My Responce to Anti-Valentine's Day Sentiments

As I am writing this I am listening to Chris Botti play "My Funny Valentine" on his ever so soothing trumpet. If it's possible to melt metal while playing it, the man can do it. It's kinda like watching a fireplace die in the night, only for your ears.

So, what's my beef anyway? Well, I kinda got to do something about Valentine's Day this year, being single and all. I realized that I really didn't have a "Valentine" this year and didn't expect to be receiving any cards or gifts from, wait for it, that "someone" in my life because there isn't one.

I guess then that this makes me a prime candidate for the blues and bitterness for the blues... WHATEVER! As I said, I've been doing some thinking about this mushy little day and here's what I've been thinking.

This is a holiday for remembering. Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas go hand in hand. Face it, we decorate, we make special dinners, we eat high calorie foods, and we write down little sayings which almost make no sense. The thing only Valentines Day doesn't have is football.

Thanksgiving and Christmas get all the credit. They are the warm fuzzy times people think of and post on Facebook, Twitter, and blogs about how much they like this time of year. We help those less fortunate by giving to toy drives, blanket drives and even help out a soup kitchens and missions. Music plays, gifts are given, and... what's that? Love is in the air. Oh yes, but for some reason, we don't frown this love. And these holidays we say remind us of giving thanks and loving our fellow man.

So therefore, I make this assertion, that Valentine's Day or St. Valentine's Day is the day when we remember the saint who selflessly loved and think of our own lives and how we love others. This is the day when we choose to stop and look to those dear to us and say, "You are special, and I love you."

What you don't know...

Greetings to my audience. (How be it ever so small)

I've received feed back that people like my blog because I write something thought provoking and not just what's been happening in my life. Well, I don't know about that but I don't mind saying that life is busy, being single is exhausting, and so is homework. Now, on to the good stuff.

I was asked in a comment from my last past to exhort on the line, "What you don't know won't hurt you." Well, this is an interesting jaunt into the metaphysics. I see it like this.

One, the things we don't know can actually hurt us. For example, I don't know a bus is coming as I step off the curb and out into the street. Word: Splat! Question: Did that hurt? Oh, I don't know. Talk to the Coroner's office.

Two, if I don't know and never find out that one of my closest friends is talking bad about me (they usually do, but to my face) that probably won't hurt... until I find out about it.

You, may say, yes. What I don't know won't hurt me. However, those of us who are the ever curious may say no, what I don't know will hurt me. This is probably because we just got nailed by a bus because we had our nose stuck in a how-to book or some other learning device.

Later on fans.

What doesn't kill you...

You've all probably heard the old little saying, "What doesn't kill you will make you stronger." Well, I tend to usually disagree with that statement for the simple fact that it tends to come from a rebel point of view. Which is not necessarily a bad thing if you're call a rebel by someone one who's view is anti-God, but this is not always the case.

So, what about this little quote, which is often tossed out to encourage? Does something make us stronger if, indeed, it doesn't kill us? The answer is in the context. What is the situation? Also, what way is it meant to be stronger? If, the situation is a person sick with polo, the result may not be death but it could be to never walk again. Was this person made stronger? Possibly...

Let's take into consideration James 1:2-4, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (NASB)

Now what? Is it really, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger?

Answer: Perspective.

Hello my friends. It has indeed been a long time since I've added anything but, well, life happens. I guess as I reflect over my summer I can't really rate it in any way. You see it's not as if I can't just slap a grand 5 stars on in and say it was fantastic, because it really wasn't. However, what I can say, is that it was a God filled summer. God has been with me and has been helping me to grow and to see Him as my ONLY source of strength. God is good, all the time. Since, God is good I guess I have to say my summer was good. Just good.

My classes start this next Monday, pray for me. :) It's very interesting, I spend a lot of the summer months longing to come back and get into the classes, the give and take of Theology discussions, notes, and even the reading, but now that I'm here, I'm doubting. Will I make it or will I fold.. again? The only comfort I find is in knowing that I'm not alone. One, I have many brothers in this journey and we all will fight in the battle together. They are good men. Men like me who are being tempered into not only being able to stand their ground but also taking the high ground as well. Two, I know that God is with me and as long as I keep first things first the rest will fall into place. He will never fail! And as I close this brief look into my present life situation I leaving you with this resounding statement, a quote from one of the most godliest men I've ever had the privilege of meeting. "I WILL BE THE LORD'S."

Let's keep pressing my friends.

Today's thoughts

Dear Reader, (whoever you are)

I'll be real, it's been a sad last couple of weeks. Being broken up with -I'd rather have been shot it a drive by- of course is never easy, at least for me. I've been trying not to blame myself which, maybe I should. I can't help but think, "was I not loving enough, was I not gentle enough"? "What did I do wrong"?

Maybe I should have been more of a leader. Maybe be I should have given more time to prayer together. Prayer, the one thing I know I could have done more of. I hate hindsight sometimes. It is aways 20/20, or so they say, and always seems to have on undeniable, "I told you so" with it. I almost want to say it's prayer that got me into this mess and it's prayer that's getting me out. I feel this way because I prayed something along the lines of, "If it's not your will God then end it in away so neither of us can stop it. By "neither of us" I basically mean me.

I keep going back the verse in Jeremiah 29:11 that talks about God having a plan for us, one of good and not evil, of a hope and a future. The voice inside me keeps saying, "That's awesome God has this great big awesome plan for us." Then I guess this little dude has a friend and he says, "Yeah, but what if I'm not to sure I like the way the plan is going right now"? I remind myself frequently that this is God's plan and God is big, no, God is REALLY BIG and I guess it's ok if I don't understand His plan because He is a REALLY BIG God and I'm just a really small boy. God knows I'm a really small boy who's really scared right now and He understands why everything has to happen the way it does.

Lately

Lately I've had to lean close to God. I've really have no choice because I know what it's like to try to do things on my own. It doesn't happen.

I am glad that I have a Savior who loves me and wants ONLY the best for me. He is working in my life, guiding me and giving me strength. I was praying recently that God would give me strength for the day and help me. I've quickly learned it's more like, "God give me strength for this moment."

I know that God has a plan for my life and I am determined to seek and live that plan but sometimes the plan is to wait. That my friends is the hardest thing ever. However, if that's the plan then that's the plan. God will give me grace and strength to make it.

My new blog... well kinda.

Greetings.

I have titled this post, "My new blog" because, it is indeed new, and I kinda forgot what my other ones were. So, having added to the amount of unused blogs which now out number the worlds population, I start afresh. Why? Well, reader because I . . . really don't know. . . boardum, I guess.

Doesn't everyone have a blog? It sure seems like it. So, I will brave the internet world with my own thoughts and writings. Only PLEASE, all you English majors and grammarians, don't critic to much. Thank you.

Now, I want to tell you about my little indecent at work today. It all started off normal enough, bathroom monitor (a job I'd rather NOT do), tutoring little brats, and watching the time when I got the order to become "Grill Master." You see, the school was having a program for the parents of the children I tutor and there happened to be hotdogs and such afterwords. So that is how I got this added assignment to my job discription.

Anyway, after a brief run-a-round with my co-grill master on how do we light this stuff and is there any lighter fluid. (this should have been warning on how the rest of the event would go.) The charcoal was lit and burning. However, my partner Grill Master's fire wasn't doing so hot :) and I decide to help him out a little bit by opening one the vents on the grill... BAD IDEA. The Result: One 1st. degree burn finger. Smooth one Cort!

Now comes that part were you close the lid and let the fire die down. So I did. I closed the lid and turned to leave. Well this Master of the Grill decides to check his lovely burning coals one last time. The Result: One Massive fireball that singed a good amount of arm hair and some hair on my head.

Here comes strike three. I now have a really HOT grill and I have orders to cook hotdogs, really cheap hotdogs. To shorten it down, I burned more that just my self, and arm hair, I also burned about 20 twenty hotdogs beyond recognition. :) Go Grill Masters! NOT.

So that was pretty much my day.