It's been so busy that I haven't found time to "escape" and write stuff here. It's all about balance...finding time to do school work, have a job, spend time with friends, exercise, and having time with God. It's good to know that God is with me through it all. He is there to give me strengthen when I am tired, when I am annoyed, when I am happy, when I am working, when I am studying. He is my perserverance at the end of a long day and He is the joy in my friendships.
I am reading Psalms...my favorite book of the Bible....it is kind of a last resort for me when I get burnt out and need some baby food...words of praise and worship...a cry of one man's heart for God to be near him during the toughest of times. I am also reading a book with 2 other girls called "Lady in Waiting" and I've only read the first 4 pages, but I love it and am learning a lot.
So many praises....despite the bitter cold that burns my face...
I want to tell all of my friends that I am praying for you...
it is very beautiful outside right now...the snow is coming down and it's laying on the ground, sparkling like glitter....
that was the poetic part of my blog for today:)
not much to write...day 2 of classes and they went well. The one class that I was a bit nervous about, Teaching Practicum, is going be a good learning experience, so I hope and pray I learn a lot, while getting a good grade. All my other classes should be good too. I looked at my schedule today for next year and I only need about 26 more credits and then I am finished!
I am going to go do some reading and try to get ahead on some stuff...it seems like as soon as classes hit all profound thought is sucked out of my head.
It's a good day people! A very good day.
quote for today from George Bernard Shaw "There is no love sincerer than the love of food." How true!
I have successfully manage to NOT study pretty much since class got out at 3pm this afternoon...so as soon as I finish writing this I will start studying...or maybe clean up before my roommate returns.
I am perplexed at how time slips away...this week flew by...and my solitude is slowing, if not all, ending tomorrow. Then comes Wednesday and the semester begins and life is officially crazy.
But on top of that the years are just flying by...and friends are seemingly slipping away...hmm...more on that later...
I took the following picture on my way home from school last semester...that weekend was a crazy weekend, but none-the-less I had my camera with me to take this picure:
I hope the picture turned out...it might be a bit darker on some moniters...
This picture reminds me of the BIG picture that God has for my life. Right now I can only see part of it...and it scares me at times not knowing what the future holds, not knowing what I am going to do with my life as far as details, not knowing where the money is going to come from, not knowing how I am going to get everything done on time this semester...but I am focusing so much on just a PART and losing focus of the WHOLE...my goal...
The is a bigger picture then what I can see when I am in the valley, but when I get to the mountain top, there is an awesome view of where I have been and I can kind of see off into the distance where I am going though kind of hazy at times.
It is a comfort to know that He is here with me NOW, and He was with in the PAST, and He promises to be with in the FUTURE...
I can't let my fears, my doubts, insecruities get in the way... Yesterday, today, and tomorrow....
It is in His hands...
Today was wonderful. I love Sundays, despite the fact that it is the prelude to monday and the postlude to the weekend, but none the less, I love them. What other day do you get to go to church and then come home, eat a hearty meal, take a nap, and then go to church again? Today church was an extra blessing. There were times of praise, reflection, and thought provoking challenges. I love my church and the people in it, they are kind, caring and very hospitable towards all the college students who attend there, especially me this week.
This morning pastor quoted George Bernard Shaw, and I wanted to as well, "The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; that's the essence of inhumanity." I looked up some more GBS quotes and he had some good things to say, and some not so good things. But the respective is right on.
Then tonight at evening service, a hymn story was shared that I would like to post here.
Louisa Stead and her husband were relaxing with their four year-old daughter on a Long Island beach when they heard a desperate child's cry. A boy was drowning and Louisa's husband tired to rescue him. In the process, however, the boy pulled Mr. Stead under the water, and both drowned as Louisa and her daughter watched.
Lousia Stead was left with no means of support except the Lord. She and her daughter experience dire poverty. One morning, when she had neither funds nor food for the day, she opened the front door and found that someone had left food and money on her doorstep. That day she wrote this hymn:
'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to take Him at His Word,
Just to rest upon His promise,
Just to know "Thus saith the Lord."
Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!
How I've proved Him o'er and o'er!
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
O for grace to trust Him more!
O how sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to trust His cleansing blood,
Just in simple faith to plunge me
'Neath the healing, cleansing flood!
Yes, 'tis sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just from sin and self to cease,
Just from Jesus simply taking
Life and rest and joy and peace.
I'm so glad I learned to trust Him,
Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend;
And I know that He is with me,
Will be with me to the end.
(Taken from "The One Year Book of Hynms" Sept 11 entry.)
I hope that encourages you the way it encouraged me...
This week I want to pray for my friends, especially those who asked me to. My prayer request is that I will finish OT Prophets well and get at least a B.
i love lazy saturdays like today...sleep in...study just enough to justify doing nothing for the rest of the day. I also love drop in visitors just at the right time who take you some place and just hang out. I also absoultely LOVE Dollar Theaters, they are the best because they are only a dollar! You can go and see a movie and if it turns out to be crap you don't feel bad because you wasted $5 (or more) on it, you've just wasted your time...but hey you can't at everything. That is all I have...
here I am back at school...early...and I'm taking this course right...Old Testament Prophetic books...books which make up about one-third of the Bible, that's a lot of material to cover...especially in one week! But, I am learning a lot and am more focused then what I would be if it were spread out over a whole semester. There are a lot of facts, background information, and just different interpretations of the prophecties to know, but out professor puts in some much practical and personal stuff that it just ties together and makes sense. It's revelant to today! So even though my brain feels a lil fuzzy from studying for our midweek "midterm" I want to post some of the great stuff that I jotted down. It's not necessarily about the OT Propets, but just some "one-liners" Dr. A comes off with when talking about the prophets and what we can learn from the past.
From the lecture on Habakkuk, in no particular order--The just shall live by faith. Evil prevails when good men do nothing.
How long will God put up with America? It is not sin to ask "why" during the personal trials...
Sometimes words mean nothing. Christians isolate themselves.
Get your focus off the circumstances. Don't always go by what you see....but by what you believe....God is in control...Romans 8:28
from the lecture on Jeremiahnot a popular book because there are lots of revealed judgements that are to come God never accepts an excuse of why we won't do his bidding.
Those who are godly will suffer persecution. The focus on results and numbers is an American thing, we need to fulfill the task God has given us, regardless of results--that's in God's hands.
and finally...for today anyway...the lecture on Daniel and his early life and living in captivity that Christians ask today: How do you live a life of righteousness among unsaved people? and as mentioned earlier--isolation is not the answer!
I am glad I could post some stuff of what I am learning and put up some things that made me think, hope they stir up your mind. If you have any questions about the Old Testament Prophets, go ahead and ask me! Test my newly gained knowledge!
well....back to school...it's really nice...cause even though I am taking a class during the day, I am by myself and have time to think...and clean...so it's a good time to just get things in order for the semester and just reflect on the break...
Not much to write...need to study for my quiz tomorrow.
But, I wanted to say I am so thankful for my friend Suzanne...thanks for getting me:) this is a compilation of Superchic[k] songs I put together for you!
[super trouper]
You were meant to live large
Come on take charge
Let's go light the world up
Let's not wait until the end
To be the things we wish we'd been
You were meant to live life
Come on let's fly
You're a super trouper spotlight
We're gonna jump on the count of three
Here it comes now
One two three jump
[karaoke stars]
I feel alone
I feel unseen
I feel marked down
I just get my keys
And we can
Turn up the car radio
We can be karaoke superstars
Doesn't matter what they think
When we're driving in my car
If we don't think about it
[get up]
I'm not afraid to fall
It means I climbed up high
To fall is not to fail
You fail when you dont try
I'm not afraid to fall
I might just learn to fly
And I will spread these wings of mine
If I get up I might fall back down again
so lets get up C'mon
If I get up I might fall back down again
We get up anyway
If I get up I might fall back down again
so lets get up C'mon
If Iget up I might fall back down again
And I might fall back down again
And well just jump and see
Even if its the 20th time
We'll just jump and see if we can fly
[Not Done Yet ]
It's been one of those days for a lot of days now,
I need a day where the world can take care of itself.
This isn't what I wanted,
How I thought my life would turn out,
And I wonder if it's like this from here on out.
Sometimes life gets you, but we go on.
Sometimes life gets you, we're still going on.
We're not done yet,
not going quietly into the night,
Not me and my friends.
We're not done yet,
Don't take it too seriously,
It's just life
We'll win in the end.
[alright]
There's so much on my mind lately
I can't make out my own thoughts anymore
I don't know where one begins and the other one ends
I wish that I could push a button
And turn it all off just for a little while
Long enough to take a breath and then I'll know
It'll be OK
It'll be alright
so that's a lot of lyrics but that's what i am listening to right now and it's good stuff...check out superchic[k].
hey....ok well...I can say from experience now that at 1:35 am the po-po (aka policeman) are out. That's right, yours truely was pulled over last night, her first time ever! But, since it was my first time ever being pulled over and since I wasn't going that fast and I was not drunk, mr. policeman gave a warning and told me to slow down. And the reason I tell you this is not to brag, but because it showed me mercy being practice by a human. I deserved a ticket, a fine for breaking the law, but mr. policeman showed mercy to me. It just reminded me of what God and the mercy that He has shown us through Jesus...I can't get over it! I do not deserve such a good life....and yet I complain at the smallest things....
Another thing I learned from my run-in with the law last night is that actions speak louder then words, but reactions scream louder then anything else. I was surprised at my reactions, (especially because I didn't cry), and was not rude about the fact that mr. policeman stopped me, because I am sure they get attitude quite often. Even when mr. policeman made a sarcastic remark to me I didn't say anything in return...so I am proud of myself, well, I am thankful that I had a Christ-like attitude despite my pounding headache and having to be the person sitting in a car with a policeman and his flashing lights behind me that everyone slows down to look at (rubberneckers!)...
so, that is my latest news....back to school tomorrow...sigh...more packing...hopefully no more run ins with the po-pos...but I am, as hard as it is to believe, thankful for the incident last night because I did learn a lot...big lessons come in unexpected ways!
Seize the Day....even when it is snowing....and when you have been up to 4:30am and you are awoken by the guys putting up drywall right above your head at 8am...
The song I posted yesterday is an "expression" of a lot of stuff I was feeling, and I am thankful that someone else can relate to what I am going through...but at the same time I wish I could write exactly what I was feeling in such a concise way. Lots of praises, just the fact that God answers prayers in ways that I don't understand, but it is the answer I need....
Not much to write....I wanted to make a blog to post my pictures on, but it's not cooperating so I will post some at random here, just to liven up the space a bit...so here is one from 2 years ago...it's of me and my friend Heather....it's cute...
Well, it's back to posting a song...it's what I relate to....
Superficial nature wearing thin.
I can't seem to begin.
What really do I see when I stare back at me?
As crushing time reveals my foe,
Inheriting all woe.
Solutions in the past,
Conditioned not to ask.
It's what you're meant to be,
Your name and number.
Be all that you should be.
You will recover things you haven't lost,
Because they don't see you like you think they do.
Please just become you.
"Release your fear" is what he said.
This all came to a head.
Feel cheated out of you,
Tradition follows through.
Though I can't see how this will end,
I know that you will always pull me through.
My soul went searching for a cause
But came back empty-handed.
The emptiness you see...
Building a better me. Dogwood "Building a Better Me"
wow....so much to process....so here I am just checking my e-mail (of course I have none), thinking about what to write on here and out of nowhere someone IMs and I am stunned by what they tell me....don't ya like my detail:), well ask me and I will fill you in. But my point is--don't let people throw you off, especially when it really doesn't affect you, but merely shocks you. Don't take anything too personal. That is advice which I have no explaination for, yet tons of experience. I am so random...and I have been putting off doing homework so I shall make this quick, just a few more thoughts that have been floating around my cranium.
I like to be mindlessly entertained...it's an escape from reality, probably why the U.S. is the entertainment capital, we're all trying to escape from the reality of what is and what we aren't. I watched a movie tonight that was too good to be true and the plot interweaved all of the characters and their problems and then in the end all of their problems disappeared and everyone lived happily ever after....and that made me, well not happy, but I enjoyed it, and for almost 2 hours my problems disappeared and I was able avoid doing homework....
My homework really isn't that bad, and in fact it's not even work, it's more like devotion. I enjoy doing it, but I also enjoy putting it off...
It's hard to believe today was the first day of 2003, I completely forgot until I went to a family dinner get-together thing and everyone hugged me and wished me a Happy New Year. It was a rainy dreary day...not very happy, but it made my grandfather happy because he said we need the rain because the water table is low...that made me look at the rain as a blessing...my pap-pap has a way of seeing the brighter side of things...I wish I had his optimism...
Well on to the second day of 2003!
Happy 2003!!! I would like to thank Dan Basstt aka CombatDan for fixing up my lil blog hear and showing me how to improve it. Sorry to laff your head injury:) Bacon up that sausage!!! I've never brought in the New Year with people banging on pots and pans before....that was fun...
It's almost 2am and I am actually tired, which is unusal because this is how late I stay up every night...guess it was from playing mad gab...crazy game.
Well, not much to write. I didn't spend my last day of 2002 doing anything exciting or trying to accomplish a new years resolution that I had not yet achieved. But I have no regrets because basically I did what I needed to do and I forgot about it being the end of a year. Time is what you make it. I don't feel pressed by the dates on the calender, UNLESS I have a paper due, but otherwise I just want to finish what I start, making sure I make the most of the time God has given me. I am trying to learn balance...balancing everything in my life so I am not spinning off into some random direction, falling for anything...
Ok...comments will be coming soon!
