Currently Listening When It's All Over We Still Have to Clear Up By Snow Patrol see related

Confirm the work of our hands

I'm not gonna do the general several-day recap.  Just know this:

Minnie isn't feeling too great - so please pray for her; she needs to rest, and eat properly.  Also, her dragon, Bud, isn't feeling well either - and she worries about him more than she does herself.  Which worries me.  So, let's quit being anxious and pray for her already.  I am specifically praying and meditating on Psalm 90 for Minnie; she really enjoyed it last week when we read it together - maybe especially since Minnie got to meet her second great-great-grandchild for the first time that night.  Thanks for praying.

I've just started lifting again, and it feels great.  It actually kinda hurts - but its the good kinda hurt.  It feels like I've done something.  I miss that feeling.  I'm knocking the rust off, getting things moving again.  I did squats (what a great exercise) Wednesday, and they still have me walking strangely.  If you did something to me that would require me to chase you down, you would probably get away (this time).  And the T/R workouts with Lenny are as encouraging as ever.

Life is... a lot of things.  Hectic.  Full.  Good.  Tomorrow I will be preaching at a nursing home - Jason, a guy from my preaching class, generally does it, but is going to let me have a go.  I am excited about this, and I very much hope the Lord will use me to encourage everyone tomorrow morning.  I'm still not sure what I will preach to them though...  The opportunity came up at the last minute, so I will be up tonight praying and thinking this out.  Not such a bad way to spend a Friday night, when you think about it.

Currently Listening Nightswimming By R.E.M. see related

What the Gospel does

Today at lunch, I ran into another of my old coworkers, Eric, at Arbies.  Turns out we don't work that far from each other now.  I told him about running into another of our old coworkers, Jim (see previous blog) this past weekend.  Eric and I talked about how everyone's life had changed since then - and he showed me some pics of his kids (he didn't have any when I knew him) - and he's got another on the way (!).  And then he tells me, "Oh yeah, I'm a Christian now."

It was the coolest thing.  I just sorta stood there, happy.  I love getting waylaid with good news about the Good News.

I haven't seen Eric in about 5 years, since we worked together.  And before that, I knew Eric through my friends older brother (who I saw this past weekend, but didn't talk to, namely because he was going into a bar, and I had Bill with me for movie watching).  Eric was friends with the older brother - they were in the same fraternity.  So before I was obeying the Lord, I was doing a lot of disobeying the Lord at parties that Eric used to also be disobeying at.

So, I was really stoked to hear how it happened, Eric's salvation from sin and death.  He summarily said, "I had just bought a new house, and I was sitting in it, and I couldn't stand that this was all there was to life.  I had it, the stuff life was supposedly about, and it wasn't it, it wasn't it."  His wife had begun asking if they could go to church together, so they began attending a small country church, and about a year after that, Eric was baptized.  He laughed, saying it took him a while for it to sink in, to take it in.  Now he is a deacon and youth group leader.  Eric agreed to eat with us, and we talked some more - it was really encouraging.

I kept smiling to myself, thinking how cool it was that I was talking about God and spiritual life with a guy who wasn't a Christian when I last saw him 5-6 years ago.  My desk had been right next to Eric's - I used to stack soft drink cans along the desk partition we shared.  Anyhow, the last time I saw Eric was the day I was laid off from the place we worked together; and this about a month after the death of two of my best friends. 

Since I was being laid off, Eric, being the IT guy, had to remove my computer login permission while I was in the  "sorry, we gotta cut our costs" meeting.  (I didn't mind it much, really.)  It was a short meeting, and I just wanted to grab my stuff, burn a CD of emails off my computer, and go home.  When I couldn't log on to my computer, I sat down, stupified - thinking the worst.  I was trying to keep it together, scared that my profile had been deleted from the server, and with it, my friends emails; the thought shook me pretty badly.  Eric was sitting just across the partition between our desks, but I couldn't ask him about the it - it took me a while to calm down, not sure I could talk without falling apart.  Finally, I went over and asked Eric if he could somehow burn a CD of my email archive file, and I started crying, shaking, thinking it was already deleted.  But Eric promised he would burn a CD of the emails, and he did.

And that was the last time I saw him before today.

Currently Listening Tea & Sympathy By Bernard Fanning see related

long nights, hard times, everything that makes ya feel tired

It's sorta weird.  I stayed up all last night working on a sermon for class (I just preached it - more like just read it standing up).  I sure hope everyong was edified, though.  I tried really hard to make sure there was lots of truth in it, and not too many farm illustrations.  But I feel good.  But I wonder if sleep dep makes you have sensory hallucinations, like music that isn't there, but your thinking it?  Or is it really playing?  Its a Sufjan Stevens one.  Can't recognize it though.

Man, did it feel good to get a shower after 14 hours of sitting at a computer.  Wait!  make that at least 27 hours of sitting at a computer!  Its all I did at work on Monday before this all happened!  Cripes, that is just an absolute filthy way to live.  Anyhow,  I didn't want to shave today, for class, but I did.  But I left my side burns on out of protest!  I am sorely tempted to just let me hair grow out again, and be like Blake and Robbi at Skyline, these two skinny southern Alabama emo-guitar rocker guys who are absolutely crass, but fun natured guys

I almost wrote "good natured guys."  I have now retired that term.  It is a meaningless phrase.  Fun natured is the new phrase.  I am fun natured, myself, actually.

You know, I think there may have been a lot of 10 or 15 minute time lapses that just disappered during the night, but I didn't realize it, because I didn't move or anthing - maybe just blanked out or something.  Sometimes I'd look at the clock, and be absolutely ticked off that it would be like an hour later than when I last looked at the clock, and then after 1 oclock I stopped caring.

So this past Friday, I grabbed Wild Bill and we went to Harvest Homecoming with my brother Keith.  Keith got a fried snickers bar, and I got a fried Reeses cup.  And it only cost 3 dollars!  Then I got a 6 dollar (!) gyro that tasted gross, but I ate it.  Its the chance you take with carnival/fair food.  I also saw an old co-worker of mine, Jim, and we caught up - turns out the place we used to work is no longer open for business (Hot diggidty!).  It was a non-viable enterprise - not. good. idea.  Don't miss it.  And everyone I used to work with is now doing their own thing - adopting kids from China was the most random one.  I also saw the older brother of a guy I was friends with in high school - but I didn't talk to him.  I actually crossed the street.  Because going to the video store to rent Halloween (Jamie Lee Curtis is really a MAN!) and then debate whether the movie adequately portrays the existence of true evil, and Bill and I concur on this point - it DOES.

And then I woke up too late and spent all Saturday trying to get the sermon started. I thought I got about 1/2 way done, but I was WRONG, wasn't I.  Then the Doug had people over, and somebody dragged "Guy-girl-stupid-not-cool-culture-of-non-hook-upage-isn't-it-a-problem-at-IBC" out of its storage dumpster to kick it around and then I got the feeling I would never have this time to live again so I figured I would be more productive cleaning up the kitchen.  If you've heard one "Guy-girl-stupid-not-cool-culture-of-non-hook-upage-isn't-it-a-problem-at-IBC" conversation you've heard em all, and I want absolutely no part in those conversations anymore.  I will leave the room.  You can watch me leave the room.  It is entirely the same exact verbage every single time.  But I also made some really kick-ace tea while in the kitchen; I am getting awfully fond of the tea lately.  Green tea.  Earl Grey.  They're all pretty good actually.

So anyhow, Sunday, I wanted to skip church, but went, and heard the same sermon a guy in my preaching class just preached on thursday - same points, and everything!  Which is okay - it's not like the Bible is copyrighted or anything.  Oh wait.  The NIV is.  But I'm a NASB man, so no sweatin' it there.

And then Mr. Jenks (what a cool last name) got me a CD for Ms. Minnie.  I had planned only staying there an hour, but needed to talk to Nancy to make sure Bud the Bearded Dragon doesn't die - the lizard needs a heat lamp if he's gonna make it through December.  We had to force feed him a few worms - hopefully he'll rebound, but its touch and go.

Minnie has been sorely anxious over Bud; she hasn't been feeling well, and she told me she might need to go to the hospital, but she doesn't want to go cuz then she wouldn't be able to take care of Bud, and then I started getting loud and causing a ruckus, yelling something about Minnie being a heckuva lot more important than a dumb lizard, and Minnie was laughing at me causing a ruckus, and I stopped yelling and promised to take care her fish and lizard if she has to go anywhere, and we hugged and had a good laugh. 

I can lose it sometimes.  I really can.

So Nancy had left to get a heat lamp, and I was changing Levi's water when she came back.  She needed new battery cable ends for her car battery, so I finished the fish bowl duty, got the tools, baking soda, Vaseline, and electrical tape from next door, and got her car going again.  I really like fixing things.  Its like a fix, for fixing things.  And then I had to leave after that, and I didn't get to study Psalm 90 with Ms. Minnie, so I promised we would read the Bible this weekend.

Finally went grocery shopping, and by the time I got home, It was much too late to even hope the sermon would get done - but I got to work anyhow.  Then Mark Timmons needed to drop a rental car off at the airport, so I followed him down.  And then I did somethign I have never done in my life.  I instinctually locked my car doors.  It wasn't an "Oh, I should prolly lock the doors because something bad might happen if I don't" - it was not anything like that.  It was more of an unconscious lower brain reflex sorta thing.  or maybe I have "Spider-sense"; that would be cool.

I had parked my car at the departing level, while Timmons dropped his rental off a level below, and I noticed in my rearview mirror a guy walking up the side walk, about 20-25 feet behind my car.  A few seconds later, my finger automatically triggered and locked the car doors, and I almost had time to laugh at myself - cause it seemed sortof a paranoid thing to do.  But there wasn't a lot of time for that sorta thing because the guy I'd just seen in my review was now working the handle of my car's passenger door, trying to open it.  Since the door was locked (Go nija reflexes, Go!) the guy then hung on the car, and looked in the window - and sure nuff, he was as cracked-out as they come.  I said told him to take off, which he ignored - he just kept hangin on the car, staring in the window.  Then I rolled the window down, just enough so he could see how serious I was about giving him a reason to get the heck off my car, and he got the idea and walked away.  It was the right decision.

Then Mark showed up, and we drove home.

Airports are random; they must import the stuff.

man. class gets out at 10 tonight.  guess I should go to it, since I'm kinda late.

Catching up

Since I've last written, my friend Matt came and went, as did the Sufjan Stevens show, as did a lot of other things.  Here's a quick recapitulation:

Friday, 9/22/06: Matt arrives, and Louisville is getting gully-washed, a torrential downpour.  Streets flood.  We stay up til 2am.

Saturday, 9/23/06 - Matt and I break fast at Twig-n-leaf.  We both order the pancake platter.  The waiter ask, "What, are you two brothers or something?" Matt answers, "Almost."  Matt and I don't look that much alike, but total strangers employed in the food-service industry seem to think so.  Later in the afternoon, Matt left for home, and I left for the Sufjan show in Indy with me pals Lindsay, Stu, Rebecca, Eric, James, and Christine.  The show was great - especially the song "Predatory Wasp Creature of the Palisades", which ended with Sufjan beating the piano keys to death with his fists.  I think the song is about the death of a best friend.  Majestic Snow Bird was an incredible and happy surprise (I'd never heard it before).  I splurged and finally got the Michigan album, and on the drive home, listened to the song Romulus 3 times - I had been waiting to hear this song for a long long time.  I probably would have cried if my pals hadn't been in the car with me, and I hadn't been so happy the song surpassed all my expectations.

Tuesday, 10/3/06 - Went to the doctor.  It wasn't a good time.

Wednesday, 10/4/06 - Went to physical therapy; it went really well.  The PT was pretty amazed at my flexibility.  I kinda figured I was more limber than most, but not exceptional.  But no, the PT said I'm pretty much outstanding with the flexibility.  So I have a small muscle in my neck which is torn, but it should heal O.K. - not scarred for life, I guess.  Will just have to stretch and work out so as not to exacerbate it.  Later, I went to Keith's and we watched some of the UK Office, and had some good laughs.

Thursday, 10/5/06 - Played pool with Rich, Ha, Howie, and Shannon at Olivers.

Lately, I've been amazed at how the pup's progressing.  The other night, I got her to do 5 commands in a row: come, sit, gimme paw, lay down, speak.  It's like not seeing a nephew for a couple of weeks, and then boom - the kid is rolling over or sitting up by himself.  Exept Rumor isn't doing either of those things (on command at least).  I can aaalmost get her to "roll over"; she'll do it sometimes, but mostly she just gets frustrated and whines.  She also took her incalcitrance to new heights last night by urinating at the bottom of the stairs while making eye contact with me.  She'd not tried urinating in the house in front of me before, and I hope after getting punished (the hard part of puppy training), she won't do it again.

Oh man, gonna be late for class! 

Currently Listening Broken Boy Soldiers By The Raconteurs see related

Laughing in my sleep

Last night was awesome.  I was laughing in my sleep, and it kept waking me up from about 3am till I had to wake up at 7am.  Mostly, the dream had to do with being at seminary in a class (and laughing at my friends), and then later being outside in a big field, roaming around, and then catching a ride on a moving train.  I kept waking up, and then going back to sleep chuckling.  I think the dream somehow shows a move or change that's happened in my heart in regards to seminary, life, and myself.  I can laugh about things again, and that is a really good, good place to be.

Yesterday's talks, and all the pondering I've been doing, had a lot to do with the dream, no doubt.  I had a really cool talk with Lenny at lunch yesterday about the calling and the future, and then happened upon Theo right after that, and we had a nice talk about the ol' Whitsitt Hall days.  Then I turned in a book report which was two weeks late and skipped a class to cram for a test in the next class.  Not sure I did too well on it, though.

Tonight, I am going to the parent's to goof off some more with my bros, take my sister the Jack Johnson CD I bougth her a month ago (but have been to stupidly busy to give to her yet), but before that I will stop by Ear Xtacy and purchase the Raconteurs album.  I heard their song "Steady As She Goes," on WFPK and it excited me terribly.  Turns out the Broken Boy Soldiers album has been out forever (trans: since May), and I'm just now getting it.  Figures.

In other news, Matt will be coming to town again, one night only, this Friday.  I had questioned myself earlier, "Is it possible for this week to get any better?", what with the whole Sufjan Stevens show this Saturday, and the answer is: "Yes; apparently, it can."  And it is.