Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Time to brush my teeth
I told a friend tonight that I've been spending most of my time alone lately and that it's changing my perspective on a lot of things. I don't know if I said it because it's true or if I said it because I am trying to get accustomed to the fact that it might be true, but nonetheless I know I've been spending a significant time by myself lately and it definitely has altered my perceptions. I've spent so long, more than just these past years at ACU, always trying to be at the right place at the right time with the right people doing the most fun thing I could be doing at that very moment. The age of cell phones has gotten us out of making plans and sticking to them and carried us into an age of calling around until we find the best option. Anyway, my friend responded that spending most of your time alone is the best thing to do. I don't know that I agree, but I do know that, although I definitely have benefitted and grown from community, I think my leaps-and-bounds kind of growth comes from the times when I hang out with just me. I quit trying to impress myself about a year ago and so it's become rather refreshing to be able to be myself with myself and my thoughts and really get where I'm trying to go without an ego or false self perception getting in the way. I'm working towards the point where I'm no longer trying to impress anyone else, either, and though I'm getting remarkably close let's be real, I'm a 21 year old female. So I just started this book called Two Views on Women in Ministry for a class I'm in and it's making me realize that I have very strong beliefs and very strong opinions and rarely do I have anything concrete to back up those beliefs and opinions. Don't get me wrong, I can straight fool you into thinking that I do have solid research and conviction to back it up, but really all I have done is stolen someone else's conviction and plagiarized it as my own. Perhaps plagiarized is a strong term, but as I read this book that's how I feel. It's a good feeling, though, because it makes me want to study and learn more about why I think I believe what I do. Recently I have had this hunger for the Word that I have never before had in my life. A hunger for the Word has now replaced what used to be a hunger for a hunger for the Word. Now I've skipped the guilt and gone straight to seeking answers to questions, rather than wishing I had the desire to seek answers to questions. Get it? Doesn't matter. This post has lots of tangents and few readers. Time to brush my teeth.
Wednesday, October 4, 2006
I'm back...
My favorite days are characterized by one very specific quality. It doesn't really matter the day of the week (though I tend to like Thursdays...) or the time of year (although nice weather does put me in the best of moods...) or who I spend time with (well, who am I kidding...that actually affects my choice of favorite days quite strongly.) My favorite days are actually the ones in which I realize how hysterical of a sense of humor God has. Some people resent the image of God as a puppet-master, but I tend to be drawn to it for this very reason. I appreciate and fully attribute those funny little situations that I learn from and am humbled (see next paragraph) by to God's supreme sense of humor. I hope it's not disrespectful to view God in this way, because for me it draws me closer to Him and helps me to relate to His loving nature.
Example of the day: tonight as I was studying for a midterm in my Women in Christian Service class (taught by Jeanene Reese, my hero, but THAT is another blog...) I was reading about spiritual disciplines and spiritual giftedness, the purpose for their practice, etc. I became inspired to really embrace the study of spiritual disciplines and to further study spiritual gifts. The discipline of Simplicity has been tugging at my heart recently and the gift of discernment has been weighing on my heart, so I marched my little self up the stairs to the new Theological Reading Room in our library and found three books related to these particular topics. As I walked out among the Theology grad students, the Spiritual of the spiritual, I was feeling rather intelligent and rather spiritual and rather wise with my three books tucked under my arm. I made my way to the check-out counter so I could get home to begin reading up on my newly-found passion. I assumed the girl at the counter would probably be pretty impressed, too, when she saw the subject matter and that I was checking out three of them...until I heard this:
Girl: "Um...you have a $5 fine on your account."
Me: "Really? Oh...well does that have to be paid before I can check these out?"
Girl: "Yeah...you have to get it below $3."
Me: (annoyed, because I need to get home to start increasing my spirituality) "Ok...well, what is it even for?"
Girl: "Sex and the City DVDs."
Simplicity? Discernment?
Got it. :)
Example of the day: tonight as I was studying for a midterm in my Women in Christian Service class (taught by Jeanene Reese, my hero, but THAT is another blog...) I was reading about spiritual disciplines and spiritual giftedness, the purpose for their practice, etc. I became inspired to really embrace the study of spiritual disciplines and to further study spiritual gifts. The discipline of Simplicity has been tugging at my heart recently and the gift of discernment has been weighing on my heart, so I marched my little self up the stairs to the new Theological Reading Room in our library and found three books related to these particular topics. As I walked out among the Theology grad students, the Spiritual of the spiritual, I was feeling rather intelligent and rather spiritual and rather wise with my three books tucked under my arm. I made my way to the check-out counter so I could get home to begin reading up on my newly-found passion. I assumed the girl at the counter would probably be pretty impressed, too, when she saw the subject matter and that I was checking out three of them...until I heard this:
Girl: "Um...you have a $5 fine on your account."
Me: "Really? Oh...well does that have to be paid before I can check these out?"
Girl: "Yeah...you have to get it below $3."
Me: (annoyed, because I need to get home to start increasing my spirituality) "Ok...well, what is it even for?"
Girl: "Sex and the City DVDs."
Simplicity? Discernment?
Got it. :)
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Reflections from the Road/Spring Break
1. Texas drivers are the worst drivers in the country. In the country. (I would say world, but I've been to Brazil...).
3. My parents think "The Office" is absolutely hilarious. This strangely impressed me. I say "strangely" because either a) they're much cooler than they used to be or, b) they were always this cool I just refused to accept it. Something tells me it's probably the latter.
4. "Teenage Wasteland" has one of the best intros I have ever heard in a song. Thank you to Dr. Greg House for introducing me to this precious tidbit of information.
5. If he had been born 10 years earlier, Jesse McCartney would have enjoyed a very successful career with the Backstreet Boys. Maybe he and Aaron Carter can team up. They look like the same person anyways.
6. I consumed at least my body weight, possibly more, in strawberries this week. Ain't nothin wrong with that...
7. There are too many white trucks in Texas. On the Texas-half of my drive back to Abilene, every single vehicle I found myself behind was a white truck. Coincidentally, every vehicle I passed was also a white truck. Refer to point #1. If you live in Texas and have a white truck, paint it. White is boring. (Yes, I realize that Xavier is white. Although I love her, I wish she was green.)
8. Gas is too expensive. And with no good reason. Gas should be free. And water should be free. Actually, cars should run on water. And it should be free. Smart people, get on that.
9. Selling CDs back for cash, especially in the age of iPods, is an extremely lucrative business. Say hello to 28 dollars and say goodbye to Celine Dion. They didn't, however, accept my Creed cds or Backstreet Boys. Can you blame them? Insert embarrassed face here -->___.
10. I continue to hear from new people every time that the Coldplay concert was the best concert they've ever been to. Lucky for me I agree.
11. I don't hate the rain, but I hate driving in the rain. HATE it. Absolutely nothing good comes from long roadtrips in heavy rain. (Well, except that I don't have to give Xavier the traditional post-roadtrip bath. Ok, so one teeny tiny barely significant good thing comes from roadtrips in the rain.)
12. "Dookie" by Green Day is still one of the greatest albums of all time. Definitely on my Deserted Island list. "Nimrod" isn't too bad, either.
13. The more and more I go home, the more and more it isn't home anymore.
14. I hate the feeling of loneliness. I am codependent upon companionship. That's better than being codependent on alcohol...right?
15. Telling people you love them is important. Utilizing the numbers in your cell's phone book is necessary. If you think about someone, even for a second, whom you haven't talked to in a long time, call them up and tell them so. Chances are they won't think you're weird, like you might fear, and instead you will make their day. It's a shame that you have to go through losing someone to be reminded of that. Don't be scared to let someone know that they are appreciated.
16. Like my sister said, it's hard to accept when someone dies. Even if the chance that you would have seen that person again or even talked to them any time soon was slim, it's still comforting to know that he or she was still existing out there somewhere, doing good for someone. Please refer to #15 here and then do something about it. Carrie, we take comfort in the fact that your legacy, your incredible sense of humor, your joyful spirit, and your profound gift of friendship, will continue to do good for all of the people who passed through your life for a long, long time. You are unforgettable.
- If you are from Texas and this statement offends you, you are probably one of them.
- If you are not from Texas and this statement offends you, that's just weird.
- If you are from Texas and you think "Well, maybe, but I'm not one of them," there is an excellent chance you are wrong, and until an out-of-stater deems you correct your opinion does not count.
- If you are from Texas, you agree, and this statement does not offend you because it is true, you are probably not a "Texas driver." You are probably an exception, and that is an honorable title.
3. My parents think "The Office" is absolutely hilarious. This strangely impressed me. I say "strangely" because either a) they're much cooler than they used to be or, b) they were always this cool I just refused to accept it. Something tells me it's probably the latter.
4. "Teenage Wasteland" has one of the best intros I have ever heard in a song. Thank you to Dr. Greg House for introducing me to this precious tidbit of information.
5. If he had been born 10 years earlier, Jesse McCartney would have enjoyed a very successful career with the Backstreet Boys. Maybe he and Aaron Carter can team up. They look like the same person anyways.
6. I consumed at least my body weight, possibly more, in strawberries this week. Ain't nothin wrong with that...
7. There are too many white trucks in Texas. On the Texas-half of my drive back to Abilene, every single vehicle I found myself behind was a white truck. Coincidentally, every vehicle I passed was also a white truck. Refer to point #1. If you live in Texas and have a white truck, paint it. White is boring. (Yes, I realize that Xavier is white. Although I love her, I wish she was green.)
8. Gas is too expensive. And with no good reason. Gas should be free. And water should be free. Actually, cars should run on water. And it should be free. Smart people, get on that.
9. Selling CDs back for cash, especially in the age of iPods, is an extremely lucrative business. Say hello to 28 dollars and say goodbye to Celine Dion. They didn't, however, accept my Creed cds or Backstreet Boys. Can you blame them? Insert embarrassed face here -->___.
10. I continue to hear from new people every time that the Coldplay concert was the best concert they've ever been to. Lucky for me I agree.
11. I don't hate the rain, but I hate driving in the rain. HATE it. Absolutely nothing good comes from long roadtrips in heavy rain. (Well, except that I don't have to give Xavier the traditional post-roadtrip bath. Ok, so one teeny tiny barely significant good thing comes from roadtrips in the rain.)
12. "Dookie" by Green Day is still one of the greatest albums of all time. Definitely on my Deserted Island list. "Nimrod" isn't too bad, either.
13. The more and more I go home, the more and more it isn't home anymore.
14. I hate the feeling of loneliness. I am codependent upon companionship. That's better than being codependent on alcohol...right?
15. Telling people you love them is important. Utilizing the numbers in your cell's phone book is necessary. If you think about someone, even for a second, whom you haven't talked to in a long time, call them up and tell them so. Chances are they won't think you're weird, like you might fear, and instead you will make their day. It's a shame that you have to go through losing someone to be reminded of that. Don't be scared to let someone know that they are appreciated.
16. Like my sister said, it's hard to accept when someone dies. Even if the chance that you would have seen that person again or even talked to them any time soon was slim, it's still comforting to know that he or she was still existing out there somewhere, doing good for someone. Please refer to #15 here and then do something about it. Carrie, we take comfort in the fact that your legacy, your incredible sense of humor, your joyful spirit, and your profound gift of friendship, will continue to do good for all of the people who passed through your life for a long, long time. You are unforgettable.
Wednesday, January 4, 2006
Parochial.
We are currently in the midst of week 4 out of 5 of Christmas break. No, you did not read that incorrectly. 5. Count them. One-two-three-four-five. I know, right? How retarded. But not so retarded that I wish I was resuming classes this week, like Oklahoma public schools, or next week, like Oklahoma state universities. I just think it's weird. So in the spirit of academic nostalgia (it's rumored that Patty V actually wrote an essay to combat boredom over the break. While I have not checked on this--I'm trying to break myself of my blog-slut tendencies--it nevertheless amazes me, because I find myself doing the same thing. Not writing essays, but doing educational things to fill my time. But I digress...) I decided to give you a small test. Not the quizyourfriends.com kind of test, but the kind you are about to take:
1. Blogs are for _____ people.
a. self-involved
b. bored
c. too-smart-for-their-own-good-and-like-to-show-off
d. too smart, too stupid, and none in between.
2. Blog entries should be written _____.
a. every day.
b. at least twice a week.
c. once a month.
d. whenever revelations resembling genius-thought arise.
3. I, Cris Carpenter, choose to write in this blog _____.
a. whenever I feel like it, dangit!
b. when I remember it exists.
c. whenever I have something to write of which I can be proud, because I am a writing snob.
d. whenever there is something on my mind that I have to get out, so I cop out and do it on the internet.
Have you ever visited Iambored.com? That might have been a better use of your time than taking the test you just did. If you are still pondering the answers then I have a surprise for you: there were no right answers. And there were no wrong answers. Sucka! They were all right in their own way. I'm such a people pleaser. Geez.
Right now would be a terrific time for me to dive into some sort of intellectual thought and enlighten you on my opinions on certain matters, but let's be honest: I'm at the Cabin, they're watching the Rose Bowl, I just got my hair cut and feel like a movie star, and therefore have no great thoughts on which to enlighten you. But don't worry, as they come I will share. Instead, I think I am going to compose a sentence using the Word o' the Day from my 2006 365 Words a Year! tear-away calendar I got for Christmas (is saying "I totally banked at Christmas" wrong? Because I did.) It was most definitely in my top 10 of Christmas gifts, fo shiz. I'm such a nerd. And then I'm going to tell you that we all, as a community, need to start using the word "terrific" more because it is HIGHLY underrated. "Fabulous," "fantastic," and "tight," are out, folks. Terrific is in. Use it, love it. "Arrested Development," my new favorite show, is also in. Watch it, love it. See, told you I felt like a movie star. I'm telling you what to do and acting as though my opinion is commensurate to God's. It's not. His is way better than mine. Commensurate was not my January 4 word of the day, though I do hope it is in the calendar somewhere because I sure do love that word. Ok. Word o' the day time.
When seeking news, my top choice in news providers is either CNN Headline news or cnn.com, because their presentation and story-choice is far from parochial, unlike FoxNews--boo!!
Haha I just lost like 47 friends. Happy January! If you're smart and I mis-used my new word, please let me know. I'll be happy to change it.
1. Blogs are for _____ people.
a. self-involved
b. bored
c. too-smart-for-their-own-good-and-like-to-show-off
d. too smart, too stupid, and none in between.
2. Blog entries should be written _____.
a. every day.
b. at least twice a week.
c. once a month.
d. whenever revelations resembling genius-thought arise.
3. I, Cris Carpenter, choose to write in this blog _____.
a. whenever I feel like it, dangit!
b. when I remember it exists.
c. whenever I have something to write of which I can be proud, because I am a writing snob.
d. whenever there is something on my mind that I have to get out, so I cop out and do it on the internet.
Have you ever visited Iambored.com? That might have been a better use of your time than taking the test you just did. If you are still pondering the answers then I have a surprise for you: there were no right answers. And there were no wrong answers. Sucka! They were all right in their own way. I'm such a people pleaser. Geez.
Right now would be a terrific time for me to dive into some sort of intellectual thought and enlighten you on my opinions on certain matters, but let's be honest: I'm at the Cabin, they're watching the Rose Bowl, I just got my hair cut and feel like a movie star, and therefore have no great thoughts on which to enlighten you. But don't worry, as they come I will share. Instead, I think I am going to compose a sentence using the Word o' the Day from my 2006 365 Words a Year! tear-away calendar I got for Christmas (is saying "I totally banked at Christmas" wrong? Because I did.) It was most definitely in my top 10 of Christmas gifts, fo shiz. I'm such a nerd. And then I'm going to tell you that we all, as a community, need to start using the word "terrific" more because it is HIGHLY underrated. "Fabulous," "fantastic," and "tight," are out, folks. Terrific is in. Use it, love it. "Arrested Development," my new favorite show, is also in. Watch it, love it. See, told you I felt like a movie star. I'm telling you what to do and acting as though my opinion is commensurate to God's. It's not. His is way better than mine. Commensurate was not my January 4 word of the day, though I do hope it is in the calendar somewhere because I sure do love that word. Ok. Word o' the day time.
When seeking news, my top choice in news providers is either CNN Headline news or cnn.com, because their presentation and story-choice is far from parochial, unlike FoxNews--boo!!
Haha I just lost like 47 friends. Happy January! If you're smart and I mis-used my new word, please let me know. I'll be happy to change it.
We are currently in the midst of week 4 out of 5 of Christmas break. No, you did not read that incorrectly. 5. Count them. One-two-three-four-five. I know, right? How retarded. But not so retarded that I wish I was resuming classes this week, like Oklahoma public schools, or next week, like Oklahoma state universities. I just think it's weird. So in the spirit of academic nostalgia (it's rumored that Patty V actually wrote an essay to combat boredom over the break. While I have not checked on this--I'm trying to break myself of my blog-slut tendencies--it nevertheless amazes me, because I find myself doing the same thing. Not writing essays, but doing educational things to fill my time. But I digress...) I decided to give you a small test. Not the quizyourfriends.com kind of test, but the kind you are about to take:
1. Blogs are for _____ people.
a. self-involved
b. bored
c. too-smart-for-their-own-good-and-like-to-show-off
d. too smart, too stupid, and none in between.
2. Blog entries should be written _____.
a. every day.
b. at least twice a week.
c. once a month.
d. whenever revelations resembling genius-thought arise.
3. I, Cris Carpenter, choose to write in this blog _____.
a. whenever I feel like it, dangit!
b. when I remember it exists.
c. whenever I have something to write of which I can be proud, because I am a writing snob.
d. whenever there is something on my mind that I have to get out, so I cop out and do it on the internet.
Have you ever visited Iambored.com? That might have been a better use of your time than taking the test you just did. If you are still pondering the answers then I have a surprise for you: there were no right answers. And there were no wrong answers. Sucka! They were all right in their own way. I'm such a people pleaser. Geez.
Right now would be a terrific time for me to dive into some sort of intellectual thought and enlighten you on my opinions on certain matters, but let's be honest: I'm at the Cabin, they're watching the Rose Bowl, I just got my hair cut and feel like a movie star, and therefore have no great thoughts on which to enlighten you. But don't worry, as they come I will share. Instead, I think I am going to compose a sentence using the Word o' the Day from my 2006 365 Words a Year! tear-away calendar I got for Christmas (is saying "I totally banked at Christmas" wrong? Because I did.) It was most definitely in my top 10 of Christmas gifts, fo shiz. I'm such a nerd. And then I'm going to tell you that we all, as a community, need to start using the word "terrific" more because it is HIGHLY underrated. "Fabulous," "fantastic," and "tight," are out, folks. Terrific is in. Use it, love it. "Arrested Development," my new favorite show, is also in. Watch it, love it. See, told you I felt like a movie star. I'm telling you what to do and acting as though my opinion is commensurate to God's. It's not. His is way better than mine. Commensurate was not my January 4 word of the day, though I do hope it is in the calendar somewhere because I sure do love that word. Ok. Word o' the day time.
When seeking news, my top choice in news providers is either CNN Headline news or cnn.com, because their presentation and story-choice is far from parochial, unlike FoxNews--boo!!
Haha I just lost like 47 friends. Happy January! If you're smart and I mis-used my new word, please let me know. I'll be happy to change it.
1. Blogs are for _____ people.
a. self-involved
b. bored
c. too-smart-for-their-own-good-and-like-to-show-off
d. too smart, too stupid, and none in between.
2. Blog entries should be written _____.
a. every day.
b. at least twice a week.
c. once a month.
d. whenever revelations resembling genius-thought arise.
3. I, Cris Carpenter, choose to write in this blog _____.
a. whenever I feel like it, dangit!
b. when I remember it exists.
c. whenever I have something to write of which I can be proud, because I am a writing snob.
d. whenever there is something on my mind that I have to get out, so I cop out and do it on the internet.
Have you ever visited Iambored.com? That might have been a better use of your time than taking the test you just did. If you are still pondering the answers then I have a surprise for you: there were no right answers. And there were no wrong answers. Sucka! They were all right in their own way. I'm such a people pleaser. Geez.
Right now would be a terrific time for me to dive into some sort of intellectual thought and enlighten you on my opinions on certain matters, but let's be honest: I'm at the Cabin, they're watching the Rose Bowl, I just got my hair cut and feel like a movie star, and therefore have no great thoughts on which to enlighten you. But don't worry, as they come I will share. Instead, I think I am going to compose a sentence using the Word o' the Day from my 2006 365 Words a Year! tear-away calendar I got for Christmas (is saying "I totally banked at Christmas" wrong? Because I did.) It was most definitely in my top 10 of Christmas gifts, fo shiz. I'm such a nerd. And then I'm going to tell you that we all, as a community, need to start using the word "terrific" more because it is HIGHLY underrated. "Fabulous," "fantastic," and "tight," are out, folks. Terrific is in. Use it, love it. "Arrested Development," my new favorite show, is also in. Watch it, love it. See, told you I felt like a movie star. I'm telling you what to do and acting as though my opinion is commensurate to God's. It's not. His is way better than mine. Commensurate was not my January 4 word of the day, though I do hope it is in the calendar somewhere because I sure do love that word. Ok. Word o' the day time.
When seeking news, my top choice in news providers is either CNN Headline news or cnn.com, because their presentation and story-choice is far from parochial, unlike FoxNews--boo!!
Haha I just lost like 47 friends. Happy January! If you're smart and I mis-used my new word, please let me know. I'll be happy to change it.
Friday, December 16, 2005
Sex, Drugs, and Blogging
I am becoming a blogging junkie. And that's not something I'm proud of. Let me explain. Even though school ended last week, I have been in Abilene this whole week working. My boss left to go to Africa on Wednesday, so yesterday and today I am working 8-5 to cover for her, sitting at a desk, doing some work but primarily twiddling my thumbs. So, in addition to finishing a book(Runaway Jury by Grisham, I'd give it a 5.5 out of 10) and beginning a new one (Velvet Elvis by Bell, so far an 8 if you like the Blue Like Jazz genre), my never-before-present ADD has kicked in and I find myself being a blog slut. I have read more blogs by more people I don't know than I ever thought I would. Who does that? Sadly, I think a lot of people do.
So, I'm reading this one blog by this one guy I kind of know who has been going through a rough time lately so of course I read his blog to see how he's doing? (Sadly, I think a lot of people do that, too.) Anyway, the psychologist in me starts reading his blogs back in November to see if I see signs of the rough time approaching, and I see a link to another blog at ACU. So I click on it. I begin to read it, see that she knows some people I know, and wonder if maybe I know who she is. So I click on a link on her blog that links to another blog of a name I know but don't know this guy personally, and I start reading his. His blog is so captivating that I read the comments on it and find a link to another blog. If you are keeping track and are familiar with the 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon game, I am now 4 degrees away from myself. Approaching whom, I don't know, but I'm 4 degrees away. Anyway. I stumble onto this other blog, where I find this:
"I know this may step on a few toes, but I have to let it out. I am extremely saddened by American churches who are spending millions of dollars on the wrong things. I recently read about a church that spent $19 million to expand their poperty and enlarge their buildings. How can this happen when.....
So, I'm reading this one blog by this one guy I kind of know who has been going through a rough time lately so of course I read his blog to see how he's doing? (Sadly, I think a lot of people do that, too.) Anyway, the psychologist in me starts reading his blogs back in November to see if I see signs of the rough time approaching, and I see a link to another blog at ACU. So I click on it. I begin to read it, see that she knows some people I know, and wonder if maybe I know who she is. So I click on a link on her blog that links to another blog of a name I know but don't know this guy personally, and I start reading his. His blog is so captivating that I read the comments on it and find a link to another blog. If you are keeping track and are familiar with the 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon game, I am now 4 degrees away from myself. Approaching whom, I don't know, but I'm 4 degrees away. Anyway. I stumble onto this other blog, where I find this:
"I know this may step on a few toes, but I have to let it out. I am extremely saddened by American churches who are spending millions of dollars on the wrong things. I recently read about a church that spent $19 million to expand their poperty and enlarge their buildings. How can this happen when.....
- Nearly one in four people, 1.3 billion - a majority of humanity - live on less than $1 per day.
- One in twelve people worldwide is malnourished, including 160 million children under the age of 5.
- An estimated one out of 6 elderly people in the U.S. has an inadequate diet.
- An estimated 40.3 million people worldwide are living with AIDS this year.
- An estimated 12 million children have been orphaned by AIDS in Africa.
- Today 6500 Africans will die of AIDS.
- Today 4.1 million Africans need anit-AIDS drugs and only 50,000 will get them.
- According to figures provided by the US Department of Health and Human Services, up to 600,000 men, women, and children go homeless each night in the US.
I just don't get it. How could something that started so good have gone so wrong? Please tell me that people are still more important than property and that big buildings will not be the greatest legacy of the church. Please."
So here's this guy 4 degrees away from me, I have no idea who he is. And if he ever reads this (maybe he's a slut too) I apologize for taking your entry. But I thought it was brilliant. (I'm the one who bolded and mega-capitalized that one sentence.) That's the kind of stuff I'm talking about people. Read my first blog, it's about 4 down I think, and this is another illustration to the concept that I think God views us moronic humans as a bunch of chickens running around with our heads cut off, passing harmful legislation and spending MILLIONS on church buildings, not churches (the church is the people not the building, remember? I learned that phrase by heart when I was four.) when there are far greater causes we need to be funding in His name. I think God might be ok with us not even having a dang milion-dollar roof over our heads when we gather to worship if it means that we're helping His hurting children. Rather than expand how 'bout we split up and plant churches?
You know what, I'll stop here. I can type real fast and I don't know if you blog sluts are ready for Tangents ala Cris. Given the incredible infrequency of my posts, I'm going to go ahead and wish you all (all 4 of you who read this) a Merry Christmas if I don't come back for a while. HappyChrismahannukwanzaakah! (I stole that one, too, from Justin who stole it from Virgin Mobile I think? I'm a slutty thief.)
BYE!
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
NSYNC
My sister has a very keen sense of smell. That's her sense. When good food, or bad food for that matter, is placed in front of her, the first thing she does is smell it. She trusts her sense of smell to determine all kinds of things, and certain smells jog certain memories.
My sense is sound. Even though I swear that I'm deaf sometimes, nothing brings back memories like certain sounds, whether they be music or buses. Buses make me think of Brazil, music makes me think of the time in my life when I first heard that particular song.
Over Thanksgiving I was driving around Edmond in my old car, the beloved Tercel, listening to my old radio station and I felt like I was in high school again. I heard "Pretty Fly for a White Guy" and almost cried. How 8th grade is that? And sometimes I'll hear "What Would You Do?" by CityHigh, and it makes me think of the best summer of my life: summer between sophomore and junior year. NSYNC's "I Want You Back" reminds me of the summer just before I began the 8th grade, when my family moved to Edmond and I found out what boy bands were. That same summer includes the song "Crush" by Jennifer Paige. Freshman year of high school holds "Bye Bye Bye," for NSYNC's second appearance on my list, and "Hey Ya" will forever remind me of freshman year at ACU in Gardner dorm, where Molly and I would listen to that song every single morning as we got ready for class.
There are certain songs that remind me of certain people in certain places. That "I keep on falling in and out of love with you" song by Alicia Keyes makes me think of a happy little relationship I had in high school, both of us sitting in my car (yay Tercel!) outside of his work. "Breath In" by Frou Frou was the soundtrack to driving around Abilene with Mike sophomore year to find grub costumes. Anything by Jump Little Children or Phoenix makes me think of Mike, to whom I can attribute about 90% of my musical taste. And then there was that time freshman year when a bunch of us drove out to the Anson Lights and Frankie J's "Suga Suga" was playing...that song's for Alex. :)
Whatever your sense is, I hope that it brings back memories as vivid as mine. One of my favorite feelings in the whole world is for a song to come on that holds such significant memories and to be so overcome with joy that you actually feel it. I think I'll go listen to a little NSYNC now...
My sense is sound. Even though I swear that I'm deaf sometimes, nothing brings back memories like certain sounds, whether they be music or buses. Buses make me think of Brazil, music makes me think of the time in my life when I first heard that particular song.
Over Thanksgiving I was driving around Edmond in my old car, the beloved Tercel, listening to my old radio station and I felt like I was in high school again. I heard "Pretty Fly for a White Guy" and almost cried. How 8th grade is that? And sometimes I'll hear "What Would You Do?" by CityHigh, and it makes me think of the best summer of my life: summer between sophomore and junior year. NSYNC's "I Want You Back" reminds me of the summer just before I began the 8th grade, when my family moved to Edmond and I found out what boy bands were. That same summer includes the song "Crush" by Jennifer Paige. Freshman year of high school holds "Bye Bye Bye," for NSYNC's second appearance on my list, and "Hey Ya" will forever remind me of freshman year at ACU in Gardner dorm, where Molly and I would listen to that song every single morning as we got ready for class.
There are certain songs that remind me of certain people in certain places. That "I keep on falling in and out of love with you" song by Alicia Keyes makes me think of a happy little relationship I had in high school, both of us sitting in my car (yay Tercel!) outside of his work. "Breath In" by Frou Frou was the soundtrack to driving around Abilene with Mike sophomore year to find grub costumes. Anything by Jump Little Children or Phoenix makes me think of Mike, to whom I can attribute about 90% of my musical taste. And then there was that time freshman year when a bunch of us drove out to the Anson Lights and Frankie J's "Suga Suga" was playing...that song's for Alex. :)
Whatever your sense is, I hope that it brings back memories as vivid as mine. One of my favorite feelings in the whole world is for a song to come on that holds such significant memories and to be so overcome with joy that you actually feel it. I think I'll go listen to a little NSYNC now...
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
While that great heaven sits above us
Lately I've been unimpressed with what God has to offer.
I don't know if I'm getting caught up with what I see the world offering to me or I'm just unimpressed. I've been reading Through Painted Deserts, Donald Miller's most recent book, which chronicles his "leaving home" journey across the Western half of the United States with his then-acquaintance now-best-friend. Last Saturday, between waking up at 1 pm and taking a nap at 4 pm (I better cherish these days as a college student...) I stumbled across this:
"I tend to think life is about security, that when you have a full year's rent you can rest. I worry about things too much, I worry about whether or not my ideas are right. I worry about whether or not people like me, I worry about whether or not I am going to get married, and then I worry about whether or not my girl will leave me if I do get married. . . and all of it, perhaps, because I bought into Houston, one thousand square miles of concrete and strip malls and megachurches and cineplexes, none of it real. I mean it is there, it is made of matter, but it is all hype. None of the messages are true . . . There doesn't seem to be any science saying any of this stuff matters at all. But it feels like it matters, whatever it is; it feels like we are supposed to be panicking about things. I remember driving down I-45 a few months ago and suddenly realizing the number of signs that were screaming at me, signs wanting me to buy waterbeds, signs wanting me to watch girls take off their clothes, signs wanting me to eat Mexican food. . . And it hit me that, amid the screaming noise, amid the messages that said buy this product and I will be made complete, I could hardly know the life that life was meant to be. Houston makes you feel that life is about panic and the resolution of panic, and nothing more. Nobody stops to question whether they actually need the house and the car and the better job. And because of this there doesn't seem to be any peace, there isn't any serenity. We can't see the stars in Houston anymore, we can't go to the beach without stepping on a Coke bottle, we can't hike in the woods, because there aren't any more woods. We can only panic about the clothes we wear, panic about the car we drive. . .We drive around in a trance, salivating for Starbucks while that great heaven sits above us, and that beautiful sunrise is happening in the desert, and all those mountains out West are collecting snow on the limbs of their pines, and all those leaves are changing colors out East."
I don't know if I'm getting caught up with what I see the world offering to me or I'm just unimpressed. I've been reading Through Painted Deserts, Donald Miller's most recent book, which chronicles his "leaving home" journey across the Western half of the United States with his then-acquaintance now-best-friend. Last Saturday, between waking up at 1 pm and taking a nap at 4 pm (I better cherish these days as a college student...) I stumbled across this:
"I tend to think life is about security, that when you have a full year's rent you can rest. I worry about things too much, I worry about whether or not my ideas are right. I worry about whether or not people like me, I worry about whether or not I am going to get married, and then I worry about whether or not my girl will leave me if I do get married. . . and all of it, perhaps, because I bought into Houston, one thousand square miles of concrete and strip malls and megachurches and cineplexes, none of it real. I mean it is there, it is made of matter, but it is all hype. None of the messages are true . . . There doesn't seem to be any science saying any of this stuff matters at all. But it feels like it matters, whatever it is; it feels like we are supposed to be panicking about things. I remember driving down I-45 a few months ago and suddenly realizing the number of signs that were screaming at me, signs wanting me to buy waterbeds, signs wanting me to watch girls take off their clothes, signs wanting me to eat Mexican food. . . And it hit me that, amid the screaming noise, amid the messages that said buy this product and I will be made complete, I could hardly know the life that life was meant to be. Houston makes you feel that life is about panic and the resolution of panic, and nothing more. Nobody stops to question whether they actually need the house and the car and the better job. And because of this there doesn't seem to be any peace, there isn't any serenity. We can't see the stars in Houston anymore, we can't go to the beach without stepping on a Coke bottle, we can't hike in the woods, because there aren't any more woods. We can only panic about the clothes we wear, panic about the car we drive. . .We drive around in a trance, salivating for Starbucks while that great heaven sits above us, and that beautiful sunrise is happening in the desert, and all those mountains out West are collecting snow on the limbs of their pines, and all those leaves are changing colors out East."
I didn't know I was unimpressed with God until last night when I was sitting at Starbucks with Ragan and Andy. Ragan was telling us about a chapter she had read out of a book called 90 Minutes in Heaven. As the three of us talked about heaven and Ragan tried her hardest (bless her sweet little heart) to describe the description of heaven in this book, I became ashamed. I realized that I'm waiting for God to prove He is worth it to me. Someone came up to talk to Andy and he said "Hold on man. I'm in the middle of hearing a really intense story and there is nothing I'd rather be hearing right now." How often has the Lord tried to speak to me, tried to reveal little snippets of His glory to me, and in response I have I rolled my eyes and turned away to talk to someone else? Andy hit it right on: There should be nothing I'd rather be hearing right now.
How much have I missed out on by becoming consumed with everything that has nothing to do with God? How much has my skepticism that God really can do anything, really can reveal himself to me, really can answer my prayers, limited my ability to receive Him?
I am unimpressed with God, and it's my own skepticism that limits His power to work in my life.
Saturday, November 12, 2005
Irony
You know it's funny. I created this account last year when my good friend Justin Scott was running for Student's Association president. His opponent had created a campaign blog to discuss "issues" of the race and platforms of his campaign. Well, nothing he said made sense, so my sarcastic nature got the best of me and I found my fingers itching to post a comment. With no intention to ever use this as a real blog, I titled it "confused voter" and left my comments for the opponent. Little did I know how apropos that title would become when I outgrew Xanga and finally succumbed to the blogger world.
This might be a bit drastic for my first post, but ever since a long talk with a good friend last night I can't really think about anything else. Maybe a big girl blog will help me get out my ideas that I feel I can't really talk about with many of my friends, for reasons you'll understand right...now:
Did Texas really pass an amendment to their state constitution that prevents the institution of marriage from including any type of relationship other than one between a man and a woman? Really? Let me first say that in no way do I "condone" homosexuality. I believe the Bible just like you do, I believe God intended marriage for a man and a woman and He intended sex to be between a man and a woman, within the context of marriage. But right now I'm feeling that maybe I understand the Bible a little differently than a lot of my "vote yes to the amendment!" peers. When Jesus came to seek and save the lost, he never mentioned coming to "seek, save, and make laws to hurt the lost." If we are to emulate Christ, and Christ came to love everyone, all of us, all of us who are sinners, how does creating a law that prohibits two people who love each other from lawfully making a lifelong commitment to each other show them the love of Christ? I'm not advocating gay marriage. I'm not implying that Christ would support gay marriage. I don't believe that at all. I'm questioning whether or not voting for such an amendment even remotely resembles what Christ calls us to do: Love.
I hear often that gay marriage destroys the family. Hmm...I could have sworn that it's divorce that destroys families. A heterosexual boy and a heterosexual girl can stupidly but legally get married at the age of 18 without giving the seriousness of marriage much thought, have a child, then divorce three years later. That's all legal. But a homosexual man and a homosexual man commit to be together for a lifetime, perhaps adopt an unwanted child, and remain in a monogomous relationship for the rest of their lives, while giving that child a "family" who loves him and supports him, and we are up in arms, disgusted with such an idea, trying to pass leglislation to make sure that doesn't happen. Wow. Is that backwards?
I don't have answers, and I hope I don't claim to. But I do have a Bible. And last time I read it, it told me to love my neighbor as myself. It told me to put on love over all other virtues, because love binds them all together in perfect unity. It told me to love each other deeply. It told me not to love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth.
I get the feeling sometimes that God sees all of us like chickens running around with our heads cut off, thinking we know what we're doing and where we're going but really we just make fools of ourselves. He sees us promoting such amendments from the pulpit and in church bulletins. I see Him maybe shaking His head, saying "You don't even get it, do you?" On issues like this, I think we've made a mockery of what Jesus was trying to teach us.
I'm not a Texas resident and am therefore not registered to vote in Texas. Thank goodness. How is a Christian supposed to vote on issues like these? Either you vote to actively maintain what you think God's intentions for marriage are, or you vote to actively maintain the love of Christ. Yeah, I get that it's weird to pit those two against each other. But maybe we should give this whole idea a little more thought before we vote to amend constitutions.
So I've come pretty far around the circle, (I don't think I can call an ACU election and a state election a full circle quite yet) questioning Justin's opponent to questioning amendments against gay marriage. Told you I was a confused voter...
This might be a bit drastic for my first post, but ever since a long talk with a good friend last night I can't really think about anything else. Maybe a big girl blog will help me get out my ideas that I feel I can't really talk about with many of my friends, for reasons you'll understand right...now:
Did Texas really pass an amendment to their state constitution that prevents the institution of marriage from including any type of relationship other than one between a man and a woman? Really? Let me first say that in no way do I "condone" homosexuality. I believe the Bible just like you do, I believe God intended marriage for a man and a woman and He intended sex to be between a man and a woman, within the context of marriage. But right now I'm feeling that maybe I understand the Bible a little differently than a lot of my "vote yes to the amendment!" peers. When Jesus came to seek and save the lost, he never mentioned coming to "seek, save, and make laws to hurt the lost." If we are to emulate Christ, and Christ came to love everyone, all of us, all of us who are sinners, how does creating a law that prohibits two people who love each other from lawfully making a lifelong commitment to each other show them the love of Christ? I'm not advocating gay marriage. I'm not implying that Christ would support gay marriage. I don't believe that at all. I'm questioning whether or not voting for such an amendment even remotely resembles what Christ calls us to do: Love.
I hear often that gay marriage destroys the family. Hmm...I could have sworn that it's divorce that destroys families. A heterosexual boy and a heterosexual girl can stupidly but legally get married at the age of 18 without giving the seriousness of marriage much thought, have a child, then divorce three years later. That's all legal. But a homosexual man and a homosexual man commit to be together for a lifetime, perhaps adopt an unwanted child, and remain in a monogomous relationship for the rest of their lives, while giving that child a "family" who loves him and supports him, and we are up in arms, disgusted with such an idea, trying to pass leglislation to make sure that doesn't happen. Wow. Is that backwards?
I don't have answers, and I hope I don't claim to. But I do have a Bible. And last time I read it, it told me to love my neighbor as myself. It told me to put on love over all other virtues, because love binds them all together in perfect unity. It told me to love each other deeply. It told me not to love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth.
I get the feeling sometimes that God sees all of us like chickens running around with our heads cut off, thinking we know what we're doing and where we're going but really we just make fools of ourselves. He sees us promoting such amendments from the pulpit and in church bulletins. I see Him maybe shaking His head, saying "You don't even get it, do you?" On issues like this, I think we've made a mockery of what Jesus was trying to teach us.
I'm not a Texas resident and am therefore not registered to vote in Texas. Thank goodness. How is a Christian supposed to vote on issues like these? Either you vote to actively maintain what you think God's intentions for marriage are, or you vote to actively maintain the love of Christ. Yeah, I get that it's weird to pit those two against each other. But maybe we should give this whole idea a little more thought before we vote to amend constitutions.
So I've come pretty far around the circle, (I don't think I can call an ACU election and a state election a full circle quite yet) questioning Justin's opponent to questioning amendments against gay marriage. Told you I was a confused voter...
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