Sticky Note Attack!!!

Quick Story! (I wrote this on a back of a notecard!)

I love blood. There are so many different flavors of it. There's the sweet and sugary kind, the creamy milky kind, thick or thin--everyone has their own distinct flavor. I don't understand how humans can stop themselves from biting into their own flesh and sucking themselves dry--it just takes so good! Yes, blood is a beautiful thing. MMM! I think I smell some beautiful bloodiness coming my way now! Ahhh, delicious. Yes, some blood-beings are coming up the trail now!

"Babyyyyy, can we turn around? My legs are burning and they're all stratched up--thanks to you. Don't you want to see sexy legs, sugar pumpkin?"

Ah, yes, coming in full view. Now this is fine dining--the hairless skin, so much area to cover...the package is even partially opened for me! Red is my favorite color... Here it comes--steady...steady... GLIP! Gulp...gulp...gulp. Sweetness... :)

Hmm. Got some thoughts today. That's cool.

I was thinking...it seems the Christian community doesn't go outside itself much. Taylor kids stay at Taylor, go to church on the weekends, etc. but few reach out to the community (I'll be honest, I don't). We can give the excuse of school right now, but I know myself, and I know that's not the real reason. The reason is we feel inadequate. We feel we don't have what it takes to "minister" to people--we don't know how to help, how to act, how to be. Even more than that, we don't believe that we can do it. We don't feel capable. We don't believe in ourselves, and neither do we believe that God can use us.

Keith Green comes to mind. I read his biography written by his wife...and I was just thinking what it would be like to be one of his kids. Keith Green raised his family, directly "ministering" to druggies, single mothers, and other screwed up people by having them LIVE with him. He bought extra houses in the neighborhood where they could live. Imagine growing up with Keith Green as your dad, and living that way...to have it be normal to be in that constant state of immersion, and faith, and selflessness.

I think a big problem today, is that we don't know what ministering is. We've grown up living in a way that we see as Christian, but the only concept of "ministering" we have is to talk to a stranger on an airplane, or go on a mission trip. One time, temporary events. What would it be like to instead live in a habit of extreme and constant involvement in the lives of our friends who are lost? What would it be like to stick it through, and never give up on somebody?

Today I've been thinking a lot about...just trying to imagine who Jesus would be if he was here today and in our culture. I just like really want him to come back, for like a day even, so I can watch him and understand. I mean, the accounts in the Bible are great and should be enough for me, but I just have this desire to see him in our world today. It's crazy though, even when Jesus was on Earth, the people didn't understand him, so it almost seems hopeless!!

Sigh..!

This story is called "This Old Man" (right now): this is the first page of it! Still writing the rest ;)

Mneh, Mneh. My dentures are so sexy. My teeth have never looked this good. I hate being old. No, I love being old. Who am I kidding—I’m not old. I’m the sexiest man alive. Yeah. The women just can’t keep their eyes off me. Oh, yeahhh. Women kill for older men. They just can’t control themselves. All I have to do is say, “hey Beautiful,” and maybe, if I really want to get them blushing, toss in a wink, and a deep gaze—gets ‘em every time. The problem is they get so clingy after a while. It’s almost like they want me to worship them. I mean, I’m a busy man. Sure, I think you’ve got a cute butt, but I don’t have time to be thinking about you all day. I don’t know what they expect. I’ve got a lot on my mind—lots of important business—I can’t be remembering everyone’s name and favorite candy. God, these women! They just undress me with their eyes wherever I go—there’s nothing I can do. They have no reserve; I tell you, they’re out of control. I can’t shut them up sometimes. And they refuse to carry on intelligent conversations; all they do is beg me to flex and do pushups and—

“Roy? There you are! What in the world are you doing sitting in the closet, you dunderhead! You’re still playing with that Rubix cube?! You can’t even see in here! C’mon, it’s time to go change your diaper. C’mon now, be a big boy!”

Story Time!

DING DONG

“What do you want?!”

“UPS Ma’am.”

“What are you doing trespassing on my land?!”

It was a scratchy, woman’s voice. It was my first day as a deliverer. Her lawn looked better than average.

SLAM

I fell back with the wind of the door. The woman opened the door, only to slam it right back into my face. “What in the world…”

I turned as if in a trance, and started walking back towards my truck when the psycho started blaring heavy metal. Then I heard her voice.

“Hey you! Come, have a cookie.”

I turned to see a hunched withered and ogrely woman. She had a tattoo on her left cheek that said “kiss me.”

“Have a cookie,” she said.

I felt terror as though this was like Hansel and Gretel, and I was about to be lured into my doom.

“No, thank you ma’am. I’m just here to drop off this package.”

“Package? Hmm.” She looked at the package, her eyes so far open, she resembled a rat. The Metallica was still screaming.

“I just need you to sign right here, ma’am.”

“Have a cookie.”

“That’s okay—I’m on a di—“

“TAKE ONE.” I felt like a little boy under my mother’s wrath, and obeyed her immediately. The cookies were small and black, the color of scorch and they smelled like fish.

I looked up to see her staring at my mouth.

“You a trumpet player?”

By now, I felt so awkward, I didn’t know who I was.

“Uhh, drummer actually.”

“Eat the cookie.”

“I’ll just save it for later, I’m not really hungry.”

“Eat it now, or I’ll kick you.”

I stared at her in dismay.

She then swiped a cookie from the plate, shoved it in my mouth, then kicked me in my shin, threw the package onto my head, and knelt down gave me a wet smooch on the cheek, and pranced back inside.

I spit the thing out, and quit my job the next day.

Here are some pictures from the India trip!

http://picasaweb.google.com/therachelsawyer/

http://picasaweb.google.com/indialighthouse08

I will put up my pictures here eventually, on the second link..enjoy!

Hi!! So! I haven't posted for 2008 years basically...! Just got back from India on Saturday night. It was the longest day ever! We were traveling for 36 hours on the way back, but I slept a lot on the planes. It's been weird transitioning back to being in the States again. I'm feeling just like I don't know where to put all the experiences I had...I don't know how to apply them to my life now. Its such different worlds. I just feel like I need to meditate on everything....and journal about it or something. So that's what I'm kinda doing now. Sometimes, I just find myself staring off into space, recalling images from the trip...but then not feeling like I can grasp the full meaning I felt when I was there. It's just this separation, and feeling of alienation.

I don't really feel like describing everything that happened there right now. I just want to talk about the things I haven't really been able to put into words. I feel like I saw a whole different side of God there. Like God was so much clearer there. Maybe it was because there is such a drastic and obvious difference between Christianity and Hinduism and Islam. Like in the States, everyone basically believes in God to some degree...or they believe such a wide variety of things. In India, you're basically either Hindu or Muslim--and its such a clear cut religion. Even visually obvious--the Hindu dot, and the Muslim black covering. India is only 3% Christian. So I guess I'm trying to say that there's such contrast. In the US, everything's muddled. So the Christians just stuck out in the contrast--the Indian Christians, and our team. Our team already stuck out because we're white...but I think the spiritual contrast made it easier to live entirely in the Spirit--it made us want to show the real Jesus to all the people who were watching (and people were staring!)..maybe BECAUSE they were watching, and also because we felt that urgency that we probably would be one of the very few Christians they would ever encounter.

I've been thinking a lot about the verse "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied." And thinking a lot about what it means to hunger and thirst... I noticed in the Indian Youth for Christ staff that we were with a lot...and at the churches we went to...that they had that hunger for God. At one of the church services, Prahba (he is the national director of YFC) taught about depending on God. We have so many things we can lean back on...our education, our family status, our looks, our friends. We can find comfort in anything, but the only gateway to experiencing life in the way it was created for is to allow God to fill us...say no to the temptations that fill our lives with cheap and artificial comfort. Be willing to dwell in that hunger for a while, and actually wait on God. In my devotional book, it said something like..."only those who want righteousness can ever get it." Do I really want righteousness? I want to want it.

I'm sick of sitting around. I need and want to get involved in a ministry. I'm sick of being a "hearer of the Word" and not necessarily a "doer." I don't want God to be an accessory...I want him to be my passion...in every area of my life! I'm trying to learn what it means to open up doors to Him that I'd never even considered offering before.

Hehe! Here's a funny website dedicated to passive-aggressive notes people leave.

okay....this girl rocks....

Here's our airband from my wing this year!!! It's a Grease medley :) Sadly, we didn't get in to the main show..there were other wings doing Grease that were better I think..haha. anyway..enjoy!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaR0l0X4KR8

1,303,260How Many Germs Live On Your Keyboard?

(story time!!)

Little Levi’s Library Adventures

Once upon a time, in a little town by the name of Tristansumi, there lived a little boy by the name of Levi. He was a very little boy. The littlest boy to ever have lived in Tristansumi, in fact. Perhaps the littlest boy to ever have lived—no one had ever left Tristansumi, so who could know for sure?

Little Levi loved to read. Every day after getting off the school bus, instead of going to daycare he would hang out at the public library. With his books. And he would read. And read. And read just a little bit longer. By the age of seven he’d read the entire fiction, children’s, fantasy, biography, sci-fi, and historical fiction sections. By the age of ten, he’d completed all non-fiction books. But there was one section Little Levi refused to read. One section he just couldn’t bring himself to even browse.

Romance. Little Levi had never laid hands on a romance book. Now, don’t think Little Levi wasn’t interested in the subject. Oh, he most definitely was beyond intrigued by it. But he couldn’t bear to be seen with a romance book in his hands—no, especially not with Nelly Higumbothum the librarian around! Nelly Higumbothum was the meanest, ugliest, smelliest, rudest, most disgusting girl in Tristansumi. She was short, and well, more than “full-figured”—her hair was longer than half her body and her feet stuck out to the sides when she (very rarely) walked. She smelled like sweat and rotten soy beans mixed together times ten! And Little Levi would rather shovel goat droppings for the next eight years of his life than touch one of Nelly Higumbothum’s romance novels. You see, romance novels were all Nelly would read. She loved the romance section, and she told Little Levi if ever she found out he bent a page or even misplaced a book, she would give him hundreds of dollars worth of late fees on his library account, and maybe even eat his library card right in front of his face.

Today was the day Levi had nothing left to read at the library except for the romance books, and he was on his way there, sitting in the school bus and staring out the window, wondering just what-in-Tristansumi he was going to do.

“I have nothing to look forward to in life,” he said, for had already read every book he could. He laid down on his bus seat (it was the perfect size for Little Levi) and sighed.

Just then, there was a “SCRREEEEEECH!” and a “BAH-AAH-AHH” and a “THUD!” and a “Whoa-OOOOHHH!! UGH! UGH! UGH! UGH! UGH!”

“What in Tar nation is wrong with this blasted town!? A man can’t even do his darned job without some dingbat herd of lamb chops trying to stampede the doggone road!” said an outraged Danny. There had happened to be a herd of sheep that had escaped from Jip’s Barn and wandered into the road, causing poor Danny the bus driver to attack his brakes, which in turn caused poor Little Levi to fly off his bus seat, smack onto the floor and roll all the way to the front of the bus, getting whacked all the way by each pair of feet in front of him.

Little Levi groaned, opening his eyes to see many other eyes peering over the bus seats at him.

“You alright there little buddy?” Danny said.

“Just fine,” said Little Levi as he crawled up onto his new seat.

“I wonder if he’ll ever get any bigger,” he heard someone whisper. But as people started back into their normal gossip, Levi noticed who he was sitting next to. It was Rina Calvin, one of those up-and-coming most popular girls in school. She normally sat at the back of the bus with the high-schoolers, even though she was still just an eighth-grader. Levi had hardly noticed she was there—she had her head turned so all he could see was her dark fro. He stared into the blackness for a while, probably still recovering from the tumble.

“What chu lookin’ at?” Rina said, back still turned.

Little Levi bounced in his seat. “Nothing.” He looked down at his dangling feet. “What are you looking at?”

“Daaanng kid. Why don’t you just shut up?” she said, finally turning to give him a look.

“Okay.” And Levi stared straight forward. He was stunned to see her blood-shot eyes and wet cheeks. He had just witnessed the tears of Rina Calvin.

The bus pulled up at his stop—the library.

“Well, hope you have a good day,” Levi said and hopped out of his seat and off the bus. “See ya, Danny.”

As Little Levi walked towards the library, he wasn’t really sure what he was going to do. Since he couldn’t read the romance books, he thought he’d try to ask Nelly if they had, by chance, gotten any new books in recently. He entered the library with a deep breath (he hated talking to Nelly Higumbothum because her breath always smelled like plaque, and she had a tendency to unknowingly gleek on him), but as he approached the front desk, there was an entirely different figure there than the round hairy disaster that would usually describe Nelly.

“Yippee! Nelly is gone! This is the best day of my life! My first chance ever to read a romance novel,” thought Levi. If Little Levi was a book-worm, he was preparing himself for a dirt feast!

Just then Levi heard someone entering the library—and Little Levi’s heart sank like a paratrooper without a parachute.

“Nelly is back to secure my doom. Of course she would never trust her romance books to another employee,” he thought. But much to Little Levi’s surprise and relief, it wasn’t Nelly at the door but Rina! “That’s odd.” Levi thought. “I wonder why she chose to get off the bus here. From my evaluations, Rina is not a reading-type girl.” Little Levi was also a very intuitive little boy for a ten-year-old.

His attention turned back to the new librarian. The new librarian peered down at Levi. He was a lanky nerdy-looking fellow, but had a look of quirky happiness in his eyes. “Is there something I can help you with?”

“Yes, where is Ms. Higumbothum, the old librarian today?”

“Ms. Higumbothum? I’ve never met her. Someone just called me over at the library in Frockshire saying this library would need some help today. I was told there was a crisis in the family and the librarian was unable to come to work. My name’s Troy. Let me know if there’s something I can help you find.”

“Okay, thanks!” said Levi. And he took off across the room to the romance section. “Yay! I can read new books! I can read new books today! This is the best day of my life!” Little Levi thought, as he sped around a shelf of books. And of course, Little Levi was so excited, he didn’t look where he was going and smacked right into Rina.

“Boy, what chu think you’re doin! Are you crazay!?”

“Uh, sorry Rina. I just really wanted to go read.”

“You like reading? Daannng boy, you must be crazay!” she said, shaking her head. And she wandered off to a different section.

Little Levi spent the rest of the day reading. Hours passed, and he was just finishing his fifth book. “This truly is the best day of my life!” Little Levi thought as he closed the book. He looked at his watch. 8:50pm! The library was closing in ten minutes! “Oh shuckers! I don’t want to leave. The check out limit is only five books per account. Nelly will probably be back tomorrow and I won’t be able to read any new books ever again. It’s not fair. I just can’t accept this.” Then a heinous and very un-Levi thought entered Little Levi’s head. “I’ll just hide out! I can stay here all night, and no one will ever know!”

Little Levi grabbed a new book and climbed the shelf up to the very top and laid down flat on his back, grinning in his genius. A few minutes later, the lights shut off, and some doors shut and Little Levi was all alone in the library. He jumped off the book shelf and ran around in excitement. “This is going to be so much fun!” he chuckled. He went to the front desk with a stack of romance novels and found a little desk lamp he could read by. And he read. And read. And read just a little bit longer. Then his head fell to the desk and Little Levi was asleep in the library.

Little Levi awoke to a grunt and a burp and a gasp and then a growl and then the pain of being smacked over the head with a book. His fun was over. Nelly Higumbothum was back and fully prepared to torture him for his crimes.

Nelly didn’t even speak words; her rage would only come out in growls and other indiscernible language. Little Levi finally escaped after he had come to some level of awareness and fled through the library doors. He ran all the way home (his house was only a few blocks from the library). Just as he got home, his school bus arrived and Little Levi just hopped back on the bus—he didn’t feel like facing his parents anyway. The next stop was Rina Calvin’s house, and she chose to sit next to Levi on the bus.

“Have fun reading yesterday, Levi?”

“Yep! I did! What were you doing there yesterday anyway? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Uhm. Well. My doctor said I’ve got this disease, right? I was just lookin’ at some books about it.” She looked at her hot pink Blackberry. “Yeah, I’m gonna go there again to do a little more research today.”

“Hey, maybe I can help you. I’ve read almost every book in the library.” So after school, Rina and Levi got off the bus together at the library, but Little Levi wouldn’t go inside.

“Uh, I can’t go in there anymore,” Little Levi said.

“Huh?”

“The librarian hates me.”

“Uh, she hates everyone! C’mon!” Rina dragged Little Levi through the doors.

When Nelly Higumbothum saw Little Levi, heat rose to her face. She grabbed a box of pencils and threw them at Levi. She thundered towards him with a cart full of books and shoved it in his direction.

It was then at Rina gave her a piece of her mind.

“Woman! Why don’t you get a life? You got nothin’ better to do than bully a baby boy? You pathetic! Look atchu. You’re disgusting and fat and just rude. I don’t even know how you got this daaanng job. If you keep actin’ like this though, Imma make sure you lose it!”

As Rina continued to chew Nelly out, Troy came in the library with a latte in his hand and a chipper grin on his face. “Well, hello! What’s going on here?”

“You!” Nelly stuck an ugly finger at Troy, two inches from his nose. “You are the lousy librarian that let this little pip-squeek get into my books! I’m going to tear you apart! Rarrrr!”

Nelly pounced onto Troy with her long nasty fingernails swiping every which direction. But! What every person there in the library did not know was that Troy had had five years of ninjitsu training—in fact, he had just come from practice and was well warmed up to put Nelly Higumbothum down! There was a storm of body parts crashing about, which finally ended with Nelly Higumbothum flying out of the library on the library cart and down the street.

“That is just not how a person in a library should be behaving.” said Troy. “Just gotta do my job.” And he walked back behind the front desk.

Little Levi and Rina looked at each other and smiled because Troy didn’t know that Nelly was the real librarian. And they weren’t going to tell him!

Nelly never returned to the library. In fact, she disappeared entirely from Tristansumi. Legend has it that she was too ashamed to come back to the library—not for the way she was acting of course. But that she lost a fight—with a scrawny college boy, no less! It is thought that she lives in a hut out in the forest, writing her own romance novels under a pen name, as to hide her true identity (and perhaps because no one could ever get published with a name like “Nelly Higumbothum”).

Little Levi and Rina continued with school and became almost best friends. Rina was able to raise Little Levi’s social status as much as she could, and he even got a date once for a middle school dance. Little Levi was able to educate Rina about her disease, which happened to be a rare form of late-adolescent invisible chicken pox, and she went to a good doctor who cured her. Troy took over the Tristansumi library and allowed free-readings of all genres. He even raised the maximum book check-out number to twenty-five, which made Little Levi and Troy become best friends. Once Little Levi got to high school, he took over the library job because Troy was getting married to a feminist Yale-graduate who insisted on supporting him financially. Little Levi read all the books in the library, and eventually inter-library-loan came to Tristansumi, and he spent the rest of his life reading fascinating things. He ended up getting laser eye surgery four different times throughout his life because his eyes were so strained from reading, and he finally became legally blind, resorting to books in Braille. Little Levi spent the rest of his life listening to and creating books on audio, and eventually was voted “most well-read” by Time-magazine.

THE END

College Applicant

This is an actual essay written by a college applicant to NYU in response to this question:

IN ORDER FOR THE ADMISSIONS STAFF OF OUR COLLEGE TO GET TO KNOW YOU, THE APPLICANT, BETTER, WE ASK THAT YOU ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION:

ARE THERE ANY SIGNIFICANT EXPERIENCES YOU HAVE HAD, OR ACCOMPLISHMENTS YOU HAVE REALIZED, THAT HAVE HELPED TO DEFINE YOU AS A PERSON?

I am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. I have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention. I translate ethnic slurs for Cuban refugees, I write award-winning operas, I manage time efficiently.

Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row.

I woo women with my sensuous and godlike trombone playing, I can pilot bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and I cook Thirty-Minute Brownies in twenty minutes. I am an expert in stucco, a veteran in love, and an outlaw in Peru.

Using only a hoe and a large glass of water, I once single-handedly defended a small village in the Amazon Basin from a horde of ferocious army ants. I play bluegrass cello, I was scouted by the Mets, I am the subject of numerous documentaries. When I'm bored, I build large suspension bridges in my yard. I enjoy urban hang gliding. On Wednesdays, after school, I repair electrical appliances free of charge.

I am an abrstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookie. Critics worldwide swoon over my original line of corduroy evening wear. I don't perspire. I am a private citizen, yet I receive fan mail. I have been caller number nine and have won weekend passes. Last summer I toured New Jersey with a traveling centrifugal-force demonstration. I bat 400.

My deft floral arrangements have earned me fame in international botany circles. Children trust me.

I can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy. I once read Paradise Lost, Moby Dick, and David Copperfield in one day and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that evening. I know the exact location of every food item in the supermarket. I have performed several covert operations with the CIA. I sleep once a week: when I do sleep, I sleep in a chair. While on vacation in Canada, I successfully negotiated with a group of terrorists who had seized a small bakery. The laws of physics do not apply to me.

I balance, I weave, I dodge, I frolic, and my bills are all paid. On weekends, to let off steam, I participate in full-contact origami. Years ago I discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it down. I have made extraordinary four course meals using only a mouli and a toaster oven.

I breed prizewinning clams. I have won bullfights in San Juan, cliff-diving competitions in Sri Lanka, and spelling bees at the Kremlin.

I have played Hamlet, I have performed open-heart surgery, and I have spoken with Elvis.

But I have not yet gone to college.

(The author was accepted to NYU.)

woooo whoooo!!!
yay!!!
summmmmmmmerrrrrrr!!!
oh yeah.!

Haha! Awesome swing dancing video!! :)
http://www.falarious.com/file/1222-swing-dance-contest.html

Hey there's a couple new Christian bands I've discovered recently ~ One is called "Rush of Fools" and the other one, "Byword" came and played at my church last Sunday.
There's some samples of their music on these links! Also, on www.rhapsody.com you can listen to full length songs for free. :)

Rush of Fools

Byword

What's Nice About Being Home:

1) No shower shoes........................
2) Mountains and lots of pretty pine trees!
3) Playing with cats and dogs
3) Little kids and old people and babies!! (aka: Jonathan)
4) Being walking-distance to civilization (yes, it is civilization)
5) Seeing cooler cars ~ aka: non-American cars....
6) REAL Mexican food...
7) Good food in general.
8) Sleeping in :)
9) More sophisticated looking people!
10) And of course...friends and family ;)

If You Were Born in 2893...

Your Name Would Be: Ala Ayn And You Would Be: Telepathic

If You Were Born in 2893

Well, only 15 more days of school left I believe!! It still feels like summer is far away. Megan told me yesterday that A Book For All Seasons is hiring!! I'd LOVE to work there :) especially since it's right next door to Starbucks where she is working and we could visit each other all the time :) And..I could probably just read books all day when there is free time ;) Also, I applied at the Leavenworth Echo to do copy editing or something, and they seemed interested because the person they have right now is ill and might be wanting to quit soon...but, it's not that promising right now. Anyway, I'm excited for summer!...and doing everything we have on our excellent list of funness!! (Rachel: I am still patiently awaiting the final copy...!)
Okay, what else. We bought carpet yesterday for our new room for next year. Still trying to sell our lofts. I've been having a grand time procrastinating things lately! And it really has been good. I really think procrastination is healthy sometimes :) I think this is a pretty good article for serious justification: http://www.paulgraham.com/procrastination.html
In other news...I've been wondering a lot about the meaning of weakness. Sometimes, I just feel so incredibly weak, in all different ways and I just have been thinking a lot lately about what that means, and all it's good and bad connotations. Usually, when I'm in the midst of feeling weak, I don't like it at all...but then, I know that to be weak is also supposed to be a somewhat good quality I think in the Bible. I looked up verses that have the word "weak" in it and this is what I got:
Romans 5:6 ~ For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one whill scarely die for a righteous person--though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die. But God showed his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
1 Cor. 1:27 ~ But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.
1 Cor. 8:9 ~ But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.
1 Cor. 9:22 ~ To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak, I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.
2 Cor. 12:10 ~ For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Hebrews 12:12 ~ Therefore, lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.
1 Cor. 12:22 ~ On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable
2 Cor. 12:5 ~ On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses.

Okay the first time I did this, I came out an ENFP...and I've never come out an extravert before, so then I changed one question and I came out an INFP!

You Are An ENFP

The Inspirer You love being around people, and you are deeply committed to your friends.You are also unconventional, irreverant, and unimpressed by authority and rules.Incredibly perceptive, you can usually sense if someone has hidden motives.You use lots of colorful language and expressions. You're qutie the storyteller! You would make an excellent entrepreneur, politician, or journalist.

What's" Your Personality Type?

You Are An INFP

The Idealist You are creative with a great imagination, living in your own inner world. Open minded and accepting, you strive for harmony in your important relationships. It takes a long time for people to get to know you. You are hesitant to let people get close. But once you care for someone, you do everything you can to help them grow and develop. You would make an excellent writer, psychologist, or artist.

What's Your Personality Type?

Please PRAY. A girl on my wing's Dad just died. He was in a car accident, they think he had a heart attack, but they're not sure.
Please pray for her. and I mean really pray for her...just stop right now before you forget (I know that's what happens to me).

Flashmobs: watch and laugh!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcdvyRw06So

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bj0Ma2CsHME

One of my friends said something today while we were watching Titanic (we were a week late for its anniversery, haha)...and I'm sure many people have said it before, but--it's so true..
She said, "Watching movies like this gives you unrealistic expectations for a relationship." It's just so true...and I cannot get that statement out of my head. So true, and yet so incredibly annoying.
I think...I need to fast from romantic movies...or something. Not that I even watch them very often. But they really do affect me!!--no matter how much I want to deny it. Lame? yes. I mean...I didn't even think I liked Titanic! I thought it was such a cheezy movie...etc..which it most certainly is in a way. But somewhere in there, I just thought..."what if that had actually happened to me?" What if I was in love with a man..and I was faced with the situation of him possibly dying? And..what if I had to watch him die right in front of me and I had to go on living?
I don't know how people who have actually gone through this have ever been able to manage the agony...

okay question!!

If there were a pair of girl twins and a pair of guy twins and they married each other...would their kids turn out looking identical too? what if each girl twin gave birth to twins again, would they be identical to her sister's pair of twins?? what would happen if the cycle just kept going on and on and on???

A little Spring Break ~

~ April Fools Day in History :P ~

Instant Color TV

In 1962 there was only one tv channel in Sweden, and it broadcast in black and white. The station's technical expert, Kjell Stensson, appeared on the news to announce that thanks to a newly developed technology, all viewers could now quickly and easily convert their existing sets to display color reception. All they had to do was pull a nylon stocking over their tv screen, and they would begin to see their favorite shows in color. Stensson then proceeded to demonstrate the process. Reportedly, hundreds of thousands of people, out of the population of seven million, were taken in. Actual color tv transmission only commenced in Sweden on April 1, 1970.

Nixon for President

In 1992 National Public Radio's Talk of the Nation program announced that Richard Nixon, in a surprise move, was running for President again. His new campaign slogan was, "I didn't do anything wrong, and I won't do it again." Accompanying this announcement were audio clips of Nixon delivering his candidacy speech. Listeners responded viscerally to the announcement, flooding the show with calls expressing shock and outrage. Only during the second half of the show did the host John Hockenberry reveal that the announcement was a practical joke. Nixon's voice was impersonated by comedian Rich Little.

The Taco Liberty Bell

In 1996 the Taco Bell Corporation announced that it had bought the Liberty Bell from the federal government and was renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell. Hundreds of outraged citizens called up the National Historic Park in Philadelphia where the bell is housed to express their anger. Their nerves were only calmed when Taco Bell revealed that it was all a practical joke a few hours later. The best line inspired by the affair came when White House press secretary Mike McCurry was asked about the sale, and he responded that the Lincoln Memorial had also been sold, though to a different corporation, and would now be known as the Ford Lincoln Mercury Memorial.

“One dog barks because it sees something; a hundred dogs bark because they heard the first dog bark.”
- China

You Are a Blue Flower

A blue flower tends to represent peace, openness, and balance.At times, you are very delicate like a cornflower.And at other times, you are wise like an iris.And more than you wish, you're a little cold, like a blue hydrangea.

What Color Flower Are You?

Yesterday I signed up to volunteer at an Aquire the Fire event that is happening next weekend at Ball State--a nearby University. I'm really excited and have been thinking about it a lot. Here is the website explaining what it is about. It is basically like Creation Fest, with speakers and Christian bands...I think its just a whole bunch of youth groups joining together. Here are the bands that will be there. Me and two other friends decided to sign up to volunteer as "Ushers"--I think we will be helping to pass stuff out, and crowd control, etc...I think we will be praying with the kids too. I'm really excited, but kinda nervous too to have responsibilities at such a huge event. If you guys could pray for me and the whole event, that would be wonderful!!

I wrote this paper for an extra-credit assignment, but its just an interesting topic.

“Biblical Equality: The Role of Women in the Church” Speaking

This discussion was very mental stimulating and it gave me a lot to think about and consider in how the church is run today. Many things were helpful to hear about such as, how the word “helpmate” in Genesis referring to Eve is the word “etser” (not sure if that’s the right spelling)—which is the same word used for God in how He is a helpmate to us. It is not a demeaning position to be given, but an honorable one. He also mentioned how the words “to obey” have been added to the women’s vows and not to men’s vows. It wasn’t always like that.

After the discussion, I was able to talk with him one-on-one about a question I had concerning the passage of 1 Cor. 14:33-35. 1 Corinthians 14:33-35 states, "...As in all the congregations of the saints, women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church." I asked him what his interpretation of this passage was, and he was saying that in the context before that passage Paul is talking about prophesying, and clearly women are allowed to prophesy in church—so in that way they aren’t supposed to be silent. Eventually, we got into a discussion about the difference (if there is one) between teaching and prophesying. They are different words in the original language, and when listing the spiritual gifts, they are listed separately, but the speaker used them as interchangeably when referring to women. He said that there are very little differences between them in the Bible. He also encouraged me to look at his commentary of this passage, which I will do. I am not convinced yet that it is biblical to have a woman pastor. The speaker gave me the example of Priscilla as a godly woman who taught, the reference in Acts 18:26—“and he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.” I don’t think the word “explained” here is the same as teaching. Teaching has to do with doctrine. In this verse, it seems more likely that they were evangelizing, not interpreting scripture to develop a doctrine to teach. Also, in this instance it was Priscilla along with her husband Aquila doing this together, it wasn’t Priscilla doing this apart from her husband. I don’t understand why the Bible would speak so bluntly about these rules for woman, and then at the same time really mean something else through a different passage, while being more subtle. For example, this passage in 1 Timothy 2:12 "For a woman I permit not to teach or have authority over a man, but to be in stillness."

The entire night was very interesting, and I hope to learn more about this subject in the future. When I heard about it, it was called “Biblical Equality.” I wish the speaker would have at least opened his bible once during the night. I was expecting to hear more biblical references, but it was a short night and there wasn’t a lot of time. I’m still not sure about what my beliefs are on this subject, but I am very willing to discuss it and learn more. Maybe in time, I will know enough to define my own opinion and be convinced of it enough to defend it well.

it has been sooo sunny the past couple of days ~ absolutely pulchritudinous!

photography class stuff... here are some pictures i think are cool that i just found, and then some i took for class :)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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and here is my pitiful guitar :(

I went and saw "Amazing Grace" tonight...pretty good movie. ..Gives a whole new meaning to that song...

what hands can do!

one of my math questions :)...

A math professor points out to her class of 20 that the probability of two people in the class having the same birthday is about 0.4 . A student raises her hand and states that she is certain that there will be a birthday match. She knows no one's birthday except her own. Explain why she was able to make this statement with such certainty.

Well, it is the start of a new semester, here are the classes:

Critical Approaches to Literature

Biblical Psychology

Investigations in Mathematics (this class is awesome!! it's like hands on math, lol)

Biblical Literature II

Cos 104 (computer class)

Digital Photography

I am very thankful because I got a job yesterday, and it's been really hard to find jobs on-campus this time of year. I work in the Info. Tech. department as a secretary, but I think my title should be the "paper lady" or something less dignified because this job is so easy, lol! I do filing and any other odd job they tell me to, which isn't very much. My boss Kim said when they don't have anything for me to do I can just do homework and answer the phone if it rings, which she said it hardly ever rings. So I love my "job" and I'm very thankful for it.

For j-term break I got to go to Chicago with Heather and some girls on the wing opposite mine for a few days. I not a huge city person but it was so fun and I had never been to Chicago before. There are some pics on photobucket. It was bitter cold. I got to experience Chicago pizza, and the L-train. It's funny people in Indiana right now are going nuts over this Superbowl game. Taylor is kind of divided and unified at the same time...we're all excited for the game, but you're either for the Colts, or Bears. I think I will cheer for both. I found out recently that Taylor offers mission trips to India for january-term...I definately want to do that next year. i think people from India are so beautiful. just look at this boy

Here are some cool utube videos!! haha

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2mQeiHTMIs funny way to make a biscuit (have patience)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIH1I1doUI4 smart kid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbzJYqj2xC4 Keith Green

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJFlAir0AV8 David Crowder, O Praise Him

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjrEQaG5jPM make sure you have the volume up so you can hear the horns, haha (driving in India)

Here's a cool site my brother showed me...it's got some evidence that the Earth isn't as old as evolutions are saying...

http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs/4005.asp

I have discovered something about myself. I LOVE learning. Maybe it's just since I've been to college, but everything has become so interesting. I love college because I can learn and I love learning because I feel like I can see TRUTH in all of its forms better, and better understand reality as a whole. Today I talked after class with my Astronomy teacher. Today was the first day that he taught (last week was a different teacher)...I could just tell he was one of those people that are REALLY smart. So smart, he doesn't have to make himself look smart. He was simply smart. Not just one of those people that knows just a whole bunch of facts...he actually knew concepts and was smart in a complete way. He showed us a picture of his family -- father of 9 kids! Anyway, he's smart. And he said something that blew my mind today! Time can be slowed down --for real. It's been proven: Take a pair of twins. Send one when he's 20 years old into space so he's going at light-speed. Meanwhile Twin "A" is down on earth, and it's been 15 years since his brother left. Twin "B" is in lightspeed, but time physically slows down...his heartbeat is even slower, but he doesn't feel anything...he feels everything is normal, and he talks at the same speed. He comes back two earth after only being at lightspeed for 2 or 3 years his time in space. His brother, twin "A" has aged and it now he's 35 years old, but twin "B" still looks young and he has only lived 3 years more, as opposed to the 15 that his brother has.
I don't really understand it completely, but it is real....time is not a constant. there are other dimensions. I didn't understand this at first, so I went up to Dr. Voss and this is what he explained to me! It makes so much more sense now to think that God is outside of time.

Well yesterday I had an awesome MLK day. We didn't have classes, but taylor provided a bunch of different sessions on the topics of racial issues that we could go to, and they were really cool! I went to one talking about Arab-American relations that was fascinating!! I could've listened to it all day I think. The guy speaking was an Arab-American...he had such a clear view of what America is really like --it was so cool listening to someone who can actually see the US, like it really is because he can see it from the outside. some things he said: He gets mad when an airport worker searches an old white lady with a cain, but doesn't search him. He wouldn't mind being searched because its a fact that people that look like him ARE the what the past-terrorists have looked like. It shouldn't be considered discrimination. He would say "I have nothing to hide, so I wouldn't mind being searched." Another topic he discussed was how the middle east views the US. 99% of them have never staying in an American home. All they know of Americans are from tv shows like "Desparate Housewives." The media and the stuff on tv...is all they see of America -- they think we are sick. Another point: the difference between moderate muslims and radical muslims is that radical muslims follow all of the Koran. The Koran commands violence.....so the terrorists are the most loyal to Islam. It's not a peaceful religion -- like the American media describes. Another point: the US is the only country where you can actually say what you want. Saddam got more than 99% of the vote....because everyone was so afraid of speaking what they truely wanted.

Went to another session by a guy that works for an organization called E.R.A.C.E. that D.C. talk started actually. Pretty cool...talked about how racism is still alive in America. very interesting

Hey guys check this out!!

http://www.wavelit.com/?ch=Wildlife&sh=africam

It's a live cam of an African water hole................you may see something super cool, like African animals, if you're lucky!! or...............

you could see just a water hole. :) Check it out!

Tip: I think it might be better to look at it at night....because then it's daytime in Africa, I believe.

Christmas Break! :)

Here are some FANTASTIC books that have/are changing my life!

Disney Princesses on Ice Show

buy a bible verse to be translated into a new language for the first time
$24 each

http://www.oneverse.org/

say thank you to a soldier, free

http://www.letssaythanks.com/

well, I made it back to Taylor safely last night at around 11:30pm...we were planning on getting back at around 7 to Taylor but my flight to Atlanta was an hour late and I ended up missing my next flight by only about 10 minutes! So I hung out in the Atlanta airport for my new next flight for the next 5 hours, lol! I finished two books and read 20 chapters of Psalms, had a chai, and 2 bread sticks and tried some free samples at Bath and Body works, and got way beyond my fill of people watching. It was so good to finally get out of there! I was running low on cell phone batteries so I couldn't call anyone and just talk for fun, or play games on my cell phone -- that was a bummer! Then when I got back I had to work with my partner on a presentation I had to give this morning in my literature class at 9am, so I was up 'til like 3am. And I heard it snowed 8 inches today! in Washington. I watched part of a football game today while I was working out because the Seahawks were playing! And I've never before cared about them until this day. I was actually emotional attachted to the game. It was snowing on the field too :)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

I saw this quote on a note on the wall in the prayer chapel the other day:
"Thank You for a love that loves me just the way I am and a love that loves me too much to leave me that way."

what do you think of looking at this picture? :)

Okay I'm going to make a list of words that have the potential of being poetic. I need to get in the "zone" because I feel like I'm not a lot of times and I want to be prepared for my writing classes in spring :) Here we go: (this list will be updated. hopefully. often.)
ps- don't judge me about what I think can be poetic LOL

-highlight(er)
-silver
-doll
-stubborn
-twist
-teeth
-as thin as a bible page
-bruise
-red (line)
-string cheese
-blush
-curtain
-slide
-spine
-cider
-ring pop
-those $.25 sticky hand things --what are those called??
-shy
-highheels
-towel
-post stamp

Okay so I'm taking all those classes plus
Biblical Literature II
Biblical Psychology

I'm really excited for next semester -- it's going to be fun!

Ivory, my cell phone hasn't had reception for like a week...I don't know why. I miss everyone. When will you be home Ivory?

Thanks for praying...because I'm going home in 2 weeks! yay!! I'm looking forward to it so much... we got tickets, I think it was like $560 round trip, so I think that's decent. I am looking forward to it so much. A new puppy, homemade food, parents, friends, snow hopefully, my own bed and room...ahhhhhh. I do miss leavenworth, lol. *Yes, my parents did come visit us (Dahlia lol), this is what happened, lol -- it was like the funnest days of my life practically. I just registered for classes here's what I'm going to be taking:
J-term
--Intro. to Astronomy, and the lab for it
Spring term
--Critical Approaches to Literature
--some computer class, and lab
--digital photography
--investigations in mathematics

and hopefully a spanish class, and some other class because the Poetry Writing class I wanted to take was full.

okay, well as Ivory already knows, I did in fact do it! lol. pics are on photobucket, in the Indiana album, and then in the haircut album. enjoy!