Trip to the Beach

  This post is a couple of weeks overdue, and that is because I put off editing picture as long as I possibly can. Even if editing simply means resizing pictures.
  Anyways, a couple of weeks ago, my Dad and I went to the beach to go fishing. We ending up getting stuck in the sand and consequently ran out of time to actually fish. After we dug the car out sand I took some pictures. I know this area of Texas is notorious for having ugly beaches, and there are times that certainly is true. But if a body is willing to drive a little further south than Galveston, the beaches become tolerable if not actually pretty. Here is some photographic evidence of that fact.

 

 

 

And here's a nice beachy song to go with those pictures.

 

 

Something New

  I have hated dishes for many years. I will not try and soften that sentiment by saying I strongly disliked them. I hated doing the dishes and there is no way around that fact. In the past, I have written an ode to my hatred of dishes and said that people who claim they like washing dishes are liars. That was very immature of me.
  In spite of my hatred of dishes, I find myself doing them quite often. In my family, we siblings trade chores in the kitchen from week to week. One week, my responsibility will be to wipe off the table and counters; the next week I will be in charge of sweeping. And, of course, sooner than later, it will be my turn to wash the dishes. While I will do the dishes when it is my job, I will be sure to let everyone around me know that I am not enjoying the task before me.
  Last week, my turn to do dishes came around yet again. I decided, this time, that I would try something different. Lately, I have been convicted about complaining while I wash the dishes. Whining about dishes is not constructive, or uplifting, and it is definitely not godly. So last week, every time I went to the sink to wash the dishes, I kept my mouth shut. Complaining does take effort, and I figured I would put that effort into finishing my task.
  I also prayed. In retrospect, I could have prayed to find washing dishes enjoyable, but I did not. I just prayed that God would allow me to get the dishes done quickly and that He would control my mouth. God did both of those things. He also did more for me than just keep my mouth shut. By His grace, He helped me to see I genuinely have no reason to complain about doing the dishes. They are a part of life. While they may not be fun, they are certainly not awful. Then are plenty of far harder things I could be tasked with doing.
  I still dislike dishes. Maybe I should now pray that I will like washing them. But right now, I am happy to see that hatred softening, by the grace of God. Perhaps I will one day come to place where I relish washing dirty plates and pots and pans. Or perhaps, in my bumbling humanity, I will completely reverse any progress made in my attitude towards dish-washing. At the end of the day though, I was reminded that God is more than willing to help me in every aspect of my life. And He is so ready to pour His grace on me. Even in something as mundane as dishes.

What I did this Week: failed baking attempt

  This week did not start out great. The news and social media have been a depressing swirl of the tragedies that struck that week. But I am not writing about the news.

  Sunday, I got to teach Sunday school which was fun. The class was learning about the conversion of Paul, so I made them blindfolds and they got to walk around as blind people. I am pretty sure my brother cheated though.

 

  Monday, was my grandmother's surprise birthday party. It was not really a surprise because she found out about it beforehand, but it was fun. I was in charge of making the birthday cake, which was perhaps, the worst cake I ever made. I tried to modify a cupcake recipe to make a triple layer cake. But the cake was dry, and the frosting would not stick to it. So all my dreams of a pinterest-esque naked cake crumbled to dry pieces. It does not look terrible in the picture, but needless to say, I need to work on my cake-baking skills.

 

  Tuesday, I made nachos after dinner because, "Why not?" And they were good.

 

  Thursday, I thought it would be a good idea to jump into the pool fully clothed. Thus I found pockets are not great to have on when a body is swimming. Fortunately, there are no pictures of this experience.

 

  And so went my week. I did other thing like paint and make cinnamon rolls, but there are plenty of pictures of paint and cinnamon rolls on my blog, so I figured I would not post anymore for now.

What I did this Week: bookish

  This year my New Year's resolution is to read a book a week, as I believe I have stated before. In the past few weeks I have gotten behind, so this week I made a courageous effort to try and catch up. Maybe I should read some shorter book later so I can get ahead.

  Anyways, on Monday I made quite a bit of progress on my cousin's graduation dress.

 

 Tuesday, I finished Hamlet.

 

  Wednesday, I finished Riders of the Purple Sage.

 

  And Friday I started Amazing Grace by Eric Metaxas.

 
  Today I woke up early (for a Saturday) and made hash for breakfast, and it was good.

 

  This afternoon brought a lot more progress on my cousin's dress. Here is the inside of it. All that is left is for my to hem it and sew in a hook and eye.

 

And so went my week!

 

   Oh, and my favorite band just happened to announce the title of their upcoming album and release two new tracks. So I will leave you with 'Float' by Switchfoot.



Talking to a Donkey

  A few weeks ago, I read through Leviticus and Numbers. In between the chapters about regulations regarding sacrifices and laws the children of Israel were to follow, there is the story of Balaam and his donkey.
  Balaam is an interesting character, only appearing in the Bible for these few chapters in Numbers. Other mentions of him in the Bible denote him as an enemy of God and of the people of Israel. Balaam was not a good person. He was not a hero, he was not a saint. Balaam was a gentile and a sorcerer. He knew of God, he even spoke to God, but he did not respect God enough to live his life in honor of his Creator. He was too busy pursuing his own selfish ends to be bothered with obeying God's law. In his career as a sorcerer, God apparently blessed Balaam. Those on whom Balaam pronounced curses were cursed, and those whom Balaam blessed were blessed.
  Because of this power Balaam apparently possessed, the king of Moab called upon Balaam for help. In their journey to the promised land, the people of Israel passed near Moab. Tales of the havoc God had wrought on the Egyptians while Israel was there spread all over the land. Balak feared what might happen to his nation, so he called on Balaam to pronounce curses on the people of Israel so they would be driven from his land. Here is where the story gets interesting. When Balak's men first came to retrieve Balaam, the Lord told Balaam not to go, and Balaam obeyed the Lord. When the first set of Balak's men went back to him, he sent more men to Balaam. And this time he offered Balaam a handsome reward to come and curse Israel. At first Balaam refused Balak's offer, but the moment the Lord told Balaam he could go, he hit the road.
  The Lord put a condition on Balaam before he left: he could only do as the Lord told him. It would seem that Balaam did not set off with the best of intentions, because an angel of the Lord came to speak to Balaam on his journey to the king of the Moabites. Balaam did not see the angel of the Lord. Three times. His donkey did though, and every time the dumb animal saw the angel, it fled. Balaam did not understand the donkey's action and so when his donkey would flee he would beat it. After the third beating, the Lord took pity on Balaam's donkey and let it speak its mind. So Balaam's donkey asked him why he had beaten him three times.
  Here the story becomes funny. Balaam was so intent on pursuing his own selfish ends, and so frustrated with his donkey, he did not stop to think about the fact his animal was talking to him, or that he was talking to an animal. He told his donkey how frustrated he was, saying, "You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand I would kill you now."
  His donkey replied, "Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? have I been in the habit of doing this to you?"
  Balaam told his donkey, "No." And then it clicked: he was talking to a donkey. Then he saw the angel of the Lord. The angel confronted him about his actions towards his donkey and warned him against the reckless path he was pursuing. Balaam offered to go back the way he came, but the angel told him he could continue on his way to the king of the Moabites, only he must do as the Lord told him.
  The story goes on, and Balaam is commanded by the Lord to bless the nation of Israel, which he does. As I read the story though, the thought struck me, Balaam was so busy pursing his own selfish ambition, he failed to see the incredible things the Lord was doing around him. First an angel of the Lord appeared to him and he was blind to it. Then an animal spoke to him, and he was so angry he did not see the wonder of a talking animal. He just started arguing with a donkey. I can be like that too though. I get so busy pursuing my own self ends and disobeying that I fail to see just how incredible the works of the Lord are. It is important to obey God, not only because it honors and glorifies Him, but because I get to see His wonders when I do so.

What I did this Week: geek week

  Okay, maybe my week was not geeky so much as it was nerdy. Nerd does not rhyme with week though, and geek does.

 This Wednesday was Star Wars day, so I had a lot of fun telling people, "May the 4th be with you."

 

  Thursday, my Dad and I fixed the display on my laptop because it went out. That was geeky I guess.

 

  Friday, my brother Daniel and I went to see Captain America: Civil War. It was good, and it was intense.

 

   I also started working on my cousin's graduation dress. My cousins are nerds too.

 



  Finally, I made cinnamon rolls today because Mother's day is tomorrow. I will cook them in the morning.

 

And so went my week!

One of the Things I Never Planned to Write

  There are very few things I have planned to never write about. Politics have always held a prominent place on that short list. When I was younger, I found them interesting, but as I grew older they lost their appeal. They are ugly and disgusting and personal. More often than not, I view them as a joke. This current election cycle, more so than others. It is hard to see Donald Trump running for president as anything but funny, that is until people who will actually vote for him make their presences in the United States known.
  It seems now, that I learned long ago not to put my faith in men. All the same, there are certainly times I hope that people will make the world a little less miserable. I did not think Ted Cruz would in anyway lead the country to greatness, I just wanted him to help it maintain the comfortable mediocrity it holds. When he dropped out of the election on Tuesday, I was surprised at how disappointed I was. That is probably because the thought that a human being as animal-like as Donald Trump exists make me want to throw-up. There is not a good word that deserves to be sullied by being attached to his name. In the face of his seemingly unavoidable presidency, I adopted the cynicism I so often hold when contemplating my country's fate. When you live on planet earth it is easy to just see life here.
  Then I listened to "After the Last Tear Falls" by Andrew Peterson that evening, and as so many of his songs do, it reminded me that there is more to life than politics, and that life is temporary. My hope is not here on earth in my country or government, or even in my family and friends. It is in the fact that God holds this broken, messy world in the palm of His hand. I cannot see what He is doing, but no matter how bad it may look to me, I know He is doing it for a reason. I can always trust that His reason is good. And one day, the brokenness will be mended, and God in all his goodness will reign supreme.

What I did this Week: easter is over

  There is in me, right now, a strong urge to begin this post with a sarcasm-loaded homily about the holiday we just celebrated. I feel though, that I cannot write it without verging on irreverence. So I am going to skip for now and probably ever.

  Anyhow, Sunday, we celebrated the Resurrection of our Savior. After going to church, my younger siblings hunted for Easter eggs.

 

   Monday, one of my brothers built a castle out of sand and Dixie cups.

 

   Then he saw fit to protect it from his younger brothers.

 

  Wednesday, I wrote a letter to my brother who is off at ALERT.

 

  Thursday, I tried making orange monkey-bread, and it was okay.

 

  Friday, I made up a recipe for chicken and potato soup that turned out pretty good.

 

  And today I made a lot of bubble tea for my brothers and I.

 

And so went my week!

The Beginning of the End of Hope

 

  Hope is a tunnel, a means to an end. It is the dark that makes the distant light shine all the brighter. Those of us who are living on this earth as believers are looking to the end of hope. The day when all our dreams are realized and the figment becomes a reality. When the tunnel is ended and we stand in the sun.

  Christ came to earth and found His people deep in the dark of hope. And with His life, death, and resurrection, Christ brought the beginning of the end of hope. Before Christ came, the people of Israel were looking for a Messiah. They wanted a King who would save them from the oppression they suffered under the hands of the Roman government. Christ did free His people from oppression, but not the in way they expected.

  The people of Israel were looking for a physical kingdom and a temporal king. Christ offered them something more. Not only did he offer something more to the people if Israel, but also to the people of the whole world. Mankind is sinful, and the wages of sin is death. The only way for man to be saved is if someone was to live a perfect life and then die in their place, taking upon themselves the punishment man deserves. Christ did that. He left heaven and came to this earth as a man. He lived a perfect life and then took the sins of humanity upon Himself and died in their place. Then he rose again, conquering death. Those who repent of their sins and look to Christ's death as their only mean of salvation we be freed from the punishment they deserve. They will be given eternal life.

  Mankind looks for a Savior. Christ is that Savior. He is the realization of the hope of humanity. The salvation Christ has to offers goes beyond this life. It goes on into eternity. And those who are believers will live in heaven without hope, because nothing will be left to hope for. 

Yes I am Judging You, No I am Not Apologizing

  There is, perhaps, no verse in the Bible more abused than Matthew 7:1, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged." When Jesus spoke those words in the Sermon on the Mount, He was saying that we are not to set our personal preferences and convictions up as the barometer for good and evil. As finite men, we will be judged by the infinite and absolute authority of God. We are not to pass on to our fellow man pronouncements of justice based on what we do and do not like.
  Somewhere along the line, the meaning of this verse became misconstrued. In our postmodern American society, we have the idea that we can create our own standard of morality and no one else has the right to impose upon it. And what better way to keep people from telling us we are wrong than spitting a Bible verse at them.
  So many times, people who are not in anyway being judgmental, are written off as such because they are telling the truth. The truth is often offensive. It is more than offensive though, it is loving. If someone sees a person running towards the edge of a cliff, they will probably try and stop the person. It not because they do not like the person's shoes, or because they think running makes them look stupid. They are going to tell the person not to run towards the edge of the cliff because they will probably fall off and die. They are not imposing some arbitrary standard they have, they are trying to make the person see the of the reality of the situation: what they are doing will kill them.
  If someone is doing something wrong, it is going to hurt them. If I tell them what they are doing is wrong, I am not trying to spoil their fun, I am trying to keep them from hurting themselves. There is a certain amount of judgment that does into telling someone that what they are doing is wrong. That judgment does come from knowing right and wrong. But that judgement also comes from being loving. And if being loving means being perceived as judgmental, then I am not going to apologize for judging someone any more than I would apologize for loving them.

Daylight Savings

  I have never had a good experience with daylight savings time. One year I may learn to go to bed early and then I will better be able to recover from my lost hour of sleep. This year was not that year. When its all said and done though, I am always glad that the sun goes down an hour later and I can enjoy the day that much more. Now that I am through with my spiel, here are some pictures of the great outdoors in the lovely daylight.