What I Found by Accident

During Day of Prayer last week Covenant had the tower open. Me and some friends decided to go up. However, it turned out our RA was supposed to reserve it, so we coudn't go all the way up. We ended up exporing a big storage room just below the tower. I decided to climb a big wooden ladder that went up to some secured boards above me. Once there, I found another smaller ladder that went up to a metal door on the ceiling. I climbed it and pushed open the door. Sunlight spilled out into the dark room below and I found myself seeing the pictures you see above. If I had not been shaking (or afriad of being seriously punished) I would have climbed out onto the roof that I was looking at. I was so grateful that I had my camera in my pocket and was able to snap the pictures that I did. I didn't climb up then, but now I have another item on my list of things I'm going to do before I graduate. Right between learning the guitar and camping out by the pond.

Mostly for my own sake, I think I'm going to take up blogging again. There have been a lot of times when I've wanted to write, but just havn't. All the time there are things running through my head that I think, "I should write about that!" But then, of course, I don't. Most of what I write, especially now since I'm sick, will probably be just jibberish. But that's ok. It feels good to write.
I love college. I love Covenant College. I feel at home here. I'm waiting for my tea to cool off. I might have strept throat. I'm going to see the nurse tomorrow. Earlier this evening I could hear my friend James practicing the bagpipes outside. How cool is that? I was listening to Sufjan Stevens earlier. I had never heard of him before I came here and some friends turned me onto him. He is pretty much awsome.
This post is incredibly random; I guess I'm just typing whatever comes to my mind.
My roomate is playing Jars of Clay "Tea and Sympathy." I love Jars of Clay. They are amazing. It's funny because I'm drinking tea right now. Or maybe I just have a weird sense of humor. Every time I put my cup down on the dresser my roomate thinks someone is knocking at the door.
I'm so excited about my major. Community Development. It seems perfect for what I want to do. I feel like it's what God is leading me to right now. I'm stoked to see what he does in the next few years. Heck, I'm excited to see what he does in the next semester.

A senior reflection...

So, here I am at the end of my high school career (or a few days away.) this is one of my reflections, although it’s about the future rather than the past. So, a prediction? Anyways, so I’m thinking about how the thing that has meant the most to me throughout my experience has been people (who aren't actually things, really.) lately everyone has been going through the annual sadness (including myself) about seeing people leave for the next stage of their life. People I have grown to love, respect, cherish, who have become family to me, I will no longer be at school with. No longer will see each other everyday (or just about everyday.) but to get to the point, we as Christians have a hope in this sadness. No matter if we never see our fellow Christian friends in this life after the day we graduate- we KNOW that we will be spending eternity together. This probably isn't that original of a reflection- but how cool is that? I mean, I’m honestly not trying to be smarmy or cute or just sound nice. That is the truth. We will be spending eternity in the presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, glorifying Him in perfect fellowship with Him and with our brothers and sisters.
Romans 8:35-39) says "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Doubtless we will go through a lot in our lives- its part of being a Christian. We will probably (I hate the thought) grow apart from most of our current friends. But as believers, we will always be brothers and sisters. We know that our lives have impacted each other, challenged and strengthened each other, in deep ways. We have sharpened each other and edified each other in ways that ultimately point to the grace of God. And we will continue to do these things. For eternity.
Prov. 27:17 "Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
So, I’m thinking we should plan a game of capture the flag for eternity. Everyone game?

Fire bubbles!

In chemistry on friday the class did the fire bubble lab. we made said fire bubbles with soap, water, and glyceral (?) the insides of the bubbles were filled with methane gas, making them flammable. we put them on our hands and arms and lit them. it was the coolest lab ever. Paul singed a lot of arm hair, Kyle accidently pulled his hand back through a flame, and Charlie got a little dizzy from the gasses. other than that, there were no serious injuries to report. we took a field trip to the student center afterwards for fresh air.

The Great Blog Depression

Blogs everywhere are out of posts. They are starving. There is a serious post shortage. And the deflation of posts makes every post worth so much. :cough: the blogosphere is dry. it's like the Dustbowl of the blogs. deadness. I have to wear a scarf over my face when i get on because the posts are so old and dusty.

Covenant Campus Preview Weekend

By popular demand, here are pictures from the trip taken last week by Erin, Charlie, Mrs. Grotenhuis and myself. It was a great trip, and very encouraging for me to visit the college that I am hoping to attend next year. We had a good time and got to visit Matt and meet up with a few other friends. The college is incredible, and the people I talked to were all very encouraging. Erin, Mrs. Grotenhuis and myself outside the Starbucks in downtown Chattanooga.
Erin, Charlie, Matt and I hung out in the lobby of the main building, Carter Hall, on Friday night.
If you look closely, you can see the campus on Lookout Mountain.

The overlook on the campus.

Matt took us down to the Catacombs, the hall below his. They are reputationaly big prankers down there. It was Battleball night, so they had all of their crazy clothes spread out in their commons.
The view from the overlook.
Carter Hall.
The chapel.

Dance Pictures

Here are pictures from the Sweetheart Dance that I went to last night with Charlie, Caroline, Drew, Danielle, and Kyle. Kayla and Paul met up with us at Mr. Yens. It was fun. Dani, Kayla and I acted stupid on the dance floor breaking out the robot, the sprinkler, and other random moves. Kyle and Paul even invented the curling dance move- imitating olympic curlers.

Dum dum da da da da....

Is anyone else inspired by the olympics? Especially the snowboarding, when i watch the athletes i just want to get out there and do that to. the adrenaline, the competition, the fear, the victory.... sports are an awsome chance to glorify God with our bodies, minds, and spirits.

Another sweet song

Hey, a new favorite song of mine by a band called Monday Morning. I heard it the other day and i started to cry. good tears, the kind of tears you cry when you are inspired and awestruck by God's grace. it's one of those songs that hits perfectly what i am feeling. God is awsome. Here is some of it- the parts that especially hit home.

all my hopes and dreams inside/visions lurk behind my eyes/something new behind it grows/...but I'm still nothing next to You/ I'm still nothing next to you/...what I've seen and where I've been/what's breaking out and breaking in/...how I've changed and how I've learned/becoming less becoming more/and I'm still nothing next to you/I'm still nothing next to you/...the sickness my mind's battled long/the center of my every song/the beauty of my voice it fades/into a spiritual cascade/flowing from Your perfect smile/I've avoided all the while/but I'm still nothing next to you/I'm still nothing next to you/all the future seems unclear/never moving never near/but You hold me as I scream/wake me from my wicked dream/something out there waits for me/hand in hand we wait for it/but I'm still nothing next to You/I'm still nothing without to You/and the wonder of it all is I'm still standing/...never planned it/and I wonder where I'll be next year/will You stand right next to me/will You hold me faithfully/should I question all these things/what makes me so deserving/of something that I've thrown away/coming back for me today/when I'm still nothing next to You/I'm still nothing next to You/hearts are broken just to mend/when will my brokenness end/lending my mind to dreams it seems/some things are never meant to be/but faith it lingers as I die/inside surrending I cry/I'm still nothing next to You/I'm still nothing without You

So I am stoked to see what God has "out there waiting for me," because i know it's just going to keep adding and building on to this awsome story He has going in my life. Even if it's hard and even if i don't at first like it, I know whatever happens is meant to make me more into the person he wants me to be.