Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Carpe Fricken Diem

It seems like school has become overly repetitive for me. Class, class, class, class, lunch, class, class class. Homework, more homework, mix in a little frustration, a little boredom, and a little anxiety for the weekend and you get the perfect recipe for a pretty mediocre day. It's not very satisfying going through the motions everyday, waiting impatiently as the secondhand slowly rounds the clock minute by minute. It's draining, it's slowly eating away at me, taking away my motivation. While I feel like it may be just beginning, I need to stop it. I need to remember that each day is a chance to learn something new, to try something new, to glorify God. He is with me throughout the day, and while I do remind myself of that now, it is time that I stop reminding and start embracing. Stop telling and start acting. In the words of Brent Phillip, I need to view every day as a battle field, I need to not just make it through every day, I need to conquer everyday.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

True Beauty

When the youth group went to the Grand Canyon, I couldn't help but be amazed by the magnificent beauty and staggering views that it produced. As I looked down a straight drop off, shivers sending down my spine, I was in awe of the power that the canyon gave off; it was almost humbling to see a such a large natural occurrence and realize how small we really are. As I looked across the 10 miles that the canyon spanned for the first time, I couldn't help but drop my jaw wide open. I will always remember that we were listening to Hips Don't Lie as the first glimpse of the canyon appeared through the evergreen trees.

The sheer beauty of the canyon was amazing, to say the least, yet that is not the type of beauty that I think should be appreciated, almost worshiped, as it is. While this was truly one of God's magnificent creations, it doesn't even compare to the beauty of his most divine and truly beautiful creation.

True Beauty.

True Beauty is not any natural landmark or any technological advancement for that matter. True Beauty is you and I, he and she, and him and her. It is them, those guys, and us. It is "Hey! What's Up?" and "How are you?". It is late night Facebook chats and middle of the day heart-to-heart talks. It is hanging loose and chilling out. True Beauty. That's Right, I'm talking about relationships, friends, loved ones. While they may go under appreciated and can lack the recognition of some other of God's magnificent creations, they deserve the most appreciation and the most recognition. The True Beauty of relationships is something that I can get used to appreciating.

Sunday, September 6, 2009


This is the solar system in my room. I'm getting rid of it so I took a picture. It will always be in my heart.

To answer your question Bill...

For me, it's sometimes hard to remember that to have a significant impact on someone you don't necessarily need to do something huge and impressive. You don't have to save someone from a burning house or give them CPR to resuscitate them. I mean these things are amazing, but I only experience these situations like once a week so it is hard to do them everyday. So in my life, I try to find significance in the way that I act around others. I try to just respect everyone and try to reflect Jesus through my actions, really to be a light to them. While I am certainly not always right on with this, nor am I a walking worshipper through the hallways of school or the streets of Hinsdale, I think that by having a small impact on someone's life, whether it is helping someone with a homework problem, starting a conversation with a loner, or inviting someone to youth group (all things that can be really hard to do), you can certainly still have a significant impact. So while I certainly wouldn't mind talking to someone at school for a long time and introducing them to God and my beliefs (as difficult as that would be), I know that there are other ways to have a significant impact.