Bethany at Bethel

The Old is Gone and the New has Come

2009-01-21T21:33:00.004-06:00

Seeing as I'm no longer Bethany at Bethel, I have moved on. Now you can find me here.

Update

2008-05-17T20:55:00.003-05:00

I'm not sure if anyone still reads this or not but just in case there are somethings you should know about me.

1. I graduated! I now have a bachelors degree. Oddly enough I can't do anything with it except go back to school so until that time I'm working for a butcher. It's not the best job I've ever had, but the people are nice and it brings in some cash.

2. I've decided not to become a physician's assistant. Instead I'm going to Chiropractic school in St. Louis. I'll start in September and it'll take me about 4 years. I'm excited about it.

I don't have a lot to talk about, but I will share that I have began reading more now that I'm out of school. Recently I have read A Tale of Three Kings and Travelling Light. The first book I'm still trying to decide if I like or not I'm still a little perplexed about what it's whole idea was. I will continue to mull it over. The second book was great. It's by Max Lucado and it's a study on Psalm 23. I learned a lot through it.

Next I'll be reading Velvet Elvis. I've started reading it a few different times but I lack free time during the school year. Hopefully I'll be able to get a lot of reading done before I go back to school.

That's all for now.

Sorry...

2007-04-13T23:43:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I seem to be getting busier as the year goes on. I have several things to share with you all.

The leaders of Campus Crusade at Bethel have been praying for revival here. We read a book called Fireseeds, which is all about revival and the prayer process. One of the things that a revival on our campus would require is that a few people must be stirred for revival and must begin to continuously prayer. We have that group on our campus. The next thing that is required is that those few students ask others to join them in prayer. That's where we are currently at. Usually our weekly meeting lasts about an hour, but since the beginning of March they have gone over because students have felt the need to stay and pray. It encourages me to see so many students begin to really have a heart for prayer. Doors are being opened and the spirit is moving.

Also in March, I had spring break. Usually I don't do much over spring break, but this year I decided to go on a mission trip with Campus Crusade for Christ. We made a trip to Chicago where we stayed in the Agape Center on the South Side of Chicago. I had an amazing time. I got the opportunity to choose three ministries sites to work with. I worked at the Pacific Garden Mission, Kids Club Cabrini, and Roseland Christian Mission.

Pacific Garden Mission is a homeless mission that houses approximately 1000 people a night. I had the opportunity to work in the kitchen for the day where we served between 250 to 300 people just at lunch. After we were finished working they gave us a tour of the facility. They offer a Bible program that allows people to earn a degree in Bible study while they live and work at the facility. That have a lard library that contains all donated materials, computers, and software. They also have a full medical clinic where people who don't have insurance can come and get free medical services. There are two doctors and a few nurses who are employed there and several volunteers doctors and nurses. One of the ways that they raise money to run the mission is through the broadcast of their radio show "Unshackled." Which shares stories of some amazing conversions.

Kids Club Cabrini is an after school program that about 100 kids from the Cabrini area participate in. It gives the kids a place to come that is safe. One of the Kids Club principles is that they want to build the kids' mind, bodies, and souls. They expand the Kids' minds by providing tutoring after school for them. They help the kids take care of their bodies by providing them with healthy snacks, teaching the kids to brush their teeth and providing them with fun activities that allow them to exercise. Each day the kids have a chapel service where they get the opportunity to be involved in every aspect of it to help them build strong souls in the Lord. The Kids Club theme verse is John 10:10 b. The volunteers want the kids to have life and have it abundantly.

At the Roseland Christian Mission we spent the morning just talking to the people who come in to get out of the cold. They had so many different stories about where they had come from. It totally changed my perspective of homeless people. There were so many people who came to get warm and eat and then go out and look for a job. One of the men I talked to was so excited that he had a job interview. He asked me to pray that he would find a job and so we prayed together before he left. I don't know if he got the job or not, but I know that as long as he puts his trust in God he will be provided for.

While in Chicago we also got to do some sight seeing. The first day we broke into groups of about ten and got to ride the EL to a certain community in Chicago. My group went to West Ridge, which is a Pakistani, East Indian, & Jewish Community. While there we got to interact with the people in the community. We ate at an Israeli restaurant which was delicious but quite spicy. So we then made a trip to a Pakistani pharmacy to buy some tums. We also stopped at a Jewish bakery where we all shared a chocolate baklava (I'm not certain how to spell that). We finished up the day at Water Tower Place where we ate at food life and shared the stories of our day. We also went to China town for an evening meal at House of Fortune and we had Chicago style pizza. All in all, it was a great experience.

Now that there are only about two weeks of classes left things are getting incredibly busy. I'm getting ready for finals and getting ready for a lecture that I have to give in my Cancer Biology course in place of a final. The Campus Crusade leadership team is currently planning the first six weeks of the fall semester. I would appreciate it if you would keep us in your prayers as we continue to brainstorm for ideas that would provide us with opportunities to create relationships and share the gospel.

Now I'm tired and I believe I'll go to bed.

And So It Goes...

2007-02-22T19:49:00.000-06:00

God has been doing a lot lately and this past week was really no different. This week Campus Crusade followed up on some surveys we took on Valentines Day and about 15 people are interested in meeting up with us to talk about how they can have a personal relationship with Christ. Opportunities just keep presenting themselves and I'm glad there's a group of students committed to acting on those opportunities.

Last night Pastor Joey spoke at Campus Crusade and it was about committing yourself to God, recognizing his calling for your life and acting on it. I had some many people come up to me afterwards and tell me how encouraging it was to them and how much they wanted to get involved in the ministry.

God is really working in our ministry, but when God is working Satan is working to destroy. Last night I was approached by a student about "The Blasphemy Challenge". This made me sick to my stomach. This situation needs some major prayer.

My Head Hurts...

2007-02-13T13:58:00.000-06:00

...due to tests not sickness. God is still good and I'll tell you more later, but now I have to study for my second test today.

Snow, SALT & Sickness

2007-02-03T01:12:00.000-06:00

It's been very exciting this week it snowed. I think we got like an inch and a half. Maybe. But that appears to be a big thing down here. People really do freak out, and some people who didn't freak out should have freaked out a little more. Today on my way back from my canceled class a teenager learned that Mustangs do not have the best traction on snow. He did a 180 in the street after which he decided to slow down.

We had our first Love Kitchen on Thursday evening. I unfortunately was not able to attend due to the fact I was quite sick and did not want to pass that along to the people in attendance. However, I was told it went very well. We served three people at the Love Kitchen and delivered food to about 20 families. Hopefully the weather will be better next week and more people will come. Please keep the Love Kitchen and SALT in your prayers.

As well, please keep me in your prayers as I have felt horribly ill for 6 days now. I want to get over this because I have way more important things to be doing.

Oh and apparently the guy I mentioned in my comment on the last post did come to the Love Kitchen and plans on coming back. Praise God!

God is Working Here

2007-01-26T21:53:00.000-06:00

So I just wanted to take an opportunity to tell you about some of the amazing things God is doing.

So I guess I'll start at the beginning. First of all we are starting a ministry in McKenzie called SALT. I may have mentioned this before, but It's been going really great. We went out into the community today and did surveys to find out what the needs of the community are so that we can address those needs. Our most recent development is the Love Kitchen. We're opening this soup kitchen one evening a week in the basement of the Presbyterian USA Church. We want to provide for their physical need of food, but we also want to provide for their emotional and spiritual needs as well. Through the Love Kitchen we will be able to do this.

Recently we came in contact with a homeless man in McKenzie. His name is Terry. Two years ago his house burned down and he has been homeless ever since. He has heart problems and is in and out of the hospital a lot. He can't get a job because he can't stay cleaned up while living outside. So we talked to some local churches and we have made a one year commitment with him. The churches are willing to house him for a year so he can get a job and get back on his feet. Terry is a Christian and he wants to help us help others. So please keep him in your prayers.

Personally God has been doing a lot for me. Wednesday evening I put down a $50 deposit on my spring break trip to Chicago not knowing if I would be able to come up with the other $100. Today I checked my mail and I had received a card from an old friend and $75 check for no other reason than she was thinking of me. Praise God. The only thing I have left to pay is for lunch everyday. God does some crazy stuff.

Please keep Campus Crusade for Christ as well as SALT in your prayers. Big things are happening.

Back to School

2007-01-10T08:23:00.000-06:00

School has started again here at Bethel College. I must say I'm quite pleased with my classes. I'm taking Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Tennis, Anatomy & Physiology, Nutrition, and Cancer Biology. I think that one is going to be my favorite as it is very interesting. I'm praying for a good semester.

Campus Crusade for Christ is getting started up this evening, and this Saturday we'll be having a big planning meeting. So please keep the leadership team in your prayers as they will be setting up activities and outreaches on campus.

What a Year

2007-01-01T22:44:00.000-06:00

Well it's been a good year. Sometimes it's been stressful, but it's always been rewarding. I closed 2006 in Greensboro, NC at encounter06. The Campus Crusade for Christ Winter Conference was held there. It was an amazing time. There were great speakers and seminars. On New Year's Eve we had a day of outreach in Greensboro. 1200 college students from all across the midsouth went out into the communities of Greensboro to give out care packages and show people the love of Jesus. My group was able to deliver two packages. I was able to share the gospel with both ladies we delivered them to and they both received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Please pray for these women as they begin a new year with a new life in Christ. We finished the day off by praying in the new year and then celebrating the many new lives in Christ with a huge praise and worship session.

I hope 2006 was a good year for you and I wish you good luck in 2007.

What is this blogger thing?

2006-11-14T00:18:00.000-06:00

After several requests (or complaints) I have decided to take some time to blog. I hope this finds you well. I guess I should start with school. I'm still in it. I'm currently taking Anatomy & Physiology, First Aid, America in the 19th century, U.S. History II, Tennis, and Human Growth and Development. These classes, as well as the semester, are beginning to wind down. I'd appreciate it if you would keep me in your prayers while due dates and finals draw near.

I'm currently very involved in Campus Crusade for Christ. This takes up a majority of my time, followed closely behind by my position of Secretary of Denominational Affairs of the Student Government Association. I'm also a member of the Judiciary Committee. In my free time I go to class and have work study.

Next semester will be one full of things to do as well. I will be embarking on a 3 biology course semester. Those courses include Immunology and Infectious Disease, Cancer Biology and Anatomy and Physiology II.

Some fun things I've done so far this year include Tacky Prom '06 and Halloween. This year I went as Oscar the Grouch. I hope you have all enjoyed the update and I will try to keep it more up to date for those of you who do wish to know of my going ons. Catch you later.

Where Do I Begin

2006-08-08T23:56:00.000-05:00

Ok, so it seems to have been forever since I've posted. I got caught up in a few things. So I guess from where I left off last. I now have pictures from Six Flags, but I can't post them until I get back to school where my scanner is.

Since that time I haven't really had a job. I've done a few odd jobs, but nothing worth speaking of.

I guess the most excitement has been BKK 2006. It was awesome. I wish everyone could experience worship the way we did because then everyone would want to be a Christian. It was amazing to be a part of it all. I had a moment when we were all singing and it just hit me. I thought to myself, "This is what it's going to be like all the time in heaven." I think that's just amazing.

In other news, I think something is wrong with my computer. Nothing really serious, but for some reason the fonts on blogger websites and the fonts of links on certain sites like Amazon are huge. Like write now it looks like I'm typing in size 20 font, but on someone else's computer it looks normal. I'm not sure what caused that or how to fix it. Any suggestions are welcome.

Oh and I guess for those of you whom I haven't talked to in a while, it's that glorious time of year once again when I return to Bethel. I moved a portion of my stuff down last weekend, and I found out that instead of being in the dorm I'm going to be in an apartment. Woohoo! Now I just have to come up with some more stuff that I wouldn't have used in the dorm. I'll try to get some pictures of that up as well when I get back to school. If you'd like to know my mailing address for any reason let me know and I'll get it to you.

Also note that Heather W. receives 100 llamas for wearing a llama shirt at camp.

That's all for now.

The Third Train is Up There

2006-05-25T14:13:00.000-05:00

So. My trip to Six Flags went well. Even though the forecast called for rain we didn't feel a drop. It was kind of cool, but really it was better than the usual scorching hot day at Six Flags. I wanted to take pictures but unfortunately I forgot to bring my camera. Christy took some pictures so if I can get a hold of them I'll post them.

As for fun stories I guess the most amusing one occurred at the end of the day. We were about ready to call it quits when we decided to ride The Boss again. So we got in line and waited. The wait was longer this time around but we decided The Boss was worth it. We got to the gates and there were a few people in front of us. There was a husband and a wife their three kids and a guy that I assumed was there uncle because that's what the kids called him. Well, I'm not sure what they were thinking because only one of the three kids was old enough to ride the ride the other two weren't even old enough to stand by themselves and wait for their family members to get off. The guys running the ride suggested that one of the adults and the child that could ride get on and the other two wait until they get back and then they could pass the kids off. The family agrees. There were three trains so the family had to let some people in front of them while waiting for mom and sister to get back. Just when we think the train mom and sister are on is about to pull in the train in front of them has been stopped in the loading zone and no one is being allowed to get on it. The crew made an announcement that the ride would temporarily shut down and we were told that if we wanted to wait we could. So we did. At this point dad flips his lid and yells at one of the girls running the ride and says, "My son has had to pee this whole time!" as though it were this girls fault that he brought his two year old to wait in line and he has to pee. So the girl politely opens the gates to let this man and his children out while the rest of us continue to wait.

As it turns out there was fight in the line for The Boss, and girl 1 shoved girl 2 over the railing onto the go-kart track. Girl 3 tries to defend girl 2 and knocks girl 1 out. So the go-karts had to shut down until an ambulance could come get girl 2 off the track. Then The Boss had to shut down so that the EMTs could bring a stretcher through the emergency entrance for girl 1 and the cops could take in girl 3. After about 20 minutes the fight situation had been resolved and we're about the start loading on to the empty train that has been at the gates the whole time when one of the guys working the ride looks to the other and say, "Hey, where's the other train?"

The third train had never made it back to the beginning. After a few frantic moments of searching the third train was found at the top of the coaster. It had just stopped up there. So there were about 20 people yelling the whole time for help and nobody ever heard them. At this point we were lost about what was happening. All we knew was that there was an ambulance and someone on a stretcher. Being curious as we were we decided to ask Andrew the guy who pushes the button what happened. Our question was, "What's going on?" His response was, "Everything that could possibly go wrong has. There was a fight and and then we couldn't find the third train." We then asked, "Where is the third train?" He looked at us and said, "The third train is up there." About that time we saw several people coming off the emergency stairs from the top of the coaster. We decided it was in our best interest to call it quits for the day.

All in all, it was a delightful day.

It's Time for a Happy Dance!

2006-05-10T13:28:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm officially finished with Chemistry. This brings me great joy. Now it's time to find a job. I applied at Champ and they called me in yesterday for an interview and drug test. They told me that they won't know if they'll be hiring summer help for another couple of weeks so I'm waiting and praying. Seeing as how I had no official job last summer the funds are running low.

In other news I plan on making a trip to Six Flags Saturday. Some of my friends from Tennessee are driving up to join me and they'll be here all weekend. It should be a good time. When I return I'll post some pictures and share some fun stories. I know there will be fun stories because trips anywhere this group of girls are never dull.

That's all for now. Blog ya later.

The Time is Drawing Near

2006-04-25T17:53:00.000-05:00

It's that time again. Next week I have 3 finals and two papers due on Monday. Then I should be home for the summer. I'm very glad the semester is almost complete. I need a break from classes. Hopefully this summer I'll be able to find a job that will pay for school next year.

Other than the usual hustle and bustle of the end of the semester we had BCYF last weekend. That was good fun. Attendance was down, but we made the best of it. CCC performed skits Friday night and, I and three other students led a workshop on Saturday called "Fire, Ice, & Scales." It was a big hit. We had students from our first group come back for the last group because they liked it so much. Basically we blew things up, froze some bouncy balls in liquid nitrogen, and let them play with the snake and the skink. Saturday night I was entrusted with running the EuroBungy.

I had to put harnesses on people and make sure they were tight enough, and then I had to run the controller that raised the bungy cords up and down. This part of the job wasn't difficult it was the part where I had to keep a watch on the cords as the were going in and out of the pulley systems and making sure that the cords didn't rub together and break. Luckily no one died on my watch. Overall the weekend was a good one.

Woohoo!

2006-04-03T11:01:00.000-05:00

It's the most wonderful time of the year. Baseball Season!

Why?

2006-03-28T09:03:00.000-06:00

I've been meaning to post this for a while, but I keep forgetting about it.

I'm one of the people in charge of signing checks for Campus Crusade for Christ. So I'm usually the one who goes out to get snacks for our weekly meeting. A couple weeks back we decided to change things up a little bit. We decided to make Jell-O Jigglers. We were really excited about this idea because it wasn't our usual chips and cookies.

So we went to Wal-Mart intending to buy Jell-O and sodas. I had written checks before at Wal-Mart and never had any trouble. But this time, I go up to the check out and the lady rings up about $7 worth of Jell-O and sodas. I write the check, she looks at it and then asks to see my driver's license. I got it out, thinking to myself this is what I get for being out of state. Then I realize that the check doesn't have my address on it. It has the school's address. She didn't write anything like a phone number on the check. All she did was type in my state code (which she had to look up) and when the little screen said "OVER 18?" she typed yes.

So I've decide that I definitely got carded for buying $7 worth of Jell-O and soda, and I'm still a little confused why.

3 AM and She Calls Me 'Cause I'm Still Awake, Can You Help Me Unravel My Latest Mistake, Prosser Hall is on Fire, No It's Just a Drill

2006-03-17T10:21:00.000-06:00

I just thought I would express myself in song about my experience this morning. This is getting really old really fast.

Lloyd

2006-03-15T14:25:00.000-06:00

Spring Break is over and I have once again returned to Bethel. Upon my arrival I received a nice little surprise, but before I tell you about it I must give you some background information. Before Spring Break my friends and I had made a Wal-Mart run, and making our usual rounds we had to go through the toys. While looking at the stuffed animals I noticed that most animals are represented with a stuffed likeness. You can find frogs, cows, dogs, cats, bears, horses etc., but one never sees a llama. This disappointed me a bit, but I had come to terms that I would probably never have a stuffed llama. This brings us back to my return Sunday evening. My suite mate Dana came in my room and told me that she had a surprise for me. Allow me to introduce you to Lloyd the Llama.

Lloyd came from the Nashville Zoo. Dana made a trip there over Spring Break and she said when she saw it she knew she had to get it for me. I am very much appreciative.

In other news I've been working on my Humanities project and it needs a good name. I'm really bad at coming up with names so I thought I would ask for your help. I have until April 3 to turn the project in so I have until then to name it. I'll show it to you and if you have any ideas please share them.

This isn't the finished project but it is the general idea. Two names that have already been offered up to me are The Hypochondriac and Medical Me. So some feedback on this would be fantastic.

Spring Break

2006-03-06T21:59:00.000-06:00

Well, Spring Break has finally arrived, and what better way to start it off than spending the weekend in a mansion. Actually I spent the weekend as a counselor at Disciple Now 2006 for First Baptist Church of Huntingdon. I, along with a friend, led a group of 6 sophomore and junior girls through six session about hanging out with God and making a habit of it. Each group stayed together in a host home. Our host home happened to be a mansion, and I don't just mean a big house. I mean the closets were the size of my dorm room. I wish I had thought to bring my camera with me.

Anyway the weekend was a good one I hope the girls in my group got as much out of the weekend as I did. We got to spend a lot of time getting closer to God and having fun.

So I'm now home for the week. My plans include working on my Humanities project, catching up on sleep, and relaxing.

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

2006-03-02T15:06:00.000-06:00

So beautiful that we decided to take our favorite Biology department friends out for a stroll.

This is Jasmine the Red Tailed Boa.

She's about 5' long. I love the reaction we get when we bring her out of the tank.

This is the newest member of the biology department.

His name is Bode and he is a Blue Tongued Skink, which is basically a snake with short legs. Yes, he's named after Bode Miller and he skis just as well.

Why I Like Bethel

2006-02-26T15:06:00.000-06:00

There are several reasons I like Bethel but one of them is because we have to make our own fun. We tend get more creative when doing this, although I'm not sure whether it's for the better or worse. This weekend a few of us got bored. So we decided to take advantage of the fact that one of our suite mates was gone for basketball. I just thought I would share with you what we did.

In case you can't tell, we covered her walls in over 800 post it notes, Saran wrapped her bed, stuffed animals, armoire, and T.V., and turned her room into one massive spider web with yarn.

This was no easy task. We got stuck a few times, bumped our head a few times and almost tore everything down trying to get out.

That's me stuck at one point. Rather than helping me untangle myself my friends decided to take pictures.

Finally, it's the big reveal.

Luckily she doesn't look too mad.

Well that's all I've got for now. I think I'll go watch her take it all down.

Excuse Me But I Think You Parked Your Tree On My Car

2006-02-16T15:56:00.000-06:00

Herschel, let me tell you about the last couple of days. This has not been the best week. Wednesday started out OK. I did the usual go to class, get stuff ready for CCC, study for my humanities quiz...basically what I do every Wednesday. Just as I was preparing to go to humanities my friend Christy informs me that she was walking back from the softball game and saw a big tree limb fall on top of a car in the parking lot. She then informs me that it was mine. I didn't have time to check it out before humanities class, but after I found this.

Yes friends that is a huge dent in the roof of my car. Thank goodness it wasn't a few inches back to shatter my back windshield.

And this ladies and gentlemen in the culprit. Don't be fooled. The picture does not do it justice. This is a massive limb that apparently packed a lot of power.

So I was a little stressed out about this Wednesday. That evening, as if I wasn't stressed out enough, I get to CCC where I found out that we have no worship leader. So I freak out and call basically everyone I know on campus that can play guitar. They were all conspiring against me by not answering their phones so I found better worship leaders by the names on Chris Tomlin, Todd Agnew, and Tim Hughes.

Then, Thursday I got up early to meet Cathy and Jessica at the bank so that we could change some account information for the CCC bank account. When we arrive the lady at the desk tells us that they're too busy right now it'll be a 20 minute wait. Well, that fell through because we all had a class in 30 minutes. So we resolved to return at 1:15 and they have agreed that they will be ready and waiting for us. In the mean time I make a trip to the security office to report my vandalism by tree. So I have to fill out this ridiculously long report about the whole thing, after which I am informed that I signed something at check-in that says Bethel is not liable for my car in the parking lot. Needless to say this upsets me a little. But I take life as it comes and head back to the bank. This time we waited 35 minutes before anyone would help us.

Luckily I was able to relieve some of this tension by playing a little tennis this afternoon and attending the musical Quilters with some friends. Now if only I could sleep.

Salt

2006-02-08T12:10:00.000-06:00

So our new ministry is getting started. Yesterday a group of students including myself went to a low income housing neighborhood to do some surveys. We basically just told them we were from Bethel and we wanted to help out in the community in anyway we could. We asked the residents if they had any specific needs for themselves or if they thought there was anything their neighborhood as a whole could use. Some of the people we talked to were a little reluctant to ask for anything, but overall we had a good response. We're going to be able to help several families out. I really had a good time getting to know the people and I think what we're doing is going to open up opportunities to share the gospel.

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."

- Matthew 5:13

3:00 A.M.

2006-02-01T23:16:00.000-06:00

So my newest pet peeve is 3:00 A.M. fire drills. We had one Monday. I understand that they want everyone to participate and they think that more people will be in the dorms at 3:00 A.M. than at 12:00 A.M., but they are sadly mistaken if they believe this. I am blessed to have been present at every fire drill this year, and I can tell you that the people that weren't in the dorms for 12:00 A.M. fire drills were still not present at the 3:00 A.M. fire drills.

So far this year I have been pulled out of bed 4 times and pulled out of the shower 2 times for the previously mentioned fire drills. The 12:00 A.M. fire drills aren't that bad, but being pulled out of the shower to stand outside in December was a bit chilly. And it might not be so bad if they knew how to shut the alarm off after they triggered it. Unfortunately this is not the case. One time last semester the alarm went on for 2 hours. After standing outside for 30 minutes I gave up and went to a friends apartment.

Apparently fires don't happen during the daylight because we only have drills late at night. I used to really hate the 12:00 A.M. fire drills, but honestly I hope they go back to those because ripping me out of bed at 3:00 A.M. is completely uncalled for.

I hope you all notice that I have raised everyone's llama totals in hope that your day will be better than the one I had Monday

Here I Am Again

2006-01-23T15:32:00.000-06:00

I apologize for my blogging, or lack there of. With classes and CCC getting into full swing things are a bit hectic. I tried to blog a few times in the last couple weeks, but the internet was down for a couple days here and blogger has not been cooperating with me. I've also been away from the net two weekends in row because I would much go home with a friend than spend the weekend on campus.

As I said before classes are getting into full swing. So far so good. This is the last semester of Chemistry that I shall ever take. Praise the Lord! Most of the classes that I have don't seem to be difficult they're just time consuming with assignments and studying.

Campus Crusade is going very well. I have recently acquired the responsibility of organizing the leadership team meetings. I feel very blessed to have a large and cooperative group of leaders that have a heart for reaching the lost. We're starting some new activities including a community outreach that we're calling Salt. We, as the salt of the Earth, want to reach out to the McKenzie community. We plan to find out what the people of McKenzie would like to see us do and follow through with those things. God is going to do some amazing things here at Bethel. Several students have stepped up to help and we've had several new students get involved with Campus Crusade this year. If you could keep CCC in your prayers that would be greatly appreciated.

That's about all for now. I must now force myself to do some studying. By the way if you're looking for some good music you should check out Sara Groves' Add to the Beauty.

I'm it! I'm it!

2006-01-10T09:04:00.000-06:00

So hdizzle tagged me. Here goes nothin'.

Four jobs you've had in your life: Lawn Care Technician, Furniture Cleaning and Repair, Fuel Pump Assembly Checker, and Queen of Odd Jobs
Four movies you could watch over and over: Phantom of the Opera, The Brothers Grimm, Rain Man, and Monty Python and The Holy Grail
Four places you've lived: Fairfield, Oakland City, and McKenzie
Four TV shows you love to watch: Grey's Anatomy, House, CSI, and Good Eats
Four places you've been on vacation: Charlotesville, VA, Whitewater, WI, Nashville, TN, and Greensboro, NC
Four websites you visit daily: MSN Games, The Cards' Site, Whizzle Dizzle, and Jules
Four of your favorite foods: Pizza, Apple Sauce, Chili, and Cheeseburgers
Four places you'd rather be: Florida, East Tennessee, SoCal, and The White Crescent
Four albums you can't live without: Relient K'sanatomytomoy of The Tongue in Cheek, JennKnapp'sapp's Kansas, Sara Groves' Add to the Beauty, and Mercy Me's Undone
Four magazines you read: ESPN the Magazine and Quick Cooking
Four cars you've owned: '92 Mercury Topaz
Your it!: maryrachel, Brittany, levithewaynecidiot, and some hannah kid

Jesus Loves Me

2006-01-03T22:38:00.000-06:00

So as I mentioned before, Winter Conference was awesome. I have to say that I experienced the most amazing New Year's Eve of my life.

It started with an evangelism training seminar. I've been to several of these but it's always good to have a refresher. That afternoon we broke up into groups of about 6 or 7 within our campus crusade region and went out into several Greensboro communities to hand out holiday care packages. My group of 7 split into two groups to go door to door. The first lady that we were able to talk to was very open to hearing what we had to say. We were able to help lead her to Christ that afternoon. It was so exciting to actually experience that.

When we had our main meeting that evening we had a chance to share stories about what we had encountered in groups. I was astonished at how many people we had reached that day. One student got up and shared a story that particularly stuck out to me. She told us about some kids that she had a chance to talk to. The kids were between the ages of 3 and 5. She had given them each a witnessing bracelet that we had been given and had told them how Jesus had loved them so much that he had died for them. The little girl named Gabby, started to cry because of what Jesus had done for her.

When I heard this story I realized that some times I didn't consider the fullness of what Jesus had done for me. I go about living my life as though it's nothing special. But this story about Gabby made me realize just how awesome what he did is.

Later that evening we had a huge praise and worship session and then we prayed in the new year. How did we celebrate but with more rockin' praise and worship and a Jesus train. This was definitely a New Year's Eve I will never forget.

By the way Hdizzle I'm dissappointed to have to tell you that the batteries in my camera were dead when I got Greensboro, but I'm going to try to find some pictures from other people.

Amazing

2006-01-02T23:38:00.000-06:00

That's what Encounter '05 was. I got to here some great speakers with great messages. I went to some very informative seminars, and I had the best New Year's of my life. I'm still super tired from it so I'm going to bed, but I'll fill you in on more tomorrow.

Happy Boxing Day

2005-12-26T22:50:00.000-06:00

Well, I completed the final of about 5 Christmas gatherings this afternoon. I must say I didn't too bad.

Tomorrow I leave for Tennessee to spend the night, and then I will leave for Greensboro, NC at 5 AM Wednesday with a group of Bethel Students. We will be attending Encounter '05 the Campus Crusade Winter Conference. It should be a grand time. I will be in NC through the New Year so I won't post much this week. I will be sure to let you know all about my experience when I get back.

By the way, I'm currently working on a new post that I'm calling Only in Fairfield. It will include several crazy things that one can only in find in Fairfield. So if you have any ideas please feel free to let me know and I'll post it with my own findings.

12 Days of Christmas?

2005-12-22T14:35:00.000-06:00

Last Sunday evening at our church Christmas party we sang (or attempted to sing) The 12 Days of Christmas. I got to wandering what leaping lords and french hens had to do with Christmas, so I did a little research. This is what I found:

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each elementin the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.

The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

Three French hens stood for faith,hope and love.

The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit-Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.

The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.

Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit - Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.

The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.

The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

So that's your history lesson for today.

Bathsheba's Great Revenge

2005-12-20T16:29:00.000-06:00

So I need to update, but I don't have a lot to say. I haven't done much since I've been home. Laundry, I've done lots of laundry. I got my grades and I just have to keep reminding myself that I only have one more semester of Chemistry.

Since I have nothing else to blog about, I'll start writing a story and the rest of you can add to it. Make it interesting. I need entertainment. We'll call it Bathsheba's Great Revenge.

Once upon a time in scary, run-down neighborhood a girl named Bathsheba was riding her pillaged bike when she came across the town freak, Curtis, who keeps a ferret in his coat pocket. . .(You fill in the rest).

A College Christmas

2005-12-12T16:26:00.000-06:00

I would like to take this opportunity to share with you "A College Christmas." The following is a compilation of photos that were taken of in my dorm room before we left for break.

This is our Christmas tree. You can't really tell what's on it, but some decorations include: Q-tips, balls of aluminum foil, golf balls, a bobble-head, pop-tabs, and to top off the tree....

our very own tree ferret.

This is our nativity scene. Yes. It's made out of marshmallows and toothpicks.

The camel is my favorite.

I'll just leave that with you.

DSL (Desolating Sleep Loss)

2005-12-12T16:14:00.000-06:00

Well, I've finished finals and I'm back in FF. Yesterday I didn't do a lot of things that I intended, but I did catch up on some sleep that I had lost during finals week. This break excites me. I'm ready for low stress time. Not to mention I get to go to Christmas Conference this year.

In other news my family now has wireless DSL. I must say it makes blogging a much finer experience.

Almost Done

2005-12-01T09:20:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the lack of blogging. It's been quite busy for me. This is my last week of classes so I've been preparing for finals. I've also picked up another activity for the week. I have to do the sound effects for some plays this evening. Pray that it goes well because I've only had the chance to practice them once. I'm a little worried.

Anywho, because finals are next week I'll probably not blog until at least Friday. So I'll talk to you after finals.

Oh There's No Place Like Home For The Holidays

2005-11-22T18:08:00.000-06:00

Well, It's almost turkey day, and I'm ready for some of grandma's ribs and some chocolate pie. Anyway all my class for tomorrow have been canceled so I'm headed home first thing in the morning. This will be a much needed break. Not that I have time to really slack off on any of the studying, but I'm sure I'll get a fine nap after at least one of my Thanksgiving meals.

So I went to lunch today and they were serving the Thanksgiving meal, which wasn't bad for the caf. We had turkey, dressing, corn, really good rolls and pumpkin pie. I must say it was quite a surprise. I should have known, however, that it would be leftovers for dinner. I expected this, but I don't think I would have been quite as disappointed if that hadn't run out of meat. So after a nice lunch, I had two rolls and a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

I Feel Like Chocolate Pudding Spread Across Too Much Ham

2005-11-17T13:50:00.000-06:00

I don't have time for any major blogging. I have to read Chemistry and Microbiology. Plans for the week to come: Study, Bible Study, God Hour, and then a little Thanksgiving break action.

Tacky Prom Pictures

2005-11-08T19:21:00.000-06:00

Some Tacky Prom goers.

Dancing a jig to a little "Mmmbop" action.

Our awesome DJs.

More Tacky Prom goers.

This group of girls got all tackied up.

A little "Thriller" action.

Tacky Prom King and Queen, Brent and Farrin.

Awww. The King and Queen dance.

Me and Christy, Tacky Prom galore.

Homecoming Week

2005-11-02T12:08:00.000-06:00

Sorry I haven't really had a lot of time to post this week. I had tests in health, new testament, and microbiology. It's also Homecoming Week here at Bethel. It's been rather crazy. The most dominant thing on my plate is the planning of Tacky Prom '05. It's sure to be a good time. Last night we were making a back-drop for it and almost painted "Tacky Prom '05" on the floor of the Oasis. Luckily we were using washable paint. This afternoon we begin decorating for the event. And hopefully at some point today I'll get a nap. Sometime before Saturday I also have to help Christy decorate a vehicle for the parade. That's about all for now. Maybe I'll get some pictures of tacky prom posted next time.

Mmm. Cinnamon Rolls

2005-10-27T10:55:00.000-05:00

Well this week has been a whole lot of not much. I guess the highlight of the week thus far was hearing hdizzle speak last night at CCC. It was good time. We had gummy worms. Other than that not much going on here. I have test tomorrow and next Tuesday and next Wednesday. My schedule is really crapped up so pray for that. Maybe my next post will be more interesting.

The Heart of a Champion

2005-10-20T15:52:00.000-05:00

Sadness fills my heart. My evening was great until I got back from Campus Crusade for Christ and found that Cardinals had lost. Needless to say the evening was ruined. It was sad but not as sad as this.

We're Gonna Tingle!

2005-10-17T20:57:00.000-05:00

I don't really know what to blog about, but it is time to do so. So I'll just talk about things that are going on. Yesterday was my 20th birthday. I didn't really do anything too special for it, but my friend Christy did throw me what one might call a private b-day party for me Sunday evening. I'll be moving into a new room with a new roommate tomorrow. I'm currently rooting on the Cardinals. I have my Humanities midterm Wednesday. I got a New York Avenue and a Connecticut Avenue game piece from McDonald's. I got a light-up spoon in my Corn-Pops. Well, that was really random.

So to finish up, I'll post the lyrics to one of my new favorite songs by Casting Crowns.

While You Were Sleeping
by Casting Crowns
album: Lifesong (2005)

Oh little town of Bethlehem
Looks like another silent night
Above your deep and dreamless sleep
A giant star lights up the sky
And while you're lying in the dark
There shines an everlasting light
For the King has left His throne
And is sleeping in a manger tonight, tonight

Oh Bethlehem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
For God became a man
And stepped into your world today
Oh Bethlehem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping

Oh little town of Jerusalem
Looks like another silent night
The Father gave His only Son
The Way, the Truth, the Life had come
But there was no room for Him in the world He came to save

Jerusalem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
The Savior of the world is dying on your cross today
Jerusalem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping

United States of America
Looks like another silent night
As we're sung to sleep by philosophies
That save the trees and kill the children
And while we're lying in the dark
There's a shout heard 'cross the eastern sky
For the Bridegroom has returned
And has carried His bride away in the night, in the night

America, what will we miss while we are sleeping
Will Jesus come again
And leave us slumbering where we lay
America, will we go down in history
As a nation with no room for its King
Will we be sleeping
Will we be sleeping

United States of America
Looks like another silent night

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

2005-10-10T22:54:00.000-05:00

Well first off, I guess I'll explain a few things in the last post.

Hannah, to explain to you the people I got to know too well I must first tell you of my bubble. See I have a bubble, and in that bubble is my personal space. I'm not a big fan of people getting in my bubble. Ex. touching my hair, leaning in when talking to me, pretty much just touching in general or closeness in general. That being said we had to play a game that required a lot of touching and closeness. We were in teams of six and there was a box taped out on the floor. The box was about a foot and a half on each side. The idea of the game was to get everyone on your team inside the box, however you could. The catch was that the box gets smaller every round. Our team members however, did not. Thus people were sitting on shoulders and standing on each others feet. At one point I found my head extremely too close to another team members rear end. Needless to say, these are the people I got to know too well.

Herschel, "on bun" started out as a joke in the lunch line. We noticed that almost every time the cafe served a chicken, or mcrib, or fish sandwich it would be labeled on the sign: "Chicken on bun, McRib on bun, Fish on bun. One day nothing was listed as on bun so I started reading everything off the list and adding on bun (Ex. sugar free dessert on bun, salad bar on bun, roll on bun). Before long, it became a game to see what the most random thing we could put on bun (Ex. Volleyball Team on Bun, Campus Crusade for Christ on Bun, John Lennon on Bun). Most recently Christy and I turned it into a rating system. When something is awesome we say that it's on bun. Or if it's not good at all we say that it's bunless or without bun.

In other news, I'm coming home Wednesday evening. It's fall break, and it's about time. I'm ready to see my dog. And sleep in my bed.

Refreshing

2005-10-09T22:29:00.000-05:00

This weekend was fantastic. I got back from Fall Getaway this afternoon, and yes Herschel, it was on bun. I got to see some friends that I hadn't in a while, and I met a few new friends.

Just a quick recap of what the weekend consisted of: worship, a beautiful camp ground, a strenuous but fun hike, whipped topping up my nose (actually it ended up all over), smores, sword fights, and getting to know some people really well (Some of them I got to know a little too well, but that's another story).

All in all, it was a very satisfying and uplifting weekend. I hope that the fire that was rekindled in us this weekend will spread on campus.

I Want To Break Free

2005-10-06T13:51:00.000-05:00

I've spent way too much time on this campus. It's making me sick. Literally, I've been throwing up for two days. Hopefully this will soon subside because this weekend I'm going to Fall Getaway with Campus Crusade for Christ, which happens to be going very well right now. I'm rather excited for the weekend to get here.

By the way, our core team has been put in charge of coming up with an hours worth of games for Saturday. If you have any ideas I would love to hear them.

Hmmmm

2005-10-04T12:42:00.000-05:00

On the 1st of November, we will have to pay for the use of msn and email accounts unless we send this to 18 contacts. If you don't believe me go to msn.com.

Once you've sent this to at least 18 people your msn dude will turn blue. You can copy and paste this so people will actually read it (don't forward)

I received this e-mail from 2 people. Does anyone know if there's any truth to it? I went to msn.com and didn't find anything pertaining to it. I was just curious.

Untitled Post

2005-10-03T20:56:00.000-05:00

So I meant to update before this. I had planned on posting this past weekend, but at the last moment rather than staying on the fine Bethel campus I opted to spend the weekend in Centerville, TN with me friend Christy. My friend Jessica was also along for the trip. It was a good time.

Friday evening we went to the movies and watched Serenity. It was quite humorous and an all together fine film. Saturday we went to Nashville and went to Opry Mills. That was also good time, because I went to Nashville once when I about 4 on a family vacation. Unfortunately we didn't get to do too much on that vacation because I got chicken pox while there, but that's another story. Sunday I attended services at the Centerville Church of Christ and had a fabulous home cooked meal cooked by Christy's fabulous mother.

Anywho, needless to say, the weekend was much better in Centerville than it would have been in McKenzie. Well, that pretty much concludes this update.

Oh by the way, no para beber ni cocinar! hehehe

Big News In McKenzie...

2005-09-27T09:50:00.000-05:00

Dollar General is back and better than ever. So don't get me wrong I love Fred's and I will continue to go to them for some of my shopping needs, as they were a comfort to me in my time of loss, but I have missed DG. For those of you who don't know the DG here in McKenzie was a victim of arson last spring, and we have been without it up until this point. Anywho, that's about the extent of the excitement here.

God Was Present...And He Brought A Lot Of Guests

2005-09-23T00:26:00.000-05:00

This past Wednesday evening was awesome. We had between 105 and 110 people present at Campus Crusade for Christ. It's amazing what God can do with cookies, milk, and a hand full of students. He makes great of little.

As I stood in the back trying to get a head count as people poured in I was blown away at how incredible God is. For the first time since I've been at Bethel I saw a huge group students that came from all different backgrounds and groups come together to worship the King.

This meeting got me so pumped up that I can't wait for the next chance I get to tell someone about Jesus.

Praise be to God on high!

If you pass this on to 5 people within the next...

2005-09-20T14:59:00.000-05:00

I hate these e-mails. They annoy me. I never pass them on. I just look at it and say DELETED!

Today I received one that said, "If you aren't ashamed to do this, please follow the directions. Jesus said, 'If you are ashamed of me, I will be ashamed of you before my Father.' Pass this on to 10 people and God will bless you. I do Love God. He is my source of existence. He keeps me functioning each and every day. Phil 4:13 If you love God and are not ashamed of all the marvelous things he has done for you, send this on. Take 60 seconds &give this a shot! Let's just see if Satan stops this one."

Personally I don't think I have to pass on an e-mail to be blessed by God. I'm pretty sure I can walk across the hall and share my joy in Christ with another student and I'll probably feel more blessed than if I forward an e-mail to 10 people. What annoys me the most is that people twist the scriptures. I don't think chain e-mail is quite what God had in mind when He told us, "If you are ashamed of me, I will be ashamed of you before my Father." I'd go so far as to bet what He probably meant was that we should be so unashamed of Him that we should live everyday to worship and honor him openly without worry about what others think.

I am not ashamed the one and only God.

YES!!!

2005-09-15T18:57:00.000-05:00

I love this NFB. I love this.

adopt your own virtual pet!

I Love You Jesus Because...

2005-09-15T17:45:00.000-05:00

Last night at CCC was great. We had a Picnic theme. We had watermelon, sandwiches, tea, and even a seed spitting contest. But, while that was all well and fun, the great part was about what we heard.

The West Tennessee, Director of Campus Crusade for Christ, Brian McCurry, was our speaker. He talked to us about sharing a beautiful Christ. He asked us what we thought was beautiful about our relationship with Jesus Christ. The answers ranged from His forgiveness to His willingness to die on the cross for us. We broke up into small groups and discussed how we could make the subtext of our movement a beautiful Christ. We decided that prayer was one of our best options, but in the process we also realized how selfishly thankful we can be. My friend Jami made the comment that sometimes we get so wrapped up in thanking God for what He's given us that we forget the most important part. We spend too much time thinking about what He does rather than who He is. We should pray whole heartedly and earnestly that God would more than just a presence in our lives that gives us things.

Jami has a really deep and sincere faith, and that's what I like about her most. This one thing she said kind of summed the whole thing up. "If your only going to love someone for what they give, what kind of relationship is that?"

We finished the evening with an open prayer. We were presented with a time to tell Jesus exactly why we loved Him. Brian encouraged people to just say aloud "Jesus I love You because..." It was amazing just listening to everyone tell Jesus why they loved Him. I felt the spirit move.

I felt like everyone there got something out of it. I know I did. I realized how little I really considered the beauty of my relationship with Christ. He died on the cross for me. He loves me. He forgives and forgets. He will never leave me.

I love You Jesus because You will never give up on me.

Godstock!

2005-09-12T20:33:00.000-05:00

So Godstock was awesome. I had a great time and I didn't get burned. The girls in Renaissance play a mean game of basketball. I'm so sore it's ridiculous. The highlight of my day was taking this picture of my friend Katie in front of the PMS truck. She added the face for effect.

Deprivation

2005-09-08T22:56:00.000-05:00

So I've always struggled with this so called sleep thing. I didn't realize that I had a problem until I got older and people told me that my sleep is different from their's. See it takes me a good hour to hour and a half to get to sleep every night (if I get to sleep). Then I proceed to wake up every hour. As long as I wake up on my own it will only take me about 15 - 30 minutes to fall back to sleep for another hour, but if a someone or a noise wakes me up it's another hour. Last night was one of the nights that I didn't sleep at all. I tried to take a nap but that didn't work. Apparently I was a little crabby today. And I made some comments that probably made me look like a real jerk. If you were one of those people I rudely addressed today, I apologize. I think I'm gonna have this checked out. But until then, if anyone has any sleep remedies (besides NyQuil, thanks anyways Jess) I would love to hear them.

Anywho, for now I'm gonna go pretend to sleep.

Seven Things

2005-09-05T11:19:00.000-05:00

I saw this on another blog feel free to do the same.

Seven goals for my lifetime:

1) learn to play guitar
2) see the ocean
3) have my picture taken with a llama
4) pray without ceasing
5) find true love
6) graduate from college
7) own a car with cup holders

Seven things I can do:

1) roll my tongue
2) throw the shotput
3) urban spelunking
4) say almost anything sarcastically
5) swim in a kiddie pool without care of what other think
6) play the saxophone
7) move my knee cap out of place (not intentionally)

Seven things I can't do:

1) back flips
2) eat certain foods due to texture
3) focus on one thing for a long period of time
4) understand my family
5) slam dunk
6) reach things on the top shelf at stores
7) draw

Seven things I say most:

1) darn the luck
2) drat
3) that's unfortunate
4) that's hilarious
5) you crack me up
6) WELCOME!!!
7) it's a good time

Recipe for Good Llama Fun

2005-09-02T16:05:00.000-05:00

1 blog
a pinch of sarcasm (make that 2)
several loyal readers
a generous portion of llamas

Combine sarcasm and readers in blog. Stir till smooth. Add llamas, shake well, and enjoy!

Bravo!

2005-08-31T14:27:00.000-05:00

Bravo, Herschdog! I absolutely love it! 100 llamas.

Peace

2005-08-26T22:49:00.000-05:00

"Therefore since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Since we have been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation." - Romans 5:1-11

I am comforted by this song every time I hear it. It's called Peace, and it's from Jennifer Knapp's cd Lay It Down.

He is my Light and my Salvation
Whom have I to fear
In His secret place I'll hide and pray
That I might hear a simple word

O, how I would have despaired
If you had not come found me there
I can lean against Your throne and find my Peace
Find my Peace

And when my enemies draw near
I pray that they will find
That I'm protected and secure
All tempest He will bind with a mighty word

O, how I would have despaired
If you had not come found me there
I can lean against Your throne and find my Peace
Find my Peace

O, how I would have despaired
If you had not come found me there
I can lean against Your throne and find my Peace
I can lean against Your throne and find

Lean against Your throne and find
Lean against Your throne and find my Peace

He is my Light and my Salvation whom have I to fear?

Summer Project

2005-08-25T15:51:00.000-05:00

So today someone proposed the idea that I go on summer project with Campus Crusade. At first I told them I really needed to try to get on at Airtex this summer to pay for school, but as the day went on the whole conversation was just stuck in the back of my mind. I got to thinking the great job wasn't there this summer why would it be back next summer if there's no change in the company. The more I think about it the more I feel like this may be what God wants me to do with my summer.

I know it's early to worry about summer, but it's never to early to ask God. I just want to ask you to pray about my situation that God would enlighten me about his will for my summer.

I Am Diseased

2005-08-24T14:24:00.000-05:00

So recently I was asked to co-lead a cell group (Bible study) and we were given godsquad.com as a resource. I went online and checked-out one Bible study called "The God Who Is." One of the key questions was "how does God reveal himself today?" So I thought about it and came up with some basic answers like through the word, nature, and other Christians. But it just seems that today God has been making himself known in everything I have done.

This morning I was taking Personal Health with Ms. T. Everyone says that it's hard but it's the only one I could fit in my schedule. Today we discussed what the word disease means. The literal meaning of the word disease means ill at ease. I have found that when looking around me everyday I see things that disturb me. And I don't mean seeing people talk to themselves or food items (although I have seen that). What I mean is how people live their lives as though in the end nothing really matters. I see the hurt and pain that people go through daily and I realize that I am ill at ease.

Luckily for me I know that at the end of my life there is another life. It's an eternal life in which I will be free of disease.

Please Pray

2005-08-22T11:36:00.000-05:00

I would like to ask you take a minute and pray for a friend of mine. His name is Patrick Wilkerson. Some of you may better know him as Eric's old roommate. Last night he received word that his mother was getting really bad so he went home. This morning Patrick's mother died before he was able to get home. Please remember him and his family in your prayers.

FYI

2005-08-21T12:47:00.000-05:00

In case you were wondering exactly what kindergarten through 5th grade students look like...

Good Times at Bethel College

2005-08-20T00:17:00.000-05:00

So today I helped out with Freshman Orientation. I helped set up and ran one of the courtyard games. I must say it was quite enjoyable, very hot, but enjoyable. I was in charge of grass skiing. That was exciting. I got to tell a football player that was three times my size that I didn't care what he thought about the game, he was participating. The great thing about it was that he had to listen to me.

The entire afternoon was not too unbearably hot. I did get some cool water down the back. Three people ranging from age 19 to 21, including myself, then proceeded to sit in a small blow-up kiddie pool. It was great. It also came with some blow-up animals including a lion, snake, and giraffe. The giraffe was our favorite. His name is Nubs the friendly giraffe. We took a picture but it may be a while before I get it to post it.

Thank God for High Speed Internet

2005-08-18T16:00:00.000-05:00

Well, I finally made it back to Bethel. It's hot but way more humid than in FF. That's probably because it rains here. I hope to post more regularly now that I'm back at school. The faster internet will keep me from getting discouraged.

So we made it all the way here with my stuff and part of Mark's stuff, but after I unloaded everything I realized I had forgoten some of the essentials. I left a small bag at home, one that included my hair brush, comb, toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo, and conditioner. Looks like I'll be making my first stop at Fred's tonight.

That's all for now.

The Wonderful World of VBS

2005-08-08T09:27:00.000-05:00

Ah yes, the wonderful world of VBS has come and gone. I must say it was for the most part quite entertaining except for the crafts because they were some what loud. I thought I would share with you about the experience of my group. I helped lead Crew #2 which consisted of mostly 6-year-olds. The most exciting time during VBS was the Bible Expedition.

In Bible Expedition the kids were brought into the Bible story through actors and some cheap props. But let me tell you, those cheap props were convincing to 6-year-olds. Sunday evening the story was about Gideon and his little army and how they defeated the Midianites. This particular evening the kids got to be Gideon's army. The church as an old puppet prop that's basically 3 pieces of wood that fold out to for something for the puppeteers to be behind and it has a hill painted on it. This was set up in the darkened room along with a campfire made of Christmas lights and tissue paper. Behind the boards a person sat with a CD player that played continual sounds of an army that the kids were told were just over the hill. Any common 8-year-old would think this to be one of the cheesiest things ever, but remember I had 6-year-olds. One of the boys continually asked throughout the entire time if the bad guys were really back there. He was worried.

On Monday we talked about Daniel and the lions den. To bring the kids into the story they were invited to sneak into Daniel's house and look around, and they were told that if they were caught they would be in big trouble. One little boy at this point refused to enter the room. And what do you know they got caught by the guard. After which several of the children began to cry as we tried to explain that it was all pretend.

Tuesday we the story was about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (This is my favorite night). The kids were greeted by a man who said he was the richest many in Babylon. He told the kids that he would show them why but it was a secret and they couldn't tell anyone. We entered the room and sat down and he said "Ok this is why I'm gonna be filthy rich." He then walks over to his closet and pulls out a golden toenail (a piece of cardboard painted gold). He told the kids that he stole it from the huge statue that the king was making everyone bow down to. Anywho he finishes telling about the three men and asks what he should do the the toenail. The kids told him that he should give it back because stealing is wrong. It seemed as though this night would be worry free, but no. Apparently the next morning Cheryl, VBS director, get a call from the mother of one of the little girls in my group. She tells Cheryl that when she asked the little girl what she had learned at Bible School she kept getting the same response. "I can't tell you." Well finally they get a little more out of her and this is what she told her parents. "A filthy rich man showed me his closet and told me not to tell." Well, needless to say the mother was a little worried about this statement. Fortunately after the phone call with Cheryl the whole thing was cleared up.

Wednesday we discussed Jesus resurrection and the actor was pretending not to know the guy who left the tomb. So one of the boys in the group decided to explain it to him. "Well, his name is Jesus and he died for our sins. And he comes back to life every Easter. I think it's on Easter 1st or 5th." We had no crying this particular evening.

Thursday the final evening was about Paul and Silas when they were in prison and the walls fell down. Well we were asked if we told people about God and when we all replied yes we were hand cuffed with orange plastic strips. They looked like they were pieces of plastic table cloth cut into strips. Anyway, while we were in prison we decided to praise God and of course the prison wall fell down. There were several children crying at this point some because they thought were in jail some because the wall was falling on them.

In conclusion I say we go with not so realistic situations for the 6-year-olds.

I have lots of comments on the Elementary Crew Leader Pocket Guide, but that's another blog.

Llamas, Llamas Everywhere, You're Gonna Wet!

2005-08-05T13:41:00.000-05:00

Or something like that. I couldn't decide if that should be the title or "Stop! It's llama time!"
Anywho, I'm in a giving mood so I have decided to give everyone 50 llamas because I have finally finished my summer classes.

Also, Mr. Marsh received 50 llamas for adding me to his side bar which just so happens to appear at the bottom of my screen (maybe I should consider revoking llamas for that. hmm). Matt and Heather W. will each receive five start up llamas along with the previously stated llamas. Heather H. will receive 3 llamas on top of the 50 so that she can have triplet llamas and name them as she wishes. By the way you can all name your llamas if it pleases you.

Just A Note

2005-07-27T14:13:00.000-05:00

Don't have a lot of time right now, but a VBS update is coming soon.

Oh, and Mr. Marsh you do have llamas, 50 of them in fact.

In Reply To...

2005-07-25T11:32:00.000-05:00

herschel said...
ok ok ok...this has gone far enough...it hink we all know i pulled this "llama stunt" in an effort to bring you back to the blogging world. I think it is only appropriate to award me back my llamas that i had but add an additional 500 for helping ressurect your blogging career...thanks
3:18 PM

First I must thank you for helping to lead me back to my roots. Then must absolutely refuse your request for returning llamas plus 500. I mean you did start a revolt on my blog. However, because I am such a caring llama leader I will reinstate your previous llama total.

julie said...
don't give in to hersch. I was the one with the list for the wayne county fair recipients. you can give me his!
10:41 PM

I did enjoy the idea but I don't really know how to get the full list of winners. I will be giving you some more llamas.

herschel said...
VIVE EL revolución!!!
11:02 PM

Here at LLama Systems Incorporated we speak English.

nfb said...
When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the bands which have connected them with another, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to revolt.We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and Llamas. That to secure these rights, rules are instituted among Herschel and I, deriving our just Powers from the consent of the blogger. That whenever any Form of Bethany's Llama Laws become destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish them, and to institute new llama laws, laying their foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to aid in their even distribution.When a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same llamas evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is our right, it is our duty, to throw out such llama laws, and to provide new laws for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of Herschel, I, and countless others; and such is now the necessity which constrains us to alter the former System of laws. The history of Bethany's llama system is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these readers. VIVE EL revolución!!!

First of all, how did you get involved? Secondly, read my previos post and take your own advice.

herschel said...
Bethany, you have a one week deadline to establish a racial and ethnic free llama policy, and to reinstate mine, cody's, nathan's good llama status or things could get worse. Look back in history and see what happens when nations try to reign over the people with iron-clad fists and tyranny. You will find that in most instances the people revolt and win. you don't want blood on your hands do you?
12:57 PM

Your good llama status has been reinstated. Nathan and Cody never left good llama status. And why should I give anything to Cody right now. He blogs less than I do.

maryrachael said...
ohh bethany, my bethany, there's always something to blog about! however, if you blog as often as i do, you'll be at risk for your blog becomming as boring as mine, which results in no comments, so i suppose blogging less is more, eh? wow, that was one big run-on sentence. i'm quite impressed with your schizophrenic paper - watch out though, we wouldn't want it to think it was a book in disguise. or a dictionary, or a magazine...you never know what schizophrenic things think they are.
9:31 PM

Thanks for your support. Sorry I haven't had time to comment on your blog lately.

mr_marsh said...
Ummm.... I personally like the thing about "I live for this" commercials...
8:06 AM

Thanks, maybe I should offer the idea to Dorothy.

Hmmm

2005-07-25T11:28:00.000-05:00

"Maybe You've Forgotten..
We as American's have many liberties and rights that those in other countries do not have. One being that if you are engaging in an activitiy that you do not find enjoyable, you have the right to stop at any time. The same goes for things that you may read. If you do not find the things in this site enjoyable, but you have found that they make you upset instead, you HAVE and I would expect you to EXERCISE that right and never come back here again. If you don't like what you're reading, stop reading. It's that simple." - NFB

That's right folks, remember you read here second.

OK OK I'm Blogging

2005-07-21T13:10:00.000-05:00

First off, there hasn't been that much to blog about. So this post is me pulling stuff out of nowhere as it comes to me and blogging it. By the way Julie it hasn't been a month. It's only been two weeks, which is half a month.

Julie wanted a list of Wayne County Fair Floral Hall Winners. I'm sorry to say that I do not currently have that information, although it has been requested. It's up Katie to get me that so coveted list. I can tell you that Mrs. Gwaltney, the hovering substitute teacher that we all know and love, won a majority of the categories. She entered stuff in almost every category. Mr. Marsh and myself decided that when she is not substitute teaching she is preppin' for the Wayne County Fair. Personally, I think that to endorse the fair we should run a series of "I Live for This" commercials like Major League Baseball. She definitely have to be featured in one of them. In other news things that I did at the fair recently include: cleaning, priming, painting, cutting numbers, hanging quilts, and rearrange entries to make it look as though there more entries than there actually are.

So the main reason that I haven't blogged is because of class. I know that some of you have time to blog everyday or every other day, but some of us can't because WE HAVE TO TAKE FREAKIN' SUMMER CLASSES! Not that I'm at all bitter about that (stupid chemistry). I told NFB that I would blog about the 6 to 10 page schizophrenia paper that I wrote last night. It was 9 pages and it was about schizophrenia. Yeah, that's about it.

I turned in my rough draft for that paper this morning. Apparently the teacher was impressed because after looking it over she then proceeded to pass it around the classroom to show them how to site their references. She made the following comment to me, "Well, I didn't find any grammatical errors. It looks like you may have written a paper before." I just nodded and thought to myself, "Yeah, I wrote few papers! I had Mrs. Kinney for three freakin' years, and she thought coma splices were morally wrong!"

Pretty soon I will actually be Bethany at Bethel. Currently I'm just using that as an alias because I'm Bethany in Fairfield, and that just isn't as super fantastic. Anywho...

Please note the addition of Jules the list of llama recipients. Also notice the new category for hdizzle and the changes made in the llama law.

That's all for now. Maybe soon I can post about the long awaited VEE BEE ESS!

Temporary Job Yeah!

2005-07-08T13:16:00.000-05:00

I have temporary job coming soon. I was asked to help out at the floral hall during fair week and I'll be doing some clean up before the fair. There's not been a whole lot going down lately. Sorry again about the frequency in posts or lack of I guess.

Notice that Jimmy now has 2 llamas. He only asked for one for being a great third base coach, but I thought he deserved at least two.

That's all for now.

Is It Time To Give Up Yet?

2005-06-13T16:24:00.000-05:00

Well, I have wasted a quarter tank of gas driving around town picking up and dropping off applications. And no calls. None. Zero. Nada. I've been filling my time with odd jobs. I've decided that my new job title will be Queen of all jobs odd. Recently I have stained a deck and furniture, painted the foundation of a house, took care of a dog and cat, cleaned a business, landscaped, and mixed concrete. It was suggested to me that maybe God wanted me to take the summer off. If that's the case I hope God's plans come August include me running into about $5000.00 because that's what I'm short right now. I picked some dandy classes to take this summer. They're not hard, just boring. I'm taking General Psychology, Finite Math, and Principles of Management. I guess that's all for now. Sorry it's been so long.

It's Been One of Those Weeks

2005-05-24T15:26:00.000-05:00

I know, I know. It's only Tuesday, but it was a really bad Monday. Most of you know about my probation semester for my scholarship. Well wires got crossed at Bethel and I was misinformed (What a surprise).

The woman I talked to in the financial aid office told me that when I came back in the fall I would be on probation, but yesterday I received a notice in the mail that if I wanted to keep my scholarship I would have to take summer classes to bring up my GPA. So my first question is can I take classes at my local college and transfer their credits? The reply I get: Let me transfer you to the registrar's office. Again I ask the same question with reply: Let me transfer you to the academic dean's office. Well the academic dean wants to transfer me to the financial aid office. But before she can do so I say, "Wait! I started out there and I ended up with you. So she says, "Let me talk to them and then someone will call you back." Needless to say I was perturbed. I wasted an hour on my cell phone talking to no one. Finally I get a call back. I'm not even sure who I was talking to. This person gave me this big long explanation which was basically saying, "Yeah, you can do that." So then I thought this isn't so bad. I talked to the hiring department at Airtex and they seemed confident. I can take classes in the morning and work at night.

I wasn't off the phone with Bethel for five minutes when I get a call. "Bethany?" the voice on the end of the line says, "I'm just calling to tell you that unless things change drastically Airtex will probably not be hiring summer help."

Thank you Airtex, once again, you have ruined my life.

So I decide that I need to find out what classes will transfer before I go take them. So I went through Frontier's summer schedule and found classes that I thought would match classes offered at Bethel. Luckily I found out most of the classes transferred. So now I have to go register.

Still looking for work though. I'm so glad Fairfield has such plentiful opportunities of summer jobs for full time students.

Blog Time

2005-05-12T10:54:00.000-05:00

OK, so my blog time, I fear, is going to be drastically shortened during the summer. At am yet to get used to this slow internet at home and then I have to find a time when someone else is not on the computer, or when it's not getting worked on, or when someone is waiting for a call... Things would be much easier if I were living on my own. I don't really think I can afford that right now though. Anywho, if I don't blog for a while I'm not dead.

In other news the swelling in my knee is beginning to go down. Yay! I'm sorry there's nothing more exciting in my life right now. I could blog about my grades but that would take too much time. Maybe I'll have something more exciting next time.

Urban Spelunking

2005-05-05T18:37:00.000-05:00

So I've been meaning to blog about this for a while but, I've also been a little distracted lately. Last weekend I joined 6 friends in the exciting event of urban spelunking. For those of you who don't know what urban spelunking is: spelunking is cave exploration, urban spelunking is exploring caves in the city. Since you don't find too many caves in the city we used the next best thing. The drainage system. We went to Jackson where we went down into one of the ditches near Union University. We walked into one of the large pipes and followed it under a shopping center and the highway. We came out at another place and walked a little ways to another, through which we returned to where we started. It was a lot of fun. Afterwards we all went to IHOP in our wet, dirty clothes. A good time was had by all.

Finals, Job Prospects, and Stuff

2005-05-05T18:27:00.000-05:00

Well, I took my last final today. I think I did pretty well; then again, I wasn't too worried about this one. My GPA has dropped below the required 3.6 but I still have a probation semester to bring it back up. I was previously misinformed on this situation and was told that I did not have a probation semester. I'm much better now. I still have to make pretty much straight A's next semester, but I'll be OK. I'm still waiting to hear from Airtex, but if they don't come through I have another job in line. I may get to work for the American Red Cross, doing demonstrations and raising awareness. They'll pay me and I get a $1000 scholarship. The only down side is that I'll only work eight weeks which means I won't be making as much over the summer. But it's better than nothing so I'm pleased.

I've Come to a Fork in the Tree

2005-05-03T12:57:00.000-05:00

I finally got the picture to load bigger. Oh the excitement.

I found this fork stuck in a tree on campus and thought it would make a fun picture.

OK Regroup

2005-05-03T12:42:00.000-05:00

So after my chemistry test yesterday I was incredibly upset and I freaked out even though I said I wouldn't. The rest of my day just seemed crappy, but last night when I was taking a study break, I checked out NFB's blog. And he mentioned something I had said to a friend early. "Stop telling God how big your storm is, instead tell your storm how big your God is." I felt a lot calmer after I read that, and I realized that sometimes you have to take your own advice. I don't know what I got on my chemistry final yet and I can't vouge for how great my statistics final went, but I know if it's in God's plan for me to be here he will find a way. The hard stuff is over now.

Consider Me a Failure

2005-05-02T14:41:00.000-05:00

So I just took the hardest chemistry test of my life. In preparation for the test I studied from 7:00 pm to 3:00 am with a few frisbee and food brakes in between. The test coved close to nothing of what I studied. I really think I didn't pass. I won't find out for sure until tomorrow afternoon. So now I lay in wait and continue to prepare for my Statistics exam. Well, I have to go write about Hamlet now. At least I'll pass one class.

It's the Most Dreadful Time of the Year

2005-05-01T13:41:00.000-05:00

Finals week is quickly approaching. This is one of those times in my life in which I feel the need to scream and throw things. I have, however, decided that I don't want to stress myself out so much this semester. Last semester, I almost freaked out completely, and that was a mess. I'm trying to look on the positive side this time. For instance, I only have to be in a classroom with that dreaded professor of chemistry on last time. After completing my statistics final I will be done with all required math.

This makes me happy. :) <--------That's me.

Anywho, I figure if I study my hardest and I try my best then it's out of my hands. I found that that's a good theory for most situations in my life.

Out of My Hands

There you go changing my plans again
There you go shifting my sands again
For reasons I don't understand again
Lately I don't have a clue
Just when I start liking what I see
There you go changing my scenery
I never know where you're taking me
I'm trying just to follow you

It's out of my hands
It's out of my reach
It's over my head
And it's out of my league
There's too many things
That I don't understand
So it's into your will
And it's out of my hands

There you go healing these scars again
Showing me right where you are again
I'm helpless, and that's where I start again
I'm giving it all up to you

It's out my hands
It's out my reach
It's over my head
And it's out of my league
There's too many things
That I don't understand
So it's into your will
And it's out my hands

Move me, make me
Choose me, change me
Send me, shake me
Find me, remind me
The past is behind me
Take it all away
Take it all from me, I pray

It's out of my hands
It's out of my reach
It's over my head
And it's out of my league
There's too many things
That I don't understand
So it's into your will
And it's out of my hands

Matthew West - Happy

Jennifer Knapp and Blogging

2005-04-25T23:34:00.000-05:00

Well, first let's talk JK. So back in December I made a comment to my good pal Jules that other than "Kansas" and a select few other songs I really didn't like any of Jennifer Knapp's stuff. But after reading the lyrics to "When Nothing Satisfies" on Julie's blog. I realized that if I had actually been listening to the words I might like her stuff more. So I've recently been on a JK kick, and I've pretty much decided I like it all. Thanks Jules.

On another note, I'm warning you in advance that this may be my last blog for a few days. I have been given notice that the entire Bethel network will be down from 3:00 pm Wednesday to 11:59 pm Friday due to some "professional" company coming in to fix the problems. I'm just wondering who's brilliant idea it was to shut down the entire network the week before finals when everyone will be trying to use the internet to study. Just another instance of the supreme leadership ability on the part of "Bethel College Home of Knowledge."

I'll try to get a post in before they shut 'er down tomorrow.

Superheros

2005-04-21T15:31:00.000-05:00

In planning for BCYF 2006 we have chosen a theme. The theme will be superheros. We're looking for superheros with cool theme songs. So if you know of any really cool ones let me know.

In other news, I still hate chemistry. I guess that's not really news. I found out the final for chemistry is not comprehensive as I had previously believed. Instead we have to take a standardized chemistry test. It's like the ACT of chemistry. So who hates standardized testing all together? Well, Bethany does. What this means to me is that I'm going to take a test that will include questions about things that I have not studied. The grading system for this is weird. If you score in approximately the 50th prectile you get a C because the 50th precentile is average for the nation. She told us that the 80th precentile would most likely be an A. When you look at it and say, "I and only have to get an 80 to get an A in this class," it seems like a good plan. However, one must take into consideration that I have to get an 80 on a test that includes things we haven't covered which really makes it a crappy deal. Once again the woman is pushing me to madness.

Comments to Jules

2005-04-19T00:16:00.000-05:00

Yeah, so Julie, I'm incredibly disappointed about not being able to post comments on your blog. So I've taken it upon my self to blog my comments for today because there is so much to comment about.

1. I love the name.
2. I clicked on the ad. You're welcome.
3. Sometimes chemistry makes me feel like someone is driving a Bronco into the passenger side of my compact car. (I love that).
4. I too am addicted to that game.
5. I would love to hear some new stuff from JK.
6. You know Bastian!? I love them!
7. What is up with your intrests including both the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs?

So that's about it I guess.
Adieu

With the Good Comes Bad

2005-04-13T12:54:00.000-05:00

So I got up and went to chemistry class to find out that I got a B on my last test and my lab on Thursday and class on Friday have been canceled. That just rocks my face off. I thought this is going to be a good day, but then I went to get my biology test back. And well, it was not my best work. It will not due and told my teacher that it will not do. So he told me I could turn in corrections for half the points I missed. Which is OK, but that means I have more work to do. I guess I'll just go recycle some stuff for extra credit.

Yay Pictures!

2005-04-12T12:02:00.000-05:00

This is picture of the chair that I previously discussed. It's kind of small but I can't get it to load bigger.

This is the womanles beauty contest winners. That's mark on the left. Or is that Kelly.

I thought this one was funny.

Well I just thought I'd post these pictures. Maybe I can get a better shot of the tree up later.

What's Up

2005-04-11T16:57:00.000-05:00

So the weekend was dandy. I did a lot of reading and got hooked on Grey's Anatomy. Sunday afternoon I enjoyed a nice walk with Christy, Dana, and Jasmine. Jasmine is a boa. How much fun was it too walk up to people with a boa and freak them out. Christy and I also found a chair underneath a window in West Hall (hmm wonder what it was doing there). So we confiscated it and used it , and then we put it in a tree (once again I cannot get pictures to load, grrrrr).

So I definitely need someone to convince me that this whole college thing is worth it. I've almost reached a point of not caring anymore. I am so sick of seeing my Chemistry teacher's face every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I'm finding it harder and harder to comprehend my statistics teacher's way of thinking. These are not good things. I cannot afford to lose my scholarship because a stupid form of math that will never apply to what I'm doing but is required and a Chemistry teacher who can't teach. I think I could learn more from a chimp. To top it off I found out that Airtex may not be hiring summer help. Which means the money that I used to pay for what my scholarship did not may not be there next year.

OK so I feel a little bit better now. I think I just needed to get that off my chest.

No Maybe About It, I'm A Fanatic

2005-04-10T12:57:00.000-05:00

The following was a comment left on my friend Rachael's blog.

louis said...

Please, respect my right to post my opinin here, do not delete this post.

"There is nobody as enslaved as the fanatic, the person in whom one impulse, one value, has assumed ascendancy over all others."

- I wish there were some cure, like the lover's leap, for all heads of which some single idea has obtained an unreasonable and irregular possession.
- As any action or posture long continued will distort and disfigure the limbs; so the mind likewise is crippled and contracted by perpetual application to the same set of ideas.
- Fanatical religion driven to a certain point is almost as bad as none at all, but not quite.
- Fanaticism consists of redoubling your efforts when you have forgotten your aim.
- The worst vice of a fanatic is his sincerity.

And I conclude:

"There is no place in a fanatic's head where reason can enter." - Napoleon Bonaparte

10:41 am

Rachael replied to him in an entry on her blog and asked for others' opinions. My opinion is way too long for a comment so I'm posting it here.

I don't think being a fanatic is necessarily bad. The word fanatic comes from the Latin word fanaticus inspired by deity. The definition of deity is one exalted or revered as supremely good or powerful. That is exactly what God is.

Louis says: "There is nobody as enslaved as the fanatic, the person in whom one impulse, one value, has assumed ascendancy over all others."

I am enslaved to God the Father. He is my one impulse and value that has assumed ascendancy over all other things in my life.

-Living for God is a "single idea." Jesus didn't say I am one of the ways or I am one of truths."Jesus answered, 'I am the the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.'" - John 14:6
-Putting your muscles through daily training of the same action will build more muscle. The same goes for the mind. Putting your mind in the word daily builds wisdom. "Train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." - 1 Timothy 4:7-8
-Religion: a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with devotion and faith. I don't think you can have a religion without being a fanatic. If you are not that devoted to your cause, then it's not religion. If you place something else at an equal position to your cause it is not devotion."No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other." - Matthew 6:24a
-The beauty of God's grace is that when we do struggle and fall away he is willing to take us back. This is not to say that we should not strive to remain in God's will at all times. I have fallen away, but God has taken me back and I am stronger because of his grace."However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me–the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace." - Acts 20:24
-God calls us to seek him sincerely. So I find sincerity to be one of my greatest attributes. "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." - Jeremiah 29:13

Louis says: "There is no place in a fanatic's head where reason can enter." - Napoleon Bonaparte

When God is in your life there is no reason outside of him. Therefore, there is no place in my head where reason, other than Jesus Christ, can enter. So yes, I am fanatic for Jesus Christ my loving Savior.

Hmmm

2005-04-08T21:34:00.000-05:00

So this is one of the funnier things I've seen in a while. Gloomy Bears.

What I Did Today

2005-04-08T20:41:00.000-05:00

I really can't think of too much to blog about so I'm going to share what I did today with random comments thrown in. I'm not sure anyone really cares what my day was like but if you need something to read here you go.

7:45 - Wake up to alarm.
8:00 Get out of bed after hitting snooze 3 times. (I had to convince myself that I really had to go to chemistry for grade sake.)
8:30 - Eat breakfast in the cafe. (I had biscuits and gravy. This is the only meal that I can guarantee satisfaction with.)
8:45 - Read a portion of Be Intolerant by Ryan Dobson. (It's about Christians who would rather please everyone than live the way Jesus commanded.)
9:00 - Go to Chemistry. (I made some nice doodles to keep myself awake.)
9:15 - Explain to a Chemistry Major that NH3 is ammonia no pneumonia. (I am questioning his confidence in being a Chemistry Major.
10:00 - Go to Old Testament. (My slack class.)
10:15 - Discuss how to keep kids quiet on long trips in cars. (Suggestions include: Duct tape & rope, briber, and NyQuil.)
10:20 - Discuss how Jeremiah was a bullfrog not a bull dog.
10:33 - Get out of Old Testament early. (This gives me time to run to my dorm and drop off my extra junk.
10:45 - Crash into Pepsi guy as I was leaving McDonald Hall. (Yeah, I was the one that ended up on the ground with a scraped knee. That was just a tad embarrassing.)
11:00 - Go to statistics. (Oh joy. Let's hope I can keep my eyes open.)
11:15 - Drift in and out of consciousness.
12:00 - Eat lunch in the cafe with Jesse, Farin, Britney, Sarah, & Nick. (I had tater-tots and played with fish portions.)
12:30 - Try to upload some images but it wasn't working out for me. (Spent way too much time messing with that.)
2:15 - Give up on images and decide to change my template.
3:00 - Finish template change. (Wouldn't have taken me so long, but I kept changing my mind.)
3:20 - Write a letter to my Congressmen about supporting breast cancer awareness. (Check out the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.)
3:25 - Yell at my computer screen. (The Cards are losing.)
4:00 - Meet with Jessica about being a core team member for Campus Crusade for Christ. (I have training on April 23rd so that moves my next trip home to April 15th.)
5:00 - Eat dinner in the cafe. (I at pizza!. Real pizza!)
5:30 - Attempt stats homework. (I did not succeed because apparently I continued to write while I was dozing. So my notes now make about as much sense as a monke . . . aklafiohnv;kjeupuiyaha;ejfkhdiuy.)
6:00 - Try to upload images again.
6:10 - Give up trying to upload images again.
6:15 - Clean my dorm room. (It needed it, BAD.)
8:00 - Call my mom. (I found out Airtex may not be hiring summer help :( This is no good. No good at all.)
8:41 - Post this.

I hope you weren't too bored with that. Even so, it's a little late to care now isn't it.

Yay! No More Viruses

2005-04-05T18:24:00.000-05:00

That's right my good old Gateway is back in shape. Thank you to Chris for your fabulous work. It is much appreciated. Chris tells me that I'm the winner of the three virus infected computers that he fixed today. I had 18 viruses and approximately 190 spyware. I thought it was running a little slower than slower than usual ;) It was tough facing the world without a computer for 23 hrs. but I made and I'm back to bloggin'.

Caution!

2005-04-03T22:19:00.000-05:00

Please do NOT open anything that comes from me via e-mail or msn messenger. My computer recieved a virus today through messenger and it sent an im to everyone on my cantact list. As long as you don't click on the link you should be ok. It continues to continuously do it so don't open anything until further notice. If you know of anything about how to fix it or anything else let me know.

BCYF

2005-04-03T13:40:00.000-05:00

Well my first BCYF experience was OK. I suppose everything would have been great if I had not been sick, but me getting sick was related to BCYF. In preparation for the big Supertones concert Friday night. We put strobe lights in the headlights of an Explorer and added neon lights underneath it. The owner was going to make a big mural in honor of the Supertones on this truck and another. So he needed it washed. So he sent me to do it at about 12:00 am Friday morning. Then I washed the other one at about 3:00 am. So I think washing these trucks that early in the morning and being as it was 50 degrees outside may have had something to do with my cold.
Friday night was fun except for the smoke on stage which made my irritated throat worse and the fact that it was rainy and cold during the big blow-up games (OK that kind of makes it sound horrible but it got better). Saturday morning was when were suppose to dress up renaissance style. I was to be a peasant. I got up and got ready, all the while I could not stop coughing. Once I got some fresh air and walked to the DFAB I had stopped coughing. I attended the first worship service of the day. Unfortunately the coughing persisted once I sat down and I had to leave. The coughing was so much that it made me sick so I decided to lose the costume for comfort sake (uh... I promise it gets better). I went back to the auditorium after I had changed and waited until my workshop started at 11:00 am. I went to my workshop and only two people signed up, but it was ok because they were willing to give their input (My workshop was a devotional by the way). After my workshop and lunch I watched some of the guys launch produce from a trebuchet (catapult). It was a lot of fun. My second workshop session was a little better because there were five people in it. I then took a nap, after which I felt much better. I then attended a portion of the Renaissance concert. I had to leave early to set my VCR to record the game. I got back into costume for about an hour for the renaissance feast held in honor of the king and queen. I ate part of a ginormous turkey leg and and corn on the cob (No utensils at this meal). After the dinner I was able to change and catch the score of the game before I had to leave to round up kids for worship (It was killing me that I wasn't watching the end of the game, but luckily Cathy, who was in town for the weekend, had watched the end to tell me the score). The final worship service was good and afterward I was assigned to help clean DFAB, which didn't take long at all. So most things went well and it made my weekend that the Illini won (See I told you it got better).

Why Do I Feel So Horrible?

2005-03-29T19:52:00.000-06:00

Something is wrong. I don't know what yet but I'm determined to get to the bottom of it. For the last two days I've felt horrible and can't figure out why. It's not like a sick horrible feeling I feel horrible about something. The problem is I don't know what I feel horrible about. I thought it was my grades because I had a major breakdown about that yesterday, but I'm over that now so I don't know what is actually causing this feeling. I don't know what I've done to make myself feel like this. I'm also having a problem with my creative juices. That's why I haven't blogged anything recently. Maybe I'll get to the bottom of this soon.

Sorry It's Been A While

2005-03-27T21:21:00.000-06:00

Long time no blog. Sorry about that it was a rough week, but I did have a good weekend at home. Maybe this week will be a better one. I did make it back safely to school even though there were lots of tail-riding-idiots in the pouring rain and a flooded road that I had to make a slight detour for. This week looks hopeful because I don't have a Chemistry or Stats test.

Also I would like to award hdizzle 100 llamas because of his fabulous comment to TPD on NFB's blog.
Congratulations Tom Pinko Delay. You have been herschwacked!

Remember Bethel

2005-03-22T13:37:00.000-06:00

Please remember Bethel and its students in your prayers. So far this has been a horrible week and it's only Tuesday. The attack Sunday evening left everyone shaken up and somewhat stunned. What happened last night stunned us all the more. A senior here at bethel was playing in an intramural basketball tournament last night when he began experiencing chest pains. He asked to borrow a friend's car and drove himself to the emergency room where he had a massive heart attack and died. The devil has been trying to get his foot in the door here at Bethel. Please pray for Bethel and the family of this 24-year-old student.

"Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved - and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him." - Philippians 1:27-29

A Spirit to be Commended

2005-03-21T21:38:00.000-06:00

My friend, Amber, who was involved in the last posted situation is taking this situation much better than anyone else on campus. First of all I would like to commend her bravery throughout the ordeal. I would like to say that I would know what to do in that situation, but who am I to say what I would do in an event that I have never experienced. Secondly I would like to commend her current spirit. Today she told her boyfriend, "I'm glad it happened to me and not someone else." In a moment when anyone else would be saying "Why me?" she stands tall and exhibits a spirit to be commended. Way to go Amber, we're proud of your courage and strength.

Status

2005-03-21T01:18:00.000-06:00

Since I'm up at this somewhat untimely hour (considering I have two test tomorrow, one of them at 9:00 am) I decided that I would blog my status.

Date: 03-21-05
Time: 1:24 am
Mood: irritated yet solemn.
Living off of: 2 hrs. sleep in 48 hrs, a peanut butter sandwich and a capri sun.

The reason for my irritated yet solemn mood is because as I was getting into bed there was a loud thud at my door accompanied by the below, "RA! Open up!" I thought to myself, self who is smoking in the dorms tonight. This was my first thought because it seems to be a regular occurrence. Anywho, I got out of bed and answered the door only to be knocked out of the way by an RA charging across the room toward my window. She opened the shutters and threw up the sash (actually it was kind of just pulling the blinds open). After doing this she turns to me and says "I'm just making sure that your window is closed." I looked at her like she was crazy because who sleeps with their window open when it's 40 degrees outside. Realizing that she has confused me to no end she went on to explain that a girl who lives in my dorm was attacked and the guy is still loose. Thus, we are on lock down until 8:00 am tomorrow morning. The story is that this girl was getting into her car when a guy pushed her into the passenger's seat and told her to give him her money. She told him that she didn't have any money and he said "OK I'll rape you. By this time they had traveled down the street and turned. She made a move for the door to get away but he grabbed her. So she bit him on the arm and jumped out of the car as it was moving down the street. In the process she lost a shoe and took off running across campus this way until she found someone to call the cops. This attacker continued on with the car. About 20 min. later this girl's boyfriend found her car parked in front of the DFAB (the fine arts building on campus) . This is only a block from where she jumped out of the car. He is not yet in custody and authorities have proposed the idea that he may be a student.

Please keep my friend in your prayers and pray that this guy is caught and does no harm.

I Never

2005-03-18T15:30:00.000-06:00

I found this on another blog. It turns out that there are a lot of things I haven't done.

Put an x beside the things that you have never done.

Copy and Repost on your blog if it pleases you.

(x) I NEVER HAVE BEEN DRUNK
(x) I NEVER HAVE SMOKED POT
(x) I NEVER HAVE KISSED A MEMBER OF THE OPPOSITE SEX
(x) I NEVER HAVE KISSED A MEMBER OF THE SAME SEX
(x) I NEVER CRASHED A FRIEND’S CAR
(x) I NEVER BEEN TO JAPAN
(x) I NEVER RODE IN A TAXI
(x) I NEVER HAVE BEEN IN LOVE
(x) I NEVER SHOPLIFTED
(x) I NEVER HAVE BEEN FIRED
( ) I NEVER BEEN IN A FIST FIGHT
(x) I NEVER TRIED ECSTACY
(x) I NEVER SNUCK OUT OF MY PARENT’S HOUSE
(x) I NEVER HAVE BEEN CHEATED ON
(x) I NEVER HAVE CHEATED ON SOMEONE
(x) I NEVER HAVE DATED SOMEONE, BUT WANTED SOMEONE ELSE
( ) I NEVER RECEIVED A SPEEDING TICKET
(x) I NEVER BEEN ARRESTED
(x) I NEVER MADE OUT WITH A STRANGER
(x) I NEVER STOLE SOMETHING FROM MY JOB
(X) I NEVER CELEBRATED NEW YEARS IN TIME SQUARE
(x) I NEVER WENT ON A BLIND DATE
( ) I NEVER LIED TO A FRIEND
(x) I NEVER HAD A CRUSH ON A TEACHER
(x) I NEVER CELEBRATED MARDI-GRAS IN NEW ORLEANS
(x) I NEVER BEEN TO EUROPE
( ) I NEVER SKIPPED SCHOOL
(x) I NEVER CUT MYSELF ON PURPOSE
(x) I’VE NEVER BEEN MARRIED
(x) I NEVER HAVE POSED NUDE
( ) I HAVE NEVER DRIVEN A CAR ILLEGALLY
( ) I HAVE NEVER BEEN ON TV

Ch. 28 Will Not Be Covered On This Test!

2005-03-17T16:40:00.000-06:00

So I really don't like annoying people who don't pay attention, especially the ones in my biology class. There are three woman in their mid 30s in my biology class. They all sit together away from the rest of the class like their better than us. This I don't so much mind because I can now refer to them as the annoying section. They're always telling the rest of us what to do and when we can talk. Sometimes if some of us get to class early we sit around cracking jokes and goofing off. I don't know what these ladies problems are, but they always give us these looks and tell us to act more mature. So it's not OK for us to talk and goof off before class but it's OK for them to do it during class. They're always talking back and forth to each other during the lecture, then they waste class time asking questions he's already answered. Today at the beginning of class our teacher told us that the test would cover Ch. 21, 22, 26 & 27. He then repeated and wrote it on the board before we started asking questions after the lecture. Before we left one of them raises her hand and says "What chapters will this test cover?" After he repeats it again. She asks, "Not 28?" I just wanted to slap the woman and say "Did he say 28?! No!" Grrrrrrrr.

Dingo, No. Badgers, You Bet.

2005-03-16T13:35:00.000-06:00

I don't know of a dingo song but I will be on the look out. However, I do have a Badger Song thats great. Enjoy.

Everyone Needs a Companion

2005-03-16T13:16:00.000-06:00

I decided that Big Mama Llama might be feeling a little lonely so I have found her a companion. He is Dirty Sanchez the Dingo.

NFB will receive 50 llamas for the use of the name.