Winter Sets In

It's been cold for the past few days. Mid-January and winter has finally decided to stick. That's cool. It might last for a week or two. You've just got to love winter in Sugar Land.

Second semester starts in a couple of days. We had our exams last week. For some reason the school district decided it would be nice to give us exams after we came back from Christmas break. Now that the exams have happened I want another break. But we only get tomorrow off because of Martin Luther King Jr's birthday. I like celebrating his birthday, but I'd really like to celebrate the end of 1st semester with a good two or three week break. Second semester is going to be a breeze. I don't have to be at school until 8:25 and get to leave by 1:35 everyday. Of course I still have my usual after-school activities, which means I'll either be going home and coming back, or just staying in the library during 7th period. Life should chill out some though with less school going on.

I want to use my extra time in the morning and afternoon to read. Reading the Bible, reading for school, reading devotionals, reading fiction, whatever! I just want to read more. In addition to reading I want to record more music soon. I think I'm going to be recording several acoustic songs sometime soon. I'll keep you posted on how that's going down.

Happy New Year!

Here's a New Years present for you! A cover of Death Cab For Cutie's "The New Year." Of course I don't claim to be better (who's better than Ben Gibbard?). But, I have added my own twist to it. Make sure you read the last blog entry so you know the context of the song.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!


The New Year (In The Distance)
So this is the new year.
And I don't feel any different.
The clanking of crystal,
Explosions off in the distance (in the distance).

So this is the new year
And I have no resolutions
For self assigned penance
For problems with easy solutions (it's in the distance).

So everybody put your best suit or dress on
Let's make believe that we are wealthy for just this once
Lighting firecrackers off on the front lawn
As thirty dialogs bleed into one

I wish the world was flat like the old days
Then I could travel just by folding a map
No more airplanes, or speed trains, or freeways
There'd be no distance that could hold us back.

There'd be no distance that could hold us back...

So this is the new year
And I may not feel any different
But if I let God in
Things will change

It's in the distance....
He's in the distance....
Nothing's gonna hold us back....
He's in the distance....

So this is the new year
And I may not feel any different
But He's in the distance.....

In 2007 I...

So it's New Year's Eve and I've made a list of things I did in 2007.

In 2007 I:
Played drums in a praise band leading hundreds of kids in worship to Adonai - Starred as Jesus in Godspell (the first play I ever tried out for) - Learned how to play the ukulele for it - Was cast in a one act called "No Fading Star" as a minor role - Learned about the Jewish roots of Christianity - Played percussion in the Kempner High School Symphonic Band - Saw "To Kill A Mockingbird" at the Alley Theatre with my mom -Was cast in another one act, "Sorry, Wrong Number," as a minor role - Got a job at Family Christian Stores - Became a "passing ship in the night" with my mom - Was initiated as a thespian into Thespian Troupe 4385 - Recorded and released a full length album as Cadenza - "This Is For You LP" - Played my last concert in the regular Kempner High School band program - Took an English AP test - Finished my Junior year of high school - Took the SAT Reasoning Test - Went to Kadesh session I - Took care of my little brother, Luke for 3 days - Watched Luke accept Christ and be baptized - Turned 17 - Went on a Mission Trip to Mexico - Was informally initiated in Troupe 4385 - Had some dentist appointments - Went camping with my dad - Recorded an EP with the praise band - Was accepted to ACU!!! - Started my Senior year of high school - Starred in a musical production of Schoolhouse Rock - Learned how to play the banjo for it - Took my senior pictures - Built a Sumerian Harp with my Dad - Played in the praise band again and even sang with some guitar - Went to the homecoming game without being in band - Skipped the homecoming dance to see David Crowder in concert and become in huge fan of Phil Wickham in one foul swoop! - Hosted the Schoolhouse Rock cast party! - Starred in one act play, "Small World" - Gave blood - Visited ACU - Went to Convention! - Led worship and spoke at church - Was cast in main stage play, "The Dining Room" - Saw my first midnight showing, R-rated movie - Learned how to Snowboard - Snowboarded! - Went to San Antonio with my mom and saw Brendan and Erin get married - Started a lot of books and haven't finished any of them - Made this list of stuff I did in 2007

Through all of this I:
Discovered my passion for theatre - Made a bajillion new good friends - Developed deeper relationships with my friends Greg and Eric - Met the girl of my dreams, fell in love, and made a new best friend - Became Luke's Godfather - Continued struggling in sin - Had a flexuous relationship with God - Met Jessica and asked her out - Am finding myself growing closer to and more comfortable with Jessica everyday - Have had an absolute Blast!

Of course this list is incomplete, but this year has been full and fun! I think this has been my greatest, funnest year yet! And I haven't even gone to college yet!

Writing this list and thinking back leads to thinking forward. As adventurous and exciting as this last year has been I can't imagine it even comparing to my next! Thinking forward leads me to thinking about the end of high school, seeing a lot of people for the last time, saying goodbye to so many things. But, at the same time I'll be saying hello to new things. I approach the end of a road and the beginning of a new one.

Solomon talks about the way that time passes, "The sun rises and the sun sets; panting, it returns to its place where it rises. Gusting to the south, turning to the north, turning, turning, goes the wind and the wind returns in its cycles. All the streams flow to the sea, yet the sea is never full. The streams are flowing to the place, and they flow there again." What a picture of human existence.

I think that around New Year's everyone starts setting resolutions, assigning themselves penance, and trying to fix all their problems. The problem is when we try to fix our own problems the picture that Solomon just described plays itself out. There is a better way.

Jesus Christ, Yeshua Messiah, Son of God, God came. His blood reconciles us to Him. This word means to restore or renew. To change. We don't have to fix ourselves. God has already done it. Paul says to let God transform you by changing the way you think, by renewing your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, perfect will of God. I'm still trying to figure out how this works and how to explain it, but somehow, when I live by the Spirit of God, when I let God breathe through me, I no longer want to sin. I want to please Him. I want to live in a good, pleasing way that is inside of the perfect will of God.

I encourage you guys to step out and try this with me this year. Let's live in the breathe of Adonai. Let's walk down this road, not knowing what comes next, trusting in Him. As I approach the end of a road and the beginning of a new one I trust that God will guide me. I'm not going to assign myself penance, I'm not going to try and fix my problems, but rather let God transform the way I think and renew me. I may not feel any different right now, but if I let God in things will change.

---
Ecclesiastes 1:5-7 CSB
Romans 12:2 NLT, CSB

Eulogy for Little Siemens

The time has come to say goodbye and retire my phone. Poor little Siemens finally broke into two completely separate pieces. Fortunately, we had a relative of little Siemens to save the day: my Mom's old phone, big Siemens! Surprisingly enough, even though he's older he's in tip-top shape!

I simply just can't wait for our contract with T-Mobile to break so we can switch to Cingular/AT&T as fast as possible. Boy, that'll be the day.