OrangeLights

URBEX: U.S. Marshals Memorial Park in Oklahoma City

The U.S. Marshals Memorial Park has intrigued me ever since I saw a mention of it on an Oklahoma City discussion forum. I have done some digging and found very little on this curious abandonment… which only adds to the intrigue.

Among the things that I do know are the year that it was built, 1989, and the fact that it featured a 10-foot tall bronze sculpture which was donated by a man named John Bianchi. Interestingly, the U.S. Marshals website has an entire page devoted to the “Frontier Marshall” but it contains no mention of the park in which the sculpture was originally planned to be displayed in.

I also found during my research that the land that the memorial park sits on was deeded over to the U.S. Marshals Foundation by the Oklahoma City Economic Development Foundation. According to an article from the Journal Record it was originally announced as a 6.5 million dollar project that would be funded by the U.S. Marshals Foundation. The sculpture and the memorial park were to be created in 1989 in celebration of the bicentennial of the U.S. Marshals.

The current state of the memorial park is a sad one. A circle drive is right off of the main road across from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage museum. It has a center landscape feature that looks like it had a flagpole at one time. The main structure of the road sign is there but all of the sign parts have been removed. From the circle drive it’s hard to tell where the memorial itself is but when you peer into the trees and overgrowth on the north side of the drive you see two large concrete structures with a gate between. This is the path to the memorial. From there an overgrown path leads to a clearing with the large concrete oval that you see in the pictures. For some reason the oval now has a bunch of tree limbs that have been dragged onto it. From there another overgrown path leads to the memorial.

The memorial is shaped like a star as you can see from an arial image. The five points of the star each have two concrete walls in the center that, I’m guessing, at one point featured the names of the Marshals who had died in the line of duty. As you can see from the pictures, this is the most interesting area. There are remnants of what looks to be granite slabs that covered the star area. Most of the pieces seem to be missing.

It seems very odd that a memorial to fallen public servants would fall into such bad disrepair and become abandoned after only two decades. I’d really like to know what happened to this memorial and so I think I’ll do some searching next time I’m at the library. Am I missing something here? Did the foundation abandon the memorial? Did vandals rob the thing of all of its valuables? What happened to what once was such a great memorial?

A Grand Vision

“It started out as a feeling
Which then grew into a hope
Which then turned into a quiet thought
Which then turned into a quiet word
And then that word grew louder and louder
‘Til it was a battle cry”

- The Call by Regina Specktor

It was a hot August day in 2008 when Matt Kerchaert and I started lugging things up the narrow staircase at our new apartment at 160 N. Washington Street in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

But this wasn’t just any apartment. It was an idea… no, a vision. Several months prior to this hot Summer day, I began apartment searching. My roommates and I were faced with either renewing our lease at our typical off-campus 80’s style apartment building or find a better one. I found 160 N. Washington during my search and it was intriguing to me. I wanted to live closer to downtown Ypsilanti and the apartment was just about as close as you could get without living in an expensive loft above a storefront. I wanted to live in a place where people walked. I wanted to live in a place where I could wander down to the cafe or to the park. A place where neighbors actually talked to each other and where there was always something going on. I wanted to live in a place where I would see the same people day in and day out. Where I could make an impact and be a positive force in the community. Somehow this mansion from the 1800’s fit the bill and I began dreaming that someday it would be a center for positive change in the Arts and Entertainment district of Ypsi.

After some pictures, a tour, and some more information, the guys bought into the vision. It helped that the building featured free heat as well and we signed the lease. That was the beginning of what would be an amazing year with Matt, Ian and I living in the third floor of that old mansion. We would have movie nights, rooftop discussions, neighbor hangouts and a Halloween party that totally rocked the place.

Eventually more people at our church caught the vision for this place. It wasn’t just about the location, or the rent, or the amenities. I think it was about the dream that this place could be a center for community to take place.

Fast forward to today. There are now eight people living in two floors of the building that all believe in having a positive impact on the people around them… and they’re looking for more people to join them.

I could not be more proud of the men that live at 160 N. Washington Street. When I left them to seek out my own calling in Oklahoma they were excited about being more than just housemates but being Christ to the neighborhood. I love those guys and I’m so thankful that God has allowed me to be their friend.

I think it all comes down to the vision, the dream, the idea. We wanted to do something good in the midst of a rough neighborhood and be a force for change. I think back on those times and something wells up inside of me. Each day I have to ask myself what my vision is. I must constantly allow Christ to rekindle the fire that burns within me. When I do he unleashes me as a force for change and he uses me in a way that I can never duplicate on my own.

What is it that burns inside of you? What is the vision that God has given you to live out?

MissingMI: Silence in the Snow

Now that I live in Oklahoma City I’m realizing that I often took Michigan for granted when I lived there. I’ve begun thinking about the things I’ll miss and the things I should have enjoyed a bit more while I had the chance to. So here’s my effort to encourage those of you still living in Michigan to enjoy it and to encourage non-Michiganders to consider visiting.

There are nights in Michigan that are special. They are the nights that follow a huge and unexpected snowfall. The snow has blanketed the trees, streets, houses and cars. Everyone rushed home after work and school to beat the snow and now the streets are empty. Traffic signals silently change and reflect colors on the white streets.

The best part about these nights is the quiet. You can step out onto your front porch and find that the normally busy neighborhood has fallen silent. Everyone has retreated to their warm homes and as smoke rises from the chimneys there’s not a sound to be heard. Big snowflakes drift slowly down through the dark sky and moonlight sparkles off of the crystalized snow drifts. It seems as if the world has become small and peaceful. That the neighborhood has been transformed into a giant snowglobe on an end table in the quiet living room of some sweet elderly woman.

On Michigan nights like this there is a certain peace and quiet that I’ve not experienced anywhere else. This is one of the many reasons that I miss the state of Michigan.

#BibleYoga

Okay, so here’s the deal. Personally, I’m not a speed reader and I’m not good at really processing information at break-neck speed. When I really want to derive meaning and concepts and principles from something I sit down and give it some time. I read some, put the book down and sometimes read it again. Let me say, right now, that this was not the technique I used for studying in college. I sometimes read so fast to cram in my reading that I didn’t know half of what the book was about. But that was more about being able to say that I read the assignment than anything else.

A bunch of my friends have been doing the #B90X thing and I just don’t think that’ll work for me, so I came up with something different. It’s called #BibleYoga and it harkens a bit back to a method of Bible reading called lectio divina. Lectio divina is a way of reading scripture in four steps. Reading, meditating, praying and contemplating. Pope Benedict XVI spoke highly of it in 2005.

“I would like in particular to recall and recommend the ancient tradition of Lectio divina: the diligent reading of sacred scripture accompanied by prayer brings about that intimate dialogue in which the person reading hears God who is speaking, and in praying, responds to him with trusting openness of heart. If it is effectively promoted, this practice will bring to the Church - I am convinced of it - a new spiritual springtime.”

So #BibleYoga has it’s roots in lectio divina. It’s a 10-10-10 method that is slower and more contemplative. Here’s the breakdown:

10 Mins - Reading the scripture
10 Mins - Meditating, praying, and contemplating
10 Mins - Reading the scripture again

It’s as simple as that. Now I know what you’re thinking. “Wow that’s a pansy way of reading the Bible. Go big or go home!” But I would ask… do you read your Bible regularly? If the answer is no, then I would implore you to try this out. Start small with the 10-10-10. If you feel that the Holy Spirit is stretching your mind and that you’re ready for more then bump up the times! If you eventually get up to an hour and a half (30-30-30) of reading, meditating and praying then you’ve got most of us beat!

So the encouragement really just boils down to spending some time with scripture and giving it some time to simmer in your heart and mind.

Here are some FAQs for those of you still confused:

Q: What’s with the pound sign?
A: On Twitter, the pound sign (#) indicates a topic. #BibleYoga is what we’ll use to follow what people are learning from their scripture reading. So when you post what you’re learning on Twitter, put “#BibleYoga” somewhere in your tweet!

Q: Are you bashing #B90X?
A: No! I love the concept of #B90X… in fact, I love any concept that encourages people to read the Bible! That method just doesn’t fit me. I need a more “slow down and contemplate” system. Many of my friends are doing #B90X and are loving it. If you don’t think #BibleYoga would be a good fit for you, then please consider #B90X. I hear it’s awesome!

Q: So… what kind of Yoga is this?
A: It’s not any kind of Yoga, it’s just a name. Yoga is an art form and a fitness method that focuses on quiet meditation, balance, and well… focus. So the name fits. If you want to do real Yoga I’m sure there are some great studios in your neighborhood.

Q: Yoga is a tool of Satan.
A: That’s not a question. Get out of the FAQs.

Q: Why do you worship the Pope by quoting him?
A: Oh my goodness. He’s a widely respected Christian leader and I believe his quote is accurate.

Q: Do you like puppies?
A: Why yes, in fact I do! I like grown up puppies too! I have a dog of my own and his name is Riley.