Today, with God

I find it highly amusing just to observe people. God was so creative when He designed us, and there is a surprise to find in each and every person. I think all too often we get distracted by the differences that we have with other people, and how we really don't care to know them because they seem so different from us. But we must not forget the greatest thing that we have in common with all man: our Creator. And if we were all created by the same loving God, than there is nothing that we can judge others on. Because their Creator, who is our Creator too, has infinite love for them. Just as He has for us. It's easy to account ourselves as superior, without really taking the time to think about what we are assuming. If we do this than we are inadvertently saying that God didn't do such a hot job when He created that person. And when it is put that way, it is obvious to see the error. We are altogether too hasty to observe the speck in our neighbor's eye and ignore the plank in our own. (Matt. 7:5)

Thankfully, we have a God who sees us where we are at, forgives us, and then wants to take us to a higher level of understanding. I am so thankful that He doesn't hold a grudge or remember our past sins. Because I know that I have a lot of them. It is so nice to know that, each and every day, we can start anew, cleansed of our past life.
I heard a quote once that I really like: "It is never too late to start being the person you always wanted to be."

stark honesty

A friend and I were discussing the other night what would happen if we were to know EXACTLY what other people thought and what their true motives and feelings were. Instead of trying to cover things up, we could just tell people the truth, pure and unadulterated. I'm not talking about telling those that you may not have the highest regard for what your true opinion is, but just not trying to hide your true feelings. I'm not sure how much sense I am making, but it all is perfectly clear in my own head, not that that helps you any.

What if a book was published, with some one's pure, unedited thoughts. Would it be a best seller? Or would such brutal honesty be too much for people to take?

When I posed this thought to my brother, he was horrified. He decided that it would be like reading one of those cheap dime novels that are filled to the very last page with sin. He said that even when we strive to follow Christ and be like Him, our minds are still filled with such filth.
I slightly disagreed. Yes, our thoughts are sinful and unholy, but I'm not sure if it would be just like one of those trashy novels, because it's not like it would have a ficticous plotline. Would such honesty be refreshing?

What are your thoughts? I would like to hear what you, who I hold in highest regard, have to say on the matter.

a waste of money?

I like my microbiology teacher. She is a really nice lady and she has some good insights. Today, in an offhand comment to me as we were joking about not getting out of class early, she made an interesting observation. "You know, education is the one thing that people don't want to get their money's worth out of." Now isn't that interesting. It goes along with what I've been thinking about lately. Why is it that we don't utilize the possibilities that education provides to their fullest capacity? We do the least amount of work to just scrape through school by our boot straps (what are those anyway?). What if we had been brought up so that our way of life was to not get by with the least effort but come out with your time well spent. And I think some people were brought up that way, to some extent. But even those who have had this concept placed before them in their lives seem to still slip back into the 'normal' way of things. They may be considered 'overachievers' by their peers or 'smart', but they aren't even really doing all they could be. Far from it. Now, I'm not claiming to be in this last group. I wish I was. Anyway, some interesting thoughts. Feel free to muse away and activate those dendrites of yours....

yay for graham cracker houses!

Ok, so we had a lot of fun :) It was quite the adventure, especially when we realized that it was going to be very difficult to make the roof to fit the way we had built the walls. But we prevailed!














That would be me sliding down the roof and Kristin is in the igloo.





























And this is of us with it. lol :) Isn't it cute?
And this has been a picture tour of the graham cracker house adventure. It involved extremely soupy icing/glue and a few near death (of the house that is) mishaps, a snow avalanche off our base, throwing candies against the wall, and lots of other fun stuff :)

A glance at my life on a desk....

The hectic pace of life is demonstrated by my desk. You see sticky notes to remind myself of things that need doing and, contradictingly enough, reminders to slow down a bit. You see a R.W. Knudsen Spritzer can of Mandarin Lime soda, with a few sips left in the bottom. This is my attempt at adding some spice to my life. (Just so you know, a really good drink is the mango soda made by this company with about a teaspoon of cayenne pepper. It is a really really good spicy variation!) You see my Bible there, waiting for me to take the time to prioritize. My computer, which is my life (sadly), my nutrition book which is taking up far too much of my time today. Way in the back you see a mug which i use for hot chocolate and other time taking drinks that I drink when I need to slow down. You see my micro book (under my computer) which is what I really need to be studying but I'm not. In the back is where i tack all kinds of notes and papers that i need to not loose track of. I think it works only in theory thought because I put so much stuff up there that it gets lost anyway. And i think i'll stop there because there's way too much else on there that I could comment on.


just for comparisons sake, a look at my roommate's desk:

come unto Me, all ye who are weary and heavy ladened, and I will give you rest.


-Jesus

Brain Hopscotch

That would be what my brain is doing right now. It can't decide what is black and what is white. And if there is a pretty gray. Gray's can be pretty you know. But my brain isn't finding one right now. I wish it would. It would be so much easier. And a lot less hurtful. I don't want to hurt. But it's too late for that.

I know we have the Holy Spirit with us now, and Christ Himself said that it would be better than if He Himself was there. But sometimes, I just want Jesus to walk in the room and tell me what to do. Even if it was in the form of a parable. Or a rebuke. I wish I was close enough to my Savior to not need an audible voice. But I think I'm still in that immature stage.

I need to see the sun right now, because all I see are clouds. And they are showing no signs of leaving anytime soon.

A Storm

Sometimes it takes a storm
To really know the light
The scent of rain
The weight of clouds
Pulling down the sky
Sometimes it takes a storm
To know how you feel
To understand indigo
And the varnished sun
Lighting up the fields

It takes the rain between the lines to know what sorrow finds
The way a cloud divides sometimes
The clearing and the blue
I love you
I was just passing through
And taken by surprise
Between the black sky
And the blue
Between the black sky and the blue
I love you
I love you

-Fernando Ortega