This could be the last of my entries for a short while, until I figure out the problem and get back online. PLEASE PRAY HARD THAT GOD will reinstate my computer.
Friday, October 20, 2006
MY COMPUTER DIED!!!!!!!!!!
This could be the last of my entries for a short while, until I figure out the problem and get back online. PLEASE PRAY HARD THAT GOD will reinstate my computer.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
A few of my favorites
These are a few of my favorite photos from Scotland
Daisies at Dunvegan Castle
Boat on Loch Lomond
Leaving Skara Brae
Butterfly, bumblebees and a flower
Loch Lomond
(this is the place where I go when I want to get away from the world and dream of "home")
Next year I can see this place whenever I want. It is only about an hour from Glasgow. I can't wait until the day when I am finally at "home."
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
New Developments
So it seems as I age I garner allergies to me. Before I turned 21 years of age, I had never had an allergy in my life. The only thing “wrong” with me was that I was extremely accident prone. However when I turned 21, it’s like my body flipped a switch. I started having major problems with dairy to the point that I went from a size 10 to a size 4 in one month. Now for some folks they’re probably thinking, what’s wrong with that, I would love that to happen. Yeah well let me just say you would not want it to happen the way it happened to me. I was sick all the time and suffering from severe lactose intolerance until they figured that for the problem. So dairy was cut from my diet. I went out for a hike with some friends and discovered a weird allergy to some weird mushroom that grows off the side of trees in the woods. That was whack! I couldn’t breathe and my face and eyes swelled.
Now I have discovered I have a sensitivity to latex and adhesive. I keep discovering these things due to reactions and not getting tested. Well last night I had an allergic reaction to something I ate. It was awful! I was itching everywhere and anywhere it was possible to. I mean my eyes, my hair, my feet and well just EVERYWHERE. I have decided that it is time to take action and set up and appointment with an allergist. I want to know what all my allergies are before I accidentally discover one that may or may not be life threatening. Oh and Benadryl makes my very sleepy and the side effects last forever on me. YIKES!!!
On a good note though, my friend Pete from college is coming into town this Thursday and Friday. I am very excited as I haven’t seen him since he graduated from college back in, boy I think it was ’04. He is going to be attending a seminar my Pastor is giving on right-brained preaching and then meeting with him and a couple of other Pastor’s the next morning. I am looking forward to having a little bit of time to catch up with him.
And yet another thought/question…
Being right-brained means using the creative portion of your brain rather than the left-brain which is everything done from rote memory and habit. What do you think the Christian’s responsibility to being right-brained should be? Do we have a responsibility to be creative with the knowledge and abilities God has given us and if so why do most Christians instead choose to hide this portion of who they are? Has the “Christian” church taught the children of God that to be creative is to be a sinner? Why don’t more Christians take the unique and wonderful gifts, that God has created each of His images to have, and use them to further His Word and Will? Just some thoughts/questions from someone who grew up in and went to school in an environment where the staid and true was pushed rather than the creative and unique.
Now I have discovered I have a sensitivity to latex and adhesive. I keep discovering these things due to reactions and not getting tested. Well last night I had an allergic reaction to something I ate. It was awful! I was itching everywhere and anywhere it was possible to. I mean my eyes, my hair, my feet and well just EVERYWHERE. I have decided that it is time to take action and set up and appointment with an allergist. I want to know what all my allergies are before I accidentally discover one that may or may not be life threatening. Oh and Benadryl makes my very sleepy and the side effects last forever on me. YIKES!!!
On a good note though, my friend Pete from college is coming into town this Thursday and Friday. I am very excited as I haven’t seen him since he graduated from college back in, boy I think it was ’04. He is going to be attending a seminar my Pastor is giving on right-brained preaching and then meeting with him and a couple of other Pastor’s the next morning. I am looking forward to having a little bit of time to catch up with him.
And yet another thought/question…
Being right-brained means using the creative portion of your brain rather than the left-brain which is everything done from rote memory and habit. What do you think the Christian’s responsibility to being right-brained should be? Do we have a responsibility to be creative with the knowledge and abilities God has given us and if so why do most Christians instead choose to hide this portion of who they are? Has the “Christian” church taught the children of God that to be creative is to be a sinner? Why don’t more Christians take the unique and wonderful gifts, that God has created each of His images to have, and use them to further His Word and Will? Just some thoughts/questions from someone who grew up in and went to school in an environment where the staid and true was pushed rather than the creative and unique.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
The Weekend Update :-)
What a weekend! On Sat. I met up with two friends for breakfast and then we headed to Gettysburg, PA to do some “hiking”. I say that in quotes because we didn’t really end up hiking as much as just exploring Gettysburg again. I hadn’t been there since I was twelve and JennO had never been there. Kurt who had just been there about two weeks ago drove and gave us the shortened auto tour. We did get out and walk about for a bit, climbed Little Round Top and Big Round Top too. I will post some pictures when I can get them. It was a good time and when we got back we changed real quick and met up with one more friend to go to the Washington Capitals hockey match. I hadn’t been to a hockey match since I was in 9th grade. I actually really enjoyed it!
Sunday, I worked at the café until mid-afternoon. I met with my small group after work and then headed home. I hung out with my roomie and the down stairs roomie for a bit then we all headed downstairs to catch the Eagles/Cowboys game. Now I can’t stand either team but I really can’t stand T.O. more than I can’t stand the Eagles. So all that to say that I was eagerly cheering for the Eagles to cream the Cowboys and rub it in T.O.’s face for the way he screwed them over last year. And boy did they ever! It was a great game and a close game all the way to the final seconds. By then I was utterly exhausted and headed upstairs to nap before going to my other small group. Well I was so exhausted I didn’t wake up when my alarm went off. I ended up sleeping right through it. I got up around 9pm and chatted with my other downstairs roomie for a bit and then hit the sack again at 11pm.
Monday I had to open the café but I didn’t have to go to my full-time job!! That was great! So I got done at the café and went home and went back to bed until 11am. It felt so wonderful. I got up and went to the Portrait Gallery with my friend Kurt and then headed back home and chilled and cleaned until I headed back into the café for the small group that I help out with. Over all it was a great weekend and I finally caught up on all that sleep that remained so elusive upon returning to the States.
Sunday, I worked at the café until mid-afternoon. I met with my small group after work and then headed home. I hung out with my roomie and the down stairs roomie for a bit then we all headed downstairs to catch the Eagles/Cowboys game. Now I can’t stand either team but I really can’t stand T.O. more than I can’t stand the Eagles. So all that to say that I was eagerly cheering for the Eagles to cream the Cowboys and rub it in T.O.’s face for the way he screwed them over last year. And boy did they ever! It was a great game and a close game all the way to the final seconds. By then I was utterly exhausted and headed upstairs to nap before going to my other small group. Well I was so exhausted I didn’t wake up when my alarm went off. I ended up sleeping right through it. I got up around 9pm and chatted with my other downstairs roomie for a bit and then hit the sack again at 11pm.
Monday I had to open the café but I didn’t have to go to my full-time job!! That was great! So I got done at the café and went home and went back to bed until 11am. It felt so wonderful. I got up and went to the Portrait Gallery with my friend Kurt and then headed back home and chilled and cleaned until I headed back into the café for the small group that I help out with. Over all it was a great weekend and I finally caught up on all that sleep that remained so elusive upon returning to the States.
Friday, October 06, 2006
GIRLS
Found this one someone's myspace and thought it was perfect and right. :-)
------------------------Girls------------------------
-------------------are like apples-------------------
---------------on trees. The best ones--------------
--------------are at the top of the tree.-------------
-----------The boys don’t want to reach------------
---------for the good ones because they’re----------
- --------afraid of falling and getting hurt.-----------
--------Instead, they get the rotten apples----------
----from the ground that aren’t as good, but easy.---
So the apples up top think something wrong w/ them
-----when in reality they're amazing. They just------
--------have to wait for the right boy to -------------
-----------come along, the one who's----------------
---------------brave enough to----------------------
------------------climb all---------------------------
------------------the way---------------------------
-----------------to the top--------------------------
----------------of the tree.--------------------------
------------------------Girls------------------------
-------------------are like apples-------------------
---------------on trees. The best ones--------------
--------------are at the top of the tree.-------------
-----------The boys don’t want to reach------------
---------for the good ones because they’re----------
- --------afraid of falling and getting hurt.-----------
--------Instead, they get the rotten apples----------
----from the ground that aren’t as good, but easy.---
So the apples up top think something wrong w/ them
-----when in reality they're amazing. They just------
--------have to wait for the right boy to -------------
-----------come along, the one who's----------------
---------------brave enough to----------------------
------------------climb all---------------------------
------------------the way---------------------------
-----------------to the top--------------------------
----------------of the tree.--------------------------
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
The little hints!
Its funny how when God decides He wants you to realize something or remember something, He just keeps impressing it upon you. Not only through reading His Word but through what your friends tell you and even when watching a random tape that you’ve seen before and kind of just sit through a second time.
JAMES 1:2-27
2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,
8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
9 But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position;
10 and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away.
11 For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.
12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.
14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.
18 In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.
19 This you know, my beloved brethren But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;
20 for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.
21 Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.
22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;
24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.
25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.
26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless.
27 Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep ones self unstained by the world.
JAMES 1:2-27
2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,
8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
9 But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position;
10 and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away.
11 For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.
12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.
14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.
18 In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.
19 This you know, my beloved brethren But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;
20 for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.
21 Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.
22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;
24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.
25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.
26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless.
27 Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep ones self unstained by the world.
Monday, October 02, 2006
IN A PIT WITH A LION ON A SNOWY DAY
In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day is a great book for everyone to take a moment and read. Mark Batterson takes a portion of Scripture from 2 Samuel, that most people miss when reading, and shows the implications for our lives today. It is an enjoyable yet challenging read written by a man who does his best to chase his Lions in a way that others can watch and learn. Go forward, learn to face your Lion and then chase HIM!
Book Description
Your greatest regret at the end of your life will be the lions you didn't chase. You will regret the risks not taken, the opportunities not seized, and the dreams not pursued. Stopping running away from what scares you most and start chasing the God-ordained opportunities that cross your path.
In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day is inspired by one of the most obscure yet courageous acts recorded in Scripture (II Samuel 23:20-21): Benaiah chased a lion down into a pit. Then, despite the snow and slippery ground, he caught the lion and killed it.
Unleash the lion chaser within!
Author Bio
Mark Batterson serves as lead pastor of National Community Church (www.theaterchurch.com) in Washington, DC, and is a daily blogger @ www.evotional.com. Mark lives on Capitol Hill with his wife Lora and their three children.
An excerpt from In a Pit,
"Is anybody else tired of reactive Christianity that is more known
for what it’s against than what it’s for? We’ve become far too defensive.
We’ve become far too passive. Lion chasers are proactive. They know
that playing it safe is risky. Lion chasers are always on the lookout for
God-ordained opportunities.
Maybe we’ve measured spiritual maturity the wrong way. Maybe
following Christ isn’t supposed to be as safe or as civilized as we’ve been
led to believe. Maybe Christ was more dangerous and uncivilized than our
Sunday-school flannelgraphs portrayed. Maybe God is raising up a
generation of lion chasers."
Book Description
Your greatest regret at the end of your life will be the lions you didn't chase. You will regret the risks not taken, the opportunities not seized, and the dreams not pursued. Stopping running away from what scares you most and start chasing the God-ordained opportunities that cross your path.
In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day is inspired by one of the most obscure yet courageous acts recorded in Scripture (II Samuel 23:20-21): Benaiah chased a lion down into a pit. Then, despite the snow and slippery ground, he caught the lion and killed it.
Unleash the lion chaser within!
Author Bio
Mark Batterson serves as lead pastor of National Community Church (www.theaterchurch.com) in Washington, DC, and is a daily blogger @ www.evotional.com. Mark lives on Capitol Hill with his wife Lora and their three children.
An excerpt from In a Pit,
"Is anybody else tired of reactive Christianity that is more known
for what it’s against than what it’s for? We’ve become far too defensive.
We’ve become far too passive. Lion chasers are proactive. They know
that playing it safe is risky. Lion chasers are always on the lookout for
God-ordained opportunities.
Maybe we’ve measured spiritual maturity the wrong way. Maybe
following Christ isn’t supposed to be as safe or as civilized as we’ve been
led to believe. Maybe Christ was more dangerous and uncivilized than our
Sunday-school flannelgraphs portrayed. Maybe God is raising up a
generation of lion chasers."
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Editor, Producer, Director
Lights
Camera
and...
ACTION
Cry of a newborn
New
Life
Infancy
Childhood
Scrapes
Bruises
Bumps
School
"First
Love"
Bible
Stories
Sunday School
New
Faith
New
Life
Second
Chance
Fall
Down
Get
Up
Again
Stop
Wait
Didn't
Mean
To do
That
I'm
Sorry
Cut
Splice
Edit...
ROLL
Tape!
Middle
School
Bullies
Basketball
Youth
Group
Take
His
Name in
Vain
Regret
Pain
I'm
Sorry
Cut
Edit
Splice
ROLL
Tape!
Junior
High
First
Date
Vandelize
Make
Mistakes
Stray
From the
One
Who
LOVES...
Graduation
Comes
Goes
Bible
College
still
not
right
great
act
noone
knows
Graduation
REAL
LIFE
HITS
HARD...
Why
Did I
Walk
Away?
Renewed
Faith
I'm
Sorry
Please
Forgive
Vut
Edit
Splice
ROLL
Tape!
Work
Serious
Relationship
further
education
slowly
forget
but not
leave
Slow
Steady
Returne
Help Keep
Me onh
Track
Please
Forgive
Cut
Edit
Splice
ROLL
Tape!
New
Marraige
Selflessness
A New
Way
Begin
To Understand
chirst's
Love
Seek to
Glorify
Honor
His Name!
ROLL
ROLL
ROLL
This is
Greast!
Exactly
What I
Want
From YOU!!!
Now You
Got IT
ROLL
ROLL
ROLL
Children
Godly
Discipline
Life
Rolls
Rapidly
By!
They all
Leave
Have
Families
of their
Own
Zoom in
For the
Final
Scene
FINAL
Breathe!
As you
View
Heaven's
Gates
And...
That's...
a
WRAP!!!
CUT
EDIT
SPLICE!!!!
COMPLETE
He who has begun a good work in you is faithful to complete it.
Camera
and...
ACTION
Cry of a newborn
New
Life
Infancy
Childhood
Scrapes
Bruises
Bumps
School
"First
Love"
Bible
Stories
Sunday School
New
Faith
New
Life
Second
Chance
Fall
Down
Get
Up
Again
Stop
Wait
Didn't
Mean
To do
That
I'm
Sorry
Cut
Splice
Edit...
ROLL
Tape!
Middle
School
Bullies
Basketball
Youth
Group
Take
His
Name in
Vain
Regret
Pain
I'm
Sorry
Cut
Edit
Splice
ROLL
Tape!
Junior
High
First
Date
Vandelize
Make
Mistakes
Stray
From the
One
Who
LOVES...
Graduation
Comes
Goes
Bible
College
still
not
right
great
act
noone
knows
Graduation
REAL
LIFE
HITS
HARD...
Why
Did I
Walk
Away?
Renewed
Faith
I'm
Sorry
Please
Forgive
Vut
Edit
Splice
ROLL
Tape!
Work
Serious
Relationship
further
education
slowly
forget
but not
leave
Slow
Steady
Returne
Help Keep
Me onh
Track
Please
Forgive
Cut
Edit
Splice
ROLL
Tape!
New
Marraige
Selflessness
A New
Way
Begin
To Understand
chirst's
Love
Seek to
Glorify
Honor
His Name!
ROLL
ROLL
ROLL
This is
Greast!
Exactly
What I
Want
From YOU!!!
Now You
Got IT
ROLL
ROLL
ROLL
Children
Godly
Discipline
Life
Rolls
Rapidly
By!
They all
Leave
Have
Families
of their
Own
Zoom in
For the
Final
Scene
FINAL
Breathe!
As you
View
Heaven's
Gates
And...
That's...
a
WRAP!!!
CUT
EDIT
SPLICE!!!!
COMPLETE
He who has begun a good work in you is faithful to complete it.
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