Romania news

Last summer, I went to Romania with my Sunday school class and a few other adults. I had a GREAT time there. Playing with kids and just watching God work through the team. Playing games and hiking and crafts and worship and small group, I had so much fun through the whole thing! At the end of the week, as most of you know, I had talked with Randy, the missionary there, about a possible internship this summer. We left and I tried and tried to get in contact with him, only to find out last month that I wont find out until the first week or so of February. I was also invited to spend a few weeks in Nairobi with Chris and Lindy so I really needed to find out what Randy's plans were. So I sent him an email yesterday afternoon and well, look at the date, February 5th, in the first week of February and I received an email back from Randy. I will be leaving for Romania the last week or so in June and coming back sometime in August, just before school starts back!

Focused on Unity

I went on a FOCUS trip to Thomasville and it hardly seemed as if I was in my hometown. I spent all of Friday night and Saturday in Calvary United Church of Christ. There were about 20 students that showed for this twenty-four hour lock in. Man, those students were WIRED. We had a GREAT time playing games and rock band and eating... and for them, not sleeping.. I did not enjoy that one so much.

The weekend was focused (get the pun?) on unity. Which is a difficult subject to talk about, but nonetheless, I think the students were able to get a lot out of it. There was one student in particular who I connected with the most, Winfield (because some may know him, and I dont know if he wants his name on the internet, this is what I called him). We talked about everything. We were partners in sardines and were definitely the best at that game. He is a mature, excited, and curious student.

I am excited to meet more students like Winfield on more FOCUS trips that are to come. Oh, and my FOCUS group is INCREDIBLE! I consider them some of my closest friends and I am incredibly blessed to know them and have the privelage of calling them my friends. For those on my team that read this, Thank you!

Classroom Manners

I have always be an introvert in class. If I have the choice of sitting on the front row or sitting on the back row, I always choose the back row. When I am in class I refrain for speaking at all times unless I am called on. Generally I do not pay attention in class because I get bored with lectures VERY quickly. I usually have to teach myself everything through reading and doing the homework. I just do not learn well in the class room.

Now I know there are people that are different from me. Those who sit in the front of the class by choice, learn well in lectures, can pay attention, speak up in class, etc, are way different from me and I do not have a problem with that at all. But there is a limit that some people just blow right by. They ask a question after every sentence. They suck up to the teacher NONSTOP. These people irritate me, and if you happen to be one of those people and reading my blog... I am VERY sorry, I do not mean for this to be offensive or anything.

I have one of these people in my New Testament class at 9am. I am not a morning person so my patience for this is even shorter. This particular person happens to be about 45 with kids in high school. I am not against her being in school by any stretch of the imagination. Howevr, this morning her suck up nature particularly got under my skin. Mr. Henson, my professor, asked a question to which someone answered. Mrs. Old Lady (sorry for the old comment those who are 45+, except for my parents... I am not sorry) reiterates verbatim what my class mate said in an attempt to SUCK UP! There is a girl who sits two seats in front of me who was in my OT (thats Old Testament) class and she turned to me (in the back corner, with my head resting in the corner) and shook her head. It was at that point that I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep for the rest of th class.

Please, if you EVER have a class with me, DO NOT ask questions out the wazoo. It is not necessary to ask a question after the statement "Mark is believed to be written by John Mark, a follower of Peter." There is nothing that needs questioning in that statement. Do what you need to learn but if you need to ask questions after EVERY sentence.. please avoid me after class. I might be deadly afterward. Please use your classroom etiquette and don't tick other people off by asking too many questions. Please. Thanks.

I just about killed someone tonight

SO I just had the scariest thing ever happen to me. I honestly thought I was going to die. Me, my room mate, and my friend Chris had a movie night tonight. We watched four different movies. My Best Friend's Girl, which I dont recommend, Disturbia, Pineapple Express, and finally Midnight Movie were the four movies we watched. My Best Friend's Girl and Pineapple Express were comedy while Disturbia and Midnight Movie were suspense/horror. It is currently 3:25 in the morning and we just finished Midnight Movie. This movie was not that scary of a movie. However, as soon as the movie was over, someone started banging on our door. It started off as a subtle knock and gradually increased to a full shaking of the door. We were FREAKING out. Chris was sitting on the couch. He covered his face with the pillow; Elliot was on his bed, he hid under his pillow; And I was on the futon and I IMMEDIATELY threw the blanket over my face.

After about five minutes of straight TERROR, Elliot and I grabbed a pair of scissors while Chris grabbed a razor. And we slowly moved to the door. We asked who it was and to our relief it was just one of the guys from down the hall. We have the door locked and it will NOT be unlocked until the sun is up. Laugh all you want at our childlike reactions to nothing, but we were SCARED out of our minds

History repeats itself today

It has been said that history repeats itself. Today history has repeated itself with the inauguration of the first multi-racial president - President Barack Obama. As I have talked with my friends about this day, they are scared of what is going to happen. Morally, I do not agree with most of his stances. And I think I speak for many Christians. However, many of my friends have been calling this a bad day in United States History. And perhaps it is, but lets take a look at some Greek history.

Alexander the Great was a great militant authority who conquered most of the known world at the time. He believed in spreading the Greek culture. Most of the territories and cities he conquered assimilated to this Greek culture. When Alexander the Great died, the territories were given to four of his generals, on of which was named Antiochus IV, or Antiochus Epiphanes. He was a viscious ruler. One who tried with all of his governing to supress the Jewish faith. He did not allow sacrifices. He did not acknowledge the Sabbath as a day of rest. And seemingly most important to the Jewish men, Antiochus Epiphanes did not allow babies to be circumcised, which was a major symbol of the covenant that the Israelite people had with God.

Obviously this presented moral difficulties for the Jews of the time. They were not allowed to practice what, to them, represented a relationship with God. The same is true today. With President Obama now presiding over the United States, many challenges to the greater protestant Christian community will arise. There will be time where we will not agree with President Obama and there may be times where he limits what we can do.

The Jews still practiced their faith no matter the oppression faced. And the same is true now. History repeats itself not in the fact that we have our first multi-racial president, but rather in that I will continue to trust my God. My faith is not bound by what someone says I cannot do. My faith is not bound by anything but the blood Jesus spilled for me over two-thousand years ago. God has no limits and because of that these next four years will be completely and totally under control.

Nacho Cheese

I am really tired of studying for my New Testament test tomorrow so I am going to tell a story. My glasses have had problems lately, take note of the duck tape.

About two months ago that screw that holds the lens in came loose and my lens fell out. It was no big deal so I just screwed it back in. However, it progressively started happening more often and I got tired of screwing that stupid little screw in with my glasses off. Just a bit of a side note, it is REALLY difficult to see that stupid little screw with out my glasses on, it really complicates the problem. Anyway I decided I would resolve the problem by taping them together. And it worked... until last night.

Last night there was a basketball game. So naturally I went. I had not eaten yet so I picked up some nachos once I got to the Arena. There were a few big plays in the first half in which I got really excited and on those plays, my lens fell out. It was getting quite aggravating but I did not have the necessary tools to fix it. So I got over it. At half time I finished my nachos and set them on the floor next to me. No one was sitting on that side of me so there was plenty of room. The second half started up and with about ten minutes left in the half there was a fight. Now by this time my lens had fallen out at least ten times and I was getting really ticked off at my glasses. But when this fight happened I really let Mr. Breeze, from Coastal Carolina, who was ejected for his behavior, have it I was screaming at him using his name in my chants wishing him luck from the locker room.

Well, it was at that point that my lens fell out once again. I noticed it immediately and saw it falling towards the ground. I hastily reached for it as it bounced off the ground and, despite all my efforts to save my lens, it landed directly in the nacho cheese left over.

Now I am half blind with a cheesy lens. So I go to the bathroom and wash it off and miss part of the game. I quickly get over it and enjoy the rest of the game in which we won by twenty-two.

So I think it is time for some new glasses! If anyone wants to suggest a style of frame please do. I would love to see how ridiculous some of you would make my glasses.

gk is AWESOME!

So I have a new layout all thanks to Grace! She is AWESOME at these things and if you want a new one you should consult her and she might make you one. But this blog is a complete shoutout to her header making skillz. They are a lot like num chuck skillz and bow hunting skillz or guitar hero skillz except this one is something useful to the masters of martial arts, to bow hunting hunters, and to rocking guitar hero rockers. Basically to sum this blog up shes AWESOME at this stuff and I would recommend she make anyones header.