Friday 5s: LOST

In a continued theme here on the old blog, I focus todays 5s on what I consider to be the best television show I've ever experienced.

SPOILER ALERT: All kinds of "moments from the show are highlighted. Don't read on if you plan to watch more.

Top 5 Episodes:
5. Numbers (Season 1): This Hurley-focused episode where we discovered these mysterious numbers that made Hurley a multi-millionaire were connected to the island officially hooked me into the journey with the characters.
4. Through the Looking Glass (Season 3 Finale): The Jack-centric Flashback that eventually turns out to be a "Flash Forward" was one of the more brilliant plot-twist and cliffhanger moments in T.V.
3. The End (Season 6 and Series Finale): It delivered for me, had some awesome sentimental moments, and served as a loosely tied bow on an amazing show.
2. Greatest Hits (Season 3): The 5 most significant moments in Charlie's life are recounted as he prepares for his looming death. Brilliant storytelling, heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.
1. Flashes Before Your Eyes (Season 3): I guess Season 3 rises up to the top for me. This complete mind frak of an episode had Desmond in what could almost now be called a "Flash Sideways". For me, it was the point where it become there would not be a natural explanation for the show, but something supernatural was going on. It was the episode where I verbally said "Whaaa?" and "Awesome!" the most times.

Honorable Mention:
Walkabout (Season 1), Exodus (Season 1 Finale), The 23rd Psalm (Season 2), Two For the Road (Season 2), The Constant (Season 4), There's No Place Like Home (Season 4 Finale), Lafluer (Season 5), Some Like it Hoth (Season 5), LA X (Season 6), Ab Aeterno (Season 6), Happily Ever After (Season 6)



My Top 5 Characters:
5. Benjamin Linus: He took villain to a new level, and then ended up redeeming himself.
4. Mr Eko: Probably the most disappointing death in the entire show for me.
3. Desmand: The "Constant" with the special powers made for some of the best episodes.
2. Jin: One of the best redemptive storylines in the entire show.
1. Hurley: I loved his storyline, his humor, the way he played the voice of the audience.

Honorable Mention:
Richard Alpert, Rose, Charlie, Claire, Vincent, and Frogurt.



Top 5 funny moments:
5. Hurley questions who Richard is: In a Season 6 walk to the Black Rock, Hurley started questioning Richard: "Are you a cyborg, a Vampire?" cracked me up.
4. Jin tells a scary story around the campfire, in Korean: It was an all-around cool moment when several guys trudged off on a "camp out." The fact that he was telling the story with flashlight on his face in a language none of them understood... it makes me laugh even writing it.
3. Sawyer loses to Hurley in Ping Pong: It wasn't funny in the sense of comedy, as much as it was a "haha, take that Sawyer" moment.
2. Miles tries to explain time travel to Hurley: Hilarious because Hurley was playing the voice of the audience watching the show, trying to figure out what was going on with the Season 5 time travel.
1. Sawyer's Nicknames: This was not just one moment, but this little tradition of Sawyer giving nicknames to people based of different characteristics (Hurley - "Stay-Puft", Richard - "Eyeliner", Faraday - "Twitchy") had me laughing much and often.

Honorable Mention:
Hurley tries to rewrite Empire Strikes Back, The golf game in Season 1, Frogurt's death, Hurley throws a hot pocket at Ben, really about every attempt at humor involving Hurley.


Top 5 Quotes:
5. "Dude, you've got Arzt on you." -Hurley
4. "We're the good guys, Michael." -Benjamin Linus
3. "You are a man of science. I am a man of faith." -Locke to Jack
2. "See you in another life, Brutha." -Desmand Hume
1."If we don't live together, we are going to die alone." -Jack

Honorable Mention:
"I'm sorry. You are right. Those pants don't make you look fat." -Jin trying to learn English from Sawyer
"Jesus is not a weapon, Hugo." -Hurley's mom
"Two sides: One is light. One is dark." - John Locke



Top 5 Plot Twists:
5. Flash Sideways is a sort of "Purgatory."
4. Michael kills Ana Lucia and Libby.
3. John Locke was in a wheel chair before the island.
2. Walt kidnapped at sea.
1. Season 3 Finale is actually a Flash Forward.

Honorable Mention:
Locke's dad is the real "Sawyer", Eloise Hawking kills her own son, Jack and Claire are half siblings, Desmand is in the Hatch, Ben Linus kills Locke, too many others to mention here.



Top 5 "Moments" (a.k.a. times that may have brought salty substance from my eyes)
5. Jin and Sun drown in the Submarine.
4. The raft being pushed out to see in the Season 1 Finale.
3. "Not Penny's boat" written on Charlie's hand.
2. Desmand calls Penny from the Freighter.
1. The final scene with Jack and Vincent.

Honorable Mention:
Anna Lucia and Libby's funeral, Ilana tells Ben, "I'll have you", Juliet Dies, about any slow motion moment with people walking on to the beach.

Sunday Preview

Sir-Links-A-Lot: All Things Lost

• A Great Explanation of the show here.
• Alternate endings from Jimmy Kimmel Live (heads up, PG13) here.
• Answering the Unanswered Questions of LOST... a great article here.
• All LOST episodes ranked here.
• Items from the show are being auctioned off... Information here and items here. (personally, I'd love to get Eko's "Jesus Stick").

Lost Finale: My Take

***SPOILER ALERT****
DON'T READ THIS IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE LOSTFINALE AND WANT TO!

To say I'm a fan of LOST would be an understatement.
My initial response to the finale was... "The first 2 hours and 15 minutes were unbelievable. The last 30 seconds were a perfect ending. The 14 minutes and 30 seconds between were the part that many will not like. I'm still not sure what I think of the entire church scene. "

24 hours later, I find myself in a different position, with much more clarity (but not total clarity... I don't think that was Lindelhoff/Carlton's goal with the finale)

Here's my quick explanation/understanding...

Flashbacks, Flash Forwards, Island Time, 1977 experiences were all "real life" experiences. The Flash Sideways we've been seeing this season were a sort of "purgatory" where they went to when dead. As Christian Shepherd said in his conversation with Jack, the time of death in "real time" was irrelevant to Flash Sideways.

Whenever you die, you take up your "Island Form" in the Flash Sideways.... See More

They carry on in their flash sideways until they come in touch with some sort of catalyst that would reveal their life to them. For most of them, it took a contact with their one true love. Upon those touch moments, they remembered everything all the way up to their death.

So, Sawyer could have lived to 70 after getting off the island on Aijira flight. Hurley and Ben definitely lived on... Hurley as the new "Jacob" & Ben as his number two (hence the line to Ben outside the church, "You made a great #2"). Or Kate likely had a decent life after the island (her line to Jack in Flash Sideways, "I've missed you", I think in reference to her time away from Jack after leaving the Island on the plane with Lapidas, etc.)

As far as Ana Lucia, Miles, and others... Desmond (the Constant) made mention when Hurley asked about Ana Lucia that she wasn't ready yet... like there was something she still needed to do in the Flash Sideways before "crossing over".

Ben chose not to go. Eloise asked Desmond not to take Daniel because, although she knew of everything going on in Flashsideways world, she wanted to simply enjoy being with the son she had killed.

The flash of light in the church symbolized those heading into "the light" (cross reference light on the island). My real question, which I believe the creators wanted to leave open, was whether they were going to "heaven" or back to the island.

The more removed I get from it, I really liked it all. It was a good way to end.

Wow!

literally the back row of the auditorium. still great seats.

Silent Auction Closed.

Our Silent Auction for our Adoption closed last night. Thanks so much to those who participated. Check out the winning bids and a little thank you from Janelle over on her blog.

A Big Celebration and A Chance to Take Part in A Miracle

This Wednesday Night we will be having our K.I.N. celebration, where we will take time to close out our school year focus on Kids In Need. We will celebrate we have Gained Awareness and Given Sacrificially, and consider how we plan to Live Differently from here on out.


As a special part of the night, we are going to take to be taking a special offering for a project I encountered while in Rwanda in April. An email Pastor Jason Thompson sent out today explains the situation very well.

At the "Kids In Need" Celebration this Wednesday night, we'll be taking an offering to help build a church in the Pygmy tribe of Rwanda where. Last school year, as a result of Rwanda Night and the Silent Auction, our students helped make possible a Rwandan Exodus Conference that resulted in the planting of over 30 churches in remote and unchurched areas of Rwanda.

One of the churches that was planted as a result of this Exodus, was in the Pygmy tribe. For only $1,400, we can now build these people a church building to meet in.

The stakes are high because unless the Pygmies have a formal meeting place (meaning a building), they will not be allowed to continue meeting as a church body. There is a law in Rwanda that was put into place shortly after the Rwandan Genocide that said people were not allowed to have formal outdoor gatherings in one location for an undetermined amount of time.

The Pygmies have less than 6 months to build a church. We would love to leave Wednesday night with enough money to build the Pygmies a church building before they are no longer allowed to meet!

The Pgymy pastor believes it will take a "miracle" of God for this to happen. Wouldn't it be cool for your student to be apart of someone else's "miracle"?

I'm excited to see NMC take part in this special miracle.

Bidding Open!

Our Silent Auction is up and going.
Bids are coming in. The last day for bids is Wednesday by 11:59 p.m.
Go check it out and bid on something!
How much does International Adoption Cost?
Ours is looking to cost $20-25,000 all said and done. God has been faithful along the way, but we aren't there yet!

Cardboard Testimonies

Doesn't matter how many times I watch this, I'm moved every stinkin' time.

No Shave April and 1/2 of May

So should the beard stay as is, keep growing, or go away?

Friday 5: Big Deals

Five Big Deal Events Coming up:

1. Adoption Silent Auction: It starts tomorrow. 50+ items are up for bid on Janelle's blog. We recently decided that we will be giving 10% of proceeds to a Kids In Need project and 90% will go toward our international adoption.
2. SOAR Retreat: There will be 9 College Age Guys and Gals who join our Staff this weekend. The SOAR Interns will be working with Children's Ministry, Student Ministries, and Worship. Monday evening, we take off for Michigan with this group to get them ready for a Summer that could very well change their life.
3. K.I.N. Celebration: Next Wednesday we put a "closing" on our school year that has been dedicated to Kids In Need. How did we gain and give, and how are we going to now live because of Kids In Nee.
   
4. I'm With Coco in Chicago: Janelle and I will be heading to Chicago next Thursday-Friday as a late celebration of our 10th anniversary. We will be seeing Conan O'Brien at the Chicago theater and staying at a hotel on the Magnificent Mile. Great times.
5. Communication Workshop: May 24-26, I'll be taking the SOAR Interns through some communication training.

Insanely busy, but really exciting.

Auction Starts Saturday: Some of My Favs

So, as mentioned here before, we are holding an online Silent Auction on Janelle's blog where all proceeds will be going to help our International Adoption. It starts Saturday, and here are just a few of my more favorite items up for bid...

E4- iPod Touch 8GB
Bought with Coke Rewards
Two available to bid on.
Touchscreen interface
3.5" widescreen display
Built-in volume controls and speaker
Wi-Fi enabled
Up to 30 hours of music playback and 6 hours of video playback
For Mac and Windows
Minimum Bid of $150

__________________________________________________

K3- Katylynn Original
Katylynn's art. 8x10 frame.
Colors: Red, Yellow, Green, Blue

_________________________________________

P6-Rhinos
8x10 photo of rhinos taken by Janelle while in Kenya.
Quote by Erwin Mcmanus from The Barbarian Way.
"Rhinos moving together at full speed are known as a crash...That's what happens when we become barbarians and shake free of domestication and civility. The church becomes a crash. We become and unstoppable force...who cares that we can see only thirty feet ahead? Whatever's at thirty-one feet needs to care that we're coming and better get out of the way!"


_________________________________________

B1-Gina Alexander Photo Purse

Donated by Gina Alexander (www.ginaalexander.com) .
Bag Value: $191
The photo is of a baby from the AGC Baby Center.
Gina has made purses for a variety of celebrities including: Faith Hill, Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce' Knowles, Halle Berry, Jada Pinkett Smith, Oprah, Kelly Ripa....and more.
She heard of our story through a mutual friend and was very generous...WOW!
Purse Deminsions: 9.5 in x 5 in x 3 in

What I've Been Reading/ Watching

Reading:

Lead, For God's Sake!: Todd attends NMC and has served as a Small Group Leader to Senior High guys. This modern day Fable is a fantastic read. I started it as our plane lifted off from Chicago heading to Amsterdam, and only put it down for food, bathroom and rest breaks on that flight. I was done with it halfway through my Amsterdam to Nairobi flight. I have a feeling this book is going to be fairly significant in leadership circles. It's engaging, entertaining, and full of insight and challenge on living life with purpose.

The leadership principles are valuable and applicable. It's well worth a read if you are in any area of leadership.



When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor...and Yourself : This was a timely book for me as I started it in the D.R.C. and inhaled the majority of it on my 44 hour journey home from Africa. The book is written by two Christian Economics and Community Development Professors who have had extensive experience in addressing poverty and short term missions. Traveling to multiple cultures as well as diving all in to our Kids In Need initiative has uncovered the complex world of world evangelism. I'm believing more than ever that the call of Matthew 25 (sheep and the goats) is just as significant and tied to the call of Matthew 28 (the Great Commission). Yet, how do you go about clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, etc. in a way that moves toward making "Fully Committed Disciples? This book has been a breath of fresh air and insight into my newfound angst and struggle over approaching missions with a healthy and holistic perspective.

I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who is consistently working with or leading teams on cross-cultural missions experiences, as well as any person who is wrestling how to best live out the Gospel.


Watching:

Date Night: Janelle and I went to this movie on our 10th anniversary. It made us laugh... a lot. After the movie, I commented to Janelle that you almost have to be married for a minimum of 5 years to really enjoy this movie. A little raunchy at points, but if you are a Steve Carrell and/ or Tina Fey fan, it delivers. I'd wait till it's on DVD to rent it, or hit the dollar theater as it's probably there at this point.




Iron Man 2: I'm one of those sensible people who believe that the original Ironman was actually the best superhero movie of the Summer 2008 (meaning it was better than The Dark Knight). Ironman 2 was fun, funny, action-packed, and worth the price of admission. A good start to the Summer. Probably not the best movie I will see this Summer, but I liked it. If you liked the first one, I can't see how you wouldn't like the second.

Coolest IMPACT team Picture... EVER!

I actually have a very large version of this shot in our office area.

Youtbesday - Insane Shots

I like videos like this one. I especially like that this one was done by some students from Bethel College... one whom I know.

Sir Links-a-lot

• Janelle continues to post items that will be a part of the Silent Auction for our adoption that starts May 15. Check out her blog.
• Adam shaved his dreads and beard. I'm disappointed. Photo before and after.
• Caleb shares some video of one of the most profound moments in my Africa experience here.
• My Nephew Calvin continues to share some great tips for your life here.
• Austin Hostetter kicks your butt in his own "It Just Got Personal" rant and video here.
• Walt Mueller has a fantastic rant over the Lawrence Taylor Sex Scandal and drops some knowledge concerning trafficking here.
  

It Just Got Personal - Part 10

To many this is just a picture of a bunch of white people holding black babies.

To me, it's a picture of what happens when you let it get personal.
To me, this is 10 students and 4 adults who who have allowed the statistics and stories of Kids In Need Impact them (Gain Awareness).
To me, it's a group of students decided the best way to spend their spring break was going to Kenya, Africa and loving on orphans (Give Sacrificially).
To me, it's a group of 10 students and 4 adults who have, to varying levels had their lives wrecked/ altered through their experiences in Kenya (Live Differently).

To many, this is just a picture of a bunch of white people holding black babies.

To me, Gain, Give and Live just got a name, a face and a story. It's a reminder that Global Minded Youth Ministry is worth it.

It just got personal.

It Just Got Personal - Part 9

To many this is a picture of some dude overlooking a waterfall.

To me, that's my college roommate, friend, and ministry partner, Caleb Bislow. I have personally supported Caleb. Our ministry has collectively supported Caleb in significant ways. I have heard Caleb's stories of obedience to carry the call to take God's story to dark, dangerous and despised places. In April, I saw him in action in some of those dark, dangerous and despised places. HE IS LEGIT.

Caleb's is a story of someone who allowed those who are marginalized, abandoned, forgotten to mess with his life (he let it get personal).

To many this is a picture of some dude overlooking a waterfall.

To me, it's someone who let it get personal, and did something about it.

It just got personal and it's time to do something about it.

Check out Biz at www.unusualsoldiers.com and his blog at www.unusualsoldiers.blogspot.com

Adoption Update: We're Having a Silent Auction

We received some pretty positive with our adoption. As we have sensed from God that all roads were pointing us to a specific country, we were hearing from our organization that the pilot program to that country is in limbo*.

We got an email letting us know that they are moving forward in that country. They are seeking to complete the adoptions with those families who have already been matched with a child. If all goes smoothly we will move forward. This makes the timetable seem to put us into 2011 before we bring our son/daughter home (we were thinking/hoping it would maybe be Fall 2010). We continue to wait on God and trust His timing as we continue to petition him with two prayers.

1. Lead us to the son/daughter that he has for us.
2. Lead us to a child that through joining our family, he/she will be rescued from a life of hell.

In a continued effort to cover the costs of an international adoption, we are having a Silent Auction. It will be run on Janelle's blog May 15-19, 2010. Janelle has posted how the auction is going to work as well as begun posting some of the items that will be auctioned. There will be a variety of items including.

• Original photography from Africa by Janelle.
• Original artwork from Katylynn Prenkert.
• Various crafts from Africa.
• Two brand new Ipod Touches (auctioned separately).
• (Barely Used) Wii Fit Plus game and exercise pad.
• Brand New Nike Backpack and Bag.
• Gina Alexander custom purse.
• Toys donated from Katylynn Prenkert.
• Computer Software.
• DVDs.
• And several other items.

Consider joining us in this journey by bidding on items as well as spreading the word to others!

*Apologies on speaking so cryptically concerning the actual location of our adoption. We are not publicly identifying which country until things are a little more certain.

10 years ago today

Great decisions I made in my life...

1. Joining the Wakarusa Jr Bowling League.
2. Eating my first footlon meatball sub.
3. Trying Disc Golf for the first time.
4. Switching my allegiance from the Bears to the Colts in 5th Grade.
5. Saying "I Do" to this woman 10 years ago today:

If you are a big fan of Janelle Prenkert, can you do me a favor today? If you have her number, send Janelle a text letting her know what an amazing wife/mom she is.

It Just Got Personal - Part 8

To many, this is just a picture of two people.
To me, I'm standing Charles, one of seven survivors of the 11,000 Tutsi’s who in 1994 tried to take refuge in the Nyamata Catholic Church behind us. He lay in the midst of corpses and blood, playing dead, as he saw his father killed and hung from the rafters, heard his brother scream his final breath, and watched as the rebel armies to machetes, guns, and grenades to the men, women and children.
Somehow able to flee and escape the rebels. 16 years later, he leads tours through the church where he saw more death than anyone should ever have to see.

To many this is just a picture of two people.
To me, the genocide now has a face, a name and story… Charles.

And it just got very personal.


Below is a video I shot at Ntarama, a different church than the one mentioned above, where 5000 were massacred. It is my initial reaction after walking through, seeing the remains & clothes of those massacred, and hearing their stories.

It Just Got Personal - Part 7

To many, this is a picture you might see in National Geographic.
To me, it’s a Pygmy refugee.

The Pygmies have fled the jungles of the D.R.C. because the rebel armies have been ravaging them. The rebels have been told the Pygmies possess special powers. In an effort to receive those powers, the rebels have been known to slaughter the Pygmies then eat them.
(yes, you read that correctly... EAT THEM).

The Pygmies are even seen in the refugee in the refugee camp.

Ironically, I never got his name in the mix of everything. I do know that the only thing he was wearing that day was the sweatshirt you see. He was walking through the mud and would head back to his tent made of a tarp and sticks.

To many this is just a picture you might see in National Geographic.

To me, refugees now have a face and a story. Unfortunately it still doesn’t have a name… and it’s still very personal.

Youtubesday: Moment of Levity

In the midst of some fairly intense posts, I share a moment of levity. Introducing gymnast Damien Walters:




Link love to neatorama.

Youtministryism Monday: Storytime

In communication, the power of story can break down walls that can't otherwise be broken.

This last Wednesday Night, I was really wrestling over what my "message" should look like. It was the first time sharing to a group since my return from Africa. I was struggling to come up with the right format to present. I elected the route of simply telling the big story of the journey and then supporting it with a bunch of little stories of what I saw, experienced and did. After about 45 minutes of sharing with words, pictures and videos, I sat down... unsure if it would translate into anything more than just a bunch of experiences.

Thursday, I hopped on Facebook and saw I was mentioned in the following status updates:

• What a great message from Derry last night! It got personal as there are names & faces now. God is working in me to make changes.
• GREAT message at church tonight. The stories Derry Prenkert told made me sick to my stomach and made me realize that i dont want to live the same. I want to live different. I will live different. It may be hard but i will find a way to do it. No more sitting on the sidelines. It's time i do something!!
• last nights message was awsome. the stories and pics that Derry Prenkert shared made feel that yes i am going through rough times right now but it could be worse. they made me realise that i need to live diffrent. and i will live diffrent. this will be hard but i know i can do it.
• whew...a party of chaos is goin on in my head @derryprenkert really hit the spot tonight...a lot to think about...want to GET PERSONAL!

It was a lot of stories... obviously some eye-opening and heartbreaking stories. At the same time, they were my stories of how I was connecting with God and people. They were personal and I was amazed at the level in which students were and are translating my stories into their own lives.

It Just Got Personal - Part 6

To many this is a picture of a man praying for someone.
To me, it’s a Jacob, who is suffering from Malaria. Were he in the states, he’d have access to the needed medical attention to be able to live a somewhat normal life. In the mountains of Rwanda, he is facing death. In that moment, all we could do was pray.

To many this is a picture of a man praying for someone.
To me, preventable diseases like malaria now has a name and a face.

As we prayed in that hut...
It just got personal.