Ouch

I got rear-ended tonight while going to the mall after work.

Some moron, for lack of a better word, slammed into me while I was waiting to turn left from Harvey onto Sternberg. Upon crashing into me, he backed up, cut over three lanes of traffic, and turned right to race onto the highway. My car was barely scratched at all.

That Bonneville is a beast.

Giving the Old Blog Some CPR

It's been a long time.

I learned CPR 3 years ago in health class. I'm going to try it on this blog. We'll see how that goes.

I randomly decided tonight to check my blog stats. I guess there's still one person out there that reads this thing. This one's for you. Whoever you are...

It's been a busy 3 1/2 months since my last post. My family and I moved across town. I now live within sight of the Concrete Church (aka St. Francis De Sales). I've finished my semester earlier today (yesterday?). The last time I posted, I was just beginning the semester. Life has been very routine, so I'm looking forward to the next 3 weeks without school. My time has been filled up with school, work, church, and my LIFEGroup. My LIFEGroup has been amazing. I've had a small group before, but I've never been a part of one that on a weekly basis easily goes for over 3 hours without anyone really noticing. Without my LIFEGroup, Organic Chemistry would have claimed my sanity months ago.

I'm already looking forward to next summer and the fall semester just ended. I've applied to work at Grace Adventures again, but I'm not yet sure if that's where God wants me. I'd love to spend every summer for the rest of my life there, but I've been wondering if I need to find a summer job that would prepare me for "my future career." I still don't know what that is, so while I'm in limbo, camp seems to be the best place to be. Everything there is just right. In my mind, there's no better way to spend a summer than by serving God.

I had better get to bed. I've got to work at the "den of iniquity" all day tomorrow. I need my sleep.

P.S. If you're a coworker of mine, please realize that my nickname for my place of employment is an inside joke, not a perfect reflection of how I feel about it all the time.

Long Weekend Lulls Student Into False Sense of Laziness

While I've always enjoyed the long Labor Day weekend that immediately follows the first week of school (not anymore for most schools, I know), it never ceases to give a false sense of "second summer" if you will. Four days off in a row after the first week of classes almost makes those first few class periods seem as if they were all a dream. Nevertheless, as I found out today by my homework load I tackled, that first week of school really did happen.

It all balances itself out, though. I had a great weekend overall, and GVSU has Tuesday off, so I still have a little bit more "free time" (a precious commodity in a few short weeks).

To begin my weekend, I went to the Tigers game with Patrick, Mike, and his dad. It was great! (pictures soon) The Tigers won in a 9-0 shutout against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim California of the United States. This was the first Tigers victory with me in the stands that I have actual memory of. My nickname at sporting events as "the jinx" is officially gone now.

Saturday, I worked, and that's about it.

Yesterday, I went to church, ate lunch, and then went to Camp! It was cool to see a lot of people that were up there volunteering for Labor Day Family Camp. Peter, Shane, Sharpie, Jason, Lexie, Marla, Megan, Kirk, and Krystal were all up there, and we got a chance to hang out in the evening with some ice cream at the Station. We later raided the kitchen and played some great rounds of Jenga.

I slept in today, worked on my homework, and caught up with some current events while watching the evening news:

Stingray kills 'Crocodile Hunter' Irwin

Crikey!
We all knew it would happen someday, but it was kind of unexpected. I feel really bad for his wife and two kids. I used to love watching his show.

We'll miss you "Crocodile Hunter."

Transitions

Camp is done now, and life is returning to normal.

I had an amazing time at Grace this summer, and after being asked to sum up my experiences in a sentence more than once, I offer this very inadequate summary:

I learned and stood in awe of how much God can do while using imperfect tools such as myself.

After camp, David, Patrick, Mr. Mann, and I went to a Tigers game. The Tigers continued their losing streak with me in the stands, but it's just awesome being in Comerica Park with the Tigers doing as well as they are this year. Mike, Dr. Harriman, Patrick, and I are going to a game this Friday. Hopefully the Tigers will prove once and for all that I am not a jinx at professional sporting events.

Later in the week of the Tigers game, I went to Unity. I got to see some awesome concerts (Aaron Shust, Chris Tomlin, TFK [they were alright], Casting Pearls [not so bad], Newsboys, Tears for Juliet, Matthew West, Superchick, and Steven Curtis Chapman.

It was a pretty good weekend. I hope that next year they get David Crowder Band and/or Sanctus Real. That would be awesome.

In the meantime, I picked up most of my books for classes that start... tomorrow.
Yeah, school's already starting and summer doesn't feel over yet. It hasn't all hit me.

Despite my denial, I do realize summer will be ending in a few short hours, so yesterday I got in one last day at Grace for the summer. I helped out as they hosted a large group from Grace Bible College. I got to work the ropes course and see some pretty awesome blobs from the Blob tower.

I left Grace a little early, in order to make it to Middle School Mania last night by 5:30. My plans were thwarted by my first major car accident. I stopped at a stop sign, looked left, looked right (possibly for too long) and started to go, not noticing a car RIGHT at the intersection I was turning into. My car was badly damaged, but miraculously driveable. The other car was totalled. It was kind of a bummer, but luckily no one got hurt. It only delayed me 1hr and a half.

Middle School Mania with its medieval(sp?) theme seemed to be a hit. Whipped Cream fun was had by all.

Now, I must go and track down my new parking permit for the school year that I seem to have misplaced.

Peace.

"Belay On!"

My final week of having campers was different than all of my other weeks. For the first time of the summer, I was having Middle Schoolers, you know, 12-14 year olds: Focus Camp. I work with that age group at church all the time. Should be no sweat.

However, my week was far from what I was expecting. For one thing, one of my campers was 16. Yeah, his church wanted him to go really bad, so when he missed the high school week, they worked to get him into the middle school camp. I'll admit, in the beginning of the week, I made this "opportunity" into too big of a deal, but it was quite a change from what I thought the week would be like. The cabin dynamics were interesting with having kids ranging from a sheltered 12 year old to an experienced 16 year old.

With a lot of prayer and support from some of my friends, I was able to manage. Our conversations at night were pretty interesting. And on the last night, I spent 3 hours doing just 3 one-on-one conversations. I think a lot of seeds were planted, and it was a good week, overall.

With Focus Camp, every camper gets to spend 2 hours a day "focusing" on a certain activity they want to work on or challenge themselves in. I worked with the High Adventure focus. It was so much fun to work with our group on goal-setting and challenging themselves. They did the indoor tower, ropes course, Dangle Duo, and outdoor tower. My hands got blistered, but I leared a lot about working to challenge students. It was an awesome experience. "Belay on!"

Besides the storm...

Last week of camp was Challenge Camp with 10-12 year olds. Besides the "hurricane" that hit on Monday of that week, a lot more happened. Including the addition of 2 new brothers in Christ: Jaharie and Derek.



Connor, Derek, Sam, Noah, Ryan, Jaharie, John, Brenden, and James were a lot of fun.

Seeing God in the "Hurricane"

Monday started out as a quiet day. No one really expected hardly a drop of rain. At 4:00, I escorted my kids to the climbing tower where we were set to climb. We began hearing low rumbles of thunder in the distance, so we headed towards the indoor tower, thinking that this fast moving storm that came out of nowhere would just blow over.

While we started the first climbers inside, the storm hit hard. Sheets of rain blowing hard in winds anywhere from 70-100 mph (hurricane force). Booming thunder and bright lightning came through and within minutes we were in the dark.

We continued climbing, expecting the storm to end soon and the power to come back on. We saw the wind and rain, but had no idea of how strong this storm truly was. By dinner time, it had let up, but we were left without any power (or water for that matter), plus we had countless down trees all over camp. We were told not to go back to our cabins or through any wooden areas until further noticed. We stalled in the dining hall, and then held an impromptu Bible study indoors and without our own Bible / curriculum. We followed that with some canteen time and by the time that was finished, a generator had been hooked up to the boys cabins water pump. We were finally allowed to go to the cabins and relieved ourselves by flashlight. We then killed the rest of our time with a really fun skit night "American Idol" style with all of the cabins performing skits in the dark as the emergency lights turned off and more storms rolled through. As we turned in early to bed, we had the chance to improvise some fun with our campers.

I taught my guys mafia by flashlight and read to them from a book we've been reading this week. We got free ice cream from the canteen that would have melted anyway, and had an overall fun time.

Somehow, our entire cabin managed to fall asleep in the sticky, warm cabin without any fans. This morning was a cool, clear morning where we could see God's beauty shine through all the damaged forests and flooded athletic field. Both his strength, and his goodness were displayed.

The power finally returned a little after 4 today. I'm thankful it's back on, but the experience of this storm and the following power outage is unique to this group, and I think God definitely used it for the best.

During our Bible study, the guys really opened up and I could see God beginning to move in their hearts. I can only trust that he'll continue working in them this week.

During our extra time to kill, I saw them bond as a cabin group and really connect with each other. That was awesome.

So despite going 3 meals without power/water, a whole 24 hours without showers, and just as much time without any electricity, God was working in the midst of the storm in Mears, MI.

Challenging, but good

This past week of camp was Discovery 3.

Here's some pictures:

Joey, Jens, Zeke, Anthony, Justin, Kyle, Josh, and Jason were a pretty good group. They slept like rocks, so that was nice. I had to deal with a little homesickness with one of my campers, but it all turned out for the good. Josh, from the second to last picture, was able to learn a lot about love and helping others through that situation, and God really moved in his heart this week. Also, Joey, the last camper pictured, accepted Christ on Thursday, making the difficult spots of the week all worthwhile.

Discovery 3. Late nights. Homesickness. Rain. Good.

The Faces of Love

This past week at camp, I had Discovery campers again, they were mostly 10 year olds with a few 9 year olds mixed in. I was very blessed in the fact that they were very cooperative in the Bible studies and personal devotions times.

Here's my guys from the past week:

Bastian, Drew, Jake, Nicholas, Luke, Graham, DJ, Stevie, and Jacob brought a great deal of fun with them to camp.

Sadly, though, my week was filled with reminders (especially towards the end) that these kids live in a broken world. So many of them were hurting. My heart broke quite a few times during the last night and morning. Please pray for one of my guys who was in the hospital the last I knew. The details aren't important. The fact that he's hurting and needs God's love is.

During the week, I was also inspired to remember that each and every one of these kids, despite their background, bears the image of God. I never want to forget that.

A year ago this past week, I was in Chicago, experiencing the greatest sense of love and compassion I've ever felt. I want to try my best to love these kids as recklessly as that. If you want to know how to pray for me during the rest of the summer, that's it.

I go back up tomorrow (or today, actually) to serve while we minister to families for this 4th of July week.

The Longest Short Week

Today at 4pm, my 7-9 year olds went home with their parents. They only have camp for a shorter week because the parents can't handle their kids being gone that long, but they were quite a handful. Here are some pictures.

I did enjoy quite a few teachable moments with Jordan, Grant, DJ, Josh, Connor, Alex, J.D, Beau, and Jon, but by far the highlight of my week was this...

Being Busy Without Doing Much

I think I could write a book on how to be busy without doing a heck of a lot.

Since my last blog:
I turned 18
Continued growing a goatee that I don't particularly like, but dread having to shave
Had my small group over to hang-out
Went to Rock the Coast
Did the rip-cord with Sarah and Ben
Slept off being tired from Rock the Coast
Inadvertently missed a middle school leader's meeting
Got surprised big time by a surprise party on Sunday night
Got more stuff together for my camping trip with Dallas, Jerm, and Keith
Continued preparations for Grace
Watched two great finales for two awesome shows: Alias and 24
Got a little more together for Grace
Sat down to write a blog post.

Like I said, I've "been busy" but haven't really done a lot.

Here in good old MO

My mom, brother, and I arrived late last night in Festus, MO where we're visiting our family.

This morning, we found this article on the front page:

I guess we're the most urgent news around town. I feel pretty important and popular.

In other news, I'm listening to all my family sing karaoke. Pictures (and video if I can figure it out) will be here shortly...

EDIT: Here are the promised pictures.

I was getting rid of them... all of them. Those things.

I haven't had very many original thoughts lately, hence the lack of posting.

Methinks that after finishing school, the thinking portion of my brain shut down. The only operational part now is the routine part.

I finished up my time at Hage's last Friday. I now have to wait out the next 3 weeks until camp. Until then, I'll stay busy with a trip to St. Louis, Rock the Coast, and a camping trip with Keith, Jeremy, and Dallas.

The last two days, we've been working on a video for the Wild this week. It is a yet-to-be-titled mock epic. We had a lot of fun filming it, so I hope the middle schoolers enjoy it.

Perhaps I will post it on here in a few days (if I get Jeremy's permission). Here's a quote to whet your appetite: "They're out there. And they desire to eat you. Those things."

Fun stuff.

The Great Pursuit

Chip got loose tonight. For those of you that have never met Chip, he's our generally mild-mannered beagle that has a wild streak every now and then. We talk about getting rid of him or just letting him loose one day, but we never will. After almost 5 years, he's become part of the family. But, tonight he escaped from his warm, safe home to take a chance at making it on his own. He failed.

At around a quarter to 10, he was in the yard again: stalking whatever prey he thought he could catch. I slipped on my shoes and grabbed the leash. I had to catch him and bring him back inside. As much as he thinks he is "wild-at-heart," he really isn't. He could never survive on his own. It was my duty to bring him in to do what was best for him.

As I stalked him into the backyard, he realized the chase was on.
To him, it's a game. I chased him through the woods behind the houses along our street. He ventured into the backyards of our neighbors on Randall. He sniffed every bush, pursued every scent, and continued leading me along, ready to run at a moment's notice. After almost being seen by some of our neighbors, I continued chasing him, knowing that his rebellion was not good for him. I was very disappointed in him for running away again.

As I kept following him, my legs and arms got scratched by the branches and roots all around, yet I continued pursuing him deep into his rebellion. I would catch him. I had to. He was my dog. I watched him fail at catching a rabbit. He's too much of an indoor-dog to ever catch his own food. His diet as a wild stray would only consist of trash can cuisine. Still, I pursued him. Floodlights came on as the motion sensors picked up the chase. My eyes adjusted and I saw him standing in the neighbor's driveway. I snuck up, but he caught a whiff of my scent and ran.

Finally, he was the furthest away from home that he'd been all night. I was getting tired of chasing him during what was supposed to be a quiet evening. As he walked along a fence, I quietly stalked him, but he heard me coming. He turned to his left and started walking until he reached another fence. I looked and noticed a third fence that met with the one he was up against. Surrounded. There was no escape at this point. He realized that this was the end of the line. He couldn't make it on his own. He had come to the point of surrender. I lunged forward and caught him up in my arms. I was now covered in dirt, holding my dog. I told him that it was time to come home and go to bed. I stood up and started walking him towards home. Along the way, my mind started going over what would compel me to chase this dog through the woods and dirt on a quiet night.

In a way, I guess it's because I love him. He is my dog, and I want what's best for him. As disappointed as I get with him for running away time and time again, I know I would do it all over again.

Then it hit me. I'm safe, warm, and comfortable when I'm right with God. He provides everything I need; I have no reason to run away from Him. I can't make it on my own. I always end up empty and hurt when I try and do things independently of Him. I need God, yet I continually rebel and run away. Throughout my rebellion, he chases me and follows me into my dark and dirty sin. He pursues me. He watches me fail at surviving on my own. He wants me to come home again. Finally, when I'm all fenced in and realize how much I need my Father, He grabs me and doesn't let go. He tells me how much He loves me, and walks me home. He's scarred, dirty, and tired, but to Him, it was all worth it:

The Great Pursuit.

Father, thanks for never giving up on me. As I run further and further into my selfishness, you chase and pursue me.

"'I love you' could not be said a better way."

3 out of 4

As of this morning, I am done with 3 of my 4 classes for the semester! Turning in my Anatomy Final felt so good, despite being unsure of my grade.

My Philosophy class had their exam on Friday during class, so I didn't even have to show up this week, and my entire Writing grade comes from my portfolio that I turned in that same day. Now, all I have left to do is take a Statistics exam that I'm fairly confident about. Life is good.

David, Ryan, and I went out to Subway for lunch today. It was so cool to be home mid-morning on a Monday.

I only have this week and next left at Hage's. I wasn't heavily scheduled over these next two weeks, but 2 of my coworkers offered me some of their hours, so I won't just be sitting at home bored.

I'll be at Grace 5 weeks from tomorrow. I'm getting really excited and really anxious. I just hope I'll be able to make a good impact on my guys this summer. I always had awesome counselors every summer, and it's very daunting to try and live up to them. I guess the only way to find out is to just dive right in. (almost 2 weeks of staff-training should help, too)

In the meantime, I'm thinking about getting a new title / layout for my blog. I've had this layout since I started, and I've had this title for almost as long. What do you guys think? Any ideas? Comments? Suggestions?

Distant Relative?

This week, I went out to Olive Garden for lunch. While eating my breadstick I noticed some striking similarities...

I don't know. What do you think? Distant relative... or cheap imitation?

I forgot to post the rules last week:
Post your own picture on your blog and link to it in the comments. Dave normally does this, too, but he's slacking this week.

Ouch, Sunburn!

This is the most awesome weather! I'm blogging this from my backyard with the sun beating down on me (Typed at 2pm, posted later). The trees are just starting to bud, and everything just smells like spring. I don't know any other way to describe it. Chip is laying in the grass rolling back and forth getting all the scents of nature embedded into his "indoor-dog" coat. That actually sounds like fun... haha. Soon enough, I'll be done with school and I'll be able to sit out here without the weight of papers and exams on my shoulders. I only have to go to GVSU 4 more times this semester!!! I'll be done next Wednesday by 4pm!

I'e been listening to Sanctus Real's new CD a lot lately. It's called The Face of Love and it is amazing. "I'm Not Alright," "The Face of Love," "Fly," and "Benjamin" are becoming my favorite songs. Here are the lyrics to "Benjamin":

Rain falls outside.
I think the sky must know
What's happening tonight.
Children born while fathers die
It's that circle of life
That we all live inside

And we’ve been friends for a long, long time,
So if you can’t talk, just cry.
And know that we will talk
On the other side.

It’s bitter cold outside
But the sun still shines
‘Cause we can feel it.
Benjamin,
You mark the life.
That’s been left behind.
We see him in your eyes.

And we will be friends for a long, long time,
So until you can talk, just cry.
And know that we will talk for the rest of our lives.

And He gives and He takes, and He makes us strong
When He gives, He takes, and He makes us strong
When He gives, and He takes, and He makes us strong
When He gives, He takes, and He makes us stronger

We will be friends for a long, long time,
So until you can talk, just cry.
And know that we will talk for the rest of our lives.

‘Cause we will be friends for a long, long time,
So until you can talk, just cry
And know that we will talk for the rest of our lives.
Just know that we’ll be friends for the rest of our lives.

The band wrote this song when they were going through some difficult times. The lead singer’s son, Benjamin, was born the same night that his father found out he was dying very soon. I love the bridge where it says “When He gives, He takes, and He makes us stronger.”

How true.

10pm Update: I now have sunburn on my arms and face. Oh well, it was worth it.

So easy to say, so tough to live out...

2 Corinthians 12:9-10
9But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (NIV)

The truth of this passage has been shown to me over and over again, but it's not easy to live out. I need to make this real for myself. So often I go through life and lose focus when it comes to what matters most. If you're reading this, and you see me not following the message of this passage, kindly (or maybe not so kindly) call me out on it.

Thumbs-Up Thursday

The Captain of the Pirate Bus has started an Internet "trend" called Thumbs-Up Thursday. So far only a few people participate, but I'm sure it'll catch on... someday.

This week I've captured the essence of almost my entire Thursday: writing papers.

Of course, it's not all bad, I will get to enjoy a re-run of The Office tonight.

Wake Up and Smell the Earthworms

Greetings to all who've been on the edge of their seats waiting for an update. Yes, I see that hand. Great, all one of you.

I want to start off by saying that while I do carry an umbrella during the rain, I am not fruity, nor do I know how to carry it properly or practically so both my backpack and I can stay dry. I am secure in my masculinity and have not had the urge to drop-out of school to be a cowboy (although I have had the urge to drop-out of school (this urge, however, has been masked because I can't work at Hage's forever (I've become far too cynical))).

I've been rather busy doing nothing since my last post while I should be doing a lot of something. These last 2 and a half weeks of class are going to consume me... starting.... later.

I really do have a lot to do, and I was amused when I saw a Facebook group called, "Procrastinator's Unite... tomorrow."

Despite knowing what I need to do, I easily get distracted. It's so hard to focus on homework when some of my friends are on Spring Break this week. Luckily, most of them are already on their youth group trip to... somewhere, so I won't be distracted this weekend after work.

Spring is in the air, and it makes it so hard to concentrate on other tasks when the weather is warm and sunny. That's why I enjoy rainy days like today. They force me to sit down and get some work done (read: "blog").

Besides the smell of earthworms in the air, the smell of freedom reigns supreme. Looking at the calendar and talking with Keith this morning, I realize that in 19 days, I will be done with the semester! Even as I type my papers, part of me is already at Grace. I still have minor things to do to get ready, but May 30th can't come fast enough.

Until the next time I take the time to "starts with a U... ends with a pdate."

Adios.

Blogging Break

I'm taking a break from posting on this blog. I don't post that much anyway, so instead of feeling obligated, I'll just refrain for a little while.

I have too much homework and WAY too much to think about right now.

Until next time.

Scheduling gives me a headache...

I'm supposed to be picking my schedule for next school year right now.

It's tougher than it should be.

I'm this close to changing my major to Biopsychology.

In the meantime, I must study for an Anatomy test.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

This post is dedicated to my brother: without him, we wouldn't have this holiday.

Hearts, Stars, and Horseshoes!

Clovers and Blue Moons!

Pots of Gold and Rainbows!

And me Red Balloons!

The above was randomness I just had to get out of my system.

All and all this week turned out MUCH better than I thought it would going into it. My homework turned out to be manageable, certain situations worked themselves out quite nicely.

Considering it is St. Patrick's Day and everything, I'm extending an invite to all who haven't heard yet:
Please join us tonight sometime between 9:15 and 9:30 to enjoy Shamrock Shakes at the McDonald's by the mall. Because Shamrock Shakes are magically delicious!!

Hi, Coo

I've had these brewing for a couple of months, so I figured it's time to actually post them.

1/16/06
Papers are not fun
Including Philosophy
I write anyway.

2/3/06
My major is wrong
Not sure to what I should switch
I need to think more.

2/27/06
Water has no taste.
It's wet, smooth, and refreshing.
I gotta go pee.

2/27/06
Surrendering all.
A tough thing to accomplish.
I should keep praying.

3/11/06
There's sand in my shoes.
The cat sounds like a baby.
Walk to remember.

3/11/06
Icy beach at night
Wind rushes over the lake.
I don't want to leave.

3/13/06
Earthworms all around
The smell of rainstorms lingers.
Spring is arriving.

2/27/06
Haikus are draining.
Even superheroes sleep.
Thus I should sign off.

Spring Break in Muskegon

So, this is Spring Break...

I got up, relaxed, went to work, came home, relaxed.

I need to find somewhere to go...

Any ideas?

Let's Pack Up and Move to California...

This has been somewhat of a stressful week.

Highlights in the midst of it all have been hanging out at the Finn's on Sunday and Wednesday night.
I also had a great time getting to know Jonathan and his friend, Kris on Tuesday night at Pizza Hut. Seeing Sarah when I dropped off Jonathan was also a nice break in the stress.

In the middle of the stress, I've realized I CAN be productive when studying. I studied most of the day on Tuesday and I worked on a paper for most of the day today, so it's actually felt like I've done something.

My anatomy test went so-so on Wednesday, and seeing my friends at church was refreshing. There's been quite a bit of pointless drama, though. It doesn't feel like we're all being the Church in the way we should be. It's tough to keep positive and keep loving everyone when so much junk is going on, but if I don't then I'm just contributing to the mess.

Overall, I think I'm managing.

Only 8 more days until Spring Break!!!

Just "Being" with a Cup of Cocoa and the "COOLEST girl ever"

Today was a really relaxing day.
I stayed home from school since Keith decided the roads probably weren't the greatest this morning.
I slept until 10, lounged around, looked through my new Archaeological Bible, and did just about nothing of significance until I went to work at 4.
Work was uneventful, and in the middle of the freezing cold evening, Sarah and I ventured out to Starbucks to share some hot cocoas and fun conversation.
We just sat and "chilled" in the refuge tucked away in the middle of all busyness. It was nice. For the first time in a while, I got to just "be." And just "being" with someone I really enjoy spending time with is a lot of fun.
Too often, I end up "doing" too much, and that's when life gets stressful.
I needed a day like today. I think despite the little things I "did," I had a lot of great time to "be."
Staying at Starbucks until I get kicked out is definitely one of my new favorite things.

Trusting You

Trusting You

Sometimes the darkness clouds my eyes.
I get caught up in all the busyness of my life.
I continue to walk all by myself.
Ignoring that You're there to help.

And it's in these moments...
I need to turn. I need to trust.
I need to run back into Your arms.
To lay myself down. To swallow my pride.
To trust You with my life.

When I return into Your fold,
You pick up the pieces and You hold
Me in Your arms until I feel
The eternal love that's oh so real.

Because You said to me...
I need to turn. I need to trust.
I need to run back into Your arms.
To lay myself down. To swallow my pride.
To trust You with my life.

Once I come back and trust in You,
You show me how You led me through.
Using all the bad for my good.
To bring about a day when I would...

Finally realize...
I need to turn. I need to trust.
I need to run back into Your arms.
To lay myself down. To swallow my pride.
To trust You with my life.

You were ever faithful.
You were ever true.
You waited patiently
For me to trust in You.
Thanks for never giving up.
Thanks for never leaving.
Thanks for unfailing love
That kept me believing.
You always knew.
You always planned.
A time would come
When I'd understand...

I need to turn. I need to trust.
I need to run back into Your arms.
To lay myself down. To swallow my pride.
To trust You with my life.

Right now I really need to make these words as real to me as when I wrote them. I've got too much going on. I need rest. Lord, help me to find my Sabbath in You.

Re-evaluation Time?

As I stare at a list of possible questions to research for the 3 papers I'll write in my WRT 150 class, I realize they have absolutely nothing to do with my current major of Biomedical Sciences. I think that means something. Hmmm.......

In other news, 24 is on tonight. I'm really getting into that show. The only other season I watched was the first one that Mike let me borrow. This one's really good, and Samwise Gamgee is in it.

The Pink Panther movie comes out this weekend, everyone that wants to go see it as a big group needs to decide on a time. I'm thinking Saturday at around 9ish sounds good.

About 15 guys watched the Super Bowl last night at Jamey's. A lot of the girls went over to the Kramer's house. I guess some guys were prank-calling them and stalking the house. Weird.

Well, I got to get working on some Stats homework.

I guess this'll be all until I remember to post again.

Winter Blast 2006: Priceless

This weekend, I went to Grace Adventure's Winter Blast for middle school students. It was great!

First of all, thanks to all who prayed for my job at Grace because on Friday night Ben took me aside and offered me a job.

It's cool to see how God uses circumstances for the better. I really wanted to go with our youth group to Camp Barakel this past weekend, but it ended up not working out. At first I was really bummed out about not spending time with my brother and all of his friends, but I think it was better all around for me to go to the Grace retreat instead. For one, I got more experience working with kids I didn't know, and I also got nuggets of wisdom on being a counselor at Grace.

The youth group I hosted for the weekend was from Hart United Methodist Church. There were six kids and one leader: Tyler, Paul, Ellery, Mercedes, Rachel, Kaylee, and Mrs. Hammerle. Since they didn't have a male leader, I stayed with their guys and sat in on their small group discussions. (Also, most of Saturday, Mrs. Hammerle was gone because she was playing the piano at the Solo and Ensemble festival, so a different volunteer came up for most of the day). I did the normal hosting duties of answering questions and meeting needs, but I also had the chance to just be there and listen to the guys in place of a guy from their church. One of the kids had a hard time opening up, but on Saturday night, he just started talking about everything tough that had been going on in his life. I tried my best to show him God's love and to ease his hurt. He ended up being more flexible and open for the rest of the time, and it was really cool to see how God worked in him. I also got the chance to teach them mafia before lights out on Saturday. They all loved it, and it really helped them build relationships within their group. It was tough to see them go on Sunday because even though we barely spent 2 days together, I'd grown attached to all of them as if I'd had them for a week. Please pray for the entire group that they'd stick to commitments they made.

Another cool God-thing was how I got the chance to talk with Brian during free time on Saturday. Brian's been a counselor at Grace for the past 2 years, so he was able to pass on little bits of advice and things he'd learned about the campers.

Looking back I'd say that even though I really wanted to go to Barakel with the youth group, I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Only 2 Main Philosophies?

Today in Philosophy, we talked a lot about Buddhism and where the assumptions it makes lead.
The core of Buddhism is the idea that life is suffering, suffering is caused by desire, and in order to get rid of desire you must get rid of personal existence.

I follow it and tend to agree with it up until it assumes that the existence of self is a myth and should be gotten rid of (oh yeah, and the whole non-existence of God thing).

I think the reason I have such a hard time with these ideas is because of my innate beliefs. I innately believe in the existence of God.

The main fallacy of Buddhism is the idea that suffering is caused by desire, period. I would say that it is caused by self-centered desire, which can't really exist in the absence of a "self."

My professor quoted C. S. Lewis today when he said basically that there are only two religions: Buddhism and Christianity. One thinking that we don't actually exist, and that are existence is the cause of our suffering while the other believes that our selfish desires cause our suffering and the key is to live a life of giving rather than taking, as taught by Jesus.

But as the discussion continued, I noticed a third basic philosophy present itself. A girl in the class seems to think that there is nothing wrong with taking and consuming to fulfill desires. She said that as long as you're happy and not hurting others, then it's fine. She didn't seem to have much concern for the aspect of suffering present.

So, are there 3 philosophies or just 2? Does everyonene fit into one of these basic patterns of thinking? Is your purpose either to live a life of giving to others and to work to eliminate your own selfish desires while not denying that you exist or to go about trying to eliminate all desire until you cease to actually exist? Are your tendencies towards one or the other tied to your basic beliefs that all other beliefs boil down to? There is no way to prove the non-existence or existence of self. It's got to be something you just either believe or don't.

Throughout the discussion, I kept thinking about how we talked about something so similar in GEW with all beliefs boiling down to whether or not you believe God exists. Does this idea of whether or not "self" exists boil down further to your beilef on the existence of God? If so, how does Romans 1 play into whether or not you believe in God and therefore personal existence?

If anyone's read this far, I'd appreciate comments of your own thoughts on this idea.

Interview Tomorrow

If any of you see this and remember, could you please pray for me tomorrow (Fri. the 20th). I have a job interview at Grace Adventures at 2pm. This job would be so awesome to have. I love Grace and I would love to work with the campers up there. Thanks.

Lumbers

I've just completed all of my first day of school rituals:

I attended classes, waited an insane amount of time in the line to pick up my financial aid check, sifted through a crowd of people in the food court, attended more classes, and nearly suffocated trying to wade through the sea of books, shelves, and people in the bookstore.

I think I'm going to enjoy most of my classes this semester. They're all pretty different from the classes I had in the fall.

My Anatomy class today exposed me to my first irrationally large and impersonal class. The prof. in there is kind of quirky and more than kind of "farm-boy"-ish. It shouldn't be too hard of a class since there's no lab and it's mostly memorization. My philosophy class is a good distance away, and in the world's tiniest classroom. The prof in there should be interesting, but from what I hear most philosophy profs are. My writing class is going to be a lot different from any other I've ever had. She told us today that we won't be using a thesis statement in our papers. (Which happens to fly directly in the face of my philosophy prof.) The best of them all is my Statistics prof: Dr. Jann-Huei Jinn. He's the first of the infamous "impossible-to-understand" professors. The guy's hilarious, and he likes to joke around, but I find it very ironic that the word that he says most funny is "numbers." (Hence the title of my post).

Lumbers.

I've got to go now and get some other work done.

Later.

Happy New Year (a little late, I know)

I know I haven't updated in a VERY long time, but for some reason, I've had LESS spare time than I thought I would over break.

It's been a good break. I've worked a lot, but not so much in the last week or so. Inventory is as much fun as I anticipated, which is NOT at all. We went to Detroit for Christmas to visit my dad's side of the family. By the time dinner started we had 21 people there! My parents got me a digital camera and my Aunt Candy and Uncle Randy got me a DVD player / VCR combo. I also got some cash, gift cards galore, and clothes.

My brother and I are going to a Pistons game this Saturday. We got great seats (5th row!), and it'll be the first NBA game for both us us. I can't wait!

I found out that I will not be spending near as much on gas this semester. I only have to go on M, W, and F, and my schedule is a close match with Keith's so we'll be able to carpool.

Right now I'm in the process of applying to Grace Adventures to work as a camp counselor this summer. I'm a little late in the process, so I'm really hoping and praying that they're still hiring.

On New Year's Eve, Mike, Cody(ie), Cade, David, and Dallas came over to hang out, watch football, and play Apples to Apples (another Christmas present). Good times.

New Year's night, the high school youth group, plus Dallas and me, got together one last time before most of them went back to school. We played mafia, Quip It, Apples to Apples, and a Hershey Kiss variation on spoons.

Mike got me to start watching 24, and now I've borrowed the entire first season. It's a really good TV show.

Sarah got me to watch my first Jane Austen movie, Emma. I am proud to say I made it through it without developing a proper British accent.

Rose Bowl tonight was an exciting game. I'm sick of USC winning all of the time, so it was refreshing to see Texas come back and stomp on 'em.

I talked to Pastor Jamey this week, and he said I'm all set to go on the middle school winter retreat. I'm really looking forward to being able to get to know everyone a lot better in a "non Sunday School" setting.

Well, I gotta get to bed. I've got to get up early tomorrow to go to work.

Good night.