Monday, June 26, 2006

Black Eye

Me: Adam, do you want to see my ugly face?
My brother: Hold on, let me put my contacts in...
Me: Okay...
My brother: MMMha ha ha. Nice.

I do have a black eye at the moment, in addition to everything else that's swelling on my face.

Saturday, June 17, 2006

A fun survey

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
-Knowing that I'm accomplishing my purpose in life AND experiencing open spaces.

What is your greatest fear?
-Losing my teeth AND not taking any risks.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?
-Rosie the Rivetor aka women who went to work during WWII.

Which living person do you most admire?
-I'm very curious about any people that have charisma... that unexplicable charm.

What is the trait that you most deplore in yourself?
-Selfishness

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
-Illogical thinking.

What is your greatest extravagance?
-Books and education.

What is your favorite journey?
-To Africa and back.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
-I don't know if it is a virture, but I would say "peace--" the fake overrated kind.

On what occasion do you lie?
-When I'm trying to hide.

Which living person do you most despise?
-I try not to despise people, but I don't like know-it-alls.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
-What?

What is your greatest regret?
-That I don't take risks and therefore miss opportunities.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?
-I don't know.

When and where were you happiest?
-Working at summer camp. Lifeguarding.

Which talent would you most like to have?
-I always wanted to be a drummer.

What is your current state of mind?
-Reflective and nostolgic.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
-That I didn't care so much about what other people think.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
-I don't know...graduating college was pretty cool. I still have time to achieve my greatest achievement, right?

If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what do you think it would be?
-Because of my Christian beliefs, I would have to say a more real, more complete version of myself.

What is your most treasured possession?
-My cello. It has given me ways to connect with people in ways I never would have if I didn't play.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
-Living without hope.

Where would you like to live?
-Anywhere good friends can be found.

What is your most marked characteristic?
-When I'm feeling confident and self-assured, I can talk to anyone and make them feel included. Either that or my seriousness.

What is the quality you most like in a man?
-Kindness and honesty.

What is the quality you most like in a woman?
-Kindness and honesty.

What do you most value in your friends
?-Their ability to be genuine and serious and funny.

Who are your favorite writers?
-Madeline L'Engle, and C.S. Lewis.

Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
-Aslan the Lion.

Who are your heroes in real life?
-People who pray.

What is it that you most dislike?
-Arrogance and dishonesty.

How would you most like to die?
-A morbid question, but I would have to say I'd like to die without pain.

What is your motto?
-Hope.

Sunday, June 04, 2006

Practice

I had a friend ask me how I'm doing spiritually this week. Instead of answering the question directly, I kind of made up some excuses that did not really answer his question. I guess I was dodging the question because I was hiding the truth.

The sermon tonight at church was about God's comfort. The pastor told us that if we feel God's absence, that is evidence of his presence at other times in our lives.

I think this gave me hope.

Tonight, I got to play cello with a band that I absolutely love. They lead worship on Sunday nights at the church I attend. I have to admit that worship is definitely a state of mind, and it is difficult for me to truly worship God when I play cello. The reason is because I'm thinking more about the music than my state of mind. I can count on my hand the number of times I have truly worshipped God using my cello. But I can say that those times were some of the most meaningful experiences I have ever had as a musician. They come few and far between, but because music is a discipline, the more I practice, the better I become, the better my fingers remember their positions, the less I have to think about what I'm doing, and the more likely it is that I start to think outside of what I am doing physically and move in to a state of meditation. In this state of mind I am able to think beyond the music and think about what the music means. It is in this state of mind that I am able to worship God with all my heart. Like music, worship is a discipline. This is why I practice.