The Boring Corner

Mindful of Man

2010-04-27T03:53:00.000-07:00

Before you, before me. Before there were trees. Or grass. Or spiders. Or even dust. He was. There was nothing to make a sound. Until He spoke. "Let there be light." The new thing flashed. Something new was formed. The sound of the Voice came again and again. Enormous balls of Helium and Hydrogen began giving off their light. One of them was placed just near enough the little sphere that had already begun to produce vegetation and began to supply energy to those new green plants. Rocks and mountains were there. Water was gathered together. And then the Voice moved on. Creatures were formed. Flying creatures - eagles, bluebirds, vultures. Swimming creatures - goldfish, clown fish, sharks, dolphins, giant blue whales. And then those creatures on land - lions, mice, spiders, elephants, hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, rabbits. So many beautiful, wonderful new things. And then the Voice spoke yet again. "Let us make man in Our image." And so, a new creature was made from dust - and something special was put into him. He was the Chosen Creature. For even as amazing as all of the new things were, Something Else had made them. Something, Someone Else wanted to be known by the creatures. Only one kind of creature would know Him. He could have chosen the mighty lion with his powerful body and great majesty. He could have chosen the great blue whale - the largest creature. He could have chosen the snail. But he chose to give a thinking mind to this new creature. This human would think for himself, and within him would be a longing for his Creator. He, and all human beings after him would learn to long for a relationship with Someone Else - He Who Made Them. And He Who Made Them wanted them to know Him. So much did He want them to know Him that He gave them rules to obey. And when they broke the rules, He planned a new way for them to know Him. Out of all creation, He chose to love man. He could have chosen any other creature. But He chose man. And man hurt and disobeyed Him. And He chose man still. The love of the Maker was for man. The heavens declared His glory willingly. The trees and mountains shouted that He was and is. And He was and is mindful of man. Oh that man would be mindful of Him!

Father, Hear the Prayer We Offer

2010-01-05T20:42:00.000-08:00

Father, hear the prayer we offer:
Nor for ease that prayer shall be,
But for strength that we may ever
Live our lives courageously.

Not forever by still waters
Would we idly, quiet stay;
But would smite the living fountains
From the rocks along our way.

Be our strength in hours of weakness,
In our wand'rings be our guide;
Thro' endeavor, failure, danger,
Father, be Thou at our side.

Let our path be bright or dreary,
Storm or sunshine be our share;
May our souls in hope unweary
Make Thy work our ceaseless prayer.

By Love M. Willis

This hymn is a prayer that I am asking the Lord to help me pray. I love this song because it is so unselfish. The writer captures what the heart of a Christian should desire. The Lord is our portion and we should be quite content to let Him lead and be thankful for that whether it be hard or easy.

More Holiness

2009-11-20T20:59:00.000-08:00

More holiness give me,
More strivings within,
More patience in suff'ring,
More sorrow for sin,
More faith in my Savior,
More sense of His care,
More joy in His service,
More purpose in prayer.

More gratitude give me,
More trust in the Lord,
More pride in His glory,
More hope in His word,
More tears for His sorrows,
More pain at His grief,
More meekness in trial,
More praise for relief.

More purity give me,
More strength to o'ercome,
More freedom from earthstains,
More longings for home;
More fit for the kingdom,
More useful I'd be,
More blessed and holy,
More, Savior, like Thee.

By Philip P. Bliss - and it says what we need to say every day.

Wow, it's been a looong time...

2009-11-16T19:10:00.000-08:00

Yes indeedy! I've not blogged for ages, it seems. Well, there will be no way to catch the blog up on everything. Suffice it to say that life steams on at a great pace - and they tell me that it only gets faster as one get's older. Frightening thought!

I heard a sermon yesterday about death. It may seem morbid to think about, but I've found it helpful today to remember that I could die any moment. Not another second is promised. Why, I could die before I finish typing this paragraph! When I remember how transient life is, it spurs me to think eternally. Is my life pleasing to the Lord? Am I going out and making disciples? Do I love as I ought? Am I working for Him? I am praying tonight that the Lord will give me the strength to remember each day how fragile life is and to use the moment I have now to bring glory to Him!

I should run. It is late and, if I am given tomorrow it appears to be a full day.

God Bless!

Thoughts On Communication

2009-05-04T13:22:00.000-07:00

This semester, I've had the opportunity to take an "Interpersonal Communication" class. It's been enlightening, as you will see.

Did you know that for a relationship to succeed, four out of every five interactions must be positive? Really now? I had no idea that in order for a relationship to be good you ought to have more positive than negative encounters. I paid a lot of money to learn that.

Did you know that the only way for people to understand you is for you to be honest about your feelings? Um...Nope. That was a little over my head. I really thought people could just read my mind.

Did you know that the best way to resolve a conflict is to look for a "win-win solution"? Really? I thought that the best way to resolve a conflict was to manipulate the other person.

Yep, yep, I got my money's worth.

Next Installment

2009-04-25T20:32:00.000-07:00

This piece that I had to read for English Lit was interesting. Maddening, actually. I had to actually read it twice before I could write about it. The piece was "A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift. My thoughts were:

In his piece, A Modest Proposal, Jonathan Swift decries the poverty of Ireland’s children. He notices them running rampant in the streets, neglected and hungry. Frustrated with a system that caters to rich landlords and devours the poor, he attempts with satire to display the ridiculousness of the attitude of the rich. He proposes that the poor sell their children as food for the rich. Since the rich already take everything the poor own and consume their money, why not allow them also to eat child’s flesh. He targets landlords, the government, and Catholic-hating Protestants for oppressing and taking advantage of the poor. With satire, he shows them that their actions are just as revolting as selling children as food.

I am surprised because I intersect with A Modest Proposal more than I would expect. We live in a country where the problem of child poverty, though still alive, is much dissipated. However, I feel that we have gone to another extreme in our country. We reward laziness with Welfare and our children still suffer from poverty stricken homes. Perhaps the problem lies not with the lack of government involvement in the lives of poor people but with an attitude that poverty itself is inherently bad. Children, both poor and rich, suffer from depravity of the worst sort. Parental attention and love have all but disappeared from many American homes. Children need love, not money. They need consistent rules and boundaries, not more commodities. If a child goes without many “necessities”, ie: more than one pair of jeans, socks without holes, etcetera, and yet grows into a law-abiding, kind, godly person, they have suffered very little in the way of development. However, a child lavished with every nicety known to man who grows up selfish and defiant has suffered much and likely will be more unhappy than the poor person. If a child goes without physical comforts and in addition is allowed to run the streets and govern himself, he likely will grow up rebellious as well. It appears to me that a child who is consistently loved and disciplined grows into a more enjoyable and useful adult than if he is either coddled or emotionally neglected and that economic wellbeing has very little to do with it.

I feel that I should qualify what I’ve said. I do believe that we ought to help the poor if possible, and that the government can be a useful tool in accomplishing this. I believe that if children are well managed, and adults are hard-working, helping those who are underprivileged is a worthy endeavor. However, I do not believe that those who refuse to work should be coddled or ignored, but rather given work to do that they might provide as much as possible for themselves. If we are willing to work for what we need, the extra help from churches or governments is well appreciated. Working in the medical field helps me to see that so many who receive help and are not required to work see the help as “owed to them” and become selfish and demanding. When I see laziness rewarded and selfishness bred, I question whether we have not come to an equally appalling and hurtful extreme as is decried in A Modest Proposal.

What, therefore, do I propose? I propose quite simply to require people to work, even to work hard, for the help that they receive. Idleness produces a plethora of evils, such as drunkenness, substance abuse, sexual crimes, and more. As a society, we have allowed selfishness and laziness to take over. Children ought to be educated properly, fed enough to be full and clothed well enough to be warm. Adults ought to work as hard as they must to provide for their families. If children must work after school to help support themselves, let them work. We speak of “letting children be children”. By this we mean, “don’t let them work or take life too seriously until they are grown.” I argue, however, that a child who learns at an early age to work hard and think seriously has a better chance of succeeding as an adult.

Let us consider the words of the wise man in the book of Ecclesiastes, “Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink and to enjoy oneself in all one’s labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward. Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God.” (Ecclesiastes 5:18-19) This man wisely tells us to work hard and to enjoy what we earn from what we work, be it little or much. I choose to take his advice and work hard and help those in need when able. What will you choose?

Next one.

2009-04-12T12:42:00.001-07:00

This paper was an extra credit assignment I did for my English Literature class. We had to watch the movie Dead Poet Society and write a response to it. The following was my response.

Peter Weir’s Dead Poets Society opened at the beginning of a semester at Welton Academy, a private school for teenage boys. At the heart of that particular semester was John Keating, a revolutionary English teacher. Rejecting “normal” teaching tactics, Mr. Keating (or “O Captain, My Captain,” as he preferred) endeavored to instill in his class both a love for poetry and the ability to think independently. Among the boys under his tutelage were Neil, Charlie, Todd, and Knox. After discovering that Mr. Keating was once the leader of the “Dead Poets Society,” Neil decided to reconvene the Dead Poets. The new chapter of the Dead Poets held meetings at night in the traditional Dead Poet meeting place, a cave not far from the school. The meetings often grew wild, but some of the boys took Mr. Keating’s messages to heart and strove to think for themselves and “seize the day”. “Carpe diem!” echoed in their minds and they wished for the strength to do so. Neil led the way when he chose to act in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream against his father’s wishes. Others followed. Neil’s story ended tragically the night his father withdrew him from Welton and commanded him to give up acting and focus on his future career as a doctor. Distressed with his plight and his inability to communicate with his father, Neil shot himself. The repercussions at Welton Academy were astronomical. The Dead Poets were disbanded, and Mr. Keating discharged. In a final moment of truth, the shy Todd found his voice. As Mr. Keating prepared to leave, Todd rose to his feet in the presence of the president of the school, stepped onto his desk and “O Captain, My Captain” escaped from his lips. Other boys followed suit. Mr. Keating still left, but he left knowing his mission was accomplished. A classroom of boys knew how to think independently.

Wow. I began watching Dead Poets Society late one night. I was tired and afraid I’d fall asleep. In the beginning, I felt as if I would. I enjoyed the movie but it moved slowly. However at some point, without knowing when, I developed an emotional tie to these characters. I never cried so bitterly during a movie before. Neil’s suicide took me completely by surprise and Todd’s willingness to finally stand up at the end tore at my heartstrings and I sobbed like a child. Many emotions raged through my heart. Anger. Sadness. Determination. This film had affected me in a way few others had ever done. I had learned some powerful lessons.

As the tears coursed down my cheeks, I determined that my new motto would be “Carpe Diem!” Each new day would present new opportunities to be seized, and I would seize them. I knew I was not guaranteed the next day, so I decided that each day would be lived as if it were my last. Each opportunity to do the right thing would be taken and regrets would be forgotten.
Finally, I thought of my future children. Like all people, I hoped for them many things. In my girlish dreams of parenting, I wished them to be intelligent, to be great, perhaps to be doctors, lawyers, preachers. Yet with Dead Poets Society I learned a valuable lesson and I purposed never to pressure my children to be what they did not wish to be. Teach them, yes. Give them opportunity, yes. Mold them, yes, but free thinkers they would be! Free to follow their dreams; free to pursue those free thoughts they would think.

I greatly appreciated the message of Dead Poets Society and willed the powerful emotion never to fade. Yet, I knew it would. That moment was the only moment I was guaranteed. Therefore, lest I forgot the powerful message, I whispered to myself as I drifted off to sleep, “Carpe Diem!”

Sharing

2009-03-25T18:58:00.000-07:00

This may be a very boring thing for some (hence, the name of this blog...). This semester, I've written several papers. I thought that I would share some of the better ones with you all. For my English Literature class, we've had to read a piece, summarize it briefly and then right a personal response. I've attempted to be "real" in my responses, so these papers in some small way reflect my thoughts, views, and emotions about some things. Please don't feel at all required to read them. The first one follows. :-)

In his poem, “The Slave Ship”, Heinrich Heine brilliantly satirizes the slave trade. Mynher van Koek embodies the slave ship owner worried about the health of the slaves on his ship so that he can make money when he arrives in Reo de Janeiro. Seven slaves die in one day because of the horrible conditions in the small hold of the ship. Many of them have pretended to die because they would rather face the throes of the sea than to be in the hold of the ship. The ship surgeon seems somewhat sarcastic as he suggests that the captain force the slaves to revel in order to preserve their health. The surgeon loses nothing by the slaves living or dying, and therefore cares little for their health. In order to preserve the health of his “merchandise” van Koek forces the slaves to dance and make merry. Unknown to all on board the ship the sharks look on, waiting for their next inevitable meal. Meanwhile, the captain prays that God take pity on the slaves – so that he can make the money he wants.

In general, I do not enjoy poetry unless someone sets it to music. However, I enjoyed “The Slave Ship”. I despise seeing men misuse and abuse one another so the slave trade sickens me. Books like Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe strike a chord in my heart and make me cry even now that the slave trade is abolished. I am amazed and disgusted that mankind displays such cruelty. That anyone can call men “merchandise” infuriates me. However, I must ask myself, “Do I treat everyone as I wish to be treated?”

When people walk into the pharmacy where I work, some of them drunk, some of them suffering from serious psychological disorders, I often feel repulsed. When waiting on a man so heavily medicated that he cannot keep his tongue in his mouth, I want to finish as quickly as possible so that I can go wash my hands and forget about him. Do I really care about these people? Do I want to help them, or do I think of them as “less than human”? When people have less intelligence than I, do I remember that they are people too, or do I simply dismiss them as “stupid”? If I cry over the abomination of the slave trade and then go to work and fail to see people as important, my tears are worth nothing.

Throughout history, men have mistreated one another. The slave trade is only one example. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo decries the horrible treatment of petty criminals. The Diary of Anne Frank speaks of a time when Jews were detested. In the United States, African American people have often been discriminated against, and now I see the disgust shifting to Hispanics. Haven’t we learned our lesson? Human beings ought to be respected and treated well. It matters not whether someone is less educated than I or if he is a different color or speaks a different language; he is person and ought to be treated that way.

I am challenged by “The Slave Ship”. Though I live in a time when the slave trade no longer exists, the need to treat men well has not abated. I am determined to do better in my treatment of others, and in my thoughts about them. I do not want to be guilty of discrimination based on so trivial a thing as intelligence or race.

Hello

2009-02-23T12:11:00.000-08:00

I got tired of looking at the same post everytime I logged in so I decided to say hi so that you don't have to look at the same old thing either.

Life stays busy. The semester is half over and this week brings me four midterm exams to take. Phew! That stresses me out just a little. Four tests in two days is just a lot, I think. I think my professors all got together and said, "Let's give The Boring One a heart attack and make her take five tests in two weeks. Oh, and lets make four of them be within one week!" Crazy.

Anyway. I'm surviving and grateful that I've been given the strength to continue on. I pray all is well with all of you.

Procrastination

2009-01-31T13:33:00.000-08:00

The Boring One currently has a house to clean, two papers to write, chemistry homework to finish, and multiple chapters to read in her history books. However, she chooses to procrastinate and write this blog post that few people will read, and even fewer will benefit from.

Why, one might ask, does the Boring One choose to write this when she has two whole papers to write? One must understand that the Boring One loves to write - things that she chooses. (Although, often she learns to enjoy writing on assigned subjects as well.) However, the first paper, due two days from now, troubles her as she must write about Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal", which she simply does not enjoy. She realizes its satirical nature, of course, but simply feels sick upon reading about children being sold as food. The second paper interests her a little more, as she must write about the trial of Anne Hutchinson. However, that paper requires more research, something she has not yet learned to enjoy. (Why look through hundreds of articles and books to find three to five sentences to quote?)

The Boring One enjoys the snow immensely. She has heard rumors of a possible twelve more inches on Monday, and although she doubts it will come, she can hope!

Tonight, the Boring One plans to attend a gospel meeting. She looks forward to spending time worshiping with other Christians and learning more about worship.

Now, the Boring One must attend to the other tasks that call her. Adieu, my friends!

Hello

2008-12-27T21:13:00.000-08:00

Theoretically, one of these days, I will have a nice, insightful, pleasantly challenging post for you all to read. Heh. Theoretically would be the operative word in that sentence. My winter break is half over and I've accomplished very few of the tasks I had hoped to accomplish this break. I must get some extra studying done the next couple of weeks. I want to look into some things in the book of Acts, and finish a book on the Resurrection, at the very least.

So, this is not to be the nice, insightful, pleasantly challenging post. I just wanted to say "hello".

So.

Hello.

Goodnight, folks!

More flowers

2008-12-15T19:52:00.001-08:00

Flowers

2008-12-15T19:37:00.001-08:00

More Like Jesus

2008-12-01T03:08:00.000-08:00

The Boring One sang this song in worship yesterday and thought she'd remind all of you to live your lives more like Him everyday!

I want to be more like Jesus,
And follow Him day by day;
I want to be true and faithful,
And every command obey.
I want to be kind and gentle
To those who are in distress;
To comfort the broken-hearted
With sweet words of tenderness.
I want to be meek and lowly,
Like Jesus, our Friend and King;
I want to be stong and earnest,
And souls to the Savior bring.
More and more like Jesus,
I would ever be;
More and more like Jesus,
My Savior who died for me.

I am especially thoughtful of the words "I want to be strong and earnest, and souls to the Savior bring." I am not good at being bold about my faith. I am praying that the Lord will help me with that, and help me to be "strong" and to take His word and His love so seriously that I will be "earnest" about bringing His message to lost people.

Serve Him faithfully in all you do this week!

A Break

2008-11-26T11:51:00.001-08:00

The Boring One is having a wonderful time with her family this week. She misses them more than she realizes. When she sees them, she enjoys every minute. She loves spending time with all of them - and having a little sister for a shadow and admirer is an enormous ego boost. :-)

The Boring One is so grateful that the Lord has provided this break for her and allowed her to spend it with her family.

She hopes that all of you have a great holiday tomorrow!

Oh The Things We May Do

2008-11-10T06:23:00.000-08:00

Have you lifted a stone from your brother's way,

As he struggled along life's road?

Have you lovingly touched some frail, toilworn hand,

Shared with someone his heavy load?

Have you spoken a word full of hope and cheer?

Have you walked with a slower pace,

'Til the weary of heart who were stumbling on,

Took new courage to run the race?

Have you held up your light thro' the shadows dark,

So that somebody else might see?

Have you lived with the Christ thro' the long, long day,

Gaining many a victory?

Oh, the things we may do, you and I;

Oh, the love we can give if we try;

Just a word or a song as we're passing along,

They will count in the great by and by.

Lizzie DeArmond

Stress

2008-11-05T06:12:00.001-08:00

The Boring One is not having a good day - or a good week for that matter. Monday morning, she burned her hand on the toaster and spilled coffee on her console. Tuesday, she had a nasty headache all day. Today seems to be the icing on the cake. This morning, she spilled coffee on the kitchen floor, didn't have time to study for her two tests today, forgot her chapstick, and locked her keys, her backpack, and her books in her car.

Ok, now that's out of her system. Onto the bright side of things - this semester is about 3/4 of the way over, and she has very good grades in all of her classes. She succeeded in bringing her chemistry grade up to a B and hopes to have it up to an A by the end of the semester. If she can find motivation to keep going, she will end this semester with very good grades...

The Boring One has decided to embark on a study on prayer in the New Testament. This week she has studied the Lord's Prayer, and this morning began studying Mary's prayer in Luke 1. She is excited about this study and hopes that it will be helpful to her and subsequently to others.

The Boring One must run because she has to take her chemistry lab practical in fourteen minutes. Have a good day, folks!

Sun of My Soul

2008-10-30T18:35:00.000-07:00

"Sun of my soul, Thou Savior dear,

It is not night if thou be near;

O may no earthborn cloud arise

To hide Thee from Thy servant's eyes!

When the soft dews of kindly sleep

My wearied eyelids gently steep,

Be my last tho't, how sweet to rest

Forever on my Savior's breast.

Abide with me from morn til eve,

For without Thee I cannot live;

Abide with me when night is nigh,

For without Thee I dare not die.

Come near and bless us when we wake,

Ere thru the world our way we take;

Till in the ocean of Thy love,

We lose outselves in heav'n above."

John Keble, 1820

Life

2008-10-15T07:38:00.000-07:00

The Boring One is very happy today because last night she accomplished everything she needed to get done for her classes today. Her chemistry lab ended much more quickly than she expected, so now she has an unexpected but very welcome two hour break until her anatomy class. She decided that now would be a good time to update the world about her life. (She knows everyone is terribly diverted by her boring little life.)

The Boring One is also very thankful because the Lord has been so good to her and has provided everything that she needs to live. She is able to pay her bills, and purchase gasoline for her car and food for her tummy. She finds that living on a tight budget is satisfying in a way, because it shows God's goodness, and also develops good character traits (such as self control and resourcefulness).

The Boring One still worries some about her car, but it seems to be holding out. She is praying that it will last her for the next four years until she finishes school and is making enough money to buy a good car.

The Boring One continues to be overwhelmed with schoolwork and such. She is grateful that the Lord has granted her the stamina so far to accomplish everything, and to excel in some things. She loves her anatomy class, and is convinced that nursing is decidedly the best field for her. She is contemplating her options after graduation (although that seems silly because it is three and a half years away). She is considering specializing in genetics, as she is fascinated with the topic. She is also considering going to grad school and becoming a nurse practitioner. In either case, she is hoping that the Lord will be glorified in her choices.

The Boring One thinks that she has bored you all long enough and wishes you a wonderful week!

Frustrations!

2008-09-18T18:26:00.000-07:00

The Boring One is very frustrated right now. Her mode of transportation seems to be needing more repairs than it doesn't. On her way back from a trip over Labor Day weekend, the brakes went out and needed to be replaced. She is very annoyed because she has replaced several things, which though not expensive, did delve into her already starved pocket book. The past few weeks, she has been noticing that the engine to this vehicle has been revving very high. Tonight, she discovered that her car is not shifting out of third gear. This is very disconcerting to The Boring One, as she is afraid that her transmission is going out, and she cannot afford to spend money to replace a transmission. She wishes that she had borrowed the money to get a better car. She has decided that she officially hates her car and wishes that she could smash it with a baseball bat and just replace it with a new one that does not need to be fixed so often.

Sorry to be a downer - I feel slightly better now that I've vented. Thanks for listening!

Hurricane Hits Southern Indiana

2008-09-17T20:58:00.000-07:00

That's right, folks. The midwest is no longer immune to hurricanes. They called this one a dry hurricane, but it rushed through the region with 72 mile per hour winds, with gusts reaching up to 105 miles per hour, or so I am informed. The destruction left thousands of homes without electricity.

The Boring One was one such individual until she arrived home tonight to find that electricity had been restored to her humble abode. What elation she felt, and gained the energy to clean the foul, stinking mess Hurricane Ike (she supposes we still call him, er, it Ike) left in her refrigerator. The stink had penetrated into the far confines of the apartment, and she felt a need to scour the kitchen, which further inspired her to clean the rest of her living quarters. After the living room was cleaned, however, she discovered that inspiration doesn't necessarily equal energy. Therefore, the two bedrooms and bathroom were left till the morrow, and the Boring One turned on her computer to write to her friends in the Blog World and then go to sleep. She wished everyone speed in gaining electricity, and wished those in other regions of the country a good night.

And that's all the late breaking news from TBC, The Boring Corner. I'm The Boring One, back to you in the studio...

'Night Folks!

Hello

2008-09-06T03:46:00.000-07:00

Life stays busy, but I am finding that my body and expectations are adapting to that. I've adjusted to the sleeping six or less hours per night thing, and I feel that the Lord has been very good to me in that. I don't feel nearly as tired as I expected to feel with little sleep. In fact, I am more tired if I get a night with 8 hours of sleep. Go figure.

I really ought to be studying for anatomy or cleaning right now, but I figured I would say hello. (Besides, I studied for a long time last night - and cleaned too!)

Well, that's all for now, folks!

Toodles.

Life Gets Real

2008-08-27T19:37:00.000-07:00

It's back to school time - and it's true for me too! I was able to schedule my classes for only two days - which is the upside. The downside is that I am at school from eight in the morning until 7:20 in the evening. On Wednesdays, I have as little as 30 minutes break total, although on Monday, I have a longer break in the morning because my chemistry lab is only on Wednesday. So yeah, my Wednesday looks like this:
5:30am - The alarm goes off and I roll out of bed after only being there for six hours. I shower, dress, put on makeup, etc, and spend thirty minutes reading my Bible and praying - which is very helpful!

6:45ish - start getting books into my two bags because they won't all fit in one, get my water bottle, grab a little bit of food, etc.

7:00 - leave for school

8:00-9:15 - Speech

9:15-9:30 - run to the other side of campus for my next class

9:30-12:30 - Arrive at chem lab, having made sure I have on long pants, close toed shoes, and am not wearing my contacts. Complete the lab.

12:15-1:15 - Arrive at Supplemental Instruction Session for Anatomy about 20 minutes late. :-)

1:15-4:05 - Feverishly take notes while Dr. Hickerson lectures very quickly, giving more information than my brain can process at once.

4:05-4:30 - That's my time. Break. Go to the bathroom, run to the car to swap out the bookbag, etc.

4:30-5:30 - Another optional SI Session, this time for Chemistry Lecture. (I haven't attended this yet. We'll just have to see. It is worth a bonus point if you attend...)

5:30-7:20 - Listen to Mr Henry lecture on Chemistry and crack mostly corny, but sometimes very amusing, jokes, and take notes about Chemistry.

7:20 - Rush to my car so that I can arrive at church less than fifteen minutes late...

7:30-9 or 10 - Church - (of course, I've gotten there after 7:30 by at least ten or fifteen minutes). Also visit with people after worship is over.

Then, after a long, long day, I arrive home, carry my fifty tons of books into the house to be deposited on the bedroom floor for study. Eat something. Spend a little time relaxing. Maybe study some, and hope to be in bed by 11:30.

So, I'm pretty exhausted. I'm hoping I'll get used to it. Heh.

Well, now that I've completely bored you, I am going to say goodnight, go take out my contacts, which seem to be permanently affixed to my eyeballs after such a long day, maybe study a little, and fall into bed only to get up at 5:30 tomorrow and go to work... Go me.

Psalm 145

2008-08-16T04:04:00.000-07:00

I will extol You, my God, O king,

And I will bless Your name forever and ever.

Everyday I will bless You,

And I will praise Your name forever and ever.

Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised,

And His greatness is unsearchable

One generation shall praise Your works to another,

And shall declare Your mighty acts.

On the glorious splendor of Your majesty

And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.

Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts,

And I will tell of Your greatness.

They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant good ness

And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness.

The Lord is gracios and merciful;

Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness.

The Lord is good to all,

And His mercies are over all His works.

All Your works shall give thanks to You, O Lord,

And Your godly ones shall bless You.

They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom

And talk of Your power.

To make knows to the sons of men Your mighty acts

And the glory of the majesty of Your kingdom.

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

And Your dominion endures throughout all genberations.

The Lord sustains all who fall

And raises up all who are bowed down.

The eyes of all look to You,

And You give them their food in due time.

You open Your hand

And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

The Lord is righteous in all His ways

And kind in all His deeds.

The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,

To all who call upon Him in truth.

He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;

He will also hear their cry and will save them.

The Lord keeps all who love Him,

But all the wicked He will destroy.

My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,

and all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever.

And that's all I have time for this morning, folks!
Toodles.

Now This, I Just Couldn't Help.

2008-08-08T20:46:00.000-07:00

Heh heh heh. :-)

Take the Quiz here!

Devastated By His Love

2008-08-04T21:15:00.000-07:00

Can pain and perfect love go hand in hand? Yes, says a song I have come to love. "I've been devastated by the words of men. Sometimes it feels like pain becomes my closest friend." sings Dennis Jernigan. He continues to talk about how sin is what truly hurts us. My favorite line says. "Lord, if suffering means winning, means death to flesh and sinning, lead me there in Your care." Suffering is no fun. Life just really, really hurts sometimes. But - pain purifies. Like gold, we must pass through the fire to reach our full potential.

"Lord, If suffering means winning, means death to flesh and sinning, lead me there in Your care."

Crucified With Christ

2008-07-09T20:29:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking a lot lately about the verse in Galatians where Paul says "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." This is very, very important to a Christian. I know that I would do better to think about this more often. For those of us who have obeyed the Lord's call, we are dead. Any desire I have must be killed if it is not in line with God's Word and His will. This is a very difficult thing, but by the grace of our God, it is worth it. Each day, I must die to myself, and allow Christ to live through me. Every decision I make must reflect Christ's Love and Righteousness. Think about this. Strive to crucify yourself so that Christ can live in and through you. Jesus must completely rule our lives. It is not a natural thing. Living a life for God takes hard work. I know. I get tired, very tired. Crucifying my fleshly desires gets tiring and old. I don't want to do it. I want to live the way I want to live. However, that is not the way to please our Lord. One day, we will give an account for the things we have done. Will we be able to stand before the Maker of the universe? Not if we do not learn to put our desires to death and allow God's desires to take over our thinking and our lives. Let us endeavor to everyday put our will in subjection to Him, to die to ourselves, taking up our crosses to crucify the old man, and move forward in His Life!

Wow! It's been a while!

2008-06-25T14:51:00.000-07:00

So, yeah, I've been a little busy, can you tell? Today is my day off, and I thought I'd grab a little computer time to say hello!

Life is busy, busy. I am taking summer classes and trying to work more hours during the summer than I am able during the school year. That makes for long, stressful, draining weeks. But - it's almost over. I have five and a half weeks left for this summer class and then I will be done with classes until the Fall semester begins at the end of August. I am very much looking forward to my classes then. I will be taking a beginning chemistry class and an anatomy class, both of which I am very excited about. The speech class is not my favorite idea, but it is required, so I thought I'd better get it out of the way. Heh.

So, that's my life in a nutshell. Now I must hurry back to it. The house won't clean itself, you know!

Greetings

2008-05-26T10:18:00.000-07:00

Hello to all of you wonderful people who read my blog. I have no idea what I am going to write to you today but I thought it was time for a new post. Life continues on. Busy. Busy. Busy. I was talking to a friend today about the common idea that "I have more time than I have money." He remarked that he had the opposite problem: more money than he had time. I seem to be in short supply of both commodities. Heh. No time, no money. That makes life simple, don't you think?

No, really though, life is good. Though in short supply of both time and money, I don't seem to ever need to go without anything I need. It is helpful to remember that the Lord gives to us what we need.

Day by Day

2008-05-14T10:36:00.000-07:00

This is a favorite hymn of mine. It helps me to remember that the Lord Himself takes on the task of caring for His children...

Day by day, and with each passing moment,
Strength I find, to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He Whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what He deems best—
Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Every day, the Lord Himself is near me
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear, and cheer me,
He Whose Name is Counselor and Power;
The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
“As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,”
This the pledge to me He made.

Help me then in every tribulation
So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith’s sweet consolation
Offered me within Thy holy Word.
Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
Ever to take, as from a father’s hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
Till I reach the promised land.

More pictures

2008-05-12T18:48:00.001-07:00

We've had so much rain this spring, for which I am so grateful. I hope that we do not have a drought! This tree root was filled up with water. I thought it was very pretty.

Ok, don't laugh but I think these are so much fun! I try to show little kids how these whirl in the air only to have them respond with blank stares or "I already know." I guess I'm just easily entertained!

Since it's spring outside, I wanted it to be spring indoors too. These flowers brighten up my living room. They are fabric, so they don't smell pretty, but they will last longer!

I made this wreath for my front door for spring/summer. I thought it turned out well. I had made one for Valentines Day and I hope to make one for Fall and one for Christmas.

Spring pictures

2008-05-12T18:37:00.000-07:00

I love the springtime. I am enjoying so much the warm air that isn't stifling hot. I love the flowers. I love sleeping with the windows open. We've been blessed with a late spring this year, and I am so grateful that the hot weather is not yet here!

These lilacs were so beautiful I thought. The bush grows in the front yard at a friend's house. I love the smell of lilacs.

I love these white star flowers. They grow in abundance in my side yard. I think they are lovely!

Hello

2008-04-21T12:49:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd drop in and encourage you all to focus on glorifying our Lord this week. Afterall, He created us, has given us everything that we have, and sent His Son to save us. What else can we do but bring glory to Him? It was for this purpose that we were created. Bring honor to Him this week!

Prince of Peace! Control My Will

2008-04-13T14:10:00.000-07:00

Prince of peace! control my will,
Bid this struggling heart be still;
Bid my fears and doubtings cease-
Hush my spirit into peace.

Thou hast bought me with Thy blood,
Opened wide the gate of God;
Peace I ask, but peace must be,
Lord, in being one with Thee.

May Thy will, not mine be done;
May Thy will and mine be one;
Chase these doubtings from my heart;
Now Thy perfect peace impart.

Savior, at Thy feet I fall;
Thou my Life, my God, my All;
Let Thy happy servant be
One forevermore with Thee.

by Mary A. S. Barber

Just Put it On My Tab

2008-03-19T13:04:00.001-07:00

Have you ever heard that statement? Just put it on my tab. I hear it often in my job. It annoys me greatly! Customers who refuse to work and instead draw disability or unemployment take for granted the goodwill of my employer. They act as if I owe them a favor. The attitude does not become them!

Have you ever acted that way toward the Lord? I have. How many times have I sinned, and just taken for granted His grace. "Just put it on my tab," I think. How offended the Lord must feel when we treat Him as if He owes us His grace. My sin ought to hurt me. I ought to remember that the Lord owes me nothing. His grace is just that, grace. I do not deserve it. Without the Lord's goodwill, I would be stuck with a debt I could not pay.

May we always remember to sorrow over our sins and thank the Lord for His rich and abundant mercy!

A Good Lesson

2008-03-10T06:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I heard a very helpful sermon. We are studying through Luke on Sunday mornings, and it has been extremely helpful. Yesterday, he preached on part of Luke 9, preaching about the Transfiguration, the demon that the disciples could not cast out, the argument over who was the greatest, the turning away of the little children, and the disciples trying to stop a man who was casting out demons. Jesus' disciples made so many mistakes, and I am impressed by Jesus' patience with them. We can learn a lot from the individual mistakes themselves, and maybe sometime I will post on that. Today, however, think about Jesus' patience. We often think that we cannot serve the Lord because we won't be able to do everything He requires. We are right - we won't. We will likely be a lot like the disciples and make many mistakes, but thanks be to our God, he forgives us and is so patient with us. If we humbly try to please Him, turning to Him for help, He gives us the strength, grace and mercy needed, and we can please Him!

A Good Principle

2008-02-25T11:43:00.001-08:00

"When we become enlightened about a correct principle, it is incumbent upon us to live it." - Stephen Covey.

As I stated in the last post, I am listening to Steven Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. I find it helpful in many ways. The above quote grabbed my attention. I find such truth in Mr. Covey's statement. A difficult principle. How often am I convicted about something, only to turn and do exactly what I just decided was wrong? How many times must I let myself, others, and more importantly, the Lord down by neglecting to "do" what I have "heard." James 1:22-25 "But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer,this man will be blessed in what he does."

Coming Soon

2008-02-18T07:27:00.000-08:00

I am listening to Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People on cassette. He said something very profound on the cassette I was listening to this morning. I wrote it down (yes, while I was driving - for shame, for shame!) but unfortunately left it in my car this when I arrived at the University. So, you will have to wait for my thoughts.

Have a Blessed Day!

What's in a Name?

2008-02-16T05:29:00.000-08:00

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." So they say.
For those of you who wonder why I named my blog "The Boring Corner" my reasoning follows.
I enjoy things that conflict. I find it intriguing that the Lord often chose opposites to show truth. 1 Corinthians 1: 26-29 says, "For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God." The Bible speaks often in paradoxical ways. People expected the Messiah to come as a king - He came as a little baby.

So - I chose the name, "The Boring Corner" because it is interesting! It gets your attention and engages you from the minute you see it. The title, although some may beg to differ, is not boring at all but fun, perhaps even semi-clever.

Think about it. We are a society of paradoxes. "Jumbo Shrimp?" What about a "Baby Grand"? Or what about the fact that there is no "pine" in "pineapple"? Curious, isn't it?

Welcome

2008-02-13T13:01:00.000-08:00

Welcome to The Boring Corner. I am The Boring One, and I will be infrequently posting random things for your amusement or serious consideration. Right. So, today I'm just setting up. Sometime later you will get the first installment.

Enjoy!

"Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73:25-26