Yesterday

Yesterday I rode my bike. For 50 miles. It took a little under 3 hours so that put my average speed around 20-23 mph. It was one of the toughest things that I have ever done. We climbed a mountain called Fouche Gap and at the top you can see the entire area of Rome and the surrounding country! It is beautiful. I don't ride with my camera, I should but wait, I don't have a camera! But maybe I will try and go up again and take some pictures so you guys can see how high we were. Then we flew down the mountain and had rolling hills the rest of the way. Long ride short, we finally got back into downtown Rome to the bike shop and just sat down in front of the fan to cool off. I then went to a place in Rome called Schroeder's Deli. One of the best pizza places that I have ever been to. We had some good eats there. But after that I had to take care of the things in town like going to the bank, paying rent, and so on. So I rode my bike through Rome all afternoon doing the things that I needed to do. And I finally got back to my apartment a long time after I had wanted to and I sat down and felt good about myself. Instead of driving around in air-conditioning I rode my bike. I didn't do the convenient thing. And it was simple. Anybody can ride a bike or walk to get things done, it just takes a little more time. And that was the nice thing about it. It slowed me down and I wasn't in a rush to make it to the next light while it was still green or not be sociable with the people I met. I guess what I'm saying is that I think I caught a glimpse of what could be if people just slowed down. If we all just walked or biked to places how much more happier would we be? Our air would be cleaner, we would be more physically fit people, we might smell a little but who cares! We would not be so caught up in getting things done by a certain time but rather we would just be along for a ride or walk. I don't know if I'm just too much of an idealist but I think it would be an amazing transformation of the Western culture if it came to fruition. If we all just enjoyed life without the pressure of time or any of that it would be such a blessing. But anyway, that was yesterday.

My New Place

I have spent the last few days moving into my new place and getting things set. I'm trying to make the place fee like home. It's a little difficult at time because my roommate isn't here yet so setting an apartment up alone can be boring at times. I'll be living here for about a year and then moving on to grad school or something different. Don't have that part figured out yet. But for now I will be here. So I apologize for the bad quality of pictures but it's the best I can do with a camera phone. Don't complain. So here's the goods and enjoy! It's a little like Cribs but without the fancy camera shots and the sexy bathroom scene and awkward bedroom scene either!





Here is the extremely small T.V. that I got for my room. It's small but it will work for me. And the corner of the bed.



And here's the bed with the empty bookshelf beside it. Hopefully I can put all my books on here without it falling. Cross your fingers.

And another shot of the bookcase/desk. I didn't want to buy a desk so I'm using my Fender Amp and my Mesa Boogie cabinet. And I stole the chair from Katie. So, it's rigged but it works for me!


And we now have the dinning room. Complete with folding metal chairs! And it will also serve as a bike shop for myself. Don't make fun.








The best part! The half full living room! Complete with the most comfortable recliner in the world! But without a T.V. or any other furniture. Hopefully they will get here this weekend with my roommate.

And the back porch! Complete with camping chairs and Cutter bug repellent. My favorite part of the whole place. It's a great view of pine trees 4 feet from the deck! Ha!

Hope you all enjoyed the tour and all are welcome to hang out. Just call me.

Farting Bubbles and Losing Nipples

So. I spent the weekend up in Franklin, TN. And it rocked! We had some stinking good food and plenty of laughs to go with it. I got to meet some of the most amazing people in the world and share a road trip with a good friend! I really enjoyed the town and would love to move there and enjoy life! But back to the title...

We did a slip and slide on Sunday afternoon and it almost cost me my life! We had four 25 ft. sections going down what I would call a freaking steep hill. And to top it off we put a ramp at the end of it that would shoot you into the air to land not so safely into a kiddie pool. Needless to say it was crazy fun. But we put so much soap on it that it got all in everyone's shorts! And I said that it put new meaning to the phrase "farting bubbles!" I sweat that I had enough soap in my butt that I could really fart some bubbles! The slide was tons of fun even though I missed the landing a few times. One time I was flying down the hill and started to drift to the side. Everyone was standing there so I thought that they would catch me. WRONG! Everyone moved out of the way and I went in the air and then straight to the ground! But it made for some good laughs so whatever.

Now. Losing nipples. Not fun. We had been doing the zip line about halfway so that people could get used to it. A few people had gone and everything was going well. Someone asked who was going to do it from the very top and without missing a beat Shannon and Brock both said that I would. So I did. Not a good idea. I thought everything would be alright because we had engineered the thing to work perfectly. So I go flying down the thing and when I hit the bungee lines one of them snaps and hit me right across the nipples and chest! I screamed out that I lost a nipple! People didn't get it until I raised my shirt and has some pretty huge welts and bruises on my chest! Somebody has pictures but I don't know who. When I get a hold of them I will put them on here. But it's still sore today. But this past weekend was a blast and I had lost of fun! But now it's time to go nurse my wounds and get some sleep. Yes, sleep in the middle of the day! It's a blessing from God, naps that is!

Here's To You

So a few of my friends have complained that I don't write in my blog enough. And it's probably true. I just have a hard time remembering to sit down and write all the things that I do! I guess the reason is that I feel like I never do things that are worth people taking the time to read about them. But I give the people what they want, so here you go.

Today was day one at Brock and Auny's house. Shannon, Mallori, and I drove up to Franklin, TN last night. It was a pretty fun ride with lots of funny stories and laughs that come with them. We met everyone at Starbuck's and spent a good while talking and catching up with everybody. But back to today. We worked on Brock's zip line that he put up at his house last week. We thought we had it fixed but after 3 times we broke it! One of the bungee cables snapped! It was crazy! But we eventually got it fixed to where it will work and be fairly safe.

This afternoon I learned how to ride a dirt bike! We went to a local track and I learned how to ride. I didn't do any of the technical jumps or anything but I did a few loops around. It was a lot of fun! I looked a little goofy trying to learn everything but once I got the hang of it I was able to ride around fast and hit a few little jumps and got some air! I rode for a little while just in circles to get comfortable. But now I know can ride a motorcycle!

Tonight was a lot of fun with everybody! We had some AMAZING Thai food and then some AMAZING chocolate! It was some of the best food that I have ever had. Almost as good as Red Fish from Marina Cafe and Chocolate Stuff from Barbara Jeans! That's how good this stuff was! But it's late, I still haven't adjusted to Central Time at all. Tomorrow is going to be another fun filled day! Good food and dangerous fun! Look out!

When Things Become Real

Going through the Old Testament can sometimes become boring and pointless and even frustrating as the repetitious nature of it becomes evident. The pages are filled with Israel fleeing Egypt being led by Moses and Aaron. The laws are repeatedly laid down by God for the Israelites to follow. The sacrifices that must be done in order for forgiveness to exists are explained countless times throughout the Old Testament. The transformation of Israel also is seen through the books. Israel begins to drift away from the will of God and soon follows the religions of the people around them. As enemies gather around them, the people cry out for a king just like the earthly nations, forgetting their purpose as a nation set apart by God, without the need for a king. Israel continually learns the consequences for allowing sin to go unchecked and they also learn the greatness of God's forgiveness and redemption. Each time a sin was committed, an animal had to spill its blood and die. But also, the person guilty of the sin had to come in contact with the animal to be sacrificed on their behalf. I wonder if we, who call ourselves believers and followers do the same today? Do we understand that for each one of our sins, Christ is brought forth and we are touched by Him and then His precious and perfect blood is spilled for us? And after reading further into the Old Testament, the stories of the judges becomes clearer. Israel needed continual direction from God in order to continue living as a nation set apart. And the funny thing is that the judges were from all over, but they all had a desire for the will of God to be done. Samson is praised by churches in Sunday Schools and from pulpits across the nation as being a warrior for God. But Samson didn't even pray to God! Each time he destroyed the Philistines he took credit himself, disregarding the fact that his strength was directly from God! But he still was used by God in order to fulfill the will of God. And only after being caught and blinded did Samson cry out to God! In his moment of weakness he remembered God and cried out for strength not to glorify God but to get revenge for him being blinded! And God granted the request! How amazing! And Israel finally appealed to Samuel for a king to placed above them so that they would not be defeated by the surrounding nations. They instantly forgot of the great things God had done for them as they left Egypt! They had no faith in God! And guess who they chose as their king? The best looking man! How often do we still do the same today? We "pick" those with the highest seminary degree to be our "kings!" How dare we have no faith or communion with the Holy Spirit as the Israelites! No! We should understand and grasp the significance of Christ's sacrifice on our behalf, we should have the faith in God and daily commune with the Holy Spirit and allow for Spirit led living that can only be done the strength and power of God!

God's Hand and the Love of Christ

New Orleans...the city of sin. I spent a week there. Yes there was sin and sin that I didn't even know was possible! Bourbon St. was a little weird for me. The Lower 9th broke my soul. The story of Red and his USS Budweiser brought tears of laughter and pain. The work ethic of Gail broke my back. The love expressed by Tim brought encouragement. Liz showed me that love is for everybody. Jr. taught me to be thankful and patient. New Orleans Seminary showed me to not accept the standard. The city of New Orleans is amazing. The people are still hurting. The work of the church is not being done or it is being done by celebrities from Hollywood. Why? Where is God's hand and the love of Christ? Where is the church? Where is the bride of Christ? And how does she look? Where are those that profess to believe in God? Why is there still people living in houses that have not been touched in 3 years? This week will be me writing out my thoughts and questions as I spent a week working with people in New Orleans rebuilding their lives. I have many questions and many thoughts. They are too many to write without writing a book. But they will tell the stories of a few people that I met and helped out and they will also present some questions for the church. Take them seriously. God is ready to reveal himself, but will we let Him?

Rain

Today I drove home in the rain. It has been raining every other day it seems like. But we need it and God is providing. Next week is spring break! I came home to rest and sleep...and eat real food...before I leave Sunday. A group of us from school are heading down to New Orleans to work with people from East New Orleans. We will be working with people in their yards, building houses, playing with kids, and so on. I am pretty excited to go down and share God with people. I pray that God will do amazing things this next week while we are there. I pray that people will see the glory of God through our lives and actions and words. And because the glory of God was revealed to them through our lives they well see Christ and experience His love! That is my prayer! So I ask all of you...or anyone of you who reads my blog to pray that as well! Thanks to all!