#29

#29 learn the name of this http://www.biertijd.com/mediaplayer/?itemid=4262
#30 work up the courage to do that

sorry i dont know how to make an actual link...

sliders

I'm sure you've all heard the news about Union University--or at least those who watch the news. For those who don't know, the Midwest had a series really bad storms last week, and a tornado demolished all but one building on the school's campus. We even got a bit of it that twisted store signs and blew over trees.

Anyway, I was talking to one of the professors who has a daughter who goes to Union. I had heard she got a concussion so I was following up on that. He said that the storm blew out her windows, lifted her up, and threw her against her bookcase. I can't imagines a storm that huge! I've been in hurricanes and almost blown over, but I can't imagine a storm coming into my house and taking over the inside as much as the outside. Like Dan said, what a big God we serve. He created the winds, the rain, the waves, the trees of the forest, and the birds of the air. And his infinite power can be seen in every bit of his creation!

On a completely different subject, Thursday was Valentine's Day. Gentry and I went to White Castle. Apparently it's a big day for them. You have to RSVP weeks in advance. They had cloth tablecloths, flowers, and heart decorations everywhere. They do it sit down style with menus at the table. I ate 7 sliders, 1 cheese stick, some fries, and an order of onion rings.

princess

For those of you that don't know, I am now pretty good friends with singer/songwriter Josh Rosenthal. He's a pretty cool guy. Anyway, I'm not sure how it happened, but I got on his record label, an just yesterday I have created a new music myspace account with some new songs. You guys should check it out at
myspace.com/princesstinklepants

so i got a new bike

but thats not what this is really about...last night i had an unbelievable experience. thats what this entry is about. fort lauderdale had a huge storm last night, i found out today that there was even a tornado involved in this storm, but last night there was an unreal amount of lightning all around my house. i currently live on the 4th story of a 4 story loft type place, i dont really know what to call it, anyways i live on the top. so i got the bright idea to go up onto the roof last night during this storm in the middle of the night to get a better look at what was going on, when i climbed up my ladder to the roof, i was literally to scared to stand up, lightning was everywhere, literally right over my head, you know the kind that stays in the sky though, and it was in just about every direction around me. there was probably one bolt of lightning per second i was up there. i immediately started to retreat, but stopped and decided to sit halfway on the roof and halfway still in my room. it was incredible. the sky was constantly being lit up in all different colors, and the thunder was almost untolerable it was so loud...you know the kind of thunder that you feel just as much as you hear it...so while i was up there and as my courage increased i went all the way onto the roof again and just was overwhelmed by how small i was. how small i was and how big God is, i couldnt get away from that, and i couldnt help but think that anyone who would have been up there with me would have felt the same exact way. it was inescapable.
i think whats beautiful about this is that i was so right. i am small, i am insignificant, i and a molecule of dust on this planet, yet God still involves himself in my life, God still cares for me and loves me. i cannot even fathom what loving an ameoba would be like, but thats probably the best analogy to God and my relationship. the ameoba is so insignificant compared to me, but i am significant to God, and thats a beautiful thing...welp off to work for me...oh and my bike is sweet, ill try and put pics up soon

Disciple cycles

One of my professors said something today that I thought I'd share:

"How many disciples did Jesus have? How many disciples did Paul have? How many disciples do YOU have?"

We should be teaching and showing others through our lives how to be more like Christ. Then those people should be doing the same thing with others.

My personal prayer for this week is that God would bring me one or two guys whom I can disciple.

it's time i shared something

lately i've been trying to think of something to write about, since i haven't posted anything in a while. and although i have a lot of thoughts and feelings meandering around inside my brain, none of them have hashed themselves out into any form of completeness. so i'm just kinda gonna talk, not force anything, and see where it takes me.

i've been learning a lot about servanthood lately through our dog sebastian. between reading my current 6 books, trying to spend time with God, giving gentry the love and attention she deserves, i really don't have much left over to go on walks or play tug-o-war. but we got him knowing he'd be added responsibility, so i do my part. i used to rush him through walks, letting him sniff very little. even playing with him in the house for just 5 minutes takes the time and effort that i could be putting toward something else. but how selfish of me is that! he needs love and attention just like anyone else (yes he's a dog, no i'm not saying that he's as valuable or should hold the status as a human. i'm not gay). so i've been trying to be more purposeful about my time with him. when we go on walks, i give him plenty of time to sniff; when we're inside, i'll run around the house and wrestle with him.

what does all this have to do with being a servant? i'm learning that my needs are not necessarily more important than the needs of those around me. and i should not brush others off just because i don't think i have the time or energy to listen or help. yes, the tasks i have before me need to get taken care of, but not at the neglect of others. it is so easy to get caught up in my world that i become completely unaware of everyone around me.

another thing that i have been praying about is to be able to see this world as a temporary dwelling. one of my favorite passages of scripture is hebrews 11. ecclesiastes 3:11 says that God "has set eternity in the hearts of men." hebrews 11 illustrates what exactly this looks like when we realize this "eternity" and faithfully desire the Lord. there's a brief interruption in the discourse of hebrews where the writer states,

"all these people were still living by faith when they died. they did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. and they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. people who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. if they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had the opportunity to return. instead, they were longing for a better country--a heavenly one. therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them." (13-16)