Before I started to work on this paper, I really only thought of the soul as that part of that goes to heaven---I didn’t really give it too much thought. Some of my friends joke that their souls are composed of blackened string while others of us have little shiny gold spheres. However, I have come to a new and deeper understanding of this part of man that God created in us. The soul is the life of an individual. It envelops intellect and emotions, personality and spirituality. The soul is the fingerprint of God upon each person. Each person’s soul is composed of id, ego, and super-ego. Our minds think, but our souls determine what we think. We feel in our hearts, but the reasons we feel comes from our souls. Our spirits praise, cry out, commune with God because of the state of our soul through the blood of Jesus. It is in our souls that the Holy Spirit lives and gives us strength, comfort, and guidance. The soul is the source of passion for living in a human. I rather think that our souls are the clay which God molds into jars and then he breaks only to put the pieces back together.
The worst feeling in the world is watching a loved one suffer.
How well do we really know one another?
What is your "number"?
I forgot to brush my teeth.
Tread gently.
What are your shadows?
It's amazing how one can draw out an analogy. For example, I was pondering the bloom of love--in family, friendship, or special others.
If we force it to unfurl too quickly, it will not be quite as beautiful. If we expose it to constant battering from our words and sometimes even teasing, it might be bruised and weak. If we cut it off, it will wither and die after a short while, although we can save the memory by drying it in the dark closet of our mind. It's nice, but not as good as the living one.
The only thing we can do is let the Master Gardener do all the work. He knows the proper amount of watering, sunshine, pruning, and nutrients a bloom needs to unfurl. He can even turn a bloom into a bush that sprouts other blooms. If we leave it in God's hands, he will return to us a beautiful flower that may live eternally in his will, that spreads joy to those who are able to witness it's growth and flower.
Be careful with your relationships of love with family and friends. Be careful with the relationships of others. Teasing might help a flower to have a hardy life, but even teasing can wear something down to ill health. Be careful, and most of all, leave everything in God's hands. Lift it up in prayer. and follow His example. all blooms take time. Some might unfurl faster than others, but it's been my own observation that the ones that take time are the most sweet-smelling and prettiest.
Prayer.
It struck me that I do not pray for my friends and family often enough. It's been haphazard, instead of daily lifting them up as I should. Granted I say, there are a lot of loved ones to pray for...but that still does not excuse the lack of praying I've been doing. I don't think I can even claim once a week for some people.
It also strikes that I do not pray often enough with my friends for other friends. That we talk about people instead of stopping to pray for their needs.
God, may I do better.
Solution: Maybe I should write a program that will pop up with notes during the day to pray for someone...but I'm not at my computer all day. I should rather come up with a way of associating a person with something I do see often during the day, such as...my tall friend Smashly when I see a tree (Love ya lady!) or my Sweet Sunny and Brenton when I see the security car or the result of sun shining down on God's beautiful Earth. I could go on and on...but for your sake, I won't.
But pray that I do better with this discipline...to pray daily for my parents, siblings, distant relatives, and friends.
"committment is in our hands, we can do with it as we wish, but surrender turns the reigns over to God "
--Smashley
I was considering again today the the life of an individual church. I've witnessed 2 churches "die" in my short lifetime. I was also thinking about my college, and how in some ways administrators run it like a church, but they also run it like a business---but than again, many churches today are run like a business (and they tend not to be truly good ones from my experience.) Anyways, I was just thinking...many churches are started by those dissatisfied with something or those who have a passion and energy to start things afresh. LU wasn't quite started by people dissatisfied with other places, but more off the idea of education with a Christian focus.
I think about the churches that I've seen dwindle down to closed doors, churches that were once vital and full of energy and passion. I wonder, if LU could be in danger of the same thing happening in the future because the focus is lost on Who sustains. When things become more about rules and finances, appearance and less about growth.
I realize not everyone perceives the same things about LU. I'm just sitting here wondering about a few things...pondering the last 3.25 years I've spent here.
I present this article not in support of any particular person this election, but as food for thought regarding the importance of this election.
Oh ye fuzzy majors (and some non-fuzzies too and people who aren't currently enrolled in college)...I'd be interested to hear your thoughts regarding the opinions expressed regarding this election as
our lifetime that will truly matter. Because America
is at a once-in-a-generation crossroads, more than an
election hangs in the balance.
Down one path lies retreat, abdication and a reign of
ambivalence. Down the other lies a nation that is
aware of its past and accepts the daunting obligation
its future demands. If we choose poorly, the
consequences will echo through the next 50 years of
history.
Part of me asks, doesn't every election matter a whole lot? What really is the difference here? What did the elections of the late sixties and early seventies say regarding the war in Vietnam? and again...why I recognize the hard lives of the "Great Generation...", what is the difference in what they went through compared to the all the generations of the years before in America's lifetime...Civil War, Reconstruction, Revolutionaries....Pilgrims....
and we have no clue as to what our own (being college age) generation faces.
Heh....I just realize how often this kind of labeling bothers me....It bothered me with Fall Fest activities....the kind of labeling that puts one thing/person/idea above another. I don't even feel pleased with some of the "greater sin" discussions (while I do recognize the fact that Jesus does call a few things the greater sin and other places in God's word talk about it). For some odd reason, I want most everything on equal footing....but then again, not everything because I can grade papers and feel no problems at giving people what the deserve.
There is a difference in consequences though. (although even with that my mind tries to argue) Consequences that "match" the action. I guess in that context, I could see the difference in this election from others in my own lifetime--because there is a lot of stake regarding the War on Terror and the war in Iraq, but there's always a lot of stake because the major issues...education, economy, health care...are always at the forefront, as well as abortion and now h.s. marriage.
Hmm.
Rather, I hope. I hope that God truly hears the prayers of my heart even if I am not directly thinking them at a specific time. I hate it that I'm not as good at regularly praying for loved ones as I'd like to be. Instead I'm distracted by the silly things of life and being annoyed at people.
Being selfish. Like in the above paragraph where I am berating myself instead of just taking this moment to stop and pray for the people.
I feel like I am having a harder time staying focused on things these days. Chapel, church, school. Maybe it's senioritis. Course, chapels like today really odn't help matters....but I'll let someone else post about that. Pardon my ending with a preposition there. Anyways. Actually, I'll talk about the worship time and won't go into the speaker's words. Something felt off this morning at the beginning of worship. We just jumped right in....that time to be still and prepare myself just wasn't there. I guess in theory that time would be that bit of time before chapel actually starts when I usually am instead talking to friends and sharing the amusements of my morning in education class. But normally I don't have as much a problem easing into worship. But than, I was also thinking today during the worship how routine it gets to sing the words without even thinking and reflecting upon them and more importantly, who they are to. It got better with the slower song.
I was also annoyed because the roving photographer was distracting me and the worship leader kept starting off every phrase in the song....
But yeah. So I've got some more food for thought.
And for those dear ones out there who are in need of prayer, I am praying for and thinking of you.
1 Kerry Score: 52%
Party Democrat
Has Held Elected Office Yes
Served in the Military Yes
2 Bush Score: 46%
Party Republican
Has Held Elected Office Yes
Served in the Military Yes
So tonight I had the pleasure of going to see The Village with the lovely Ardith. I had heard some good things but still wasn't expecting to be as impressed as I was with the movie.
Excellently directed! The music was fantastic--of course, I am partial to soundtracks that include focus of either violin, piano, or guitar. Tonight it was the violin. Kudos also for the effects--lighting and props, and costuming combined with the videography. It all blended so well and wasn't overwhelming to the senses. It also kept me in suspense. I even jumped--even while I knew it was coming, I jumped at the classic spot.
Most of all the plot surprised me with its originality. (At least I haven't seen that sort of plot played over and over again.) The movie also made me think.
At any rate, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you go see the movie or take the opportunity to watch it sometime. No foul language, no adult content.
So go see it sometime. It's at the cheap movie theatre right now and apparently they've changed their prices back to $1.50 all the time.
So if any of you out there have pictures from the last few weeks of activities you'd share, please do so! I wouldn't mind having the pictures from Symphony and "Fall Fest"
Yup. 5 mornings in a row now. at least. I've overslept because my alarm clock has become a part of a routine. So now I need to change the alarm clock or place it far across the room where I'll have to climb out of bed to turn it off. To the unfortunate sleepings of my roommates.
You see. I woke up and grabbed my alarm. Snoozed and woke up again in 10 minutes. I turned off the alarm clock, snooze and all, and my brain thought "I need to get out of bed now. Sit up." But I didn't because my will was wanting to sleep more. Thus, I slept. Or maybe it was the other way--my mind wanted to sleep even though my will was to get out of bed.
It makes for an interesting reflection to consider the workings when two distinct entities work against one another. In this case, my will and mind. One won, and thus I slept on. I guess between reading Peretti's Nightmare Academy and almost getting into a discussion on trichotomy and dichotomy, I was musing on the workings of mind, body, soul, spirit. In the case of this morning, there seemed to be at least three areas functioning, two were fighting for control of the body. Mind, and we'll say spirit in this case, disagreed on what was to take place.
Some would probably group mind as a part of body. Spirit with soul. Thus, two natures: fleshly and spiritual. I do believe there are two areas to man: material and immaterial. But so many people group mind and emotions with the immaterial leaving body and components thereof as the sole material aspect. But those material aspects control some of the immaterial. Except for one. Or maybe two. Soul/Spirit. My view up until this point has been that we have material and immaterial and the immaterial is subdivided into two parts: mind and spirit/soul, or mind/spirit and soul, maybe mind/soul and spirit.
But what is the spirit? Soul is generally known as one's "life-force," or something. Mind is composed of the intellect and such. Is spirit the passion that moves people? The "emotion", maybe the "spiritual emotion"? How does the will come into play here? Is will our "strength" or is strength our spirit?
Well, before I continue much further off what many of you are thinking is the deep end, I'll stop and grab hold of a tree branch of needing to get other things done this morning. But maybe my comment box will be happy because people want to leave it some food.
(Yay, I have more material for my paper on the soul!)
Seven months until I graduate.
Today was my last LU Fall Fest event as a student. and it was the best. Earlier on in the week I had the idea in my mind of jazzing up a Saga dinner a bit on Saturday (ya know, the day that just passed). Figured there'd be a good number going to the banquet. But anyways. I didn't really think anything would come of it until I found out that Paige had also thought of jazzing up the dinner with decorations and our own plates and things.
So. We went shopping this morning and made plans for people to meet us dressed up at 530. We would set up a little early. I got back and that afternoon was spent with me working on my education project due Monday and watching the girls as they played with hair and stuff, getting ready for tonight. It was mucho fun. I had fun getting dressed up in a new dress found on sale and new jewelry, and although I was running late for getting things set up at Saga, we managed...with the wonderful help of Caleb, Ziggy, and Wilson, to get our tables set up in 10 minutes. To the great amusement and wonder of the many who were in Saga trying to figure out what we were doing. We even set out the cider for toasts later.
And we had fun eating off of fancy plastic plates and eating semi-decent food and Glen's Great Gooey Rolls. and it was fun to kick back and toast the good things of life in friendship, toasting with our sparkling apple cider in our plastic glasses made for toasting. I'm not sure of their proper names. Think small wine glasses.
The talent show was good. Makes me remember my own days of being on stage and wishing I could compose music and cool stuff like that.
To seven months more of good times with friends...
with a little modification to orignal lyrics found at http://www.sitcomsonline.com/themesonglyrics.html
"Happy Days" by Norman Gimbel and Charles Fox
Happy Days theme (long version)
Sunday, Monday, Happy Days.
Tuesday, Wednesday, Happy Days.
Thursday, Friday, Happy Days.
The weekend comes,
My cycle hums,
Ready to race to you.
These days are all,
Crazy and Free. (Those Crazy Days)
These days are all,
Share them with me. (oh baby)
Goodbye grey sky, hello blue.
There's nothing can hold me when I hold you.
Feels so right, it can't be wrong.
Rockin' and rollin' all week long.
Sunday, Monday, Crazy Days.
Tuesday, Wednesday, Crazy Days.
Thursday, Friday, Crazy Days.
Saturday, What a day,
Groovin' all week with you.
These days are all,
Share them with me. (Those Crazy Days)
These days are all,
Crazy and Free. (oh baby)
These Crazy Days are your's and mine.
These Crazy Days are your's and mine, Crazy Days.
The story of today's craziness below:
Well. It began with me going to bed around 1 or 1:15 this morning. Not horrible, but my body likes to get at least 8 hours of sleep so the "late" hour doesn't work well when I have to get up a little after 7 for the 8:00 class.
well, sometime shortly after falling into a deep sleep, I had this crazy sensation that a spiders were weaving intricate webs in front of my face. I woke up with a start saying "s***" and "cr**" moving quickly away from the head of my bed. (you see, i sleep in the top bunk near one of the ceiling corners...)
Well, being very disoriented in a dark room with no glasses on, I was still of the impression that it was real. After my blood pressure dropped to a more normal pace, I moved my pillow about a foot or some up the bed away from the wall and curled up to go back to sleep.
I woke up to what I thought was my alarm clock but it didn't seem to be mine so I thought it was Zippy's. And than my phone (doubles as alarm) went off for real so I grabbed it like I normally do and went back to sleep for another 10 minutes. Apparently it was another morning in which I was snoozing away in my dream.
I was dreaming along with another very weird dream, a repeat of another at some point recently when I heard a phone ringing. It happened to be my cell phone. It was 7:45. I had a test at 8:00. It was Heather calling to check to see if I was coming because she noticed Josh standing outside our apartment waiting to walk with me. I told her to tell him to wait if he cared to wait for 5 minutes while I was rushing about throwing on clothes and grabbing my stuff and something to eat.
I made it right on time to class. Took the test which was far easier than I was expecting and thankfully had an extra 45 minutes with which to eat breakfast before Trig. I forgot that I hadn't done the homework for Trig due today because I wasn't in class to do the homework while the teacher lectured Tuesday. So I went to class and and did that homework and added it to the pile later. Now I'll have to actually get the other done to give to Heather for Tuesday since I won't be in class again, and I'll have to do next Thursday's assignment before then. I hope we aren't having the test next Thursday. *makes mental note to check the assignment sheet*
So I did homework through trig and than I had my content mastery review in Dr Roden's office in which I learned some new things about chords and such and reviewed a few others about other areas of math which have been neglected.
Finally I got to lunch at noon and was pleased to find that my refund check was waiting in my CPO and they had one of my favorite meals at the Hive for a conversion meal (chicken tender sandwhich and fries!). So now I get to send another credit card payment in! and try to remember to pay another bill. While I wait for the nasty news that there are probably some medical bills that the insurance didn't pay which I need to.
Well, I have to get through one more class. I have to run errands after and than will attend another chapel with Dr. Geisler. and than get the calc 3 grading done. and tomorrow is friday with go finish my observations for the first placement, go to chapel, eat lunch, go to work. Enjoy weekend.
are the letters of the alphabet ordered the way they are?
I would guess there to be some connection to the Greek and Latin alphabets..and I think I have vague ideas regarding the order of their letters...
any thoughts?
Slaughter Lane
Buffalo Pass
Home Scholl Would avoid: "Happy St" in Mount Pleasant, TX
I'll try to add more as I continue my envelope stuffing journeys.
So for always getting rather passionately involved in a "heated discussion" in which I disagree with someone else, I'm not great at thinking on feet to prove any good points.
It can be fun to be girly when a FEW close friends are involved.
It was nice not to do any work today. Although I could claim that reading Uncle Tom's Cabin was research for my paper on the soul.
I forgot about all the neat intricacies of the movie Frequency. It had some rather cool effects and plot twists. Even if it ends rather "too well". I like movies that make me think about how life would follow a very different road if even the smallest sort of thing was done differently. Butterfly Effect was another good one. I generally really enjoy "psychological" movies.
I enjoyed the play tonight in that I enjoy laughing. Even though attending live performances of things still makes me miss being on stage sometimes..... While I can't do everything, sometimes I regret giving up the violin and not practicing the piano enough so that my mother didn't pull me from lessons. I also miss being involved with theatre drama stuff. I guess I'll always enjoy "playing" and "pretending". Probably associated with the love of reading and stories.
Sometimes the reason my own individual life is going well and I'm feeling particularly "up" is because I need to be strong for others and more "there" for others. In other words, I need to not have my own distractions keeping me from trying to love others when they need me.
Maybe these reflections aren't all that random...
I keep waiting for the axe to fall and my life seem suddenly not so bright and blessed...
My Pell Grant posted today which means that I get to make a nice payment to my credit card when I get my refund check within the next two weeks.
I also received a rather nice paycheck today after all that grading I put in last week. Again, I can reduce the credit card debt (medical debt and car repairs and such) down a little further.
The mole I had removed was completely just a mole with no bad cells to it---I received that news today. (In other words, no nasty skin cancer...Yet.)
Things just seem to be going rather well. There is a hope that I may even have filing caught up here at the business office soon so that I can work on some other projects, such as removing inactive folders. (That can take a bit sometimes because withdrawn students aren't immediately removed.)
And it's a Friday which means tomorrow is Saturday which means I get to sleep in.
So am I receiving a blessing of rest after the last few trying years? Or am I just being rested up for what is ahead? Maybe both?