Writing on Wordpress

I know it must be frustrating that I relocate my blog every several months, but I have found that Wordpress is now offering free service.

http://drewdixon.wordpress.com/

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

The End of Summer (and Goals for the Next Year)

Well, here it is. Summer is officially ending. I keep trying to convince myself that if I don't believe that tomorrow will happen that maybe it won't come, but it seems that there is objective truth. It seems that regardless of what I want or what I believe time will pass and when dawn breaks I will be heading to Kempner High School again.

What I simply can't believe is that I'm a senior. I have no idea what that looks like or means. I remember looking up at the seniors and saying to myself, Those guys have it all together. But here I am and I just don't feel that way. I'm asking myself, Did they have doubts? Did they have weird social situations? and it's crazy to think that maybe they never did have it all down like I thought they did. But here I go, plunging headfirst into senior year. I got a taste of it tonight. I led worship for a thing at church.
Why?
Because Bryan and Steve (the seniors who used to lead worship a lot) weren't there.
Why?
Because they're in college now.
I guess I haven't had a hard time acknowledging that they were being promoted to someone in college or even telling people, "I'm going to be a senior!" But, here I am. And it seems really hard to say, "I am a senior." It seems really hard to promote myself to that level. I don't know. I just can't believe it.
---I've decided to take the rest of this entry to throw out some goals for myself in a public place. You guys can keep tabs on me and check up and make sure that I'm doing these things. In fact, please do.

• Exercise. Not that I'm fat or anything. I just want to get my body in better shape. As a lazy American I find myself having a hard time catching my breath when I run. My way of solving this is to set out a time every morning before school to do cardiovascular exercises such as jogging or jump rope.
• Deeper, closer relationship with God. There a few spiritual disciplines that I will be attempting.
• Scripture. After my exercise time in the morning I plan on coming inside, grabbing a bottle of water, and diving into scripture for awhile. It doesn't have to be a whole lot, but I plan on just reading through various books a chapter a day.
• Prayer. After reading scripture in the mornings I want to spend some time in prayer or journaling some reflections on what I've just read. Who knows what sort of blog entries you'll find yourself reading as a result!
• Sabbath. The challenging part about this is that our culture doesn't revolve around it. In fact, our culture finds it hard to even take a break for an hour, much less 24 of them. Even today (Sunday), I had to work from 12-5! There's no escape from work. But my hope is to take (as often as I can) a day off here and there in order to just relax and focus on God. We'll see how this one goes down.
• Journal and Blog. I find it very important for me to take time to sit and let my thoughts flow. Whether it be in a public or a private way. Not only is this good for introspection, but it will also give me something to look back on in future years so I can remember all the things I went through, good or bad.
• School. In high school I've never been too terribly serious with my studies. This year I have a goal to actually pay attention and not procrastinate! If there is a project I want to begin it straight away. If I have to read a book, I want to read it (this one is already shot because of summer reading). I hope to be more serious about these things this year.
• Free time. When I'm not journaling and blogging I want to spend my free time reading. I waste too much time on this wretched computer. I don't want to do that this year. I own so many wonderful books that I should read. And I plan on doing just that. Reading.

These are simply a few. Maybe I'll even add more later. This is what I can think of for now. I sure hope you all keep me on track. And now comes there scary part: going to sleep so I can wake up tomorrow, jog, read scripture, pray, and go to school. God, be with me!