Intelligent Design

Growing 20's

2007-11-28T15:25:00.000-05:00

They call it the "Quarter-life Crisis." It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are many things about
yourself that you didn't know and may not like.

You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or
two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now. You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met, and the, people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones.

What you don't recognize is that they are realizing that too, and
aren't really cold, catty, mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you. You look at your job... and it is not even close to what you thought you would be doing, or maybe you are looking for a job and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and that scares you.

Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and are constantly adding things to your list of what is acceptable and what isn't. One minute, you are insecure and then the next, secure. You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused.
Suddenly, change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life, but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away, and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move
forward.

You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you. Or you lie in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough that you want to get to know better. Or maybe you love someone but love someone else too and cannot figure out why you are doing this because you know that you aren't a bad person. One night stands and random hook ups start to look cheap. Getting wasted and acting like an idiot don't seem as fun. You go through the same emotions and questions over and over, and talk with your friends about the
same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision.

You worry about loans, money, the future and making a life for
yourself... and while winning the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender!

What you may not realize is that everyone reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out. "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." It's really amazing when two strangers become the best of friends, but it is really sad when the best of friends become two strangers! "Give time to love, give time to speak, and give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind" -George Carlin

Thoughts on Romans

2007-01-19T11:02:00.000-05:00

So currently, in my Bible study we are going through Romans. This week we are on Romans 4. Some in the group think this chapter is one of the harder ones to follow and understand. I on the other hand think it's the most clear chapter out of all of Romans. I think Paul is much more linear with this chapter then his bouncing around back and forth between mutliple topics in other chapters.
Anyway. There is one major thing that I took away from Romans 4. Something really hit me as to Abrahams faith. The jist of the chapter is to show how Abraham, the father of the Jews, had faith before he was even technically a Jew. This is an illustration from Paul to prove the fact that both Gentiles and Jews are saved through faith, that it isn't the law that saves. There is more to this fact, but I'm not going to get into it. Back to what I really took away from this Chapter.
Verses 20-22 say : 20Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness."
Abraham was giving God glory and praise for something that hadn't even happened yet. That amazes me. So much in our current culture of church, we definately praise God, but we praise God for what he HAS done, not so much for what he is GOING to do. This is something I'm going to try and put into practic. I really believe we are missing out on expanding the strength of our faith by not praising God for what he is going to do instead of just praising Him for what he has done.

false advertising

2007-01-11T08:50:00.000-05:00

Comcast completely false advertises for itself when they use the phrase, "Comcast, it's Comcastic" to try and convince you it is fantastic. However there is nothing further from the truth. In their recent buy out of Adelphia, I have had nothing but frustrations. My in Demand channels never work, and they say that there is no compensation for that because they are technically free. But here is what really annoys me.. the prices. With adelphia, my HD DVR box was $6.95 a month. Not cheap, but not really a bad price either. Now that it is Comcast, it is $16.95 a month!!!!! for a DVR box?? SERIOUSLY???!!! Comcast is not Comcastic, it's Comhorrible. I'm seriously considering doing without cable just so that I don't have to deal with them.

untitled

2007-01-02T13:58:00.000-05:00

What do you do when you just don’t want to go on anymore? Not that you want life to end, but you just want to give up trying in it anymore. When you reach the point that you yourself are to blame for things becoming a mess and there is no way to pick up the pieces of life that you shattered like a window obliterated by a boys baseball. Only this wasn’t as instant of a crash of sewn leather on glass. It was more of that every so slow creaking of ice under your body when you have found yourself on thin ice in the middle of a huge lake. You can only watch as the ice slowly separates under your feet. You know moving will only make it disintegrate faster, but staying in one place is not going to save you either. Your mind knows that all is not lost. There are ways out, you can move on, however you will be cold, frozen, and hurt. A piercing freeze that will be felt for a long time.

The New Year

2007-01-02T13:25:00.000-05:00

2006 was rough. 2007 is allready starting out rougher.

Venison Anyone?

2006-12-11T09:14:00.000-05:00

Hunting is pretty big back in Ohio, but I think I've found a place where it is even bigger. Northeast PA seems to be the place where time stops for hunting. Every school is closed on the first day of hunting season. I found this picture on our local news' website. It pretty much explains it all.

On the Move Again?

2006-11-29T11:44:00.000-05:00

Well, it seems that I may be on the move career wise. The fun part is. I have options. I'm blessed that God has graced me with possibly providing mutliple choices. The irony of course is that I'm not blessed with the gift of typically making FAST choices. I have a possible job offer at Mattel in L.A. , a possible offer at a consulting firm in Minneapolis, and even a job here in Scranton.. believe it or not there are other companies using Industrial Design here. I was contacted by one to my surpise. On the downside, it is for Pride Mobility.. that's right, I'll be designing Jazzy's!!! woohoooooo. Everyone better be nice to me, you coulde depend on me for your comfort of mobility in your senior age! I'm not sure I'll take any one of these jobs, We'll see how it goes, but for now, things are looking interesting. My continued prayer is for something in Ohio, although, with the switch in politics that seem to be taking place back home, maybe I should reconsider that thought.

I Must Be Getting Old

2006-11-07T13:07:00.000-05:00

It has happened.. I'm old. Want to hear the reason? I have my first ever complaint about how something someone is wearing is absolutely ridiculous. Take a look at this picture. Are my Ohio State Buckeyes wearing shorts... or SKIRTS?!?
I mean, you can't tell me that you can honestly dribble the ball better between your legs while wearing SKIRTS to your mid calf muscle. Whats next? wearing hoodies with i-pods in their ears while they are playing? At least that is somewhat stylish though.. I didn't know skirts where in fashion this year in the mens section.

Oh So Sweet Sounds

2006-10-30T08:44:00.000-05:00

Last night I got to see Dashboard and Brand New play. It pretty much went like this... AMAZING. I knew that Chris Carrabba had an unbelievable voice when it comes to studio recordings. However I honestly believe he sounds even better live. The music was tight, but the vocals were phenomenal, which is rare for a live show in my opinion. He had a way of improvising stories into the song and singing them instead of speaking them between songs.. It was by far the best concert I've ever been too. HANDS DOWN.

Craving

2006-10-19T15:21:00.000-04:00

I'm Craving This.

2006-10-06T14:01:00.000-04:00

I want to make a difference in the world, not as selfish motivation to say, look what I have done. I want to make a difference in the world because the last thing I want to do is to not make a difference at all.

Catching Up

2006-07-25T14:26:00.000-04:00

Well, I haven't posted in forever, and honestly I'm not sure what to post that requires typing words at the moment. So I'll leave it at posting pictures of my trip to Toronto.

First we have their down played version of the Seattle Space needle.

Then there was an amazing Sushi dinner I enjoyed thoroughly. It was a great little trendy place, with the boats that float around the sushi bar with sushi stacked on them. You just picked off what you wanted to eat. The trick with that is, you never know how much your spending.. sneaky sneaky.

A Very cool fascade on a relatively plane building.

Then I visited a Moraccan restraunt that had amazing food. You dinned inside these silk tents. To add to the experience they had belly dancers showing off their talent. The cool part to it was that they made it very interactive. The dancer would ask female dinner guests if they'd like to try. They'd give them a belt with the little jingle coins on them and everything. Even a few guys got up to try it.

There is much more cool stuff from that week, but Thats it for now. I'll try and figure out something else to post before to long.

2006-05-17T08:43:00.000-04:00

"Lets compare scars, I'll tell you who's is worse"

Some Imagery of NEPA

2006-05-16T16:59:00.000-04:00

NEPA for all you outside of the area, which is just about everyone, is Northeast Pennsylvania. Here is some photos from this past weekend taken at a place I like to hike. The place is called Ricketts Glenn and has 22 named waterfalls. The highest of which is a sweet 93'. Almost all of them are higher then 20-25'. And all you Ohians thought Jon Bryant was cool.

2006-05-12T11:16:00.000-04:00

That about sums it up

TODAY BRINGS

2006-04-07T10:30:00.000-04:00

~cramped fingers from drawing
~Zorba's subs
~big city lights
~road trip filled with music
~being pulled in 2 directions
~uncertainty
~prayer
~a hint of warmer weather
~memories, everyday has them
~coffee, again, everyday has this
~only seeing grey
~loss of words, but not loss of imagery

Hope Springs Eternal

2006-04-04T09:16:00.000-04:00

This for me is the best time of year. It is signatured by the opening day of baseball season. Even though April can still have lingering cold attached to it, you know that life has begun. Hybernation has ended and it is time to play ball. Other seasons are wonderful too, (minus winter. Summer is great and full of fun activities, Fall is almost perfect because of the colors and the weekends filled with football. However with Fall, you know that winter is fast approaching. Spring gives you the hope of summer and fall to look forward to. Hope of a fresh new year. Again, all of this is capitalized by the first crack of the bat. Unfortunately, the Reds didn't get he first crack and played a horrid game losing.. what was it? 17-6? on opening day??? a shame. They rarely play well on opening day anyway. They've won what? 2 out of the past 10? but 17-6.. I'm so glad I like a few other teams.

Green... what a great color. Along with the wonderful beginning of baseball we now have a few things showing life, enticing us outside with color and smell... I spent all day sunday outside. I had nothing to really do outside, I just sat and read a book, gazed across the deep valley that is laid out in front of my apartment and enjoyed the warm sun, sounds of kids playing for the first time in months and the beauty of Gods creative design. It makes me want to travel. I want to see the rest of the world, not out of just adventure but to see the amazing creativity of Gods hand.

caffeine buzz please

2006-03-01T14:23:00.000-05:00

I must say. I'm not a fan of the days where no matter how much of this legal stimulant you have, you just can't stay awake. Especially when you have a ton of work to get done. If it's not obvious, today is one of those days. Incredibly hard project that requires deep thinking and creativity. Unfortunately, there is no MacGyver like ingenuity going through this brain of mine today.

2006-02-27T12:00:00.000-05:00

Who am I to be brilliant, successful?
Who am I NOT to be?
I am a child of God.

Ft. Lauderdale

2006-02-22T10:56:00.000-05:00

At least I got to go here the day after someone decided to play tag with my car. I've decided there are bad sides to going to Florida on a business trip though. It's sunny and 80 outside, but you have to be inside doing work, not cool. But the warm evenings and great food makes up for it.

Hit and Run

2006-02-22T10:49:00.000-05:00

yes Joel, SUV's.. I think that one of those is responsible for this wonderful hit and run on my car while I was in the grocery. Not the best day I've had I must say.

Time For Some Sad Humor

2006-02-10T12:26:00.000-05:00

Who is that amazingly irresponsible mother you ask? Well that is non other then Britney Spears. It seems since she IS Britney Spears, nothing can go wrong by not having her infant in the backseat placed securely in a carseat. Interesting.. It was phrased well by someone else at AOl News where I found this. "We wish all the best for Sean Preston, and by the best, we mean hoping his parents can find a friggin clue.". well said.. very well said.

The "I thinks"

2006-02-02T11:06:00.000-05:00

Since it seems ever so popular to throw out an I think list every once in a while, I suppose I can join the heard and do the same.. Seems to be a fun way to follow at least.

~I think that the best style and variety of pizza in the country can be found in
Southwestern Ohio.
~I think I'm going to enjoy being in Ft. Lauderdale in a week and a half
~I think I'm going to enjoy camping in the Mojave Desert in a month and a half.
~I think I watch sports way to much
~I think I'm to competative
~I think anyone who doesn't love music is nuts.
~I think God blessed me with the best up-bringing imaginable
~I think I put to much focus on my home church of Apex
~I think relationships are only difficult because we make them difficult
~I think the American dream is more like a nightmare
~I think the Stealers suck
~I think the most beautiful place I've ever been is Seattle
~I think writing the plot for "Lost" has got to be a sweet job
~I think I'm weird cause as much as I love reading Piper, It takes me a year to read just 1 book of his
~I know I'm weird period
~I think I like knowing I'm weird
~I think my grandma makes the best mash potatoes in the world.
~I think I have the coolest family and friends I could ask for.

The Season of Love

2006-01-27T12:51:00.000-05:00

Yes, the Valentine season in stores is fully upon us. In fact I think the displays were set up on Jan. 1st. Love.. It's a subject on my mind today for some reason, and not because of Valentines. I think it is because of my love affair for music, and the fact that a lot of songs deal with relationships, and I've heard numerous of these songs today. Yes, I know, that was a run-on sentence. Anways.. Love.. It's odd isn't it? Love, It seems to escape some of us so elusively. Love, It seems to find some of us as if cupid has a vendetta against you. Love, Some of us run from it even though it's in front of us. Weird isn't it? How different something that is exactly the same in each persons life can be so different regarding circumstances in someones life.. Love.. Feel free to reply with your thoughts on it.

awesome t-shirts

2005-11-30T08:44:00.000-05:00

If you haven't allready been to this website, or perhaps you have but are now finally ready to buy one of thir t-shirts.. do it through my link!! Because I get commision for each sale that is sold through my link.. which is kinda cool. All I had to do was sign up, advertise for them, and I get money. And it's not even a scam!!! Thats the best part :-) I believe Relevient actually advertises for them also which is cool. SOOOOO if you want to buy something from them, make sure you do it through my link yo! or else.... or else... u don't even want to know what the or else is :-) enough rambling.. here is the flippin sweet link

thinking

2005-11-15T11:24:00.000-05:00

So I have a thought process going on, and I'm not sure it will really make any sense... so bare with me. What defines us? Is it who we want to be in our hearts, or who we are through our actions? I know that at first you want to say.. "well who we are through our actions.. DUH! I mean, your actions reflect who you are in your heart." But that isn't necessarily so true. I know for myself that I definately have more hope to do whats right in my heart then what I actually carry out in my actions. Which is why I'm writing about this. I find it very emotionally draining. It seems I can't live up to the standard I set for myself, and before you ask, yes, it is an abtainable standard. Because of the drain, such a big part of me wants to just say.. okay, this is how I am, I'm going to accept it and not try to hard to strive for that standard, cause I just seem to always screw up. But is that being apathetic? How do we deal with this? I know there are some very cookie cutter answers for this one, but I'm looking for a not so cookie cutter, thought provoking thought on this.. Anyone? ... any of the 4 of you who read my blog that is :-) lol

been way to long

2005-10-17T14:51:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I knew I was going to be bad at this blogging thing. It's been over a month since a post, and this one isn't going to be all that much. In my opinion it was just need for the few half dozen people who do look at this once in a while to know that I'll try to get it up and going again here in the next few days. I'll hopefully have up pictures of the wonderful land of NEPA.. thats north east Pennsylvania for all you outside of the know. Just wanted you to be down on the local lingo. Fall here is definately beautiful, I'll give it that. However the cold nastiness of winter is soon ahead. oi vey! :-)

Work is going well, some cool things are coming up that should be exciting. I may get to go for a ride in a fighter jet, along with taking a ride in a tank. I got my first serious offroad, driving over trees, through 5 feet of water, over building rubble, military issue, Humvee ride about 3 weeks ago at a Army base, very nice time. Definately not your cushy soccer moms ride, let me tell you.
More to come soon.. i promise.. oooooohhh one more thing!!

WHO DEY THINK GONNA BEAT DEM BENGALS!!!!!!!!
Long Live the Riverdance!!

untitled

2005-09-09T11:48:00.000-04:00

I'm listening to some Faded Me at work today. Simply put. I miss home. Life here is good and God is blessing me more then I ever deserve, but my heart is still in Dayton with my church, with the youth, with my family and with my friends. See you all as soon as God allows. My thoughts and prayers are with and for you everyday.

time to rant

2005-09-02T11:04:00.000-04:00

Okay, it would figure that the first update I've done in ages would be a rant, however I can't hold back the words. Ignorant people annoy me. Even though they are in a crisis situation, and their brains aren't working quite like they should.. grrrr. thats all I can manage at the moment.. grrr.
I am hearing quotes of people in New Orleans complaining and saying things like " we help out the tsunami victims 3000 miles away but our own country can't help us out." Now.. let me point out a quick few things to show how STUPID of a statement this is and never should have made it on the airwaves of cnn and foxnews. 1. YOU WERE TOLD TO EVACUATE! You can't tell me that 100,000 people in new orleans don't have cars or friends who have cars. YOU WERE WARNED.
2. The Tsunami was very different. The water receeded almost as fast as it hit. The wasn't really a rescue mission per say. It was a clean up mission. 3. Tell your brother to STOP SHOOTING AT THE COPS AND NATIONAL GUARD WHO ARE TRYING TO HELP YOU! I'm pretty sure the tsunami victims didn't start shooting at the helicopters trying to save them. 4. This sucks, no way around it, I feel for you, my heart breaks watching the news, but please don't blame anyone for the act of nature...... which leads me into my next rant.. This Sheehan lady, or however you spell her name that is protesting down in Crawford. Her comment? "This hurricane is Bush's fault for his lack policy on environmental issues." OH WOW! Did she just say that? Did that get airtime?? Sorry, I know you are mourning, but I have news for you, Hurricanes happened way before we ever used gas and hairspray.. grrrrr.. ignorance.

Some Lyrics

2005-06-29T11:19:00.000-04:00

Typically I write instead of posting things I've found, but I love this song and have to post the lyrics. For any of you Thousand Foot Krutch fans, you probably know it well. It is simply a great song that helps me through rough days.

Lift It Up

Through my temptation to walk away,
and through the endless troubled days,
there's a hundred million ways,
for me to release your praise;
and by and by, and through the tears,
and things you've taught me through the years,
my whole life was designed by you,
I'll never know anyone half as true;

I lift it up, I lift it up,
lift it up so you can see,
I lift it up, I lift it up,
lift it up from inside of me;

So I lift it, I lift it up to you,
and I will never forget,
the times that we've been through,
so I lift it, I said I lift it up to you;
And I surrender all of me,
to you, to you, to you,
and everything I'll ever be,
to you, to you, to you,
and I surrender all of me;

2005-06-27T08:10:00.000-04:00

"It's okay to be sad, it's okay to cry." "Don't hide your emotions and say you're having a good day when you aren't."

But that is exactly what I find myself doing. Why? because that is only the "right thing to say" for the person saying it. Because when it comes down to it. When you do show your emtions, when you do shed a tear, are they there for you or find you to be a strange weirdo. My experience is the strange weirdo. "It's okay for a guy to cry." No it isn't, "don't wear your heart on your sleeve." Which is it? What do you want? Am I free to not be okay? Am I truly allowed to be part of the "Emo" crowd and shed an "Emo" tear? Of course not, I'm male, and living in the 21st century. We say one thing to someone but expect the opposit. How dare we be inconvenienced by having to really act on the sympathy and compassion that we say we have for someone. If it is okay to cry, why do you run when the tears come? why does it make you uncomfortable. Why can't I feel God holding me right now? I really want to feel Him holding me..

Midwest Way of Life

2005-06-23T09:44:00.000-04:00

So today Southwest Ohio is on my mind. So much so that it's going through like a movie. I can imagine what the streets and houses I'm passing look like as if in a dream so vivid you wake up thinking it was real. I'm taking mental trips to places. Imagining the drive as if it was a warm sunny day, windows and sunroof open. It's such a vibrant picture that I honestly can't even put it into words. Words aren't my strong point anyway, drawing the picture is. How do u put into words even the little things.. like noticing a porch swing of a house that has a tree in the yard that burns brilliant red in the fall. Driving down 48 and seeing Bills on one side of the street with Marions on the other... realizing.. mmmmmm This may be the best location on the planet as far as food is concerned. I don't know.. I know this isn't a very interesting post. I was hoping it would be, but I can't get out in words what I'm seeing in my mind. It's simply just the stuff I was used to seeing every day. I can still see all of it. Just not with my eyes. As much as sometimes I hate memories and the pain they can bring... Thank you God for giving us memories, cause the good ones far outway the bad.

a week in the quarter century

2005-06-20T09:25:00.000-04:00

Well, now that I've been a quarter century old for a week.. I suppose I can inform of how turning 25 went. WELLLLL..... I was in Boston, of course it was great! Friday night Becky, Kristen, and I went out to this lovely little place called the Charley Horse. What the Charley Horse really is.. It is a run down wanna be redheaded stepchild to the glory that is Dave and Busters. Why do I slam this Charley Horse so bad you ask? WELLLLL... let me tell you. I was denied entrance! My Ohio license wasn't good enough for them.. Apparently they can't handle the fact that we aren't idiotic like them and elected Georgy W to a 2nd term. I honestly have decided this is the true reason for my dismissal. However.. they claim they require TWO forms of ID with your birthdate on it if you are using an out of state license.. Has anyone else had this happen? cause I find it crazy.. a second form of ID.. sure.. but with your birthdate?? does anyone even HAVE that? I sure don't.. so.. off down the road we go to a place called castaways. It was a little pricey to get in.. supposedly the cover band was going to be fabulous, and they were ok.. luckily I managed to use my Ninja skillz and slid right in the FRONT door without being charged.. aahh. It's good to be a Ninja. Saturday was a relaxing day in the pool, eating lots of food..mmmmm and Becky took me to a local Christian book store (yes they have one or two in Mass. believe it or not) Where she let me pick out the Study Bible of my choice as my birthday gift. It was a wonderful idea and I've enjoyed it a lot in the past week.

So that was my birthday weekend.. A lot has happened sense then.. Like my stuff from Ohio is finally here!!!! wooohoooo. mt bike! bed! xbox and tv!! yeah baby yeah! So.. when's everyone coming to visit?

Happy Almost Birthday to ME!

2005-06-10T08:34:00.000-04:00

Well tomorrow I'll officially be dead center in my mid 20's. I thought I was supposed to stop aging at 22? Whats up with this! Oh well, One year closer to being over the hill.. Luckily that's still a good far ways away. Luckily I get to spend my birthday in Boston. Should be a rather fabulous time I should say. It is Boston after all, once you get past the waving middle fingers, rainbow striped flags, and anti Bush signs, it's really not such a bad place. I mean.. in spite of all that I love Boston, can you imagine how great of a place it would be if those weren't thrown into the mix? oohh, I left out how an 700 sqft. apartment will set u back $1100 a month, silly me.

ANYWAYS, I'll try and remember to post about my trip and birthday once I return on Monday, if I slack off, feel free to yell at me Amy :-P

Reflection on my Grandpa and Praise

2005-06-09T10:49:00.000-04:00

So today at work I'm listening to some old David Crowder, and his music, as usual is leading me into just an amazing soul worship of who God is. So much so that the beauty of God I not only see but feel inside me. Something that I'm sure sounds strange to an unbeliever, but all of my brothers and sisters know exactly what I'm talking about. Well... this led me to think about my grandpa who passed away a little over 3 years ago.

I remember as a young teen watching my grandpa sing hymns. Not only would he just sing hymns, He'd shed tears while he sang them. I really found this as odd at the time. Probably because of growing up in a church where it seemed people couldn't wait for the song service to be done, to finish singing hymns they had been singing over and over for 50 years and got grumpy if they had to stand and sing at the same time... but not my grandpa.. even in his older age when he had a problem standing, He'd still rather get up and stand beside the piano my dad was playing then to sit. He did sit and sing, but he had no problem standing to do it. He wanted to lift his voice up to God.

Well, today, not completely as a new revelation, but definately on my mind.. I see now why my grandpa would cry while singing hymns.. he wasn't just singing, he was praising his creator with his soul. He truly took to heart the beautiful words written down and reflected on God through them. His tears weren't out of sadness, but out of awestruck beauty at who God is. What a wonderful Creator we have, and how much Love HE pours out on us.
Here are the words to the hymn I have listened to hundreds of times, but today when I really meditate on the words and sing them... wow..

All creatures of our God and King, Lift up your voice and with us sing.
O Praise him, hallelujah
Thou burning sun with golden beam, thou silver moon with softer gleam.
O Praise Him, O Praise Him, hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah
Thou rushing wind that art so strong, Ye clouds that sail in heaven along.
O Praise Him, hallelujah
Thou rising moon in praise rejoice, ye lights of evening find a voice.
O Praise Him, O Praise Him, hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah
Let all things our creator bless, and worship Him in humbleness
O Praise Him, hallelujah
Praise Praise the Father, Praise the Son, and Praise the Spirit three in one
O Praise Him, O Praise Him

so simple.. so beautiful. I'm glad Crowder.. and Apex still uses this song in a beautiful contemporary way.

Fun Facts (cures work boredom)

2005-06-08T12:52:00.000-04:00

More Monopoly money is printed yearly than real money throughout the world.

Penguins are not found in the North Pole

People photocopying their buttocks are the cause of 23% of all photocopier errors worldwide.

A dentist invented the Electric Chair.

Rudolf the Red-nosed reindeer was actually created as a promotional figure for Montgommery Wards department stores.

Percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% Percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%

A cockroach can live nine days without its head before it starves to death.

Fish scales are an ingredient in most lipsticks.

Frank Baum, the writer of "The Wizrd of OZ", looked at his filing cabinet and saw A-N, and O-Z, hence "Oz."

The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp (marijuana) paper.

On average, every chocolate bar contains at least three insect legs.

Up until the early 20th century, New Jersey and Wisconsin had laws allowing the castration of epileptics

ok.. well I think thats enough for now. back to work I suppose.

da update

2005-06-06T09:53:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm in Scranton PA and I suppose I should do some updating. I was reading Amy's blog http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=JCSonflower and she reminded me that I do a rather poor job of updating this.. so this is for you, Amy :-P
I'm trying to be positive about this whole moving thing, but honestly, it's very hard and difficult. I've wanted to pack my stuff back up and go back to Ohio, screw the paycheck and be with the friends and family I love. I try not to think to far into the future.. of how long I'll be here. The truth is, I simply don't know. A year.. two? five?.... 6 months? sweet.. now that I could do. lol.. One thing I know.. don't ever let yourself think relationships aren't the most valuable things to have, other then a relationship with your Savior Jesus Christ of course. Forget cars, houses, plasma screen tv's. It's relationships. Traveling is fun, moving can be exciting.. but there is a bond between believers that when you pull up your roots and move, it hurts and aches like you wouldn't believe. Amy, I'm missing your hugs, Chu, I'm missing your stinkin tv .. oh yeah, i miss chillin with ya without the tv too.. for real. JP, man, I miss just grabbing starbucks and wrestling with the junior highers. Kristi, I miss seeing the 6th graders outgrow you (sorry, had to put it in there), Brandon.. man Brandon.. football season this year is gonna be rough without meeting up at BW's.. and the list can go on and on.. My sister.. I miss encouraging you face to face.. Thank you God for a cell phone.
The good thing.. 8 hours isn't to bad a a trip. I'll see everyon farely often I hope. Everyone is welcome here with open arms, I have a 2 bedroom place, a sofa bed and another sofa.. plenty of space for friends to chill. I'll get pictures of the area up soon when I get a new digi cam. It is a beautiful spot.. and I'll post later about my hike up a mountain that supposedly is bear infested... ;-)

Spell Check

2005-04-27T16:18:00.000-04:00

I think.... the word awkward looks rather awkward.

My New Wheels

2005-04-27T12:38:00.000-04:00

I like it

2005-04-27T12:22:00.001-04:00

Yeah, I definately love it

2005-04-27T12:22:00.000-04:00

Maybe I should say love it

Grace Like Snow

2005-04-26T14:50:00.000-04:00

Well today I'm actually writing about Sunday.. so I'm backing up two days. That shouldn't be a surprise seeing how I haven't even posted in over two weeks.
So Sunday It snowed. Just days after having consistent 80 degree weather, it snows. Needless to say, I along with the vast majority of Ohio was not exactly happy to be seeing snow when it is almost May. However, it was amazingly beautiful on my way to church. It isn't often that you see a small fresh blanket of pure white snow covering emerald green. Maybe if you live in Seattle you have such luck each year, but not here.. Our snow is mixed with brown in the winter. But to see bright white with emerald green in the trees was truly beautiful and I had to stop and thank God for the snow even though moments before I was grumbling. The snow then let my thinking to the subject of Grace.
Lately Grace has been on my mind. I've always understood it.. (as much as I can) and been thankful for it, but lately the mind blowing beauty of it has been stuck in my mind. God's grace.. as beautiful and pure as that white snow covers me.. unfortunately I must admit I'm more like the ugly brown color snow covers in the winter and not the beautiful green I saw this past Sunday. This was already in my mind as I began listening to Rob speak on Gods Grace as a subtopic of his message this week. 2 Tim. 1:9 points out Gods Grace even preceded me. That " this grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time." Before any of our existence , Christ’s beautiful and pure as snow grace was prepared to cover our ugly brown sin. There is truly nothing more beautiful then grace. It has freed me, gifted me, and keeps me. WORD!! What would life be like without grace? I don't even want to know.
To conclude my thought.. How can I not be excited every day and shouting out Christ's name with my lips when He has blessed me with something so above my deserving that it is almost impossible to grasp it fully. Unfortunately I forget this far to often and keep Christ’s name behind my closed lips. I plan to change that, for His Grace is to beautiful to keep quiet about.

ups and downs

2005-04-01T00:13:00.000-05:00

So I'm moving. The moment I've anticipated and talked about for so long is here. Unfortunately I'm not totally stoked about it. One minute I'm excited and the next I'm sad. One moment looking forward, and the next looking at what I'll leave behind. At the moment though I'm kinda angry. I'm not sure why, and it stinks cause I don't like being angry. I'm angry that it took me a good 9 months to get a job after graduation and yet still it's not something that works well for me (at least in my mind). Seems what works well for me in my mind is never quite what God thinks works well for me. Why can't He and I be on the same page as this? Desires of my heart? hello!! haha.. I'm just being sarcastic there. I know the answers, I know He is in control, and it is in His hands and He can make me filled with joy anywhere.. but man.. this is still hard... ok. I'm done writing for the moment.. I just needed to vent.

Being Given the Green Light

2005-03-20T23:09:00.000-05:00

So it's time to add something humorous. Other then the simple fact I dragged my feet to even make a blog and yet here I am adding my 3rd entry in 2 days. okay... on with the story of humor!
I have this friend, and typically she's rather shy when it comes to letting a guy know she's interested, but apparently that may be a thing of the past. This guy she has been talking to for a while shared with her a few weeks ago that he's been thinking of pursuing more of a relationship with her and praying about it. However he says God hasn't given him a "green light" to act on it yet. Well, two weeks after having that conversation and nothing further being said from him they get together to hang out or maybe just at church, (I'm not sure of that detail), and she brings him a gift. What would that gift be? she hands him a Green Lightbulb! Creative and Gutsy. If that isn't saying "so do something allready!" I don't know what is. I found it incredibly funny, especially knowing the girl the way I do.. hopefully the humor wasn't lost in my retelling of the story.

Bitter Sweet Symphony

2005-03-20T17:44:00.000-05:00

Life.... How is it that what makes life exciting can at the same time make life almost depressing? I'm currently faced with the fact I may have to move away for a job and leave the people I know and love the most. One side of me is excited and craving the adventure of a move, going somewhere new, and being an explorer. The other part of me wants to be around my family, friends, and church. Today at church, as really every week I'm there, I look around and say to myself I'm so glad God has put me here, I'm so glad God is using me in a ministry to serve here. I walk away each week filled with joy. I know God can use me somewhere else just the same and maybe even more. I'm aware that God has complete control over all of it. However, man... I don't want to leave Apex. So we come upon the "Bitter Sweet Symphony." God has given me a wonderful church body to serve in, along with the chance to move and experience new things which will require leaving behind brothers and sisters in Christ I love. A huge part of me is praying that God will suddenly open a door here for me to stay, but everyday that goes by, that seems less likely. To all of you here in good ol O-H-I-O , if I do move soon, distance won't seperate us in heart, and well, I'll be back as much as funding allows..... grrrr.. Why did I have to get inolved in youth ministry? I think moving would be sooooo much easier if it wasn't for all the junior high students I've grown to know and look forward to every conversation I have with them. Looking for the opportunities to share more of Christ with them and how in spite of our crappy mistakes we've made in life He still loves us and wants to use us in amazing ways... ah the wonders of Grace.
Okay, this is turning into a rambling.. which if u check my blog often... sorry, thats what you might get from time to time, but hey, most of you asked for my weird, wacko ramblings.. AND lets not forget my HORRIBLE spelling

And Now, For Your Viewing and Reading Pleasure!

2005-03-19T23:11:00.000-05:00

Well, upon much request, here it is, my first blog. Amazing is it not? We'll see how this goes. I may be able to draw, but writing is so far from being my thing. Who knows... maybe I'll like it.... in fact... this typing thing... it's.. addicting... i....can't... stop... ooohh ..... no... ok ok, enough of that. Well, to those that requested it, Happy now?