Safe trips still amaze me... I don't deserve the protection God gives me so consistently.
15 hours this time, and passengers! Aurie Adams and Kaitlin Jonas! Good times. Three cheers for having spare oil in the trunk and Nip Chee cheese crackers. :)
Goals for break:
- Prayer habits. Improve them.
- Read books. Namely that Good one.
- Presents, pasts, and futures. Namely that first one.
- More quality/time with the fam.
- Hymns. Write them. Notate them. Compile them.
- Get Finale 2008 working again so I can do the above.
- Organize Bible studies with those I've planned to have them with.
- Prepare for the North Terrace high school class on Acts.
- Complete a new Pleo post. Check.
Make every day a HOLIday.
1 Peter 1:13-16
Think about it.
Do it.
I need to catch up on your life in a venue that is not pleonast or Facebook. Glad that things are going well and that God is blessing you so richly. And i totally feel you on the prayer thing... I need to work on that too. Have a wonderful Lord's Day!
Great to see you and Nathan and your mom Sat. evening and Sun. Great remembering when (N. G'dale)...during our road trip to pick up pecans! Just wanted to say thank you for you love and zeal for the Lord. It shows, but not in a proud way. You have so much talent and we all would do well to have a part of your enthusiasm for Him. Can't tell you how amazed your song writing is but I have probably told you that before! As I told Nathan today, your mom and dad are such wonderful people. I admire and respect them so much for the job in raising you boys to be such wonder Christ like young men! Make sure you tell them thank you!...I know you already do. Just wanted you to know that people notice the good that has come from their hard work and yours!
LBLA, which I have been informed is not the version anyone in Mexico (or Mexicans in AL and TX) uses. It's great for my purposes right now, though--becoming familiar with the Bible in Spanish. The other Spanish version available here is the one people actually use, but it's with the English KJV, which I don't want to deal with unless I actually have a reason to need that particular Spanish version. No, I haven't been to North Terrace, or any other bilingual congregation, but it sounds like something I would like to do.
hey, Stephen. Will you be at FC during lectures? I'm hoping to be there, and I have several buddies that are hopefully going that I need to start thinking about places for them to stay.
Thank you! As of now, it will be me and my brother Noble, and three friends: Austin 13, Patrick 16, and Lawrence 16. They are all Christians and none of the three have ever been to FC before. I'm sooo excited about it.
I may ask some of the guys from around here like Allan Collins and Alex Hubbart about staying with them. And to make things better, there may be some girls from this area coming down.
Our God continues to pour out jaw-dropping blessings and teeth-gritting challenges in ways that amaze me!
Most recently:
- Finished some hymns with Mason Broadwell, with him providing the lyrics and a melody, and myself providing editing thereunto as well as full harmony parts. To God be the glory!
- Amy Polanco was baptized into Christ and had her sins washed away! Praise be to God!
- Thanksgiving break!:
- Travels to Auburn at the Davis' house.
- Chats with Clint and Chris.
- Checkin' into the motel in Montgomery and seeing the fam for the first time in weeks.
- Worshipping in Troy with the Carswells, having dinner at their house, leading singing and giving the invitation at the congregation there. Spending the night with the Carswells.
- Really interesting conversations with Mr. Carswell about Bible authority and Florida College. Thought-provoking and challenging.
- Thanksgiving day in Montgomery with mom's side of the family. Some good times and interesting connections through some mutual college friends.
- Plenty of traveling--stayed in Greenville, SC.
- Visited Cary, NC - tons of shopping - was blessed with a new cell phone! 'tis a wonderful tool!
- Watched my brother run in the Nike Southwest Regional meet, and see him and everyone on the team run the best race of their lives! Took 4th in the region just 2 points behind 3rd and beating mountain brook and hoover from AL. Nathan ran a 16:29! What blessings!
- I ran the open race in 18:24 or so. Nothing special, but fun.
- Traveled to Kingsport, TN.
- Worshipped with the Kingsport church of Christ, which was marvelously encouraging! Really thoughtful, God-centered services that help to focus on Him!
- Saw many already-known friends and made new ones.
- Got to eat lunch with the Sellers family and meet/re-meet Michal, Kady, Noah, Emma, Eijah, Kaj, and Madelyne (as well as Mr. Tony and Mrs. Terilynn Sellers, of course). Tremendously good times and warm welcomes there.
- Parting with the fam until Christmas break. Continued at the Sellers' house briefly, then worshipped at K-port again (after a trip with Noah to Auto-Zone for rear-view mirror glue - got knocked off back on move-in day).
- Stayed the night with the Roper family - grand hospitality! Had to make a late run back to the motel in K-port to get my laptop charger... close one!
- Made the 12+ hour drive back to Tampa!
- Wrapping up classes with much haste
- Finished Job paper (Jesus' answers to Job - chp 16-17). Profitable studies there.
- Made a presentation in music history on Isaac Watts - transformation of the english hymn and on Biblical reasons for expansion on the metrical Psalm.
- Finished a theme-and-variations project for music theory - The Muffin Man: Do You Not Know Him? Have You Not Heard? - completed 8 variations to turn in, and counting.
- Opportunities to study with those of other faiths! This has been excellent thus far, and may the Lord allow it to continue!
- Completed 3 finals in Epistles: Eph and Col, 20th Century Music, and Evidences. Things are smooth thus far.
I simply don't deserve all the good things going on right now. I simply pray that the Lord would help me to use all these things for His purposes, and not my own--for His glory, not mine.
Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love;
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my voice, and let me sing
Always, only, for my King;
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold:
Not a mite would I withhold;
Take my intellect and use
Ev'ry pow'r as Thou shalt choose.
Take my will, and make it Thine:
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart--it is Thine own:
It shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store;
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee!
Frances R. Havergal, 1874
The bride eyes not her garment,
Bur her dear bride-groom's face;
I will not gaze at glory,
But on my King of grace;
Not at the crown He giveth,
But on His pierced hand:
The Lamb is all the glory
Of Immanuel's Land.
-Anne Ross Cousin
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It’s been so long since my last post… this one (for posterity) will just be a list of big events since, whew… September!
- USF Evangelism
- Saturday Night Prayer Sessions
- Turned 20
- Written 16th century counterpoint and Bach-style invention and fugue
- Super Saturday @ NT - excellent classes!
- Got really sick - Didn't run in FL Tech meet (still somewhat sick)
- Touched John McCain's hand - almost shook it, but missed
- Ran Embry Riddle Meet - slow
- Went to Daytona beach, got my cell phone fried by salt water!
- Realized just how HUGE of a blessing a cell phone is... 'cause you don't know what you've got 'till it's gone.
- Went to d'town Disney - Laura Bowles' birthday
- Ate at Umber's
- Performed in recital - vibes
- Orlando Batista came home!
- Random PTK song...
- Saw Fireproof
- SPVE (Spiritual Video Project Extravaganza) with Mary McDanal, Luke Moyer, and others
- Falcon Days - Nathan (Lankford and Rouse), Caleb George (stayed with James and I), and many other falcon babies
- First Jazz/Friends performances - Jazz = Hey Pachuco, The Cheese That Time Forgot, Send in the Clowns, Manteca, and At The Midnight Hour - Friends = Industry, A Thousand Miles, Lucky, Boondocks, and, of course, the Friends' song
- MOSI - wreck - no one seriously hurt
- Singing sessions - New books this year! Added "That's Why We Praise Him" and "Firm Foundation"
- Jazz/Wind Ensemble concert - Wind = Americans We, With Quiet Courage, Fiesta (Symphonic Dance #3), and Russian Sailors' Dance
- Ran disney meet - Still really slow, but was able to really push myself. And a blast in general.
- MOVED INTO BOSWELL!!! Finally! (Oct 13)
- Fall Break!
- Running a 12 mile mountain run, watching my old marching band.
- Steve Walker advising sessions – almost changing my major
- Started Minor Prophets devos
- Shaving Nathan Combs’ legs – Congrats to him and Jenny Diestelkamp
- Asking day - ten commandments, groups, and poetic scavenger hunts
- Ran the national cross country meet in Buena, Vista VA… probably the biggest hill I’ve EVER run. Seriously. Team 4th, 5th on team
- Cooking for the high school kids from North Terrace
- Kidnapping Adam for his birthday. Ha.
- Falcon days! Seeing some amazing old friends, MOSI singing, missing my chapel prayer (ugh)
- Heidi Wickersheim’s visit!
- Friends performance at the arts festival
- The “Non-Un-Banquet” at Olive Garden - Mary McDanal, Ben Bingham, Alyssa Biesecker, Brittany Gougar, Heidi Wickersheim, Catherine Bishop, Adam Smelser, myself, and Allen Collins
- Banquet week with Mary! Jersey swap, GBNTGD, mismatch day, Disney day, and GBNTGD 2 (gifts before ragnar) Thanks Mary!
- Ran the Ragnar relay! 193.9 miles of sweetness – my run consisted of 3 legs, 6.3, 3.1, and 8 miles for a total of 17.4 miles. Team got 2nd overall! 1st place in the open male division!
- Wrote a paper on Isaac Watts and his push to change church music from metrical Psalms to the modern style of hymns we use today
Just wow... I have no clue why God has chosen to bless me so richly... it blows my mind!
How tedious and tasteless the hours
When Jesus I no longer see;
Sweet prospects, sweet birds and sweet flowers,
Have all lost their sweetness to me;
The midsummer sun shines but dim,
The fields strive in vain to look gay.
But when I am happy in Him,
December’s as pleasant as May.
- John Newton
WOw. I was my very own memory/cool think that happened this semester. I am honored. thanks for that and just generally for being your great self! Have a blessed day!
Whoops, plata is silver and plano is flat, as verified by Webster's trusty New World Spanish Dictionary. Handy thing-a-ma-jigger, that! Too bad it's so bulky; it'd be quite useful on Sundays and Wednesdays. :)
In peace beyond all sorrow,
We let our eyelids close,
Unworried by tomorrow,
Untroubled by our foes.
Our Shepherd will not fail us;
He watches for His sheep;
No evil will assail us,
For He will never sleep.
Sounds like a plan to me!! *praying* And when ever i get down there, I have some other prayer requests to throw your way.... Some of them will be directly related to above prayer request. See you in 48 hours! :)
