Day 92: Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon. Grand Canyon. Tonight’s activities included going to the Hospitality House here in Heidelberg followed by the movie, "Grand Canyon". I remember seeing this movie years ago, probably in High School. The first time I saw it, I remember it as being weird but good. Tonight was no different. It is funny because I realize just now that I require some sort of inspiration to write. Something has to get me thinking and then words just flow. Grand Canyon will do that to you. It is a thinking movie. If you haven't seen it, do. Before we discuss the movie, lets talk about the place.

The Grand Canyon National Park, located in the South West United States is a nine-hour drive from Los Angeles. It is on the boarder of Utah and Arizona, with most of the park and hole in Arizona itself. It is huge. The Grand Canyon means a lot to me. In a sort of spiritual/worldly sense, I relate a lot of life to the Grand Canyon. Just like the movie, but I don't want to include the movie just yet.

When I was a freshman in College, I went with about 50 other students from Intervarsity Christian Fellowship to the GC. A couple of the students put a small Spring Break trip together. It started as a car full of friends and ended with a chartered bus and the 50. It was a glorious trip. I look back and remember it as one of my more fond ones. The thing about the GC is that it is next to impossible to describe to someone that has never seen it. Big is not a description. Any one that does try to describe it will never fully do so. If you have never been there and someone who has tries to describe it to you, listen, but know they are not doing it justice. When you eventually see it with your own eyes you will know what I am talking about. Which is why I am not going to say anything more than, "it is big", with the foot note of the bad description.

Here is a point. It is the same with a lot of things. My human experience and following description will always fall so short of reality. So will everyone else’s, but that doesn't stop us from putting them out there and attempting to convince others of whatever.

So in my mind there is a dilemma. We want people to experience the same things as us, but our descriptions will never do justice to their object. I wonder what that has to do with God. There is one side of mainstream Christianity that favors free-will, and another that talks about a big word, predestinedtodowhatGodalreadyfiguredoutation. I don't know which one is right, but I do know that my description of the right one falls woefully short of accurate. Smart dudes have been arguing their shortsighted sides since a boy started talking to his stuffed toy tiger. I ask, “why argue?” We will never fully know what is out there before we see it for ourselves and if you haven't seen it then you won't get it and if you have seen it, those of us that haven't still won't get it even after you tell us. It is like the GC, if I haven't seen it, no amount of adjective filled description is going to help.

But we do it anyway. Tell others about our experience or sightings. Why? Because I am human and selfish and what is good for me must be good for everyone else. And it is true. I do know someone that is good for me and good for everyone, but if you haven't met Him then no amount of my adjective filled description is going to amount to a hill of beans. (Does anyone know where that saying came from, "Hill of Beans"? It is so random and makes no sense out of context.) But I am going to wear my voice out telling you anyway.

This last week has been amazing. I have been able to spend time with some guys just hanging out and doing manly things like shopping for bathing suits. (I bought this great one that is definitely going to get me in trouble at camp next week.) Wednesday was the last club for the school year and we celebrated with a Water War Extravaganza. 50 middle schoolers running around trying to soak each other. Rules of the games went right out the window and no one cared because everyone was having a blast. Less than 50 high schoolers doing the same but with more force on the thrown water balloons. I stayed wet pretty much the whole day. It was cold too. My white T-shirt stuck nicely to my body and revealed the manly hairy chest and back beneath.

Has anyone else noticed that the popular depiction of a man is a skinny, hairless pretty boy? I saw an advertisement from the 70's and it was of this big guy without a shirt, covered in hair. Today you would never see that. Abercrombie has endeared us to the half naked, and sometimes all naked, boys has they laugh and hang all over each other. I remember being in Iraq and there were a couple girls that wanted to wax my back. I thought about it for a moment, then ask why they wanted that. Why would they want me, or any guy, to look less like a guy and more like a girl? They responded that it was cuter. Why would a girl want a guy to look cuter? Cuter? Puppies are cute. Babies are cute. Kittens, bunnies, two toddlers holding hands, and Shirley Temple are cute. Men are not cute; at least they are not supposed to be. It is sad that girls' minds have been warped to think that men should be cute. I don't blame the girls just as much as I don't blame the guys that try to fit into that role. I just shake my head in frustration.

With any water fight, the ground got wet. With wet ground comes wet dirt and wet dirt is also called mud. Mud, if you don't know, makes for great wrestling. Wrestling makes for great fun, and fun is fun. After wrestling, we showered up. I was good and clean, almost dry when someone decided that a mixture of Lemon Lime Gatorade and Worchester sauce would go great on me. I showered again. Can you begin to see how I love this? My day, my job, my purpose was to have a water fight, wrestle in the mud, eat hamburgers and Polish sausages, hang out with kids, and have fun. All because in this fun, I hope someone out there sees in miniscule amounts the dude named Jesus that is fun, is love, and is everything. I can't use words to adequately describe anything, but maybe words aren't necessary.

You know, who cares about the movie, I couldn't describe it anyway. Just go see it.

Until then and tomorrow.

Jason