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| An Officer and a GentlemanSo my Pops never did teach me no gentleman skills like opening doors and helping ladies with they luggage... I had to learn it on my own... sometimes the hard way. I remember when I went to South Africa with a team of 8 girls and 3 guys, I learned so much about how guys should take care of girls... but more than that, I learned that women are crazy because they think guys should be able to read their minds.
When I used to go out with Begs, she would mention all these little gentlemanly things that she liked so, being the gentleman that I was, I tried to incorporate them into my natural routine. Since then, I've learned to open doors, help with heavy items, offer my coat when it's cold, open car doors, walk on the outside of the sidewalk, and other various gentlemanly things.
I noticed my dad is bad at this stuff. I once saw him totally
let the door close on my mom and aunt. So I guess it's not surprise
when I opened the car door for my mom, she asked if I'm working up my
skills to get a girlfriend. haha.
I was in a training session with one of my classmates who's from Texas and she pointed out to me that I was good at it. I never thought I was good at being a gentleman because, quite frankly, I forget a lot of times. My other friend from Dallas told me that guys from the South are good at that stuff. So I guess that made me feel good.
Anyways... here are some things I've learned on my quest to becoming more of a gentleman. First, some people just don't appreciate it. I don't know how many times I've opened the door for a stranger and they just walk on through without acknowledging it. I ain't your doorman, sucka! Second, it really makes you more of a servant because you start
thinking of others first... it makes you slow down... and I like that.
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| Andres the SkepticThen Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
[ John 20:28-30 ]
I recently heard someone share about how their company that they co-founded has done really well. Though there's much more to the story, the one thing that stuck out to me was what they said about how so many things could've gone wrong with the company, but because of God's grace, the company somehow ended up being really successful. My initial reaction when I hear stuff like this is usually... well, what about the guy who just got laid off, is God's favor not on him? And on a deeper, global level... what about the multitudes of people who faithfully trust God yet they're being murdered in record numbers all around the world... is God's favor not on them?
I was cleaning up the living room and watching a show on HBO. There was a person who was an EMT and he talked about how being a paramedic made him not believe in God because he couldn't understand why pastors, priests, and children would die in terrible car accidents yet drunk drivers would walk away without a scratch.
What bugs me is that no amount of deep theological explanations will ever break through that person's coldness towards God... because the true emotional reality just doesn't fit logic in these scenarios.
I guess I'm just saying that God's grace is there for us whether our company makes billions or when we file for bankruptcy... in the presence of celebration or in the midst of terrible tragedy... in prosperity or in hardship. And maybe, I really don't understand His grace and that's why it's hard for me to attribute seasons of plenty and lack to His overflowing grace. I guess that's why I need it more than ever.
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| Nothing ProfoundAs for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
[ Genesis 50:20 ]
Earlier tonight, I thought about my good friend and this strangely pleasant memory I have of her. Friends that carry on great conversations are rare and should be cherished.
I was wrestling with a passage of scripture from the Bible, Matthew 5:48, so I thought to ask what she thought it meant. She always has a way of explaining things so I understand them. Maybe she's just good at explaining things. I always tell her how smart she is and she usually replies back confirming that she is aware of her above-average intelligence but not in an arrogant sort of way. I thought about this memory and it made me smile as I drove home.
Tonight, I did some reading and came across a quote that was the source of certain comfort in the midst of great turmoil in my life... roughly about the same time a year ago. I hope to understand it more and let my life reflect it even more so with each passing day... the knowledge that God is always in control.
The hardened disobedience of men's hearts leads not to the frustration of God's plans, but to their fruition. [ John Piper - Desiring God ]
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| WatersA piece of driftwood travels along a calm, almost Zen-like, river. The rapids and fall seem to be a distant memory... like a bad dream from the forgotten past. The splinters still give testament to the atrocious time that is now an insignificant moment but only a minute away in the mind's eye.
Insignificant. I guess that would be a good lyric to describe its terrible song. It's a song that I can't get out of my head. I'm not angry about it... I guess it just makes me sad.
But it's okay, really. I think about new waters and how refreshing it all is. I imagine a secret brook pouring out from the rock where I can taste and see all the goodness of second, third, and hundredth chances. I can feel her cool touch to my face, erasing all the memories of a scorching sun. Like an adventurer who's found a chest full of treasure, I dip my hands in her stream and sip in her life. She is ancient in time but so very new to me. She is the secret that everyone knew about except for me. She is everything I never imagined an oasis to be but everything I wanted just to quench my thirst. I can only wish it to be true as this piece of driftwood keeps floating on by... drifting along the calm, almost Zen-like, river.
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| A Penny EarnedOn this black Ikea shelf in my room, I have two glass jars that I use to collect my loose change. I jokingly tell people that it was my ring fund, which could've been true considering my current pace on the road to finding a spouse. I heard that Coinstar will waive the 8% fee if you convert your amount into a gift certificate for certain stores like Starbucks, Amazon, and Circuit City. And if you didn't know by now... free is a very good word for Taiwanese people.
I've been dropping coins into these jars for years now so it was a bit of a strange feeling to see them empty. I liked the idea of starting over and then I wondered what cool gadget or device I would end up buying with my next batch of coins in a few years. Maybe they'll come up with a death ray that I can use on people who cut me off on the road. Death ray... can't wait. For the time being, I just stuck to my thoughts about what I could buy with a Circuit City gift card.
As I was putting the coins into the machine at Albertson's, a large amount of them fell on the floor. There was a terrifying crash as everyone turned and looked at me. Who's this loser with the coins? And why is he so good looking? One of the employees came over to help me because "she had nothing else to do" but I think it was because of my new hair cut and sexy earlobes... but I'll take her word for it. She told me that it happens all the time. That makes me feel better, I said. I then asked, What's the worst case you've seen? She laughed and said, Actually, this is probably the worst case... it's usually little, old ladies... if that makes you feel better. She's definitely not on the ring fund list.
I finally put all the coins in and, to my surprise, I had over $350 in coins. So Mike D and I went over to the City of Circuits to dream of all the different things I could buy. At first, I was going to buy a point and shoot camera because I was getting tired of always lugging my SLR everywhere... but I decided to get a GPS instead since I'm always getting lost. So now I have a dilemma, I still want a camera, but I have $75 in gift cards for Circuit City and I have $100 for Best Buy... but the camera I would probably get is $179. Anybody going to buy something big at Best Buy or Circuit City anytime soon? Maybe Best Buy will buy out Circuit City or vice versa. Anybody know the CEO of either company?
So now that I finally have a GPS I might actually make it to things on time; I finally have direction. Maybe my GPS will lead me to my wife... in which I'll be ready to propose with a few jars of coins. Very romantic.
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