Conversation #3: Prayer and Opportunity

Thank God for answered prayers!

In the last week I have had quite the experience.  But for it to truly make sense I have to fill you in on part of my prayer life from last year.

In the fall I took my first web design class, New Media Fundamentals.  I loved it immediately.  I had been a media minor for 1 ½ years, but this was something way better than my other media classes. 

At the same time I was taking this I was also realizing that I didn’t want to go to grad school.  I realized that I didn’t want to put in another three years of schooling to be a physical therapist, and I really wanted to produce web sites.

The problem is I was 2 ½ years into my degree and it was too late to change.  I spent a lot of time praying about it, and after talking with my professors decided that I would finish my psychobiology degree, and pursue career in web design.

Much of my prayer was concern about my future.  I knew physical therapy was safe.  (I like safe.)  Now I was switching into a field that changes as fast as any other, and I wouldn’t have a degree in it, and I would only be able to take 3-4 classes in it.

So I prayed that I would get experience somehow.  That was when I decided to go on the Boston Summer Project with Campus Crusade.  (check my summer blog out for details)

It was amazing, but I still didn’t get experience with web sites, because I was on the video team (which I wouldn’t have traded for anything).  So I was still a little concerned about my future.

Flash forward a month, and we’re in my web structure class, and God goes a step further.  This year the class will be working on two sites for actual clients.  By the end of the year I will have helped my team make a full specifications document, run customer analysis and focus groups, and will work with the client and the team to implement those plans into a fully functioning site.

I am very excited for this opportunity, and it is just amazing considering how much this was on my mind and in my prayers last year.  It goes to show that God works in incredible ways.  So, until next week.

All for the Glory of God.

Conversation #2: Rain

Ahh (sound of relief), it finally happened…that moment that I anxiously wait for every school year…one of the most “awesome” things in the world.  The first night I get to walk home in the rain.  

Now I really mean awesome in the true sense of the word.

Awesome: To inspire awe.

Awe: A mixed emotion of reverence, respect, dread, and wonder inspired by authority, genius, great beauty, sublimity, or might

Rain inspires a strong emotion for me.

I love rain!

If you’re like my mother you maybe don’t like rain as much as I do, but the next time it’s a rainy day and you are feeling bad about it think of it this way:  God gave us water.  It is one of the most important substances on Earth.  It is polar, it has a high specific heat capacity, it is a solvent needed for many chemical reactions, and it expands when it freezes (unlike most liquids).

The polar molecules are important in helping in the expansion while freezing as well as other things.  The high heat capacity prevents large bodies of water from rapidly changing temperatures and messing with ecosystems and in a more convenience oriented way it is one of the greatest coolants there is, and we use it to keep many modern conveniences from overheating. 

Then, if it acted like other liquids, and contracted as it cooled we would have serious problems.  Ice would be denser than water, and the layer that forms on top of water would sink to the bottom and the new top layer would freeze.  This process would repeat until there was a solid block of ice, and as you can probably guess not a lot of things can live in a solid block of ice.

If any of these things weren’t the case life as we know it could not exist.  So think about that.  We have a creator who took absolutely everything into account.  He gave us this substance that can be used for so much, and then what did He do?

He made it fall from the sky!

If that isn’t showing off ultimate power, then I don’t know what is.  It is just a truly awesome display from a truly awesome God. So, until next week.

All for the Glory of God.

Story #1: The Face of the Earth

This is a bonus post for this week.  It is in response to two of my concerned friends I made this summer in Boston.  See their video for more.  Also you may want to check out the Max the Cat Music Video for a reference to the last part.  It is (mostly) a work of fiction, and I just wanted to have some fun.

I know this isn’t in perfect keeping with the plan of this blog, but I am very confident that God appreciates me using my (incredibly limited) talents, and responding to my friends (something I have not done a good job with).

Now on with the tale…

This is my story.  To those who read it, please share my story.  As with my recent luck I don’t know that I will be able to spread it.  Tragedy could strike at any moment, and these words must be spread.  It is a story of intrigue and adventure, happiness and sorrow, terror and joy.  I recently almost fell off of the face of the Earth.

To those who don’t know I had a fantastic recent summer check out my former blog for full details.  I met a wonderful group of people, and it was bittersweet when I had to leave them (happy to come home, sad they wouldn’t be coming with).

Everyone made plans to keep in touch.  Numbers and addresses were exchanged.  A
Facebook thread was even made, and everyone joined, so you could just post things to it, and everyone would receive it.  I returned home safely, and spent a few weeks at home before school started.

This is when tragedy almost struck.  I was driving along highway 30 and listening to Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture.  As I typically do when this particular piece comes on I began to conduct to it (not proper conducting, but the kind that a 10 year old, who has watched other people conduct, would do).

In the climax of the song I got a little carried away, and I may have veered off the road.  I jerked the steering wheel to correct myself, and get back on the road, but simultaneously my steering wheel locked, and my brakes went out (I love my Bonneville, but at 165,000 here day was coming).

Being the amazing person I am, I kept my cool, and just let my car coast.  I was out in the country, and no houses or people were nearby that I could harm, and I had my phone on me.  As soon as the car slowed down enough I would shift to park, get out and call for help.

This was a brilliant plan, but as I slowed to my stop I realized that I was driving towards a cliff.  I didn’t know of any big drops in Nebraska.  Mostly it’s just flat.  I flung off my seat belt as fast as I could (of course I was wearing it), and flung the door open to dive out, but it was too late.

I approached the edge, and I realized two things: First that I wasn’t going to be able to get out in time, and more importantly that I wasn’t approaching a cliff, I was approaching the cliff.  It was the edge of the Earth.  I dove out of my car as it went over the edge, but I was already falling.  As I kicked myself away from the door I was just able to grab a piece of Earth with my left hand (I know, I am pretty impressive).

I made the slow climb back to Earth.  I had fallen about a mile and a half, so the climb took me longer than I would have liked (about 32 minutes).  I finally got back and called for my sister to come pick me up.  She arrived and I told her about my whole ordeal.

Now I know you’re thinking to yourself, “Michael you fool, if your sister knows the story, why do you have to tell us all to ensure that it is told?  The story has already been told.

That’s the crazy part.  As we started to drive off, an alien ship abducted us.  They were going to perform experiments on us, and the first thing they did was wipe my sisters memory.  Fortunately we escaped, but that’s a story for a different day.

All I wanted to do today was put to rest all of the rumors.

1.  Yes I am busy, but no more than the average college student.

2.  No I have not become an alcoholic.  I am proud to say that in my 21 years, 3 months, and 11 days, I have still never had an alcoholic drink.

3.  I am not married.  I haven’t seen the last girl who proposed to me in some time, and I just haven’t been able to get in a serious relationship since then.

4 and 5.  I have not been turned into a small bird or child.  Trust me, small is not the word used to describe me.

End of Story.

And with that I want to thank you all for putting up with this terribly long post.  I love you all, and hope to do a better job of keeping up with my good friends. Check back Thursday for the next conversation post.  Until next time.

All for the Glory of God.

Conversation #1: Music

It occurs to me that I will probably bring up music a lot, because it is a big thing in my life.

Today I spent three hours practicing music, and another two listening to it this evening.  That’s nothing compared to a music major, but I’m not competing, I’m just saying that it is a part of my life.

My complaint comes from earlier this week.  I had my first piano lessons here at the school, and I was ready to make beautiful music.  Instead it didn’t go very well.

I realized just how poor of a sight reader I am, and was informed that I should sign up and come in for at least an hour every day.  (This was not being rude, I actually really like my instructor, he just said that that is what all of the students who take lessons with him do.)

Well the only time that worked for me that wasn’t taken was 7 o’clock in the morning.  This is the first semester that I don’t have any class before 9, and I was really enjoying that, so I wasn’t too happy.

All of that said I wasn’t having a great time that evening.  Why would God give me a passion for music, but not give me the natural abilities to play?  Why didn’t He at least give me the gumption to work hard for the last 10 years, so that I would be playing intricate songs by now?  Why would He even give us something as beautiful as music, and make it so hard?

That’s when it hit me.  That last question was the entire beauty of the situation.  He gave us something as beautiful as music.  There are many ways to communicate already.  He gave us language, and the ability to interpret non-verbal communication.  Music was just a bonus.  It is something that can express happiness, sadness, joy, fear, excitement, love, and give praise to Him!  It’s amazing!  The fact that it’s not easy makes it better.  You have to work at it (most people anyway), and after struggling with something for hours and hours you have the finished piece, and there is a pride that goes with knowing how hard you worked for it. 

That is beautiful so long as the pride never takes the place of knowing that God is the one all of the credit goes to.  He gave us music in the first place, and he gave you the ability to perform it.  Until next week.

All for the Glory of God.

The Plan (Small talk with God)

So here's my plan.

This blog is going to be based off of an idea I had this summer (with help).  I was walking with two friends in Boston at UMASS Boston, and we were sharing with students around campus.  During a break from sharing we were standing by the water, and I mentioned how God is the either the best at listening to small talk, or it's impossible.

That's to say that you can't really small talk with Him.  There are two major reasons for this.

The first being that small talk is generally made to avoid talking about anything real (what's actually on your mind, anything unpleasant, rude, socially unacceptable, or just too personal).  Since God already knows what is on your mind, and heart you can't hide it by making small talk.

The second (and the premise for this blog) is that even trivial things that typically serve as small talk are pretty amazing if you look at them from the perspective of "you're talking with the creator."

Now I will admit that the point of this is going to be to find the things that can bring glory to the Lord, and sometimes those things are not what we typically think of being glorious.  ex. The entire book of Job

That said, I do not think I'm any better than anyone else at giving praise when bad things (or good things) happen, but by having this blog I hope it will help me to get better at it.  If anyone else reading this gets anything out of it, well that's just an added bonus.

All for the glory of God.