different stuff

Here's a post dedicated to things that are different:

Jeremy is looking fly with his new haircut and shave. Seeing him trimmed up is different. Him looking fly is not.

We've recently moved the couches around in the P-room upstairs (P stands here for either 'picture' or 'pointless-waste-of-space', your choice). Jackson Strawn can now be found sitting in said room at all times of day. That's different. No one wanted to sit in there before.
The room still has no function. That's not different.

Our blog now has music. That is different. One of my favorite Welcome Wagon songs too. It is also quickly becoming annoying to me. I either click off our main page or mute my computer right quick. Whoever knows how to change it, please do soon. (I suggest that Michael Gungor song. You know the one.)

I have begun eating meat again recently. That's different. It feels weird and it feels free to allow yourself something that you had forbidden yourself for so long.

I have begun spending a lot of my time with a girl. That's different. And great.

My life right now is becoming different than it has been, and I just wanted to share some of that with you all. As I described to Jackson the other day, my life right now feels like I am swimming in a river and being swept towards a waterfall. God's movement; I couldn't stop things if I wanted to. And I don't want to. I'm excited about the plunge.

Jon Acuff speaks.

A few weeks ago I sent an email to Jon Acuff. He's an author, blogger, and humorous man. His blog StuffChristiansLike is hilarious at times and deep at times. Much like our blog. But anyways, I digress. Here's the email I sent him...


Yo Jonny,

My name is James and I like your website- real legit. I noticed that you said to contact you if you’ve got Stuff Christians would like. I believe I do. I go to Virginia Tech and live in a house with 7 other Christian guys who are just trying to follow Christ while in college. It’s a compilation of posts by myself and my seven roommates, and we usually try to have a new one up every day. I think the blog is real funny and inspiring, but feel you should probs check it out yourself. You’re a busy man Jon, but it’s worth your time. I’ll put in the link for the first blog I wrote, describing the members of the house.

http://willardhouse.blogspot.com/2010/11/this-blog-is-test-of-my-responsibility.html

<3’s,
James Crockett Harris III

p.s. I promise the link doesn’t contain viruses, but you’re probably on a Mac, so you won’t be bothered even if I’m a liar. (which I’m not)


I know. I'm surprised he wrote back too. But he did. Here's Jon Acuff's response...

[great blog. I think that's going to be an awesome way to chronicle what you're doing. (And I promise I don't snore and I think becca is famous too)
Jon]

Oh Yeah. No where near as long as mine. But Jon responded! that's the best part. It's great to see that he cares enough about his readers to personally respond to the email. He even checked the blog out. The best part however, is that he now knows Becs is famous too. You can check out her facebook by clicking on that link on her name.

Anyway, we were all really excited about that. John and I had been planning on writing a really funny, inside jokish blog about Jon Acuff with references to Jesus Jukes and the mandatory youth minister goatee, but I got tired of waiting.

<3's
James Harris III

p.s. Hypes is coming to visit one weekend, and will be cooking our house dinner. I can't wait.

Welcome to..

"But for you who fear my name" likely sums up the musical brilliance and underlying themes of the Welcome Wagon's most recent effort, entitled "Welcome to the Welcome Wagon." As I write (and consequently while you read) the protestant hymmwriter Lenny Smith's word are being graciously poured over raspy trombones, hand-claps, and a rambunctious choir. Glory, Glory.

The Welcome Wagon consists of Reverend Vito Aiuto and his wife, Monique: They live in Brooklyn and head Resurrection Presbyterian Church. Sufjan Stevens, whom also produced and played a variety of instruments on the album, regularly attends and his lyric and vocal styles are neatly woven into the fabric of this album. The album begins with the slow melodic "Up on a Mountain" and quickly transitions to the up-beat electric "Sold to the nice Rich Man". Such a transition is so very typical of the spontaneity of each folk-driven ballad included.

My personal favorites include the heart-breaking "He Never Said a Mumblin' Word", the enthralling "I am a Stranger" and my personal favorite, made famous by the likes of The Smiths (whom I hold no personal affection for), "Half a Person". "Call me morbid, call me pale, I spent 6 years on your trail". Fantastic.

As much as I hate to do this, I would recommend this record for anyone who enjoys Sufjan Stevens, Derek Webb, or Anathallo. One thing is certain, you will not be able to give this record a listen without noticing the underlying spirit and passion brought by this duo. It just may leave you wanting to travel to Brooklyn this Sunday.

Happy Listening,

Evan

A week in review

As selfish as this may be, this blog is going to be mainly about myself. Sorry...

The last two Sundays I have experienced have been vastly different.

Last Sunday, on the 13th of February, two of my friends at East Mont High School, Stephen and Grayson, were killed in an accident. I found out at about 4pm, and went over to Sam Vaughn's house to be together with the team and pray. I felt really strange the whole time. I felt distant and numb and disconnected. The next day followed suit, going through the whole day feeling numb. That night I had a fruitful conversation with a couple bros from EM about Grayson. They were his best friends, and just wanted to sit and talk a while about what had happened, but more importantly what being with him had been like. They told me about their adventures, dumb stuff they did together, and about Grayson's love for Kid Cudi. They were broken down by this, yet so honest about what life they had shared with their best friend. The conversation continued, and Vish asked me why I was different. What had changed. And I was able to answer simply. The Gospel.

We had a great talk about what transformed me from a punk to a man. Yet at the same time, I kept questioning, if I'm changed, how do I not feel anything about Steve and Gray? What was wrong with me.

I went on feeling strange till Wednesday. Empty, and wondering why I didn't feel. Then on Wednesday afternoon I was sitting in Allie's dorm, and went on Grayson's facebook page. I would call it a mistake, but it wasn't. I read what his sister had put on his wall, that she was watching their favorite tv show and wondering why he wasn't laughing with her. At this point the feelings finally came. I finally felt like I knew I was supposed to feel. I felt hurt, and sad and helpless. I felt broken. And it was good. I sat there with Allie crying, and she told me God had a plan. He would make good come from this. And that's tough to believe. It's tough to believe God is good when two kids get hit by a train. It's tough to believe that He loved them more than I can fathom. It's tough to remain faithful. But you learn about the depths of your faith in trials. You get a chance to experience new relations with your Father, that you wouldn't get other wise.

Just cause you know there's a plan doesn't make you not upset though. It comforts, in the sense that these boy's deaths aren't gonna only cause pain and division. And it gives you something to turn to when you're sitting in class and it hits you that you're never gonna drive Steve anymore. That you're never gonna be thinking of new bro names to call each other. That you're never gonna play me a tune your guitar. Steven I miss you man. You got what life was man. You understood what it was about. And as much as it hurts not having you here, you're with Jesus now. And that is more comforting than any hug or cry can ever be.

This past weekend, John, Jackson, Joe, Sam and myself went to Richmond for the Commonwealth's Young Life Committee Leader weekend. There were speakers and seminars, but the best part was getting to see people you don't get to hang out with often. Being able to be in that community is amazing,and the fellowship renews you. I feel whole again after this weekend, and the rest I experienced from my time there. It was great, and I even got a twitter account out of it...

Finally, a word of one thing that my team learned from Steven and Grayson. You don't have time. We are but a vapor. No one lives forever, and you literally aren't promised tomorrow. They were juniors in high school. Neither was even 18. If you have something you need to tell someone, tell them. If you know what Truth is, share it. Because you don't know when the last time you're gonna see someone is. I know that sounds morbid, but it's true. So don't waste time. Every second counts.

I apologize for the length of this blog, and the lack of brevity. I'll be blogging about Becca Fitz again soon, and how Jon Acuff (stuffchristianslike.net) knows her. Don't you worry.

Love,
James Harris III

libby is cancer free!!!!

deuteronomy 10:21 says

"He is your praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes."

libby's PET scan results came in today and she is officially cancer free! check her blog and see what she and ryder had to say today after they received the news www.libbyryder.blogspot.com

a number of us who lead younglife (including the ryders) will be in richmond this weekend to celebrate what God has been doing in our region this year, through the ministry of younglife. and now we can celebrate the wonderful news that libby is officially cancer free! join with us (even if you won't be there) as we, in the words of psalm 98

"shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;
make music to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of singing,
with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn
shout for joy before the LORD, the King."

Valentines Day Mystery

today i approximately arrived home at 3 pm to find a note on my desk from a possible secret admirer. members of the willard house were home all day. the only time frame that this note could have been dropped off was between 11:30-1pm. during this time jeremy was the only one home and was working in his room. the men of willard have been working this case for the past couple of hours and have been distracting me from my 6 page paper that is due tomorrow at 9:30am. a picture of the note is attached to the blog. a reward for information that leads to the arrest of this culprit is a date jeremy aaron mateyk sponsored by the willard house. leland pearson is heading up the anonymous tip line. text or call his personal cell phone: (434)989-3221

Music Monday -John Carr

sorry about the lack of a music monday last week, evan said he was going to write one...
this week, valley maker: their self-titled album (valley maker)
valley maker's self titled album is a collection of songs inspired by the book of genesis. it is the brain child of austin crane who says this about the album "valley maker was born out of my honors senior thesis project. I studied economics and russian language/literature for my undergrad, so I wanted to do something for my thesis that reflected my interest in music and songwriting." the album is a wonderful singer/songwriter record with a bit of an indie sound. crane's voice is a bit gritty and harsh, similar to bob dylan, but it is balanced out beautifully by amy godwin who's vocals are delivered in a flawless milky smoothness. godwin's voice helps to enforce the mood that crane creates lyrically and vocally, in a subtle yet noticeable way. the bridge to the album's second track "babel" is a great example of this. its apparent that the lyrics are what drives the entire record but I think thats what amazes me about a track like "cain and abel," where crane is basically singing biblical stories that also make for incredible musicianship. you can actually download the album for a pay-what-you-want basis at www.valleymaker.com


listen to this album while: just sitting in the living room, laying down for a nap, or driving at night after a long day

H. Jackson Strawn

My hiatus has ended. It is now time to initiate the continuation of my series of Willard dudes. So, here it is. The down low on Jackson.

I met Jackson in the 8th grade. Many of you may be asking, what! no wonder they are such wonderful men, influencing one another for that long. Yes, i know. It's a shock. Believe it of not, Jackson and I where on the same team at Virginia Tech's soccer camp our 8th grade year. In those days, we loved many things including; Afroman, being vulgar, and playing soccer. We would sit in our room before every practice session and listen to Colt 45 by Afroman. I loved Jackson, and for that week we were tight. Interestingly enough, I had a blog at that time on xanga.com. So, in a moment of inspiration, I went back to look at it and found an entry about Jackson, and this is what it said;

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Hello, I have been doing things so i havnt written in here for a while. Evan and gantt wanted me to say that they did the herb shop gap, so there you are. so these past days i have been at virginia tech, which is cooler than uva. i was there for soccer camp and it was fun, yada, yada, yada so i made all these hip new friends that are so kick butt its like a kung foo movie and i will enter the coolest line said all week by friend jackson, "Lace up your kick's bitches we're gonna ball." it was funny at the time at least...yeah so now im back and i am ...back, so go do something other than read my xanga. Lacing up my kick's....bitchs, Mr. Todd

haha. yes. i was quite a character at that point in my life. I liked to refer to myself as Mr. Todd, as it was my blog's url. If anyone is interested in a Sam that led to who I am today take a look at; http://mrtoddsteaparty.xanga.com . Anyways, this was Jackson and I's first meeting. After this i saw him at King's Dominion once... weird, i know, but after that I didn't see him until freshman year at Virginia Tech when we realized our bizarre past together.

It is interesting how many people in our house rip on Jackson all the time (myself included). Why is this you may ask yourself? Well, I think it's because of Jackson's carefree spirit. He is hilarious, and it allows us to comment on it all the time. He is a man of two distinct sides; a light-hearteded and a deep side. Many may only see the former, but I will be the first to tell you that the latter is just as awesome. It is easy to overlook the wisdom that Jackson holds. But, as a warning to everyone reading, you will miss out on a huge part of a great man if you don't pursue that side of him. It is interesting with the dynamics of our house, and everyone holds a different place in my heart. Jackson holds a place of hilarity and of soul. A place of quiet grace and love. A place that I go when I know i will be appreciated and loved for who I am, where I've been, and where I will be. Anyone who has been around Jackson can tell you of the atmosphere that follows him everywhere. It is an aura of joy. A joy to live, to be alive, and to have new life in Jesus Christ. I envy this about Jackson, a happiness that exudes from his very pores. It is wonderful to walk into someones presence and be happy, just because they are there. Jackson is that man for me. He makes me laugh, makes me smile, and makes feel totally at ease.
I cannot quite place what it is about Jackson that allows me to feel an innate connection with him. I think it is that we are very easy going a lot of the time. Granted, Jackson doesn't like to rebellious things as I do, but the way he goes about life is something I identify with. A, "go with the flow" philosophy if you will. This is accentuated in Jackson's style. Jackson is wavy. So wavy. It's the best. he breaks up the hipster and prep style that punctuats our house. Jackson is who he is, and that's what I love about him. Sweatshirts, beanie, khakis, and multicolored or dirty Ralph Lauren shoes.

Jackson and I have been through a lot. We have had some tears. We have had many deep conversations. And we have had even more laughs. But, I can honestly say that I have never been mad at the man. He occasionally says some things, but they just make me laugh, because Jackson spirit is pure. Walk into the presence of Jackson and you will feel the presence of Jesus. Of Jesus's joy and loving spirit. Of a spirit that is dynamic. Loving, hilarious, wise, and powerful.
Powerful... not an adjective many would use to describe my friend. But, I would say that you haven't seen that serious side of Jackson. Anyone who has heard Jackson speak of his faith or his ministry knows what I mean. He is willing to do anything for kids to meet the Lord, and he does not shy away from the charge that the Lord has given him. Ask Jackson about an issue in the Bible and listen. Because if you don't, you will miss out. Listen to the passion and knowledge of the severity of decision's in Christ that are often masked by his carefree spirit. That is power. The power Jackson knows he has in Christ.

For those readers of the blog that may not know Jack personally, let me give you a little breakdown; He is tall, lanky, and a little bit goofy. Loves rap music. Dances with his legs right next to one another, leaning back, and arms in the air. A man of funny faces and voices. Whenever Jackson's voice gets high and breaks into falsetto, he is lying. He loves to watch tv when he falls asleep. He loves to sag his pajama pants. He looks terrible in the morning when he wakes up (but quickly recovers). He drives a man van. The most annoying person to play Super Smash with. Can be slightly gullible. Laughs all the time. Smiles just as much. Dances almost as much.
I guess the point that I have been getting at is that Jackson is one of my best friends. I love him. He is a man that would do anything for me. He is deep. He is light-hearted. He is funny. ...He is also not funny a lot of the time. Basically, if you want to feel the Holy Spirit's presence, hang out with Jackson. If you want to see a joy in the Lord that mirrors a child's love for a father, hang out with Jackson. Go up to him, dap him up, and say, "Jack, whatchu gon?". Instant love. Encourage him to share some of his wisdom, because he has a lot of it. Accept his dumb jokes, and laugh at his funny ones, because you're guaranteed to get both. Try to see things through his eyes; joyfully and that the world is full of life and promise. I want to apologize right out. I am sorry that you cannot live with this man, or any of my brothers at Willard. Because, the Lord is truly evident in each and every one of them in different ways.

Jackson. I love you.


Lacing up my kick's,
-Sam

Willard Wardrobes

When the cold weather comes, warm clothes come out. Yet, as we all know, the Men of Willard are known for their distinct fashion sense. Even when it is eleven degrees outside and it feels like -20, we all try to look our best.

Doug- this cold weather warrior keeps it simple. A Manchester united beanie and beard are really all he needs.

Jeremy- this isn't really cold to him. Compared to his frigid northern mindset (and heart), Virginia Tech is equivalent to a spa.

Sam- A big puffy blue jacket, duck boots, and a beanie are the faves of this Staunton native

John and Evan- Duck Boots, Jeans with the ends rolled up slightly, a flannel shirt, brown belt, beanie and warm vest get these two roommates through the winter feeling toasty.

Joe- Strangely enough, Joseph Danehower wears a United States Postal Service jacket. Or he had. There's a slight possibility that Claire stole it, and destroyed it.

James- Gray pants with flannel lining and a long sleeve flannel, and jacket. I keep it tasteful and stylish in the winter months.

Jackson- His old soccer warm up pants worn real low down, tube socks and sneakers, his FCC Buccaneers sweatshirt, and black beanie have him lookin straight "goon" this February.

We would also like to include an inspirational quote from Becca Fitz, taken from the article located on the VT website.

“Every time we met someone new on the trip, they would say: ‘Welcome to Malawi! This is your second home! We are family now!’ And they really meant it.”- Becca Fitz

chemo number 12

today is the long anticipated day. today my best friend's wife and my dear friend, libby ryder is getting her last chemo treatment. libby has been through so much in the last six months, needless to say, but today is the last day. the last day of treatment, of feeling sick, of a long and difficult season in her life. this sounds so selfish as I say it, but it has been so hard for me to be in blacksburg while libby and ryder go through this in chesapeake. im crying sitting here typing this because I feel like ive been so far away from them the past six months, ill never forget when ryder called while i was sitting in the baysinger's living room in lawrence, ks to tell me libby was sick. i felt like i got punched in the stomach. i know that it in no way compares to what they have been through but it has been so hard for me to sit back and be there for them at a distance. libby has been stronger than any person I have ever met during the last six months and she has shown Christ in that strength to literally thousands of people in the chesapeake community and through her blog (http://www.libbyryder.blogspot.com) but this is not a sad day or a day of despair, today is a day of rejoicing, of celebrating. because Jesus never promised that a life of following him would be easy. or that everything would work out perfectly. he only promised that it would be full and true, that it was the best way to live. libby has demonstrated the truth of that in an absolutely beautiful way.

if you pray, send a few up for her, that her final report would come back cancer free. for her husband, the man of God that he is and has become through the past six months. and for sweet little ava, who will hear stories of the strength and Godliness of her mother for the rest of her life.

for our King,
johncarr

ps: heres a video ryder made last night on the eve of libby's last treatment, oh and of little ava walking!
http://vimeo.com/19735616

Becca Fitz is Famous

Longtime Friend of Willard and on campus resident Becca "Bad B" FitzGerald, is loving her fifteen minutes of fame here at Virginia Tech. This past Summer, Becca went on a trip to the foreign country of "Malawai" in "Africa" where she helped "kids". This itself would be pretty cool, but even more cool, is that Virginia Tech is now using the heartwarming pictures of Becca Fitz with small, African children as an advertisement for the school. Becca is humble as always about the situation and hated that I kept quoting her randomly in conversation.

“Their joy does not come from the latest iPhone or newest car -- it certainly does not come from things. They do not find their happiness in possessions, but rather in people, relationships, and family.” - Becca Fitz

So, props to Becs, here at Willard, we're all very proud of you and happy to be your friend.

In other news...

This Friday Willard is participating in a "Progressive Dinner" with sophomore girls. They're making delicious hors d'oevres and desserts, while Jackson is making spaghetti. We're really shooting for the starts with our menu eh? I'm sure it will be fun, and we'll update you if any love is in the air, cause well, it is Valentine's Day after all, right?

Wrong. I hate Valentine's Day. As Ardi Shahini once said, V-Day is the one day a year where dbag boyfriends and husbands do something nice. Therefore, instead of doing something because it is Valentine's Day, just chill and do something next week.

That pretty much wraps up this blog, oh and p.s. the girl in front of me in class is looking at the Becca Fitz article: http://www.vt.edu/spotlight/impact/2011-02-07-malawi/malawi.html

A Visitor's Viewpoint

We had a visitor this weekend from Johnson Bible College. His name was Josh Cubol. And he is a man. Thankfully, he keeps a blog, and he decided to share about his experiences at the house this past weekend. So here it is, a visitor's view on the Willard life...

http://joshuaccubol.blogspot.com/2011/02/weekend-at-willards.html

Snoring.

Little known fact: more than fifty million Americans struggle with snoring.

Less known fact: Jackson struggles with snoring more than I do, and he doesn't snore.

Completely unknown to me, during the night I put on quite a performance with my breathing. Described by John Carr as "a mixture between BattleBots and and train", Jackson has started to struggle with staying in the same room, this morning I discovered his bed was stripped of all covers, and he had curled up on the couch in the cold lodge in an attempt to sleep in the quiet of not having a roommate. Though there is no one to blame but himself for his struggles, I'd like to give a few tips on how to stop your roommate from keeping you up.

If they smoke, hide their cigs. Smokers snore more.

If they're overweight, hide their food. Overweight people snore more.

If they enjoy drinking alcohol before bed, hide their alcohol. Alcohol makes people snore more.

If they sleep on their back, roll them over. Back sleepers snore a ton more than stomach sleepers.

Things that don't work:

Throwing socks and other clothing you find on the ground at them.

Dropping your phone on them during the night.

Getting out of bed and waking them up by turning the light on.

Yelling their name.

Stealing their computer.


I hope this was of some use to you. The Willard House will continue working through this problem and keep you updated on any new developments on the battle against snoring.

<3's
James C. Harris III

p.s.
source for snoring info: http://snoring.factexpert.com/1258-quit-snoring.php

Sun Rise... Sun Rise

as many of you know, the bleak weather of february has already hit the frozen tundra of blacksburg, va. there have been periods of snow, wind, sleet, hail, and ice throughout the past couple of weeks. the sun barely shines and at times can get a little depressing. when sitting around the dinner table earlier this week the men of willard needed to come up with a plan to conquer this weather. with only one solution to this problem a few of us decided to run the experiment, tanning. tonight at approximately 8:30 i picked john and evan up from "europe" where they had been sipping on coffee and reading for classes. we then headed to the university mall where we would find "club tan". we did our research and found out that at "club tan" was the cheapest in the area with only costing $15 for unlimited uses for a month. however, much to our surprise, when we entered "club tan" there was a coupon for a free tanning sesh to all new customers. so before purchasing the monthly package on which we were unsure on how much we were going to use, we tested the waters. the lady behind the counter asked if this was a man date, we told her no. looking back on it though, it might as well have been one. evan was the first to enter into the depths of "club tan". the lady set his bed for 6 minutes and he hopped on in. john was up next and decided to go for 10 minutes (john has been before). the confident mr. carr needed no instruction and hustled down the hallway to his favorite bed. i was then the lone soldier standing there weighing my options on which bed and how long i would allow this unnatural light to scorch my skin. after a heavy debate with the lady behind the counter, i decided to enter for 7 minutes. i was a little nervous and i think she could tell. she assured me that i would be ok. when entering into i guess what they call the tanning room i was overwhelmed by the size of this tube like structure. they lady informed me on how to properly use this device and then left me alone. the time under the light was quite relaxing except for the fact i had rihanna and katy perry blasting right in my face thanks to the speakers attached to the bed. 7 minutes later i exited the room, no tanner then when i had entered. i must say though, and john and evan will attest to this, tanning isnt so bad. now dont get all riled up, this is not going to turn into an often occurrence. my motto is, "you gotta try everything once!" well... maybe not, but this could apply to somethings. perhaps the three muskateers will return to "club tan" someday soon...maybe not. only time and the weather will tell. peace, love, and tan.

Jackson's vocabulary

Jackson Strawn is like an onion. And you know what's cool about onions? They have layers. One of Jackson's layers, fortunately or not, is his extensive vocabulary. Sometimes near unintelligible, this blog post will try to delve into the strange sayings of the resident of Willard known as "Mr. Tall".

"goon" a term popularized in the early 20th century, it originally meant one who was big and stupid. Jackson however, uses it in a positive outlook. He can use this word to describe nearly anyone, but mainly if we are talking and mention some other guys epic exploit such as "Hypes rode two jetskis at one time!" Jackson would reply, "What a goon."

"Wavey" discovered on Jackson on his trip to NYC, wavey quickly became embedded in Mr. Strawn's vernacular. As far as we could tell through our brief interaction with NYC natives, this word means "Cool", "Ill", or "Sick"

"Irey" Easy going, fun loving, not bothered by anything. Jamaican in origin. Used by Jackson since he swam with dolphins over break.

"Gon, gon wit da gon gon" I have no idea what this means. Derived from Jacob Heatherington's "how you gon?! and Whatchu gon?!" Jackson has evolved these sayings into its current state...

"do what it do" You gotta do what you gotta do. and Jackson realizes this. Therefore, do what it do.

"Glorious" Anything that is exciting or stimulating to the senses, Jackson refers to as Glorious. That it will bring someone or something glory. At least I think this is why he uses it. He throws it around pretty freely.

These are some of Jackson's fave sayings. If you can think of more, feel free to comment with them. Jackson says a lot of strange things.