Today I put on a pair of jeans I had not worn for quite a while. I was looking in the mirror when I stuck my hand in my right pocket and felt a piece of paper. Lo and behold when I took the piece of paper out it was a twenty dollar bill. That is such a great feeling.
Things are slowing down for a few days here for what we call "dead week". We are still not quite sure if this is a week to have a break from homework before finals or to die from all the homework that our profs are not supposed to give us the the week before the end of the semester. I think this is the first dead week that I feel a dramatic change in my work load. I still have homework and things to wrap up, but I am feeling a little relieved for now. Tonight I have a Christmas party to attend with all the people that participated on praise and worship teams this semester. I think it will be a good time.
Finally, I would like ot announce my intention of saving up some money to buy a cello! I have always had a high admiration for stringed instruments in general, and to be honest I really like the sound of the violin. But come on. Could you honestly see a 6'5" Dutchman playing a violin? So I decided for a more aesthetically pleasing alternative that I would like to pursue purchasing a cello and some lessons. This is quite the expense to say the least, but I honestly think I will do this if my financial situation so aloows at some point in the future. Maybe I will start today with the $20 I found in my pocket.
Christmas is coming! 8.5 days until I fly home.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Thursday, December 6, 2007
---------------------------
Last night there was praise and worship here on capus just like every week on wednesday nights. Last night the praise and worship team that I am on played and I had the opportunity and permission from the leader of my team to lead worship last night. I picked out the music, and made my best effort to pick songs that worked well together. I was very pleased with the songs that I chose. I had almost 3 weeks to put the set list together and decide how I wanted to do things for last night.
A typica set consists of about 8-10 songs with prayer or a couple verses plugged inbetween songs. I have felt that over the course of this semester there has been quite a bit of individualism in terms of alone silent prayerinbetween songs or the leader for that night taking a few minutes to give a lesson. I feel like these disrupt the flow of music. It is possible to tyr and make the music flow too much, but we have yet to get any where near that line this semester. So in light of what I felt like choppy worship in weeks past I chose to keep things simple. We had about 10 songs and the only interruptions was a couple verses and thoughts that I shared after the two songs. I emphasized how the time of worship we have won wednesdays is unique in the way that it is designed to be in a community setting and there is something special about communal worship. In light of that I expalined that the worship was going to flow without much interruption.
The time we had to practice I felt was a battle. We have 7 people on our team, and last night I felt that, including myself, there were 3.5 people trying to lead the team. I had put the set together and I had ideas for how I wanted to play most of the songs. But I felt like I would let the team know what I had envisioned the song to go and then I would face 2 people oppsing what I had said with how they thought it should be played! But the reason why I said .5 is that there was a person on the team that was very helpful they were not looking to enforce their opinion, but would suggest something and would leave it up to me to decide. Needless to say, after all was said and done. One of the songs I wanted to do was scrapped for another that someone else wanted to do. The time we had to practice, although is sounded fairly good, took way longer than it usually does because of the opposition. And I felt really rushed.
We play through praise and worship and I think it was one of the most frustrating experiences playing for worship I have ever had! I was really discouraged afterward. Almost always after playing for praise and worship I get a couple comments that I played well, which I do not know how to respond to. Last night I didn't believe it when people said I did well. And in any case it bothers me when I am complemented for playing for praise and worship. I do not like the attention. I should not be the focus of praise and worship.
I feel like last night I tried so hard to make sure the attention was not on us as a team, but there seemd to be tention between me and the couple of people that wanted to lead. It was not right. I felt like the two that were enforcing their opinion did not trust me as the leader for that night. I have no intentions of being a threat to anyone, but in some ways I think the guy that typically leads our team feels threatened by me.
I am so botherd by how last night went, because I feel like the tention directly affected how praise and worship went last night. And because of the things I felt we did poorly I feel that is a reflection on me as a person. I do not want to be seen as selfish or distracting.
A typica set consists of about 8-10 songs with prayer or a couple verses plugged inbetween songs. I have felt that over the course of this semester there has been quite a bit of individualism in terms of alone silent prayerinbetween songs or the leader for that night taking a few minutes to give a lesson. I feel like these disrupt the flow of music. It is possible to tyr and make the music flow too much, but we have yet to get any where near that line this semester. So in light of what I felt like choppy worship in weeks past I chose to keep things simple. We had about 10 songs and the only interruptions was a couple verses and thoughts that I shared after the two songs. I emphasized how the time of worship we have won wednesdays is unique in the way that it is designed to be in a community setting and there is something special about communal worship. In light of that I expalined that the worship was going to flow without much interruption.
The time we had to practice I felt was a battle. We have 7 people on our team, and last night I felt that, including myself, there were 3.5 people trying to lead the team. I had put the set together and I had ideas for how I wanted to play most of the songs. But I felt like I would let the team know what I had envisioned the song to go and then I would face 2 people oppsing what I had said with how they thought it should be played! But the reason why I said .5 is that there was a person on the team that was very helpful they were not looking to enforce their opinion, but would suggest something and would leave it up to me to decide. Needless to say, after all was said and done. One of the songs I wanted to do was scrapped for another that someone else wanted to do. The time we had to practice, although is sounded fairly good, took way longer than it usually does because of the opposition. And I felt really rushed.
We play through praise and worship and I think it was one of the most frustrating experiences playing for worship I have ever had! I was really discouraged afterward. Almost always after playing for praise and worship I get a couple comments that I played well, which I do not know how to respond to. Last night I didn't believe it when people said I did well. And in any case it bothers me when I am complemented for playing for praise and worship. I do not like the attention. I should not be the focus of praise and worship.
I feel like last night I tried so hard to make sure the attention was not on us as a team, but there seemd to be tention between me and the couple of people that wanted to lead. It was not right. I felt like the two that were enforcing their opinion did not trust me as the leader for that night. I have no intentions of being a threat to anyone, but in some ways I think the guy that typically leads our team feels threatened by me.
I am so botherd by how last night went, because I feel like the tention directly affected how praise and worship went last night. And because of the things I felt we did poorly I feel that is a reflection on me as a person. I do not want to be seen as selfish or distracting.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Ecclesiastes 4:1-3
"Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed-- and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors--and they have no comforter."
Psalm 35:10
"My whole being will exclaim, Who is like you, O Lord? you rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them."
Psalm 113:7
"He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap"
Isaiah 14:30
"The poorest of the poor will find pasture, and the needy will lie down in safety"
Luke 6:20-22
"Blessed are the poor, for yours in the kingdom of God. Blessed are you wh hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man."
"Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed-- and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors--and they have no comforter."
Psalm 35:10
"My whole being will exclaim, Who is like you, O Lord? you rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them."
Psalm 113:7
"He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap"
Isaiah 14:30
"The poorest of the poor will find pasture, and the needy will lie down in safety"
Luke 6:20-22
"Blessed are the poor, for yours in the kingdom of God. Blessed are you wh hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man."
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Money
So I going to Europe this spring to study abroad and it is going to cost me a little above and beyond what it typically costs me to be at Dordt for a semester Also there have been some seminaries that have come to Dordt to promote coming to there school after college. I have put some thought into going to seminary and the more I think about it the more appealing it sounds, but that is for another post. I have a fair amount of debt and if I were to go on to seminary that would add to that already large amount of debt. My question in relationship to money is this:
At what point do we decide that money has become our idol and if we have reached that point what measures do we take to make sure that it is not ruling over us?
I have talked to some of my friends here at Dordt about money and many of have the same desire to not have to deal with money at all. How cool would it be to live independant of money? Very difficult, but liberating I would think. Is having debt a sign that moeny is starting to take control? In a couple of my classes we are currently discussing poverty and we question if what we consider impoverish to be acurate. Something else to consider is that there are more ways of being impoverish than just mesured by food or by what you own. Many, many people are spiritually impoverish. Am I poor because I have thousands of dollars in debt, but I potentially have the ability to pay that off? Or maybe I am still weathly for the same reason. I am relatively independant, and can provide for myself. I am wealthy.
I hate money! I %100 mean it when I say hate. It is our golden calf, our baal. And yet we have reached a point of no return. We are dependant on money. Could we be so bold as to willingly give up everything for the purpose of not being submissive to money. The Bible tells us that it is the love of money that is evil. Where do we draw the line between loving money and not? Is the fact that my family lives in a house with 2500 square ft a sign of loving money? We could live in a apartment and share rooms and we could manage just fine. Would that be more stewardly of our money?
In light of my wanting to attend seminary is it wrong for me to approach it with the attitude of not worrying that it will further bury me in debt because I trust that God will provide? Or is this foolish and irresponsible?
Is our dependency on money a sign of lacking faith in God to provide? Should we be so bold as to not worry about our money in faith that God will take care of us? Where do we draw that line between faithfully trusting and complete foolish irresponsibility?
I do not know. I would covet some thoughts and opinions to these questions.
At what point do we decide that money has become our idol and if we have reached that point what measures do we take to make sure that it is not ruling over us?
I have talked to some of my friends here at Dordt about money and many of have the same desire to not have to deal with money at all. How cool would it be to live independant of money? Very difficult, but liberating I would think. Is having debt a sign that moeny is starting to take control? In a couple of my classes we are currently discussing poverty and we question if what we consider impoverish to be acurate. Something else to consider is that there are more ways of being impoverish than just mesured by food or by what you own. Many, many people are spiritually impoverish. Am I poor because I have thousands of dollars in debt, but I potentially have the ability to pay that off? Or maybe I am still weathly for the same reason. I am relatively independant, and can provide for myself. I am wealthy.
I hate money! I %100 mean it when I say hate. It is our golden calf, our baal. And yet we have reached a point of no return. We are dependant on money. Could we be so bold as to willingly give up everything for the purpose of not being submissive to money. The Bible tells us that it is the love of money that is evil. Where do we draw the line between loving money and not? Is the fact that my family lives in a house with 2500 square ft a sign of loving money? We could live in a apartment and share rooms and we could manage just fine. Would that be more stewardly of our money?
In light of my wanting to attend seminary is it wrong for me to approach it with the attitude of not worrying that it will further bury me in debt because I trust that God will provide? Or is this foolish and irresponsible?
Is our dependency on money a sign of lacking faith in God to provide? Should we be so bold as to not worry about our money in faith that God will take care of us? Where do we draw that line between faithfully trusting and complete foolish irresponsibility?
I do not know. I would covet some thoughts and opinions to these questions.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Joel 2:28-32
The Day of the LORD
28 "And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.
29 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
30 I will show wonders in the heavens
and on the earth,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
31 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.
32 And everyone who calls
on the name of the LORD will be saved;
for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
there will be deliverance,
as the LORD has said,
among the survivors
whom the LORD calls.
28 "And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.
29 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
30 I will show wonders in the heavens
and on the earth,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
31 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.
32 And everyone who calls
on the name of the LORD will be saved;
for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
there will be deliverance,
as the LORD has said,
among the survivors
whom the LORD calls.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
I am MAN hear me roar!
I just read the first chapter of "Wild at Heart" for the first time. Good stuff! If you have read it then you will know what I am talking about when I say I am going to take my heart back. In light of reading this first chapter I come to the realization with the help of some stuff that one of my profs has said to me.
Why are youth so in love with music? Why do people raise their hands in the air at rock shows? Why do they raise rock on fists and scream their lungs out? Well I just might have an answer. This first chapter suggests that our world and sadly our churches and Christian families as well has stripped the meaning of what it is to be a man. By this I mean that we have taught our boys and young men to grow up into the nice mild mannered ladies we want them to be, and then we wonder where all the men have gone.( if you have read the book this is going to seem redundant, sorry.) Really we have turned them into women. Men were not created to be passive! Passion and adventure and risk is built into the Y chromasome that only the man has been given by God.
So now the answer to the questions previously stated. Now that we have tamed our young men and taught them to settle down and not be passionate and to be passive and to not follow their wild, seemingly mad dreams it is not wonder there are no men to be seen in our day and age. The reason concerts and rock shows and violent and wild movies like braveheart resonate with our young men is because it is the only environment that we have allowed our young men to express themselves outloud and passionately. As male in society I personally have this desire to yell and beat my chest and wear a kilt and to live with risk and to be bold. It is who I am created to be. So do not try and tame me. I am wild and unpredicable. I am fulling my cultural mandate givne to all men in Genesis to cultivate and subdue the earth and to be fruitful and multiply. I am producing fruit in embracing who God is calling me to be as a man.
Why are youth so in love with music? Why do people raise their hands in the air at rock shows? Why do they raise rock on fists and scream their lungs out? Well I just might have an answer. This first chapter suggests that our world and sadly our churches and Christian families as well has stripped the meaning of what it is to be a man. By this I mean that we have taught our boys and young men to grow up into the nice mild mannered ladies we want them to be, and then we wonder where all the men have gone.( if you have read the book this is going to seem redundant, sorry.) Really we have turned them into women. Men were not created to be passive! Passion and adventure and risk is built into the Y chromasome that only the man has been given by God.
So now the answer to the questions previously stated. Now that we have tamed our young men and taught them to settle down and not be passionate and to be passive and to not follow their wild, seemingly mad dreams it is not wonder there are no men to be seen in our day and age. The reason concerts and rock shows and violent and wild movies like braveheart resonate with our young men is because it is the only environment that we have allowed our young men to express themselves outloud and passionately. As male in society I personally have this desire to yell and beat my chest and wear a kilt and to live with risk and to be bold. It is who I am created to be. So do not try and tame me. I am wild and unpredicable. I am fulling my cultural mandate givne to all men in Genesis to cultivate and subdue the earth and to be fruitful and multiply. I am producing fruit in embracing who God is calling me to be as a man.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Hallelujah by Paramore
Somehow everything's gonna fall right into place,
If we only had a way to make it all fall faster everyday.
If only time flew like a dove,
We're gonna make it fly faster than I'm falling alone.
This time we're not giving up,
Let's make it last forever,
Screaming "Hallelujah".
We'll make it last forever.
Holding onto patience, wearing thin,
I can't force these eyes to see the end.
If only time flew like a dove,
Well we could watch it fly, and just keep looking up.
This time we're not giving up,
Let's make it last forever,
Screaming "Hallelujah".
We'll make it last forever.
And we've got time on our hands.
[And we've got time]
Got nothing but time on our hands.
Got nothing but, got nothing but.
[And we've got time]
Got nothing but time on our hands.
This time we're not giving up,
Oh, let's make it last forever,
Screaming "Hallelujah".
"Hallelujah".
I love these lyrics, and put the music it is that much better.
If we only had a way to make it all fall faster everyday.
If only time flew like a dove,
We're gonna make it fly faster than I'm falling alone.
This time we're not giving up,
Let's make it last forever,
Screaming "Hallelujah".
We'll make it last forever.
Holding onto patience, wearing thin,
I can't force these eyes to see the end.
If only time flew like a dove,
Well we could watch it fly, and just keep looking up.
This time we're not giving up,
Let's make it last forever,
Screaming "Hallelujah".
We'll make it last forever.
And we've got time on our hands.
[And we've got time]
Got nothing but time on our hands.
Got nothing but, got nothing but.
[And we've got time]
Got nothing but time on our hands.
This time we're not giving up,
Oh, let's make it last forever,
Screaming "Hallelujah".
"Hallelujah".
I love these lyrics, and put the music it is that much better.
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