Merry Christmas!

Time for me to Brag and be non-humble

I got my grades :-)

• Life Science for Elementary Teachers: A
• Creating Learning Environments K-6: A
• Instructional Design and Technology in the Elementary School: A
• Survey of the Exceptional Child: A
• Child Drama: B

• Semester GPA: 3.813
  
• Overall GPA: 3.658
• Overall Hours Accumulated: 79
  

I guess it was a good semester! Even though the past two weeks before finals were very difficult. Thank you professors, friends, family, and God for giving me strength this semester!

End of the Semester

You can definitely tell that the end is near. This week has been really stressful for me. I printed off more than 500 pages this week! I did some peer teaching on the topic of the water cycle, I had to print out my lesson plans for Biology (3 lesson plans equaling 21 pages. I had to make copies for 22 people...you do the math), I had a radio drama and puppet show in Child Drama (which was lots of fun!), I turned in my 12 Journal Articles as well as my reflection paper for my Special Education Class, I had an Excel Project due this week, and I also had my lesson plan due in my Creative Learning Environment class. I have one big project due next week, and another big one due for exams in two weeks. Not to mention the exams themselves. Do you see what the end of the semester is like?!? It's crazy!

The highlight of my week has been a couple of things. One is that my Biblical Drama I performed for the B.C.M. (Baptist Collegiate Ministry) went really well. I took the Christmas Story from the point of view of one of the shepherds. It was really neat because I didn't know that in the story in Luke, the Shepherds actually went and saw Jesus. Then after they saw Jesus, they went telling everyone about it! So I started off my drama with, "I have some great news to tell you!" It was a lot of fun to do. I was nervous almost all day. It took a lot of prayer and me reciting the part several times before I performed it.

The other big news is that I will not be on Student Leadership Team next year for the BCM. I was just feeling burned out and with commuting, school, my Lifegroup, etc., I couldn't do it. Even if I pushed myself to do it, I couldn't give it 100% and I think the ministry would be effected by it. The cool part is that I was able to be one of the people who interviewed candidates to serve on S.L.T next semester! It was very exciting. We're meeting on Monday to discuss the interviews.

My 7th Grade Boys Lifegroup is going to end on December 12th. What I'm thinking of doing is teaching the final lesson this next week and then watching a video for the 12th. Probably the Charlie Brown Christmas if I can get a DVD copy. This past week instead of teaching straight from the book, we watched two clips from the Chronicles of Narnia and discussed the symbolism in relation to the crucifixion as well as the resurrection. I thought it went pretty well. If nothing else, I thought it was fun. By the way, Prince Caspian comes to theaters on May 16th of next year. Get excited!

I best be going. I just wanted to give you all a quick update. I hope you are having a great week and I will try to update my blog more often!

Stephanie and I

Here is a picture of Stephanie and I at Fall Retreat. It's probably the best picture both of us have taken...except for the fact that my necklace isn't on straight and I seem to be giving my, "Take the Picture this smile is hurting my face" look. Don't get me wrong I am happy, I just show it without smiling. The inner child usually smiles for me and the outer self relaxes. Very long and silly explanation. Anyway, here is the picture for those four or five of you that may have been curious

Fall Retreat: It's time to get Real

This weekend was our 6th-12th grade BBC retreat at Jonathan Creek, Kentucky. This was actually the first time my Lifegroup could go (6th grade wasn't allowed last year, so they went this year as 7th graders). I ended up having 5 people from my Lifegroup go, so it was good to get to know them all better. I've had those guys for a year now, the only new one was Dalton. I have a better idea of their personalities and where they are at, so this may help later in our discussions.

Our theme for this weekend was to "Be Real." We talked about chapter 3 in Colossians and focused on what separates Christians from Non-Christians. We discussed things we need to change and look for in our lives, how we act at church as well as school/home, and we discussed practical steps to apply when we left. I don't know exactly what my group got out of it. We did something a little different. The second session, I decided to read out of Romans instead of doing their activity. The session this morning I thought that I was speaking too much, so I decided to let the Bible speak for itself. I assigned a verse to everyone, read one of my favorite passages, and then tied those verses in to what we learned. Not a lecture, but a 1 minute summary. That went really well.

I can't give a whole lot of details into what I am about to say now. I will just say this much...I was faced with something very big this weekend and it shook me like nothing has before. It is something that truly relies on faith. It put my life into perspective and I think that this has and will continue to challenge me. Once again I apologize for not going into details, but I can't. Just know that if I seemed out of it this weekend or I am extra quiet, there is a reason.

Overall, it was a great weekend. I know that I was supposed to be there, I know that everything happened for a purpose, and I know that life will go on. I just hope that our message was not lost, and we start to get real.

Time for a change

I thought it was time to change the face of my blog. I was looking at other people's blogs, and they had all this neat stuff on it. They had pictures, sound-clips, quotes, etc., and mine was pretty basic. I decided to give it a new look. Make it more me. For the 5 or 10 people that read this blog, I think you will like the change. I'll add more on to it as the time goes by. Not just post-wise, but also with pictures and quotes. It will be fun!

P.S. I found an old post that never got published. It's called, "Miracle in the Andes." It is a book review I wrote this past July. Check it out!

What am I up to?

I am doing lots of different things this semester. I'll start with what I am actually doing, and then things that I really need to be doing.

I am on the Student Leadership Team at the Baptist Collegiate Ministries here at Middle Tennessee State University (Or if you want the short version, I am part of the SLT at the BCM here at MTSU). I am co-leading a Freshman Bible Study with Jessica Riley. It's a lot of fun. I'm finding that it is becomming more of a collaboration with each other rather than a, "I'm here to teach you and you're here to listen" kind of thing. I'm actually learning a lot from both sides. It's great. I'm also leading a 7th Grade Guys Lifegroup at Brentwood Baptist Church. It's going a lot better. We're going through the "7 minutes with Jesus book." Basically, I'm going to go 12 more weeks talking about characteristics of Jesus. We just did "God in the Flesh" last week.

For school, I need to start studying and get some of my work done! I'm doing well with the stuff that's due, but the problem is my teachers gave me a bunch of work and said, "It's due at the end of the semester." That's not really good for me. It's harder for me to work that way than if a teacher gave me specific deadlines on when to have this section due, etc. I'm also thinking of getting a minor in Geography. It's 18 hours of Geography credits, and I believe I already have three of those. That means, I could knock this out in a semester. It also means I would have an extra semester of school. Money would be an issue, but I could work or figure out ways to save money. I'm not really sure. We'll see what happens when it comes around.

Well I need to head back to class. I'm going to a Fall Focus this weekend and my roommate Michael is getting Married! Bunches of stuff going on. I hope you all have a great rest of the day!

Inconsistency

This is kind of how I feel. You have to understand that when I took this picture, I was stuck in Puerto Rico due to a scheduling conflict getting home from St. John.

The reason I chose this picture is because I am tired, I don't really feel like doing anything, and I just got back from a college retreat where we talked about inconsistency. I need to be more consistent with my friendships, school-work, and most important in the time I spend in personal Bible Study.

And yet...I just feel like this. Kinda apathetic. I'll feel better tomorrow. Right now, I just need some sleep.

Second Day at School (Fall 2007)

Since I have the same classes on Monday Wednesday and Friday and different ones on Tuesday and Thursday, I will blog about my first week in two different times. This will be my last blog this week talking about classes.

My first class was Life Science for Elementary Teachers. This professor taught my Biology class last semester, and I really liked him. He still has the same easy-going personality, but it seems like he is a different teacher with this class. He is more personal and really wants to see us succeed. Of course, it's easier to do that with a group of 20 or so students than the 200 or so that were in the Biology class last year.

The only issue I had with this class was that it is in the middle of nowhere. It is in the top building of a Church three to four blocks away from campus. For example if you looked at a map of MTSU, it is on the very left-hand corner of the entire map. I can say that parking won't be an issue. I just hope that the three hours I am there won't get to me...

I have a good amount of time between classes, so I went home and had some lunch. Buffalo wings are good, but they can make your stomach hate you. My stomach was yelling, "Darn you Scott! I can't believe you did this to me!" I have been drinking a lot of liquid lately. Since I am basically on my own, I made a vow that I would never be without something to drink. My fridge, after a Wal-Mart run and a BCM event, has these drinks; 6-8 Hi-C Flashin' Fruit Punch, a gallon of Gatorade, 12 pack of coke, and a 12 pack of Dr. Pepper. I have been real thirsty. I think it's this 100 degree weather.

My second class was the class that I was trying to add for 3 months! I really liked it. Although there is ONE guy other than me in that class. I get really nervous around girls I don't know, so it was intimidating. I really like the teacher. All my professors are giving great advice about teaching, and I felt like I was ready to save the world after her class! It is kinda scary though. Every profession in the world started with someone teaching them...weird, huh?

I got all my books and stuff for class now. They were pretty cheap. I was very happy! As long as I stay organized and manage my time well this semester, I'll be fine. Well, I better go. Have a great rest of the day!

First Day back at school! (Fall 2007)

Today was just kind of...whatever. Sunday night was our Pancake Dinner at the BCM, so I stayed there for a long time meeting people, helping to clean up, etc. I didn't get home until midnight or so. The only bad thing about that was I needed to get up at 6am the next morning because we are starting this prayer time/walk at MTSU on Monday mornings at 7. So I dragged myself out of bed, got to school, and started the day off and the week off pretty great. Getting together with fellow Christians and praying for our school.

I had three classes today. My first class (Child Drama) was fun. I didn't know what to think of it because I looked at the syllabus and it was like, "Will I have any free time this year?" I got in there and we played games like "Do you love your neighbor?" and "The Human Knot" and "2 truths and a lie." Basically the whole time was playing games. We'll read through and talk about the syllabus Wednesday! Plus I have to buy the book :-(

Then comes my next class (Survey of an Exceptional Child). I spaced my classes out where I have some free time between them to get on the computer, do homework, read, etc., before I need to be there. So I headed toward my next class which was in the Mass Communications building (Huge building near the Library), and I waited outside the door for class to start. Five minutes went by...then ten...then twenty...and then at twenty-five minutes, I was getting worried. I must have checked my schedule about five times. I was in the right place at the right time. The professor and some of the students got the wrong classroom or another one that was different than on our course listing, so we eventually made up. This class requires me to do a term paper, volunteer at least 8 hours with some form of special needs/special education programs, and reading/tests. Plus I have to buy the book :-(

I then rush over to my next class (Instructional Design and Technology in the Elementary School) because I only have 20 minutes from the end of that one until the next one. I really like the professor, but it doesn't seem like a regular technological class. We spent most of our time playing get-to-know-you-games, and then we talked about what we knew and didn't know about technology. I'm assuming the computer-stuff will come late. I think I'm going to like this class. The only thing is that I have trouble hearing her when she talks...something I need to learn to live with. Plus, I THINK I have to buy the book :-(

I have some good news...I GOT THAT CLASS I NEEDED ADDED!!! I finally just marched up to the secretary's office and asked her directly what the deal was. Once she saw my paperwork, she gave me permission to add the class. I'm just wondering, why didn't my Guidance Counselor say to talk to her? It would have solved a whole lot and saved me some time. I now have 16 hours though, and I am happy. At least for now. I know once all the tests and projects come in, I'll be banging my head against the wall saying, "Why me?!?"

We had our BCM Block Party tonight! I had a couple hours after my classes, and then headed over there at 4:30. I was in charge of the drink table. Not a huge responsibility, but I took it seriously. As a matter of fact one girl stated that I was a, "Life Saver" for giving her a Diet Coke. The Lord works in Mysterious ways!

Now I am at home just trying to unwind from the day. I have a 3 hour Biology class and then an hour and a half education class tomorrow. Fun stuff! Plus I have to buy some books :-(

I need to update my blogs more

I need to update my blog more. For an update on what I was doing the end of July/Beginning of August, go to www.brentwoodcollege.com and click on mission trips. If you go to my name, you can see my journals from the mission trip I took to St. John. It was great. I learned a lot on the trip. I learned that God is bigger than anything we can imagine, how important Christian relationships really are, and that I am blessed.

I have a girlfriend now. Her name is Stephanie. Both of us agreed we should wait until after the mission trip to start dating. We already went on our first date, talked about how this distance thing will work (she goes to school at Murray State in Kentucky). She is a year younger and taller than me, a creative writing major, loves music, is full of joy (if you knew her, you would be nodding your head at this statement), and she is a sweet, Christian girl...I think that covers everything.

I start school on August 27th. I'm excited and nervous like every semester. I know I've grown every semester I've been at MTSU (in every way imaginable). It's still different every semester though. Even though I've been here for 2-3 years, it's still kinda weird. Oh well. That's what makes college interesting.

I'm sure I have more to say, but I can't think of it right now. Have a great rest of the day!

Miracle in the Andes

I wrote this post this past July, but it never got published. Here it is now.

I just finished this great book written by Nando Parrado called, "Miracle in the Andes: 72 Days on the Mountain and My Long Trek Home." Nando was part of a Rugby Team from Uruguay who was going to Chile to compete in an exhibition match. As they were flying over the Andes, the weather was so unpredictable that their plane crashed and it killed many of his friends...and his mother and sister. The story then tells about their means of survival, asking the tough questions of life, and ends up with Nando and two other guys Tintin (who has to head back early) and Roberto trekking up and down Mt. Seler on a 9 day pass until they finally find help and rescue the others.

There were a couple things that really grabbed my attention. One of them was a personal question that was very intriguing. Would you eat human flesh if it was your only means of survival? What if it was the only way to see your family again? Some people on the mountain saw it as a means of survival, some (deeply religious) debated if it was a sin or not to do so. They felt that it was a bigger sin to let themselves die by starvation when God saved them from this crash. After all, God wouldn't have saved them from this Crash unless for a good reason...right? The Catholic Church later declared that what they did was not a sin, but they did not know that at the time. The question still stands...what are you willing to do for those you love? Would you die for them? Would you sacrifice for them? Would you be willing to go as far as those people did in the Andes? I wouldn't be too quick to judge. One of my favorite quotes in this book is,

"Death has an opposite, but the opposite is not mere living. It is not courage or faith or human will. The opposite of death is love. How had I missed that? How does anyone miss that? Love is our only weapon. Only love can turn mere life into a miracle, and draw precious meaning from suffering and fear."

They all survived because of Love. Love for their families, Love for God, Love for the life they led. I think this goes along with what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13:13;

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

Church Camp at Doublehead!

I am so tired! It's a crazy tired. It's a fulfilling tired, but at the same time it's a, "I want to sleep for a really long time" kind of tired. Tired. :-) Who uses the word tired four times in a total of four sentences? Wow...I am definitely rambling. Let's move on.

Camp was great! I will divide it up into a couple of sections so it will make sense. Let me start off by saying that I had my own cabin of 6th Grade Boys going into 7th. There names were Ryan, Dylan, Preston, Payton, Alex, and Skyler. They were all good kids, but they were 12 years old. Needless to say there was some arguing, loud noises, immaturity, complaining, and If you ask them what they thought about me they will probably just say that I do awesome impressions (Barney, Family Guy- Cleveland and Quagmire). I love them all, it was just that I spent so much time acting as an enforcer of the rules and making sure they were on task that it was tougher to develop a relationship...but that comes in time. I don't think you can form a trust with someone in 5 days of camp.

Worship was great. The speaker made some excellent points, was very funny, and unlike other speakers, I actually felt like I got to know him during the week. I would have loved to spend more time with him. The Band did a great job. I don't know what it is but every time they played, a different emotion or thought came to me. God is kinda funny sometimes. Especially when he was like, "Um Scott...go read Titus." Talk about random. Goodness.

Bible Study went well. I love to teach, so it was fun for me even if they didn't hear everything I said. on Tuesday as I looked over the lesson, I felt like I couldn't teach it. It just seemed repetitive and that they wouldn't get anything out of it. So during the worship time, I was drawn to the story of David and Jonathan. It's my favorite story in the bible. So sorry Brian, Amy-Jo, Linc, Kristin, and Mitch for doing that, but I did relate it back to security in salvation and a personal relationship with God. Don't ask how, but it happened. Once again God is funny!

Relationships strengthened with everyone on this trip. I am lucky to have the support of two amazing friends Tom and Philip. They kept me sane and picked me up when I felt like I wasn't making any impact. Thanks guys! I also felt like my friendships with some of the students and counselors grew...and I have an immense respect for all the leaders; Amy Jo, Linc, Brian, Kristen, and Mitch....and a deep respect for John Cook who drove all the way down in support of us.

I can talk about this until I'm blue in the face...or rather numb in the fingers since I am typing, but I'm going to go. I also had some fun times riding horses, going on a boat, riding a jet-ski, and goofing around.

Doublehead 2008 anyone?

If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat

I have just finished this book by John Ortberg called, "If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat." It's kind of funny how I heard of this book. During my Freshman Year of High School which was about 6 years ago (Wow I feel old...), Amy Haywood used this book as part of a devotion she was doing for the Youth Group. I remember thinking that this would be a fun book to read...WHEN I WAS READY! The fact of getting out of the boat then scared me beyond all reason. It's a good thing I read it now, even though it is still kinda tough to think about.

One of the greatest quotes in the book has to deal with the way we treat God. It says;

"When human beings shrink God, they offer Prayer without Faith, Work without Passion, Service without Joy, Suffering without Hope. It results in fear, retreat, loss of vision, and a failure to persevere."

This quote challenges me to answer the question, "How big is your God?" If you think about all the problems with stuff in our lives, decisions to be made, it is all dependent on how big our God is. If we all did as Peter did and took that step of faith out of the boat, we too could walk on water. Sure he sank and Jesus had to save him, but how many other men on that boat even thought about doing what Peter did?

Just remember. If you want to walk on water, you've got to get out of the boat.

I can't sleep

The title pretty much says it. It is late at night, and I am awake. I still can't find that one thing that helps me to get back to sleep. I had the thought, "Well maybe if I eat something, then that will solve it!" What ends up happening is either it makes me become more awake, or then my stomach gets upset and I can't sleep anyway! I've tried watching TV, getting on the internet and even reading. TV doesn't work, internet keeps me awake, and reading is funny because I'm too tired to read but I can't go to sleep...very weird combination.

This doesn't happen often enough to take pills or go see a doctor. It's just those rare occasions when something on my mind is keeping me from sleeping, or I just have problems that night getting to sleep. I'm one of those people who needs sleep otherwise it effects their mood...not to mention I have to go to work the next morning. To quote Charlie Brown, "UGH!"

Three of my friends got engaged in the past week. THREE! I don't even have a girlfriend yet. Not that I'm complaining. I just keep telling people and myself, "God's preparing her for me and obviously she must be something........... because he's preparing me for her!" I think all these Engagements of my friends will go very well. They all seem very happy and in love. Good for them! Why not tie the knot? I say Congrats :-)

Well, let me try to get back to sleep. Maybe blogging was the thing that helped me! Wouldn't that be fun to have more late night/early early morning posts from Scott?!? HECK YES IT WOULD!

Everyone's Home! (Joke at the end)

It is so weird going to college locally when a lot of your good friends go to college in another state. It's great to see them in the summer and hang out, but you always have that thought that as soon as the school year starts up again, they are gone and you're still here. I'm not disappointed in the choice I made. I love MTSU and I know that is where I am supposed to be. I have great friends here, a place to serve, I can always come home to a family that loves me, and I have a Church group that helps feed me spiritually and keep me accountable. Please don't get the wrong impression, I am very thankful and blessed where I am. I guess it's just the realization that you must accept change and know that we were not meant to live a life of comfort. Feel free to disagree with that statement, but I stand behind it.

My Sister just graduated...what a weird thought! She will probably be working pretty soon and in two or so years, I will be in the same situation! When did life come this fast? I guess it's all part of that "Growing Up" thing. I am looking forward to my 21st birthday in a couple months. Not for the reason you people are thinking. Well...I've always wanted to know what Irish Coffee tastes like :-)

Anyways, this post was kinda a vent. I'll leave you all with a little joke to make up for it! Enjoy!

One night a burglar is trying to break into a house. He's sneaking across the lawn when he hears a voice - "Jesus is watching you!" He jumps, turns around, but he doesn't see anything. So he starts creeping across the lawn again. "Jesus is watching you!" He hears it again. So now the burglar is really looking around, and he sees a parrot in a cage by the side of the house. He says to the parrot, "Did you say that?" The parrot answers "Yes I did." So the burglar asks, "What's your name?" The parrot says "Clarence." The burglar says "What kind of stupid idiot would name his parrot Clarence?" The parrot laughs and says, "The same stupid idiot that named his Rottweiler 'Jesus' "

What happens when you listen?

You know what happens when you listen? You hear things. Isn't that a crazy concept? I thought so too but apparently when you listen, you hear things. You hear your dog trying to tell you that they have to do their business, you hear a car horn beep when you don't go at a green light, and you even hear some of life's fun lessons that you refused to listen to earlier.

I have a couple examples from what happened to me recently. During Jay's sermon, he talked about how God came to Jacob in a dream. He then pointed out that God would come to us in any way necessary when we need him the most. Well, God came to me in a dream last night. Not kidding! I can't tell you what he said, because it's kinda personal. I will say a couple of things though. He was in a white suit and looked almost exactly like Michael Caine. I guess it was the whole older and wiser thing about God that I envisioned. Plus Michael Caine is the man! The other thing was while I was walking back to my car, I had a conversation with Kim Tone (she is a girl in my College Class). We were talking about our semester and everything, and I told her that I felt there was something telling me that I needed to teach in a Rural setting. She reminded me that might be the "Quiet Voice" we need to listen to which was part of our Bible Study lesson.

Who would have thought that these things were applicable to our lives?!?

(I have moments of sarcasm in this post...I thought I should tell you in case you think I'm a Heathen or something)

I can't say, "What the Crap?"

I have one more exam to go! It's in Regional Geography, so it shouldn't be too hard. I just need to look at some maps, my notes, and then I should be fine. I just keep finding excuses to study later. Have you ever put something off for silly reasons? Here are a list of some of my reasons from this week: I can't study on an empty stomach, I'm too full to study, it's nice outside, it's too hot, I need to mow the lawn, I need to do the dishes, Major League is on, King of the Hill is on, Scrubs is on, someone may have updated on Facebook, I may have gotten an e-mail, I need to check You Tube, etc. I did get some studying done though, so bully for me!

Here is a life lesson I learned recently. Apparently if you are in Leadership, people are looking at you to set an example. Who would have thought?!? Because of that, I need to have a talk with my Lifegroup this week about what is inappropriate to say and act. It was kind of interesting because I knew I had to give this talk and when I looked over the lesson that I will be teaching this week, guess what it's over? Ephesians 5:1-21! Which for those of you who don't have that memorized (shame on you) is about being imitators of God! It talks about crude jokes, bad language, idolatry, immorality, all that fun stuff. I guess they are going to get the holy smack-down this week!

That does mean I have to watch myself though. The parents of one of my guys says that,"Crap" is a bad word to say, so I am going to try to stop saying that. I say Crap so I don't have to say the word $%!#. Maybe from now on I'll just say Poop. "What the Poop?" or "Oh Poop! Look what happened!" or "What in the Poop are you talking about?" Ha ha ha...i just said Poop five times now! :-)

Maybe I should practice maturity too.

I just bought 30 Twinkies

Let me explain first...two of the boxes are going to my Speech Class tomorrow because I said that I would bring Twinkies. I kept a box for myself though...but I've only had two since I bought them! It was a craving of mine I had. I don't know why, but I just wanted some Twinkies. That Golden Sponge Cake, Creamy filling, Individually wrapped, with that funny little Twinkie cowboy/girl (A Twinkie doesn't really have a particular sex) on the front of the box.

Enough about that though. Lots of exciting things are coming up. I handed in a POD form today, so that issue I had with my ELED 3050 Class should be okay. I have three finals I need to take, which shouldn't be too bad. They are actually all on different dates! How convenient! I did a little victory dance after my Informal Geometry class today. I must say this...I don't Loathe Geometry anymore. I don't really like it that much, but I actually got the hang of it. That didn't stop me from dancing when I got out of class. I'm sure people looking at me got kinda scared. If they saw the dancing sequence with the Umbrella in, "Singing in the Rain," then they wouldn't have been so frightened!

Exciting events coming up include my Sister's Graduation and Mullet Search. Sarah will be graduating Summa Cum Laude (Smartie Pants) from The University of Tennessee at Martin in Music Education...or a Bachelor degree in Music...or Fine Arts...or something. I'm going to have to check on that. I know it has to do with Music and Teaching. So Yeah for Sarah! If you want to know about Mullet Search...I believe I wrote a post on it a while back.

Other than that, things are good here. I hope you all have a great rest of the day!

It's gonna rain!

You know why I think it's going to rain? It's going to rain because I just mowed the lawn. I mowed the front, back, and for the first time the side which I still think is LEGALLY my neighbor's lawn. Whatever, I'm not bitter about it. I did get a great complement though. The lady who lives next to me who is constantly outside working on her lawn said to me, "You sure are keeping that lawn looking nice!" It's like Martha Stewart saying, "That cake looks delicious!" It made me pretty happy.

I signed up for classes the other day. There's one class that is giving me problems. I've contacted my adviser, the department chair, and now I have to meet with my adviser again. Hopefully we can get this thing sorted out! It's that class that had the prerequisite being the SOAR experience which I have done (If you don't believe me, go to my post "Elementary Fun"). I'm going to take some interesting classes though. The only thing I'm not thrilled about is my three-hour long Biology class that starts at 8am. It makes me want to kick myself.

I'm pretty excited about going to Six Flags this weekend. If I am right, this will be my 3rd-4th trip to Six Flags in Atlanta. I told a couple people that I would scream their names as I ride on a roller coaster. That might be kind of weird when someone hears me scream, "TOM! LOUIS!" But a promise is a promise. At least that's what they tell me. J/K! Don't go ROTFLOL because of that statement. B/C it would be GR8 if you could just say TTYL or BRB and ignore that whole sentence. :-)

Well, I G2G. Have a great day everyone!

10 Things that bother me

1. Cherry Coke's New Can: Every time I take a sip, I feel less manly.

2. Liberals: How can you be so "Open-Minded" when you won't listen to anyone's views but your own?

3. Cracker Barrel: Honestly, how can you be out of Meatloaf the past couple of times I have been there? You're Cracker Barrel for goodness sakes.

4. Girls: I just don't understand you

5. New Disney Movies/Series: Why does there ALWAYS have to be a romantic interest and why do they ALWAYS have to kiss? Think about it. Phil of the Future, Kim Possible, That's so Raven, Even Stevens, Johnny Tsunami, Zenon, Jet Jackson, Rip Girls, need I say More?

6. Peggy from King of the Hill: She is so absorbed in herself and has HUGE feet and a masculine figure. (Yes, there's a lot of TV references in here...so what?)

7. Spring/Summer time attire for Girls: If you really want to find "The One" or attract "The Perfect Guy" then stop dressing in a way that attracts the "Wrong Guys." Honestly, don't you think there's a connection between the guys you attract and the way you dress?

8. Mowing the Lawn: It always rains right after I mow it, and then it grows back again. What in the world? I'm going to start charging animals, insects, etc. for using my grass pretty soon.

9. Cats: Not the animal as much, but the musical. Honestly, what was he thinking?

10. Mainstream Comedians: You know, you can get laughs without insulting Christianity, the South, and President Bush. You don't have to be mean to be funny.

Spring

I love spring. I don't think I have ever sneezed more in my entire life than these past couple of weeks, but I still love Spring. Today on my way to school I listened to some REM, Willie Nelson, and Elvis. I have "All Shook Up" stuck in my head right now, but it's definitely competing with "On the Road Again." The only bad thing is that I physically can not get to sleep at night. I think it's because of the hot weather. I have my fan blowing almost all the time, but it's still weird. Then I'm having these really odd dreams. It's another thing I'll talk to my Therapist about. No need to bother you all with those thoughts.

I felt really manly today. One of my friends asked me where I got my sunglasses. I told her that I went with my mom to Kohls last week for their early-bird special and I got some amazing deals on shoes, sunglasses, a hat, and a picture. Apparently when I talked about that I did this thing with my hand...you know where it's like your wrist is broken and your hand goes in a circle and some odd motions/different shapes? Well to sum it up, it made me look even more manly. So I think I am going to read about war, crank up some Johnny Cash, and then go and eat some Cows...or go to a MOOOVIE!!! Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Well, I should stop procrastinating now. Have a great rest of the day everyone. Be sure to remember that when life gives you Lemons, you get down on your knees and thank the Lord!

Elementary Fun

Spring Break is different for everybody. Some go on Mission Trips, some go on road trips, some sleep, some work on papers/projects/schoolwork, some work for money, and there are even those that watch movies or read all break. What person am I? I'll let you decide. For my Spring Break, I observed at an Elementary School.

As a requirement for my major, I am supposed to observe students for 5 Consecutive days from the moment a teacher arrives, to the moment the teacher leaves. One placement needs to be in grades K-4, the other in 5-8. Basically what you do all week is interview two teachers and a principal, and then observe the teachers. You may do other things, but it is at the teacher's discretion. For Three days I observed a Fourth grade teacher and for Two days I observed a Fifth grade teacher.

It was an interesting experience. I forgot what it was like to be in school for 7 hours straight. There were times when I thought I was going to die from boredom. That's when you either write notes, read a book, or draw pictures. One time during the week, I made a little comic strip. It was pretty sweet. It was all stick figures, and it was hilarious. I would show it to you, but I don't want to. Mainly because I can't find it anymore. I think The New Yorker stole it.

All this being said, it wasn't all bad. I learned a lot and if I can say so myself, I think my observation report will be good. I compared the teachers methods with that of Hunter, Rosenshine, Bloom's Taxonomy, Piaget, Vygotsky, and I even threw in some Garner. I also evaluated room set-up, leadership influence, and culture to the atmosphere it brought.

From a Christian standpoint, I don't think we need to keep pointing to the Public School System and say how it is failing our kids or that God is not there. God is there my friends. This Elementary School I went to was not only dedicated to learning, but also focuses on character building, morality, attitudes, and citizenship. The whole faculty cares for the students. Sure they get frustrated (you would too if you were in their position), but that doesn't mean the goal or purpose is any less focused.

I also want to say here and now that when dealing with children, the parents need to be the ones to step in and take some initiative. I saw the teachers trying hard and teaching as many ways as they could, but ultimately it came down to the kids attitudes. Some parents refuse conferences, some parents don't do anything about punishments, some don't talk to their kids about school, and some just are not around to help. Whether it be in School or Church, you can't expect the kids to reach their greatest potential without the help or support of their parents.

Regardless of that little tangent, it was a great experience. If nothing else, I felt what it was like to be a teacher for a week and see the world from their eyes. I can sum the teacher's world up in one syllable. Hmm.

Anvil Weekend

From Meat Fellowship to small groups, Anvil weekend was one of the most unique camps that I have ever been to. Anvil weekend, for those of you who don't know, was a camp for 6th-12th grade guys and the theme was to discuss what it really means to be a man. Not what the world says a man is, but what God says a man is supposed to be. Our sessions included the following; Reinforcing the fact that we are made in the image of God, bearing the image of God, the issues that are distorting the image of God such as abandonment, and abuse, and finally how to handle yourselves in a Godly manner living in a world of tension.

My group was the same group I have for Lifegroups...sixth grade boys. There were about four boys that I didn't know, so hopefully they will consider coming to our class on Wednesdays. The person I was Co-Leading with was the father of one of my boys. He's a very wise man, so I was very glad that we were able to have a strong presence in our group. They kind of looked toward me to help personalize and make the material a little more understandable. I also really tried hard to develop relationships with the boys I didn't know, and also strengthen the relationships with the guys I did know. Even though we were only together for a day and a half, I can honestly say that I was drained in almost every way late Saturday afternoon (We left the church late Friday afternoon...if that tells you anything!)

This weekend really challenged me as well. Since I am the Lifegroup leader and have started developing relationships with these Middle School guys, I am really going to have to walk what I talk! All that being a Godly man and striving to do what he wants, I have to pay attention to that! I remember what Junior High was like for me. It honestly was one of the hardest times in my life so far. I just remember how confused I was, how my perception was so messed up, and all the bad things that I did and was involved in. It's all forgiven and it has helped shape me into who I am today, but you know how much it would have helped if I had a ministry like we have here at church? That's why I want to be there for these guys at this time. If I can help them through or even just let them know that's there's a place they can come where they are loved and told how unique and special they are, then that would be enough for me.

To wrap things up, Anvil weekend was great. Let's just hope we can be a little like Anvils; strong, solid, and used in a way where other instruments will be hammered into the right and appropriate shape.

Kid's Thoughts on Love

With Valentine's Day tomorrow, I went searching the internet for advice on love. I went through Dr. Phil, Joshua Harris, William Shakespeare, but nothing seemed to work. So I thought to myself, "You know what I need? I need the simplicity of a child. They know what Love is." Then I came across some of the greatest quotes EVER.

-When asked why two people fall in love:

"No one is sure why it happens, but I heard it has something to do with how you smell...that's why perfume and deodorant are so popular." Mae, Age 9

-On what falling in love is like:

"Like an avalanche where you have to run for your life." John, Age 9

"If falling in love is anything like learning to spell, I don't want to do it. It takes too long." Glenn, Age 7

-When is it okay to Kiss Someone?

"When they're rich." Pam, Age 7.

"It's never okay to kiss a boy. They always slobber all over you...that's why I stopped doing it." Tammy, Age 7

"If it's your mother, you can kiss her anytime. But if it's a new person, you have to ask permission." Roger, Age 6.

-Finally, advice on how to make Love Endure

"Don't forget your wife's name...that will mess up the love." Erin, Age 9.

"Be a good kisser. It might make your wife forget that you never take out the trash." Dave, Age 9.

Just remember all the valuable advice you learned today. If all else fails, remember the words of 9 year old Camille. "Shake your hips, and hope for the best."

Invisible Children

I knew the movie I saw last night would be very intense. I heard my friends talk about how the movie has really opened their eyes, but I wasn't sure what the story was about and why so many students were effected by it. Basically these three guys originally were going to Sudan to do a documentary on the war. They got there, and basically didn't find anything. So this lady in the village took them to this city at night where children would commute to because they didn't want to be abducted where they currently lived. The story behind this is that since 1986 the leader of the LRA, Joseph Kony, has abducted and brainwashed children to fight in his army. He would take them out into the brush, desensitize them by forcing them to watch brutal killings, give them a gun, and say to them that they would be tortured and killed if they did not kill themselves. Since 2002, there have been over 12,000 abductions. There have been even more killings and abductions than that estimate too, as there are not many records kept of their names or even of all the murders. The story about the invisible children is that they flee to this town at night and sleep in the hospitals, in town, etc. When you see pictures of how many kids are there, you notice that they are literally packed in like sardines, no room for all of them, and some of them are so desensitized by the war, that they are unable to cry.

If you want more information on this, go to www.invisiblechildren.com.

First Couple Days back: Spring 2007

All right it's not Spring yet, but that is the technical name for this semester. I just wanted to clear that up before we get on with the story of how my first couple of days have been. Are we good? If everyone is satisfied, I will move on.

Tuesday started off very interesting. I got up at 7:25am so that I would be fully ready and on time for my first class. I went early because I wasn't sure how to get to my class in the BDA. I was thinking to myself, "Why in the world does my first class have to be Speech?!?" I got there, found the class, and sat down to wait for class starting. I was very early, so I understood I had a while. The minutes passed, and passed, and passed. So far, there was only me and this other guy sitting in the hall. I kept looking at my schedule and was like, "Why isn't anyone here? It says 9:10 and it's 9:00. This professor in there is yammering on like he has another hour! Classes on Monday don't last for an hour and a half!" Then suddenly I started to think about that statement. Doesn't meet on Monday...DUH! TODAY IS TUESDAY!!!! I shouted, "Oh Crap!" then I ran out of the building. I think I scared the guy that was in the hall with me.

Lucky for me though, my next class (meaning my first Tuesday Class) met at 9:40. I wasn't late, and no one knew what happened. You can just call me Mr. Slick. Developmental Psychology was my first class. That should be a fun class. There are some people I know in all of my classes this semester, so it should be good...but to get back to my day. I had a long break until my next class. I went back to the house, grabbed some lunch, and then headed back. My next class was Informal Geometry. I'll just say a few words. I like the Professor, I like the people, I absolutely LOATHE Geometry. He had us take a test to see what level we were on...I literally about stood up and left the class. I think I'm at a level one...out of four. It is just silly. In High School I got an "A" in Algebra One, an "A" in Algebra II, a "B" in Pre-Calculus, a "C+" in Calculus, and a "C-" in Geometry. I mean, I passed by nothing. A 69 and below was failing, I passed Geometry with a 70. I did better in CALCULUS than GEOMETRY!!!! Needless to say I hope this class doesn't own me this semester. If you see or hear a story of an MTSU student shouting profanities at various Circles or Squares, don't worry about it. I'll be fine.

Now for today! My classes today went well. I'm kinda nervous about my Speech class. I said all 50 states in under 20 seconds, so I'm not a total loser anymore. I met some cool people. There was this cute girl in the class and I was thinking, "Wow, she's pretty cool." Then for her interesting fact, she said that she's been happily married for 5 months....she's 19. I swear, the girls I think are attractive have kids or are married. Crazy. I am absolutely psyched about Tennessee History. This is a class where I truthfully no NOTHING going into it. It will be fun to learn. For Regional Geography...I wanted to stand up and Clap when he read the syllabus. He is awesome!

This is a lot to take in one sitting. I hope you all are having a great day!

Christian Hand Holders

I attended the Passion Conference last week, and learned many valuable things. I could get real spiritual and talk about those instances, or I could embrace the observations I made about Christian Couples Vs. New/Regular Couples holding hands. Hey, that sounds like fun! Let's do that.

Zach, Lynette and I were sitting down at the GWCC and we started to People Watch. There were College students from all over the country and the world. It was fun to watch. them interact with each other. I zeroed in on the couples. When I looked carefully, I started to notice something interesting. Almost every single couple we passed held hands with their fingers interlocking. Then I started to think what interlocking fingers meant. To me, interlocking fingers mean that there is a deeper sense of connection. Not just the physical, but the emotional as well. In most Christian relationships, faith is more openly discussed and valued. Because of that, they interlock fingers as a symbol of trust and completeness in their relationship with God and each other.

I thought to myself, "Maybe I'm crazy! Let's see if I can disprove my theory." I kept looking at the couples, and I found a couple who wasn't interlocking their fingers. The funny thing was that once the girl's cell phone rang, she immediately let go of his hand, answered the phone, and ignored him. That led me to think that they may not have the best relationship. Then there were couples who had one finger interlocking. They seemed uncomfortable being around each other and acted like this hand holding thing was a test...their relationship was in the beginning stages.

Then I saw some girls holding hands. You know what? They weren't interlocking! Although girls can show their affection toward each other better than guys can, they still didn't interlock because there was something about that oneness and togetherness that they couldn't have. If you notice too that when guys hold hands when their group is praying, they NEVER interlock. If they do, it's because it's a joke. It makes me uncomfortable thinking about guys interlocking hands, and I know that most guys would agree with me.

Look at couples holding hands. Look at people holding hands. You can learn a lot about people by the way they hold hands. Or you can just make up random theories and sound kinda smart!