Skipping

Things don't always go according to plans- well not my plans...
At the beginning of the day, i would have told you i was going to go to class, eat lunch, catch up on e-mails, go to class again, play r-ball, shower, grab supper and then just to end the day the right way, go to Campus Crusade. Throw in buy a card and birthday present for someone, go out to eat in Longview with them to celebrate, wash dishes and finally, take an hour trip to Wal-Mart with my mother, and you have my day.
I had every intention of going to Campus Crusade, but we left for Longview about 6:30. We also ate at a nice restaurant, so it took a bit longer than usual. It was nice not looking down at my watch the whole time. Sometimes, it's necessary to forget your plans and do something random. I had a great time hanging out with a couple friends tonight and was able to enjoy the conversation knowing that i didn't absolutely have to be some where else. It was lots of fun passing notes to the waiter to ask him to sing for my friend... It was nice to be able to talk for fun instead of there having to be an issue to be addressed. It was nice talking about things of interest to me- like religion... It was great having the door held for me all night and being walked out to my car. I know this stuff may sound kind of silly, but occasionally a change is nice. That's what this week has been about. I thank God for the good times he has allowed me to have this week. It's good to see that it's all in His hands and i don't always have to be the one leading and helping out. The change has been great! Not that it needs to be a permanent thing, but i'm learning to enjoy it rather than dreading it...

The flowers are here! As i walked to the fitness center this morning, i could do nothing but smile as i looked around and realized that life was back. The bugs were coming out, the squirrels were playing, the flowers were blooming, the sky was cloudy, but it turned into a lovely day! The color green became a familiar site. i now know why it's my favorite color. It's the color of new life in the spring time (and even our east Texas winters...). ¡Que bonito!

After looking around at creation, praising God, and walking across the campus, it was time, once again, for my hysterical evolution class. After class, the teacher and i had a nice conversation. I still don't agree on most of the issues, but i can now see why he believes some of the things he does.

All i could do as i walked out of the classroom was take in the scenery as i walked down the road to meet my friends for lunch. As i journeyed, words came to mind. They were based on the scripture in Colossians 1 saying that God is proclaiming the gospel in all creation. The verse in Psalm saying that God founded the earth upon the waters was brought to mind. The verse saying that God stretched forth the heavens was also swimming in my head. Another song came from these verses. Along with many other things found in the first verse of the song, i wrote "Creation declares your glory." It does and i was able to see that today. I was in a trance as i was walking and writing. My mind was in another place as my feet carried me to my destination. Consciousness did return each time before crossing a street, but is was quick to leave me so i could go back to that foreign world.

After lunch, i started back in the same direction. I sat in the Shakespear Garden for a bit. Besides providing me with more material for the song, it reminded me of the way that God used it last year as i was going through difficulty after difficulty. He provided a secret garden, one where he and i could meet when there was no where else to go. It was another one of those times. He used his creation to proclaim his gospel to me, to show me how near he always is. It was wonderful!

*The beach reach meeting went well today. Still excited and ready to go. Well, excited, still getting ready to go as we continue to train for it.

*After the meeting, i came home to say "Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap." Reasoning- not to use it as a bad word. My family's dog got loose and left 5 piles of you guess what on my bedroom floor. I don't believe that the stench will be leaving any time soon. I will be sleeping with the window open, no matter what the weather decides to do. He also tore every pedal off of my roses, ate my aloe vera plant (how i'm going to miss it. Pretty handy to have around...), left a piece of bread on my bed (had to wash all my sheets and blankets, i'm allergic to dogs), scattered my trash, dumped water all over my floor and worst of all, ate all of the rabbit fur off of my cat. Two days before doing that, he killed my sister's pet hamster. My bedroom, as well as the rest of the house to a lesser extent, being trashed was the final straw. My dad wanted to shoot the dog. We decided he wasn't worth the bullet. Now a full blood AKC German Shepherd that in the end has cost over $1500 has been given away. Good riddance!

*To get away from the smell of dog for a while, i went to the fitness center and then to the BSM Bible study. It was about the Lord's plans for us. Main point, God's will for my life is doing his will right here, right now, and trusting him with my future whether or not i can see where it is headed. (And just for everyone to know, the verse Jeremiah 29:11 was definitely tied in. It was a guest speaker if anyone is wondering. Not giving his name)

*The two hours of sleep i got last night are catching up to me big time. Still waiting on my blankets to finish drying... ::Yawn!!!::

Alleluia!!!!!

Praise the Lord! I am still in awe as i look back and think upon the great work He has done. Today, the missions committee meeting finally came. The last meeting lasted 3 hours. I didn't think it could go much longer than that... Today, it lasted 4. I thoroughly enjoyed this meeting though. As i mentioned before, i had to present the Japan trip today. I didn't put much work into getting the presentation ready. Decided to write out the answers to all the questions i had been asked, not look at them again, and improvise during the meeting without reading from the notes the entire time. I figured i'd let the Lord guide me in what needed to be said rather than a speech written out 8 hours in advance... Long story short, i feel called to go to Japan this summer. It's going to be a very expensive trip. It will last 2 weeks and may very well cost as much as my 2 month long trip to Africa did. I have to pay $3000. After wiping out savings and exhausting my Christmas money fund, and diligently saving these next few months, i should have close to $1000. I feel that it is God's will for me to go and i know that he will provide the rest if that is true. I've already seen him open doors in places that i wouldn't expect. He's given me a love for people, taught me how to talk to strangers, made me bold for the sake of Christ, made his word the center of my life, given me the strength to stand for the truth when no one else in the crowd will, taught me how to teach, made me a leader, given me the words to speak when i have none, taught me to obey and trust him, increased my faith, taught me that his grace truly is sufficient for me in all circumstances and began to teach me the meaning of contentment, and most importantly of all, increased my love for him. I've seen that when you follow after God, all other things will fall into place. As i write these things, there is an expression of joy and happiness on my face. Imagine what it sounded like when i spoke these words and more to the missions committee. Praise God that i truly am not who i used to be. As i shared in that room, people sat in awe and amazement. The old Stacy is gone and the new has come. As i was speaking, they thought of the Stacy that they used to know, the shy, quiet one that always felt she had so little to offer. I could go into so much more detail of the girl they thought of as they heard me, but it is very early in the morning and i probably aught not The difference now is that i have began to see the value of Christ. He is the greatest and most valuable asset anyone could ever have. He is my fortress, my provider, the lifter of my head, my shepherd, the king and maker of the entire universe, my master, my lord, my Father, my friend when i am friendless, my rock and my salvation! When you have him, there is no greater. I have nothing of more value that i could share with anyone on the face of this planet. I will say, whether they decide to grant my request in helping to support me in going to Japan this summer or not, i am so happy! God was glorified today! He has done a great work in my life and it was wonderful for some of the members of my church to be able to see it as well. I don't believe this verse to be taken out of context or i wouldn't use it. Here it is anyway: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." ~Romans 8:28 It's awesome to catch a glimpse of that every now and then when you look back. I can see bits and pieces of why God placed me in the family, church, high school, college, town and circle of friends that he did. I've seen why he gave me some of the gifts he did, i have seen random encounters with people lead to friendships, i have seen my heart turn to and draw nearer to him. I have seen him turn every experience of my past (all things) into good. Praise his name! While we were in that room, a few had tears in their eyes as they met the new me that God had made. In no way do i say these things to put myself on a pedestal. May the maker of this vessel be praised! To God be the glory, great things he has done!

Just in case anybody needs a laugh... Justin decided to keep score during our racquet ball game yesterday (without telling me for the first 40 or so). The final was something like 28 to 137. I'm guessing you probably know which one was mine. We played for two hours, so in the fact that there weren't more points than that scored, you can see we have longer rounds of hitting the ball back and forth. I also find this topic funny, whether you do or not. i'm still hearing about the conversation i had at lunch on Thursday...

A busy weekend was planned. I have to read about 50 or so pages from my English book and go before the missions committee at church tomorrow to present the BSM Japan trip. Pretty much, i have to go beg for money and pray hard that they agree with the cause. I was also supposed to go on the All-Campus Retreat with the Wesley. For sake of time, i thought about dropping out. I didn't and was blessed by it... A topic that i knew i was lacking in and needed to learn about was presented. I didn't even know what the topic of the weekend would be until that night. Prayer of all things. God has such good timing!

We had a great drive up with good conversation. When we stopped for supper, I got to know a girl that i go to school with... We all continued on our journey to Palestine. We registered, i talked to strangers (there were only a whole to other KC students to choose from to talk to), and not only did i talk to strangers, i had a good time doing so and didn't feel uncomfortable at all. After the registry process, the campus minister had to leave to do something for his church today... As far as the strangers i met go, i really enjoyed having a conversation with someone from Haiti who spoke English, French and Spanish. You can probably guess which of the three i chose. It was great practice.

New things were presented to me at that retreat. I still don't know what to think about it, but the preacher was a lady. That is far from lining up with my beliefs. On a list of names for God were found the names mother and mother hen. I asked about that and although i left my last blog as saying "That's all i have to say about that (context)", i'm not sure that it will be the case after i examine the scripture references i was given. There were also some other differences, but i don't find them worth mentioning at the moment.

We had great breakout sessions. I went to one over praying the scripture in the morning, and then one about inductive Bible study in the afternoon. As the morning study concluded, i began to write another song. After lunch, i slowly walked to the lake and the words came to me as i sang and kept adding to it. I sat under a tree and wrote another verse, then i sat in the sun on a bench. The words just kept progressing. After quite a while, i finished and figured i'd take a cat nap in the sun while on the bench. I discovered that my journal wasn't as comfortable as the cover of my Bible. It's a good thing too. Come to find out, the cover of my Bible cleans up so much easier than my cardboard journal...

After talking to all the friends i made, the time finally came for me to say goodbye. I packed my clothes and got ready to leave. They just had to have their t-shirt sale tonight. (The various Wesley Foundations sell all the shirts they couldn't get rid of for $5) They had some really kool designs and i left with four. The drive home was wonderful! We talked the whole way. I can once again see that writing is really making a difference in my speech. Stumbling over words was due to a lack of sleep. The conversation was great as i was able to clearly communicate what i had learned this weekend, listen, and give an update on what's been going on in my life lately.

i'm hoping this isn't as long as i think it is. If so, i apologize. Hope everyone is doing well. Any updates from anyone?

Reoccuring Themes

You learn more about a subject by teaching it than you would if you were to hear the same material presented in a lecture. Today, last night's lesson was well learned (even though i just wrote about it...). It is cool how God works. I made a mistake on a post and took something out of context. Last night, i studied more about why it was out of context. It was made clear that you can't take one verse and use it to aid you in whatever thought may be going through your head at the time. I'm not criticizing using one verse, it is fine as long as it is following the thought of the surrounding passage. I couldn't sleep last night until i had corrected my mistake. Come to find out, there was a reason for it needing to be taken care of last night. It was to prepare me for today.

Today was the same ol' Thursday. English class followed by lunch with my friends at the Tri-C. They do this little thing where they share a short message and i have never had a problem with it until today. Of all the things for the guy to talk about, it had to be the thief on the cross. He had to mention that he wasn't saved and had only died (or something like that) and proceeded in saying that anyone that hadn't been baptized was condemned. When it was over, he made the mistake of saying "Any questions or comments?" Before i raised my hand, i told myself, "Stacy, keep that big mouth of yours shut." My hand didn't listen. A discussion ensued. For 45 minutes, i was quoted various scriptures discussing why you had to be baptized to be saved. Today was a day that i was reminded of why it's smart to keep a Bible with you. They had very nice little proof texts, but i was able to open my Bible and look them up as they were giving references. In doing so, i was able to point out CONTEXT. None of those verses seemed to be in line with what the passage as a whole was saying. I was able to point that out and make a case against taking that one verse by itself as being able to stand alone. You could read two verses ahead or behind and disprove their interpretation of that single verse. It wasn't hard. By no means am i calling the Church of God a cult, but i will take this issue as being one of those i mentioned in my last blog. In scripture, we are commanded to be baptized. No where (in my reading) does it say that it's necessary for salvation. They aren't the only ones guilty of taking things out of context. I hope not to be again.

And to quote Forest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that..."

Oops...

I wasn't sure what to write about tonight, but i think i got it. I will be me and put a few random things first.

My car was fixed. Haven't driven it for 3 and a half months. I've been going everywhere in my F-150 (when Dad wasn't borrowing it). To fix my car, it only cost $202.72! Without exaggerating, for the difference in gas mileage, i probably could have saved that 202 about 3 times over. I love getting 26 miles to the gallon (or atleast that's what it was the last time i checked) in my car. After not being driven for that long, it did require a wash. Good thing it wasn't that cold out today. (Yes, i knew it was supposed to rain tonight. I was just concerned with getting the layer of whatever it was growing on it off)

Took a personality test at the BSM. I'm gold I'm told i'll be able to better explain what exactly that means later on...
Addition to my "Guidelines for Dating" list- Don't be unequally yoked. I've always known that and would have told you that any day... I just didn't think to add it to my list.

Quote of the day "Context, context, context!" ~me. Getting the context on any statement is important- especially one coming from scripture. Cults are formed from someone picking out one verse that they like and twisting it to say whatever it is they want it to (or might sound like without twisting in any way.) I usually take a long time to write all of my blog entries including scripture because i read atleast the section the verse is found in and sometimes the surrounding chapters if i'm not very familiar with the book. When i posted about Jeremiah 29:11-13, i did the same thing. I knew it was Jeremiah's letter to the exiles. I knew it was addressed to them in referring to the end of their captivity. I knew all that, yet still decided to use it. I was a bit worried that it might be taken out of context. My decision in thinking it had to be ok was because i have heard so many people that i respect do so. Whenever you look at scripture, you need to look at it as face value instead of making it say what you want it to say. We cannot use our circumstances to make a scripture into what we want to hear. "The word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword piercing even to the dividing sunder of the joints and marrow and of the soul and spirit and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Hebrews 4:12. Didn't look it up, but very close to the KJV. God will use it to speak to us. That does not give us the right to read between the lines and make it say something that is not written. "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." We can learn whatever we need to from scripture- we just need to be careful about looking in the right places...
As far as Jeremiah is concerned, i edited it. If you were one of my readers, go back and read the note attatched to the bottom. It's late, so i apologize if it doesn't make much sense.

Thought of the day: Loving God and loving people requires sacrifice. Going to take a minute to write down a passage from Matthew here because I highly doubt that anyone will go grab their Bible to look the scripture up.
"But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?' And he said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.'" (ESV) ~Matthew 28:34-40 (Same story also referenced in Mark 12:28-34)
We are told to love God first and foremost. After that comes people. I believe we love God by loving people... Today was another racquet ball day. I play so i can improve. As the competition gets harder, i play better. I didn't exactly have that option today. For 30 minutes i played with a couple of girls that couldn't have cared less about the rules (which i tried to explain) or the skill it takes to play a real game. We just hit the ball and talked the whole time. Reason: Not because i wanted to, but because that was a way to love them. It was a way to get to know them. They were at the Campus Crusade Bible study on Thursday and we were able to have a good conversation. After that, i waited to play with someone better than me. While waiting, i met a guy named Jonathan. I so wasn't looking for it, but he began to tell me his life story. Another good conversation that i wasn't expecting. After that, i played with someone more talented than me. In the middle of the game, Jonathan wanted to learn how to play. Scott sat out and i proceeded to teach he and his friend the rules. Of course, they were more concerned with hitting each other with the ball than playing by the rules. I also had the pleasure of listening to them use curse words for more than an hour. As we played, we kept talking and towards the end, Jonathan seemed pretty interested in coming to the Thursday night Bible study. After hearing his life story, i knew he wasn't Christian and hope that in some small way, just by listening, the Lord might have used me today. After that, i was ready to go home. As i was walking out the door, i couple of people i used to go to school with came in. It was nice catching up with them as we played...
I'm pretty sure this post is already a lot longer than you would have hoped to see it. For that reason, i will wait until tomorrow to say the other things i think need to be said. Merry Tuesday to all and to all a good night!

Thought of the day:
An addiction is seeking satisfaction from something that doesn't satisfy. You can be addicted to religion, TV, reading, writing, alcohol, drugs, and even (insert personal issue here). The only thing we can find our ultimate satisfaction in is God. When we learn to be satisfied in God, the other things won't seem as important. We can be entirely complete in him.
Transition:
Just wanted to say i'm glad that i still have a best friend in one piece. She got chased from the fitness center to the BSM. She ran the whole way and i'm so glad that her foot isn't broken. I thank God for his protection of her tonight on campus- i always knew there was a reason i get a horrible feeling every time i have to walk alone after dark out there...
In other news, my head hurts, just as it's been hurting for the last 3 days. I don't know if having a horrible headache and a stopped up nose classifies you as sick, but if it does, please pray for me. i don't feel too great and have a lot to prepare for this week (like going out of town on Friday).
For entertainment purposes, my older brother and i filled out my little brother's first application. He said he wasn't going to turn it in anyway... Apart from many other things, under references i wrote: Job description- slave/little brother. Manager- Michael White/Twisted Texan. Reason quit: tired of flying hand tools. We had a great time with it. I enjoy writing, but it was nice remembering that it can be complete fun. We were thinking about taking it a step further and calling him from a phone number he didn't recognize. I can disguise my voice pretty well, but i couldn't handle not being able to laugh during the conversation.
I don't have much to say today, and instead of wasting time writing about matters of unimportance, i bid thee goodnight.

Yet more on contentment and stuff...

This post is from Saturday. i forgot to copy it over from Xanga after i had finished typing it...

Yet more on Contentment and stuff

Today, i realized why i have constantly used the word "content" in the content that i have been writing. I am currently living in an environment without it. I was reminded of that today when my mom came home from shopping and expected for me to put away all the things she had bought...

As far as cereal in this house goes, i'm the only one that eats it (for the most part...) I eat Corn Flakes and don't venture too far from that. Each time my mother goes shopping, i have to put away all the stuff she buys. Today, she came back with way too many boxes of Chex cereal because they were on sale. i then proceeded to point to 2 other bags that still hadn't been eaten. I looked in the fridge to see leftovers that i just had to waste my time putting away because "somebody was surely going to eat them." Well, guess what, just like the cereal, that wasn't true. I was told i couldn't do what i wanted to because i spend too much money already ($15, if that, each week on food). I looked around my house and saw box after box of stuff that we just had to have and don't use. My mom bought some more pans to cook with. I already have enough problems trying to stack the ones we have to fit them in the cabinets and drawers. There is no free space to move around just for the sake of moving. I am surrounded by too much "stuff." I want to enjoy what i have, but it's not possible with it taking up all the space there is. How i would love to move out and enjoy a simple way of life with just the necessities. i have lived in Africa and Mexico. I know what it is to be content in that type of environment. It isn't too difficult for me. My problem comes in having too much. How do you live like that? The option of moving out isn't yet open...

Contentment & Correction on my last entry

I'm going to take a second to be honest- don't laugh too hard. I am actually this ditsy- I have been referring to February 14 as Single Awareness Day for about two weeks. When i first heard it, I thought, hey, that is so true. It does feel as though the whole world looks at you and makes sure to remind you that you are STILL single... While in class this afternoon, my instructor was nice enough to give his speech on Valentine's Day. He said he knew it was difficult for a lot of people who were single and mentioned that he knew the other name in referring to the infamous day. He proceeded to write it on the board and underlined the first letter of each word. Of course, everyone (except for clueless me) knew it spelled out SAD. I just want to clarify- i have referred to V-Day as SAD, but it was completely unintentional. Yet another reminder of speech being something that you need to pay close attention to...

Part II on Contentment

Last night, i wrote about being content with being single. Once again, i now realize that i referred to this day as being a sad one, but it really wasn't. English let out 45 minutes early. Lunch was kind of fun. I found a topic for my Genesis research paper. Was given a bag of Valentine's candy from a friend. Played racquet ball once again and came close to winning... Talked to Mom on the cell while in the fitness center. Simple way of explaining this- duck tape was definitely required. The situation needed fixing... I've been looking forward to the Passion Conference in Dallas for weeks! I heard all about the speakers and thought of how wonderful it was going to be to go with all the friends that i had invited. I washed dishes and cleaned and everything. i was excited and ready to go. i even gave my parents a week notice in begging for the $100 it would cost to go. $100 is a lot of money, but business is going well for my parents, so i didn't see it being a problem. My mom kept using that as the excuse of why she didn't want me to go. I knew that wasn't the truth, so, me being me, i asked for it. She started saying the weather was going to be bad and she didn't want me driving in it. She went on and on and on about any stupid excuse she could make up! Let's just say that my submission lesson was taken to a completely new level today. Instead of arguing my way into going (which i probably could have), i simply said "Ok. If you don't want me to go, i won't." That's what we left it at.

I know tomorrow i will be missing what has potential as being the best conference offered this year. I know many of my friends will be disappointed that i'm not going. I know they'll have lots of fun. I'm sure that i did the right thing. After exhibiting that act of submission, i started hitting the ball pretty hard still thinking about what i would be missing. I couldn't help but think of it... Eventually, it was shower time. I knew i shouldn't feel the way i did. I was trying to think of something to sing during the time that ensued. All kinds of songs passed through my head. I thought of the words of each of them. I even thought about "It is Well." That's what i wanted to say. It wasn't true for me at the time. I simply asked God for help. As the frustrating thoughts were going through my head, i thought about where my heart needed to be, yet wasn't. I wanted God to give me words to speak. He did. This is so not me, but a song that i've never heard came into my head. It stayed there and i developed it as i sang it. I went to Subway and wrote it all down. I don't write music, but it wasn't bad. My main prayer in that song was that God would make me content and help me say thanks. It felt so much better as i put it on paper. I hope that in some way, God is some how glorified by what is written on that sheet of paper in my journal. Maybe i'll decide not to be shy and share it one of these days... Long story short, ask (according to God's will) and you shall receive...

No Regrets

Single awareness day is fast approaching. Although it feels as if the whole world looks at you and says, "What, you don't have a boyfriend? Why?..." I'd encourage you not to get discouraged if you're in my shoes.

I want to share a few things that were presented to me today. I know these things and live by them, but it was a nice reminder...

*The purpose of a relationship is to one day get married.
*A relationship requires honesty, trust, sacrifice, commitment, and so much more. A relationship with God requires the same.
*To have a closer relationship with God or anyone else, you talk to them. You spend time with them. You learn about them.
*From what I hear, relationships are difficult. That should not, however, be the deterring factor.

Here are 5 guidelines for dating
1. Don't date just because you can. (Our purpose in dating is to find a potential wife or husband.)
2. Set a standard! Whoever I date is going to be a Christian. He needs to respect me and my beliefs and convictions.
3. Stay true to that standard. Don't settle for less. No one is perfect. I understand that, but still, I expect for whoever I decide to date to meet my criteria. I will say that I do not have written on my list that they must have blonde hair and blue eyes ... Use the word of God to set your standard.
4. From the beginning, let them know those standards. Be up front with them. In dating, are you looking for A) a friend or B) a spouse? If you have selected B as the answer and the potential boy friend or girl friend has selected A, I highly suggest that you not persue the relationship.
5. You can't find your joy in each other. You need to make your relationship with God your priority. You will never be able to love each other until you are fully in love with God. You will be disappointed in your relationship until you have found contentment in God and him alone.

I live by these guidelines. To be honest, I have never had a boyfriend. Tonight, I was glad to be able to share with my seventh graders that I don't regret not having a boyfriend. I've saved my first kiss for my husband. I haven't given my heart away to be taken and broken in pieces without cause. I can't relate to all of the people that dated 5 different people each school year. That's a sacrifice I can handle. Whenever I do get a boyfriend, I want it to bring glory to God! I don't want to settle for less than he has prepared for me.

For now, content with being single until God chooses otherwise,
~§tacy White~

Exhortation and Encouragement

My same typical day- almost. The power was out this morning. Should have chosen my clothes last night, but didn't. It was so much fun trying to search for an outfit to wear to school and another one to wear at the gym without any electricity. If you've never done so before, you're missing out. After getting dressed, i went and ate breakfast with my parents. It was nice seeing them. Even though we live in the same house, we don't see each other much. If i'm not gone, they usually are. Thankfully the excuse of the power being off was good for showing up late to my English class :-)

i figured i'd share something about what i did when i got out of class. I went to the gym and played racquet ball. I was there about 2 and 1/2 hours. Thankfully, this time around, breaks were allowed. I played partners and wasn't so bad at it this time around. Only a few people were hit, and it was usually me or me running into somebody to prevent being whacked by the ball. My team actually came close to winning and they were all pretty impressed with my new found skills.

Afterwards, i practiced serves while Scott (Director of Campus Crusade) and Joseph were sitting outside talking. The glass is sound proof, so what was said, they only know. Afterwards, Scott came in and played against me. I could mention how i won even though Scott scored about 45 and i scored 6. That silly little rule about next point wins... During the game, we stopped for a second to catch our breath. I was informed that i had somehow started playing really well. (they thought "somehow"... they didn't know i had the tennis player friend) Those mean cheap shots didn't always work on me anymore since i learned the concept of sprinting. Scott told me that he and Joseph were actually outside talking about me. He tried to be nice about it. Oh, what were the words he used? I'm thinking it went something like this "Joseph and i have noticed that you've been getting, how should i say it? 'Fit.' Joseph said not to say anything unless you brought it up, but since you haven't, i will. Keep up the good work..." i couldn't help but want to laugh. It's true. I've been at the gym every week day for the last couple weeks. i weigh less than i remember weighing in quite a while. i learned the concept of eating healthy and taking the scenic route everywhere on campus and surrounding.

I've been thinking about that short conversation all day. Especially since it started out with "Joseph said not to say anything." Why can't we ever be honest with each other? If you see someone is doing something good, no matter what it is, why talk about behind their back instead of just saying, "Hey, i've noticed you're..., Good job!" Hebrews 3:13 says, "But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today,' that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." In case you didn't know, the first definition of exhort listed in the dictionary is "1. vt urge to do something: to urge somebody strongly and earnestly to do something" I think we all realize that we need to tell someone when they're doing something wrong, but we need to let them know when they're doing a good job as well. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 says, "Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." Encourage: "1. give somebody hope or courage to: to give somebody hope, confidence, or courage
2. be supportive of somebody: to urge somebody in a helpful way to do or be something" I'm not trying to take this stuff out of context and twist it to my purposes, i'm just saying that it can apply to more than one thing. We do need to exhort and encourage one another. Why the taboo on telling the truth to somebody?

Hot or cold? You decide...

I posted this on my xanga yesterday. I completely forgot to put it on here also. Anyway, here it is:

Today, i learned a lot about other people. In my Survey of the NT class, i was interested to discover that the lady next to me didn't believe that Jesus was God. Well, she changed that to say that if Jesus was God, he must be a lower form not comparable to the father. I was surprised to find that i could be in a Christian class with someone that believed that. Not like i'm trying to single her out, but all this time, i'd always been told to be ready to explain to non-Christians of why that isn't so. It was strange seeing that someone raised in church didn't know something so basic.

My "hysterical geology" lab partner decided to take a trip to Dallas after convincing me to skip last Wednesday. I had two days of work and not the slightest idea of how to do any of it. The person that sits two chairs down from me was more than happy to allow me to borrow his paper. I didn't exactly want to, but he said he didn't feel like explaining it all to me. Just to give some context- this is the guy that always explains to me, without any scientific evidence, that i must be "Clearly incorrect..." if i ever mention anything supporting what the Bible says, whether in a direct reference or not. While copying his paper (teacher knew about it and didn't seem opposed to it), we finally got a chance to talk instead of arguing back and forth with each other. We went through the usual things- major, home town, school graduated from, parents, brothers and sisters, favorite thing to do online and the where do you work type questions. I didn't say anything implying it, but he began by telling me he knew what kind of person i was and that i was going to try to talk him into becoming a Christian. He said he knew my lingo and all the stuff that i believed in, and how i felt sorry for him because he wasn't Christian and how i probably considered myself better than him. He proceeded to tell me that he used to be a Christian and would go hand out tracks just like i probably did and that he just "wasn't one of those people anymore." I found out that outside of school and work, he has no life. I can understand the not having time for one thing, but that wasn't his hindrance. Everyone gets a couple nights off. He said he spends that time sitting at home by himself watching videos on YouTube (a site i have yet to visit). He mentioned he really didn't have any friends.

I could say much much more about where this conversation headed, but here are some questions. If he automatically knew what kind of person i'm supposed to be, why was it not one characterized by love instead of judgement? Why was it not one that would say, "hey, i understand, i can relate. There once was a time that i lived without hope."? Why was i automatically thrown into a pile of a type of people that have all the right words to say but don't even live their own faith? Why was i automatically associated as being a hypocritical person just for saying that i don't believe in evolution? Why does the world view Christians this way? I'm not saying that i'm perfect, but i've made a commitment to follow after God. I want people to be able to see Christ when they look at me, whether it be by a smile, holding the door for them, or simply talking to them when they think no one cares that they're alive. I don't want to be the type of person that the world thinks of when they hear the word Christian. I don't view myself as that type of person. I want people to see how awesome God is by the way that his servants live for him. I wish that the Christians of this world would be more like the showers in the fitness center. Even though i don't attend a Christian school, they're definitely sticking to Biblical principles in the one thing i wish they wouldn't. The water that comes out of there is either hot or cold. There is no lukewarm. When will we make our decision? What would this world look like if so many people stopped being lukewarm? What would happen if we would wake up and start loving our neighbors as Christ commanded? What would happen if we didn't allow people like this guy in my class to be without a friend? Simply, what would happen if we started living for Christ instead of for our selfish motives? What would happen if so many would realize what Revelation 3:16 is actually saying?

If you have some spare time on your hands, read Revelation 3:15-22. Hopefully you'll find it as insightful as i just did. Any neat comments on the scripture, let me know. I'd add some,but i've written far too much already.

~§tacy White~

Another lovely day = )

This day started out so well. i got a phone call that woke me up 15 minutes before my alarm was supposed to go off. It wasn't bad. It ended up working out really well. It allowed time to enjoy my Corn Flakes in peace, check my e-mail, gather my clothes, and shower without having to look at my watch once. I love days like this and am considering waking up 15 minutes early from this day forward. i say that now...

There was a wonderful sermon preached at church today. We were able to see God's hand in the healing of Naaman from leprosy in 2 Kings 5. God allowed the kidnapping of an Israeli girl to make it possible. I guess the summary of the whole thing- God won't allow anything to happen if he can't make it work out for good. That makes me love Romans 8:28 even more. It also helps while dealing with all the difficult things that happen.

Another one of those responisibility things after church- Along with a few other council members, i got to go be a poster child for the Wesley today. We had our fund raiser. There were way too many helping hands, so after walking around and taking a few pictures, i sat down and talked for an hour and a half. O yea, and i played pool. I suppose that i don't mind not wasting my life as far as that's concerned. It was my major last semester. Too bad you can tell i no longer spend every day up there. It's nice to be doing productive things. With the schedule i'm keeping this year, i have no choice.

After i arrived home, i decided that the beautiful weather was too good to waste. I washed Mom's car and my school bus (truck). It was so much fun playing in the water and washing windows for a couple hours. In the process, i learned that there is a correct and incorrect way to drink from a water hose ....

Since it's been such an awesome day, i'm considering going to bed early. I feel like i've accomplished what i needed to.

90, 50, 74, 72. You're probably wondering what the numbers are all about. Those were the scores listed consecutively from Bowling tonight. See any evidence there showing that i actually had a bowling class a year ago? Didn't think so.

John McArthur study Bible on sale at Books A Million- non existent. Guess i'll make an investment eventually when i can afford it. Really need something to use to prepare for teaching on Fridays.

Cup full of coffee sitting in front of me at Books A Million? That didn't happen either. After going home and puking the last time, i decided that it couldn't be that good for me. There's a dollar eighty saved.

Conversation with my friend while at Books A Million- priceless. It's strange to think, a year and a half after going to Africa, there are still issues in our lives that are being dealt with. Much good came from the trials we went through there, but there are still some things that God is working on.

Learning there are more stars than there are grains of sand along the sea shore: Inspiring. Thinking about all the factors that work together to allow life on the Earth like gravity, liquid water, the sun being close yet not too far away, oxygen, plants, moderate temperature, various species of animals: Incredible. Wondering why i'm still told there is no God, creation, or possibility of the Bible actually being true in Historical Geology/ Fiction/ Evolution/ Imaginary Science- Well, that just killed the mood. Why do we always have to have an answer for everything? Why do we choose to make one up when we don't like the answer we're given? Well, there's all my complaining about school for the week.

Good news for the week: "Come unto me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." ~Matthew 11:28 I just wanted to take a minute to say how awesome God is. I'm learning to come to Him when i'm tired and overwhelmed. He has been faithful in keeping his word. I am learning how to balance a schedule with too many things on it. I'm learning how to trust God for the strength to get through all the things that i have to each day of college ministry and ministry to my family. Plain and simple, during this busy time of my life, God is teaching me to come unto him for strength- i've run out. Unlike coffee, God can help you to stay awake and alert without all the crummy side effects. To be honest, i like the side effects looking to him are producing I am still trying to figure out what things i want to do and actually need to do. I'm sure they will present themselves soon.

La Noche

Had a great day! The usual classes. Lunch with a friend (it was more fun than i thought it would be). Racquet ball. Shower. Bible study over Philippians (i think the hours of studying might have paid off). Nap. Meeting thing in Longview. Sounds like the typical day- for the most part.

The only thing i find worth elaborating on was my trip to Longview. Not knowing any better, with a set of directions, i pulled out of my driveway at 6:15. I made a phone call to get the last bit of information on where i would be going. (I find it very helpful to have a description of a house instead of just being told where it's located on a street.) 6:27, i arrived at my destination. The words "Oh no..." went through my head. How was i supposed to know that LeTourneau was only a 15 minute drive from my house? I'd only taken the scenic route. That way took about 35 minutes... I wasn't about to walk into a house by myself with over 30 minutes to kill. What did i decide to do? Well, here's the answer- something stupid... I figured i'd go exploring. Thinking i'd never been in that part of town, i figured i'd see where exactly Moberly went. Well, i saw the hospital and turned around. It was nice making the connection in my mind and finding out how the roads all connected together, but it was kinda scary looking out my windows the whole time and realizing it was not the best time of day to be caught in the "South Side" of Longview. How was i supposed to know it was the south? All i knew was that my exit to Longview was always the left one for 259. My entire direction in doing so consisted only of "left..." I eventually headed back towards the house. After doing a few more loops around the neighborhood, i finally gathered enough courage to park, get out of my truck, knock on the door, walk into a house i'd never been to, and meet some people i'd never seen in my life. A year ago, that would have been torture. A month ago, it would have been uncomfortable. Tonight, it was no big deal. Eventually, we got started. I learned quite a bit about Judaism. I got to see them light a few candles. I learned some of the customs. I heard a lot of words that were completely over my head (maybe because half of them were a foreign language). I heard songs in Hebrew. I learned how things that i had learned in the past actually tied together. Got to read a short paragraph from Psalms (used to hate reading out loud. Just like meeting people, not so bad anymore...) Was reintroduced to the OT through the eyes of a Jew. It was awesome. That's who it was written for. All i would have known to say about it is that it's scripture, it's the law, it has some great stories, and contrary to what you probably believe, it does not in any way conflict with the NT. Well, i know a tad bit more than that, but you get the picture... Tonight, i learned about the significance of the Red Sea crossing. I had the point of Passover explained to me. I learned a little bit about all 7 (?) major Jewish holidays. Over all, i had a good time. At the end, we all shared prayer requests. I've never seen 6 people sharing take 30 minutes. I learned that isn't a bad thing. Afterwards we had the best bread i've ever eaten. It had raisins in it, yet somehow, i still liked it. They actually made it better. I ended up talking more than i had anticipated and finally made it out around 10:00. I can hardly wait to learn more about the Messianic Jew concept and really hope that i'll be able to go next Friday And o yea, just incase you didn't notice, i think the word "learn" was the most used in this paragraph. Motive behind that- it's exactly what i did. It was wonderful getting to sit down and learn from people who had no expectations of me in any way, shape, or form. i have had to lead something in one way or another 5 times this week. I had to write out two Bible studies. Hours of work go into each of them. It seems like all i've gotten to do was teach. It was so nice to show up somewhere and not have to do anything. Sometimes, i need a break. I need to just rest for a while and be refreshed instead of constantly pouring myself out into ministry. That's what tonight allowed me to do- even with all the potential it had for being completely uncomfortable.

Mi vida (last nights post that didn't get posted...)

.....In other news, i taught the 7th grade girls small group at church yesterday. It was actually quite enjoyable. It has added a bit more to my packed schedule, but i'm excited about the opportunity to do youth work (as much as i had, for some reason, dreaded it).

i got a phone call during lunch Wednesday. The pastor was sick and gave me a bit of notice for Kids for Christ. I couldn't make a decision of what to teach on, so i ended up looking at my most recent journal entry to decide. I taught about being saved by grace through faith. I've always found it an awesome topic that will never cease to amaze me.

My English paper is finished. Well, i guess it had to be. It was due at 9:30 this morning. I decided to get started on it about 11:30 and was up til 4:00. Strangely, i really don't feel that tired.

I got a lesson in humility and honesty today. I hated to do it, but i had to tell the truth to a friend at school. The truth that seemed so strange to me at the time- "i need you..." I should have ended that with a "to", but it changes the meaning a bit. i realized that i really don't like asking people for things. When i had to explain to them why i needed someone to hang out with me tomorrow at lunch time, i didn't feel that great. i mentioned that i had been feeling lonely, and instead of enduring another Friday afternoon with a stack of books as company, i actually asked someone to come with me. It was funny listening as my friend without a Friday class gave him instructions. They went something along the lines of, "She likes Subway. You can go there with her. You might want to leave a little early so you can get there on time. She is a bit strange and likes to walk. If you see her on the way, don't bother offering her a ride. Talk about this, and don't talk about..." I'm guessing you're getting the picture. i kind of felt like someone being baby-sat. Well, to be honest, i felt a lot better after it was all said and done. I'll tie in James 5:16 here very loosely. We should confess our sins to one another even though you would rather leave them unsaid. Summary of the day- i was reminded that not only am i supposed to admit when i mess up, i aught to say when i need something.
Campus Crusade went well tonight. During the announcements, i was reminded that Single Awareness Day is in a week. Atleast i'm guaranteed to get a rose there...

My fourth and final time of having to lead this week will start at 2:00 and be over with about 2:30 tomorrow. I'll be teaching through the book of Philippians chapter by chapter. At least my notes are already written down. The one thing i didn't procrastinate on. A lot of work went into it and i'm hoping it will be profitable to whoever decides to show up.

Racquet ball was fun today. i learned how to play doubles. I played against two people i had never met and ended up having target practice. I accidently hit a lady about 5 times. I hit her brother once, and then my team mate twice. I felt so horrible. I think i'll just stick to singles. One person makes a smaller target than 3 enclosed in the same room...
I've heard it said that God doesn't ask us to do anything that we can't handle. I think i agree with that statement. What about parents? Are they supposed to be the same way? I think i was asked to do more than i can handle. My weekly schedule: Monday-school until 2:20, Beach Reach training at 2:30, BSM Bible study at 7:00. Tuesday- school until 2:00, semi free night. Wednesday- school until 2:30, church at 6:30. Thursday- School til 2:00, Kids for Christ at 3:30, Racquet ball from about 5:00 to 6:30ish, Campus Crusade at 6:30 or 7:30 (depending on whether or not i attend the ladies Bible study). Friday- Class 'til 11:00, lunch, racquet ball at 12:00, shower, Bible study at 2:00, semi-free night. Saturday-open. Sunday- church at 10:15, night service at 6:30. Ok, so there's my schedule laid out. Here's some of the things i have to consider. Homework comes with all of my classes. Usually a few hours a week for each class. I have to teach a Bible study. Along with that comes hours of preparation. I have to have a best friend and do stuff with her. I have to wash my clothes. I have to make sure that there are dishes in the cabinet. I have to wash every single dish my family of 6 uses (if i don't, it will never get done. i've constantly learned from experience). I have to make sure there is at least a trail to walk through in the bathroom. i occasionally have to plan things for the Wesley. My favorite part of this list- I have to read God's word each day. Besides sleep, here's something you might have noticed left off of this list- JOB. Well, my parents seemed to notice that to. The hours that i spend cleaning up here were definitely taken into consideration. That's why they don't have a problem in giving me spending money. Well, they need paper work done. Atleast 20 hours a week. Probably going to be closer to 35 or so. Can you please point out a place in my schedule allowing that much time? I'm not seeing it right now. God is in control and i guess i'll leave it at that.

Wasting Time...

My Survey of the New Testament class was canceled today. Currently trying to decide on how to kill an hour. I wanted to write about something last night but decided that the blog was already too long and i would fall asleep on top of my computer if i tried to type any more. Here it is:

Two weeks ago, i taught about the providence of God and seeing his hand in things. I spoke of God saving the Jews while Esther was queen. I talked about God saving Egypt and the surrounding nations by placing Joseph second to the pharaoh. Well, Sunday came and Brother Bruce preached on the same topic. He didn't use those examples, but i found it interesting that for some reason that topic had been placed on both our hearts. I can't help but wonder what i'm supposed to learn from it.

O yea, i forgot to mention, for the first time ever, i skipped church Sunday night to go to a Super Bowl party. It was great. I didn't know who was playing until the day of. The Cowboys didn't make it, so it was just another Super Bowl Sunday to me. After hearing about all the things that the Patriots did to cheat and finding out that their coach wouldn't even let them pray on the sideline, i wasn't too disappointed that they lost. I was still secretly hoping that they would end up with a perfect season. Anyway, God's invisible hand in that too.

Here's the other thing i wanted to mention. I had to go home during my lunch break on Monday so Dad could unload a thousand pounds of cement from the back of my truck before it started to rain. In the process, i was told to drive through quite a bit of mud. I got through it fine the first time. On the way back, i managed to get stuck (which i happened to predict before it happened). Had to hose my truck off before i went back to school. With an hour to spare, i figured i'd just get lunch with my parents. That didn't happen. My mom and sister decided to go out while i was still washing my truck and Dad had to go to work. I realized how lonely i've been feeling lately. Over having to go out to eat by myself for about the third time in a week, i decided i'd rather not eat over having to endure that again. i think it's the company that makes anything good. Books can only do so much. If are involved in ministry pretty much every night, surrounded by people constantly at college, and constantly reading God's word, how can that feeling reach you? For some reason, i thought i'd be immune to being lonely if all that stuff was going well.

Change is in the air

Lots to say. Guess i'll start with today and work backwards.

Some nice person in my family turned the air off last night and didn't bother opening any windows. I woke up at four with a completely stopped up nose. I took some benadryl so i'd be able to breath when i went back to sleep- Big mistake! 9:15, i woke up on the wrong end of my bed (not sure why) and looked at my watch. I was quite proud of myself. I set a new record. I was out of the bed, dressed, and in my truck in four minutes! That was awesome considering i didn't even pick my clothes out the night before. I was four minutes late to class because i ended up having to park at Back Porch. (Just realized how many times i used the number four in this paragraph : )

I ate lunch at the BSM and had a great conversation with Josh (current youth minister at my church). Somehow, i got conned into leading the seventh grade girls small group starting tomorrow. Hopefully it won't be too much.

After class, rushed home to clean the bus. Mom, Dad, and my brother will be driving to and in New Mexico for an uncertain amount of time. That means that i get to play mommy for a while to my brother and sister. It's really a lot harder than you would think.

Attended the monthly Wesley leadership meeting. Better yet, i ended up leading it with about a two hour notice. I understand i'm the president there, but does that mean that i should have to be in charge of everything?

Some fun finally ensued as i made my third trip to the college. Went to the fitness center, played on the elliptical, showered and waited with Hayley for her trainer. It took more than 30 minutes and allowed for a good conversation. I suppose i'll go ahead and announce the shocking news that i shared with my friend.

We were discussing the future. She was talking about how her plans for college had changed. She said quite a few other things, but i only find it proper for me to tell my story instead of speaking of things that may have been intended to be kept private. After she was finished, I began to speak. I thought her jaw was going to fall to the floor. I don't ever remember a time in our friendship of her being that astonished at something i said. If you've known me long, you know i have a passion for foreign missions. I've always said, "I want to be a missionary on the foreign field when i grow up." Well, as i've been contemplating that here recently, i'm not sure that's where i need to be. I still love foreign missions, but i've been feeling as if that season in my life is drawing to a close. I am most definitely looking forward to Japan this summer, but i'm not sure where my future is headed after that. I'll finally be getting my associates. The problem comes in not knowing where to go from there. I don't know what four year to attend- if any. I looked into Hayley's eyes and said, "In the future, i could see myself married and with kids and just serving in a church." (Her jaw dropped even further.) This is from a girl that, until last year, swore up and down she would never get married. She also said that she surely didn't want kids because she knew how she acted when she was one. She said she had to live in a foreign country where they spoke Spanish. I don't know what's wrong with me, but for some reason, something has changed. I'm no longer that girl. I can be content wherever God places me. i know what it is to have plenty and i know what it is to want. Maybe that's why i spent time on the mission field. While there, i learned to appreciate the things that i have while i have them, but i was taught how to live without them and be perfectly happy. I learned the difference between need and want. i think this is the last thing. I am so grateful for the teaching i've received since 8th grade from my former Sunday school teacher. i've always been told not to just settle for anyone. i was told to make a list of things that i want in a husband. i've been warned against dating just to date. From what i've seen, a piece of your heart seems to get torn by every person that you date (kind of like two construction paper hearts being glued together and then pulled apart). i've got my list of things and i think at the top is that i want to be respected. i want to marry someone that treats me like i'm God's instead of their own. The last time i said this to someone, they looked at me and started talking to me as if i was nuts, but i really don't think that i want to kiss until my wedding day. Am i crazy for thinking that? Anyway, this is officially the end of my speech about dating and why i haven't yet done so- i want someone that is in love with God. I want someone that is led by him and him alone. I want someone that is a stronger Christian than me. If not, how could they ever lead me? The end (of that)

Last night, i went to Closer (the BSM Bible study). I heard what i needed to hear. Mark shared all kinds of random things about washing your hands. If i remember correctly, one fourth of all food related illnesses are from people not properly washing their hands. I was informed that it is proper to wash your hands after you go to the bathroom and before you eat (if your mommy didn't teach you that, there's something wrong). He shared far more from a list than i will name here, but i'm assuming you get the picture. After watching a cat wash its paws, we were reminded of cleanness before God. We read of the Pharisees being obsessed with washing their hands before they ate and criticizing Jesus' disciples for not doing likewise. Long story short, purity on the inside will get you a lot further than hands with 99.9% of the germs killed by Dial soap. We had a chance to confess sins (which being Baptist, i really don't think to do too often) and ask God to give us clean hands and help us to quit hanging on to all the sins that we do all the time. At the conclusion, we all washed our hands in a bowl of Kilgore water. It had its impurities, but that's not what mattered. For me, it was a physical way of saying "God, i want to turn from this. I ask that you would give me clean hands and help me to live for you and you alone. I pray that you would make me a sacrifice holy and acceptable to you by seeing me through the blood of Christ. I pray that you would help me to see sin as you do instead of thinking, it's no big deal. Everyone else does it too. I ask that you would give me clean hands, a pure heart, and a soul that will only follow after you."

¿A escribir o no escribir? Esto es la pregunta...

Rough translation of the title, to write or not to write, that is the question. I'll get into that topic in a second, but I just wanted to get into a bit of randomness first.

I'm so glad that today is finally over! After a week of stressing out over what was going to happen, trying to make plans for something when I was only hearing half of the story, and best of all, having to be the middle person to talk about those plans that I knew so little about to each party, the day ended. The concert and movie were great. I'm told that we had the best numbers that they have ever seen (by no means am i obsessed with numbers, but personally i think that's sad). While there, the question many times came to me having to consider who i owed a game of pool to, and who i absolutely needed to talk to. I know there are so many people out there hurting, and i especially recognize that when they're sitting by themselves, but i don't know how to reach them all. I like to sit down, talk to someone, and find out whatever they feel like telling me. i don't want to cut them off when i think at some point in their week, no one is going to listen to them or care in the least about what they are going to say.

In other news, my feet hurt- a lot! I have recently developed a passion to play racquet ball. I went and invested twenty dollars in a racket. That means i have to at least play for a month... (just kidding) After begging everybody that i knew, i found a friend of mine that played tennis all the time. He said he'd be glad to help me out in my quest of learning the game. We started playing about 12:50. After 30 minutes of running around in circles to hit the ball, i was red in the face and a bit tired. After an hour, i was looking at my watch and thinking, surely he'll have compassion on me and call the game soon. After two hours and me almost hitting him way too many times, he figured out that i was extremely tired. When i say almost hitting, by no means am implying that i tried it on purpose. My aim was just that bad because i was so tired. All that to say, i'm looking forward to our hour long match next Friday. =)

O yes, and back to my original topic. I just figured out why i should keep writing. It truly doesn't matter if anyone reads it or not. i've seen a difference in the way that i talk. This allows me to sit down and make since of all the random thoughts that go through my head. It gives me the opportunity to arrange them in a way that will make since in a real conversation. It makes me think about sentence structure (even though you have probably noticed a lack there of) as well as providing an opportunity to develop my everyday vocabulary in speech. When i write, I think of words that i wouldn't normally use in conversation. After i write it, my mind becomes familiarized with the word, and then it just pours out of my mouth in speech. I do like that concept. I guess the last excuse of doing so, i feel so much better when it's over with. =)

Science, or is it?

This semester, I'm taking a class that seems to be based on unproven theories, other people's opinions, and, to the best of my knowledge, just plain and simple fiction. The name of this class you might ask, Historical Geology.

I took physical geology last semester with the same teacher. I really enjoyed turning in the homework at my convenience as well as hearing someone else's stories about Africa. I thought to myself, "Two sciences are required. This can count as my second one. It should be nice and easy." Without taking into consideration the content that would be taught in the course, I decided that this was the science class for me.

I showed up for the first day of class- it wasn't bad, he even let us out early. As I continued to attend, I learned more and more about how it was impossible for the entire earth to flood (of course, they completely disregarded the fact that there is at least three times the amount of water in the ocean located below the crust. Also, they didn't take into consideration that marine fossils have been found on just about every mountain top). I've learned that it is down right incorrect to think that humans and dinosaurs could have walked together at the same point in time. (Of course, they didn't consider the findings at Glen Rose showing human and dinosaur tracks crossing each other.) I've learned that those big round sea shells had to have evolved into trilobites, and eventually, trilobites to dinosaurs, and dinosaurs to monkeys, and then of course, that final leap- monkeys to humans. I'm curious, why is it that there could only have been one animal developed every million years or so back then that became extinct after Darwin's law kicked in, yet we have so many species today? The part about having so many species is another one of the many things contradicting evolution. Science shows that things get worse with time (excluding wine from what I hear...), not better. How is a simple one-celled organism ever going to turn in to a human? What makes us think that just because they didn't have computers 3000 years ago that they had to be completely uneducated? Are we really that prideful?

I look at this universe and am amazed when I gaze into the sky. I am surrounded by trees, water, birds, bugs, dirt, rocks, stars, planets and galaxies. I think about what every one of those things is made from. They're all made up of atoms. What holds those atoms together? I'll quote my favorite book ever in saying that Christ is "upholding all things by the word of his power." (Hebrews 1 something if you were wondering) I don't understand how people can look around at the beautiful place we live in and try to contribute it to evolution. I don't see how a bunch of gases and stuff could mix together and become alive. A dead fly is closer to being a fly than a bunch of chemicals could ever be. Why can't I take a science class that is actually science? Science is supposed to be about finding the truth. It's about forming a conclusion by all the facts that are presented. It's not about making a decision that it is impossible for God to exist and twisting every fact that is presented to you to build your case against a creator.

All that to say, I'm tired of every word that I mention in class preaching anything other than somebody's opinion being "clearly incorrect". Give me science or don't give me a test.