I tend to appear as though I've fallen off the face of the earth come summertime, but I am posting to assure you that this is not the case. I don't like to write about the day-to-day very often, but I'm going to be vain and assume that you might be somewhat interested in my slightly mundane summer existence. Ha-ha.
I'm living at home for the summer, excepting at least one trip to Memphis for the wedding of two very special people in my life (Charlie and Audrey, collectively known as "Chaudrey"). Looking forward to this with great anticipation. I adore summer road trips.
While I'm home, I'll be lifeguarding at a swim club in town six days a week. This is my third summer as a lifeguard, and I can't think of a better job. I'll admit, the tan lines aren't the greatest sometimes, but at least there *are* tan lines. Ha-ha. The weather has been a bit bipolar lately (brownie points if you know the song! ^_^), so the water is quite...ah...refreshing? I'm gonna brag a little now, if you don't mind. Last Thursday, I made my very first jump-in save. It was pretty exciting stuff. A girl jumped off the diving board into some very cold water and freaked, so I went in after her. I almost had a second save, but another guard (we'll call him "Thor") happened to be walking by and got to him first. Poor little guy had oh-so timidly hopped off the board and I knew he was going to need help before his head broke the surface.
So that's my summer so far. I'll try to be a little more insightful later on.
Some other miscellaneous items:
1) my UBS Greek New Testament arrived about a week ago, so I'm having tons of fun studying it.
2) I adore driving backroads in the county with the windows down 'cause it lets in the summer air that smells like...
3) honeysuckle! If you've never smelled honeysuckle, you're missing out. It's basically the smell of summer.
4) speaking of things that smell like summer, I must confess that I have a love for the scent of line-dried laundry, and the smell you get when you combine sunscreen, chlorine, and just a little bit of sunshine. It's kind of wonderful.
5) I don't think I mentioned my decision to become a baseball fan this summer... I arrived at my decision to support the St. Louis Cardinals logically and geographically. I'm about the same distance from Cincinnati and St. Louis, and I have a rule that says I *never* go north, so St. Louis was the obvious choice. My baseball cap arrived on the same day as my GNT, so yours truly was a very happy camper.
6) I'm experimenting in new music this summer. After watching I Am Number Four and hearing their music on the soundtrack, I found Adele and Civil Twilight. Fell asleep listening to Adele last night, but it's some pretty good stuff so far. Civil Twilight is on the agenda for this afternoon.
Showing posts with label Greek. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Greek. Show all posts
30 May 2011
22 April 2011
Disjointed Confessions
I don’t want Him enough. I can’t put it any other way. I say this out of frustration with myself. I want to want Him more, but I’m so easily distracted by other things. You know how it goes, you get into a really good book study and you’re beginning to understand things and…I was starting 1 John about two months ago—taking it slow, practicing my Greek, reading commentaries, writing good notes—when I simply allowed myself to be pulled away. When I’m in the Word, I crave it; I feel lost the first few days when I’m straying, but then it becomes easier and easier until I’m doing just fine without it. The truth is, that’s when I’m at my worst. It’s like this Chinese guy told me once about ping-pong (and you know how serious they are about ping-pong in China…): don’t practice for one day and you know it; don’t practice for two days and your opponent knows it; don’t practice for a week and everyone knows it.
I’m not okay without Jesus. I’m poor, wretched, naked, and blind without Jesus. Friend, you’re not okay without Jesus. We’ve got to stop pretending we can handle it ourselves. We’re fallen, far from perfect, missing the mark day after day, falling short, incapable-however you want to put it. We can’t do life without Jesus. These distractions are idols in disguise. They draw us away into worshipping them before we even realize what’s happening. One of my biggest idols is academia. Ask anyone who knows me and they’ll tell you I’ve got a thing for getting good grades. I would consider it utter failure to fall below a B in any class. I require excellence of myself in my schoolwork, so why don’t I apply that to my relationship with Christ? Why don’t I see it as utter failure when I haven’t spent time with my Savior in days?
Here’s something to think about: relationships are formed and developed through dialogue. (See, Mom and Dad, here’s something I’m learning from my Theatre minor!) If He’s talking and you’re not listening, there’s no development going on. If you’re not talking, zilch, zero. Here’s something else to think about: check out the language of this verse in 1 John. “…whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked.” My Greek professor translates it this way. It’s a little more difficult to read, but he really gets the feel and action of the verbs. “The one who goes on claiming to abide in Him has a continuing obligation just as that One lived even he himself to go on walking.” If I claim Christ, I have an obligation to be continually striving to live as He lived. How is that? Pursuing of the will of the Father (John 6:38; 5:30; 4:34). Living a holy life (1 Peter 1:15-16). There is so much more I could say, but it’s late and I’m tired. We are to live like Christ by portraying faith, love, obedience to the Father, self-sacrifice, holiness, and the limitless list of His characteristics. You think this is impossible? Yes, it is impossible alone. We can’t do it without God’s grace. Lucky for us, He gives if we ask. Check out James 4:1-10 for more on that. I’m goin’ to get some shut-eye after He and I spend some time talking.
I’m not okay without Jesus. I’m poor, wretched, naked, and blind without Jesus. Friend, you’re not okay without Jesus. We’ve got to stop pretending we can handle it ourselves. We’re fallen, far from perfect, missing the mark day after day, falling short, incapable-however you want to put it. We can’t do life without Jesus. These distractions are idols in disguise. They draw us away into worshipping them before we even realize what’s happening. One of my biggest idols is academia. Ask anyone who knows me and they’ll tell you I’ve got a thing for getting good grades. I would consider it utter failure to fall below a B in any class. I require excellence of myself in my schoolwork, so why don’t I apply that to my relationship with Christ? Why don’t I see it as utter failure when I haven’t spent time with my Savior in days?
Here’s something to think about: relationships are formed and developed through dialogue. (See, Mom and Dad, here’s something I’m learning from my Theatre minor!) If He’s talking and you’re not listening, there’s no development going on. If you’re not talking, zilch, zero. Here’s something else to think about: check out the language of this verse in 1 John. “…whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked.” My Greek professor translates it this way. It’s a little more difficult to read, but he really gets the feel and action of the verbs. “The one who goes on claiming to abide in Him has a continuing obligation just as that One lived even he himself to go on walking.” If I claim Christ, I have an obligation to be continually striving to live as He lived. How is that? Pursuing of the will of the Father (John 6:38; 5:30; 4:34). Living a holy life (1 Peter 1:15-16). There is so much more I could say, but it’s late and I’m tired. We are to live like Christ by portraying faith, love, obedience to the Father, self-sacrifice, holiness, and the limitless list of His characteristics. You think this is impossible? Yes, it is impossible alone. We can’t do it without God’s grace. Lucky for us, He gives if we ask. Check out James 4:1-10 for more on that. I’m goin’ to get some shut-eye after He and I spend some time talking.
Whosoever, then, really perceives what fellowship with God is, will be satisfied with it alone, and will no more burn with desires for other things. - John Calvin on 1 John 1:4
26 March 2011
Days 23-27
Day 23-give pictures of five guys who are famous who you find attractive
I'm too lazy to find pictures, so I'll just list a few, okay?
1. Orlando Bloom
2. Hayden Christensen
3. Kristian Stanfill
4. Tom Welling
5. Phil Wickham
Day 24-your favorite movie and what it's about
I have many favorite movies, and am tempted just to write "Lord of the Rings; read the book," but I will refrain from snarkiness this once and choose August Rush.
August Rush is about a boy (Evan) who is separated from his parents at birth. His dad actually doesn't know he exists (it was sort of a one-night stand...) until nearly the end of the movie. Both Evan's parents (Lila and Louis) are musicians, and he has a gift for hearing music in the strangest of places. He believes that music will bring his family back together, but he's stuck in a boys' home in rural New York, so he runs away to New York City in search of his parents. You'll have to watch the movie to find out what happens. He-he. It's got a great soundtrack that you'll never tire of listening to.
Day 25-someone who fascinates you and why
Dr. Bain. Why not? Dr. Bain is one of our Biblical Studies professors at Blue Mountain. He teaches Greek, Church History, The Bible and Missions, and The Bible and Ethics, as well as other courses that escape my memory. Dr. Bain is basically brilliant. His students have given him the nickname "Greek Ninja," and I'm convinced he's this galaxy's incarnation of Yoda. The other day when I was following him to his office to make up a Greek test, I just got the weirdest feeling that this is what it would be like for a Padawan learner to follow around his Jedi Master (yes, that was my exact thought. You should already know I'm a huge nerd...judge me).
Dr. Bain is brilliant beyond what I can express here. I'm fairly certain he thinks in Greek. The stories he's told in class about hiking in the mountains and encountering bears...the man carries bear spray. Bear spray! Who needs bear spray? He's told one story about when he was carrying two cans and ran out of bear spray, so he prayed the whole way back that he wouldn't run into a bear because then he'd have to beat it with his hiking stick (which he keeps in his office, in case you were wondering).
If you thought he couldn't get any cooler...his son's nickname is Tank. I've driven by their house to see him in the back yard playing with an Indiana Jones-style whip. His son also knows a little Mando'a. (Those of you who don't know what that is are missing out. Google it and be educated.)
At the risk of sounding psycho, I'm going to stop here by saying that Dr. Bain is just plain awesome and kind of inspires my inner nerd.
Day 26-what kind of person attracts you?
acts like Jesus
confident but not arrogant
genuine and honest
compassionate but not a doormat
knows what he believes and sticks by it
gentle but not a pushover
willing to listen to me whine, then make me get on with things
patient
a leader but not a dictator
loves the Lord with his whole being
funny and kinda nerdy
Day 27-a problem that you have had
I am terribly inconsistent. I have a bad habit of starting thing that I forget about until days or weeks later (as evidenced clearly by my blogging record...), then picking them back up again for a while and leaving off again after a few weeks of actual progress. I'm this way with working out too; I'd been doing well before spring break, but since then I may have logged five miles on the treadmill.
I make excuses for my inconsistency solely to justify not feeling terribly about it. For instance, I've just started a job waitressing at the café down the hill from my school, so I've been counting that as exercise this week. Now that I feel substantially guilty about slacking in these specific areas, the frequency of my working out and my blogging will more than likely increase...at least for a little while...
I'm too lazy to find pictures, so I'll just list a few, okay?
1. Orlando Bloom
2. Hayden Christensen
3. Kristian Stanfill
4. Tom Welling
5. Phil Wickham
Day 24-your favorite movie and what it's about
I have many favorite movies, and am tempted just to write "Lord of the Rings; read the book," but I will refrain from snarkiness this once and choose August Rush.
August Rush is about a boy (Evan) who is separated from his parents at birth. His dad actually doesn't know he exists (it was sort of a one-night stand...) until nearly the end of the movie. Both Evan's parents (Lila and Louis) are musicians, and he has a gift for hearing music in the strangest of places. He believes that music will bring his family back together, but he's stuck in a boys' home in rural New York, so he runs away to New York City in search of his parents. You'll have to watch the movie to find out what happens. He-he. It's got a great soundtrack that you'll never tire of listening to.
Day 25-someone who fascinates you and why
Dr. Bain. Why not? Dr. Bain is one of our Biblical Studies professors at Blue Mountain. He teaches Greek, Church History, The Bible and Missions, and The Bible and Ethics, as well as other courses that escape my memory. Dr. Bain is basically brilliant. His students have given him the nickname "Greek Ninja," and I'm convinced he's this galaxy's incarnation of Yoda. The other day when I was following him to his office to make up a Greek test, I just got the weirdest feeling that this is what it would be like for a Padawan learner to follow around his Jedi Master (yes, that was my exact thought. You should already know I'm a huge nerd...judge me).
Dr. Bain is brilliant beyond what I can express here. I'm fairly certain he thinks in Greek. The stories he's told in class about hiking in the mountains and encountering bears...the man carries bear spray. Bear spray! Who needs bear spray? He's told one story about when he was carrying two cans and ran out of bear spray, so he prayed the whole way back that he wouldn't run into a bear because then he'd have to beat it with his hiking stick (which he keeps in his office, in case you were wondering).
If you thought he couldn't get any cooler...his son's nickname is Tank. I've driven by their house to see him in the back yard playing with an Indiana Jones-style whip. His son also knows a little Mando'a. (Those of you who don't know what that is are missing out. Google it and be educated.)
At the risk of sounding psycho, I'm going to stop here by saying that Dr. Bain is just plain awesome and kind of inspires my inner nerd.
Day 26-what kind of person attracts you?
acts like Jesus
confident but not arrogant
genuine and honest
compassionate but not a doormat
knows what he believes and sticks by it
gentle but not a pushover
willing to listen to me whine, then make me get on with things
patient
a leader but not a dictator
loves the Lord with his whole being
funny and kinda nerdy
Day 27-a problem that you have had
I am terribly inconsistent. I have a bad habit of starting thing that I forget about until days or weeks later (as evidenced clearly by my blogging record...), then picking them back up again for a while and leaving off again after a few weeks of actual progress. I'm this way with working out too; I'd been doing well before spring break, but since then I may have logged five miles on the treadmill.
I make excuses for my inconsistency solely to justify not feeling terribly about it. For instance, I've just started a job waitressing at the café down the hill from my school, so I've been counting that as exercise this week. Now that I feel substantially guilty about slacking in these specific areas, the frequency of my working out and my blogging will more than likely increase...at least for a little while...
01 February 2011
A Night in the Life of a Desk Worker
6:51 p.m.
Just threw out Campus Cat. I was on my hands and knees in the Modenian parlor, looking under the couches, when I turned around to see Campus Cat looking at me from the faculty parlor. Softball players looked at me funny when I threw the animal out the door.
7:02 p.m.
7:12 p.m.
It’s very windy...
7:27 p.m.
Watching the UK/Ole Miss game. I’m gonna need my Wildcats to pull this one out. Don’t they know I go to school in Mississippi?
7:32 p.m.
Starting homework...joy... We’ll see how long this lasts.
8:00 p.m.
Emily Beth has come to visit and to mock my pain as I watch the Cats lose by ONE POINT to Ole Miss.
8:24 p.m.
Emily Beth has deserted me, but Acey and Chelsea (henceforth refered to as Chacey) are hangin’ around now, as well as John and Allison (Jollison?). Allison bought sticky lizards, which she is sharing. I’ve got a green one hanging from my computer screen. Acey is not interested because he can’t eat them.
I’m being educated on the wonders of Sea Monkeys. This is fascinating. I want some.
8:58 p.m.
My roomie and Carmen brought me pizza! ^_^
9:30 p.m.
Harbor and Cyle just left...Cyle squirted me with his water bottle. I am now wet. Thank you so much, Cyle. -_-
10:13 p.m.
Doooooooon’t waaaaaaaaaannaaaaa dooooooo Greeeeeeeeek hoooooomework. >_<
10:17 p.m.
Snarky Softballer: Who won the basketball game?
Me: *glare* [mutter] Stupid Rebels...[/mutter]
10:40 p.m.
Greek homework...'s gonna take me εις τον αιώνα...
11:38 p.m.
Twenty-two more minutes... Soooo sleeeeeepy...
Homework accomplished! ^_^
11:53 p.m.
Almost finished. A rather uninteresting night. Maybe I'll do this again when something worthwhile happens. Then again, it's a rather boring job. But it is a job. =]
Just threw out Campus Cat. I was on my hands and knees in the Modenian parlor, looking under the couches, when I turned around to see Campus Cat looking at me from the faculty parlor. Softball players looked at me funny when I threw the animal out the door.
7:02 p.m.
7:12 p.m.
It’s very windy...
7:27 p.m.
Watching the UK/Ole Miss game. I’m gonna need my Wildcats to pull this one out. Don’t they know I go to school in Mississippi?
7:32 p.m.
Starting homework...joy... We’ll see how long this lasts.
8:00 p.m.
Emily Beth has come to visit and to mock my pain as I watch the Cats lose by ONE POINT to Ole Miss.
8:24 p.m.
Emily Beth has deserted me, but Acey and Chelsea (henceforth refered to as Chacey) are hangin’ around now, as well as John and Allison (Jollison?). Allison bought sticky lizards, which she is sharing. I’ve got a green one hanging from my computer screen. Acey is not interested because he can’t eat them.
I’m being educated on the wonders of Sea Monkeys. This is fascinating. I want some.
8:58 p.m.
My roomie and Carmen brought me pizza! ^_^
9:30 p.m.
Harbor and Cyle just left...Cyle squirted me with his water bottle. I am now wet. Thank you so much, Cyle. -_-
10:13 p.m.
Doooooooon’t waaaaaaaaaannaaaaa dooooooo Greeeeeeeeek hoooooomework. >_<
10:17 p.m.
Snarky Softballer: Who won the basketball game?
Me: *glare* [mutter] Stupid Rebels...[/mutter]
10:40 p.m.
Greek homework...'s gonna take me εις τον αιώνα...
11:38 p.m.
Twenty-two more minutes... Soooo sleeeeeepy...
Homework accomplished! ^_^
11:53 p.m.
Almost finished. A rather uninteresting night. Maybe I'll do this again when something worthwhile happens. Then again, it's a rather boring job. But it is a job. =]
28 October 2010
So, it's definitely October...>_> <_<
To be honest, I journal like this too. I can't tell you the last time I sat down to write. I guess that means at least I'm not bored, right?
Anyway...midterms are now a thing of the past. Such a lovely experience that. This week, though, was shaping up to be just kicks and giggles. The Bible department synced up on testing, so I was looking at having three major tests in two days: Greek, Old Testament, and Bible & Missions. This wouldn't've been such a big deal except for the fact that as of the last class period (Tuesday), Dr. Bain hadn't yet given us a study guide for Bible & Missions, and the test was scheduled for...well, today. On Monday night, I sat in my room planning out a study/sleep/food schedule for my week through Tuesday so that I could pull this thing off. Praise be to God-in class on Tuesday, Dr. Bain realized he had, in fact, not given us the 42-question study guide and announced that he would move the test to this coming Tuesday, "Unless, of course, there is an outcry of opposition." Well, there definitely wasn't. There was a huge sigh of relief instead. So I am currently looking at two tests down, none to go. (Which makes me a pretty happy camper.)
The weather is starting to turn on the Mountain. It's much more tolerable here than at home. We went for about a week of cooler weather (by that, I mean temperatures in the 40s), but it's been consistently warmer for quite some time. I'm looking forward to what we call "hoodie weather," though. As big a fan as I am of shorts and t-shirts, I've gotta admit that there's just something about a hoodie that makes my heart happy. I've become quite the collector of them over the past few years. My current favorite is a dark grey one that my Mom bought for me at a conference in Texas (a funny place to buy something warm if you ask me).
Good grief. Why am I prattling on about the weather? The answer is procrastination. I'd best quit at this and get to reading. Five one-page summaries are due today in Bible & Missions on ten chapters of a book. Two down, three to go. Fun stuff...
Glad to be back in the swing of writing. Let's hope it continues.
Jessi <><
*pray for focus in my studies (especially Greek)
*pray for a friend having a tough time all around
*pray for the BMC students as a whole
To be honest, I journal like this too. I can't tell you the last time I sat down to write. I guess that means at least I'm not bored, right?
Anyway...midterms are now a thing of the past. Such a lovely experience that. This week, though, was shaping up to be just kicks and giggles. The Bible department synced up on testing, so I was looking at having three major tests in two days: Greek, Old Testament, and Bible & Missions. This wouldn't've been such a big deal except for the fact that as of the last class period (Tuesday), Dr. Bain hadn't yet given us a study guide for Bible & Missions, and the test was scheduled for...well, today. On Monday night, I sat in my room planning out a study/sleep/food schedule for my week through Tuesday so that I could pull this thing off. Praise be to God-in class on Tuesday, Dr. Bain realized he had, in fact, not given us the 42-question study guide and announced that he would move the test to this coming Tuesday, "Unless, of course, there is an outcry of opposition." Well, there definitely wasn't. There was a huge sigh of relief instead. So I am currently looking at two tests down, none to go. (Which makes me a pretty happy camper.)
The weather is starting to turn on the Mountain. It's much more tolerable here than at home. We went for about a week of cooler weather (by that, I mean temperatures in the 40s), but it's been consistently warmer for quite some time. I'm looking forward to what we call "hoodie weather," though. As big a fan as I am of shorts and t-shirts, I've gotta admit that there's just something about a hoodie that makes my heart happy. I've become quite the collector of them over the past few years. My current favorite is a dark grey one that my Mom bought for me at a conference in Texas (a funny place to buy something warm if you ask me).
Good grief. Why am I prattling on about the weather? The answer is procrastination. I'd best quit at this and get to reading. Five one-page summaries are due today in Bible & Missions on ten chapters of a book. Two down, three to go. Fun stuff...
Glad to be back in the swing of writing. Let's hope it continues.
Jessi <><
*pray for focus in my studies (especially Greek)
*pray for a friend having a tough time all around
*pray for the BMC students as a whole
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)