Reverse Tendencies

Usually, I am a night person.  I would rather stay up late and do something than ever get up early.

However, I occasionally have a reversal tendency where I have something I would rather wait as long as possible to do, and will go to sleep instead of finishing it, waking up early to complete it.

Tonight is one of those nights.

I was primed to be up into the wee hours of the morning, but after showering and beginning to work, have decided I would rather sleep now and get up in the morning to do the actual writing.  

I'll see the world again sometime between 7:30 and 8:00

Moments of Encouragement

Looking for a job in this economy can be frustrating.  

As it is most of the way through January now, it becomes eerie to think that I haven't even found an opening worth sending a resume to.  Not exactly how I would have planned leaving a job that treated me amazingly well to go back to school...

Because of that, meetings about employment are either load-bearing or encouraging.  Today was one of the encouraging ones.

Talking through thought processes, preferred options, skill sets, dreams, and the like with a person who has on and off again played a mentoring role in my life lifted my spirits this afternoon.

I was encouraged to see across from me a man who would fight so hard to help me attain the things I wanted first, and to offer other options as things he thinks would fit well and should be considered second.

It was nice to be filled with hope again today.

Dallas (Dalton Sherman)

I would be excited about working with kids in the public schools of Dallas after this...

What a great kid.

we may all be in trouble if I start putting videos in these things

Monday Cravings

I realized a couple of weeks ago that I crave the same food for dinner almost every Monday.

Pretty much every Monday I want sesame chicken for dinner from the Chinese place we get takeout from near us.

The only unfortunate thing is the schedule of that restaurant actually has it closed on Mondays.

Guess what we are having for dinner Tuesday night?

Can't Think

I simply can't think of anything to blog about...

So here is the question of the day for you to ponder, the 5 of us that ate lunch together used the internet to find the most precise answer we could...

Where and When was Latin Who's primary language?

Delicacies

Small group moved to Thursday night this week.  It fit better with everyone's schedules.

We have the most amazing small group hosts, and keeping in rythm with that they fine tuned tonight's treats with the celebration of our (Jenny and I) anniversary.

Hot Dogs and Raspberry Sherbet.

1 for me, 1 for Jenny.  They covered the important delicacies of our individual lives.

Awesome

I'd Still Cry

3 years ago when Jenny walked down the aisle towards me, I cried like a little girl.

If the same thing were to happen today, I'd still cry.

I am overwhelmed with the love I have for Jenny and the luck I have that she returns it. It is far more than I deserve.

I was broken by it then and I am broken by it now.

3 years and counting and I would still cry.

Re-Affirmed

After watching the inaugural address this morning, I headed to sit in on a class at the Seminary for the afternoon.

I was re-affirmed in my choice for best professor at the Seminary as I listened to one of my former professors guest teaching in another professor's class.

Anyone who can get me that excited about someday preaching through the law sections of the Old Testament has to be an amazing teacher.

I took all the classes he offered that were within my degree while I was there, and if I were to audit after graduating (graduated students audit for free) I'd audit his classes.

On that note, I'm off to thinking about where to eat dinner as Jenny and I celebrate our three year anniversary tomorrow.

Historical Significance

There has been a lot of media portraying the inauguration service tomorrow for President Elect Obama as an historical event.  

I belive it will be historical.  

There has been much less media this year portraying the siginificance of Martin Luther King Jr. as a result of the attention given to the inauguration.

I believe this is unfortunate.

I'm curious which event people look at with more significance, the past history of MLK or the future possibility of Obama?

I for one will lean towards the MLK side, probably forever.  There are few things I think Obama could do that would be of more significance, and most of those he takes pretty clear stances against ever doing.

While I agree that Obama's election is already historical and that his presidency has the possibility of being vastly historical, I imagine that history will show MLK a more significant contributor to the good of America.

Anyone have the same or a different opinion?

Random Networking Note

Nothing to say tonight of importance...

So, if you have a facebook page, please be my friend.

If you are really cool, you can be Jenny's friend too.

Meal Tracker.....

Jenny out of town for two days.

Meal one...

Yay for taste (McDonald's)

Boo for health

Yay for efficiancy (used a coupon)

Boo for delivery (walking in the -10 weather)

Overall....Typical bachelorish meal.

Edit 1: Before Bed

Meal two...

Popcorn...(but you should have guessed that)

Edit 2: Next Afternoon

Skipped lunch because I was lazy. Don't plan on eating until work at library is done and i'm heading home, which likely means i'll pick up more fast food...Just got very excited for dinner.

Edit 3:  10:00 p.m.

Spicy Chicken sandwich, nuggets and fries from Wendy's for dinner.  Can't beat the fast food.  Normally need a Frosty to dip stuff in, but -20 is getting me away from the cold stuff today.

Time to make a bag of popcorn now.  Maybe tomorrow, i'll eat something healthy.  Jenny will return tomorrow night, so chances will improve 10 fold then.

Far more Enjoyable

Using the Seminary Library to do the research that I enjoy instead of something for a project brings way more relaxation and enjoyment than my typical use of that library.

Too bad in the next couple of days I will have to use it for an assignment again, instead of always just getting to use it for my benefit and enjoyment.

Dinner and Movie Date

Roomie bought dinner and a movie tonight.

Jenny joined us for dinner, but left the guys alone for our movie date night.

She's enthralled in a book, we were enthralled in an action flick.

More nights like this please (not because she went away and read, but because we all relaxed).

Almost a Football Post Break

It is almost for an seven month break from any football related posts, but not quite yet.

After having all 4 of my preferred teams lose last week, I rebounded some this week.  3 of the 4 teams I wanted to win this week won.

I'm finding it less likely that I will have any vested interest in who wins the Superbowl (I was one of the "Patriots need to lose" people last year), so I'll be looking forward to the commercials in earnest. 

We are now hoping for a Baltimore/Philly Superbowl if I got to pick it.

Things I Believe

In just over a week, I have to turn in my statement of faith to the Seminary to be reviewed before graduating.

That means that I have to think through each of the areas listed on the outline below. If you are interested in any of those areas and what my beliefs in them are and why, feel free to comment and I will likely dedicate one of my future posts to it.

I. Scripture

a. Revelation

b. Inspiration

c. Illumination

d. Authority

e. Inerrancy

II. God

a. Attributes or qualities

b. The Trinity

c. Works of God

i. Creation

ii. Providence

iii. Angels and demons; Satan

III. Humanity

a. The makeup of human nature

b. The purpose or destiny of humanity

IV. Sin

a. The nature of sin

b. The effects of sin

c. The nature and extent of original sin

V. Jesus Christ

a. The humanity of Jesus Christ

b. The deity of Jesus Christ

c. The atonement

VI. Holy Spirit

a. Person

b. Work

c. Gifts

VII. Salvation

a. Union with Christ

b. Grace

c. Faith/Repentance

d. Regeneration

e. Justification

f. Sanctification

g. Glorification

VIII. The Church

a. Nature, Mission and Function of the Church

b. Offices of the Church

c. Ordinances of the Church

IX. The Last Things

a. Death

b. Intermediate state

c. Second coming

d. Resurrection

e. Millennial and tribulational views

f. Eternal states

Working In the Middle of the Night

Jenny needed my help at work today.  She was at work and needed something from the house.  

She called me (how many times was it before i woke up?) to give her some information from here.

It was 9:00 a.m.

It was the middle of my sleep.

You can try to guess how many hours that means I slept.

Somewhere between 16 (which would be from 1:00 until 5:00) and 2 which would be from 8:00 to 10:00.

Let the guessing begin.

Why is the Important Part

Do you have a favorite book of the Bible?

I discovered recently that it is harder for me to answer the favorite verse question than the favorite book question.

Was just curious if any of you have a favorite book of the Bible, but most importantly, why that book is your favorite?

Maybe you can help me narrow down my favorite book (either Deuteronomy or John) and my favorite verse (Romans 12:1-2, Hebrews 10:39, John 10:10, or numerous others).

Chillin with a Classic

I finally got to start "The Brothers Karamazov" today by Fyodor Dostoevsky.  

It is a classic novel that I'm excited to read.

It is 700 pages long.  Not weeny pages either.  Like 650 words a page.

It will be the longest novel I have ever read.  

It is a book that will be short on humor, which I knew from the start, buy may have had the funniest foreward by the author that I have ever read.

For all intensive purposes, he told you that you probably wouldn't like the book.  And told critics that they not even feel obligated to read all of it.  Had they got bored in the first half, he explains that the second half won't redeem it.  

The funniest review I read in it was this:

Dostoevsky is the only psychologis, incidentally, from whom I had something to learn; he ranks amonst the most beautiful strokes of forutune in my life.

Friedrich Nietzsche

The book aims to answer questions/philosophies/theologies of the origin of man, of the nature of God, and of the problem of evil in this world and the best response to it.

It is renowned for having "the strongest arguments ever formulated against the existence of God."

In all, it is the tale of three brothers and how they deal with the murder of their father, one a sensualist, one an intellectual, and one an idealist.

I'm excited.

I hope that excitment can carry me through the depth and breadth of this book.

Can't Have It My Way

The NFL playoffs have started.  This is one of the few sports that have playoffs figured out well.  No stupid 7 game series.  No stupid guess at who is champion.  No stupid league where all but 2 teams make the playoffs.

The NFL has true playoffs.

The first 4 games took place this weekend.   I would have correctly guessed the winner of 3 of the 4.  

Though that is true, none of the 4 teams I wanted to win won.  I guess the playoffs can't go the way I want them to this year.

Anybody have a reason I should be cheering for any of the remaining teams now?

Not a Promising Start

I think it was a trick.

I don't know what happened, but I found myself cooking dinner for 3 tonight.

I don't cook.

But this wasn't a frozen pizza, hot dogs, or macaronni. I made an actual meal.

Not a promising start. I might have to be more handy around the kitchen this year.

I set the bar too high.

Happy New Year

Nothing makes you feel dumber to start out a new year than playing Trivial Pursuit with people who are far more knowledgeable in those categories than you are.

I literally failed history in high school. I hate geography, have never been an artist or interested in it, read a lot, but very little of it is considered literature. Didn't enjoy much of science. Entertainment and Sports were where I needed to camp.

If only it was biblical history or biblical geography, my chances may have been improved.