home movies
If you have a sibling, and you aren't as close to them as you should be, then call them. Give them a hug. Build on that relationship. I say this because God has blessed me with a really awesome brother, and I would hate for you all to miss out on that kind of closeness.
The mushy stems from the visit I had with Leslie and Sara this weekend in North Carolina. I took my camera, but unfortunately took no pictures. Who does that? The visit was great though. It'd been too long since I'd seen Leslie. I got to see his humongous office at the Church where he works, and we played some marathon pingpong. Other activities included lots of NFL Blitz on Gamecube and driving among the majestic Blue Ridge mountains.
I thought that Leslie and I might grow more distant after he got married, but I'm pleased to say that hasn't happened. In fact, I've gained a very cool sister-in-law. I realized she was cool when she did Tae Bo in front of people without stopping out of embarrassment. That's how I feel about DDR, so I give her kudos. You might remember from one of my previous posts that I have spent some time hanging out with Sara's sister, Christianna, in Montreal. It was good to get to know the other Blouin sister a little bit better. Needless to say, I'm really pleased with Leslie's choice in a wife.
Leslie and Sara also introduced me to one of their friends, Beulah. They told me she was very cool, and I'm beginning to agree. Here are some reasons why: 1) She has a 3-legged dog. 2) Her Dad and brother play bluegrass. 3) She watched an entire season of Home Movies with me at Leslie and Sara's in one sitting. And she liked it. Anyone who likes that show the first time has got to be okay.
One other thing Beulah did was convince me to finally sign up for Facebook. So now I've got a profile there. If you're so inclined, feel free to add me there. I love talking to my friends, both old and new.
That's all for now, but I shall post again soon, with pics from this week! Stay tuned...
no regrets
I'm feeling opinionated... so prepare to bear the brunt of my ruminations.
They used to come to me by e-mail, but things tend to move from one form of annoying to another without changing their nature (like this blog). Of course, I speak of Myspace bulletin surveys. Despite my best efforts, I read some of them. I see a lot of this question, in one form or another, "If you had it to do over again, would you (insert X)?"
Frequently, the reply is, in one form or another, "No, I have no regrets. If I hadn't made the choices I did, I wouldn't be who I am today."
Excuse my language, but Poppycock.
There. I've said it.
While I respect many of the people who feel this way, I disagree with their line of thought on this subject.
We are so terribly concerned that life doesn't catch us by surprise. More importantly, we desperately don't want look like fools. Good luck with that, mortal.
When the "no regrets" band wagon was first loaded, I think it made sense. It was an encouragement. "Follow your dreams, brother. Don't let fear keep you from that something great which you would do." In other words, live your life in such a way that you will have no regrets.
It means something else now, doesn't it? Now, it entails making yet another offering to the Great (Everyone Needs to Know How Cool and Self-Confident) I Am. And what, exactly, is bound upon the altar? Repentance and humility, for starters. I've made a lot of bad choices. I can think of a few I'd gladly take back, given the chance. To my understanding, that is part of repentance. It doesn't mean I have to dwell on the past and live in guilt -- that ignores forgiveness. What it does mean is realizing that what I've done is wrong. If I wouldn't change it, given the chance, then I can't have changed much. I suspect on that point, many of you will disagree; and you are entitled.
Let me leave you with this question, though. What is the reason for this dedication to our past? Are we so pleased with ourselves now that we're glad we didn't always take God's path? Maybe we are. I really believe that if I had taken God's path, I'd be in a much better position than I am now. When I don't recognize that fact, I let my arrogance fly in the face of His wisdom and His will.
Here is one of my favorite sections of scripture, Deuteronomy 30:15-19:
See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Apparently, we can look back on our lives and say to God, "God, thanks for bringing me so far. I'm pretty happy with where we are now. Honestly, aren't You glad we didn't do it Your way? I mean, we wouldn't be here today if we had!"
I'm sure God understands. After all, we know best.
Right?
happy festivus… now for the feats of strength!
ah, only Seinfeld.
Anyway, I'm back safe and sound from Guatemala. not that I wanted to leave. yet, all last week I found myself sitting at my desk, working away. That's not depressing.
This visit was more productive, and less adventurous than the first. Wednesday I roamed around Guatemala City and discovered that my Spanish is at least passable. I successfully ordered lunch, took two taxis, and hung out in an internet café. No one tried to kidnap or kill me, so far as I know. Also, I interviewed and dropped resumes at a couple of English teaching schools. I really would like to move there, but I'm praying about it. Please pray that God will make the path obvious, and if I'm not to go, that He'll shut the doors.
Whether I am to return or not, I had a great time with Mafer and also with the Purcells. As previously noted, Brenda makes me laugh a lot. This time around I also met the infamous Nate. I'm pretty sure we would be good friends, given the time. He's got a good (read: similar to my) sense of humor. I had a great time visiting Mafer too. I made her watch The Muppets Take Manhattan with me in Spanish. (Props go out to my good friend Dr. Melanie Harkabus for hooking me up with that for Christmas.) Also, we went out to a really sweet restaurant in Antigua at Hotel Casa Santo Domingo. You can look at the link, but the food is excellent, and the grounds are impressive. A lot of people have weddings in their outdoor chapel. There is a museum underneath the hotel which connects it to the parking. If you ever want to go somewhere fancy in Guatemala, I highly recommend it. Here's the obligatory picture:
Last night I went to Fort Walton Beach Church of Christ with some of the Youth Group for Ignite. It went pretty well. Afterwards, we went to get ice cream at Baskin Robbins. Those of you who know me also know that I almost never eat dessert and rarely crave it. It was a nice exception. Mint Chocolate Chip and Cookie Dough make a great combination, no matter what anyone says. This is how I look sometimes when I am trying to decide if the teens are actually as insane as I think (they're more insane).
At least my beard is coming back again. Wooo!
Thursday after work, I'm flying up to visit my brother and sister-in-law in North Carolina. I'll be there until Sunday afternoon. It will be good to see him again. We're going to have fun.
This blog isn't over until you pin me!!! FESTIVUS!
Recent Comments
- Who Said That? on My On-Air discussion with JD Wells about Ron Paul’s foreign policy
- Ron Paul President 2.0 on The Party’s Over?
- SteveMT on The Party’s Over?
- Lloyd on The Party’s Over?
- Linton on The Party’s Over?
I know you!
Phillip "Carpe Diem" Cunningham III
Leslie Taylor
Jonathan Storment
Brandon Tittle
Questio Verum
Deanna
Allison Boyd
