After a relatively long dry spell, I'm writing my second blog in three days. I love it when my mind is working overtime like this. I've been thinking about a lot of things, so I'm just going to write them down and see what happens. And sadly it gets political. Sorry.
-Driving back from class tonight, Jars of Clay's cover of Rich Mullins' "If I Stand" came on my iPod. I absolutely love this song. Rich Mullins had to have been one of the most gifted songwriters ever and I'm sad he's no longer with us. That song is so incredible - if you don't know it, listen to it. Reflect upon it. It's seriously good stuff.
-The weather is finally changing. To me, this means a lot of things, but one of my favorite things it means is basketball season is upon us! Sadly, my white boy 6'3" center skills did not lead to any post high school playing time (or actual high school playing time), but the love for the game has never left me. And about this time I start to get nostalgic and just downright ready to watch college hoops.
-Tomorrow is an election day. I never know what to think on days like this as far as who to vote for and why or anything like that, but I do have a few thoughts to offer up:
1. This time it takes on a whole new meaning. I have two very close friends, one who recently finished basic training for the National Guard and another who just left for basic training for the Marine Corps, who are now involved with the armed forces. I've never really been in that situation before - I've never even really had family members who have served (since I've been alive - several of my great uncles and my grandfathers served in WWII) so basic freedoms like that are maybe starting to take on a new meaning. I've never really been too keen on voting, to tell the truth, because it seems like the choices are always either terrible or the same (or both). But now, I guess it does take on a new meaning.
2. Please keep in mind whoever you vote for isn't perfect. They're going to make mistakes, they're going to drop the ball on some issues...it's just how it works.
3. Ask hard questions. I really do get frustrated when, in the midst of a war, crazy economic times, and bills like the health care bill are being pushed on us, politicians talk about things that aren't important. We're in a time when we need difficult answers and honesty and not pandering to the religious or patriotic or things like that.
4. Don't be afraid to do what you think is right - I think we live in such a polarized time that we get so worked up against good ideas just because they come from the wrong side and we miss out.
So, if you're going to vote, do it intelligently. Don't vote Republican or Democrat just because it's what you've always done. We live in a time when information is available literally everywhere so there's no reason to not be informed.
-I'M GOING TO SEE THE AVETT BROTHERS ON NEW YEAR'S EVE IN NORTH CAROLINA!!!!!!! UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!!!! (I'm a tad bit excited about that piece...)
-Lately I've been listening to a lot of:
1. Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More
2. Lecrae - Rehab
3. MXPX - all of it
4. The Avett Brothers - again, all of it
5. Joshua Radin - he's good. Listen to him.
-Finally, in just thinking about life in general, stuff's good. I have to ask myself, in the midst of all of this, what is God teaching me? He's obviously keeping certain things out of my life right now for a reason, or reasons - everything happens for a reason - but what is it/are they? Last Tuesday during Bible study I came across a couple of passages - both in Luke.
1. Luke 9:23-27 - this is the "take up your cross daily" passage, and I've been thinking a lot about what that looks like in my own life. At this point, I'm not 100% sure. It's something I'm praying a lot about, but it'd be much easier if somebody just wrote down the instructions and handed them all out to us - but then again, that would take the fun out of life!
2. Luke 10:17-20 - this is an interesting passage. Jesus commissioned 72 people to go out and preach and cast out demons, and they did. In verses 17-20, we see the story of them returning and they are pretty stoked about casting out demons, but Jesus tells them not to rejoice in that, but to rejoice in the fact that their names are written in the book of life! That really stood out to me - a lot of times we rejoice in our own successes, whether "spiritual" or not, but the thing we are to rejoice in, just as Jesus told the 72, is our salvation! And I got to thinking about that - that's true joy. Even in spite of great things or awful things happening, our joy is in the Lord and what he did for us on the cross. It really puts things into perspective.
So that's it. Just a pretty random assortment of thoughts, but I didn't want to let any of them get away. So there they are.
<3 chanchan
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