College...

Hello again!

   Yes, college life is very strenuous, so that's why I haven't had time to post anything.  I still don't.  :P  But, I thought that I would let myself, or anyone else that still follows this blog of mine, know that I'm still alive.  It's been a hard year so far, but it has been a big blessing.  I've learned things that I never could have imagined before.  I've grown spiritually in dimensions that I never could have fathomed.  In all, it's been a good year, so far.  I would really appreciate your prayers, since I am often struggling with not being able to be socially active.  God's going to have to provide a way...

   Until an unforeseen time, farewell.

The Zoo!

Tree Project

Junior Senior Campout

Blind

Being blind: being absent to the light around you.

So I scratched my eye.  Yes, it's red and it hurts.  It hurts so much that I can't even look at light.  If my eye is open, I am looking at the dark floor.  It hurts too much to look up.  All day yesterday I was at Camloops for shopping, and I had to bear with my eye the whole time.  All through the mall, my eye was tearing up, screaming at me to close and rest it for a while, but I refused to listen: I had things to do.  There were many interesting things to look at in the mall, and I would quickly glimpse at them, but then the fierce light stung my eye and drove it shut amid a sudden spurt of tears.  I came to hate in the mall.  Every time there was a window or a bright section I would quickly close my eyes most of the way until I had reached a shadowed, dark spot.  Light had become noxious to me.

   I love light.  Sunshine makes my day.   I wanted to open my eyes and 'soak it up'.  But every time I even turned in the direction of light, my eyes drove me away.  Part of me wanted to 'forget' the pain and turn to the sun, and part of me begged me to stay away from the light.  This conflict pulled and tugged at me all day long.

   There are people in this world today who hate the Son of God.  Their natural inclination is towards the shadows.  The convicting power of the Holy Spirit singes them.  They can't stand the Love of Jesus.  Many people choose this blindness.  They slip the cover over their own eyes.  They blaspheme the Holy Spirit.

     Sometimes I like to point fingers at others and say that I am better than them.  This is especially true for those who aren't even in the church.  I don't watch movies, play games, or listen to bad music any more, but there are millions of people who do.  It's easy for me to say that I am better than they are.  I am a sinner, and everybody else is a sinner.  We all need salvation.  Even though I may have accepted Christ, I still occasionally fall, showing that I am still a sinner.  What amazes me, is that Jesus was perfect.  Perfect.  Not a blemish of sin.  And He died for me.  He took the penalty that I deserve.  That I deserve!

   Jesus wants me to live a life in Him.  The same spirit that helped Him conquer sin on the cross He also freely offers me.  This spirit is a convicting spirit and works against my ways.  It points me to Jesus, rather than the shadows.  Though I am broken and seek the shadows, Jesus bids me to come and find rest in Him.

   My spiritual eyes are ruined.  I can no longer seek the light.  The Holy Spirit prompts me to simply look to Jesus and live.  Though it hurts at first, my eyes will eventually heal!  What a wonderful thing!  Though I may be partially spiritually blind right now, I want to believe in Jesus!  I want to see the Light!  I want to be healed!  I don't want to be blind anymore.

   There are many people in this world who purposefully keep their eyes shut from the truth.  They hate the Spirit of Conviction.  They openly reject Salvation.  These people need prayer!  I once was lost, but now I'm found.  Think about your own experiences when you closed your eyes at God.  I shutter at those dark times, but by God's grace, those times are behind me.  God has brought me a long ways.  I want to help others to see and accept the healing rays of the Son.  Pray for them.  Pray.



 

Spring Break: Part 3

I'm a teenager.  I'm learning to drive.  I have my permit, but I need to drive so that I will have enough experience and responsibility to be able to wield a license.  At Fountainview, I'm not able to drive much around here.  I haven't driven on-campus at all this year, in any vehicle!  The only opportunities that I have to drive are the short trips that I have during home leave.  Well, this past break, I had my opportunities.

   The highway.  Shuddering thoughts rush through my mind when I think of it when I'm driving.  It's fast, unrelenting, risky, and...and...IT'S THE HIGHWAY!!!  I didn't want to go on the highway.  That's right. I didn't want to do it.  One evening, after taking some senior pictures abroad, I was en route to home.  Not remembering the way home, I had to rely on my parent's guidance.  "Left.  Go straight.  Keep going straight.  Turn right!  Ok, we'll have to take the exit then."  I was grateful for the GPS which was pronouncing instructions from the seat across from me.  However, I was always on my guard to not be tricked into taking a highway on-ramp.  I was very careful about that.  But for one short moment, I let my guard down-just as we were approaching a highway intersection.

   "Take a right here." Says the voice to the right to me.  Not looking or thinking as much as I should have, I signaled into the right lane and turned onto a ramp.  After blinking a couple times, my heart sank.  It was the highway on-ramp!  Instantly my blood began to rush, I began frantically searchig my memory for all the rules and tips that I had learned during driver's education.  "What do I do!" I cried desperately.  Within a couple seconds my parents guided me to merge into the highway and then everything seemed to quiet down.  The scariest part was over, but, I was going so fast!  Cars were passing me on the left, I was passing cars on the left, two trucks were merging ahead of me, headlights shone in my eyes, it was hectic. But I was going forward: I didn't have to change my lane position any more.  Trying to relax, I re-positioned myself in my seat and adjusted my grip on the steering wheel.  After a couple minutes of highway time, I had reached my exit.  It was over.  Whew!  I had done it!  It wasn't all that bad!  Deep inside, I thought it was fun.  Yet, I seemed foolish, like a child, not wanting to take his first steps.  I was ashamed to know that I had not yet learned everything about adulthood, perseverance, and confidence.

It reminded me of an experience that I had with my youngest brother, Christopher, many years ago.  My family had gone on a vacation to the Wisconsin Dells (The largest waterpark resorts in the world).  I was ecstatic!  I couldn't wait to go on the water slides!  For the first couple days, we went to a "big boy park", with large, fast slides and high water flow.  But, one of the days we went a kiddie park, with small fountains, slides, and pools.  Christopher didn't want to go on the slide.  He was really scared of it.  After spending some time telling him just how fun and amazing water slides are, he still didn't want to go.  Getting rather impatient, I picked him up and started carrying him up the couple stairs to the top of the tiny slide.  Crying, and crying, he certainly voiced his opinion, but I was sure that he would enjoy it.  Resisting me all he could, I set him on the slide and pushed him down.  The water pushed him forward and slowly propelled him around the single turn and onto the mat on the bottom.  I wondered what his response would be.  Without looking at me, he rushed to the top of the slide again and exclaimed just how fun it was!  He continued sliding down the slides at the park for the remainder of the day.

   Sometimes God asks big things of us, and we blow it waaaaaay out of proportion.  Yet, God says that all will be 'ok' and that it will far worth it.  Many times I hesitate at these moments, as if I need to make a difficult choice.  But, if I remember how God has led me in the past, there really shouldn't be much decision time.  What His will is, is best.  Deep inside, I don't want to resist going on whatever highway God puts me on, but somehow, my sinful self gets in the way.  I need to learn to trust God in everything, no matter what the circumstantial.  Why don't you pray that God would reveal His love to you today?  Why don't you ask Him to make His will known to you, so that you will have the challenge of driving on the highway.  But don't worry, God is seated right next to you, directing and guiding you every step of the way.  :)

Spring Break Part 2

                                      

   I'm a thinker.  I like to think about things that were, things that are, and things that could come.  I always have this thinking application open in my mind: it's always running.  Whatever I see, taste, feel, hear, and smell is sent to my thinking application for review.  Most of time, the things that I encounter are not especially significant, just happenings in the spark of life.  But, this past break, I found something that I thought was very significant and interesting: Milkweed.

Milkweed Down

   It was a beautiful Sabbath afternoon in Minnesota.  It was simply too nice to put away.  So, after the church service and the fellowship luncheon, my Dad and I decided that we would go hiking on our personal hiking trails.  We didn't really care where we went, we just wanted to get outside.  After a half hour of aimlessly wandering the paths, we came to a dry pond.  Ever since the melt water had receded, spring plants had sprung and had flowered.  We hiked down the pond and circled it once, and as I got closer to the middle, I found that there were milkweed plants there.  Their pods had already grown and were releasing their seed.  In curiosity, I approached a small plant with a couple pods on it.  I extended my hand to feel the white, feathery parachutes which protruded from the hard seed.  It was soft!  Very soft!  It was also amazingly light and flew away with the wind if I wasn't careful.  Grabbing a handful out of the open pod, my creative juices began flowing.  What could this be used for?  What are its traits?  My mind began cracking at some of the many questions in my mind.  Intending to bring the milkweed to the house for further inspection, I clenched a couple more 'pod fulls' of the down in my right hand.  After a couple minutes of hiking up to the house, I realized that my right hand was getting really warm.  Once again, I marveled at the milkweed and my mind started suggesting thinking about the insulation properties of the down.  Ready to take on a challenge, I hurried back to the house.

   There are so many exciting things to explore in this world.  The world is so big!  I can just imagine how much fun Adam, Eve, and I would have had exploring the different things that God had made.  The universe is such as amazing place.  God has truly created a masterpiece.  Everything that we see has a signature of intelligent design.  The amazing thing is that there is no limit to how much can be explored.  I have enough fun on earth discovering the wonders that God has made, but I can't wait for heaven, when I can explore so much more!  I look forward to spending that time, hopefully with you!

Spring Break: Part 1

Ahh, spring break!  So many opportunities, so many places, and so much time.  What to do!?!? And, fortunately, my plans for an exciting spring break began to unfold.  My creative mind began powering to think up memories to make and things to do.

                                                                Chickpea Rice Patties

                                            Spiral Noodles with Vegetables and 'special sauce'

So I love cooking.  Love it.  But, I don't like cooking out of a book.  I cook 'freestyle'.  I cook the way I want to cook.  I cook by my senses.  With so many crazy ideas, sounds, and thoughts bubbling in my mind, it never takes up long to cook up a storm.  One of my first days at home, I persuaded myself to make lunch for the family.  Two tastes and pictures of a meal instantly came to mind.  I started pulling out pots, blenders, vegetables, ingredients, stirring bowls, and soon I was on my way.  After a good hour and a half of bringing my thoughts into reality, it was done!  I was finished!  (I'm going to skip the process of cooking and how I made the dishes because I forget how I actually pulled it off.)  Anyways, skipping a couple minutes ahead in my 'adventure', the dishes tasted great!  I loved it!  I felt satisfied with my accomplishments.  My day contained the denouement of success.