Sometimes the Lemons taste good

So....I am moving to Montgomery very soon. Saturday to be exact. Yeah...it's crazy! Don't get me wrong, I am beyond siked to get into that house. My neighbors in the culdesac-town-home-complex couldn't be any weirder.  No, I will be eagerly awaiting when I finally get to sleep in my room with the middle-of-nowhere stars above our roof. Sometimes in life, the lemons can taste quite good. Change isn't always that bad in every situation. I have experienced more bad change than good, but it feels soothing to relish in the fact that this change is going to relieve tension. My family will all be together, I will be working with my sister and her boyfriend, Randy, at the Apple Store, I will be heavily involved in our newly created youth group, Pulse, and I will be easily finishing up the 1st semester at the new university I thought was going to be pretty hard. 

In this case the lemonade couldn't taste better. I know that things will eventually throw me for a loop, its life--it wouldn't be that interesting if it wasn't. But I feel that I am glad I am where I am as of now. It helps me to know that my friends will always be there for me, my family will never stop loving me, and my God will never stop being the same God. All signs go? Not quite. My only job now is to repair the only relationship that is above the rest--the one that I left hanging a few weeks back--it's with my Father in Heaven. All I pray for now, is that he doesn't pull a Job on me.

No Words

The content today is not much, but I feel the weight of the speech is justified. I just want to bring it out that I love everything I can every say about my God. And when I say my God, I meant the God that I have gotten to know over my whole life. The same God that showed up into my life when I was a pimple ridden, over weight, 13 year old in the lonely place of my heart. This God is the same yesterday, today, and 10 years down the road when I have new problems on my plate. So what is this blog today? This is a shout out to my man in the sky. My Father in Heaven, who has my back everyday of the week, whose love heals all lacerations of my soul, whose grace doesn't make sense. Yeah, this may not relate to you in anyway and you may not get a word I am saying, but it isn't me who usually does the talking. I leave that to God. May his love speak to you in a way that no words could ever. Have a blessed day.

Juggle What?

For most of you who know me very well, you know that I am more than busy as of late and I have fulfilled my time with small groups and other nightly activities (they take place at night). For those who don't, well I basically only have one day pretty much to myself. I am a godly man, and as such I make an effort to include God in everything that I do. What can I say, I love him. He is my everything. He is the seal upon my heart and the fire within my words. I try not to do much speaking and just let my "living" do the preaching. Anyway, so I make sure that in the morning I spend time with God, and then do work that school assigns me, and then Mon, Wed, Fridays I usually help out Dan Beckvar for mucho money. Every night except Thursday I seem to be doing some kind of small group or Youth ministry. It's what I love to do. Its what I am passionate about. The only thing is, it is starting to get a bit out of control. School work is catching up on me after about a month of nothing, filling in my free days with paid work is taking away from school, and nights are when school work can be done best sometimes. Not to mention that if I want to spend time with God, which is more important to me than anything, I have to get into bed at around 10pm, no exceptions. This leaves about.....no time. 

It is obvious in my endless wisdom that I am going to have to shut down some of the opportunities that have come up in this time. The question I pose is this: Which small group means less to me? Which do I feel is not picking me up? At least it seems as if this is the question I should be asking. You see, with all this busyness, I leave no room for things to happen. If someone wants something to happen, it most likely would not be able to fit within my ALL IMPORTANT SCHEDULE.  No, it is without a doubt that some trimming will have to take place. All I ask within this is some prayer to decide. My family is trying to sell their home, so that would need some prayer as well. We are paying two mortgages and it is killing us. 

A Change for Once

Well, there has been a significant change in my attitude toward life and my overall mood. I can safely say that if you are ever finding yourself obsessing over something, confront it. Take the bull by the horns and confront it. You will respect yourself, and others will respect you. Afterwards, you might find yourself with more self respect and more joy towards life in general. All of a sudden, things are more complete and you feel that you can take on anything...and why not! Go take on anything, go out and challenge yourself. At the very least you will find that life can be full of adventure and is more that just the walls that surround you day-in and day-out. I feel that I am able to experience a change for once, and it is more than good or great, it is breathtaking. "Where is this coming from?" you may ask. Lets just say that I have come in contact with such an experience of obsession and letting go of it is filling me up with more than I can try to explain in words. All I know how to do is write, so that is what I am doing for you, hoping that this may somehow help you with an obsession/addiction. So Peace for now, God bless you.--John 8:36--

EP

Tragedy--Ode to the Musician by: Eric Peterson

Ode to the man who loved music. He loved everything about music; the notes, the feel, but most obvious, the sound. He lived and breathed music. His passion drove him to learn all different kinds of instruments: guitars, mandolins, banjoes, bass guitars, pianos, drums--you name it, he loved it! His obsession grew like bamboo as he fueled his desire for more music. Soon he couldn't get away from it. Like an added part of his anatomy, he inserted head phones into his ears to let sweet melody swim through his veins. He saw music in everything. The wind vibrated to a tune, the rain provided a beat, the patter of feet issued a rhythm! His life was filled with excitement and happiness. He satisfied the music calling as he went to concert after concert. No band was good enough, no front row could gratify the bliss within his soul. Every weekend was spent at a concert and every minute at the computer was spent with ambient tunes. Some say his iPod was apart of him and his instruments were always being played. There was no denying how much he loved music. Music was air, music was food, music was everyday. Then one night he heard a pitch. It was a high-pitch--like the sound of a tuning fork, like the sound of a pin drop on repeat. It wouldn't stop. He left his spot in the crowd at the concert and ran away from one of the bands he was hopping to hear that night. Stumbling to get out--the sound continued. It was annoying him now. He griped the wall and winced in pain. "are you okay?" said the guy at the MERCH table. Why was everything so muffled? It's like a bomb went off! And what is with THAT RINGING! And with that, it stopped. But the music stopped too, and the girl talking to the guy at the MERCH table, and the screams of everyone around him. It all stopped. Suddenly, he was yelling, clapping, trying to un-pop his ears, anything to bring it back. He glanced at people blankly--unable to form any words. The confused looks of peoples mouths and hand motions were enough to bring tears to his eyes. What was happening? He stepped outside and noticed a significant difference: There was no tune of the wind, no beat of the rain, no rhythm of feet pattering. It was in this moment he remembered the last sound he ever heard...And what is with THAT RINGING!...funny...now wishing more than anything to hear it one more time.

A true tragedy on this day for him to loose the thing he cherishes the most, but only in reflection realizes its worth. Ode to the musician and lovers of music--protect that which you feel will last forever, for it will most likely wither when we least expect it to. The musician knew he would loose his hearing someday, what he didn't know was that day was today.

Firefly

In tribute to one of the greatest Western Space shows....one of the only Western Space....THE ONLY Western Space show in existence, I would like to make a blog entry entirely on why I love Firefly so much. Starting with the introduction of the crew. Ahem....

Firefly is one of the only shows that I know of that combines the life of the old, with the life of the "to be" or "could be." It integrates the futuristic, glossy space aspects of life with the rustic, dusty, and wild ways of the western posse.

Malcom "Mal" Reynolds, the captain of Serenity--a Firefly class ship--and captain of eight others. Mal, I feel, has a deep inbred sense of dignity and integrity, although he may not show it 100% of the time, it peeks in and out throughout the show.

Zoe, the ships wartime heroine and old time war buddy of Mal, is very knowledgeable in the ways things are done around the ship. The Firefly deals with a multitude of illegal activities and Zoe is Mal's wingman in making them happen. She is also married to Wash, the ships pilot.

Wash is very funny and makes a light hearted comment even when things are at their grimmest. The reason I like Wash so much is because, the things that he says are always so perfect for that moment. I like the injection of comedy in this series. This makes firefly what it is. It makes you laugh time and again and yet has the most real moments of any show I could ever ask for (ie: Out of Gas, The Message)

Inara is a companion, although Mal likes to call her other things. Basically, she gives the ship respect on their less than respectable missions. Being a companion entails that she finds clients to have a very sensual experience with. She attended an academy to be a companion and being one holds a sort of respectableness about the whole thing, or something or rather. She has a love interest in Mal, and it is very obvious to the audience, but Mal doesn't give it a chance. He is equally interested, but doesn't have what it takes to go any further. It's all very annoying to the viewers.

Ahh, to one of my favorites, Jane Cobb. Jane is a very, very dense man. Sometimes it takes a few punches before he realizes that he is feeling pain. Okay I exaggerate...kinda. Jane is a weapons and tactics specialist. It's what he does. You want him in a firefight, but what you don't want is him on the other side. Mal finds this out in a few close calls in a few episodes. Jane will do almost anything if the money is right. What I love so much about Jane is the way he is. I can't say it any more simple than that. He says some of the funniest things sometimes and he doesn't even mean to.

Kaylee, the ships mechanic. She is a quirky, joyful, girl who looks like she should be back at home rather than manning a Firefly class ship. Her attitude sparks up the entire crew. It is sometimes because of her that things are kept at an even level. She has a love interest in the ships medic, Simon. I think that Kaylee's presence on the ship goes against what her position should be filled with, which is usually a sweaty, manly man, with a beard of some kind. Joss Wedons breaking of the stereotypes in this series is just refreshing at its minimal.

Simon, the ships Doctor. He is a fugitive on the run with his sister, River. The government was messing with Rivers mind and Simon ran in to save her. He is a rich boy at heart, top 3% of his class, and very proper. He mutually likes Kaylee, only difference with Simon and Mal is that Simon and Kaylee both know they like each other. Jane and Simon have an ongoing feud that has been festering since day one. Jane has had it out for the Doc ever since he knew he was a fugitive.

River...well...River is Simon's little sister and she is completely insane--or at least thats how Jane would put it. Actually, Jane would say something more close to, "She's out of her ruttin' mind!" River is gifted in anything that she does and more so. Everything comes naturally to her. Unfortunately, she bursts out in emotion every time she "feels." Every emotion is exaggerated, and sometimes she acts very rashly and very unpredictably. River is left as a mystery, which drives viewers nuts, but I think its best kept that way.

The Shepherd or Preacher is the ships designated man of God. He sometimes feels useless, but slowly his skills show through in the series. Everything from cooking to knowing what type of gun shoots from 1000 meters. He is the biggest mystery, I think, and would like to have known more about him before the series came to a close. I especially would like to know how he was granted medical treatment by Alliance without a whim. Okay, you may now call me a geek.

Thus ends the ships crew. A multitude of characters, full of secrets, strengths, and...well...character. Joss Whedon (creator) does more than a fine job of creating a crew that everyone can love. You can't help but get sucked into the internal drama going on within each and everyone of the people on board. To top it off, Joss integrates great score and comedy into the mix. The comedy throws in a whole bliss about the entire show that offsets the seriousness that more than likely will poke its head somewhere in the episode. As a personal opinion, I would have to say that my most favortest of moments (I am even talking like the show, ha) would have to be in the episode The Message, when they are burying their long lost war friend. The music that is played at that particular moment is just so real, and genuinely heart wrenching that I can't help but tip my hat to the brilliance achieved by Joss Whedon. Well done. I never tire watching it over and over. Because something that is made as masterful as this show is more than a show, it's art.

Back and Change

So, the time has come for another edition of me writing and you reading. I haven't been on in a while because I have been at a camp counseling kids at Springhill Camps. The time there was great. I can't go into everything that happened because that would take over an hour, ha, but I can say that it was impossible to deny the movement of god in that place. He was in everything and working in everyone. It was more than a blessing to see God handcrafting these kids everyday. At times it was hard to keep it going when the kids were less than responsive to the different kinds of messages God was trying to get into them, but through prayer and the prayer given to me by some of you, I was able to do more than I thought I was capable of.

I will be heading back to school in about a week, but it will be a new school, filled with new people and new opportunities. It is exciting, and exciting is good right now. I will be moving and extra 10-20 minutes west to live. I will be commuting to school by bike and everything...pretty much...is going to be new. It is not going to be easy to start out with, but I have been fine in these situations before--I just can't forget that I need God.

Through it all, you guys have been my rock. Friends. Without them, I would be close to nothing. So thanks to you all. Those who read, those who pray, those who keep in touch. Until next time. Peace. EP

More like a journal than anything

I am noticing that most of my day includes wishing that I was doing something. I am learning to appreciate the people around me who are contributing to society. It is not that I don't like to work, because work is one of the things that I do well. I am doing odd jobs as of now to make money, but life is more than this and it's the quest that we all have to journey on. 

What drives you? Ask that. What makes you tick. I venture that if you don't want to get out of bed every morning to do it, you aren't doing what you love. There are people out there who are called to do what God tells them, and I as well feel that we should always ask the Father what he wants us to do. I am not saying that you all are going to be happy 100% of the time in what you do. What I am saying is that we should be happy in what God calls us to do. The Almighty God called us to go and do something. This is the same guy who died so that we could live. It would be my service to my friend if he died for me, to carry out his final wish. 

I ask that we do this for the Man who gave it all. God has gifted me in a specific area of my life and I have noticed that I have an ability to do this well. It pleases me to be using my gift in order to bring about a better world for us all to live in. If I can change someone's life and help them find happiness in Christ, may Christ be glorified. God is my life, he is my fuel and may people see that life without Christ is unpleasantly unfulfilled and much different than with Him. 

To realize this through my boring, dull day today has been quite the blessing. Thank God for..........God.