Interests:woodworking, bass playing, star gazing, hiking, bike riding, snowboarding Expertise:mech tinkering Occupation:Clinical Research Associate Industry:Pharma
God moves but where does He go? Surrounds and embraces the tired, the weak, the downcast to give us strength today But today is impossible and all I can do is kneel and cry because my will is spent and my soul understands nothing
Lord, send you angels to protect Lord wrap your arms around Fill this place with your glory And squeeze out the hurt
When it's quiet My ringing ears don't believe The news That are not words But delivered in tears
So the quiet ends It's silent now Rain growing all around As they stream down heaven's face
What happenned tonight? What was the last month? How did time say What did he go Is this When
I can't believe it I wish St Louis can wait My prayers are so stupid Worthy of nothing to be heard
God can make it be He moves And is glorified He wrote life and death Even the loss we feel?
Cry until you're dry Ask me to be here for you I am your friend Shoulders for you but yoke is the Lord's
i had a very good conversation with arthur on the drive back from tahoe last night. one thing he told me about was this dr. seuss book: "oh the places you'll go!" appropriately, it applies! you may find something insightful for yourself as well.
Oh! The Places You’ll Go! by the incomparable Dr. Seuss
Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away!
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.
You’ll look up and down streets. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.” With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street.
And you may not find any you’ll want to go down. In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town. It’s opener there in the wide open air.
Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you.
And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.
Oh! The Places You’ll Go!
You’ll be on your way up! You’ll be seeing great sights! You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.
You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed. You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
Except when you don’t. Because, sometimes, you won’t.
I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.
You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch.
You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.
And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.
You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win?
And if you go in, should you turn left or right…or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite? Or go around back and sneak in from behind? Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.
You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place…for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite or waiting around for Friday night or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another Chance. Everyone is just waiting.
No! That’s not for you! Somehow you’ll escape all that waiting and staying. You’ll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing. With banner flip-flapping, once more you’ll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky. Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!
Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all. Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.
Except when they don’t. Because, sometimes, they won’t.
I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too. Games you can’t win ‘cause you’ll play against you.
All Alone! Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.
And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.
But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike. And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.
You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)
Kid, you’ll move mountains! So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So…get on your way!
ming-gih brought up a good idea last May (2009) when we were doing freedom summit. i want to get this going because i think we lost too much steam with the silly poker tournament that seemed to have emphasized too much of the side stuff (the game itself) and not enough on the purpose of the event (human trafficking). ming-gih suggested that we ebay our used luxuries and donate the proceeds.
the reason i posted this picture was that it was on the webcam right now. apparently northstar is having a burton demo day. this is what i'm getting at: we are a fat, lazy, consumerism culture. and being christian doesnt prevent us from grossly indulging in it. there are three things that draw us toward ineffectiveness. it goes along the lines of the shipwrecked faith post a few days ago. it's not to say we should lead minimalistic / acetic lives, but we need to discipline ourselves and not run after everything and anything that pleases the eye or gives us a momentary thrill! self control peoples!!!! we're constantly thinking about the next thing to buy, the next vacation to "rest" or the next house upgrade. it's motorcycles and cars here, snowboards and ski trips there, rc cars, photography, clothes, purses, electronic gadgets, computers, video games, bicycles, climbing...things. every single hobby under the sun to just waste our lives. we run after them like a stupid reflex. i say it that way because many times they are just something like a sweet taste on the lips and nothing more. if these things dont carry an attitude pointed toward the gospel, no convincing rationalization is going to make it any more legitimate. i would like to cut back on the self-serving hobbies myself. being the ultimate end-user isnt something to be proud of. poverty is just around the corner, and "fun" seems to be the mask we wear.
i say this for myself as well. i know it's so easy just to come home from work and not be productive. and after years of doing this and padding my own lifestyle, i'm sure there would be no difference between the world and me. the "christian" label and the sunday morning church-going would just be another moral club classification.
in light of the darkness this week, i'm forced to think just a little more about what i think is right for my life (is there a right and a wrong, some people may say - i say yes) and compare it with the discrepancies i currently see. our time right now - consider it a grace period. we can get taken home sooner than we think.
I do my best not to say rote prayers for those who need it.
When I was in elementary school, I had a few close friends from church: Anthony, Bobby, and Eric. We went on retreats together, church, family trips, picnics, etc. And unfortunately our families experienced a multitude of growing pains such as domestic issues, faith struggles, and our fair share in deaths. I don't pretend to know what it's like to lose someone in my immediate family, but I have been around those who have. I think it was Eric's dad who lost his battle with cancer when we were about 6th grade (I'm picturing in my mind the photos we took from a trip our family went with him shortly after). I remember my parents on the phone a lot when his dad was in the hospital and finally getting the news in the kitchen while I was in my room sitting at my desk praying and crying for his dad.
Anthony's dad passed when we were in late junior high or early high school. I heard the news from my parents who had been hesitant to tell me that friday evening right before heading out to chinese school at Lynbrook High School. He had taken his own life at some motel nearby. When his mom found the note, she frantically went out to find his dad but it was already too late. This was almost 17 years ago.
I'm still processing this information, as heavy as the topic sounds, trying to wrap my mind around where some of these people are now, in eternity. Sometimes it makes me mad and frustrated - othertimes just quiet and pensive. I know God is good and is patient, but his ways sometimes aren't clear. I just hope I can have this attitude once I find myself there in an emergency situation with nowhere to turn - sometimes even friends can't satisfy. But it can be so comforting knowing that whatever happens, God is in control. It can just be hard to swallow at times.
