from my point of view...

...this is what I'm seeing right now!  I'm facing a window, and there's a perfect reflection of the Holcomb chapel steeple behind me.

I hope nobody's getting sick of me blogging so much lately; if you are, leave me a comment to let me know, and I'll try to cut back on it!  I just feel like there's a lot of new stuff going on lately that I want to write about, and hopefully someone's interested in hearing about it.

This week I finished up my job training, and on Monday I'm starting full-time, full force!  I'll be working five days straight this next week, 8 hours a day, but that's just for this first week.  After that I'll only ever work four days straight.  My job training ended up well; the only thing is that, since we rotate through chefs, we're getting a new one this next week.  Not only will it be a whole new ballgame feeding thousands of people, rather than a few hundred, but we'll also have a new chef to work with.  It should be a learning experience!

On Tuesday night we had a lake competition where some people raced across the lake in canoes, kayaks, etc.  I didn't have a chance to participate, but it was fun to watch!

James and Shaylyn

Sarge.  I think he was the lifeguard.

This is Moose, aka Kurtis.

There was this huge ball thing that you filled with air and then tried to walk in it.  It looked like a lot of fun!

Kara and Heather

Megan and Danny Ray

Today we did some stuff with the CenterFuge staff by helping them practice their track times, which are their game times.  We able to choose two out of five activities to participate in.  I chose zumba and soccer.  It was a lot of fun!

My dad left for Cameroon yesterday; I can't wait to hear how it goes for him!

Have a great weekend!

"I'm starving"

I know I don't normally just write, but there's something I've been wanting to post about for awhile, and I finally got around to it tonight.

Throughout the past year, as I have gotten a job and actually had money, I've learned what a blessing it is to give it away.  I've seen that God will provide for every need even if it feels like He's led you to give more than you ought to.  I think I've especially seen this through sponsoring a little boy through Compassion International.  I began to sponsor him before I had a job, trusting that God would provide for me to provide for him, and He did.

As I have given more of my finances away to those who are less fortunate, I've realized how blessed I truly am.  I've become more and more aware of some of my extravagant habits, and even how some of the words I speak are completely inappropriate for one who is truly concerned about providing for "the least of these" in God's kingdom.

One particular phrase that I've found harder and harder to hear as I become more sensitized to the needs of the less fortunate is "I'm starving."

I say: "I haven't eaten in four hours, so I'm starving."

A child in a third world country says: "I haven't eaten in four days, so I'm starving."

As we become more and more like Christ, I think it obviously follows that we become more and more like Him in His speech.  I really don't think Jesus walked around on earth commenting on how He was "starving" while He cared for those who truly were.  He thanked His Father for what was provided, and didn't worry about it the rest of the time.

For those of us "who [have] been given much, much will be required" (Luke 12:48).  I want to encourage you to give some of your money away.  It's really hard at first, but I think we as believers have to get rid of the notion that the money we have is ours.  It isn't. It's His.

The food we have, or don't have, is His too.  Next time you're tempted to say "I'm starving" (and we all know we say it, about ten times a day!), try saying "I'm hungry" or just keep your mouth shut and wait patiently until you can eat.  In all likelihood, none of us will ever really be starving.  So why say we are?  Instead, we should focus on those who really are in need, and ask God for ways we can help them.

“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’

Matthew 25:34-40

what I'm learning

I really enjoy reading blog posts about what exactly is going on in people's lives: what they're learning from the Lord, what they're learning from their classes, etc.  So, I thought I'd make a post like that tonight.

In work: 

- It's actually been a really stressful couple of weeks as far as work goes because there's a big inspection on Monday and Tuesday that we were getting ready for.  Thankfully, I have Monday and Tuesday off. :)
- Otherwise, though, I'm just so thankful that I have this job.  I know there are many others who can't get a job anywhere.

In school:
- As I said in a previous blog post, this semester I'm taking five classes: Math for Teachers 1, Spanish 1, Sociology, Philosophy, and Western Civilization 1.  I'm actually enjoying all of these classes a lot more than I previously expected.

- My hardest classes are probably math and Spanish so far, although philosophy is a close third.  There is so much homework for my math class.  So far I've spent approximately a day and a half per week doing the work for the next week.  We're basically learning how to explain math, rather than just doing it; for instance, how do you explain to a child that when he counts one, two, three, four, five items, there's really five items total?  Sometimes it can be really hard to figure out the right explanation.  As for Spanish, it's just a lot of memorizing.  Philosophy is difficult in that there's a lot of reading, as well as twisted concepts I have to sort through as a believer.

- My Western civ class shouldn't be too hard; a good bit of reading and a couple papers to write, but not too bad.  I really like my sociology teacher.  We only have a midterm and a final, and she lets us have cheat sheets for those.  Plus, we get to watch three movies throughout the semester and then write a paper on each of them.  It should be fun!  That's definitely my easiest class.
- This week is week #3, and I already have three papers due and two exams on Thursday!

In family:

- After an awesome, long Christmas break from everything, our lives are picking up in pace again.  Ellie is again beginning rehearsals for a new play with her drama group, ABC (A Bunch of Characters).  She also has Varsity, Bible club, and youth group.
- My mom is also involved with Bible club this year.  I think she likes it.
- Rachel's life schedule is basically the same as mine.  We have the same job, go to the same school, and even have three classes together (one's online).  This semester I think my school load is harder than hers, though.  She got a new cat this week!

In faith:

- I feel like I'm learning a lot about working for your faith.  With all the things to do every day, I have to make specific times to spend communing with the Lord.  This time is usually in the mornings, and is fairly easy to keep up with.
- I really enjoyed my dad's sermon yesterday on John 1:43-51, especially in his pointing out the simplicity of the gospel in that passage.  Come and see Jesus!  It doesn't have to be more complicated than that.  That's a comfort to me in my day to day life.  When I'm stressed or worried or anything like that, I can just come and see Jesus.  What a blessing.

31 Days of Song, Day #30

Today I got some extra hours at work, and tomorrow I'm working an 8-hour shift.  I don't really want to, but hurray for more money! :)

"O Little Town of Bethlehem" is another classic Christmas song that's really hard to find a good version of!  I pretty satisfied with this one though.  Enjoy!

* Bethlehem . . . though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel.  Micah 5:2

At nearly six feet six, weighing three hundred pounds, Phillips Brooks cast a long shadow.  He was a native Bostonian, the ninth generation of distinguished Puritan stock, who entered the Episcopalian ministry and pastored with great power in Philadelphia and in Boston.  His sermons were topical rather than expositional, and he's been criticized for thinness of doctrine.  Nonetheless he's considered one of America's greatest preachers.  His delivery came in lightning bursts; he felt he had more to say than time in which to say it.
   While at Philadelphia's Holy Trinity Church, Phillips, thirty, visited the Holy Land.  On December 24, 1865, traveling by horseback from Jerusalem, he attended five-hour Christmas Eve service at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.  He was deeply moved.  "I remember standing in the old church in Bethlehem," he later said, "close to the spot where Jesus was born, when the whole church was ringing hour after hour with splendid hymns of praise to God, how again and again it seemed as if I could hear voices I knew well, telling each other of the Wonderful Night of the Savior's birth."
   Three years later, as he prepared for the Christmas season of 1867, he wanted to compose an original Christmas hymn for the children to sing during their annual program.  Recalling his magical night in Bethlehem, he wrote a little hymn of five stanzas and handed the words to his organist, Lewis Redner, saying, "Lewis, why not write a new tune for my poem.  If it is a good tune, I will name is 'St. Lewis' after you."
   Lewis struggled with his assignment, complaining of no inspiration.  Finally, on the night before the Christmas program, he awoke with the music ringing in his soul.  He jotted down the melody, then went back to sleep.  The next day, a group of six Sunday school teachers and thirty-six children sang "O Little Town of Bethlehem."
   Brooks was so pleased with the tune that he did indeed name it for his organist, changing the spelling to ST. LOUIS, so as not to embarrass him.  The fourth stanza, usually omitted from our hymnbooks, says:

Where children pure and happy pray to the blessed Child,

Where misery cries out to Thee, Son of the mother mild;

Where charity stands watching and faith holds wide the door,

The dark night wakes, the glory breaks, and Christmas comes once more.

* excerpt taken from Then Sings My Soul Special Edition by Robert Morgan, pages 52-53

An update

So I was looking through my records today, and it's been five months since I did an update about what's been going on lately.  So, I thought it was high time I elaborated on my life of late, especially since it's been so exciting.

I took my GED on January 10 and 11th (I think that was it, unless it was the 11th and 12th, but anyway...) and passed.  After that my parents let me quit school and look for a job.  I'd always thought it would be easy to find a job.  Sure, we're in an economic crisis and nobody else can find a job, but it wouldn't be that hard for me, right?  Wrong!  I looked for a job for three months.  Three months!  It took FOREVER.  However, God's timing is absolutely perfect.  The week most of my other activities ended, i.e., Bible club and Varsity, Rachel and I were both hired at McDonalds!  Granted, it's not where I first wished to be hired, but I'm actually really glad I work there now.  This past week was my first time working, and it was pretty hard, but it was actually fun!  So far I know how to take orders at the drive-thru and, how to do a couple food things, but mostly I know how to present.  That means I know how to get orders ready and hand the food out to the people in the drive-thru.  I love doing that.  It's so much fun!  Hopefully I'll get a more organized schedule this week, but otherwise I really like my job so far!  It's so strange to say that I'm actually working. :)

I've also attended a couple graduations in the past few weeks for some of my friends, and my own graduation will be on May 26th along with Rachel and three other people from our church.  Yes, I know, a massive graduating class of five. :)  I'm really excited that I'm finally graduating, even if it's hard to believe it's actually happening.

This summer I'll be going on a trip with my youth group to Regeneration.  It's a conference by John MacArthur that will be held at a camp just about two hours from here.  I'm really excited!  It'll be my last trip as a student, though, so it's kind of bittersweet.

Well, I think that's it!  Hope you all are doing well!

My senior picture!