Anxiuos
I wait
A painful wait
I must say
To endure
I must
Just be patient
Day by day
Lord God
I am
So blessed here
Though I wait
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Fall 2006
Ok... I finally got my grades online for the Fall 2006 semester. It was MUCH better than I thought it was going to be.
Fall 2006 GPA: 3.93 (Praise!!!)
Spring 2006 GPA: 3.68
Cumulative Average: 3.76
And just in case I haven't mentioned it yet, I've decided on my major. Illustration with a minor in Sculpture. Although, my sculpture professor would rather me major in sculpture and do a minor in illustration. But he said, if anything, I should try to do a double major. That would be fun, but a ton of work (more so than now) and a ton a money.
But wow! God is GOOD! I know that I definitely CAN do ALL things through God who strengthens me! Woot!
Fall 2006 GPA: 3.93 (Praise!!!)
Spring 2006 GPA: 3.68
Fall 2005 GPA: 3.64
Cumulative Average: 3.76
And just in case I haven't mentioned it yet, I've decided on my major. Illustration with a minor in Sculpture. Although, my sculpture professor would rather me major in sculpture and do a minor in illustration. But he said, if anything, I should try to do a double major. That would be fun, but a ton of work (more so than now) and a ton a money.
But wow! God is GOOD! I know that I definitely CAN do ALL things through God who strengthens me! Woot!
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Laugh Tracks
As I sit at my computer at in Wolcott, I wonder when Kaylee will be home. I'm going to visit my old youth group in Meriden tonight, but I need the car in about half an hour to get there. She has the car so I can't go anywhere until she gets back (and I don't like to drive the truck because it's old and unreliable... at least for me).
She's home now. Sweet. The only sound in the house besides Kaylee and Emily conversing is the television. I wasn't really watching it before, but what I heard caused my mind to formulate a particular thought, an viewpoint of sorts.
I've realized that I don't like laugh tracks all that much. Actually, I became so concious of it during the show my sister was watching that it really annoyed me. I'll admit that some of the jokes really were humorous, but not so much so that every following joke was just as humorous, if that's even makes sense. I guess I just don't like it when shows need to indicate where things are supposed to be funny. I like being able to decide for myself what I find funny. I don't want an automatic crowd telling me where there was supposed to be a joke, which apparently occur every five seconds.
For example...
Character#1 sits on a couch. Char.#2 enters, doing something unusual. Laugh track. Close up of char.#1's suprised facial expression. Laugh track. Char.1 then inquires what the heck it is char.2 is doing. Laugh track. Awkward silence with a sly look on char2's face. Laugh track. Char2 leaves the room, then returns to say one thing, then leaves again. Laugh track.
Now depending on where this kind of scene is placed in the show, certain things might be referring to things seen earlier in the show. That might happen with reoccurring jokes, etc. Anyways, I still thinks it's annoying to hear the laugh tracks. It's like saying, "You're too stupid to understand this humor, so let us help you out. Let us show where things are funny and you can laugh accordingly."
Well, I've really got to leave now. And now there is a show on, going through the entire procedure on a girl getting breast implants. (I can't see what's happening, but I can hear the play by play of the surgeon.) He keeps saying how she's going to be beautiful. Yuck! You can't be made beautiful if you already are beautiful. And all women are beautiful. I don't care what anyone says. Even I'm not always comfortable with how I look, but I would never go out of my way to change how I look, especially surgery.
She's home now. Sweet. The only sound in the house besides Kaylee and Emily conversing is the television. I wasn't really watching it before, but what I heard caused my mind to formulate a particular thought, an viewpoint of sorts.
I've realized that I don't like laugh tracks all that much. Actually, I became so concious of it during the show my sister was watching that it really annoyed me. I'll admit that some of the jokes really were humorous, but not so much so that every following joke was just as humorous, if that's even makes sense. I guess I just don't like it when shows need to indicate where things are supposed to be funny. I like being able to decide for myself what I find funny. I don't want an automatic crowd telling me where there was supposed to be a joke, which apparently occur every five seconds.
For example...
Character#1 sits on a couch. Char.#2 enters, doing something unusual. Laugh track. Close up of char.#1's suprised facial expression. Laugh track. Char.1 then inquires what the heck it is char.2 is doing. Laugh track. Awkward silence with a sly look on char2's face. Laugh track. Char2 leaves the room, then returns to say one thing, then leaves again. Laugh track.
Now depending on where this kind of scene is placed in the show, certain things might be referring to things seen earlier in the show. That might happen with reoccurring jokes, etc. Anyways, I still thinks it's annoying to hear the laugh tracks. It's like saying, "You're too stupid to understand this humor, so let us help you out. Let us show where things are funny and you can laugh accordingly."
Well, I've really got to leave now. And now there is a show on, going through the entire procedure on a girl getting breast implants. (I can't see what's happening, but I can hear the play by play of the surgeon.) He keeps saying how she's going to be beautiful. Yuck! You can't be made beautiful if you already are beautiful. And all women are beautiful. I don't care what anyone says. Even I'm not always comfortable with how I look, but I would never go out of my way to change how I look, especially surgery.
Monday, January 08, 2007
Amazing Grace
God's grace has got to be one of the most profound things ever. Even when simply put that grace is something that is undeserved but given anyway, it is hard to grasp. Why should someone get what they don't deserve, especially if they are so undeserving? This is the mystery of grace.
I used to think that I was surely going to hell for having committed so many sins. But I have learned otherwise. Even now people who don't understand what Christ did for the world will ask me if I think certain things are sins, sometimes strange questions. "Alyssa, do you think it's a sin to kill bugs?" I usually don't know how to answer that one. But no, I don't think it's a sin to kill bugs, nor do I think it's beneficial to go around stepping on bugs just for the "fun" of it.
I remember once, when I was still a brand new Christian, a friend of mine who isn't a Chistain challenged my faith by telling me about his ex-girlfriend's level of religiousness. He said something like "She goes to church and believes in God, but she's definitely NOT a good Christian by your standards!" As if I were the one whose standards everyone should live by. I'll admit I was hurt by it, but I didn't know enough about my faith to know how to defend it. I wanted him to understand that I had a real relationship with God now and that I, too, had done a lot of bad things in the past, and that despite those things, I was still saved. But he didn't understand. He wasn't listening. He heard the words I was saying but his preconceived notions of Christianity were set in stone as far as I could tell.
Ever since the fall of man, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit, we have been born into sin. Before Christ, man had to work under the law and perform many specific rituals and sacrafices. It was by works that we were saved. But then God sent His son Jesus Christ to save us, because we weren't doing so well at saving ourselves. Actually, we were really bad at it. And we still are. We just can't save ourselves! We are flawed, imperfect. And so Jesus took all of our sins to the cross with him. Then after he rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven, the Holy Spirit came down (I just learned that yesterday, actually). The Holy Spirit is what dwells within us. And it is grace that saves us, grace through Jesus Christ. We were born into sin and choose to do the wrong thing very often in our lives, but every time we DO sin, Christ takes the blame so that we may be right with out Father in Heaven. Doesn't seem fair, does it? No, but that is the way of grace.
There is sort of a catch. Grace IS for everyone. It is a gift from God. As with any gift, you don't have to work for it or buy it. It is free. But also with any gift, you have to reach out and take it. God doesn't care what you've done in the past, good or bad. He doesn't care how many hours of community service you've put in or what commandments you've broken. He just wants a relationship with you. He wants to take care of you. But He can't force you to take His gift. He can't take care of you if you don't let Him. And you can't save yourself. Only Christ Jesus can do that.
One last thing in regards to sins, for those who are still wondering about it. There is no sin that is worse that another. A sin is a sin. There's no point system up in Heaven. Whether you steal a pack of gum from the convenience store or a piece of priceless art from a museum, it's still stealing. And stealing is not a lesser sin than murdering someone. Both are sins. What matters is genuinely feeling sorry for what you've done, and the desire to change. (And by the way, killing someone and murdering someone are not the same thing.)
And so, though we who believe in Christ as our Lord and Savior still mess up and sin like any human being, we are undeservingly forgiven by God through His amazing grace.
I grew this heart into a drifter
Never felt the roots I bare
Sold my sight, oh brother, sister
For a mountain of fool's gold, it's gone
Only God knows, God knows where
Soul was restless for redemption
Feet were lookin' for a place to stand
Well, I ain't got no life
And you know I ain't got no money
Just the faith of an empty hand
Amazing grace, I feel you coming up slowly now
Like the sun is risin', heat on my face
Oh love that keeps on shinin', don't let the shadow come
Ya know I gotta feel your healin' rays
Hitched a ride, I was a beggar
I had murder on my hands
I needed water to rinse these stains
But only blood could remove what's spillin'
And pardon me the blame
Amazing grace, I feel you coming up slowly now
Like the sun is risin', heat on my face
Oh love that keeps on shinin', don't let the shadow come
Ya know I gotta feel your healin' rays
-Jars of Clay
I used to think that I was surely going to hell for having committed so many sins. But I have learned otherwise. Even now people who don't understand what Christ did for the world will ask me if I think certain things are sins, sometimes strange questions. "Alyssa, do you think it's a sin to kill bugs?" I usually don't know how to answer that one. But no, I don't think it's a sin to kill bugs, nor do I think it's beneficial to go around stepping on bugs just for the "fun" of it.
I remember once, when I was still a brand new Christian, a friend of mine who isn't a Chistain challenged my faith by telling me about his ex-girlfriend's level of religiousness. He said something like "She goes to church and believes in God, but she's definitely NOT a good Christian by your standards!" As if I were the one whose standards everyone should live by. I'll admit I was hurt by it, but I didn't know enough about my faith to know how to defend it. I wanted him to understand that I had a real relationship with God now and that I, too, had done a lot of bad things in the past, and that despite those things, I was still saved. But he didn't understand. He wasn't listening. He heard the words I was saying but his preconceived notions of Christianity were set in stone as far as I could tell.
Ever since the fall of man, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit, we have been born into sin. Before Christ, man had to work under the law and perform many specific rituals and sacrafices. It was by works that we were saved. But then God sent His son Jesus Christ to save us, because we weren't doing so well at saving ourselves. Actually, we were really bad at it. And we still are. We just can't save ourselves! We are flawed, imperfect. And so Jesus took all of our sins to the cross with him. Then after he rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven, the Holy Spirit came down (I just learned that yesterday, actually). The Holy Spirit is what dwells within us. And it is grace that saves us, grace through Jesus Christ. We were born into sin and choose to do the wrong thing very often in our lives, but every time we DO sin, Christ takes the blame so that we may be right with out Father in Heaven. Doesn't seem fair, does it? No, but that is the way of grace.
There is sort of a catch. Grace IS for everyone. It is a gift from God. As with any gift, you don't have to work for it or buy it. It is free. But also with any gift, you have to reach out and take it. God doesn't care what you've done in the past, good or bad. He doesn't care how many hours of community service you've put in or what commandments you've broken. He just wants a relationship with you. He wants to take care of you. But He can't force you to take His gift. He can't take care of you if you don't let Him. And you can't save yourself. Only Christ Jesus can do that.
One last thing in regards to sins, for those who are still wondering about it. There is no sin that is worse that another. A sin is a sin. There's no point system up in Heaven. Whether you steal a pack of gum from the convenience store or a piece of priceless art from a museum, it's still stealing. And stealing is not a lesser sin than murdering someone. Both are sins. What matters is genuinely feeling sorry for what you've done, and the desire to change. (And by the way, killing someone and murdering someone are not the same thing.)
And so, though we who believe in Christ as our Lord and Savior still mess up and sin like any human being, we are undeservingly forgiven by God through His amazing grace.
I grew this heart into a drifter
Never felt the roots I bare
Sold my sight, oh brother, sister
For a mountain of fool's gold, it's gone
Only God knows, God knows where
Soul was restless for redemption
Feet were lookin' for a place to stand
Well, I ain't got no life
And you know I ain't got no money
Just the faith of an empty hand
Amazing grace, I feel you coming up slowly now
Like the sun is risin', heat on my face
Oh love that keeps on shinin', don't let the shadow come
Ya know I gotta feel your healin' rays
Hitched a ride, I was a beggar
I had murder on my hands
I needed water to rinse these stains
But only blood could remove what's spillin'
And pardon me the blame
Amazing grace, I feel you coming up slowly now
Like the sun is risin', heat on my face
Oh love that keeps on shinin', don't let the shadow come
Ya know I gotta feel your healin' rays
-Jars of Clay
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
