O how I missed thee

Sweet sport. I've been playing floor hockey for near two years now. I'm not a lifelong ballhockeyer... I grew up on other sports like soccer and football, and later, basketball. These were my staples and I threw in some volleyball and wrestling. No hockey of any kind. Weird for a Canadian, prairie-raised, outdoor rink having boy. But true.

When Zion's Mens' Ministry decided to start a "Mens' Night" floor hockey became the game. It started out with a mixture: volleyball, followed by floor hockey, with table games and xbox outside the gym for those not playing sports. It was a nice enough mix. But hockey began to dominate as others dropped out... leaving only hockey players. So mens' night was now floor hockey night. It's been that way for close to two years now...

As mentioned above, I was a floor hockey novice. I had much to learn and I worked hard to do so! I did learn the game and I'm at least average now I'd say. Yeah, average. And that's not so bad. Lately though, I've been having lower back trouble and floor hockey is a tough game with a bad back or so I've found. I've thus been sidelined and even when able to play, had some other commitments these last weeks. Obviously, ball hockey has been on the back burner.

Well, some chiropractic and massage therapy have helped out my back, but I figured out that what would really help as well would be stretching combined with good activity. Basketball. Ever since I began working at Zion, I've wanted a bball night. I've played on the church softball team, been a regular at floor hockey, coach football every fall and spring, but I've been missing bball. My true love. It can't be beat as a playing sport for me. Don't get me wrong, I'm competitive enough that I enjoy any sport, hence two years hacking away at floor hockey, becoming average. But I'm actually good at football and basketball, and we all know what playing football does to guys as they get older (can we say unrecuperatable injury folks?)... so bball has been my thing.

I haven't played a solid game of adult ball for years. I used to play twice a week until both places got shut down cause the leaders with keys couldn't make it anymore. That happens. So I've been missing out. I tried community centres (in Vancouver, it's called small ball-so many asian people and I'm too big and tall - it's really not that fun). I tried outdoor courts (dirty ball, dirty shoes, dirty players). I looked into mens' league (not many out there really, but I have too many evening commitments to make that fly). Every once and awhile, I'd remember that I work at a church with a great gym and I should start my own night each week. Why has it taken so long?

Tonight we played for the first time. Ten guys (with more to come next week), full court, competitive basketball. Heaven in my backyard. I'm happy about having my game back :)

Nerdiness

What is your source of nerdiness? I believe firmly that each one of us, no matter how cool we might be, has an underlying nerdiness (geekiness, whatever)... so what is yours?

I've always loved GI Joe. And because of my love for GI Joe, I expanded from the toys to the comic book world, which led to other comic books too... so, officially, I'm a comic book geek. That's the truth and I'm sticking to it.

The weird thing is when you embrace your nerdiness and begin to allow it to intertwine with other areas of your life. For example, I've always been hyper-competitive. That showed itself in sports, games, school, sibling rivalry...pretty much everywhere. Well, that competitive nature has driven me to love complex games requiring strategy, the more complex generally, the better. Lately, my geeky love for comic books has been influencing my competitive streak through the game Heroclix.

Imagine that this game's rulebook, including various errata (for mistakes/clarifications) and information is over 125 pages. They have more than three dedicated websites running forums where the rules/gameplay is discussed ad nauseum and not only is it complex, it's enhanced by a love for the comic characters you're using to play! Awesome!

So I'm a geek. I've accepted that. Good thing I'm also a ninja (another geek thing to deal with later). What's your geek love?

You're a youth what?

Youth L-E-A-D-E-R. I take punks and lead them. It's what I do.

Tonight, I was even so bold as to say that I am a good youth leader. I said it to them, and I meant it. Arrogance? Perhaps. Pride? Maybe. Yet I know I said it because if it is true, I know why I would be a good youth leader: love. It's not goofiness (see ->), intelligence, knowledge, or anything else. Just love.

God told me long ago that I was to love people. If I did nothing else on this earth each day besides loving others, He would be pleased with that. Of course He didn't tell me this in person, like a father/son conversation, but I know He told me. I picked up on that early. Now, I've wasted some of my days trying to be angry, trying to be correct, trying to be funny, trying to be popular, trying to be authoritative, etc... and unfortunately, I still do. I'd like to say I love all the time, but I don't. I want to (most of the time) but I still don't.

If I am a good youth leader, it's because of love. My Father has groomed me and equipped me to love, even in difficult situations. He gave me that gift and He keeps bringing more of it up and out everyday. Some days I'm simply not a great vessel, but He continues to fill me up more and pour it out. It's a great thing, love. I like it.

Change of scenery

A very popular question asked (possibly throughout all time):
What is your favorite season?

For me, it's tough. Winter has Christmas and snowshoeing...much fun, you should try it! Spring has my birthday, my anniversary, and the greening of the countryside after the "death" of fall/winter. Summer has heat, which I like, and great weather to do things outside. Autumn has the coolest spelling by far, the multicolored panorama of beauty caused by leaf-changing, and football. Hmmmmm....

Anyhow, this post really has nothing to do with that, except for one thing about the seasons that is painfully obvious to all: they mean change. Most people hate change. Loathe it. Despise it! It breaks routine and forces thought; shatters the ease of pattern for stuttered baby steps; removes continuity and momentum, bringing about the need for additional effort. Change sucks.

I generally like change. I enjoy thinking on the spot and being forced to derive solutions quickly but effectively. I like the quickening of the pulse it brings to organizations as attention perks up when people realize something is different..."What is it?" In my life, change has almost always been a catalyst to improvement and "the next step." Change rocks.

So what's changed, Brent? What inspired you to write about this today?

I altered my office. New desk. New chaise-lounge chair (well, it's really old, but new to my office-thanks youth room!). New shelving. And overall, an improvement. More modern, more effective use of space, more me. I've finally moved in (that's what Karl said). I like it.

As I write this, I'm looking at things differently than I have for a long while. Sure, some of that is simply because my computer screen is facing a different wall, but some of it is a breath of fresh air. A welcome change.

Absent minded

Wow, I hadn't read any of my posts in context at all (one after the other)... I suppose that reading them thusly could give the impression that it has been a very difficult time for me lately. I have been going through a lot, but I would say that I'm flying in a very positive sky these days (and no, I'm not high on anything).

The therapy I mentioned last post was/is massage therapy and before you think less of me for getting a massage and complaining about it, you should try a massage therapist. I have back/hip/shoulder issues and I've waited far too long to deal with them. Screwed up muscles get very angry with you and they scream A LOT. So massage therapy hurts. BAD. Take my word for it. I literally lost my breath a couple times last session and truly believe I was as close to crying from physical pain as I've ever been in my adult life. Ouch!

Times of realization are pretty cool and seeing as we just blasted through Canadian Thanksgiving, I would like to give thanks to God for His grace to me these last months and His blessing me with a loving wife, great friends/family, and a meaningful vocation in which to invest my days. Be blessed!