Part 3: Role of the Church, Community and “Calling”: Where do we go from here?

I was chopping up veggies for a monster soup tonight when I realized I never got back to summarizing the final part of my paper!

Image Bearing, Culture-Making Part 1 explored the framework and concepts of culture, defined as "what we make of the world in both senses" (what we physically make and how we understand our world). I identified ways we normally think of engaging with culture and offered an alternative. Part 2 examined the way Christians in power positions in recent years live out and apply their faith, specifically in politics, entertainment, academia and business. I concluded that there are two main groups: one focuses on the Christian community, largely removes itself from its community in carrying out their vision of change and acts through mass mobilization while the other focuses on the community around them, largely removes itself from church and the Christian subculture and acts through small, intentional gatherings meant to equip more than mobilize. The reality of this divide among Christians forced me to ask questions that led to Part 3: do they need the Church? Do I? Can we really change the world? Are we blending the self-reliant, skeptical American hero with our idea of Christ as exemplar? How do we determine or discover our sense of vocation or "calling"?

While preparing the lecture for Part 3 I realized that there was a ton of ground to cover: ecclesiology, ethics, Christology, community and discernment. Any one of those areas could distract us from the questions at hand, though extremely important to understand. I realized the typical reaction from Christians when they feel pressured to be part of a Church is: “All men are called to the Kingdom; not all men are called to the church.” When we think of engaging the world around us, I believe the church has become an option, and a small, fragile one in our minds. The Bible defines the church as the people of God, the body of Christ and fellowship of the Holy Spirit. The gravitas has been lost for most.

The Church

There is much that can be said to refute this statement but the worth of the church to Christ and the clear purpose of the church come immediately to mind. God sent His only Son to die for the Church, the community of believers, those God has called to Himself. The Church was worth Jesus' life, and it is therefore worth more than our "consideration". The Church has been integral to God's plan of redemption since the beginning: we are blessed to be a blessing, and in doing so God’s name is glorified. Israel is God’s cultural project-to create a people defined by faith. God’s blessings impact not simply our souls, but our entire existence. Our love for him is to affect everything (Dt. 6). This mission is not meant to be a blueprint, for then we would never need God. Our mission, our goal individually and communally is to worship God, to know Him and all else flows from that.

Ethics and theology

But how do we bless others? How do we connect our theology (study of God) to our ethics (way of life)? Unlike human relationships, we often limit knowing God to knowing who He is, not what He does. Before we ask “How do we..? we must ask “how does He...?”As we go to God’s Word we see that He engages with the cultures of the world by penetrating and preserving, wrecking and redeeming. He curses Adam and Eve yet gives them leather instead of fig leaves to cover their shame. He destroys Sodom yet saves Lot. He sends a flood, but saves a family. His bride, the church, is called to penetrate and preserve the cultures of this world. Jesus made disciples and called us likewise to invest relationally and all else would flow from that. Paul exemplified this through church planting and the epistles emphasize that it is among the community of believers (the church) that we discern what needs to be torn down and built up around us.

Reality Check: Calling

I know it sounds very un-American, but there are things we cannot do. God changes people, which is the core of culture. In most of the discussion of culture making I grant too much human agency as sociologists would call it. It is helpful again to look at how God works through people in scripture and how they are identified: patient, grateful and generous, daring, humble responsible. They are reliant on God to guide them-incredibly humbling yet empowering.

They learn in community by asking questions. Where have you successfully proposed a new cultural good? What is something specific that you have fixed or redeemed in some way? In what ways do you currently have cultural power or influence? With whom are you sharing your power? The act of making an idea or something material starts small, with just a few people. Out of that circle is often a circle of 10-15 people and after that might be a circle of 100. This is a normal pattern for how artifacts or ideas of culture are made and multiplied, be it a scientific theory or organic produce. Who are your 3? These are the few people who you trust enough to risk attempting something together. In considering the characteristics above, are you more excited about discovering more of the world or more of God? Where do you experience grace-divine growth that far exceeds your efforts? To put it another way, what is your story? What has God done most powerfully in your life?

I have found it helpful to include others in discerning “the next step” by asking them:
What are three specific weaknesses and strengths you see in me?
What do you think is my motive and goal in this decision?
Do you think I have trusted God in this whole process?
Does this fit at all with what God has been doing in my life?
Do I feel the freedom to fail? Do I have the joyful assurance that all could be taken away, all that people know of me yet if I have Christ, I have a worth, peace, hope and future?

What are questions you have asked?

Final reflection:
Though it would be nice to focus on what we do as transformed, re-cultured people with God’s guidance in the redemptive art of culture making, it is challenging to consider Paul’s words in I Cor. 1:18 reminding us that the most consequential moment in history is “not an action but a passion-not a doing but a suffering”.[1] He was the most capable person ever to shape the world with his own power and talents yet when he faced sin and death and Satan head on, it was on a cross, representing the dead end of culture. The resurrection thus represents the pattern for culture making in the image of God-not power but trust. Not independence, but dependence. Boasting in the cross is radical and admittedly weird. Jesus died not merely as our friend but as our Lord. God is not merely Creator but Ruler of all. Jesus as King puts teeth to his title of Redeemer. We need to follow who we serve, which means loving those he has loved even when they hurt us.
[1] Andy Crouch. Culture Making. 142

Part 2: Current Place of Christians in Power

Last week I wrote about the definition and structure of culture in order to frame future discussion. But as with most structures, they are hard to understand until you see them built upon and applied (like the skeletal system supporting the other systems). Anyways, this week I decided to summarize the rise of evangelicals to “power” positions in culture: media, business, politics and academics. They certainly do not represent all of American Christianity but they represent a culturally powerful group that represents Christianity outside of the subculture to a large degree. This will only be a cursory review of the areas in order for us to get to Part 3 for discussion of the role of the church, of community, and “calling” in engaging with those areas. Here are some quotes:

Martin Luther: “The very ablest of youth should be reserved and educated not for the office of preaching, but for government, because in preaching the Holy Spirit does it all, whereas, in government one must exercise reason in the shadowy realms where ambiguity and uncertainty are the order of the day.”

Mark Knoll wrote The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind in 1994 with a disparaging tone for the incredible lack of evangelical academic achievement. But today he says he would have written it with “a different tone—more hopeful than despairing, more attuned to possibilities than to problems, more concerned with theological resources than theological problems.”

The 2005 host for Inside Edition gave this response to a Christian's surprise at being invited on the show: “Didn't you know? Christian is the new gay”.

I utilized much of the research done by Michael Lindsay in Faith in the Halls of Power where he summarized his personal interviews of over 300 Christians in power positions-well written and thorough but long and academic so be prepared.

Summary: Despite Christians losing many of their positions of influence by the mid-21^st c, we have been active in higher education, remembered the importance of the arts and entertainment, and utilized religious expression in the workplace. Expressive language, symbolic action and creativity have brought faith into the public consciousness through networking naturally yet intentionally. Christian leaders in business, academia, media, and politics do not have much individual power, but they have “convening power”: the power to bring disparate people together, which is potent for a rising movement. Their orthodoxy has flexibility or elasticity that allows them to hold to their convictions while cooperating with those that don't.
But what do they want to do with this cultural power? Who do they want to serve? Answering this reveals a divide: one group directs their efforts inwardly, what some have called “Populist Evangelicalism” while another group directs their efforts outward, what some call “Cosmopolitan Evangelicalism”. The Populist group depends on mass mobilization and large-scale democratic action by creating a dichotomy between traditional and secular activists and promoting theological simplicity and pragmatism. Focus on the Family's Washington for Jesus Rally and Moral Majority, Jerry Falwell, Joel Olsteen are key leaders in this group. The Cosmopolitan group tries to distance itself from the Populist group, come from various backgrounds, have greater access to powerful institutions; most came to faith after high school. They travel constantly and are involved in the arts and live affluently. Both are zealous in living out their faith, but they act on their convictions differently. Cosmopolitan evangelicals have small, invitation-only gatherings of elite social and professional peers, and slowly affect politics through equipping leaders. Populist evangelicals aim for mass rallies like stadium events, and mobilize and push for immediate legislation. Cosmopolitan evangelical efforts take more time to succeed than the Populist ones, but theirs will have a more lasting impact. Populist evangelicals' primary aim is to convert their opponent religiously, politically, socially, etc. whereas the Cosmopolitan ones focus on establishing “legitimacy” with their opponents. Despite their differences, these two groups do not divide over political lines as much. My hunch is that this is because they both are largely removed from the world of economic inequality.

Remaining questions for Part 3
Do these cultural elite Christians need the church? Do I? If poverty is being cut off from cultural power then who will use their influence instead of further impoverishing people through willful ignorance?Do we need God's guidance or the church's support? Only 20% of evangelicals nationally recall talking with their pastor about their job in the past year. It is tempting to speak and live as if the onus was completely on us as individuals to change the world and transform culture- a clear loss of a communitarian ethic. How do we exercise our cultural power? What does it mean to have communal discernment? What should characterize our lives as culture makers? Can we really change anything? How we discern our calling? Who is involved?

Being Human-Image Bearers, Culture Makers

About 10-12 random Christians, those I know and don't know, come together for a dinner and discussion every Sunday evening. We each volunteer to share about something that we are passionate about that engages our faith. Below is part of introduction and conclusion of my lecture for tomorrow night covering the last 100yrs of Christian involvement with/reaction to culture. Part 2 will cover the current place of Christians in positions of power: politics, media, academia and business. Part 3 will discuss the role of the church and community in living out one's faith.

Introduction:
"Culture is what we make of the world, in both senses”-Ken Myers.

Culture is not the arts or the sense of being “cultured” or the “fish bowl” metaphor. It is how we see the world, similar to someone asking “what do you make of that book?” It is also making in the physical sense just like someone asking you “what are you making?” Defining culture in this way allows for greater depth, creativity and breadth.
God created all out of nothing, bringing order out of chaos. God is not only Creator but Ruler (which sounds bad to us Americans due to our history). God is also the first culture maker, he made a garden, he brought further order and beauty to what was already good. He made us to reflect His image and participate in that work, order accompanies creativity. He gave us a perception or a way to see the world. He modelled both senses of making culture. We are called to be priests, to be culture makers by uniting what has been broken by both receiving the world from God and offering it to God.

The world and what is in the world is not stagnant, it was not created to be that way and thus it is futile and dangerous to address culture in either sense as an abstract, ethereal concept. Adam's first task, and one that Eve was a helper in, was naming and cultivating creation. Culture is the activity of making meaning, otherwise Adam and Eve would have had a boring task, a boring life. Thankfully God is more creative and calls us to be. Seeing culture this way we realize the complexity of what occurs at the Fall. Besides the broken relationship with God, with paradise, with shalom, we now have a warped culture. To be culture makers we have enemies in our flesh, in our world and in Satan as we try to model God’s culture making.

Jesus is the ultimate and perfect priest. He does not throw out the old and bring in the new, he restores and redeems. Modeling his Father, he knows he is dealing with shattered ruins with glimpses of their former glory; mankind still bears some semblance of God’s image. Jesus identifies what is good and bad in our culture, in both senses, and his restoration heals and restores the good, bringing something new, fresh into existence (a new life, a healthy leg, a challenging principle “love your enemy”) while tearing down the bad bringing conflict, liberation, and freedom (turning the tables in the temple, casting out demons, conquering Satan and death, condemning “religion”, calling us brothers). Hebrews reminds how Jesus fulfilled all the expectations of being the perfect man, which included the roles of prophet, priest and king. He spent most of his life in the world behind the scenes before dramatically reshaping culture on every level. How did he engage with culture? How do we?

Conclusion:

The patterns of the last century were to condemn, critique, copy or consume culture. Which of these did Jesus adopt? He did none of these and all of these for he adopted them as gestures not postures. A posture is your adopted, habitual stance to the world around you. It affects how you see and how you engage with the world. Bad postures inhibit movement and limit perspective. Good posture frees our movement and opens our perspective. Gestures are movements and actions adopted for specific occasions, circumstances and people. I can gesture rejection by a hand raised or a clenched fist, or pondering by a hand on my chin, mimicking by careful observation or greed by reaching out with both hands. There are all kinds of gestures we make to communicate what we think of something that is displayed in action. Gestures change whereas a posture does not, cannot. Jesus’ posture was one of creating, of making culture by healing what is broken and building up and bringing out the good that was held captive, hidden or maimed by the bad. Again what is good or bad is a result of what we make of the world in both senses of “make”-a physical artifact (slice of culture) and accepted perspective (belief of culture). Jesus doesn’t give us the option of making any gesture into a posture. Just looking at his life proves that he had no consistent gesture. What he does do is model perfectly how one interacts with culture in specific ways (the gestures). The only way to change culture is to create new culture; we need to offer an alternative. For our own joy and benefit (and others), and for God’s glory, we need to be better culture makers.

Preview of Part 2 and 3:

Are Christians in positions of cultural power? How do they view their faith and their work? Do they function independently or corporately? How do they interact with non-Christians? The earliest record of man, Genesis 1-2 reminds us that we need God, and were designed dependent on each other as human. It is interesting that the only longing present before the Fall is for community, the only thing God saw as “not good” was for man to be alone. (This normally is referenced in marriage but the more immediate reference should be friendship/community). For man to fully reflect God's image (trinity), community needed to be reflected as well. Life and culture is actually made more beautiful because of that dependency. There is development expected rather than an idealization of a garden paradise-the final vision given in the Bible is of a city with nations bringing forth their glory to be seen through the light of God's glory (Rev. 21:24) But how does sin impact all of this? What is the role of the church?

*if you want a link to the paper itself let me know

Dad's visit and a wedding

It has been almost a month since my last post, April seemed to fly by. Even with three part time jobs, my life can seem to fall into a routine. Routines give me the structure necessary for me to accomplish things but they also get repetitive. It was nice to have some refreshing trips away.

My dad came from Wyoming to visit me for a few days. Being one of four kids, this was the first time I ever had multiple days with just him-not having to share attention. It was fun to play show and tell in a sense-where I am living, where I am working, who my friends are, favorite places, etc. He had not been back since moving in the fall of 2007. Wyoming was definitely a culture shock coming from Seattle, and there was some shock in returning to "the big city". It was nice to not have plans but to decide things as the days progressed. We went up to the mts for a few days and he enjoyed seeing so much green! It was refreshing to share my life with him without being rushed.

The next weekend I left to a friend's wedding in Chattanooga, TN. The ceremony and reception was next to a lake/pond and despite the clouds and a brief shower, they held it outside. Weddings are about the only time I wear a suit, so my sister snagged the opportunity to get a picture with me, she was one of the bridesmaids. Besides getting to see the bride and groom, it was great to catch up with friends I had not seen in a while. Some of them I have known over seven years! Though each of us have had significant changes in our lives, we have enough in common to maintain our friendships. Serving as bartender allowed me to see more people than I otherwise would have. Despite all the prep and clean up, it actually was a relaxing day. And as with most weddings, it wasn't until the end that it sunk in "huh, I don't know when I'll see these friends again...". I soaked in the cool evening and smiled as i thought of my friends who were just married.
Sunday I visited Rock Creek Fellowship, the church I attended in college. It was the first place I saw the church as a welcoming but also broken and vulnerable family. I could be real with them, I could rest. I am grateful for that gift and for the now 7 yrs of their prayers and support. My favorite and most vivid memory is of having communion with them and singing together.
I stayed a few extra days to see my sister and brother in-law before they moved to North Carolina. They've been married almost 2 yrs and in the same area 7+ yrs. My sister finished up a paralegal program and he is ready for a change in work, so thankfully they have a summer to contemplate what the future might look like. It was sweet to have lazy mornings, to be around people who've known me longer than 6 months, to read in a hammock, to slow down.

It was weird to walk around my old college campus, to see renovations, new buildings, new fields, new faces. The students seemed so young. I had some friends who were graduating the next week who were freshmen when I had graduated. I enjoyed hearing their future plans while I reflected back on my final week in college three years ago. All transitions involve risk and create a mix of excitement and nervousness. It is a comfort to realize you are not alone in that tension.

It was refreshing to get away but responsibilities awaited me, and the Noise of life greeted me at the terminal. Vacations are committed, extended breaks from that Noise but they make me realize the need to create space in my daily routine for silence, for fellowship, for rest.

The Seattle Sounders...our loudest "wannabe European" outlet

The passion of Seattle Sounders' fans is still mind-boggling. Yes we finally have a generation of Seattlites with a love of, and money to support, football (soccer) but the earnestness to dialogue about it, to claim our very own football culture, the eagerness to say "football" and wave our scarves made me see that there is something much deeper motivating these fans than "love of the game"-it was the freedom, nay, the liberation of being able to loudly exclaim our love of something European. And through it, have a gateway to mention our love of everything European.
Even though I grew up in Seattle, it wasn't until the last few years that I realized how European Seattlites try to be. (I must admit though that the cultural diversity of White Center in the southern part of West Seattle where I lived age 5-17 didn't, and does not, exemplify this "wannabe European" trait). My story is a common Seattlite story: a love for culture and travel led me to explore and live in cities both nationally and internationally, even earning me the nickname "the nomad", only to find myself returning unexpectedly and finally coming to call Seattle and the Northwest "home". Like other Seattlites, my love for culture and travel remains, but if there is any city in the US that I feel good about being identified with and can boast about, Seattle is it. (Seattle's geography was the first thing I missed yet I admit that I am prone to highlight the amount of rain and overall dreary, depressing environment in the hope that its beauty remain a secret to deter the hoards of people flocking in.) There are many, many traits I could talk about that draw people to Seattle, but I merely want to highlight one: our "wannabe European" vibe.
I am not bashing this trait, but I find it curious considering how cosmopolitan we try to present ourselves, how unaware we are of any problems with this trait, and how pervasive it is. Only recently did Seattle lose its place as the whitest major city in America, replaced by Portland. The Washington Post wrote an interesting article about this development and what it means for both cities. I think most of Seattle does not recognize how white we are, and especially how culturally dominant the "white culture" is.
Seattle is the most European city I have been to in the States and we idealize Europe more than anyone, making it almost sound like a fairytale place. I hear this frequently from people who travel more than I do yet in returning from living in the UK for a year and traveling in Europe, I believe it more. Europe can do very little wrong in our eyes: clothing, art, cars, sports, food, drinks, music, politics, religion (lack thereof), education, economics, etc. Chief among the problems in this trait is that few of us recognize how difficult it is even for Europeans to agree on defining what "European" is. One need only look at issues within the European Union the last few years to see this. Yes there are some key similarities, but the differences bring mess and conflict- realities that mar this fairytale place.
This "wannabe European" trait is pervasive. I walked downtown Saturday morning and noticed a few things (I didn't go out searching): the accents we choose to use in our advertisements, 4 Italian pizza chains claiming to be THE authentic Italian pizza place and I could not find any place fighting to be have the authentic Chicago-style pizza, European-style clothing and American apparel but little else, domestic or abroad, the pride and glory in being the birthplace of transplanting coffee culture to America, and FINALLY...our Seattle Sounders.

When the MLS began, Europe was the model and no city embraced this more whole-heartedly than Seattle-proved by our record breaking attendance, season ticket holders, and frankly, zeal. Rain or shine, we'll have seats filled with happy fans. In addition to what we own, drink, wear and say, we now can SHOUT about something European and somehow feel more hip, more cultured, more sophisticated, more internationally justified and aware. Whether we are at the match striving to be the hooligan we always hear about, or pounding back a pint at an Irish pub downtown, we feel connected to the world in a way that baseball, basketball, football, etc. can't provide.
As a student of history and culture, I believe there is much to be praised in widening our focus to include the world around us, but that world is bigger than simply Europe. Yes I admit that this trait is not exhaustive: Honda's are still popular, we proudly know the difference btwn food from Japan, China, Thailand, Korea, and we are of one of few cities that has retained a hippie community (not just the wannabe type).
This "wannabe European" trait makes me wonder: why do we strive for this so much? What does it offer us? What do we forfeit by losing it?

Sat game: frustrating to watch but not boring. Freddy M. seemed lazy, again, and we only had 2 shots on goal but I joined in the exhuberance when Mike Fucito came off the reserve the final 5 minutes and scored in stoppage time! It happened so quick on the throw-in that few actually saw or expected it. I was glad to see it, relieved mostly. Fucito's story is a good read. We need to be playing better.

Fun at the Club

I have been working at the Ballard Boys and Girls Club for almost four months and have loved it. There are two other counselors with me leading the "Fish", 30 2-3rd graders, and I am only there in the afternoons. After working at an office in the morning, it is a nice shift to being around the kids, organizing activities, playing games, cooking dishes, teaching crafts, etc. Of course with kids there is also the occasional mess, whining, disobedience, but by in large they are a great group and I've had fun getting to know them all.
Entering the world of an 8yr is interesting. Their world can be shattered if someone takes the last yellow lincoln log or completely restored if the gym is suddenly open to play in. Social interaction brings all sorts of conflict-potential into the room when you have such a large mix of kids. Some are the oldest, some the youngest, others in the middle, and some have no siblings at all. Friendships are defended and displayed in unusual ways. By giving them optional activities and reminding them of the resposibility each entails, they are learning that the world doesn't revolve around them, that they don't always get their way, that their actions have consequences, and also that they have more fun when things are structured, that having friends who encourage is better than ones who make fun of you, that it is safer to take risks when you have the freedom to fail. Their world may seem simple to adults, but to them it is overwhelming complex at times.

Our room and club is equipped for structured, fun activity. In our room we have a shelf of books and board games, boxes of legos, cards, lincoln logs, blocks, paper, pens, colored pencils, and more. Each month we change the decorations together and think of the "Question of the Month". Every day we have group time to share stories from the day and hear our activity options. They get to go outside, use the gym, work on the computers, study with other students. There is a routine for what we do and when and where it is done. BUT when the kids are on school break, like last week-it all changes. We have field trips to parks, the zoo, go bowling, mini-golf, swimming...with a ton more time to do it! I just wanted to highlight two things from last week.
1. Ballard Boys and Girls Club-lego editionFor my entire time at the club, all the kids have been obssessed with lincoln logs. They would have lincoln log wars, forts, competitions endlessly. I was curious how long this would last! I was surprised last week when I came in and saw three boxes of legos and eight kids building anything that came to their mind. A few of them started building a structure and came up with the idea of making the BBGC out of legos! Each day they added new parts to it. I had not picked up legos in years and felt like a little kid again helping them find pieces and brainstorm where each should go. The final result looked like this, though no camera angle could do justice. We are all pretty proud of it, though it is incomplete.
2. Ironman Fan
One of the boys in my group loves robots, and anything associated with them. So he pretty much adores Ironman and he and his friend decided to build an Ironman suit over the break. To motivate them to finish, I told them that if they did complete it all, then I'd grow and shave my facial hair like the real Ironman! Their eyes got big and they immediately started drawing out plans. They were limited on materials and not allowed to weld yet, so cardboard had to suffice. He couldn't bring it into the club from his house so I needed a detailed description and his mom's testimony before I committed to the goatee but they did it. I continue to enjoy being at the club because it is always an adventure and growing place for both kids and counselors.

Lock-in

A few weeks ago I led my first lock-in with the youth group of CrossPoint Churches. I honestly wasn't sure how it would go, especially since I was the only chaperone who would be there the whole time! What do you do in a lock-in? I reflected back on ones I went to when I was a teenager, and hoped that this night wouldn't be as crazy. The kids came around 8pm. After an icebreaker and setting the rules for the night, I had them put their cell phones on a bin and we kept them there the whole night-surprisingly most the kids actually thought it was a great idea! I planned on staying up all night, and they were welcome to but I gave them the speech about discerning whether to do so considering their commitments the next day, health, etc. The last time I remember boasting about how late I stayed up I was in middle school. Somewhere in high school I became overcommitted enough to treasure every minute of sleep I could get and was content to let people win the “game” of staying up the longest.
When you aren't doing assignments or preparing for exams, all-nighters can be fun so I made sure I had plenty of activities planned and was curious to try them out with the group. We didn't have time for them all. After a few hours of games, snacks and sundaes, “Follow the Guard” was the chosen favorite activity. Probably the funniest moment for me that night was around 1am when I asked if they wanted to watch a movie and they quickly yelled “No! We'll fall asleep!” I liked the honesty.
I had been up since 6:30am Friday and around 3am Saturday I was glad to see that most of the kids had fallen asleep already. I had chosen not to have any caffeine so I wasn't sure how I'd last. Apples to Apples and other small games kept the few remaining kids entertained and I was entertained watching them. They fought off “long blinks” and claimed they were merely “resting their eyes” for minutes at a time:) The night had been cold and clear, which made for a wondeful sunrise at Green Lake, so I brought them down around 7am. They started making pancakes when they returned, which was hilarious to watch. I made some scrambled eggs and prepared fruit and drinks. We ate around 8:00, or rather grazed. After so much sugar from junk food the night prior, some people had upset stomachs. We had way too many pancakes. People were just awake enough to help me clean, but not awake enough to argue about it-which was perfect. Everything was cleaned and put away by 9:30, leaving time for some to flop back on the floor and sleep. We had survived our first lock-in, but unlike when I was a teenager, I couldn't go home and sleep the rest of the day...
I had some other work to do that day, errands to run and a party to prepare for at my place-probably not the smartest decision after an all-nighter. Around 4pm I was fading quickly and crashed for about 2 hours before preparing the barbeque. I didn't have a lot of social energy, so I was relieved that only 10 were in our house at one time through the night. The party was over at 1am, I went to sleep at 1:30 and was up at 9:00, so thankfully I had Monday morning free to finally catch up on sleep. Was the lock-in worth it? Yes, but I won't make a habit of it-I love sleep too much.