ski trip! and other verbal wanderings

I am excited about this. If nothing else, it should keep me out of trouble.

Actually, I can always use people's prayers. This is a good opportunity for me, just like most times, to speak and act redemptively, as Paul Tripp (I'm paraphrasing) puts it. And like many, many, many times, I imagine I'll fail a lot.

I watched Die Hard 2 tonight. It would've been better with a Chimay. I mean, it's not really a 'great' movie, but it's fun.

Oh, right! I participated in a performance of the Messiah this evening as well. I don't think I hit even 25% of the tenor notes throughout the performance, but I did buy the music (...I am not cultured enough to use the word 'score'), so I'm going to try to learn it before next Christmas. At least well enough to sing it passably?

In case anyone was wondering, my birthday was pretty good. I'm 22 now, which I wasn't excited about until I realized that there are two twos in twenty-two.

Sleep well, 'Kathryn', 'Maria', 'Johanna', 'Gretchen', and 'Gregory'.

Happy 22nd year of life!

It was. Not nearly in the ways I expected, or was originally hoping. In fact, it started out pretty miserably. But God proves Himself to be better than I understood, and I am therefore very, very happy.

I'm looking forward to my 23rd year! I really don't know what's coming, and that's part of what is lovely. I don't have to know. Whether I manage to sneak in a wedding, or get hit by a bus and become a quadriplegic, God will be with me.

Joyful

...all ye nations rise!

We caroled this evening. It was mostly successful, meaning that very few doors were actually shut on the sonorous sounds of our voices. Ha. But...I think this could be the Christmas where I actually pay attention to some of the things I'm singing. Like...."joyful all ye nations rise!" Wow. That is such an amazing idea. What is great is that, even though it doesn't LOOK like the nations are rising to praise the Lord, that IS why Christ came. Which means it's going to happen.

Lo He Comes

...with clouds descending! I haven't thought about clouds very much recently, and this is a crying shame. I did think about them today. I just....I wonder whether I don't look up at the sky a lot more when I am really loving God. Maybe that's stupid, but it's just so beautiful, and you know how, if you want to hide an Easter egg really well, you usually put it up high, because no one ever looks much above the level of their own head? Well....yeah. I just think it's really dumb that I don't look at the sky more often.

holy cow

That title could refer to one of the following three things:

1. My propensity to overuse this phrase, as of late. It is a Lort influence. I've never understood how they get away with such foul language.
2. All the things I cherish more (and more often) than Jesus.
3. the first words that popped into my head as I opened up this page.
   

I was excited to see Matthew reference my blog. Actually, I am really proud about it, which is really disgusting. And here I thought I was having a pretty good night.

Tim, Alex, and Matthew have ALL posted (a lot!) recently, and even though I only really read a few people's blogs, I'm totally behind on everything. Unfortunately, my Internet connection is HORRIBLE tonight.

Speaking of HORRIBLE - my Dr. Horrible DVD arrived! AWESOME. I'm listening to Commentary! The Musical as I write, and my goodness it's good. I particularly like the song "I'm Better Than Neil". It's hilarious.

Actually, a bunch of other things arrived this weekend, and that's great, but it reminds me that I have not yet bought Christmas presents for most of the people on my list. Who wants a copy of Far Cry 2? This would be a crappy present, since I got it for free.

I've been reminded over the past few weeks just how fickle I am. I vow to be constant, steady, and loving to everyone around me....and then something happens that reminds me that things aren't all exactly the way I want them to be, or even the way I thought they were, or something, and then....I just fall apart. Or rather, I would, but for two things: A) the grace of God, and B) my really well-practiced show of 'love' that is really just self-interest.

Speaking of blogging style, I don't even seem to have one anymore. It would be beyond hypocritical to apologize for this post, so that's not going to happen.

Work has been a lot of fun lately. Is it not nice to say that when I can't tell you why?

Two

I have two Christmas presents already bought.

I have drunk brandy two days in a row (and it is good).

I have two mice for my computer.

I will have two keyboards for my computer in a couple of days.

I am going to two choir concerts this week (Lord willing).

I have two days left where the office is all mine.

Two Sundays in a row have passed with no Ultimate Frisbee.

I bought two Indelible Grace CDs.

This post is two long already.

I have two natures.
One tells me that everything that happens is ultimately about me. Whether I keep my job, whether I go back to school, whether I have friends, whether I get married. What people do to me matters because it's either a Blessing or a Curse. What people say to me matters because it's either a compliment or an insult. What people think about me matters because it's either worship or it's condemnation. And my oh my do I want worship.
The other tells me that none of this matters, because Christ is my all in all. And I live and move and have my being in Him. He blesses me with everything He does, He only speaks good of me to the Father (!!!!), and He thinks of me as His servant, His brother, and even His wife!

I'd really rather just have the one, but as some people wiser than I have pointed out before, even the angels do not get to experience glorifying God through suffering. I need the Spirit to reshape the way I think about all of this. Every single day.

my keyboard DOES work

Apparently my keyboard had lost its encrypted connection with the receiver, which, quite frankly, is ridiculous, because without Windows you can't even set one up in the first place. And since I couldn't even use my boot menu for lack of a working keyboard, I couldn't boot into Windows to find this out or fix it. Aaaaalso, my fancy-shmancy mouse is working again. Apparently the charger had come unplugged. Without telling anyone. I Am Not Amused.

So, when the NEW keyboard arrives sometime next week, I will officially (yes, officially) have 3 mice and two keyboards. Or is that keybird? Anyway, that's gonna be totally useless, so I'm gonna be looking for a friend with a desktop who needs a new keyboard/mouse for their new desktop computer for Christmas. Unless I get really selfish and fall in love with the new one. =P

my keyboard don't work

which makes this post kinda like the Virgin Birth. If ya think about it.

I've some things to post about, but until that gets fixed, I won't be doing any posting as far as I know.

To blog, or not to blog?

That...is the sentence that would have gotten Shakespeare laughed out of even the roughest of bars.

In which I am reminded that being confused is okay

I am still confused, I guess. But I have good friends, and even better, I have a Savior, so who needs friends? I mean, really. I am glad that I get to rejoice with them, and that they encourage me and bless me. And that that's okay. But it also isn't necessary, and I already have what is necessary.

I really am quite good at getting my priorities confused.

Also, Brad, you are really good at teaching Sunday schools about things I had been looking for a better way to understand/conceptualize/explain. Even though you probably won't ever see this...thanks.

Oh oh. And despite the fact that there's still something wrong with my car, I think I got the timing and carburetor adjusted really nicely this afternoon. Which goes to show that I don't know NEARLY everything about cars, because I just kept retarding the timing when it would backfire. I have no idea WHY advancing the timing fixed it, but it did, and in a big way. I've scoured teh intertubes, and I have yet to find a REAL explanation for WHY it would backfire when retarded, but all the same, apparently this is something that does happen. Whatever. =)

confused

I apologize in advance for smearing my confusion on teh internets, but....

Do I need to reconsider what I am pursuing? Christ definitely comes first, and He'll pursue me regardless of whether I pursue Him. But I'm starting to wonder about some other things. Maybe tomorrow I'll wake up with a different perspective.

serious

I am considering getting rid of the Rebel. The engine vibrates, and there appears to be nothing I can do about it. I am sick and tired of having a car that just can't seem to work, and if there's not even anything I can do to fix it, I don't see any point in sticking with it any longer. It is no fun to drive a car that shakes as much as this one does.