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SubscriptionsSites I Read
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| Ruling the world...I once read a book from our Church library, being a pre-owned book, there were the cursory marks, underlining, side notes, and what have you. Most of these contributions went unnoticed, save for one. In a chapter about the nature of Marriage, the author affirmed his unwavering belief that marriage is an institution solely between a man and a woman. The previous owner dashed this line out and above it wrote NO! NO! NO! underlined multiple times. This caught my eye because in doing this, the author was trying to alter reality. He or She was trying to alter the fact that a renowned theologian disagreed with his/her point of view; and simply write this fact out of the book. As if a single dash mark and child like negation bring the universe into accordance their preferred perception and of reality.
All I could do was laugh because at the end of the day, the sentence was still there. The owner had changed nothing.
I too am guilty of doing this. Many people who know me well will testify that if I can not get something I want, I will find ways to work the system to make it work for me (outright rebellion was never my style). Usually I am successful, but every now and then (aka today) I come across a barrier that I cant manipulate.
And I want to yell NO! NO! NO! to make it better.
But it wont.
No matter how far I run, how many times I try to break these walls in front of me, how many dash marks I use, I am fearful that I can't find a way around them
And it makes me angry.
I wonder if indeed this is the greatest sin, believing that we can change reality. After all, were not Adam and Eve looking for a paradigm shift?
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| P.S.
Im Still Alive
Yours Truly,
Alex
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| A plane flew through the clouds, heading East-North-East, soaring loud and proud as it aligned itself for final approach at Detroit Metro. Thousands of feet below on a porch on the back of one of the thousand cookie cutter houses, he sat, staring up at it as it vanished over the tree line. He pushed some smoke through his lips towards and watched the wind intermingle with it before it, too, vanished. As he looked away, a tree got his attention, and violently stirred up emotions within him.
He did not know what about this tree caused this to happen. He had looked upon this tree many times before in his life. After all, it was in his back yard. But what caused him more anguish was the emotion.
This emotion had been bothering him frequently over the past month, wholly because he could only describe it in one word:
Chicago
Quite an interesting word to describe an emotion, he thought. People would often say "I am from Chicago", but no one would answer "Im feeling quite Chicago today." If they did, they would probably receive a few references to a clinical psychologist.
Could it be because more people in his life were related to Chicago in some way, perhaps went to School in Chicago, or were originally from Chicago, or once ate at a really good pizza place that was styled "Chicago". He doubted this, at best these things would trigger a vague familiarity with the Windy City, not a passionate emotion. And what did this innocent tree, or the dozens of other mundane events in his life over the fast few weeks, do to bring this on him?
This feeling, it was almost like hope, it was almost like peace, but it seemed darker. It wasn't despair either, it was to passive of a feeling. But yet it suffocated him, rendering him incapable of any other thought. It was almost as if hope and despondency collided into each other at full throttle, obliterated each other, and all that was left was... Chicago.
Then it hit him, he felt this way once in Chicago, on a missions trip. But He had felt this way before had he not? The Spring of his Senior year felt like it was a mix of joy and gloom. As had the first few weeks of Freshman year. Long lakeside walks with Addie, the list went on. Bittersweetness was something that he felt frequently. But never before so powerfully, and with such strong attachment to a singular place.
What was it about this place?
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| Blessed is the man who finds wisdom,... She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her... Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. -Proverbs 3:13,15,17 G-d is good. Since I've been back at Hope, i've had to deal with the usuall returning college student sorts of things. Re-adjusting back to college life, re-aquainting with people, trying to re-find the place you fit into. As a result, I've spent alot of time running, and alot of time outside thinking. And It's been amazing, G-d has revealed so much of his beauty to me, whether it be in sunsets, in just the trickle of a creek, in the women of Hope, everywhere. Its odd just how more accutly aware of G-d's presence I am here. And a great thing has happened, Im more at peace with it all than last year. And, praise him from whom all blessings flow, I feel like im not alone. Since I've been here, I have been a party to so many great discussions about G-d. Many more than last year. I'm really feeling that G-d is going to move amongst the students at Hope, and make his glory shine this year. | | |
| Email's I should not be gettingI got this in my inbox the other day... Ive Done the Math, and there is a good chance I'd Be elligible... Life is moving way to fast...
"As a student with 66 credits, you may be completing graduation requirements and the minimum 126 credits in the next year. If you will graduate between December 2007 and December 2008 please apply to graduate by Friday, September 28 th. " -Registrars Office | | |
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