. . .

in about 24 hours and 6 minutes 2007 will have arrived. i have no idea where i'll be or with whom i'll be. just like last year, and all the years before.

i could let this depress me, or i could focus on all the good stuff that has happened in 2006. i won't go into that list right now . . . you're welcome.

but i must say, i believe that new year's eve has got to be the most depressing day of the year for all us unattached single folk. some people say it's valentine's day (mostly women) and they are partially right, but new year's eve is the time when you gather with friends to usher in the new year, and all the couples exchange those first kisses of the new year. all us single folks are left just sitting there feeling awkward.

this blog isn't supposed to be a rant on being single, however, as i've had a lot of free time since classes ended for winter break, i've been inundated with tons of those sappy, happy, chick flicks. you know the ones i'm talking about -- the movies where the guy and girl struggle through an hour or so of beating around the bush and end up professing their love right at the last minute. i read a book once that referred to these movies as "girl porn." now, let me explain what i mean -- "guy porn" plays to the eyes of men, while "girl porn" plays on the emotions of women; getting them all worked up over this emotional roller coaster of a film. what makes this so hard for both men and women is that it's not a realistic portrayal of life (i hope you already know this), and it messes with our heads.

most of my seminary peeps are gone for the holidays; everybody who lives here is doing family stuff; and i can't go home yet. this is all coming out a bit late, but i bring this up because all these movies (some i've seen before, others not) just make me feel even more lonely. they make me feel like a loser cause my life hasn't worked out like the movie. which is a load of crap.

and i realized something - God loves me. he has a plan for me. i have to trust him to work it out in his perfect timing. if i try to get involved, i'll screw it up for sure. it's hard, but i believe it's worth the wait. i recall Psalm 23, and i am comforted. i am not alone . . . God is always with me.

it's now closer to 23 hours and 28 minutes til 2007. i pray that you will remember that God is with you and he loves you very, very much. Happy New Year!

i hope some of that made sense.

randy

Christmas eve and other stories

i'm packing. again. grrrrrr....

i hate packing. i hate living out of a bag with limited clothing selections. you know, like -- what if i get to where i'm going, and then don't feel like wearing what i've packed? maybe i'm being a girl, here; sue me.

but packing means i'm going somewhere.

my parents have put up for airfare tomorrow, which means that instead of a ten hour drive to columbia, i only have a 1 hr 41 min flight to charlotte and a one hour drive to columbia. woo hoo! this will be my second flight to the carolinas in as many weeks -- i'm becoming a regular world traveler.

tomorrow also brings another type of decision -- what to wear to church.
should tomorrow be a dressed up day, or a business casual day, or maybe be a rebel and go jeans... this ordinarily wouldn't be an issue, but tomorrows a special day, for multiple reasons.
1. tomorrow's Christmas eve. it nearly begs to have people dress up.
2. tomorrow i perform my first baptism. i have the privilege and honor of baptizing one of my students. i'm terribly excited, but you probably can't tell.
3. tomorrow's Christmas eve...wait, i've already mentioned that one...

Christmas eve holds a special place in my life. for years, my family (parents and brother) would go to church for the Christmas eve service, then meet my grandparents (dad's side) at red lobster and then go and exchange presents either at our home or theirs. even though i got all the "good stuff" on Christmas morning and spent that day with my mom's folks, it was always Christmas eve that was most special.
in 1998, i spent my birthday at my grandfather's funeral, and a year later we were having a my grandmother's funeral a week before Christmas, while i started a new job the next day.
as of tomorrow, i have a new reason for Christmas eve to be special. as i already mentioned, i'm baptizing a student tomorrow morning. what better day than Christmas eve to profess one's faith publicly?

anywho... the story of Christmas (from the ESV Bible)

Luke 2

The Birth of Jesus Christ

1In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

8And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. 11For unto you is born this day in the city 0f David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"

15When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to s." 16And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20And the shepherds returned, glorifying and raising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

God bless you all, I love you, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year!

rando

refresh, and other rando(m) thoughts...

as i sit in a Sleep Inn here in wake forest, nc, i am thankful for a time to recharge and be refreshed. as always, time with my brother can be trying, but it's a comfortable sort of trying.

i've had time with my family, time with my self, time with all the people in the houston airport, and time with my Savior. i always get time with my Savior, but sometimes at home all the stuff i've gotta do clutters my brain, and i have a hard time focusing (*screaming*).

one thing that hit me the other night as i prayed, so many times i pray that God's will be done in my life (as it should be), but Jesus told us in Matthew to "ask, and it shall be given to you, knock and the door shall be opened, seek and you shall find."

so, i asked.

i hope this thing i have asked for is in God's will. i would wait forever if i only knew. part of being a follower of Jesus, however, is trusting in God's timing, and waiting on him.

i think in the past i've asked for God's will, but not actually told God what it was i wanted, and it hit me that God wants us to ask, to seek, to knock. he doesn't just give us stuff. i think i had forgotten that.

so i asked.

what is it you need or want to ask God for?

rando

the fog

fog settled in around new orleans last night. my former roommate, angel, was a bit freaked out. he doesn't get fog in south florida. it didn't help that he recently (i suppose) saw the movie "the fog."

the fog was still around this morning, but it wasn't too bad. my flight to houston took off with no problems and we were set to have a beautiful arrival in sunny houston.

the fog not only followed me to houston, it beat me here. we had the (unknown at the time) privilege of a fully computerized landing. the airport is temporarily shut down, and my flight has been delayed.

sometimes in our christian walk, fog settles in. we find it hard to see our way. we lose sight of our goal. we delay fellowship, worship, prayer, and all sorts of other things that God uses to mature us.

i pray that when the fog sets in around you, you stay focused on your Savior, the only one who can "land" you safely.

rando

off to see the wizard...

ok, so there's no wizard (at least that i'm aware of), but i'm still off... to the great city of wake forest, nc. my brother graduates from SEBTS on friday, and i'm flying up to nc to see him get his walk on. i suppose the best part of this trip is getting a break from life for a couple of days. school is over for the semester, and this will be like a small vacation from work. i'll also get to see my family and some family friends.

i'm gonna miss belle chasse and nola, but, as they say, "absence makes the heart grow fonder" (i've always wondered who "they" are) (and why they "say" things).

for anybody in nola or belle chasse reading this, i will miss you. you can call me on my cell if you need me: 504-232-5579.

rando

rando(m) question...

if you could change one thing about church, what would it be?

running

first run in a month.

my last run was exactly one month and a day ago. the cold i had at the time kicked into high gear, and i was desperate to shake it, so i took a hiatus from my running. the frustrating thing was that i had only been back to running for less than a month, and then i had to stop.

the cold left about a week ago, and no relapses, so tonight i hooked up the ole nano to the nike+ shoes and circled the seminary campus. it felt great. i took it easy, but it felt great anywho.

more (not so) random thoughts

so, this week has been nuts. crazy nuts, even. i've been finishing up projects, preparing and delivering a sermon, making slideshows from YEC pictures, taking exams, being sick, getting well -- but in this midst of it all i see and hear God talking to me. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind/strength." - Matthew 22:37. I preached on this verse sunday night, and again in a class worship service. then one of my adult leaders, kirby, taught it again on wednesday night. FOCUS. i can't help but think that it all comes down to this - FOCUS. Jesus said that the great commandent in jewish law is to love God with all of our being. He said that the second great commandment is to love our neighbors as ourselves. if we focus on God, we take the focus off ourselves and are able to minister to our neighbors. where is your FOCUS?

on a personal note, there's stuff i've been meaning to do. stuff i desperately want to do, but i'm scared. scared of what it might mean. scared of what it might mean if things go well. scared if they go poorly. but this week (today, even), it's like there are people out there i've never met who are encouraging me to get over my fears, and take a leap. in the words of my brother (the wise, soon to be seminary grad and us/c2 missionary), i'm gonna "be vulnerable." ultimately God is in control and it will all work out.

on another personal note (i think this will be my record for longest blog), i recently did one of those "quiz your friends" things, and i may have inadvertantly tripped some of you up. on the question about my current favorite tv show, the correct answer was "heroes" and many of you chose "studio 60." now, i hadn't seen studio 60 in several weeks, after watching this week's episode (after having missed the last episode), i was reminded that indeed, it was probably a tie. BUT. because of how this episode spoke to me, and even gave me some of the stuff i needed to hear (this is the kind of stuff i talked about in the previous paragraph), i think studio 60 would definitely edge out heroes in a runoff. so, congrats to all you who chose studio 60 on my quiz, you all get one more point (this is all very unofficial), but before you get too cocky, the people who chose heroes still get their point too.

oh, and if you haven't watched studio 60. you missed out on a beautiful tribute to New Orleans monday night.

Merry Christmas

RC