The people we elect are supposed to be the people we choose to represent US. If you honestly feel that Obama or Romney represents what you want for this country and future generations, then that is another discussion. But if you are voting for who you feel is the lesser of two evils, then I would beg you to re-consider. The problem with repeatedly voting for "the lesser of two evils" is that you always end up with evil winning. It also perpetuates the cycle of having two people pre-chosen for us to "choose" between, and elections in general being nothing but a big charade. Our choices are /not/ going to get better if we keep doing this. So I would beg you to study and vote for someone who does represent what you want for this country and future generations, even if they don't stand a chance of winning. Because at least that way you won't be voting for evil.
Also, just to clarify, I use "evil" here not in reference to Obama or Romney as people. As people they are certainly no more evil than I myself am. I use it because "the lesser of two evils" is common language when talking about elections. My problems with Obama and Romney have nothing to do with rather I like them or not. I imagine both of them would be quite fine people to be around. So when talking about them, I'm never attacking them personally, I'm attacking what they represent -- a set of policies and ideals that I strongly disagree with.
2012-10-09
2012-09-12
Thin Ice
I'm tiptoeing
Trying not to make a sound
It might be too loud
Or maybe you want me to talk now?
I'm terified
Even though you won't hurt me
But your words might sting
Even though they are not meant for me
I'm traveling
Walking on paper thin ice
Ice that is melting
And yet still I think I'm breaking it
I'm perfection
Don't I do everything right?
Where is my reward?
You should know how to love me by now
I'm frustrated
Lost, wanting validation
Or some sympathy
But still looking in the wrong places
I'm remembering
I'm still learning to love too
And it's not my fault
Love is not bought, but can it be taught?
I'm listening
And I think I understand
It's not about me
All the times I hurt made you regret
I'm progressing
I can tell you love me still
So let the ice break
It's cold anyway, and you're freezing
This is my attempt at a poem. My wife really likes poetry, and writing. So I'm trying to encourage her to write more, and one way is to try myself. I'm sure I'll post some sappy ones I've written/will write some day, but this one is an idea I've had for a while now and I wanted to give it a shot. It does have a specific meaning, but I never know if it's better to give my meaning, or let people create their own meanings.
So, I'm curious -- what did you get from this? :)
Also, I'll try to post a news update sometime soonish. My wife and I have been married over a year now and I absolutely love it!
Trying not to make a sound
It might be too loud
Or maybe you want me to talk now?
I'm terified
Even though you won't hurt me
But your words might sting
Even though they are not meant for me
I'm traveling
Walking on paper thin ice
Ice that is melting
And yet still I think I'm breaking it
I'm perfection
Don't I do everything right?
Where is my reward?
You should know how to love me by now
I'm frustrated
Lost, wanting validation
Or some sympathy
But still looking in the wrong places
I'm remembering
I'm still learning to love too
And it's not my fault
Love is not bought, but can it be taught?
I'm listening
And I think I understand
It's not about me
All the times I hurt made you regret
I'm progressing
I can tell you love me still
So let the ice break
It's cold anyway, and you're freezing
This is my attempt at a poem. My wife really likes poetry, and writing. So I'm trying to encourage her to write more, and one way is to try myself. I'm sure I'll post some sappy ones I've written/will write some day, but this one is an idea I've had for a while now and I wanted to give it a shot. It does have a specific meaning, but I never know if it's better to give my meaning, or let people create their own meanings.
So, I'm curious -- what did you get from this? :)
Also, I'll try to post a news update sometime soonish. My wife and I have been married over a year now and I absolutely love it!
2011-10-14
Honeymoon
So, I wrote all of this a long time ago and was supposed to post it but didn't quite finish it until now. There's so much that could be added, but I wanted to go ahead and get this posted.
Our honeymoon was incredibly awesome, wonderful, amazing, and every other strong positive adjective. We really didn't have much money to spend, but thanks to generous friends and family, we had a honeymoon that was just incredible.
Our first night was spent at this cabin, courtesy of Hearthside Cabin Rentals. Me and my brother do website and software work for them, as well as keep their computers and everything running in their office, and they were generous and let us stay in one of the cabins they own paying nothing but the cleaning fee.
The following day we drove all the way down to Orlando Florida where Chase's parents had used their RCI points to book us 6 nights at the Hilton Grand Vacations Club on International Drive. The drive was beautiful and a lot of fun!
It was by far the nicest place I've ever stayed in my life, and at least to me was absolutely THE perfect place for our honeymoon. The suites were extremely nice, with a full kitchen, living room, bathroom, bedroom, and even our own private screened-in balcony/porch. The resort was built around a small lake with a one-mile walking trail all the way around it and a bridge across the middle. It had two large swimming pools, several hot tubs, ping-pong, basketball, and, our favorite -- a game/arcade room. We played pool, air hockey, checkers, chess, and all of the arcade games they had there just about every day of our honeymoon I think. I taught Chase to play chess, and we even played it on a HUGE chess board by the pool where the hollow plastic pawns were over a foot tall.
We got a 5 day park-to-park pass for Universal Sudios and Island of Adventure. We were just going to get 1 day and maybe try to go to Disneyland or somewhere else also, but the attractions guy at the resort offered us a special deal on the package we got and I'm glad we did because that way we didn't feel like we needed to cram everything into one day. Instead we got to stay as long as we felt like staying and then come back the next day or whatever we felt like doing. I'd never been to any amusement parks besides Dollywood, so Universal Orlando was absolutely amazing for me! I couldn't stop smiling from the minute we parked. Just walking towards it from parking made my heart beat with excitement every time. It's like walking towards a whole other world full of incredible contraptions and fun things to do! I absolutely LOVED it! I was like a kid, totally fascinated and delighted to take it all in, but without any parents having to try and keep track of me and everything I wanted to look at, climb on, ride, eat and take pictures of. Overall, I think this other-world magical feel of the entire place was perhaps the best thing of all.
I can't really even say what my favorite ride was. I loved the technology in "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey" and "The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man" rides. They combined a moving roller-coaster and projection screens (3D for the Spiderman ride) to make an incredible experience. I think I perhaps loved the thrill of the Dragon Challenge the most -- two roller coasters zooming through and around each other creating an exceptionally exciting ride.
While at Universal Orlando one day, we stopped at Hard Rock cafe and ate this incredibly delicious "Local Legendary" burger.
We shared it and it was more than enough. It was really good too! Will definitely have to get it again if/when we're in Orlando again.
We also go to go to a Pirates dinner show, which was a lot of fun. I'd never been to a dinner show except for a LONG time ago at Dixie Stampede, which I remember as being one of the coolest things in my life. Unfortunately, due to the lighting and stuff in there, none of the pictures came out very well, but here's one.
We really should have taken a LOT more photos, but it's hard to remember to. Anyway, here are some more random pictures with captions.
Our honeymoon was incredibly awesome, wonderful, amazing, and every other strong positive adjective. We really didn't have much money to spend, but thanks to generous friends and family, we had a honeymoon that was just incredible.
Our first night was spent at this cabin, courtesy of Hearthside Cabin Rentals. Me and my brother do website and software work for them, as well as keep their computers and everything running in their office, and they were generous and let us stay in one of the cabins they own paying nothing but the cleaning fee.
 |
| View from our cabin |
It was by far the nicest place I've ever stayed in my life, and at least to me was absolutely THE perfect place for our honeymoon. The suites were extremely nice, with a full kitchen, living room, bathroom, bedroom, and even our own private screened-in balcony/porch. The resort was built around a small lake with a one-mile walking trail all the way around it and a bridge across the middle. It had two large swimming pools, several hot tubs, ping-pong, basketball, and, our favorite -- a game/arcade room. We played pool, air hockey, checkers, chess, and all of the arcade games they had there just about every day of our honeymoon I think. I taught Chase to play chess, and we even played it on a HUGE chess board by the pool where the hollow plastic pawns were over a foot tall.
We got a 5 day park-to-park pass for Universal Sudios and Island of Adventure. We were just going to get 1 day and maybe try to go to Disneyland or somewhere else also, but the attractions guy at the resort offered us a special deal on the package we got and I'm glad we did because that way we didn't feel like we needed to cram everything into one day. Instead we got to stay as long as we felt like staying and then come back the next day or whatever we felt like doing. I'd never been to any amusement parks besides Dollywood, so Universal Orlando was absolutely amazing for me! I couldn't stop smiling from the minute we parked. Just walking towards it from parking made my heart beat with excitement every time. It's like walking towards a whole other world full of incredible contraptions and fun things to do! I absolutely LOVED it! I was like a kid, totally fascinated and delighted to take it all in, but without any parents having to try and keep track of me and everything I wanted to look at, climb on, ride, eat and take pictures of. Overall, I think this other-world magical feel of the entire place was perhaps the best thing of all.
While at Universal Orlando one day, we stopped at Hard Rock cafe and ate this incredibly delicious "Local Legendary" burger.
We shared it and it was more than enough. It was really good too! Will definitely have to get it again if/when we're in Orlando again.
We also go to go to a Pirates dinner show, which was a lot of fun. I'd never been to a dinner show except for a LONG time ago at Dixie Stampede, which I remember as being one of the coolest things in my life. Unfortunately, due to the lighting and stuff in there, none of the pictures came out very well, but here's one.
We really should have taken a LOT more photos, but it's hard to remember to. Anyway, here are some more random pictures with captions.
 |
| One of our stops along the way |
 |
| Cool clouds with a strange rainbow cloud which I've never seen anything like before |
 |
| Central courtyard type area outside our room |
 |
| One of the swimming pools at the resort |
 |
| One of the lounge areas. We thought the table/seats were really cool. |
 |
| Me outside the pirate dinner place |
 |
| Spiderman!! |
 |
| Our Gryffindor shirts |
 |
| Chase with our pets Verde and Jack-Jack |
 |
| I couldn't get any good pictures, but there was an awesome laser & fireworks show at Universal Studios at the end of the day. |
2011-09-10
Our Wedding
Well, I was going to wait for pictures of the wedding before posting again, but since it's been over a month now and I still don't have them, I figured I should just go ahead and post anyway.
I very generous friend took our wedding pictures for free but has been so busy since the wedding he hasn't had time to finish putting them together and editing them for us.
I'm going to try to use this blog as a way of keeping my dear family and friends and anyone who is interested updated on what's going on in my life, so I'll start by telling about the wedding.
The wedding was on Saturday, July 30th. Two days before the wedding, on Thursday, we borrowed a pickup truck from someone at my church and, after getting off work for the day, my brothers and I moved all the big furniture and stuff to my brother's house, our new apartment, the office, or wherever it could go. We stayed up quite late moving stuff and were completely exhausted (I had a desk up there that weighed approximately 13 thousand pounds.) I was pretty restless, so stayed up later after my brothers went to bed packing everything I could. Friday morning, early, I left to run a bunch of errands. While I was gone, Brian and Daryl moved the rest of the stuff out of my apartment up to Chase's apartment (now our home). There's no way I could have done it without them -- they were SO much help. I don't even remember what all I was doing. Getting my address changed, paying bills, cleaning my car, bringing a load of stuff to the office, buying some things, switching off internet and stuff at my old apartment, paying rent and letting them know when I was completely moved out of the old place, etc. Finally all was done and Chase and I, Chase's parents, and the whole bridal party drove down to Athens where we met Neema and JC and had our rehearsal.
For anyone having a wedding, definitely do your utmost to have everyone at the rehearsal and iron out how everything's going to go. We did, and it made everything so much smoother. It brought up questions about things we hadn't thought how we were going to do and made everyone a lot more comfortable about what we were doing the next day, even though everything didn't work out quite as planned.
Then Chase's parents took us all out to eat for our rehearsal dinner, and we all went back to a hotel they'd gotten for us. It was great seeing Neema and JC again and spending time with JC. As soon as we got back from the dinner though, Chase and I were banned from seeing each other any more until the wedding, and, after a few texts, we were banned from communicating with each other in any way until the wedding. I understand the tradition and all. I just wanted some time to talk with her though because she'd been stressed and having a hard time with all kinds of different things all day. It was pretty late though, and I was exhausted still from all the moving and everything, so after talking with my brothers and JC for a while, I went to sleep and slept just fine actually, though I woke up pretty early the next morning.
I went down and ate breakfast with Mamaw (Chase's mom's mom), Chase's aunt, and one of the bridesmaids. Then got a bit more ready, had a great talk with Neema (who is like my sister) and finally we went to the wedding site -- a beautiful outdoor garden with flowers everywhere and a lake behind where we were supposed to get married. Unfortunately, it started raining and drizzling. We waited quite a while hoping it would stop, but finally decided to have it in the covered area where we were having the reception, which turned out great, even if the pictures don't turn out as pretty as they would have outdoors.
I did what I could to help, helping set up center pieces, and trying to welcome everyone as they came. And answered the question, "Are you nervous?" what seemed like hundreds of times, though we only had around 75 people or so there. Every time I answered what I felt, "Not really. More excited." Then I'd notice my hands kinda shaking and admit, "Maybe a little nervous. But mostly excited." Finally, I was told to go into the shop they had there so I wouldn't see Chase coming, and was in there for what seemed like a long time. Dad came back and prayed with me and encouraged me and said he was proud to be gaining me as a son-in-law, which was really special. I hear he went and prayed with Chase as well.
Then I was called out and went and stood up with the pastor and we got started. My groomsmen (my brothers, Brian, Daryl, and Emmett, and my now-brother-in-law Nathan) seated all the close relatives, then came and stood by me. Then the bridesmaids came down the isle while two friends played the violin. And then, the moment I'd been waiting for. My soon-to-be father-in-law walking down the isle towards me with the most beautiful of all of God's creations.
Chasity is more beautiful than anything else in the world, and I'd known this, but there at the wedding, to say she was more gorgeous than all the mountains, streams, flowers, stars and galaxies in the universe combined would be a big understatement. She wore the most beautiful dress ever made, had flowers in her gorgeous long hair, and was smiling at me with eyes so perfect and full of love that I wouldn't have been able to look away from them if the brightness of the sun itself was behind her blinding me. I'd never been more happy, more proud, or felt more perfect in all my life as I did then giving myself to her, promising to love her with everything I've got for the rest of my life, and have her doing the same. It was and is more special than I know how to describe.
I actually don't remember the service real well. Our pastor prayed and talked about marriage. We washed each other's feet. We made our vows to each other, exchanged rings, and were pronounced man and wife and kissed!
Three things stand out to me most. One, how incredibly beautiful my bride was. Two, how perfectly happy I felt and just how... perfect I felt. Like, when something feels so right your whole life feels perfect. Making our vows, pronouncing our love for one another, demonstrating it through Christ's example of washing each other's feet, and being pronounced man and wife, one flesh, before God and man -- that was so incredibly wonderful and amazing. And the third thing I remember very clearly is how completely and utterly thankful I was to God for all of it.
I say all of that in past tense, but only for the purpose of telling about the wedding itself. Chasity is still the most gorgeous of all of God's creations and I am still so incredibly happy and thankful about our marriage. I'm full of happiness.
After the service, everyone gave us hugs and congratulations and we got some pictures taken. The rain had stopped by now, so we were able to take them outside. Then we ate our food. Chase and I danced to Steven Curtis Chapman's "I Will Be Here", and I sang it to her while the song played. She danced with her Dad and then I had a dance with her mom and got permission to call her Mom.
Plenty of other stuff happened, but I'm out of time for now. I'll try to post again soon.
I very generous friend took our wedding pictures for free but has been so busy since the wedding he hasn't had time to finish putting them together and editing them for us.
I'm going to try to use this blog as a way of keeping my dear family and friends and anyone who is interested updated on what's going on in my life, so I'll start by telling about the wedding.
The wedding was on Saturday, July 30th. Two days before the wedding, on Thursday, we borrowed a pickup truck from someone at my church and, after getting off work for the day, my brothers and I moved all the big furniture and stuff to my brother's house, our new apartment, the office, or wherever it could go. We stayed up quite late moving stuff and were completely exhausted (I had a desk up there that weighed approximately 13 thousand pounds.) I was pretty restless, so stayed up later after my brothers went to bed packing everything I could. Friday morning, early, I left to run a bunch of errands. While I was gone, Brian and Daryl moved the rest of the stuff out of my apartment up to Chase's apartment (now our home). There's no way I could have done it without them -- they were SO much help. I don't even remember what all I was doing. Getting my address changed, paying bills, cleaning my car, bringing a load of stuff to the office, buying some things, switching off internet and stuff at my old apartment, paying rent and letting them know when I was completely moved out of the old place, etc. Finally all was done and Chase and I, Chase's parents, and the whole bridal party drove down to Athens where we met Neema and JC and had our rehearsal.
For anyone having a wedding, definitely do your utmost to have everyone at the rehearsal and iron out how everything's going to go. We did, and it made everything so much smoother. It brought up questions about things we hadn't thought how we were going to do and made everyone a lot more comfortable about what we were doing the next day, even though everything didn't work out quite as planned.
Then Chase's parents took us all out to eat for our rehearsal dinner, and we all went back to a hotel they'd gotten for us. It was great seeing Neema and JC again and spending time with JC. As soon as we got back from the dinner though, Chase and I were banned from seeing each other any more until the wedding, and, after a few texts, we were banned from communicating with each other in any way until the wedding. I understand the tradition and all. I just wanted some time to talk with her though because she'd been stressed and having a hard time with all kinds of different things all day. It was pretty late though, and I was exhausted still from all the moving and everything, so after talking with my brothers and JC for a while, I went to sleep and slept just fine actually, though I woke up pretty early the next morning.
I went down and ate breakfast with Mamaw (Chase's mom's mom), Chase's aunt, and one of the bridesmaids. Then got a bit more ready, had a great talk with Neema (who is like my sister) and finally we went to the wedding site -- a beautiful outdoor garden with flowers everywhere and a lake behind where we were supposed to get married. Unfortunately, it started raining and drizzling. We waited quite a while hoping it would stop, but finally decided to have it in the covered area where we were having the reception, which turned out great, even if the pictures don't turn out as pretty as they would have outdoors.
I did what I could to help, helping set up center pieces, and trying to welcome everyone as they came. And answered the question, "Are you nervous?" what seemed like hundreds of times, though we only had around 75 people or so there. Every time I answered what I felt, "Not really. More excited." Then I'd notice my hands kinda shaking and admit, "Maybe a little nervous. But mostly excited." Finally, I was told to go into the shop they had there so I wouldn't see Chase coming, and was in there for what seemed like a long time. Dad came back and prayed with me and encouraged me and said he was proud to be gaining me as a son-in-law, which was really special. I hear he went and prayed with Chase as well.
Then I was called out and went and stood up with the pastor and we got started. My groomsmen (my brothers, Brian, Daryl, and Emmett, and my now-brother-in-law Nathan) seated all the close relatives, then came and stood by me. Then the bridesmaids came down the isle while two friends played the violin. And then, the moment I'd been waiting for. My soon-to-be father-in-law walking down the isle towards me with the most beautiful of all of God's creations.
Chasity is more beautiful than anything else in the world, and I'd known this, but there at the wedding, to say she was more gorgeous than all the mountains, streams, flowers, stars and galaxies in the universe combined would be a big understatement. She wore the most beautiful dress ever made, had flowers in her gorgeous long hair, and was smiling at me with eyes so perfect and full of love that I wouldn't have been able to look away from them if the brightness of the sun itself was behind her blinding me. I'd never been more happy, more proud, or felt more perfect in all my life as I did then giving myself to her, promising to love her with everything I've got for the rest of my life, and have her doing the same. It was and is more special than I know how to describe.
I actually don't remember the service real well. Our pastor prayed and talked about marriage. We washed each other's feet. We made our vows to each other, exchanged rings, and were pronounced man and wife and kissed!
Three things stand out to me most. One, how incredibly beautiful my bride was. Two, how perfectly happy I felt and just how... perfect I felt. Like, when something feels so right your whole life feels perfect. Making our vows, pronouncing our love for one another, demonstrating it through Christ's example of washing each other's feet, and being pronounced man and wife, one flesh, before God and man -- that was so incredibly wonderful and amazing. And the third thing I remember very clearly is how completely and utterly thankful I was to God for all of it.
I say all of that in past tense, but only for the purpose of telling about the wedding itself. Chasity is still the most gorgeous of all of God's creations and I am still so incredibly happy and thankful about our marriage. I'm full of happiness.
After the service, everyone gave us hugs and congratulations and we got some pictures taken. The rain had stopped by now, so we were able to take them outside. Then we ate our food. Chase and I danced to Steven Curtis Chapman's "I Will Be Here", and I sang it to her while the song played. She danced with her Dad and then I had a dance with her mom and got permission to call her Mom.
Plenty of other stuff happened, but I'm out of time for now. I'll try to post again soon.
2011-08-11
Married!
I'm now married!!
I fully intend to write about the wedding with some pictures once I get the pictures. But that might be a little while still.
I wanted to write a brief update though.
It's funny. Because it almost doesn't seem real. It's like a big birthday -- you have this image of someone who's 16, 21, 40, 80, or whatever, but when those birthdays actually come (though I've only experienced though 21) you're still just the same person as the day before. You don't suddenly transform into that image you had of what it would be like or the image you put on people who are various ages when you were younger. It's kinda the same after the wedding. There's certainly huge life changes. I now live with the girl I love, sharing our home and everything we have with each other. I'm irreversibly committed to love her forever. But we're still just the same people as we were two weeks ago. We still enjoy teasing each other, playing cards while watching a TV series on Netflix, cuddling and watching a movie, going swimming, cooking together, and much more -- the same things we did before. We're still the same people. But now that dear girl is my wife, and I'm her husband.
I absolutely love it though! One thing that I've already enjoyed is that everyone has been so much more positive. I've received quite a bit of good, positive, beneficial advice and encouragement. As opposed to when we were dating when it seemed like lots of people's immediate response was skepticism. We're young. We've only known each other 2 years. We're different. We have no idea what we're getting ourselves into. etc. All of which is true, I suppose. But now, regardless of any of those things and anything else, there's one clear direction to move -- forward. No turning back. And that's very nice.
I need to go now, but will try to write more soon.
I fully intend to write about the wedding with some pictures once I get the pictures. But that might be a little while still.
I wanted to write a brief update though.
It's funny. Because it almost doesn't seem real. It's like a big birthday -- you have this image of someone who's 16, 21, 40, 80, or whatever, but when those birthdays actually come (though I've only experienced though 21) you're still just the same person as the day before. You don't suddenly transform into that image you had of what it would be like or the image you put on people who are various ages when you were younger. It's kinda the same after the wedding. There's certainly huge life changes. I now live with the girl I love, sharing our home and everything we have with each other. I'm irreversibly committed to love her forever. But we're still just the same people as we were two weeks ago. We still enjoy teasing each other, playing cards while watching a TV series on Netflix, cuddling and watching a movie, going swimming, cooking together, and much more -- the same things we did before. We're still the same people. But now that dear girl is my wife, and I'm her husband.
I absolutely love it though! One thing that I've already enjoyed is that everyone has been so much more positive. I've received quite a bit of good, positive, beneficial advice and encouragement. As opposed to when we were dating when it seemed like lots of people's immediate response was skepticism. We're young. We've only known each other 2 years. We're different. We have no idea what we're getting ourselves into. etc. All of which is true, I suppose. But now, regardless of any of those things and anything else, there's one clear direction to move -- forward. No turning back. And that's very nice.
I need to go now, but will try to write more soon.
2011-07-26
Engagement
At the beginning of 2010, I let Chase know that one of my New Years resolutions was to ask her to marry me. Beyond that, however, I wouldn't give her any hints at all about when to expect it, though she tried her hardest to get any clues out of me. We spent pretty much all of our free time together that summer when she was out of school, and she really really really hoped I'd propose before she went back to school. But, the time came and I went with her back to Memphis to help her settle for her last year of college and she gave up hope of being engaged before school started back. But I had different plans for that weekend.
I talked with her Dad on Thursday, I think, and asked his permission to ask Chasity to marry me. He's quite a bit taller than me and was in the process of cutting up big pieces of meat when I asked him, and when I did ask him, he accidentally cut himself. :-o
It was great though. He gave me some great advice and talked some about the importance of recognizing and treating marriage as the major, life-long commitment that it is. And then he said that he would be honored to have me as a son-in-law. And said that while he can't/won't be able to tell me what to do, he will always be there to help with what he can, as will his sons. So it was really nice. In the end he asked me when I was planning on asking her, and I said that weekend. I think he was kinda surprised, but said that was up to me.
Earlier in the week, I'd suggested to Chase that we go to the park on Friday. She didn't really want to fit it in with other stuff on Friday though, so said Saturday. I SO didn't want to wait all through Friday being SO excited and kinda restless and knowing she would be just as impatient as I was if she knew, but I couldn't give away that it was a big deal, so said Saturday sounded good. So, Saturday morning we got ready to go to the park. Chase didn't even know that I'd bought the ring (or what ring I'd chosen), and as far as she knew, I hadn't had any chance to do so.
When we were just about to head out the door, I "remembered my camera" and went upstairs to get it. The boxes that they give you the rings in are too big to hide easily! And Chase was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. So, I put the box in my camera case and carried it and my camera down and took a picture of us.
She was thirsty so we stopped at a gas station to get a drink and while she was inside I put my camera in its case and left the ring in its box in my pocket. When we got to the park, we started walking along by the lake, and I was telling her how she is like a treasure chest. How the deeper I dig -- the more I get to know her -- the more beautiful treasures I uncover and the more I realize just how infinitely valuable and precious she is. Then started talking about how I don't know what the future will bring. Where God will lead me -- rather back to Zambia, to some other country, somewhere different here in the US, or just here. How I don't know what all of His plans for me are. And then I told her that I do know one thing for sure though, and that is that I want to spend all of the rest of my life, wherever it may be, doing whatever I may do, with her. And by this time we were standing in a gazebo by the lake, and I got down on my knees, brought out the ring, and proposed, "Chasity Duncanson, I promise to love you every moment, forever. Will you marry me?"
And she said "Yes!" (After what seemed like quite a long delay where she was just holding out her hand, waiting for me to put the ring on already and not realizing I was waiting for an answer!)
I talked with her Dad on Thursday, I think, and asked his permission to ask Chasity to marry me. He's quite a bit taller than me and was in the process of cutting up big pieces of meat when I asked him, and when I did ask him, he accidentally cut himself. :-o
It was great though. He gave me some great advice and talked some about the importance of recognizing and treating marriage as the major, life-long commitment that it is. And then he said that he would be honored to have me as a son-in-law. And said that while he can't/won't be able to tell me what to do, he will always be there to help with what he can, as will his sons. So it was really nice. In the end he asked me when I was planning on asking her, and I said that weekend. I think he was kinda surprised, but said that was up to me.
Earlier in the week, I'd suggested to Chase that we go to the park on Friday. She didn't really want to fit it in with other stuff on Friday though, so said Saturday. I SO didn't want to wait all through Friday being SO excited and kinda restless and knowing she would be just as impatient as I was if she knew, but I couldn't give away that it was a big deal, so said Saturday sounded good. So, Saturday morning we got ready to go to the park. Chase didn't even know that I'd bought the ring (or what ring I'd chosen), and as far as she knew, I hadn't had any chance to do so.
When we were just about to head out the door, I "remembered my camera" and went upstairs to get it. The boxes that they give you the rings in are too big to hide easily! And Chase was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. So, I put the box in my camera case and carried it and my camera down and took a picture of us.
She was thirsty so we stopped at a gas station to get a drink and while she was inside I put my camera in its case and left the ring in its box in my pocket. When we got to the park, we started walking along by the lake, and I was telling her how she is like a treasure chest. How the deeper I dig -- the more I get to know her -- the more beautiful treasures I uncover and the more I realize just how infinitely valuable and precious she is. Then started talking about how I don't know what the future will bring. Where God will lead me -- rather back to Zambia, to some other country, somewhere different here in the US, or just here. How I don't know what all of His plans for me are. And then I told her that I do know one thing for sure though, and that is that I want to spend all of the rest of my life, wherever it may be, doing whatever I may do, with her. And by this time we were standing in a gazebo by the lake, and I got down on my knees, brought out the ring, and proposed, "Chasity Duncanson, I promise to love you every moment, forever. Will you marry me?"
And she said "Yes!" (After what seemed like quite a long delay where she was just holding out her hand, waiting for me to put the ring on already and not realizing I was waiting for an answer!)
 |
| Chase and me, right after we got engaged |
2011-07-19
How We Met and How We Got Here
I will have known Chasity for 2 years by the time we're on our honeymoon, and as of last Sunday we have officially been together for 1 3/4 years.
I met her when she was visiting my now sister-in-law just before my sister-in-law and brother got married. Chase was the maid of honor at their wedding, and we immediately shared a mutual attraction. After only getting to spend a very limited amount of time together for a few days, Chase had to travel back to Memphis. I really don't even know all of why it got to me so much, but I cried when she left. It felt like, "Here I just met an incredibly awesome person that I really want to get to know better, and now she's going 6 hours away and I'll probably never really get to know her." But thankfully God had other plans and that's not what happened. Instead, we started texting each other, then chatting online a ridiculous amount, and before long talking on the phone a ridiculous amount every single day. I'm on my computer most of the time with work and everything, and she stayed online on the phone, so I'd chat with her off and on while I was working and she was doing school, then every night we'd talk on the phone about just about everything imaginable.
And that brings me to one of the things I love most about Chase and our relationship -- our communication. From the very beginning, we've talked with each other and shared with each other about topics ranging all over the place. We remain in near constant communication and stay very updated on each others thoughts and feelings about things. We're free to express our thoughts, feelings, and preferences about just about everything, including things we disagree on. (Sometime I'll post about the topic of talking about things we disagree on, because lots can be said about it and I'm still learning lots about it.)
Going back to the story of us getting to know each other. At one point, she came back to East Tennessee for the weekend, but that same weekend I was going up to Chicago with a friend. So I only got to see her about 15 minutes between the time she got here and I had to leave. And in those 15 minutes I guess you could say I fell head over heels in love with her. We didn't really even do anything. She just came, we saw some animal in the yard and went over closer to try and see what it was and it ran away. Then we went inside and I had to pack my things to leave. She stayed in my apartment while gone though since it's very near where my sister-in-law lived who she was visiting. While there, she cleaned out all my cabinets and cleaned everything and left me a note with her perfume on it thanking me for letting her stay there.
Then it was back to chatting and talking on the phone, but with a new realization on my part that I wanted to be more than "just" friends with this girl.
Finally, the band Casting Crowns was going to play somewhere in Memphis and she bought us tickets for the show on October 15th, 2009. Every time we talked for weeks (months? I don't remember. It seemed like ages.) we were longing for October 15th when we'd get to meet each other and for the first time spend a decent amount of time together.
At last the date came and I went and stayed with my grandparents in West Tennessee then went to see her. We ate out with her mom and then she showed me around her campus and we hung out with her roommate, then went to the concert. The concert was awesome and I told her for the first time that I love her. I'd been dying to say it for a long time, but wanted it to be in person. The next day, we traveled back to East Tennessee together. The long drive was great, and I think we held hands pretty much the entire way.
After that began a long period of time where we'd take turns her coming here and me going there every other weekend or so. And that's what we did until last month when we got her a 2 bedroom apartment where she is now living and where I'll be moving into as soon as we're married.
There's SO much more I could say about all of that and things to tell about. Like her going to France for her spring break and the hard time we had after that. Or when I went to Zambia for 3 weeks and she totally redecorated, refurnished, and reorganized my apartment and made it a real home instead of a bachelor pad while I was away. But to tell about everything would take me weeks, and this post would be way too long. So in order to post more often and hopefully keep things interesting, I'll end here and tell about more in future posts. Like our engagement.
I met her when she was visiting my now sister-in-law just before my sister-in-law and brother got married. Chase was the maid of honor at their wedding, and we immediately shared a mutual attraction. After only getting to spend a very limited amount of time together for a few days, Chase had to travel back to Memphis. I really don't even know all of why it got to me so much, but I cried when she left. It felt like, "Here I just met an incredibly awesome person that I really want to get to know better, and now she's going 6 hours away and I'll probably never really get to know her." But thankfully God had other plans and that's not what happened. Instead, we started texting each other, then chatting online a ridiculous amount, and before long talking on the phone a ridiculous amount every single day. I'm on my computer most of the time with work and everything, and she stayed online on the phone, so I'd chat with her off and on while I was working and she was doing school, then every night we'd talk on the phone about just about everything imaginable.
And that brings me to one of the things I love most about Chase and our relationship -- our communication. From the very beginning, we've talked with each other and shared with each other about topics ranging all over the place. We remain in near constant communication and stay very updated on each others thoughts and feelings about things. We're free to express our thoughts, feelings, and preferences about just about everything, including things we disagree on. (Sometime I'll post about the topic of talking about things we disagree on, because lots can be said about it and I'm still learning lots about it.)
Going back to the story of us getting to know each other. At one point, she came back to East Tennessee for the weekend, but that same weekend I was going up to Chicago with a friend. So I only got to see her about 15 minutes between the time she got here and I had to leave. And in those 15 minutes I guess you could say I fell head over heels in love with her. We didn't really even do anything. She just came, we saw some animal in the yard and went over closer to try and see what it was and it ran away. Then we went inside and I had to pack my things to leave. She stayed in my apartment while gone though since it's very near where my sister-in-law lived who she was visiting. While there, she cleaned out all my cabinets and cleaned everything and left me a note with her perfume on it thanking me for letting her stay there.
Then it was back to chatting and talking on the phone, but with a new realization on my part that I wanted to be more than "just" friends with this girl.
Finally, the band Casting Crowns was going to play somewhere in Memphis and she bought us tickets for the show on October 15th, 2009. Every time we talked for weeks (months? I don't remember. It seemed like ages.) we were longing for October 15th when we'd get to meet each other and for the first time spend a decent amount of time together.
At last the date came and I went and stayed with my grandparents in West Tennessee then went to see her. We ate out with her mom and then she showed me around her campus and we hung out with her roommate, then went to the concert. The concert was awesome and I told her for the first time that I love her. I'd been dying to say it for a long time, but wanted it to be in person. The next day, we traveled back to East Tennessee together. The long drive was great, and I think we held hands pretty much the entire way.
 |
| Chase and I at the Casting Crowns Conert |
After that began a long period of time where we'd take turns her coming here and me going there every other weekend or so. And that's what we did until last month when we got her a 2 bedroom apartment where she is now living and where I'll be moving into as soon as we're married.
There's SO much more I could say about all of that and things to tell about. Like her going to France for her spring break and the hard time we had after that. Or when I went to Zambia for 3 weeks and she totally redecorated, refurnished, and reorganized my apartment and made it a real home instead of a bachelor pad while I was away. But to tell about everything would take me weeks, and this post would be way too long. So in order to post more often and hopefully keep things interesting, I'll end here and tell about more in future posts. Like our engagement.
2011-07-18
Excitement
Life has been pretty crazy lately in many ways. At the same time though, it seems unrealistically calm.
The biggest news is that I am getting married to the most amazing, most beautiful girl in the world in just 12 days! At 3pm next Saturday, I will be marrying Chasity Duncanson. In many ways, that makes life feel "crazy". I mean, I'm getting married! Committing the rest of my life to loving Chase with everything I've got. No turning back, looking back, second guessing, or anything. It's a decision that will literally affect every area of my life in a dramatic way -- I'm sure even more than I realize right now.
But at the same time, I am calm because there is nothing else I want to do more. I am so happy to be getting married and excited to start living the rest of my life with Chase.
I hope to start posting on here more often and sharing about things I'm learning and have learned. (How many times have I said that now?) Maybe even asking questions from my readers (if they exist) about struggles I have or things I'd like input on. Maybe my next post can include a brief story of how Chase and I met and everything.
The biggest news is that I am getting married to the most amazing, most beautiful girl in the world in just 12 days! At 3pm next Saturday, I will be marrying Chasity Duncanson. In many ways, that makes life feel "crazy". I mean, I'm getting married! Committing the rest of my life to loving Chase with everything I've got. No turning back, looking back, second guessing, or anything. It's a decision that will literally affect every area of my life in a dramatic way -- I'm sure even more than I realize right now.
But at the same time, I am calm because there is nothing else I want to do more. I am so happy to be getting married and excited to start living the rest of my life with Chase.
I hope to start posting on here more often and sharing about things I'm learning and have learned. (How many times have I said that now?) Maybe even asking questions from my readers (if they exist) about struggles I have or things I'd like input on. Maybe my next post can include a brief story of how Chase and I met and everything.
2010-08-20
2010-08-11
2010-08-09
Facebook Scams
I'd just like everyone to know:
If a Facebook page has 3 steps or whatever for you to see some video or read something or see some pictures or anything, with steps like "Like this.", "Post/Share this", it is a scam. I see lots of people doing these, and they simply don't work. If you're really so curious what's behind it, ask the person you saw post it, and almost for sure, they'll tell you they never got to see the content they wanted to see. Usually, the first two steps are to spread the scam (like and share) and the final step is filling out some survey thing for advertisers. They don't work though, and the creators get money from it. So -- don't even try! Rather it's "13 Worst Marriage Proposal Fails Ever Recorded on Video!", "SHOCKING: RUDE HIDDEN MESSAGE in Toy Story 3!", ""I am shocked!!! I’m NEVER texting AGAIN since I found this out.", or "OMG!! McDonalds might soon shut down because of this, you have to see this."...
There are lots of them. Basically, if there are steps to take to see the content, then the content most likely doesn't even exist and it's just a scam. So, don't waste your time, and don't spread the scams.
If a Facebook page has 3 steps or whatever for you to see some video or read something or see some pictures or anything, with steps like "Like this.", "Post/Share this", it is a scam. I see lots of people doing these, and they simply don't work. If you're really so curious what's behind it, ask the person you saw post it, and almost for sure, they'll tell you they never got to see the content they wanted to see. Usually, the first two steps are to spread the scam (like and share) and the final step is filling out some survey thing for advertisers. They don't work though, and the creators get money from it. So -- don't even try! Rather it's "13 Worst Marriage Proposal Fails Ever Recorded on Video!", "SHOCKING: RUDE HIDDEN MESSAGE in Toy Story 3!", ""I am shocked!!! I’m NEVER texting AGAIN since I found this out.", or "OMG!! McDonalds might soon shut down because of this, you have to see this."...
There are lots of them. Basically, if there are steps to take to see the content, then the content most likely doesn't even exist and it's just a scam. So, don't waste your time, and don't spread the scams.
2010-07-05
Quote
What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.
The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.
When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is the beginning of the end of any nation.
You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.
- Adrian Rogers, 1931
The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.
When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is the beginning of the end of any nation.
You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.
- Adrian Rogers, 1931
2010-04-27
Children / Life
One of my girlfriend's friend's status messages on Facebook today was "child injuries- fall/get hurt, lay/sit there for a second, maybe yell out a little, get up, assess the damage, resume playing. :)"
That made me start thinking of the similarities of a child getting hurt and an adult making a mistake.
A child gets hurt. What kind of child he/she is determines how they respond. Sometimes it may not really even hurt, but perhaps the child knows they can get extra attention by using the fall or whatever happened, so they will cry and cry about it to get attention.
Some adults use their mistakes this way too. "My life is ruined! I'm helpless! Nobody else has it this hard!" Now, that sounds harsh, perhaps, but just as I pity the child even if they weren't hurt that bad, so I pity the adult who made the mistake, and my concern would be with helping them. Not rather or not they're over reacting.
Or, the child may just get up and resume playing since they're not really hurt. Often this is what we need to do when we make mistakes. Just get up and try to move on without making the same mistake again.
Or, sometimes the child really is hurt badly, and they will cry and seek shelter and comfort in the arms of their mother or whoever constantly loves and takes care of them. Finally, being comforted and feeling better, they will go back to playing, or perhaps just stay there and sleep/rest in their safe haven.
Sometimes we really do mess up bad. But always when we do, we can find shelter and comfort in the One Who always loves us and takes care of us.
So, when we make a mistake and we fall or get hurt, we may lie there a while. We may even need to cry out for help. But it's important that we always "get up [move on], assess the damage [figure out what we did wrong and how to set it right and/or deal with the consequences], and resume playing [get back into doing whatever we're supposed to be doing]."
Perhaps kindof a lame post, but the short form would be just me seeing that status and thinking basically that last paragraph -- that we should handle a lot of things we face as adults a lot more like a child handles getting hurt.
That made me start thinking of the similarities of a child getting hurt and an adult making a mistake.
A child gets hurt. What kind of child he/she is determines how they respond. Sometimes it may not really even hurt, but perhaps the child knows they can get extra attention by using the fall or whatever happened, so they will cry and cry about it to get attention.
Some adults use their mistakes this way too. "My life is ruined! I'm helpless! Nobody else has it this hard!" Now, that sounds harsh, perhaps, but just as I pity the child even if they weren't hurt that bad, so I pity the adult who made the mistake, and my concern would be with helping them. Not rather or not they're over reacting.
Or, the child may just get up and resume playing since they're not really hurt. Often this is what we need to do when we make mistakes. Just get up and try to move on without making the same mistake again.
Or, sometimes the child really is hurt badly, and they will cry and seek shelter and comfort in the arms of their mother or whoever constantly loves and takes care of them. Finally, being comforted and feeling better, they will go back to playing, or perhaps just stay there and sleep/rest in their safe haven.
Sometimes we really do mess up bad. But always when we do, we can find shelter and comfort in the One Who always loves us and takes care of us.
So, when we make a mistake and we fall or get hurt, we may lie there a while. We may even need to cry out for help. But it's important that we always "get up [move on], assess the damage [figure out what we did wrong and how to set it right and/or deal with the consequences], and resume playing [get back into doing whatever we're supposed to be doing]."
Perhaps kindof a lame post, but the short form would be just me seeing that status and thinking basically that last paragraph -- that we should handle a lot of things we face as adults a lot more like a child handles getting hurt.
2010-04-09
New Beginnings
So, I'm thinking of starting up a blog again. But I'm not really sure if I will or not. I hope that I will, and that it will inspire people. That it will improve my abilities to communicate. That it will give people insight into who I am, and also who they are. But along with all of that, I also hope that it will not use too much of my time. And I'm not sure that I can really do all of the first things I mentioned and that last part. But anyway. Yay new beginnings!
2009-06-13
Update / Relationships 2
Well, I've had almost no time for reading, and when I have read a bit, I've started reading Captivating by John Eldredge. I've only read the first 1 1/2 chapters so far, but can already recommend it. (For one thing, Ma said it was good.)
So, I just decided to post this small excerpt from my brother Brian's email. He was talking a bit about girls, and how he hasn't found anyone yet, and then he said this:
The greatness of the matter though, is that I don't have to worry
about it. I am just discussing this because it hit me hard, and
fascinated me so much, that I couldn't help but write about it to you.
God will bring a girl to me. And she will be the perfect girl for me.
I don't have to look, because God isn't looking. God already knows
who she is, and where she is. But before He will bring us together,
He must first make us into who we each should be. I learned that way
of thinking from Ma just this morning, BTW. She said "God is not so
interested in helping us /find/ the right person as He is in /making/
us the right person." Or I also thought of it this way, if I am
ever feeling lonely and want God to hurry up, I should turn to Him
more, knowing that I must not be good enough yet for the person He has
prepared for me, or He would have brought us together.
Anyway, I just thought that was well said, and kindof went along with what I said last time about trusting God's timing, and not worrying about it.
Me and Brian are extremely close, and think very much alike. Note that by saying, "God will bring a girl to me." he is not AT ALL advocating being a passive bum and waiting for things to magically happen, but rather that our concern is not finding a partner, but becoming the partner God wants us to be one day.
Feel free to share any thoughts, concerns, questions, and criticisms. I like all four.
So, I just decided to post this small excerpt from my brother Brian's email. He was talking a bit about girls, and how he hasn't found anyone yet, and then he said this:
The greatness of the matter though, is that I don't have to worry
about it. I am just discussing this because it hit me hard, and
fascinated me so much, that I couldn't help but write about it to you.
God will bring a girl to me. And she will be the perfect girl for me.
I don't have to look, because God isn't looking. God already knows
who she is, and where she is. But before He will bring us together,
He must first make us into who we each should be. I learned that way
of thinking from Ma just this morning, BTW. She said "God is not so
interested in helping us /find/ the right person as He is in /making/
us the right person." Or I also thought of it this way, if I am
ever feeling lonely and want God to hurry up, I should turn to Him
more, knowing that I must not be good enough yet for the person He has
prepared for me, or He would have brought us together.
Anyway, I just thought that was well said, and kindof went along with what I said last time about trusting God's timing, and not worrying about it.
Me and Brian are extremely close, and think very much alike. Note that by saying, "God will bring a girl to me." he is not AT ALL advocating being a passive bum and waiting for things to magically happen, but rather that our concern is not finding a partner, but becoming the partner God wants us to be one day.
Feel free to share any thoughts, concerns, questions, and criticisms. I like all four.
2009-05-23
Relationships?
"Every relationship for a Christian is an opportunity to love another person like God has loved us. To lay down our desires and do what's in his or her best interest. To care for him or her even when there's nothing in it for us. To want that person's purity and holiness because it pleases God and protects him or her." - Joshua Harris.
I just started reading I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris. So far, it's all stuff that I was taught by my parents growing up and things that I have already been convicted of. I wanted to read it though, because I might want to recommend it to some people, and I don't like recommending books I haven't read. (Though, I would recommend books from certain authors such as Randy Alcorn and John Eldredge, even if I haven't read all of their books.)
To all of my dear readers, don't worry if you're not currently in any relationship.
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding." -Proverbs 3:5
I know that for at least one of you, by your own understanding/knowledge, you may feel like time is running out and that if you don't find someone soon, you never will. But don't be concerned about that. God does have it all planned out for you, and His way is best. He is the creator and owner of time. Try to focus on drawing closer to Him. And don't worry about guys. Let Him be the one to find one for you. Remember. "A woman's heart should be so lost in God that a man needs to seek Him in order to find her." Trust God my dear friend. If it seems like no man is seeking God enough to find you, then still, do not worry. It is in God's hands, and be thankful for His protection from those who might not draw you closer to Him.
Trust in the LORD and do good;
Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the LORD;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light
And your judgment as the noonday.
Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
Cease from anger and forsake wrath;
Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.
For evildoers will be cut off,
But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.
(Psalm 37:3-8)
To those of you who are in relationships, I would give similar advice -- Put God above the relationship, and put LOVE above emotions and feelings.
And what do I mean by that? I mean that you should be more concerned about honoring and pleasing God than about keeping the relationship. If you know the relationship is not honoring and pleasing to God, then end it, or if possible, just end the part that is not pleasing to God.
And what do I mean by putting Love above emotions and feelings? I mean that Love IS NOT an emotion or feeling. I would contend that you can love someone even while your emotions and feelings may be telling you to punch them in the face. Love is about wanting the very best for the other person, and living for their good. And that includes, as Joshua Harris said very well in the beginning quote, "[wanting] that person's purity and holiness because it pleases God and protects him or her."
I intend to post more on this topic in the near future -- perhaps a section aimed at guys, and one aimed at girls. And please, feel free to comment with corrections, criticisms, questions, or whatever.
May God be glorified.
I just started reading I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris. So far, it's all stuff that I was taught by my parents growing up and things that I have already been convicted of. I wanted to read it though, because I might want to recommend it to some people, and I don't like recommending books I haven't read. (Though, I would recommend books from certain authors such as Randy Alcorn and John Eldredge, even if I haven't read all of their books.)
To all of my dear readers, don't worry if you're not currently in any relationship.
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding." -Proverbs 3:5
I know that for at least one of you, by your own understanding/knowledge, you may feel like time is running out and that if you don't find someone soon, you never will. But don't be concerned about that. God does have it all planned out for you, and His way is best. He is the creator and owner of time. Try to focus on drawing closer to Him. And don't worry about guys. Let Him be the one to find one for you. Remember. "A woman's heart should be so lost in God that a man needs to seek Him in order to find her." Trust God my dear friend. If it seems like no man is seeking God enough to find you, then still, do not worry. It is in God's hands, and be thankful for His protection from those who might not draw you closer to Him.
Trust in the LORD and do good;
Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the LORD;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light
And your judgment as the noonday.
Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
Cease from anger and forsake wrath;
Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.
For evildoers will be cut off,
But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.
(Psalm 37:3-8)
To those of you who are in relationships, I would give similar advice -- Put God above the relationship, and put LOVE above emotions and feelings.
And what do I mean by that? I mean that you should be more concerned about honoring and pleasing God than about keeping the relationship. If you know the relationship is not honoring and pleasing to God, then end it, or if possible, just end the part that is not pleasing to God.
And what do I mean by putting Love above emotions and feelings? I mean that Love IS NOT an emotion or feeling. I would contend that you can love someone even while your emotions and feelings may be telling you to punch them in the face. Love is about wanting the very best for the other person, and living for their good. And that includes, as Joshua Harris said very well in the beginning quote, "[wanting] that person's purity and holiness because it pleases God and protects him or her."
I intend to post more on this topic in the near future -- perhaps a section aimed at guys, and one aimed at girls. And please, feel free to comment with corrections, criticisms, questions, or whatever.
May God be glorified.
2009-03-07
Mr Ngambi
Speaking yesterday of being blessed with a job, I am reminded of Mr. Ngambi in Zambia. We hired him to help take care of our garden and yard as a way to help him out. Never have I seen a better employee. He was on time or else early EVERY day. He never left early, but instead, often left late. His goal was not to make money, but to be the very best groundskeeper he could be — and he was. And mind you, it's not that he didn't need the money! He lives in a crouded compound in a very small house. I'm actually not even sure how many children he had, but at least 3. I'm thinking 6, but I need to confirm that with my brother.
I'll never forget one day when he was late. He got there slightly later than his usual (don't remember how late, but it wasn't much), and was so apologetic. Turns out he was in incredible pain with a toothache, and was late because he had been to the dentist. Even with the toothache, he intended to work, but we gave him some pain killer and let him go home. And you know, for something as little as that — some painkiller and a day off, he was forever grateful to us and thankful to God for a 'good employer'.
He is an elder in one of the churches in Kafue, and on some day of the week he had to be at a meeting there. It was totally fine with us for him to take off for that, but rather than just taking the time off, he insisted on working during lunch break on those days to make up for the hour or two that he was in the meeting.
Anyway, I wrote all that mostly just to say, he was a VERY good employee and is a very hard worker. We moved far away though, and could not continue hiring him. Well, some months ago, my family got to visit him and his family, and found that he is was security guard for a teacher training college. That's a low paying, quite demanding job in Zambia. I don't know about him, but many of them work 12 hour shifts. Well, when they visited him, he had been working for the teacher training college for 6 months. They paid him the first month, but for the past 5 months he hadn't been paid! Can you imagine? Working at your only job for 5 months without getting paid! Now, here, that would be foolish. If someone doesn't pay you, you quit the job. Otherwise it just encourages them to take advantage of you. That may be the case in Zambia also, but what else can he do? There are no other jobs available for him, so to leave would just be to leave his hope for them to eventually pay him.
But was he depressed by that? No. Instead, he was thankful to God for getting to see us. He was praising God aloud to hear that one of our students was accepted into Liberty University. He was thankful to Pa for being a faithful employee back when he was working for us.
How was he even surviving? I don't know. But what he knows is that GOD is the one who provides for us, and that all that is required of us is "to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with [our] God." (Micah 6:8). God takes care of the rest.
So, I'm very blessed to have my current job.
I'll never forget one day when he was late. He got there slightly later than his usual (don't remember how late, but it wasn't much), and was so apologetic. Turns out he was in incredible pain with a toothache, and was late because he had been to the dentist. Even with the toothache, he intended to work, but we gave him some pain killer and let him go home. And you know, for something as little as that — some painkiller and a day off, he was forever grateful to us and thankful to God for a 'good employer'.
He is an elder in one of the churches in Kafue, and on some day of the week he had to be at a meeting there. It was totally fine with us for him to take off for that, but rather than just taking the time off, he insisted on working during lunch break on those days to make up for the hour or two that he was in the meeting.
Anyway, I wrote all that mostly just to say, he was a VERY good employee and is a very hard worker. We moved far away though, and could not continue hiring him. Well, some months ago, my family got to visit him and his family, and found that he is was security guard for a teacher training college. That's a low paying, quite demanding job in Zambia. I don't know about him, but many of them work 12 hour shifts. Well, when they visited him, he had been working for the teacher training college for 6 months. They paid him the first month, but for the past 5 months he hadn't been paid! Can you imagine? Working at your only job for 5 months without getting paid! Now, here, that would be foolish. If someone doesn't pay you, you quit the job. Otherwise it just encourages them to take advantage of you. That may be the case in Zambia also, but what else can he do? There are no other jobs available for him, so to leave would just be to leave his hope for them to eventually pay him.
But was he depressed by that? No. Instead, he was thankful to God for getting to see us. He was praising God aloud to hear that one of our students was accepted into Liberty University. He was thankful to Pa for being a faithful employee back when he was working for us.
How was he even surviving? I don't know. But what he knows is that GOD is the one who provides for us, and that all that is required of us is "to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with [our] God." (Micah 6:8). God takes care of the rest.
So, I'm very blessed to have my current job.
2009-03-06
March 6th
Today was a day full of blessings. I woke up earlier than usual, feeling very refreshed and ready for the day.
In my devotions, I was reading about the old testament sacrifices. That's not usually the most exciting topic, but what is exciting is that Jesus fulfilled ALL of that through His ultimate sacrifice. He made us clean, innocent, and beautiful to the Father. How amazing is that? That we, filthy rags as we are, can be something beautiful, something pleasing to the Lord and King of the whole universe!
I actually ate breakfast today — blueberry bagels and cream cheese. They were delicious.
Work went very well. Because I actually got up at a reasonable time, I was able to get in more than my usual number of hours and still have some free time during daylight hours. I am so blessed to have a good job. It's a dream job really — I choose my own hours, don't have to leave home, get paid for my time spent learning new things, and have two great friends, one of whom is my brother, as my co-worker and boss.
This afternoon, between projects in work, I got a short text message from Ma informing me that she now has a phone! Her very first cellphone. :) It's always great to hear from home, and it's great that she now has a phone so I can send text messages to her directly and possibly even call her sometime. I've been very blessed with the best mom I can imagine.
I also got to chat for some time with a very dear friend. God has blessed me abundantly with friends. Even now, when I hardly ever see anyone in real life besides my brother and co-worker, God has given me friends to communicate and share with over the Internet, and uses them to encourage me, to give me courage, to remind me of the things in life which are truly important.
I was also blessed with lovely weather today. The temperature was so comfortable, and the sky cloudy, so that it felt almost like rain — with that freshness and cleanness in the air. I went for a bike ride and took a few pictures on the way back. Many people are not healthy enough to ride bikes. Many have never had the privilege to learn to ride bikes. Many, including my own brothers living in Zambia do not have bikes to ride. I've been blessed with a good bike, good health, and a camera.
This evening I re-heated the food I made last night — chicken, potatoes, carrots, celery, and onion baked together. I've been so blessed with plenty of healthy food, a clean, indoor kitchen, and a brother who can enjoy the meal also.
Those are just a few of the countless blessings God is constantly pouring out on me. The challenge to me now is to appreciate His blessings, and to use them to bless others.
In my devotions, I was reading about the old testament sacrifices. That's not usually the most exciting topic, but what is exciting is that Jesus fulfilled ALL of that through His ultimate sacrifice. He made us clean, innocent, and beautiful to the Father. How amazing is that? That we, filthy rags as we are, can be something beautiful, something pleasing to the Lord and King of the whole universe!
I actually ate breakfast today — blueberry bagels and cream cheese. They were delicious.
Work went very well. Because I actually got up at a reasonable time, I was able to get in more than my usual number of hours and still have some free time during daylight hours. I am so blessed to have a good job. It's a dream job really — I choose my own hours, don't have to leave home, get paid for my time spent learning new things, and have two great friends, one of whom is my brother, as my co-worker and boss.
This afternoon, between projects in work, I got a short text message from Ma informing me that she now has a phone! Her very first cellphone. :) It's always great to hear from home, and it's great that she now has a phone so I can send text messages to her directly and possibly even call her sometime. I've been very blessed with the best mom I can imagine.
I also got to chat for some time with a very dear friend. God has blessed me abundantly with friends. Even now, when I hardly ever see anyone in real life besides my brother and co-worker, God has given me friends to communicate and share with over the Internet, and uses them to encourage me, to give me courage, to remind me of the things in life which are truly important.
I was also blessed with lovely weather today. The temperature was so comfortable, and the sky cloudy, so that it felt almost like rain — with that freshness and cleanness in the air. I went for a bike ride and took a few pictures on the way back. Many people are not healthy enough to ride bikes. Many have never had the privilege to learn to ride bikes. Many, including my own brothers living in Zambia do not have bikes to ride. I've been blessed with a good bike, good health, and a camera.
This evening I re-heated the food I made last night — chicken, potatoes, carrots, celery, and onion baked together. I've been so blessed with plenty of healthy food, a clean, indoor kitchen, and a brother who can enjoy the meal also.
Those are just a few of the countless blessings God is constantly pouring out on me. The challenge to me now is to appreciate His blessings, and to use them to bless others.
2009-03-04
The Journey
I know. It's been so long since I posted anything, and even longer since I actually wrote something original, I can't really expect to have many (any?) followers. But even if I only write a fraction of what I'm thinking, just sitting here to write and thinking can be very beneficial I think.
Just a couple days ago, a friend of mine pointed me to this blog: http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com
I can't even explain how much of a blessing reading this blog has been. It is written by a girl in Uganda who is working with the people there to provide a home, education, and love for the children there. It's been so encouraging and inspiring to read, because so much of it reminds me of times and experiences in Zambia. My children and siblings at the orphanage, my life-long friends at church and at our school. It all seems real again when reading Katie's blog, and it inspires me to work even harder to support the work my family and others are doing in Africa, as well as working to go back myself one day.
I almost wrote something like, "I think I'll be posting here a bit more often now." or something like that, but unfortunately, I've had that thought when writing just about every single post on here, so I don't trust it.
Just a couple days ago, a friend of mine pointed me to this blog: http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com
I can't even explain how much of a blessing reading this blog has been. It is written by a girl in Uganda who is working with the people there to provide a home, education, and love for the children there. It's been so encouraging and inspiring to read, because so much of it reminds me of times and experiences in Zambia. My children and siblings at the orphanage, my life-long friends at church and at our school. It all seems real again when reading Katie's blog, and it inspires me to work even harder to support the work my family and others are doing in Africa, as well as working to go back myself one day.
I almost wrote something like, "I think I'll be posting here a bit more often now." or something like that, but unfortunately, I've had that thought when writing just about every single post on here, so I don't trust it.
2008-12-05
Louie Giglio — How Great is our God
This sermon has helped me tremendously. I'd encourage anyone who has the time or is struggling or needs assurance of Gods love and care to listen to it.
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