I am kind of sleepy as I BLOG this evening, I had to take some Lunesta to ensure that I would be able to sleep tonight. Tomorrow I am going to meet with Josh (Young Life area director) and chat with him before he leaves for a month to be a head leader at the camp I went to in Michigan. I gotta wake up early so I have to make sure I go to bed tonight.
I did a little stat 125 class today, was pretty lazy, studied a little bit, and was a little lazy. I can't wait till my new job at the YMCA starts. For serious, just to have something to do, and to make me move.
I am doing good and my spirits are high.
what am I currently thinking about?
Well, I am happy that I am able to speak out. I am glad I have the freedom to say what I want, how I want, when I want.
Also, I am ready for whatever life is going to throw at me next. I say that soundly.
Also, I have been thinking deeply about things lately. I almost ran a red light and it was pretty scary, I was driving down a road that I had done a million times before, but because I was so deeply in thought I missed that there was a light there, and came to a screeching halt. I didn't like that, but it has been happening more and more. Also, when I don't take my Lunesta, I have crazy dreams. It will be nice to be dreamless tonight.
Church was okay, I am not sure who the gentlemen was that actually spoke at my church today, but he spoke on simon-Peter, probably my favorite disciple. I say he is my favorite because he is like the average joe. Always messing up, and then coming to the realization that he did so and doing his best to fall on Christ and accept His forgiveness. It's a beautiful thing to see. BUT, this guy who spoke did a really covered over and dull presentation of Peter's spirit and personality. I didn't think it was a good depiction of who he really was. I guess it would be quite the challenge to show who he really was in 40 minutes, but I just thought the sermon was a super broad overview but at the same time it kind of had to be. The SERMON was on HOPE, and how even when we mess up, we should still keep the hope. Peter always messed up, but never gave up hope. Luke 5:6ook what happened to him, that was kind of the whole speal. He gave these examples. Example 1.) Luke 5:5 of course, is when Peter doesn't listen to the mouth of God asking him to cast out his nets, Peter gives an excuse & then gives in to his laziness and wazoo! Multitudes of FISH! Example 2.) Matthew 14:30 is another classic example given when people talk of Peter being Peter. It is when he falls into the water after he amazingly walks on it. People always stick on the negative part of this story, but he did WALK ON WATER!!! I could talk and talk, but I will give just give Example 3.) Matthew 16:23 is when Jesus talks a little sturnly to Peter, because Peter doesn't have his eternal glasses on. He is thinking like a man, and not trying to see the eternal significance of what Christ is about to do. 4.) Matthew 26:40 Peter falls asleep, MAN, I bet he was dissapointed in himself. I bet he really regrets doing that, and ya know what? I can really relate to that. In a deep way. 5.) Luke 22:57-60 This is probably the most well known example in regards to people seeking out Peters failings in Christ. It is when he denies Christ 3 times before the rooster crows. In the evening I went to Dave church, and it was good..as always. Then, I got a phone call from my friend Nate, right before I was about to leave Daves house. He was burning up some stuff behind his house, and so I told him I would be right over. We had a good time talking, and I like being able to do that with Nate, just talk and be real. Dang it was hot as heck with the sun and the fire.
On my way home I was driving through the neighborhood and saw my friend Tony out with his dog Trouble.I got to talking to Tony about things. He is getting real serious about his whole glass blowing operation, and I have to say, I have never seen him so motivated about something in all the years I have known him. This really has the opportunity to change things in his life. He really wants to make good for himself. And I want to be a part of it. I have the ability to help him by selling much of his goods. I have all these ideas, and if he sticks to his end of the deal, I want to be able to make it work for him. I think I can do that too. It is kind of exciting, but I want to make sure I do it right. I think that in a couple more weeks, he will have everything set up, and be blowing and melting. It is pretty exciting, because he is so pumped for it. Ohhhh BOY!! It makes me extremely motivated because I see that sparkle in his eye, and I am going to just keep putting God into the development when ever I have the chance to do so. God will start to work his magic, and I will really be praying about this diligently. :-)
I had a pretty average day today. Actually, I had a pretty lazy day today. I slept in till about 12:00, then eventually ate some honey nut cheerioes and then watched some more T.V. I was proud of myself for starting a new book today. It is called,
I am really liking it because it is raw, and real. I really like real. BUT, I have this tendency to start a good read and great, amazing, profound intentions fall short of what I originally want. It is something about reading, reading is just something that I always struggle with. Yancey is real good though.
I had some amazing dinner with my parents and their friends.
I went over and tried to help John my sisters fiance with his phone, then stayed and played some GTA 4. Great game. So, I guess today was pretty average & I am okay with it.
Okay, so this guy is a huge French jerk......but it's pretty darn funny. LOL.
CHARACTER first, fireworks later. I found this on a random web-site.
Character is God's love to you, working in and through you. Real, authentic Christian character is formed when you surrender to Christ and allow His piercing work to grow and enrich you, so that the Spirit flows.Building and developing character is not something we just learn from a book or hear from a sermon. It does not come upon us in the night, or sneak up in the day. It does not come automatically, accentually, or suddenly. It is a process that comes from being parented in it. Then it rests in us and in our motives. It is a slow process. You may not realize you have it until others point it out in you. Character is not permanent once it is formed. It requires our continual hold and practice, in His Word, through our prayers and the practice of His Fruit in and through us.Our spiritual discipline, motives, obedience, and persevering faith will be the keys! All it takes is to be in love with Christ. Seek His presence and be persistent in your prayers. Galations 5:22-25 My friend Jocelyn came down from East Lansing, MI to chill for the 4th of July, the ole Independence day. We had a good time, some of the things on the activity list were:
swimming @ friend of family's house
talking
watching fireworks in extremely comfortable chairs
watching movie till late to kind of waste time
She made the decision to leave at 3:00AM so that she could make the 2 hour drive and go directly to work. Crazyness I know, but w/e. The fireworks weren't really all that amazing, how come they were so much more special when I was a little kid. I want to be able to watch fireworks like that again. I dunno though, I still had a good time with her, and she made it home safe. All I have to say is long distance is difficult, maybe even foolish to start with. Creates a huge restraint for me personally & ga$ is not going to get any better.
OKAY, so today I had my first STAT 125 quiz. I think I did really well, maybe even a little over prepared, but nothing wrong with that. I got home and after I ate I really wanted to do something. SOMETHING! It didn't have to be exciting or magnificent, just something. So, I thought for a little bit and what came to mind? Of course, MOVIES, the biggest and easiest past time it seems lately for me. That's okay though, I was racking my brain for good movies I could go rent. I'm thinking, "what the heck is good, I have seen so many, this shouldn't even be hard." Well, I remembered a movie that I recommended to Jocelyn (friend from Michigan) and it stuck in my head. Donnie Darko was the movie that came first to mind. It is such an amazingly created film. It is truly freaky though and really can make you think. I HIGHLY RECCOMEND it to anyone who calls themselves a "movie buff." It has turned into a cult classic, and it's just crazy. If you want a little insight into how crazy the movie really is, well I found this web-site Now, to really be able to enjoy what this deep and well made web-site has to offer, it is best to watch the actual movie and find things out on your own. BUT, if you are a cheater, you can use THIS CHEAT PAGE, and still have the same results, although not as fulfilling. SO, I really got off on a tanget there, but I was trying to give a little tiny background before I share this CREEPY EXPERIENCE!
I called up my friend Tony, and Chris just happened to be over there (very typical night for them) and I call him up and say, "have you ever seen Donnie Darko Tony?" He told me no, and said he would like to watch it. I go over there and me, Chris & Tony watch this film. I have seen Donnie Darko many, many times and it never gets old. I guess it is just one of those films. Anyways, the movie gets over, and we are talking about it a bit. I go to leave, and Tony says, "hey, are you gonna take the DVD with you?" I always forget stuff like that, so I go to pick it up off the coffee table, and find a picture....... BLEW MY MIND! Before I even let Chris look at it, I asked tony when he drew it. He told me that he was just doodling a couple of days ago, and left it out on the table. Look what I created with the picture he drew, and the DVD cover.
Don't forget that Tony has never seen this movie before, and just drew this picture one day as a sketch. :-O Donnie Darko is about time travel, and all the crazy things interrelated with it. The sketch looks disturbingly similar to the dillusion that Donnie (main character) has through out the film of a creepy bunny suite face. Even the teeth on the sketch are just like the ones on the bunny mask! It was just a good ending to a crazy movie.....but was that all it was?????? ;-)
I think I would really love to swim in that pool. I think it would be quite fantastic. FANTASTIC!
So I got a chance to lead a Bible study on my own today with some of the cabin guys from camp. I almost called it off because several people cancelled and I didn’t even know and I almost listened to the voice that told me to just do it next week. BUT, I ended up Punching that voice in the face.
It was just me and two other guys, but it was so perfect and I had fun with them. I love the kids I get to spend time with, because it is more than "kids I spend time with." They become my friends, and I am getting stronger in that fact/idea. So cool how God twists things up on me. Love that guy! Also, it's funny that I put a picture of a pool to start this BLOG out, because after the bible study (which was on Philemon & forgiveness) we hopped in one of the guys Grandparents pool. We swam and had fun and it was very good. Then I went to STAT class and it was also good, I feel like I am prepared for the Quiz tomorrow. :-) WE'LL SEE.
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Also, I had a talk with someone I love and respect very much. This person is someone who has been so good to me even when I was not good to this person. This person always had my back, even when it was turned away from this person. This person was really hurting and needed to talk tonight, so we talked. I feel stronger in the idea of unconditional LOVE. I spoke to this person as though someone else was speaking through me. This is what I came up with, maybe with a little help from the ideas presented in those letters and writings in the one book, ummm, ohh yea, the Bible.
Unconditional love is given to us by God. It comes along with the gift of Grace (undeserved love and favor). They are pretty much one in the same. How are we suppose to return that to humans on this sinful and hurting earth? Well, I believe that we have to show gentiles what it means to have a personal and meaningful relationship with Christ without ever judging or looking down on them, not ever once for a second. We won’t be able to do that, but I think that as long as we constantly seek His face and desire a loving heart, he will give it. So to put plan into practice, here is a question.
How do you love someone who has hurt more times than you can count? How do you love that person at the same level, when you aren’t loved in return?
Christ commands us to love men, just as he loves us. To be quick to forgive, to always look upon people with compassionate eyes and to speak to them with tender tongues. If we don’t like a specific attribute about them, or we think that there is something sinful in their life that needs to be changed…..too bad! If they aren’t in a personal relationship with Christ, they aren’t held to the same standards as those of us who are, and we can’t force it. We have no right to judge. Just because someone changes their actions, doesn’t mean their heart is changed. We can’t make them feel excluded either, you have to find that balance, and pray that you are kept in check. Their feelings must be handled with care, and we (Christ followers) must never allow them to be turned away from His love because of our actions. WOW, that is a lot to take in! That isn’t something simple to do. Here is another question.
How can we (Christ followers) honestly start to change the way we view and feel about sinful attributes of the gentiles that we care so much about and love?
Well, I don’t think that WE can do it. Christ can remove that hardness in our hearts though. IF we want him, and desire that he does so. I really like being enlightened in Christ. It makes me feel special. SMILES
Today I worked on some homework, tomorrow I will wake up early and work on some more. I LOVE ME SOME STATISTICS! :-/ Tomorrow I will be leading the group of guys that I was in a cabin with when I went with the Fort Wayne, Young Life kids to Timber Wolf Lake in Michigan. I am excited because the other leader is out of town for a month. He is actually acting as a head leader at TWL. I know just exactly what I am going to talk about too. I am pretty excited to do it. It is really pushing me into a leadership role.
Class went good today for the most part. THEN....
Well, let me start off by explaining a phone that my dad got earlier today. Around 3PM I was working on some STAT homework, and my dad was playing his computer game that he plays more than anyone I know. It never gets old to him......I am getting a little off, sorry about that. So the telephone rings, my dad goes to pick it up and I listen to the conversation. I hear him say, "you're kidding me, wow it has been so long, I am so glad you called" in a very excited tone. I continue to listen and I am getting very curious. Then I hear him talk about my sister Merideth, and I start to connect some of the dots. Phone conversation ends, and I am staring right at him. He had a big smile on his face when he looked at me. I said, "who the heck was it?" He told me that it was Merideth's half sister Jill calling from MA trying to get a hold of her. WOW!! This is HUGE! Merideth and I were both adopted at birth. In 2004 I had the chance to meet my biological family and answerer a lot of the questions I had been building up all the years of wondering. It is pretty typical of many adopted children. Merideth, however, could not do this. Her father died before she was even born, and her mother committed suicide when she was probably just a toddler. But today, out of no where, her half sister called to try to get in contact with her. SO SWEET!!
After my class got over @ 7:15PM, I went over to Mer's apartment and delivered some gifts I got when I was in Arizona, and then I got to deliver the good news. Boy her face lit up, and I could almost see some tension come off of her. I KNOW THAT FEELING!!! It is wonderful, and for her to just be able to feel strong in the fact that someone was searching her out, that makes a person feel like a million bucks. I really love Merideth so much, I hope this is nothing but the best for her, and that she can grow and learn everything she wants to learn.
I am glad I have the freedom to say what I want, how I want, when I want.
