it's all greek to me...

I am currently taking my first semester of Biblical Greek. Wow-za.

I do not want to simply pass the class for to complete my requirements I want to comprehend it.

Please pray that I can grasp and retain the basics for understanding the language in which God chose to convey his message.

a standard

As mentioned below, there needs to be a new standard for what men of the faith put in front of there face. (that almost rhymed, cool).

What does this standard look like, or more importantly, how is it practically lived out?

creep

And I am not talking about the amazing Radiohead song.

What I am talking about is how I feel right now. So, Kristin and I were watching Be Cool last night. I really only enjoy it because of Vince Vaughn's character, the rest of the movie is ok. However, by the end of the movie I can tell something is on Kristin's mind. So, I ask, "what's on your mind?" And she say's, (are you ready guys), "Well, why is it that Christian females are to dress modestly, when Christian males watch movies that have girls with barely any clothes on?" All I could say is that she had a good point all the while wanting to hide under the rock I deserve to be under.

So I ask you Christian guys, this same question; why is it that Christian females are to dress modestly, when Christian males watch movies that have girls with barely any clothes on? Are we not disrespecting our fellow sisters in Christ that actually make the effort to help us by dressing modestly? Are we negating all of our words of appreciation and praise we give them when we watch what is so accepted as standard?

I actually tried to use the excuse that it is unaviodable. We are going to run into it one way or the other. I am such a creep. I brag about how much of a blessing it is that my girlfriend actually cares about modesty, but yet will practically spit in her face by watching movies that promote just the opposite. But, I am thankful that I have someone that will help me see the other side of the fight.

Christan Women, I ask for your help. What are ways that you see that we men can fix the double mindedness that is most of the time not even seen? What is it that we can do to stop saying one thing and doing another? I know that the most obvious answer is to stop watching the movies that contain this material, but is it really that simple when it is so prevalent in our culture? Even PG-13 movies may contain some form of it. How can we encourage you to continue in the fight for modesty?

Christian Men, I ask for your effort. How are we to keep each other accountable in this? What needs to be done to fix this dichotomy? Is this not an issue that has gone on for far to long? When are we going to be the leaders in our community and stop ourselves from tearing down our sisters in Christ?

orange hands and some worthless knowledge

So my hands are stained orange from deep frying Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Oreo's, and Snickers. Some may wander how this is done, some will not care.

For those of you that do want to know; You first stab it with a stick, a toothpick will do for the Oreo's and Reese's. Then you will freeze them until they are rock solid. This is an important step for multiple reasons. One, it will keep the toothpick inside while you dip it into the batter. Two, because it will keep it from completely melting into one big ball of goo. The next two steps were just mentioned, and are essentially the most difficult and critical.
After you have frozen the delicious morsel, you must dip it into a funnel cake batter. The key is all in the dip. Some don't use picks, but instead carry the morsel with tongs. This makes it messy and ugly because the batter will splatter all over, making the morsel look as if it has multiple limbs protruding from it. To properly dip you must take the toothpick between you thumb and you pointer finger, dunk the entire morsel into the batter, taking special effort to cover the entire thing, then on the uplift you must twirl the toothpick between you thumb and finger to coat the morsel, or else you will have the same result as the tongs, and immediately slide it into the frier. It must be added that some of the tasty morsels, like the Reese's, need help to make the batter coat them properly. You can accomplish this by shaking flower on it before the dip. All that is left is to cook it until it is golden brown and cover it with powdered sugar.

It really is an artform that traces it's roots to Europe. (No Joke!)

It started when a Brit opened a shop, the ChipShop, in Brooklyn. He got known for the Twinkies, but has several other items on the menu. The only difference is that he used a fish-and-chips batter that was less sweet. However, this trend went to the county and state fairs, starting with the Twinkies one year, Snickers the next, Oreo's last year, and Reese's this one.
I know what will be here next year, but I am sworn to secrecy.

opening day

As I mentioned before, I am working at the Indianapolis State Fair for the next 5 days. Today was opening day and my right, pointer finger hurts. Why? you ask. Because I stood over a deep fryer holding tongs cooking, (are you ready for this?), deep-fried oreos, peenutbutter cups, and candy-bars. For 14 hours.
On one finger I have two blisters and the first joint is swollen from the resistance of the tongs. But the 14 hour days, blisters, and swelling are worth the $100+ a day that I will be making, plus the fact that I do not have any expenses down here at all.
There are no funny stories yet. And there may not be, because I will not be here for 20 days like last year. Then, it wasn't until about day 10 that I started to be a little, well, rude to some of the stupid questions.

One thought I would like to know, and this is something that I really want feedback on; What does it mean to guard one's heart?

micah 7.7-8

But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the LORD;
I will wait for the God of my salvation
My God will hear me.
Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy
Though I fall I will rise;
Though I dwell in darkness, the LORD is a light for me.

a new blog for a new season

So this is the first time I have moved from xanga to post regularly on another provider. Why? A few reasons: 1. Because, my new filtering program does not allow me to access xanga. 2. I feel that it is time to part ways with my former xanga-self. It seems to me to be time to move on. 3. # 2 has alot to do with the fact that I feel I am in a different season in life and need a new, hipper way to express that. Therefore, blogger.

Well then since you do not know much about me, you may wander why I feel that I am in a different season in life.
I wish I had the desire or the words to tell all of my audience of one about who I used to be, but hopefully that understanding will come in time while I share where, and who, I currently am.

The past few month has been quite a shift in weather conditions. I was in what I could call a winter/spring, where I seemed to have dark, cold times of reflection that were followed with a time of rapid growth. I feel that for a long time I never experienced the warmth of summer or a time to reflect on the past in the beauty of fall.

However, now I could say that it feels more like a spring/summer. I have been promoted at a job I love and I am dating a wonderful and beautiful girl I met at church. These two things have put a new day on a long, cold night. I now feel the sun and see the hopes of fall in a distant future.

Currently, at this minute, I sit in the lobby of a Day's Inn in Indianapolis. I am here because for the next 5 days I will be work as a vender at the Indianapolis State Fair. To most peoples surprise this will be a refreshing week.