I'm thankful for today, it was pretty epic.
Stage 1. Early Morning Football.
This morning my family prepared for my church s annual football game. Since I have so many male siblings my family is always expected to make a good showing. Today we had six players, Nathan (8) Ezra (11) Jordan (13) Me (16) Daniel (22) Daddy (?). We headed out about nine complete with headbands and football jerseys. I wore my traditional Ricky Williams jersey, for those of you who dont know, Ricky Williams was kicked out of football for multiple years because of drug abuse but tradition is tradition so I had to wear the jersey. The games were really good and very evenly matched. Their were no girls, which made it much easier and it was not really windy only horribly cold. I started out playing poorly but I redeemed myself later on when I caught an interception which I returned for a touchdown and made a full layout to catch a ball that was actually meant for my older brother. My team won by a slight very small margin of two points.
Stage 2. Dinner
We had a very small crowd this year. One of my mom's brothers came up from New York with his family. We had our resident Super Genius Man Man come over, more commonly known as Dr John Vaz he is the culmination of all things respectful and gentlemanly. In total we had a scanty 13 people, 13 people to consume enough food for an army. Let me tell you, finishing all that food was rough like really really difficult. We somehow managed though to consume the majority of our feast and left the remains for tomorrow.
Stage 3. Conversation/Dessert 1
After dinner we rotated doing dishes and talking with our guests. We had an excellant Pecan Pie which has been an old tradition from the times of my grandmother. *whispers* I think my mom makes my great grandmothers recipe for Pecan pie better then she did. We talked about The City of God and the turbelant times during which The Church was proclaimed the state religion of the Roman Empire and all the struggles that went along with that imperial decision.
Stage 4. Dessert 2
Bidding farewell to our guests we loaded into our cars (its really sad, I can't say van anymore *sniff sniff* because we sold our epicly large 15 passenger van and we are now a two car family) but we loaded into our cars and headed over to my grandmothers house where all of my dads family has gathered for another dessert session. We passed the evening playing cards, I had the worst luck, and eating a combination of Cherry, Pumpkin, Apple, Boston Cream and Blueberry pies.
Stage 5. Home again and I'll probably soon be rolling my tired, sore stuffed body up to my bed.
It was one of the best Thanksgiving I can remember but today wasn't even the point of this post, I mean I"m thankful for today and all but I dont want to end this whole thankfulness exercise on being thankful for something I couldn't have avoided even if I wanted to. So I'll share with you something interesting I thought about today. As I was riding in the car I had an interesting thought and it made me really thankful, thankful that everyone is not like me. I mean I like me alot (being totally serious) and I love watching as God molds me into whatever clay vessel he's gonna make me. Sometimes it looks like a pretty vase and other times it looks like a dumpy inkwell but either way I know I'm being crafted by the Master Craftsmen. So my thought today was "what if everyone was like me?" Pontificating on this question made me sooooo happy that everyone is not like me. lol I mean honestly how boring would life be? No one would laugh at my jokes no one would be there to pick up when they fall and no one would be their to pick me up when I fall. The only thing I could really do well with myself would be play Age of Empires and that gets boring after awhile. So throughout the day I've been coming to appreciate the advantages that their are and the enormous wisdom that God had in enabling human genes to come up with an infinite combination of character traits and physical features. We truly serve a creative God with an awesome sense of humor. I mean just look at me? Doesn't it just make you chuckle and say "God you did that?....really... you made that? are you sure that was smart?"
So now that this fourteen days of thankfulness is over I hope we wont forget throughout the upcoming year how grateful we ought to be all the time. I think I'm gonna periodically scatter a couple more thankfulness posts throughout each month just to keep my mind focused correctly and I'd encourage you all who were disciplined enough to do this for fourteen days straight to make the effort to do it once or twice a month. How hard can it be if we do it together?
Friday, November 26, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Thankfulness Post, Day 13
I'm very much vexed because I was gonna post about something really cool and then forgot what it was. So now I'm stuck and with only 36 minutes left until tomorrow I need to come up with something quick. Today, at my churches Thanksgiving Eve service we played a really neat hymn that I hadn't heard in awhile called, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. I was really thankful for that song because earlier we had sung three or four other songs which were not bad by any means but they just didn't have much substance they were kinda the fluffy modern worship songs. Recently I've come to appreciate hymns enormously, they are not merely fluffy songs that have all the right words but have no meaning in them. I think what makes hymns so special and powerful is that they were written through the passion of men who had experianced the power of the living God and had felt His saving grace. A Mighty Fortress is our God was written by Martin Luther during the the turbalant times of the Reformation. It Is Well With My Soul was written by Horatio Spafford after he had lost all his property in The Great Chicago Fire, his only son to an unknown incurable disease and all four of his daughters to a shipping accident. Their is power in words that come from the heart of a grieving father or a wearied pastor or a troubled child. We must appreciate the power in these relics of history that tell stories of darkness and frustration being conquered by God's power.
Here is a list of some of my favorite hynms, comment with ones I forgot to include or with ones that are particularly special to you: Be Thou My Vision, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, Come Ye Sinners, All Hail The Power of Jesus' Name, Doxology, It is well, In Christ Alone, Amazing Grace, A Might Fortress Is Our God and A Call to Prayer
Here is a list of some of my favorite hynms, comment with ones I forgot to include or with ones that are particularly special to you: Be Thou My Vision, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, Come Ye Sinners, All Hail The Power of Jesus' Name, Doxology, It is well, In Christ Alone, Amazing Grace, A Might Fortress Is Our God and A Call to Prayer
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Thankfulness Day 10, 11 and 12
Considering the enormous amount of things I have to be thankful for and taking into consideration the enormity of my blessings I can not fathom why I still have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning. I have everything to look forward to and yet I get upset at the slightest provocation and can in an instant forget all my blessings and go back to the old ways of self love and sin. In an effort to keep myself from hearkening back to the old ways of self indulgence I'll try to make this post longer and move involved then previous posts.
So Sunday was a very interesting day, I've ceased to say whether days are good or bad because I can not trust my feelings to tell me whether it was good or bad because my feelings are often misguided and I can not trust the circumstances to tell me if it was good or bad because circumstances do not prove the morality of an action. Needless to say Sunday was an interesting day and it prompted me to include in this post my gratitude for the Sabbath. Historically the sabbath whether it was a Saturday or Sunday was a day of celebration and rejoicing. In ancient Jewish culture the sabbath was a time to rejoice in all that God had done for His people. In the early church you were allowed only to pray/worship standing up with your arms upraised on the Sabbath because it was day for rejoicing and not for repentance. You were supposed to be right with God before the Sabbath because on the Sabbath was the day set aside to praising God not sadness or regret. Today our sabbath has become something of a drudgery, we're glad for the day off from school and the time we can spend with friends at church but its almost like the glory of Sunday is darkened by the knowledge that we have to go to school the next day. I'm thankful for the historical view of the Sabbath and this view is one I'm trying to implant into myself. Sunday is not meant to be a drudgery or merely another day of the weekend, rather it is a time to rejoice together with the brothers and sisters of the faith, to rejoice in the remembrance of what God has done for us. Everything from Creation to the Exodus to the Resurrection and all subsequent divine acts of God that are worthy of praise. We must make Sunday a day of remembrance and empowerment not merely a day to cram all your homework into that you didn't do on Saturday. The day is holy and has the potential to be so much more then we let it.
Remembering the great acts of God brought me my second thing I'm thankful for. Some of you know this whole story, others have heard it in part and to some of you this will be entirely new. Know that it was divine grace that allowed this story to happen not luck or the good fortune of my parents.
For many years my family has been the recipient of thousands upon thousands of dollars worth of food. Stage 1. Over a decade ago my family approached the owners of a local Dunkin Donuts after noticing that every night the person who closed simply threw away all the leftover donuts and bagels. The manager agreed to allow my family to pick up all the leftover food from the weekends at no cost if we came at ten thirty every Saturday and packed it all up ourselves. For I think eight years my family got these donuts every weekend and what we didn't keep we brought to church the next day so the rest of the body could benefit from Gods blessing.
Stage 2. During that eight year period my father was in and out of work relatively frequently for two or two and half years. During those years we drove to the Farmers Market (a massive warehouse where all the veggies from around the world are dropped off and local grocery stores come and pick up their fruits and vegetables) At the farmers market their is a place where they sell bad or rotting produce for really inexpensive, really inexpensive meaning 1$ or 2$ for a massive crate of oranges or apples. The so called "rotten" produce normally had maybe one or two bad products in each box so we were able to get enough fruits and veggies at really low prices enough to feed my whole family. Sometimes we were lucky and got good stuff like melons and apples but other times they had more exotic things. Sometimes dad would come home with four crates of Radishes which required much more creativity to enjoy.
Stage 3. I saved the best for last because I didn't want to end on something boring. Now the Dunkin Donuts deal stopped about two years ago because the owner of the branch changed and a few other variables came into existence that made the free donuts not worth pursuing. The Farmers Market cheap produce section closed down and were not sure why but God who knew the needs of my large family decided to give us something else. Using the same tactics that we used for Dunkin Donuts we talked to the owners of a local Panera Bread and they agreed to let us come every Friday and Saturday night after the store closed and take all the leftover bread and pastries, this usually numbers three or four boxes. If you've been to Panera you know how expensive it is and its the finest quality bread you can get. So every week God gives us more bread then my family could possibly eat, enough that we can bring hundreds of dollars worth of bread to church every week. This deal with Panera is still going on and all you who go to my church can agree that it is awesome.
So I think that qualifies as three days of thankfulness. I hope that reading helped you all think of those special things God did for you which you can be thankful for.
So Sunday was a very interesting day, I've ceased to say whether days are good or bad because I can not trust my feelings to tell me whether it was good or bad because my feelings are often misguided and I can not trust the circumstances to tell me if it was good or bad because circumstances do not prove the morality of an action. Needless to say Sunday was an interesting day and it prompted me to include in this post my gratitude for the Sabbath. Historically the sabbath whether it was a Saturday or Sunday was a day of celebration and rejoicing. In ancient Jewish culture the sabbath was a time to rejoice in all that God had done for His people. In the early church you were allowed only to pray/worship standing up with your arms upraised on the Sabbath because it was day for rejoicing and not for repentance. You were supposed to be right with God before the Sabbath because on the Sabbath was the day set aside to praising God not sadness or regret. Today our sabbath has become something of a drudgery, we're glad for the day off from school and the time we can spend with friends at church but its almost like the glory of Sunday is darkened by the knowledge that we have to go to school the next day. I'm thankful for the historical view of the Sabbath and this view is one I'm trying to implant into myself. Sunday is not meant to be a drudgery or merely another day of the weekend, rather it is a time to rejoice together with the brothers and sisters of the faith, to rejoice in the remembrance of what God has done for us. Everything from Creation to the Exodus to the Resurrection and all subsequent divine acts of God that are worthy of praise. We must make Sunday a day of remembrance and empowerment not merely a day to cram all your homework into that you didn't do on Saturday. The day is holy and has the potential to be so much more then we let it.
Remembering the great acts of God brought me my second thing I'm thankful for. Some of you know this whole story, others have heard it in part and to some of you this will be entirely new. Know that it was divine grace that allowed this story to happen not luck or the good fortune of my parents.
For many years my family has been the recipient of thousands upon thousands of dollars worth of food. Stage 1. Over a decade ago my family approached the owners of a local Dunkin Donuts after noticing that every night the person who closed simply threw away all the leftover donuts and bagels. The manager agreed to allow my family to pick up all the leftover food from the weekends at no cost if we came at ten thirty every Saturday and packed it all up ourselves. For I think eight years my family got these donuts every weekend and what we didn't keep we brought to church the next day so the rest of the body could benefit from Gods blessing.
Stage 2. During that eight year period my father was in and out of work relatively frequently for two or two and half years. During those years we drove to the Farmers Market (a massive warehouse where all the veggies from around the world are dropped off and local grocery stores come and pick up their fruits and vegetables) At the farmers market their is a place where they sell bad or rotting produce for really inexpensive, really inexpensive meaning 1$ or 2$ for a massive crate of oranges or apples. The so called "rotten" produce normally had maybe one or two bad products in each box so we were able to get enough fruits and veggies at really low prices enough to feed my whole family. Sometimes we were lucky and got good stuff like melons and apples but other times they had more exotic things. Sometimes dad would come home with four crates of Radishes which required much more creativity to enjoy.
Stage 3. I saved the best for last because I didn't want to end on something boring. Now the Dunkin Donuts deal stopped about two years ago because the owner of the branch changed and a few other variables came into existence that made the free donuts not worth pursuing. The Farmers Market cheap produce section closed down and were not sure why but God who knew the needs of my large family decided to give us something else. Using the same tactics that we used for Dunkin Donuts we talked to the owners of a local Panera Bread and they agreed to let us come every Friday and Saturday night after the store closed and take all the leftover bread and pastries, this usually numbers three or four boxes. If you've been to Panera you know how expensive it is and its the finest quality bread you can get. So every week God gives us more bread then my family could possibly eat, enough that we can bring hundreds of dollars worth of bread to church every week. This deal with Panera is still going on and all you who go to my church can agree that it is awesome.
So I think that qualifies as three days of thankfulness. I hope that reading helped you all think of those special things God did for you which you can be thankful for.
I will finish this Thankfulness thing
Just for the record I'm gonna post later today for today and the other two days that I missed I've just been horribly busy these past two days.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Thankfulness Post Day 9
Audio books are something that recently I've become really thankful for. During school I generally listen to music and over the past few months I have listened to my limited musical collection to the degree that its tedious to hear the same songs again. So in need of something to distract me during the tediousness of schoolwork and finding myself at the library with ten minutes to spare I searched the audio books section. I stumbled upon The Da Vinci Code and The Shack, two books that I'd heard lots about but knew I'd never actually take the time to read. I checked out those two at our libraries fancy automatic no librarian required check out machine and have been listening to them over the past two weeks. Both were good and both were infinitely more enjoyable because I had someone reading them with funny voices and I didn't have to read them myself.
Now I figured out the hard way that listening to audio books only works well with novels or stories and not with non fiction works, books like histories and textbooks or theological works.. You can experiment for yourself but I think this principle will hold true for most everyone.
So if you have a novel/story that you've always wanted to read and just dont have the time then find it at the library and listen to it while you do school, or while you knit, or do it in place of watching Psych on Wednesday night *cough* Mercy *cough*.
Now I figured out the hard way that listening to audio books only works well with novels or stories and not with non fiction works, books like histories and textbooks or theological works.. You can experiment for yourself but I think this principle will hold true for most everyone.
So if you have a novel/story that you've always wanted to read and just dont have the time then find it at the library and listen to it while you do school, or while you knit, or do it in place of watching Psych on Wednesday night *cough* Mercy *cough*.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Thankfulness Post Day 8
Night closes doors forever
Night heals those souls dismembered
In Night secrets are brought forth never
Night hides all those assembled.
Night heals those souls dismembered
In Night secrets are brought forth never
Night hides all those assembled.
On this night I'm thankful for night itself and the world which it encompasses that few like to embrace. Their is something special in walking under a full moon, or watching from a rooftop a streak of lightening illuminate a darkened sky. I've come to appreciate the night and solace it brings from the tedious unpredictability of the day. Their is a purpose and reason it was given us which is greater then merely a time to sleep.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Thanksfulness Day 7
Today I am thankful for something yummy. Something dark, something square and cold, something that I havn't had since last Holiday season. Something....chocolate. 
Fudge, If properly made it is my favorite treat. I make it every holiday season using a very special recipe. Sadly it not a recipe that has been passed down through my family for countless generations :), actually I think we just copied it out of a cook book onto a note card and crumpled the corners so it looks real old. Anyhow the recipe is really simple and is soooo good or maybe its just my ability to make it so well, I guess we'll never know. Anyhow its particularly good with walnuts. I can think of few things I'd like better than coffee and fudge by a fire over Christmas break. Plus fudge makes an incredible gift, like really really yummy gift and one that very very few people like not to receive.
Fudge, If properly made it is my favorite treat. I make it every holiday season using a very special recipe. Sadly it not a recipe that has been passed down through my family for countless generations :), actually I think we just copied it out of a cook book onto a note card and crumpled the corners so it looks real old. Anyhow the recipe is really simple and is soooo good or maybe its just my ability to make it so well, I guess we'll never know. Anyhow its particularly good with walnuts. I can think of few things I'd like better than coffee and fudge by a fire over Christmas break. Plus fudge makes an incredible gift, like really really yummy gift and one that very very few people like not to receive.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Thankfulness Post Day 6
Today I am thankful for the witness and the testimony of the Christian saints who have gone before us. Men and woman who have spent their lives pursuing Gods will and their stories are an incredible example well worth imitating. To often we downgrade the example of other Christians, particularly historical Christians because we have somehow come to the conclusion that learning about these people eliminates our ability to focus on Christ. This assumption is simply not the case, if this were so then why does the bible include stories about people besides Jesus or those directly related to Jesus? Obviously they dont detract from Him but understanding people who have followed God with all their heart, who have sought His face will enable us to know how we can better to seek His face. In times of trial their is always the example of someone who persevered through such worse circumstances or mental strain and if we know and can appreciate these examples our lives our not only more enriched but it enables us to weather our own storms of life better and more effectively.
Some of the not mainstream Christians I have found particular encouragement in studying are men such as, Athanasius, Paphnutius, Charles Spurgeon, John Calvin, St. Augustine, John Wesly, Adoniram Judson, Nate Saint and his son Steve Saint, ect... the list goes on and on into more and more obscure people. Their is literally no end to the acts of courage and valor which were done in the name of Christ.
Oh for the day when knights were bold and chivalry yet lived. In an age when postmodern relativists control the media and the schools I can not thank God enough for the overwhelming evidence of history that despite the darkness of this present day, history shines forth the glory and majesty of God in all its chapters and no where in history is the power or purpose of God more clearly shown then in the lives of those who sought His face. Augustine, when asked about the different rituals done when a saint or martyr died, said,"we do not worship the deceased saints rather we honor the lives that they lived and try to make ours like theirs." We deprive ourselves of so much by not knowing about our brothers and sisters who have gone before us and walked the narrow way already. The way to Christ may be narrow and difficult but their are a whole host of men and woman who have walked that road and written thousands upon thousands of pages about their journey, why do we refuse to learn from them and try to do it our own way? Its just silly when we are willing to think about it.
Some of the not mainstream Christians I have found particular encouragement in studying are men such as, Athanasius, Paphnutius, Charles Spurgeon, John Calvin, St. Augustine, John Wesly, Adoniram Judson, Nate Saint and his son Steve Saint, ect... the list goes on and on into more and more obscure people. Their is literally no end to the acts of courage and valor which were done in the name of Christ.
Oh for the day when knights were bold and chivalry yet lived. In an age when postmodern relativists control the media and the schools I can not thank God enough for the overwhelming evidence of history that despite the darkness of this present day, history shines forth the glory and majesty of God in all its chapters and no where in history is the power or purpose of God more clearly shown then in the lives of those who sought His face. Augustine, when asked about the different rituals done when a saint or martyr died, said,"we do not worship the deceased saints rather we honor the lives that they lived and try to make ours like theirs." We deprive ourselves of so much by not knowing about our brothers and sisters who have gone before us and walked the narrow way already. The way to Christ may be narrow and difficult but their are a whole host of men and woman who have walked that road and written thousands upon thousands of pages about their journey, why do we refuse to learn from them and try to do it our own way? Its just silly when we are willing to think about it.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Thankfullness Post Day 5
Today I am thankful for tea and coffee, not merely because they are what is currently keeping me up but also because their pretty. Their will be an eternal war waged to decide whether I prefer tea or coffee. I drink far more tea then I do coffee but I enjoy coffee more. They both are incredible and if they did not exist then life would just be a little less rich.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Thankfulness Post Day 4
Today I'm thankful for sports and a body that allows me to participate in them. One of the few blessings that I can not understand is why God gave me a physique that allows me to enjoy sports and he denies it to other people. I am not ignorant of this blessing and I thank God for it almost everyday. With the exception of a very few and very rare spiritual experiences I've never had a greater feeling of being alive, of having my mind soul and spirit all united in one clear purpose then when I've been playing sports. This unity of soul spirit mind is indeed rare, and with it comes a complete sense of bliss but not a bliss that requires us to lose scope of other things, simply it is a knowledge that amidst all the trials and storms of life their is in that specific moment a perfect balance of existence. I have not found or heard of any state of existence that is better then having one soul spirit and mind united in one purpose, our relationship with God was supposed to be like that but because of our stupidity, nature, ignorance, laziness, and fleshly body some part of us is always waging war with God or another part of ourselves, denying us that peace which is our greatest desire perfect purpose yet is as illusive as smoke on a windy day.
Two specific actions have I found to be particularly enjoying. Number one is a bit odd and probably specific to me but chasing down an opponent just makes me feel empowered. Whether I"m running after a Frisbee or football that was overthrown or a member of the other team I can almost always catch up. I've rarely been able to run faster or feel better when I'm chasing someone or something else. I am definitely not as good as most players and so I have been out maneuvered many times but I can run like a fiend if the mood takes me. I guess that comes from being perpetually on alert from the age 5 to 13. I learned to be quick from having to watch out for the homemade spear and from taking part in the full scale acorn and pine corn wars we'd have in our woods each year. The second thing is making a diving catch, few things can compare to the adrenaline rush that happens when you do something like this. No explanation needed.
Their you have it, sports are awesome and for anyone able to do them I think they ought to be enjoyed as something God gave us to take pleasure in.
Two specific actions have I found to be particularly enjoying. Number one is a bit odd and probably specific to me but chasing down an opponent just makes me feel empowered. Whether I"m running after a Frisbee or football that was overthrown or a member of the other team I can almost always catch up. I've rarely been able to run faster or feel better when I'm chasing someone or something else. I am definitely not as good as most players and so I have been out maneuvered many times but I can run like a fiend if the mood takes me. I guess that comes from being perpetually on alert from the age 5 to 13. I learned to be quick from having to watch out for the homemade spear and from taking part in the full scale acorn and pine corn wars we'd have in our woods each year. The second thing is making a diving catch, few things can compare to the adrenaline rush that happens when you do something like this. No explanation needed.
Their you have it, sports are awesome and for anyone able to do them I think they ought to be enjoyed as something God gave us to take pleasure in.
Thankfulness Post Day 3
Today it was a little bit difficult to think of something I'm thankful for that isn't typical but after much thought and an afternoon spent studying in front of a fire with numerous pots of teas and of course, my bathrobe ;) I've think I've come up with a suitable subject for this post. Today I am thankful for floss. I've found floss to be extraordinarily handy despite the tedious task it is to use. If you've ever eaten corn on the cob, the proper way, which is not necessarily the polite way, you'll understand why floss is worthy of this post. Its amazing how little their is to write about something we use......or are supposed to use everyday. So I think I will end this post here cause I need to get back to work.
Moral of the story, floss your teeth you wont regret it especially considering the holidays are coming up.
Moral of the story, floss your teeth you wont regret it especially considering the holidays are coming up.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Thankfulness Post 2
Advance warning: This post will be shorter because my fingers are really sore from helping someone move today.
So in an effort to give emphasis to the less obvious things that I am thankful for I'm going to focus these posts on the more obscure joys of my life. I mean my family, my friends, music, and the like are all awesome but that's something everyone posts about. So today I am thankful for something most of you probably will think is weird but I'm thankful for bathrobes. Why bathrobes? your probably thinking. Well simply because bathrobes are awesome, Most people think bathrobes are just for, well....when you take a bath but this is simply not the case. Bathrobes are the equivalent of a less constricting snuggie that can be worn, all the time, at all hours of the day or night. I wear mine on top of whatever normal clothes I'm wearing and since we dont really turn the heat on in my house unless we really really have to, as the winter gets colder my bathrobe becomes one of my best friends. For anyone who has been to my house for along time or come to my house when I didn't know you were coming, you've probably seen me in my bathrobe I tried to find a picture but sadly, pictures dont really help describe its coolness. Basically its big, its black, its fleece, its fluffy and its got pockets big enough to hold anything I want. Whether I need to conceal some chocolate on my way from the kitchen to my room or if I'm just needing to carry around a book the pockets on a bathrobe are perfect. Obviously for anyone who isn't homeschooled a bathrobe is more difficult to utilize, wearing it to school wouldn't go over very well but for homeschoolers who's parents don't make them dress up for school a bathrobe is like the ultimate combination of comfort and efficiency.
So there you have it, never underestimate the bathrobe I mean it worked pretty well for the thousands of years before pants became popular.
So in an effort to give emphasis to the less obvious things that I am thankful for I'm going to focus these posts on the more obscure joys of my life. I mean my family, my friends, music, and the like are all awesome but that's something everyone posts about. So today I am thankful for something most of you probably will think is weird but I'm thankful for bathrobes. Why bathrobes? your probably thinking. Well simply because bathrobes are awesome, Most people think bathrobes are just for, well....when you take a bath but this is simply not the case. Bathrobes are the equivalent of a less constricting snuggie that can be worn, all the time, at all hours of the day or night. I wear mine on top of whatever normal clothes I'm wearing and since we dont really turn the heat on in my house unless we really really have to, as the winter gets colder my bathrobe becomes one of my best friends. For anyone who has been to my house for along time or come to my house when I didn't know you were coming, you've probably seen me in my bathrobe I tried to find a picture but sadly, pictures dont really help describe its coolness. Basically its big, its black, its fleece, its fluffy and its got pockets big enough to hold anything I want. Whether I need to conceal some chocolate on my way from the kitchen to my room or if I'm just needing to carry around a book the pockets on a bathrobe are perfect. Obviously for anyone who isn't homeschooled a bathrobe is more difficult to utilize, wearing it to school wouldn't go over very well but for homeschoolers who's parents don't make them dress up for school a bathrobe is like the ultimate combination of comfort and efficiency.
So there you have it, never underestimate the bathrobe I mean it worked pretty well for the thousands of years before pants became popular.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Thankfulness Post 1
So I suppose I have to do this fourteen days of thankfullessness thingy as well, although I dont think it should necessarily be limited to fourteen days. So what am I thankful for? Methinks I ought to be thankful for everything, I mean what is in existence that is not allowed by God? and if it is allowed by God then who am I not be thankful for it? I think we often limit ourselves to being thankful for very specific things and thus miss out on so many of the blessings that God has given us. Now I'm not saying we are happy all the time with the things God gives us but knowing that they are from Him makes them special and worthy of notice whether we enjoy them or not. So I guess what I'm thankful for is life in general, complete with happy times and sad times it all makes up who I am right now and since I know without a doubt that right now I'm a servant of the living God and thats pretty awesome, it enables me to be thankful for everything. At least until I forget I am His servant and therefore lose my joy so I guess the struggle is not in being thankful instead its remembering who's I am and when I do that I can be thankful all the time.
Perhaps that's to big and grand for so small a small paragraph so to satisfy everyone who isn't yet happy with this blog post I will tell you about something I am particularly thankful for because of an experience that happened this morning. Today I am particularly thankful for alarm clocks. As much as I think modern technology is a detriment to our spiritual state I do think that alarm clocks are one of the most helpful inventions ever. For instance this morning I didn't set one or it was turned off or I just slept through it either way I woke up an hour and a half late making my day much more difficult and busy. I do not have a picture sadly because I dont even have an alarm clock I use my phone. I actually use it more as an alarm clock then a phone.
So day one thankfulness post summary I'm trying to be thankful for everything, I am thankful right now for alarm clocks cause they keep me from oversleeping and being all grumpy when I wake up.
Alright I'm gonna try again, here are the pictures from two of my ventures which have reaped substantial profit. I went shooting with Master Davenport who has more knowledge about guns in his left pinky then I ever will. Despite his obvious superiority we had a blast, hehehe no pun intended. Totally didn't mean to do that. lol
Me trying to look legit with my great grandfathers Diana 35 a German made air rifle circa 1940.
Our armaments, Diana 35, The Russia and two weenie pellet pistols.
These next couple pictures are from a tea sleeve I made. I took the pictures just beofre I tried to make the button hole, I knew I'd probably mess up the whole thing with the button hole so I wouldn't to have some pictures before I had to tear it apart. Fortunately I only half wrecked it and was able to ship it off as a gift to my sister still functioning, so if its breaks under her care its not my problem.
I used to size seven circular needles, that I got for my birthday, pretty spiffy if you ask me.
Cool Cables
From the back with my pattern and my scribbles representing how many rows I'd done.
Despite the recent posts about the extra curricular actives I've had time to do their are few places I'd rather be then right here in my personalized little cubicle. Despite the fact that its bitter cold most of the time and my chair is a tagsale resale its pretty awesome. We recently got the outlit behind the desk fixed so I can actually use the light you see there and I no longer need the candles.
Perhaps that's to big and grand for so small a small paragraph so to satisfy everyone who isn't yet happy with this blog post I will tell you about something I am particularly thankful for because of an experience that happened this morning. Today I am particularly thankful for alarm clocks. As much as I think modern technology is a detriment to our spiritual state I do think that alarm clocks are one of the most helpful inventions ever. For instance this morning I didn't set one or it was turned off or I just slept through it either way I woke up an hour and a half late making my day much more difficult and busy. I do not have a picture sadly because I dont even have an alarm clock I use my phone. I actually use it more as an alarm clock then a phone.
So day one thankfulness post summary I'm trying to be thankful for everything, I am thankful right now for alarm clocks cause they keep me from oversleeping and being all grumpy when I wake up.
Alright I'm gonna try again, here are the pictures from two of my ventures which have reaped substantial profit. I went shooting with Master Davenport who has more knowledge about guns in his left pinky then I ever will. Despite his obvious superiority we had a blast, hehehe no pun intended. Totally didn't mean to do that. lol
Me trying to look legit with my great grandfathers Diana 35 a German made air rifle circa 1940.
Our armaments, Diana 35, The Russia and two weenie pellet pistols.
My target from roughly ten yards, for a noob shooting in the wind I was told this was pretty good.
These next couple pictures are from a tea sleeve I made. I took the pictures just beofre I tried to make the button hole, I knew I'd probably mess up the whole thing with the button hole so I wouldn't to have some pictures before I had to tear it apart. Fortunately I only half wrecked it and was able to ship it off as a gift to my sister still functioning, so if its breaks under her care its not my problem.
I used to size seven circular needles, that I got for my birthday, pretty spiffy if you ask me.
Cool Cables
From the back with my pattern and my scribbles representing how many rows I'd done.
Despite the recent posts about the extra curricular actives I've had time to do their are few places I'd rather be then right here in my personalized little cubicle. Despite the fact that its bitter cold most of the time and my chair is a tagsale resale its pretty awesome. We recently got the outlit behind the desk fixed so I can actually use the light you see there and I no longer need the candles.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
An old journal entry
Lately my journal which is really no journal but rather a simple notebook, has been falling apart so two days ago I finished the destructive process and relocated everything into a three ring binder. I found something interesting that I wrote, I think last winter but I'm not sure, theirs no quotation marks on it but I think its from Thomas à Kempis' the Imitation of Christ. So here it is, tell me what you think I found it helpful.
"When a spirit of fervor is kindled within you, you may well meditate on how you will feel when the fervor leaves. Then when this happens remember that the light which I have withdrawn for a time is a warning to you and for My own glory. Such trials are often more beneficial than if you had things always as you wish. For a man's merits are not measured by many visions or consolations or by knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, or by his being in a higher position than others but by the truth of his humility, by his capacity for divine charity, by his consistency in seeking purely and entirely the honor of God, by his disregard and positive contempt of self, and more, by preferring to be despised and humiliated by others rather tan honored by others."
Oh for the record the King Arthur soundtrack is really good.
"When a spirit of fervor is kindled within you, you may well meditate on how you will feel when the fervor leaves. Then when this happens remember that the light which I have withdrawn for a time is a warning to you and for My own glory. Such trials are often more beneficial than if you had things always as you wish. For a man's merits are not measured by many visions or consolations or by knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, or by his being in a higher position than others but by the truth of his humility, by his capacity for divine charity, by his consistency in seeking purely and entirely the honor of God, by his disregard and positive contempt of self, and more, by preferring to be despised and humiliated by others rather tan honored by others."
Oh for the record the King Arthur soundtrack is really good.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Sloth
Every epoch and age of history has had its various trials and struggles, those things which could have been the downfall of humanity yet were foreseen and halted before they were able to reap their destructive harvest upon humanities. Today we have another such enemy, one which Satan hopes will tear down much of the good Christianity has brought to the world. Due to all the time saving devices that modern technology has so conveniently invented for our use we now have an abundance of "free time" and therein lies our adversary. The idea that their is such a thing as free time must be obliterated from the mind of those among us who call ourselves Christians. As both slaves and sons to Christ we have no time to forsake the joy to which he calls us.
As sons with a Father who surpasses all earthly fathers it is our joy to repay His grace with a sacrifice of ourselves upon the alter of humility and self denial.
The duty of a slave is to serve their master regardless of life or personal preference.
Combining these two positions we hold before the Almighty into one will show us that not only are we infinitely blessed to enjoy a portion in the heavenly family, but we are also exhorted, because of our position as sons to serve our father as slaves would serve their masters without restraint caring not for what anyone else thinks or says.
For me doing things like watching tv, watching movies, playing video games, reading novels, have become less and less a question of whether they are morally right or wrong and they have become rather a question of whether it is proper to use the precious moments God has given me to engage in such activities. More often then not I hear God saying "if you are willing to deny yourself the divine pleasure of learning about Me and communing with Me then go and appease your worldly desire for comfort and lose yourself in the non reality of a tv show"
People would retort, "well God created us to live life to the fullest and we ought not to deny the use of the blessings he's given us" I will not judge motives but I can speak from experiencing and say that I live life to the full, not based on the actions I do but the reasons for the action I do and I'd rather spend five minutes experiencing the peace of heavenly tranquility that comes with the knowledge that I am a servant of the living God over making the most epic frisbee catches this world has ever seen. Living life to the fullest means living in a continual fellowship with God, not using God as means just to get to the weekend, or the event that we are looking forward to.
Romans 12:11 "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord." How are we supposed to continue in that spiritual fervor which we experience if we are not willing to spend our 'free time" pursuing its author. Laziness comes when we look at ourselves in perspective to other people as opposed to God. When we realize who we are before God their will be no time for things other then His will. Not to say other things are right or wrong but they will grow strangely dim when our pursuit of Christ consumes our daily lives and goes beyond Sunday and youth group to ignite a fire and a passion that is unquenchable.
If we will not allow God to control our lives here and now what do we plan on allowing Him to do when we get to heaven? Lets not let laziness be the reason we dont live like Christians.
As sons with a Father who surpasses all earthly fathers it is our joy to repay His grace with a sacrifice of ourselves upon the alter of humility and self denial.
The duty of a slave is to serve their master regardless of life or personal preference.
Combining these two positions we hold before the Almighty into one will show us that not only are we infinitely blessed to enjoy a portion in the heavenly family, but we are also exhorted, because of our position as sons to serve our father as slaves would serve their masters without restraint caring not for what anyone else thinks or says.
For me doing things like watching tv, watching movies, playing video games, reading novels, have become less and less a question of whether they are morally right or wrong and they have become rather a question of whether it is proper to use the precious moments God has given me to engage in such activities. More often then not I hear God saying "if you are willing to deny yourself the divine pleasure of learning about Me and communing with Me then go and appease your worldly desire for comfort and lose yourself in the non reality of a tv show"
People would retort, "well God created us to live life to the fullest and we ought not to deny the use of the blessings he's given us" I will not judge motives but I can speak from experiencing and say that I live life to the full, not based on the actions I do but the reasons for the action I do and I'd rather spend five minutes experiencing the peace of heavenly tranquility that comes with the knowledge that I am a servant of the living God over making the most epic frisbee catches this world has ever seen. Living life to the fullest means living in a continual fellowship with God, not using God as means just to get to the weekend, or the event that we are looking forward to.
Romans 12:11 "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord." How are we supposed to continue in that spiritual fervor which we experience if we are not willing to spend our 'free time" pursuing its author. Laziness comes when we look at ourselves in perspective to other people as opposed to God. When we realize who we are before God their will be no time for things other then His will. Not to say other things are right or wrong but they will grow strangely dim when our pursuit of Christ consumes our daily lives and goes beyond Sunday and youth group to ignite a fire and a passion that is unquenchable.
If we will not allow God to control our lives here and now what do we plan on allowing Him to do when we get to heaven? Lets not let laziness be the reason we dont live like Christians.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
October
Its not fair, I finally have sweet things to post about yet the camera is not working and I dont know how to fix it and now you guys can't see pictures of all the cool things I've been doing in the month of October. I guess that means I'll just have to describe them. Oh well, I guess now you'll just have to believe what I say because you'll have no pictures or eyewitness to prove me wrong, hehehe.
Well I've been busy since returning from Europe in addition to school I've invested in a few extra curricular activities, such as dundudndundudndudnudn!!! (drum roll) Ka'nitting, piano and shooting.
Ka'nitting which is the proper way of pronouncing knitting is something I learned how to do awhile ago but never took the time to learn the secrets of the trade. I have yet to entirely master the trade buuuuuttt restrain your judgmental glances and refrain from calling me a fake knitter because I actually made something more complicated then a square or a rectangle and I am very proud of it. Its a sleeve that you button around a mug to keep your hands from burning when you hold it. Not only is it practical its also handsome, being purple with cables and a big black button. Flawless in its symmetry it reigns supreme over my desktop, from its coaster throne brought all the way from Dublin Ireland it surveys its territory and scoffs at the unknitted balls of yarn which remain void of purpose shapeless in their randomness.
Piano has been really sporadic since school ended last year. Either I would practice hours and hours or I wouldn't practice at all for a whole week. Needless to say that habbit hasn't allowed me to really get far in my most challenging peice I"m learning, Pathetique Sonata 8 by Beethoven. I think I printed out the sheet music in maybe February of this year and since then I've progressed really slowly through it. However I'm relatively close to being done at least being able to play the first eight pages which is probably as far as I will go. I can play through page six pretty well it just has to be perfected and I have yet to touch page 7 and 8 but I don't think they'll be to difficult. I hope to have that done by Christmas cause I'll have lots of time to practice over Christmas break.
Shooting you ask? well yes that was a bit of an unlooked for event. My moms siblings came over with their families and they had apparently forgotten my birthday (I hadn't noticed, their very good to me) so I was just sitting their, minding my own business, drinking my coffee when they come with the oddest looking present ever. Upon opening it I discovered it to be my great grandfathers Diana 35, an original German made air gun. Not powerful enough to be considiered an actual firearm it can still kill that dumb woodpecker that goes "bangedy bangedy bang bang bang" all day while I'm sitting at my desk. So I got to go shoot that with my friend who knows everything to know about guns and I had a sweet picture of my targets. *sigh* well my best target had three bulls eyes which I was really pleased with because it was windy and the conditions were not ideal for shooting. Needless to say it was a good day and now I have a semi legit weapon in my closet.
Their you have it, pretty exciting, at least for me.
Well I've been busy since returning from Europe in addition to school I've invested in a few extra curricular activities, such as dundudndundudndudnudn!!! (drum roll) Ka'nitting, piano and shooting.
Ka'nitting which is the proper way of pronouncing knitting is something I learned how to do awhile ago but never took the time to learn the secrets of the trade. I have yet to entirely master the trade buuuuuttt restrain your judgmental glances and refrain from calling me a fake knitter because I actually made something more complicated then a square or a rectangle and I am very proud of it. Its a sleeve that you button around a mug to keep your hands from burning when you hold it. Not only is it practical its also handsome, being purple with cables and a big black button. Flawless in its symmetry it reigns supreme over my desktop, from its coaster throne brought all the way from Dublin Ireland it surveys its territory and scoffs at the unknitted balls of yarn which remain void of purpose shapeless in their randomness.
Piano has been really sporadic since school ended last year. Either I would practice hours and hours or I wouldn't practice at all for a whole week. Needless to say that habbit hasn't allowed me to really get far in my most challenging peice I"m learning, Pathetique Sonata 8 by Beethoven. I think I printed out the sheet music in maybe February of this year and since then I've progressed really slowly through it. However I'm relatively close to being done at least being able to play the first eight pages which is probably as far as I will go. I can play through page six pretty well it just has to be perfected and I have yet to touch page 7 and 8 but I don't think they'll be to difficult. I hope to have that done by Christmas cause I'll have lots of time to practice over Christmas break.
Shooting you ask? well yes that was a bit of an unlooked for event. My moms siblings came over with their families and they had apparently forgotten my birthday (I hadn't noticed, their very good to me) so I was just sitting their, minding my own business, drinking my coffee when they come with the oddest looking present ever. Upon opening it I discovered it to be my great grandfathers Diana 35, an original German made air gun. Not powerful enough to be considiered an actual firearm it can still kill that dumb woodpecker that goes "bangedy bangedy bang bang bang" all day while I'm sitting at my desk. So I got to go shoot that with my friend who knows everything to know about guns and I had a sweet picture of my targets. *sigh* well my best target had three bulls eyes which I was really pleased with because it was windy and the conditions were not ideal for shooting. Needless to say it was a good day and now I have a semi legit weapon in my closet.
Their you have it, pretty exciting, at least for me.
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