Nerd: Not What You Love, but How You Love It.

 This post was inspired by what is one of the most important videos I have viewed on YouTube in quite some time. I will post it below, and I encourage you to watch it for yourself. It's only about 4 minutes long. Even though it is titled "Why It's Awesome to be a Nerd", this video is about more than that. So, nerd or not, give it a view.

Also, I just want to point out that one definition for "Nerd" is: "a single-minded expert in a particular technical field."

 

 I've posted this video on Facebook before, but I found it again and felt like I should just write a bit about it. Now, being a nerd, this video speaks volumes to be. For those of you who are wondering who this Wil Wheaton fellow is and why he's wearing a heinously gauche scarf, I can explain. I grew up knowing him as Wesley Crusher from Star Trek TNG, but he's appeared in many other films and television shows. His scarf is a hand-knitted replica of the Fourth Doctor's scarf from Doctor Who.

Wesley Crusher

Fourth Doctor

  

Now that I'm pregnant, I definitely worry sometimes about how to approach the idea of being "different" with my child. I know it's okay but unfortunately I don't represent the entire world. People, especially kids, can be mean. If my kid ends up being the most popular kid in school, awesome. However, having two nerdy parents, I'm not banking on that reality. In this video there are lessons that I think everyone should take into consideration. It doesn't matter what your age is, or what your social status is. Here's how I see it:

Lesson One: "Everything worth doing is hard." - This comes at the end of the video and it is often an important thing that is forgotten in my generation, and the generations after mine. We come from the land of the easy. As a person who loves to read, I get sort of mad when people say, "I just watch the movies because reading is hard." That's what makes it worth doing. The amount of time and effort you put into something generally reflects what you get out of it. Sports are hard. Maintaining a friendship is hard. Being a cooperative family is hard. Shopping for the perfect shoe is hard. Explaining the Vulcan-Human relationship is hard. Working towards something means that it is worth doing to you. Having things handed to us doesn't show us how to appreciate the value of these things.

Lesson Two: "Don't let anyone tell you that the thing that you love is a thing you can't love." - We all love different things. Your age, gender, social status, culture, and society are not things that get to dictate what you love. Love comes from within us, not from the world around us. As Wil Wheaton says, "It might be sports, it might be science, it might be reading, it might be fashion design, it might be building things, it might be telling stories or taking pictures. It doesn't matter what it is. The way you love that, and the way that you find OTHER people that love it the way you do, is what makes being a nerd awesome." It's how you choose to love things that make them so amazing.

Lesson Three: "We can be around people that love things the way that we love them." - The hardest part about pouring our hearts into the things we love is that makes us open to criticism. The beautiful part is that you are never alone. You will never be the only person on Earth to love something. Sports fans congregate to games and tailgating parties. Fashion fans flock to NYFW. There are weekend concert events for almost any type of music. Nerds, of course, have Comi-con. Find people that love the things you love. The World will be a less lonely place.

Lesson Four: "I want you to be honest, honorable, kind." - This shouldn't take any explanation. If everyone started to practice this more, the world would be a better place. Not only that, but maybe we could see that it's okay to love things whole-hardheartedly. It's okay to pour our hearts into something; that is what makes us human.

I hope that this video and subsequent blog weren't just me ranting and raving about something nerdy that I find fabulous (because, let's be honest, that is something that I would do). I don't think that this should just apply to the stereotypical "nerds" of the world, but to the nerds of all kinds. Book nerds, sports nerds, fashion nerds...it doesn't matter. Being a nerd isn't about what you love, it is about the way you love it. To me, there is nothing better in the world.

Death, Sermons, and The Whole Beautiful Mess.

This week has been a whirlwind. It all started on Tuesday when Frank approached me and asked if I wouldn't mind preaching for our LaRoKi conference on Thursday. I said I would, thinking it wouldn't be too bad. Frank then responded with, "Great! Then you can preach on Sunday too!" I wasn't exactly thrilled. I started working on writing that day. It wasn't long before I realized I was very stuck.

Wednesday I continued to chug along at my sermon. After around 4 rewrites, 3 calls to my dad, and a final send-off to Frank, my sermon was fairly finished. I could breathe. Was it perfectly written? No. Would it work? Hopefully. I could finally turn my focus towards the rest of the day's events: confirmation and the Nate Houge concert. Both went off seamlessly. Watching Nate perform was quite a treat. He had a great mix of humor and music: those are my favorite things in life. However, my evening took an unfortunate turn. I received word from my dad that Jim Bailie, a beloved member of the church I grew up in, had passed away. I was stunned. There will be more on that later in this blog.

Thursday I was able to preach at the LaRoKi conference without any issues. We had a great program with lots of meaningful and interesting discussion. After an awesome lunch, we returned home. That evening I, along with Kate and Frank, attended the Outrageous Faith event at The Fritz in Grand Forks. It was just an amazing experience. The music was fabulous, and Nadia Bolz-Weber spoke with honestly and eloquence. I hadn't been to an event like that in ages. It was quite a feeling. After all the stress of the past couple days, it was nice to sit back and enjoy the program. Plus, I got to see the Chester Fritz Auditorium for the first time. I'd heard so many stories from my dad that it felt like putting a face to a person.

Friday was a day of melancholy. I have nothing to add about Friday, except that it was Friday. So, it had that going for it.

Saturday was a day spent thinking about what I was missing back in NKY. My parents had the opportunity to attend the funeral for Jim Bailie, and I felt stuck. I wanted to be there. I wanted to go and support a family, and a man, who always supported those around them. All I could do was watch people post their memories, wishes, and prayers on Facebook. I sat there, waiting for the "stuck" feeling to turn into sadness. I waited for tears. Those things never came. What happened instead was an oddly calm feeling, and I found myself smiling.

Jim was one of those people that did nothing but spread joy. He never had a bad word about anyone, and he could joke with the best of them. He raised three amazing young men, but had the softest heart you could ever imagine. It sounds cheesy, but Jim was the epitome of 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. You know, the "love is patient, love" is kind verse that they always read at weddings? If you replace the word "love" with "Jim Bailie", that is what you get. He was patient, kind, did not envy, did not boast, and was not proud. He did not dishonor others. He wasn't self-seeking, easily angered, and he kept no record of wrongs. He rejoiced in the truth. He always protected, trusted, hoped, and persevered. Jim was someone I should always aspire to be like.

That is why it was, and is, difficult for me to feel sadness. While there is some sorrow, I cannot find myself dwelling in it. Jim lived his life in a full and amazing way. Yes, it's sad that he was on the young side of what we consider "old enough" to pass on. But he has left so much joy in those he's met. To be able to meet someone like Jim, someone who lives their life so fully and so completely, is to know overwhelming joy. It is difficult to mourn someone who provided such exuberance. Instead there was, and should be, immense celebration of the life he had. To spend my time in tears would feel selfish, and it would feel like a disservice to his memory. I need to keep him in my heart, and live love in the same ways he did.

This week was a mess, but it was a beautiful mess. It was full of laughter, sadness, stress, and calm. Even in the hardest parts of my week, there was a beauty in the struggle. It was in the most difficult moments that I found myself the calmest. I only hope that in the future I can remember this week and tell myself to just breathe.

his week of beauty is dedicated to Jim Bailie, who knew how to appreciate life through the joy and the sorrow.T