Wednesday night I drove home, hopeful to catch the last few minutes of America’s Next Top Model. Around ten, I caught glimpse of a preview for an ABC special I had interest in watching and decided I would tune in.
Blessed that I did.
Have you heard of Randy Pausch? I hadn’t. Tonight I was introduced to him, his beautiful wife, and his 3 kids. This professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon is suffering from fatal pancreatic cancer. He is truly inspirational, not because of all the crazy things he’s doing before he dies, but because of the magical legacy of hope he is leaving.
You must watch this special to really get this. Or his famed lecture: The Last Lecture:
If you choose not to watch, yet, here are some true gems from this wonderful man:
- “I’ve never found anger to make a situation better.”
- “Tell the truth… all the time”
- “Can you see love? Can you see hope? No. But it is real.”
- When talking to girls about boys, “Ignore everything they say, pay attention to what they do.”
I am rarely moved so greatly as I was tonight. He said, when speaking about leaving his family:
“Someone is going to push my family off a cliff very soon and I wont be there to catch them… but, I have some time to sew some nets.”
This is true for all of us. Sew furiously.
“Please don’t die, all the magic will leave with you.” -Jai Pausch
February 14, 2008, 3:21 am
Filed under: Uncategorized
I was in a car accident on Saturday. It was minor, no injuries, but technically my fault. We were merging onto I-76 west and when the F-150 in front of me saw the stand still traffic we faced ahead he decided it would be a good idea to STOP! I swerved to miss his abrupt halt but clipped the rear of his truck.
Boo. Hoo.
Feel sorry for me yet?
I was so angry. It was his fault. He took blame, apologizing over and over again. I knew, however, this was my fault. Bottom line. So I reached this conclusion. Driving away from my poor, poor Scion Tc. Rules are in place not to stifle us but to protect us. Rules are established when someone does something reckless or careless and decides to let the rest of the world know, “HEY, DON’T DO THIS!”
It’s obvious right. We hear this when we are children. “I’m doing this to protect you.” We get it… but only to an extent. It is when we actually make the mistake of disobedience that we feel the sting of consequence.
As I maneuvered my rental (2008 Jeep Compass) home my mind raced.
“That stop sign’s there for a reason, those double yellow lines aren’t confining me their guiding me, this seat belt is for my protection.”
These thoughts translated into my spiritual life. God has set up rules for us; rules that I often overlook as fundamental laws that I don’t necessarily need to follow. Don’t get drunk. No sex before marriage. Go to church on Sunday. Love your neighbor. Watch your mouth.
God actually says (I assume), “ Alcohol can make you foolish. I gave you an incredible mind and clear thoughts. You are not a fool. Your body is a temple. Your heart is mine. No one will ever love your body as much as I do. My words will guide you and fellowship will encourage you. The bride will help you grow. I created this world and all that is in it. Love the people in it and respect it in order to glorify Me and to maintain its youth.”
It’s not rocket science. But now and again, we all need to be reminded.
Accidents happen. On the road. In our lives. God is gracious. Endlessly.
January 30, 2008, 5:32 pm
Filed under: Uncategorized
It’s hard, you know. To truly look at yourself, your beliefs, your current situation and be ruthlessly honest about what’s going on. But I know that God calls us to do that. It has become apparent to me, over the past few days, how distorted Christian’s worldviews can be. I’ve become angry, enraged at times, at the complete disregard of respect for “gentile” humanity. Stories such as a father and mother who disown and abandon responsibilities as parents when they find out their daughter has begun having sex with her boyfriend, or protesters who condemn outside the funeral of Heath Ledger because he portrayed a gay man in a film. I have been aware that people like this exist for the longest time, but my anger has become so intense over the past few weeks. The same thoughts come to mind every time I hear something like this: they absolutely cannot know the same God I know, what Bible are they reading, and mostly, “WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY THINKING.”
ruthless honesty.
This particular blog is not to go on and on about why these people are wrong. (They are very wrong, just so you know) It is, rather, to address why I have been feeling so hurt by the actions of these Christians.
My boyfriend, the intelligent and sometimes infamous Art Boulet, studies. I mean he studies a lot. At times I have been discouraging and sour about the amount of time and dedication that he puts into his love of theology, not being able to understand the importance. I understand that its great to know the bible and where it comes from and a basic history behind it, but why get into the six different meanings of the word “the” and when he starts talking “midrash” I ask if its contagious. (Oh, man I’ve been wanting to use that one for awhile… THANK GOD FOR BLOGS)
There has been a shift in my thinking, however. I see it now. I don’t know why or where the change occurred but I get it. I have been so bothered by the ludicrous claims of some Christians because I know what each of us are capable of knowing… the truth. Instead of pouring over scripture, ancient near eastern texts, Hebrew translations, and whatever else we can get our hands on to get a better understanding of what the Bible is saying… we resort to what we’ve heard before or blind faith. In fact, our faith does not have to be blind. Christ gave us sight. The words that God has blessed us with must be dissected and interpreted and understood deeply. When we disregard the importance of theology (the study of God), is when we all begin to see different gods. There is one God of the Bible. We must pursue discovering exactly who He is relentlessly. I am so encouraged by Art and who he is and what he is becoming. I was raised catholic (loosely) began to see what it meant to be a Christian in high school and have been questioning ever since. For the first time in my life I have met someone who, more than anything, has validated how I have felt over the past few years. My questions and doubts have been met with evidence.
I am working on my patience towards people who do not study and do not know, yet make claims like they do. I am learning to listen. I think they should do the same.
Wow. What a year. Here it is, in short review: I moved; not across the city, not across the state, across the country (slightly exaggerated). From the midwest, to the northeast. I think my fashion reflects my move as well.
2007 taught me to:
think more
listen closer
The year seemed to be full of cycles. Death, life, death, life. The past year started out with the death of a relationship, transitioned to the birth of new friends and new lives, and then back again to the death of a loved one.
Nature’s seasons mirror the cycles of life.
Anyway, it was a good year. Full of good days. I am more than excited for what is to come, and welcome the trials. I’m ready.
