Wednesday, June 27, 2012

I'm not quite dead yet!

So, apparently I have "stopped" blogging and need to continue in order to keep people updated on my life (at least according to my friend John, hehe).

Well, I just got back from a week at a camp called Bambi Lake. It was no Center Lake (the camp I worked at all summer for the past six summers straight), but it was still great. I was pretty concerned at the beginning of the week, but the camp and all the people there had really impressed me by the end of the week. Actually, I was most impressed by the campers I got to hang out with all week. I was a co-leader of a group of thirty middle schoolers all week, and they were a RIOT. By the end of the week, I actually got to see God do serious work in some of their lives. I loved it. One of the guys in the group kept asking me if I was coming back next summer. I wasn't really planning on it up to that point...but now I think I really want to go back again. It was awesome to see God working in so many different people's lives.

I could talk for quite a while about all that stuff, but while that was going on, my car was in the shop all week. The accident I got into really didn't do any serious damage, but there was a few important pieces which were just wearing out underneath and needed to be replaced. I had to drop nearly $600 for the repairs, but now my car is officially road-safe, even if it doesn't look it, haha.

This weekend I'm planning on going to a big get-together with my Polish family at Silver Lake Sand Dunes. I hardly ever get to spend time with this side of my family, so I'm pretty pumped about it. I'm also having a really early breakfast in Grand Rapids with one of my good friends and hopefully seeing a few others while I'm passing through in the morning (anyone reading this in GR: I would love to see you sometime on Saturday morning!)

Other than that, things are starting to get pretty normal again here in Lansing. This is a good thing, at least for now. I do love adventures and excitement, but it's the times when nothing special is going on that you can really start to grow closer to God. Those times during the "same ol' grind" are the times when I should be working on spending more and more time with my Father, my Lord, and my Creator. Now I need to actually be disciplined enough to practice what I preach. This would be a prayer request, in case you were wondering.

Also, I have a friend who lives in Colorado Springs, and if you've seen the news lately, you may know there are some crazy wildfires going on out there right now. It's starting to get pretty close, and they need rain really bad, so you should all ask God to send a big rainstorm soon.

Also also, I'm having my college graduation party on the Fourth of July next week (FINALLY), and, not gonna lie...I'm pretty pumped to get some cash. HA. I'm going to be taking on more of my personal bills soon from my mom (who blows my mind by how much she does for me), and my hours at Family Christian Store are going to be next to nothing all summer, and it will be nice to get started with a little extra.

 ALSO Also also, for any of my campers from last week who may read this, I'm sorry I forgot to put my phone number on the contact sheet (even though I bothered to write "no texting" on it, hahaha). You can find it by following the link in the "About Me" section on the side of my blog, then clicking the "About" button when you get to my profile page.

I think that is all for now.

Peace.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Weird joy post

So, I've been doing some fun fiction reading lately...like old-school-type fiction. One of the books I just finished was "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," and the other, which I just finished today, was "The Hobbit." I noticed a very interesting difference between the attitudes of people "in those days" versus the attitudes of people in America today. In "Gawain," a Middle English poem, everyone seemed to be rejoicing constantly about life and love, were very welcoming toward strangers, and held honour, virtue, and personal piety in high esteem. Of course the story is a romance, so it's only natural that the world seems a better place. However, even in Tolkien's "The Hobbit" this spirit of mirth and celebration was captured well, as the traveling heroes in the story were given warm welcomes in most places, long stays and magnificent send-offs. In his parting words, one of the heroes says, "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."

When hard times came, the characters in these stories buckled down, prepared for the worst, and stayed loyal to their friends and personal convictions. When the hard times were over, the transition usually seemed overly dramatic: celebrating, much joy and cheer, and almost always songs. The people coming out of the hardships had reason to rejoice, so they did. It seems natural, doesn't it?

Maybe it's just me, but I feel that we have a whole lot of reasons to celebrate nowadays, yet most people don't seem to think so. Our lives are pretty cushy here in America, and when they get a little less cushy than usual...OMG THE WORLD IS FALLING APART. I know I'm guilty of thinking this way, at least. Really, when things get a little difficult, it might do us better to realise that such is life, and it's blessings and difficulties both are gifts.

Christians in particular have reason to be joyful in life...ALONG with being told that we pretty much are REQUIRED to be joyful, haha. We've been saved from an eternity away from God...so why would we not rejoice all the time? Why should a boring job we don't like be enough to bog down our spirits? Why should some financial hardships make us feel like we're not going to make it?

Some better questions, though: Why do we forget God when these troubles are over? Why do we ask for God's help in all these things, then become complacent when He pulls us through? Should we not rather be celebrating His goodness instead of saying, "Oh, things are better now. FINALLY." We act like it's our right to have happy, easy lives...so when things go "back to normal," there is a distinct lack of celebration. Our lives are just "okay" unless something absolutely FANTASTIC is going on, then things are great! While nothing particularly special is happening, though, we tend to think life is pretty lame. We get bored and try to find something to do that excites our imaginations...all while angels and saints in heaven are rejoicing for eternity because of God's mercy and love. We have the same reasons to be excited as they do. If we decided to be more grateful for what we've been given, maybe we would see more clearly what it means to be joyful in every circumstance.

Go be thankful for what God has given you here on earth and in eternity to come. Live as those whose lives have been truly saved...because that is exactly what has happened.

Give someone a reason to ask you why you're so joyful.

Peace.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Soundtracks to my life

So, I don't do things like this very often, but some of these songs have stuck with me for a very long time, and I would like to get them out. They're songs that I've connected with very deeply, songs that have practically spoken the desires of my heart, and songs that tell a bit about who I am.

This song was one of the first to really get me, and it still does, even though it's been about seven years since I first heard it. Couldn't find a YouTube video of it at all. Sad.

"Scarecrow" ~Montgomery Gentry
http://www.myspace.com/music/player?sid=309099&ac=now

I guess these songs are too obscure (sigh, now I'm a hipster...especially since I have this on cassette), because I couldn't find a good video of the original, but this is a really good cover.

"Rainy Day People" ~Gordon Lightfoot
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A78iB4Vq83E

This song puts into music and lyrics something that I can hardly describe...maybe you'll understand when you watch the video...maybe not.

"The Islander" ~Nightwish
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzkX9DQjQVc&ob=av2n

Similar to the last one in a way...it's the video/music combination that gets me on this one. That grand journey, a feeling of upcoming destiny at the end, incapable of being stopped from reaching the end...yeah. I'm usually crying a little by the end of the video.

"Little Talks" ~Of Monsters and Men
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghb6eDopW8I&ob=av3e

Newer song, but still hit me when I heard it. Kind of describes how I feel right now in life.

"Gone" ~Third Day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7EPLEgbDhI

This is one song I chose from a whole album which I could easily place in this list...lyrically and musically each song is just as good as the others. A friend bought the album for me in high school, and it's been my favorite album of all time since then. This is also the heavier side of this list...so it's going to be dramatically different from the last one, haha. I also posted the lyrics with it.

"Solace" ~Project 86
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtHHd0nioCc
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/project86/solace.html

While the last one is from my favorite album, this song is from my favorite band. God's used this song (and the band) to get me through some hard times. Love it, love them.

"Thorns" ~Demon Hunter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svuz2uLfULs

Finally, since I'm getting into favorites, I'll end with my favorite song of all time. I don't think it will need much of an explanation.

"Bittersweet Symphony" ~The Verve
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbvQ9g1bCYs

Peace.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Saving

So, as I mentioned briefly in a previous post, I need to start saving money better. This is becoming more real to me each day now, it seems. I haven't been living frivolously, but I have been fairly liberal with my spending when it comes to, say, picking up the tab. For example: my usual way of convincing someone to go to Applebee's is telling them their appetiser will be free, hehe. I also have been traveling around the Lansing area a bit more lately, thus spending more money on gas, especially since I own a minivan.

Well, as I started realising these things and decided to cut back as best as I could (go to the Bee's less, try to drive around less if possible, etc.), of course, something goes wrong. For those who haven't already heard, I got into a car accident this past weekend, and the days of the Man Van are finally over. Now I get to bum rides all over the place (including my early-morning job, which I hate asking people to take me to), and I'll probably soon be making car payments on my next car (probably a Taurus, if this week goes as I expect it to...).

Kinda sucks, but I'm learning humility in this. I've noticed a lot of pride growing in me lately, and this is exactly the sort of thing that I need to bring me back to reality. I've also been asking God for patience lately...which is ALWAYS a dangerous prayer, and now it seems I'm waiting around all the time.

This is also a good thing in other ways (at least in my head). I will be saving a lot of money on gas if this goes right, and my "new" car will probably be more reliable than the van. I loved being able to haul around people and all sorts of stuff in my van, which I won't be able to do any longer, but I think I'm ready for the switch. This may also help me whittle down the amount of junk that I have and really force me to keep less stuff around.

I was walking to McDonald's today while talking to one of my good friends on the phone. We both are trying to save money for some end-of-the-summer events (he's probably going to go teach in China with another good friend of ours; I will explain mine in a bit), and we've both realised that we need to make some major lifestyle changes in order to prepare better. I mentioned that I was passing a grocery store, and I should probably get food there instead of at McDonald's. He replied, "Well, which one is going to save you more money in the long run?"

Dangit.

Needless to say, I turned back to the grocery store and bought at least a week's worth of meals...and I definitely made the right choice. I plan on not spending any more money on food for at least a week, and no more on gas for longer (Obviously I don't have a car right now, but if I get another one soon, I will probably try to siphon the gas out of my van's tank, which is full. Start with plenty of gas, getting better gas mileage...I think that's a good start). My paycheck at the end of this week should also come close to doubling what I currently have in my bank account, so I think if I really buckle down and start living more wisely, I will be able to start claiming some of my bills from my mom (who has helped me enormously in all of this) and still be saving money up.

The goal:

Move out West by 2015.

This is a little sooner than the four years I was thinking for the past several months, but I think this is still a reasonable goal...and who knows, maybe God will grant me to move sooner. I would love that.

As far as what I'm saving for this summer, I really want to get back out West for just a little while again. Goodness, I feel such a strong pull to be out there...anyway, one of my friends who lives in Colorado Springs has also been encouraging me to visit and try to get things sorted out, as they took their own leap of faith and moved there last summer, and God has been doing great things with it.

So, I've been researching airplane ticket costs from Detroit to Colorado Springs (which has proven to be the cheapest flight), and I can get a round-trip ticket for $277. Not too bad considering how much I would spend on other forms of travel. If I'm able to save enough this summer, I think I'm really going to try to do this.

It's about time to get a real adventure started.

Peace.