Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Eat More Butter

I don't actually need to eat more butter. I don't really need to eat more of anything. Mr. Schlecht still told me to eat more butter. That was really only because I left my coat on during class because well, it is winter outside. This cold weather is really getting to me. I mean, I know I will proudly proclaim that I am "North Dakota tough," but this weather has just been going on for way too long. It's supposed to be a little warmer today (like 17 degrees above, yay!), but right now it is 17 below, so I am not really that excited.

But just ask Erika, I will lick my finger off if there is just butter on it, even though butter plain is quite disgusting. Whenever I bake anything, I always lick my finger whenever there is dough or anything on them. Yes, sorry to anyone who has ever eaten anything I baked.

Speaking of kitchens, I was called the "Little Kitchen Girl" at work yesterday, and not by an old person, either. I was called that by one of the workers who really is probably just in her last twentys. It was a little rude.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Pulpit

Friday, January 23, 2009

Yesterday was One of the Worst

Yesterday didn’t start out badly. In fact, it was actually kind of good. Youth Alive meets Thursday mornings and I brought breakfast and it was all quite yummy. First hour was even good, Abe and I competed against each other to see who could make the higher tower out of cardboard pieces and tape.

In fact, it didn’t start going downhill until my Earth and Physical Science class at the college. Mr. Schlecht asked me to be a volunteer. He put a red piece of silky fabric on the table and put a bowl, plate, glass, and salt and pepper shaker on top of it. My job was to quickly pull the red piece of fabric out from underneath. I tried to go really quickly, but there the bowl went. Crash! To the floor it fell. It went so far that there were even pieces in the back of the room. Mr. Schlecht said it was no big deal, the bowl was chipped already and I was actually doing him a favor.

Then I came back the school after lunch and realize that I have been using the wrong “Aid/Aide” my whole life. Not a big deal, unless of course, you are a dietary AIDE and thought it was AID, so every time you fill out anything (scholarship applications, etc.) you write the wrong aide.
After school I was unloading the dishwasher and guess what I did. I broke a glass. Basically it’s just not my day. And just when I think it can’t possibly get any worse and just when I am ready to go to bed, I do something so horrible…

I drop my phone.

In the toilet.

And it’s broken. All the information is gone. I am cell phone-less for over two weeks.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Let Me Say This about That

I would say that I am really not much into politics because politics are annoying, but I'd be lying. I actually really enjoy politics. I find them very interesting, even though sometimes hard to really keep up with.

I enjoyed President Obama's inaugural address. I enjoyed more so the fact that his speech writer is 27. I feel that everyone (even if they didn't vote for him or want him in office) should support him. This country obviously needs change. For example, look at our country, obviously we are doing something wrong. I believe that we need to pray for Obama, because the office he holds is one of great power and great responsibility. I do think that he gets praised too quickly, I think we should wait and see what he does and how it works out. God allowed Mr. President Obama to get elected, so I think we should support him, even if we disagree, we should respect him.

I think we should take this time to trust. Not necessarily trust Obama, but trust God and allow God to have full control in everything we do.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

I've Got Something on My Mind

My posts have been lacking, I know. I am not going to use that I am busy as an excuse, but I have been busy. School is back into full swing. Let me tell you, it's not so fun running back and forth between the college and the high school, the high school and the college. Especially in winter road conditions. Then there's the fact that I am still working, not as much anymore, only 4-5 days a week now. Of course, the nights I haven't been working I still have something going on. Like Wednesdays I have youth group and Thursdays I bowl (even though I sort of want to work Thursdays because after work I am in "go" mode and am not as tired right away, unlike the nights I don't work). Filling out scholarship applications should also be a full-time job. For real, it takes a lot of time.

Other than school and work, there isn't much that's exciting. We (the youth group) are hosting our Valentine's Banquet again this year. It should be fun. I am in charge of something, but I don't really feel like I am doing much. I don't really know what I should be planning or what I should be doing. Oh, well. That's definitely not something to get stressed about. At least not when there is a scholarship due the 31st and I haven't even asked anyone to write a recommendation yet. And I need to ask for a transcript. Can you tell what's on my mind?

Oh, yeah. And we sort of got a new president.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

"She's Going to be a Pastor"

During the greeting time in church where we shake people's hands and say good morning, I shook a little boy's hand and after I turned around, I could hear his mother tell him, "She's going to be a pastor." That made me smile, but it also made me think. I wonder if they knew that I was going to be a writer if they would tell their little children that after they shake my hand? Will I be letting everyone down if I don't become a pastor? "She's going to be a writer," doesn't really sound as noble as becoming a pastor. Ultimately my future is in God's hands. Still I feel that I will let people down if I don't strive to become a pastor.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Do Hard Things: Scholarship Edition

Especially in the winter, it's hard to wake up in the morning and find something to be happy about. Not to mention we had a blizzard yesterday with 0.8 mile visibility and are expecting another blizzard later today. However, I checked my email this morning and it made me very happy. I found out that I won a scholarship for $5000 over my college years. It put a little fire under me. Now I want to enter more scholarship. It's a nice feeling knowing that it is that much less than you have to spend for college.

Which leds me to think that I won money and all I had to do was a little hard work. Not even hard work, I sat down and wrote some paragraphs and asked people to write recommendations. That's not even close to hard work. However, my brother did not enter any scholarships his senior year and the only free money he is getting is from his college. And why? Simply because he was too lazy to put in any time or effort.

That's the problem with our generation. We are lazy and don't want to do anything. At Dakota Extreme, Pastor Rich talked about "Living a Legacy" and asked everyone what are some things they could do to live a legacy. He got responses like, "Hold doors for people," and "Do nice things." Nothing big, nothing that even required any real effort. What has caused us to come to this point? While there is something great and important about holding doors and doing nice things for people, there is something lacking in our generation. We are lacking the desire to do hard things. (Can you tell what book we are doing for Sunday School?) We are sitting around and doing the bare minimum to get by. We don't do anything that requires any sort of effort. I, for once, want to change that. I know I am starting small and I am starting just within myself, but I know that one thing I can do is enter as many scholarships possible. Even when I get sick of writing paragraph after paragraph about my plans and future. It's not a huge thing, but it does require some effort. I am just waiting for the big thing that God wants me to do. Until then, I press on.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Click Play and Change Your View


This is too powerful. I have to share this.

Everybody Dies, but Not Everyone Lives

Everybody dies but not everyone lives.

I don’t know who first said this or who has all said it since. However, this is one of the more powerful statements. With the New Year, now is still the time to think about the past, but more importantly the future. Now is the time to think about what we have done, but more importantly, what we are going to do next. Now is the time to think about the challenges we faced, but more importantly, the challenges that are ahead. Now is the time to think about the time we have spent, but more importantly, how we will fill tomorrow’s hours. Now is the time to think about the joys we have had, but more importantly, the joy that we will have tomorrow.

Actually, I lied. Now isn’t the time to think about the past at all. Stop thinking about the past.
Now is the time to think about the future. Now is the time to think about the next step we are going to take. Actually, I just lied again. Now isn’t the time to think at all. It isn’t the time to think about what’s next. It is the time to live. It’s the time to stop thinking and overanalyzing. It’s the time to do. It’s the time to put our goals and plans into action. So, get up. Stop thinking, start living.

That’s exactly what the quote means. We are all going to die. On the other hand, not everyone is going to live. Not everyone is going to stuck all the juice out of life. We go around walking slowly because we aren’t excited about where we are going. We don’t smile because we aren’t happy. We have forgotten something essential. We need to live. That’s why we have been given life. We are meant to live. We are meant to give of ourselves. We are meant to spend time with others. We are meant to experience life, not watch it pass us by.
That’s my challenge for you. Live. Experience life. Do something that you wouldn’t normally do.

Give of Yourself

I am not having a bad day. That might just be because I have all of my own kidneys. I go in to Mr. Ulmer’s room to share some information I found when looking up news articles for POD and he told me a way more interesting news story. A man gave his wife a kidney and now since their marriage fell apart, he wants his kidney back. This is both funny and disturbing. But nonetheless, it made me think. That is sort of our society’s view of giving. “I will give of myself because that’s the right thing to do, but only as long as it is convenient for me.” As soon as things take a turn for the worse or even a turn in a direction we don’t want to go, we are like, “I want my time back.” However, time is even harder to get back than a kidney. And yet, we back away and we are no longer willing to give anything. Why? Because we are all about what is convenient for us. We wear slip-on shoes so we can hurry out the door. We use mechanical pencils so we don’t have to go to the sharpener. We buy microwaves and zap our food. In the end, the result is the same as the mushy radiated food—we give lukewarm tries and don’t help anyone but ourselves.

I have a radical idea (it isn’t really radical, but go with me). What if we inconvenienced ourselves and help others? What if we did something that made us uncomfortable in order to better someone besides ourselves? What if we brought out the oven of our lives and heated up our surrounding? (And I’m not just saying that because it is 5 degrees outside.) I mean, what if we started a fire for God? What if we stopped thinking about ourselves and started thinking about others? What if we stopped asking for things and started giving of our times, ourselves? What if we give until we couldn’t give anymore? What would happen to the world then? Wouldn’t you like to find out?

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

2009


Happy 2009! from postspectacular on Vimeo.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Back to the Daily Grind (Again)

School started once again. I am officially into my second semester as a senior. I only have five months and 18 days until graduation now. Believe me, I am counting down. Don't get me wrong, I will be really sad when it comes to that day and I am sure I will be crying, but I am happy. Currently, the future is bright and I know that I have many adventures ahead of me.

Last week Thursday through Saturday, I went to Dakota Extreme, which is a youth event for the Nazarene youth around the Dakota district. I went with my youth pastor, and yes, I was the only youth from my whole church. It was a great time. I got to see some people that I really only get to see when these events come around. It was also sort of sad because it was my last time ever going to DKX as a youth. However, Scot asked me what grade I was in and told me that I have been in high school forever. Scott (with two t's) reminded me that I am the bomb. (Really, he did.) While I was sometimes alone because I was the only one out of my friends who went, it's not like my friends from around the district weren't there, so I still had people to hang with and talk to.

I also did something a little out of my comfort zone. I tried snowboarding! But, yes, the key word is tried. It was all-in-all a very unsuccessful venture, but at least I can say that I tried. I told Jeremy that if the only thing I got from snowboarding was an illustration, it would be alright. However, I don't know if I got an illustration. (But maybe one is in the processing. I am a "preacher" and inspiration comes in weird ways.) After I gave up on snowboarding being my hidden talent (as it was clear I have no talent at all, but now in hindsight, I think snowboarding would be a lot better if you went with someone who could teach you instead of the rescue guys on the bunny hill and had more time to really learn and practice, like a couple days), I learned how to play Nertz. I am also not very good at that, but it was a lot of fun.

I worked last night and was fixing a lady some lemon honey water. Even though we had no lemon, but somehow we had lemon tea, so that had to suffice. I would also like to add that the only honey is in the breakroom and it is totally sticky all over and disgusting. Anyway, I was taking it out to her and she asked me if it was strong. Then she was hinting if I put in any alcohol. She was like, "Is there any wiskey?" I burst out laughing and told her, "It's not that strong."

I really grow attached to my residents. My mother and I were in Target on Sunday talking to my second cousin (or third cousin, I don't really know the difference is or how you figure that all out, but the point is it wasn't some random stranger). He is a teacher in Aberdeen and I think he teaches first grade. Anyway, my mom was telling him how I work at the nursing home and I get attached to them. He was like, "Well, yeah, because you see them every day, I get attached to my kids, too." My mom said, "Yeah, but Annie's keep dying on her." And Jason said, "Yeah, I don't have that problem."

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Resolutions That are a Success Just For Trying

"So, herewith, I suggest a few ideas for resolutions that will be a success regardless of whether or not you achieve them. They will make you successful, just because you attempted them.

+ Make a friend. Even better, make a point to turn an enemy into a friend in the coming year.
+ Volunteer to do something. Help out at a retirement home or a local children’s hospital. Serve a few meals at a soup kitchen, or deliver food once a week for Meals on Wheels.
+ Bake a cake. Make a clay pot. Paint a landscape, especially if you’re an awful cook or terrible artist. The value is in the baking, molding and painting, not the finished product.
+ The next time you go grocery shopping, buy an extra bag of groceries, and drop it off at a community food bank on the way home.
+ Memorize Isaiah 40, or the first Psalm or Psalm 91. What better use is there for those brain cells?
+ Teach someone to read and enrich their life (and yours) forever.
+ Read the closing chapters of the book of Job and remember that God is God, and you are not.
+ If you know someone serving in the military, send them a pre-paid phone card, so that they can call home.
+ Meditate on the Beatitudes, and learn how to be blessed.
+ Work hard, and enjoy the effort.
+ Rake someone else’s yard for them or shovel the snow off their driveway. If you are unhappy, maybe you can help someone else be less so.
+ Write out one of Paul’s prison epistles in your own words, and send them to an unhappy person. If the unhappy person is you, mail it to yourself.
+ Clean something. Organize your closet and find new and more space-efficient ways of folding your clothes.
+ Reread the 23rd Psalm as if you had never read or heard it before.
+ Park as far away from the store entrance as you can, and enjoy the walk.
+ Sing for the sheer joy of singing.
+ Do something good for someone without letting them know it was you.
+ Send a card to a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while.
+ Call your mother.

The bottom line: If you want to resolve to do something in the coming year, then resolve to do something for someone else. All of this may not be considered by most people to be worthy of a resolution, but it just may make you happy. Even if it doesn’t make you happy, you haven’t wasted your time just sitting around being sad, and that may put you in a position to rejoice in life."