Amazing Book!

That's right, I posted twice in one day. I have read this book multiple times... and every single time I find something new that I find makes it more and more awesome. Yes, this was written by the worship leader David Crowder. When I bought this book, I was a fan of his music.. so I figured that I would probably enjoy his writing. I wanna share a couple of good quotes. I apologize for the length. I promise it is worth it. :)

" Think Back. Try hard to recall what praise in its undiluted purity felt like. When you would dance with your arms fully extended rather than elbows bent, folded closely to your person in such a guarded fashion. Remember how effortlessly we sang the praises of things we enjoyed? It was so easy and fluid and natural. What if this kind of praise freely leaked from us in delightful response to God? What if life were like that all the time? What if we were so moved by who God is, what He's done, what He will do, that praise, adoration, worship, whatever, continuously careened in our heads and pounded in our souls? What if praise were on the tip of our tongues like we were a loaded weapon in the hands of a trigger-happy meth addict and every moment might just set us off? This is what we will do for eternity. What makes us think our time on earth should be any different? What keeps it from being so?"

"The universe has somewhere around 200,000,000,000 galaxies. In our galaxy alone there are about 100,000,000,000 stars, and there are over 6,000,000,000 people living and breathing right now. Why on earth would He bother coming toward me? I am tiny. I am a dot. Yet here He is with His heart in my chest and we're locked in an embrace and I'm not sure exactly when it happened but something fired inside of me, and now my arms are around Him, and people are watching, and I will tell you about it. I don't think I can help it." ( This is the highlights of this quote. The entire chapter is worth quoting... but, that's alot of typing.)

I strongly urge you to read this book. It will change you. I promise.

Things learned over the last few weeks

I've learned alot of new things lately...

1. Hindsight is 20/20. It's really easy to see things clearly once they are over. Recent events have helped me to see a few people for who they really are. It has also helped me to understand who my true friends are, and has shown me just how amazing those people are. I cannot say that I am not broken hearted about these recent events, but I have no control over them... So, I press on.

2. Pretzels make for weird dreams. After having a small snack of pretzels, I found myself dreaming of pregnant guy friends. Strange but true. I will not be enjoying pretzels as a bedtime snack again anytime soon.

3. Reverting back to your first job is a very humbling experience. Since there is a significant decline in patient number at Healthsouth, my mom was so fantastic to allow me to work with her to "bridge" the money gap until things pick back up. I'm glad I don't have to do it the rest of my life.

4. Sometimes honesty isn't the best policy. In this case you should revert to silence... or lie. Please spare others feelings. If it must be said, choose your words carefully. This isn't something I learned by myself being too honest.... actually learned that by someone else being too honest with me. He did not choose the correct words.

My fantastic Week!

Dr. Pepper Icee

Fact: I love Icee's.
Fact: I like Dr. Pepper.
Putting the two together just might be the most fantastic thing ever.
It might complete my life.

One Problem... I cant find it!
Has anyone seen THE Dr. Pepper Icee??
Its imperative that I find one ASAP.

I Love Jesus but I drink a little.

Gladys Hardy is 88 years old and an avid watcher of the Ellen Show. She may be the funniest person ever to exist. I have been a fan of Gladys Hardy for quite some time now... but I recently have discovered a whole new set of Gladys videos.








Please enjoy!

The CRT examination

Note: This post is mildly self centered. It is for my own good, and probably offers no entertainment value.

This coming week I will sit for the Certified Respiratory Therapist Exam. To say I am intimidated would be an understatement. I have been studying several hours a day for the last couple of weeks, done several mock exams... what am I so afraid of? So in order to ease my own mind I have listed The positives and Negatives of the situation.

Positives
1. I have passed most mock exams by a good 10 points.
2. I generally perform well under pressure.
3. I still have a job regardless if I pass on the first attempt or not.

Negatives
1. Only ONE of my classmates has passed. 10 have taken it, 1 has passed it.
~This is enough information to send me over the edge.
2. Failing does result in yet another $190 fee.(I don't have)
Major prayer will be needed this week. MAJOR.

The thing about this exam that frustrates me the most is the simple fact that I won't use 70% of this crap I'm attempting to commit to memory. But, I suppose thats life.

My New Years Resolution(s)

A New Years Resolution is something most people choose to participate in about this time every year. While most have the best of intentions, most do not live to see MLK day. When deciding my New Years Resolution, I wanted something that might actually stand a chance of at least surviving till Spring. So with careful consideration, these are the things I will try to do differently in 2010.

1. The obvious, and probably the most often used: I will lose at least 20 lbs. As my 10 year reunion is quickly approaching, it sure would be amazing to look at least similar to my appearance in high school.

2. If you know me at all, you know that I am very competitive in nature. This is not a trait that most people find attractive. So, this year I vow to be less competitive. The only way I really know how to accomplish this is to stay away from those situations where I may feel the need to be compete. While I do love the bored games, and other activities where there might be a winner... I realize that it's not exactly an endearing trait to want to win everything. So, until I find the middle ground, I'm steering clear those things.

3. Compromise. It seems as though(at least in my case), that with most things there is no middle ground with me. It is black or white... no grey area. I either like someone or I don't. I either don't care or I care too much. I desperately need a middle ground. So in 2010 I resolve to somehow find a middle ground.

4. Home Purchase. No further explanation needed. Rent is ridiculous. I'm not paying it.

5. Faith. I have recently come to the realization that my constant worry and stress shows a lack of faith.
"For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see now, rather we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever." 2 Corinthians 4:17-18
Whether Love, Health, Financial, Family... it does not matter. I will fix my gaze on Christ. I will look forward to the eternity I will share with him, and NOT the heartache this world has to offer.