One of those days

Tonight is one of those nights when things just weigh on your mind and you can't sleep. Combined with my room being hot, I'm up and not close to sleep. Today started out as a really good day. I was teaching my kindergarteners and had a good day with them. I had my first midterm in Linguistics as well. I did, in my opinion, a good job on it. Thankfully we were allowed a "cheat sheet" for our test and that allowed me some luck. However, on my way home I got my first ever speeding ticket. It really put a damper on the day I had going. One of the highlights of my day was getting the Blink-182 presale package that I ordered. I got the album when it leaked but if you ordered their cd and t-shirt you would get a free, surprise gift. The gift could be anything from picks, posters to a Mark Hoppus signature bass. In my package I got a signed album insert. #106 of 182. I am pretty excited about that but my day was still kind of ruined because of my ticket.

Since I can't sleep I decided to open up my bible and take a look at some more proverbs. It's something that I have decided to do on days when I am needing a boost. And let me tell you, today was one of those days.

The Busy Life

So a little update of my busy life for everyone, myself included. As crazy as life has been the past month, the next one will be even busier. Here's a look at what is going on in my life....I have sorted by weekends.

October 1st: Nothing! For the first time in almost 2 months I will be at home with no plans.

October 8th: Ushering at Dane and Christy's wedding!

October 15th: Late Night at the Phog, then The DC*B, Gungor, John Mark McMillan Concert

October 22nd: Abandon Kansas opening for Anberlin in Wichita, Joe's bachelor party in KC

October 30th: Playing at SuperSonic Concert in Wichita

November 5th: Ushering at Joe and Anne Marie's Wedding!

November 12th: Nothing

November 19th: Fall Break/Thanksgiving Break......10 days without class!

So yeah, that is 2 weddings, 2 concerts (maybe even a couple during the week), 2 bachelor parties, and not to mention 5 midterms. YIKES!

Camping at Hammock Point

I just got back home from Fall Conference for Christian Challenge and I cannot describe the joy in my heart. It was an incredible two days of worship and ministry that has given me such a great outlook on life. I walked in there nervous to meet new people and hear messages that could be hard to hear but I walked out feeling like I am finally on the right path. The speaker for the weekend was a man with whom everyone seemed to just be drawn to. He had a way of relating stories to our lives, which isn't always easy, and making us laugh right when we were feeling our most vulnerable. The two workshops that I went to really set the standards of how I want to go about setting my life up. The main message that hit home for me was Psalm 23. If you don't know it, please go read it. The relationship of the shepherd and his sheep really built up my understanding of the message and gave me a clear view of my relationship with Jesus. I am one who wanders and it was important to hear that. Understanding where you are faulty is the best way to fix what is broken.

I didn't really meet many new people because I found it hard to really connect with people who weren't in my LIFE Group or in my campus small group. Challenge is really "click-y," like most situations like that. However, the women in my campus group were awesome and I wish we had more time to talk and help each other on our walk. I'm glad we all felt like swapping information so that we can continue keeping up with each other. And ladies, if you are reading this, I added you right away because you are all awesome and so helpful.

I will end this post with a verse that has really been on my heart this past week, especially after this weekend. The song is called "While We Sing" off the new Leeland album. The song is fantastic and builds up to this bridge that just gets me going.

"Church arise, arise and shine, shake yourself from the dust, God is calling you to go."

Grace and Truth

I'm beginning to think that most of my posts will come on tuesdays from now on. Tuesdays, of course, is the night that I have LIFE Group each week. A couple weeks ago I gave my reasons for joining one and after three meetings I can already see a huge improvement in my life. As Brock and I were talking about tonight, it is hard to describe how amazing LIFE Group is. I could explain what goes on and how it makes me feel when I leave but it just doesn't get across to people. I have heard Brock talk about going for a year now and my reaction every time went something like, "Oh that's great buddy. I'm happy for you." I wasn't sure how much of an impact it would have on me because I'm not as devout as most people there, or at least I didn't think I was. It turns out that something like this was just what I needed every week.

It is hard to explain what kinds of connections happen on my tuesday nights but it feels like brutal honesty. There's no lying to people, no hiding anything. Everyone is open and doesn't feel judged. As I found out tonight, most people there struggle with, will struggle with, or have struggled with the same demons that I have in my life. It's comforting to know that, no matter what preconceived notions I may have about these people, they are just like me.

Grace and Truth. You can't have one without the other. Tonight's lesson on John 1:1-18 was our first in-depth look at the Gospel of John and those two words were a big part of it. The whole time we were discussing that I had the lyrics to Rhythms of Grace by Hillsong stuck in my head. "I'm caught in the rhythms of grace, They overcome all of my ways, Realigning each step everyday." It was a powerful night.

Honda Civic Tour

So Friday night I got to experience my first Blink 182 concert in a decade. It was actually much better than I expected it to be. The performance, for the most part, was much better than stories of their past performances. They were known to be a band that never practiced and that it translated very badly live. While I'm not always fond of how Tom DeLonge sings parts, they played well and the banter was typical Blink. I laughed a lot. The crowd was very rough, especially for My Chemical Romance. I'm not one to bitch much but getting smashed around like we did wasn't always fun. I had to tell a girl that I would punch her in the face because she was kicking me in the back of the knees to try and get around me. Sorry honey, there wasn't any room there. I got some cool items to bring back with me including a hat, sunglasses and a laminated No Moshing sign. All in all I had a blast with Brett and Craig even though we spent most of the show apart. Here's a song from the show. It's not my favorite because it is one where I don't enjoy Tom's liberties with the singing but I loved the laser show and the fact that Mark Hoppus played with a capo on his bass (I assume it's because he plays so many chords so he can't just move up the neck like normal).

Saturday I went to Joe and Anne Marie's wedding shower in Emporia. It was my first wedding shower, and hopefully my last. While I enjoyed seeing my friends I found it quite boring. I spent the rest of the day/night hanging out with Emily, which was an awesome time. I must have been tired from a long last week and weekend because I came home and slept for 5 hours off and on throughout the day. I need to do a better job of getting to sleep at a decent time now that my weeks are filling up with more extracurricular activities. This wasn't really a great entry and I had hoped to write about a different topic but I will save that for tomorrow possibly. Goodnight peeps and God Bless.

P.S. I really need to thank Emily for showing me how to add a video to my entries. That will be much more convenient than just linking everything in.

Standing On the Edge of Morning

It was a Something Corporate kind of night for me. Not sure why but they just hit the spot. They are just your typical pop punk band but I love their slower jams. One song that always speaks to me is Konstantine. It has always applied to some part of my life. Usually it brings up past relationships and things of that nature. The song I Want To Save You has a first verse that just hit me tonight and took me back a few years to a night I will never forget. Look it up. Some of you don't know the feeling and some have known it a few times. That is the only part of the song that really applies to my life but whenever I hear those first three lines I know where my thoughts will go. "Standing on the edge of morning."

The Rock Show

After many years I get to see Blink 182 again on Friday with Brett and Craig. I saw them12 years ago at the same venue, Sandstone. That was three name changes ago for Verizon Wireless Amphitheater....or whatever it is called these days. I don't listen to them as much these days because the music is about a phase of my life that has passed me by. That may change however since their new album is set to come out here shortly. Their new songs aren't a great departure from songs off of Enema of the State or Take Off Your Pants and Jacket but they are different enough to show their maturity. Their live show will show me just how immature they still are. Either way I am so pumped to see them. I couldn't 2 years ago because of my back surgery but hopefully it will be worth the wait. Here's a picture from the last time I saw them. It was on the world tour for the TOYPJ album. I am sure my father was so glad that he had taken four freshmen in high school to this show after seeing this.....