counterinfluences, opposition, or discouragement.

This is a cornerstone for the Christian faith. The idea that life is not going to be easy, but through Christ we can have faith that it is for our own good we go through trials. It is much easier to just pack it in and give up, but it is so much more rewarding to bust your butt till the end.

Just think about the first line in verse 3 and how that attitude could affect everyone around you. "but we also rejoice in our suffering". That is a life filled with the Spirit that seeks everyday to find a new joy in Christ.

Know that Christ is going to be with us every step of the way. Whether we are in the dumps of life or at the highest high; Christ is steadfast. When we are falling on hard times keep this thought ready, "suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope"

Be blessed this Thursday!

You must

Check out my brother-in-laws flickr site to see my nephew.

www.flickr.com/photos/shinnphoto

Enjoy!

More then just Food

Yesterday I had a moment that made me realize how lucky I was to have grown up in a small town. I was in Reedley for lunch and thought I would go to Valentinos for some pizza. I called in my order and by the time I got there they had closed for the afternoon. The door was unlocked, with Martin and Dawn Barcellos [the owners] sitting at a table finishing up their lunch. I paid for my pizza then walked over to shake Martin's hand.

We started talking about me coaching baseball and my frustrations I was experiencing. From there we began talking about the different issues teenagers are facing in today's world and we are glad we did not have to deal with such things at that age. I finally went back to the counter and grabbed my pizza so I could eat and talk.

I love just sitting down with people older then me and just talking about life. As I have grown older I have had many opportunities to talk with people like this and I feel that I am closer to their level [yet I am so far away]. I was raised to respect people and this has turned into them respecting me and sharing life with me. WHAT A JOY!

The sum of this story is I went to just get lunch, but what I got was so much more. I ended up spending more then an hour at Valentinos just talking with Martin and Dawn. What a lunch I got :)

Thirsty Thursdays

In an effort to keep my blogging consistent I am attempting to start a new feature on the Wide World of Mike that also might give you a little quenching.

So here it goes; the first every 'THIRSTY THURSDAY' post!


My thoughts behind it.

--> The Name: Well as many of you know Thursdays are a popular day at home games for the Fresno Grizzlies. It means there are $1 beers. This is an excuse for poor college students to go out the the ballgame and get drunk.

--> One of my good friends Gene Pensiero started a 'Positive Post Tuesday' to recognize someone who influenced him or just made him smile during the week. This is where I draw my genious from.

--> Finally, the premise is to just share a quick note from The Word of God to hopefully quench your thirst on Thursday!


THIRSTY THURSDAY

This morning while doing my devotions I was reading through Matthew 18. This chapter is Jesus telling parables to his disciples. He speaks about the Lost Sheep, how to confront your brother, the servant who had his debt canceled and Jesus' response to "Who is the Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven".

I want to focus on the last one there. The disciples asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Most would expect a deep theological response, but not Jesus. He simply brings over a child and tells the disciples, "whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Probably not what the disciples were looking for.

My encouragement for you on this Thirsty Thursday is to have the faith of a child. When we come to Jesus with child-like expectation we will be blessed.

[We are becoming obsessed with the moments when God did come and speak with us, and we are insisting that He do it again. But what God wants us to do is to "walk by faith." --Oswald Chambers]

Go to the Well of Christ today and be thirsty no more!!