Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Update!

So i'm sitting in class right now trying to pay attention but the teacher is very... wordy. We are talking about pluralism and John Hicks view of all religions. It is a very interesting topic for conversation, but the medium i'm being taught through (my teacher) is less than a great orator. Its okay though. :-)

Last week, i finished reading the book Brisingr. It was a fairly easy read (comparable to a harry potter) but it was much better. I mean, any book that has dragons and flaming swords is alright in my book. 

and, lastly, the eagles lost this past week to the chicago bears. a fourth quarter 4 and 1 was shut down by the bears and broke the back of the eagles... 2-2 isn't so bad... 

until next time!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Snapshot Post

-Sadly, the Eagles lost to the Cowboys on monday night. 

-I am also currently in find new music mode. This can be detrimental to my bank account (though it hasn't posed that problem just yet) and to my computer's memory. The problem: Music is all just too good.

-School and PAing are picking up some, and the grind of junior year has slowly started to dawn upon me. I can foresee many, many sleepless nights. 

-Bethany and I still are not talking, which is hard. I'm still dealing with a lot of the emotion of the entire situation. Basically, its a day to day process. We'll see what happens.

-The Phubbbbbbbs and I went to Noblesville yesterday on a man-date. We talked a lot about the changes and improvements that we can help catch hold in our dorm and in our lives. I really respect him for the strong moral and ethical convictions that he has. It makes me proud of him as a brother in christ and as a friend. We also pretended that we like sports. (example: the first bullet point of this post)

-I heard one of the biggest lineman on the football team here at Taylor squeal like a little girl... at a breath mint. He thought it was a bug. It was unbelievable.

-This past monday night, the ethiopia mission trip team met together and delegated out some tasks. I was appointed to be in the worship group, and I got to lead the team in a song of worship. We sang "you must increase"; my favorite worship song; and I think it had a good effect on the team. As we prepare to head to Yetebon, please be praying for us to have Jesus completely as our focus. We want him to increase and for us to decrease.

-I just read through the entire book of Judges. It is one of the craziest things I have ever read, and i've read a lot of crazy stuff! Basically, the entire old testament is insane. I am fairly amazed at the stubbornness of the Israelites, but then i remember how i continually sin... Sigh, God has a funny way of being ironic...

-The final book in the inheritance trilogy (by Christopher Paolini) comes out this weekend! Eragon, Eldest, and now Brisingr will complete the trilogy and finish a huge endeavor that Paolini started when he was just 16. Lets just hope that if Eldest and Brisingr are turned into movies, they are better than Eragon was...

-A fellow friend on my floor (Steven Stevens) and I have decided and vowed to grow our beards out for a year. Sorry Momma! This doesn't mean that I can't trim the thing and make it look nice, but a promise is a promise... Pictures will probably be posted weekly starting very soon. 

Thanks!

Thursday, September 11, 2008

A Little Self-Realization

Hey Blog,

So I'm feeling a little bit down currently. To make a long, complicated story short, Bethany (my girlfriend) and I broke up this past week. It has been very interesting to see all the different ways that I've reacted to this new situation that God has put me into. 

First off, I still love Bethany. I love her very deeply. This in no way has weakened that. Yet i feel like it should! Usually when people break up, the relationship dwindles. Usually when people break up, you try and get over the person. I haven't really found that to be true. 

I know that sounds quite creepy, but i promise that I'm not stalking anyone or anything. :-) My love for her has had the cushy exterior taken off of it, and now its time for the rubber to meet the road. Will I try and become a better man for Bethany, or will I stay exactly where I'm at right now.

But through that train of thought comes and even bigger struggle: Should I be improving in my life for her and my love for her, or for God and my love for Him? 

This thought has been running through my head recently, and i've been tossing it back and forth. Through good conversations and a lot of self searching, I realize that my relationship with God is the most important thing in my life. Its not that it should be, it is. Even if i don't want it to be, the way that I view my God is what I base everything else in the world upon. 

Ok, lets just say for a minute that Bethany and I hadn't broken up. Our relationship would've continued and it would have been fine. But what if she died? What if she was taken out of my life in a completely unexpected way? If my world-view is based upon my relationship with her, I will view God as unfair and unjust. Everything that i think in my brain comes back to God, which in turn brings me to Jesus Christ. 

I've been reading through the old testament from front to back, and I am about to finish up with Joshua. In Joshua 3:5 Joshua tells the people to purify themselves because in the next day God was going to do wonders. I feel like i've been called to be purified. Purified in my thoughts and Purified in my actions. God is a jealous God that is so jealous, he constantly draws all my thoughts back to Him. 

Through this lens, I have been so stupid! I apologize to every relationship that I've not been god focused in, to Bethany, and first and foremost to God. 

Hah. This was embarrassingly introspective. I hope that if you bring this to me sometime, I blush. :-)

it feels good to blog.

:-)