Color and Jewelry

Color and Jewelry
Originally uploaded by Spartan038Luke

I took this photo on Coney Island today. Bought something for my girlfriend. Shhhh don't tell anyone ; ) Anyway, I love this photo. I bought a hat there today too. It's kinda Italian looking, brown wool, kinda like a fedora. It's definitely me. New York is great! I <3 NY

NYC Update 1

Hello all! I've been in New York since Tuesday and it's Saturday now. I'm writing just to say everything's great. I'm going to keep you posted. My main battle right now is pain, in my back, neck, and feet. However, as I move on campus, it will probably become my fear. However, I should hope that I love God enough to tell others about Him if the opportunity arises.

I'm loving the photography opportunities. Hoping I can go check out the camera store for a used lens. Made a friend, Jon Chen, he's a pretty cool asian. He knows photog. Thinking of going with him.

I can see how long-distance relationships are hard. Fortunately, this is why I think mine will be ok: it isn't based in physicality. It's founded in our love for Jesus and the core of who we are in front of God. We know we're helpless without Him. Life just falls apart and means nothing without Him. And 5.5 weeks is not that long of a time. ESP in New York, the city where everything flies by and you don't know what hit you. I've already come close to being temporary road meat. And they'll definitely hit you! No worries. Live or die, it's all for Christ. I really don't know which is better. Although I'd have to say I prefer living still, simply because, I'm selfish. After all, my life is not my own. But everything relates to Christ. I am not "suddenly getting philosophical", as some say to me. If you do not let Christ define everything, you're looking at a warped picture of reality.

I've been slowly but surely focusing on God... little by little. I can't seem to slow down. Between taking photos and simply walking, I haven't had a spare moment! I only yesterday was able to write my letter to my girlfriend. So haven't had much time. But God should be first. And please pray that He will become so real in my head and in my life that it scares me. I really don't have an easy time praying. It's a battle to even concentrate and believe it. -G

Emotions & what to do with the dang things!

Ok so this year, literally I heard this theme echoing in every one of my classes and even in Bible study. Literally people, unrelated, said this theme throughout this semester so much that it had to be God speaking to me. And it was wisdom, and here's what the theme was:

No emotion is wrong. How we choose to express that emotion is what is right/wrong.

I think there's so much power in that statement! It breaks it down! We often fire responses back at people without thinking about it, and no wonder we feel like we're rushing through our days and time's flying by! Cause we never think about the emotions and emotional choices we make!

If you and I were to stop and think when we were starting to feel angry, and instead voice our feelings by saying "I" statements like "I feel very worthless when you _______", it takes away the offensive nature of our comments like "I can't believe you're so lazy!"

Your emotions are normal and valid. Just be sure to express that emotion in ways that express you, not degrade another. You can be expressive without being offensive.

Jimmy Fallon & Little Boy Blue

I was having a few drinks with my friend the other night, and we were watching Jimmy Fallon's late night show. Never seen it before, very very funny. This actor Jimmy is interviewing, Michael Emerson, is now on the show Lost. Near the end of the segment, Jimmy asks him if he will read "Little Boy Blue" in the creepiest voice he can, and he obliges. I nearly died laughing. Check it out.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/21/michael-emerson-reads-lit_n_189662.html

Copy the text and google it... I don't know why the link doesn't work.

Don't stoop to their level

The other day I was processing some stuff related to Galatians and how the new system, faith in Christ, overwrote the old system: the old law. To recap, it is through faith in Jesus Christ that we're saved, not by our observing the law and doing good things. For the more we try to keep God's law, the more clear it becomes we aren't obeying it! That's a quote from my Bible.

I hearkened back to an expression that we hear often down here in NC. Maybe it's a southern saying, maybe not. Anyway, how many times have you told an adult you're considering doing something to get back at another person and they tell you, "Aw honey, don't stoop to their level."?

I understand the reasoning behind such a statement. However, let's look at what we're saying here. This remark is based on the assumption that because you don't do something, you are on a higher plane than the perpetrator, morally speaking. In short, you're better off than them in this situation if you just don't do this one bad thing that you're tempted to do. This is just not true. Romans 3:23 says we all fall short of the glory of God and another verse says that we are judged not by what we do, but by our faith, so that no one can boast at all. For example, no one is more of a whore than anyone else, because we have all loved other things more than God, who is the One we should love most (That's infidelity of the heart. It's not just a flesh matter).

Now I understand if you think I'm being overly analytical/ philosophical, but who are you to decide at what point we shall stop analyzing a certain statement? LIFE is philosophical. Every moment deserves analysis, especially self-analysis. The Bible is our tool to begin learning how to do that.

So really everywhere we go, we see the belief that because of what we do/say, we are good/bad people. If you follow this train of thought, you'll understand why some adults say "bad boy" instead of "bad behavior" in conflict situations. We unfortunately brand the person, not the behavior.

This pays no attention to what the Bible says because that would be judging ourselves based on what we do and elevating/lowering ourselves accordingly in our minds... using worldly logic. Fact: we are all sinful and fall short of the glory of God. This is in all things. There is no way for you to reach the quota of absolute perfection for admission to Heaven in any aspect of your life. But that's why we have faith. We can't earn our way to God by what we do at all, but at least we can begin loving God and furthering His work. After all, He loved us first! And love should elicit love.

REDNECK STORIES, Ep. 1

Hey so we figured out (Kyle Daniel, Matt Warnick, and me) that we could all do great redneck voices. We'll have to get Chris Newton to join in... but this is our first tale as rednecks in full completion. Enjoy! Yeehaw yall I guarandangumtee yall it gon' rock yo' socks.

song in C

So this is just some dumb improv, it has some good parts but I wasn't really trying. Just thought I'd put it up. I like the part where it's F-G-C, F-G-C-A minor. Kinda pretty.



It starts with this pretty little tinkly part that I don't know how to describe any other way but then quickly my brain gets scrambled in the song, you can tell. Because the song diverts into some other weird thing. Has some ok parts though. I'll probably post the next attempt at it in a few days. It was going to be called dinnersong or something like that because I was playing it in White Hall once and a guy and his girlfriend were sitting there, and the guy said "Hey you should play that for us on a date, I would pay you." Haha but he was more kidding than anything.