Mr. Microphone

About two weeks ago I got some kind of flu, and although it only lasted a few days, I still don't feel like I'm back to my usual self. My mornings are still great, and I can stay focused on what I'm doing pretty well. But after noon I seem to feel tired and get headaches, and it's been really tough for my schooling. I haven't been keeping on my homework and I feel like I've slipped behind in nearly all of my classes. Today I have class from 5 until 10, and I honestly don't know I'm going to manage that.

I'm going to organize my stuff and see if I can get some Bibleture time in before class. I've been reading through the NT again, and I'm in John. There is a lot of stuff in John that the other three don't get into, especially Jesus's claims to be God. I've had some Jehovas Witnesses approach me a couple times recently, and each time they pick out a few specific verses and say, "what do you think about that verse; what's it really trying to say?" So I've been reading through John a lot slower this time, trying to understand the full meaning behind the verses.

Hope you're all doing well.
In Him,
Johnathan

For the past few days I've been sick with the flu. It seems like everybody is getting it all at the same time. But in a way it's been nice to be at home and just take things slower. At school I noticed that I'm actually paying attention better and being a little less anxious, and even at home I'm noticing that I'm a little bit more attentive towards the things that I usually avoid. I've now become my cat's favorite owner... leaving her fur all over the clothes I leave out to wear.

Anyhow, here's what I've been up to the past few weeks.

Stuff I've been up to

These pictures sorta sum up what I had been up to for the few months before I moved back to Sacramento. Life was moving really fast and these pics mean a lot to me. Good times!

This was my first try at eating menudo. Most of the good stuff had already been ladled out, but I was pretty hungry and this stuff certainly solved that problem...

Alyson and Andre just chillin at Cela's graduation

Yeah, blowing bubbles and sucking helium: Alfred uses his masterly skills of goofing-off to produce a good time.


A desperate act to get rid of my old mattress. (that sucker's queen-size)


Fat man in a little coat.


Josh looking strikingly like Wolverine - with four nostrils.


Team Thunder Punch taking a break from the ruthless carnage of Rec Time.


Preparing his speech before the onset of a victorious campaign to beat Team Rabid Badgers. Absolutely brilliant.


I have to head to class. Post some more later.

Here's a few on my family trip to Texas, passing through the Grand Canyon:


i was in awe of this figurine


I'm not always perfect at trusting God's will, and I oftentimes find myself banging my head against a wall because of it; but God really blessed me when I moved down to San Diego and I think that the decision was one of the first that really tested how much I trust Him. These blogs are weird how you just open your lives up and give a tell-all, or tell-almost-all. But in the least I hope that this blog helps me to communicate some things that are important to me. And I hope that whoever you are, that you had a nice day. Mmhmm.

Some pics from when I took a visit to Cynthia's college.

just driving down the highway and saw some Redwoods.


nearby Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo


a break from rallying


some fine looking hefer!

The cool thing to do

C.S. Lewis writes in Mere Christianity that there are many situations where it’s cool to pretend. Like when you wake up grouchy but start pretending to be well-composed and content when you arrive at work, or even like how Bell (in a way) pretended that the Beast was actually a man when she kissed him. And so by pretending, things start to become something that they’re not. Suddenly you find yourself well-composed and content after a few minutes at work, or amazingly the Beast you were kissing turns out, like you pretended – use your imagination – to be a Man. The point of those examples is that sometimes it’s cool to pretend because in those moments you realize that you haven’t much to lose in doing so.
I’m starting to understand why some of my favorite movies are The Incredibles and Lord of the Rings and Tommy Boy. It’s because the fantastic become reality! On a daily basis I can’t go around saving my family or my middle-earth or my business, but every day I am approached with moments that will totally test my faith in the things that I know are right.
For me, though, I realized that my faith has changed so much over the years that I’ve become a totally different person. This section was in the “Let’s Pretend” chapter of Mere Christianity:
“When a young man who has been going to church in a routine way honestly realizes that he does not believe in Christianity and stops going – provided he does it for honesty’s sake and not just to annoy his parents – the spirit of Christ is probably nearer to him then than it ever was before.”
The first time I read that I must have missed it, because when I read it recently I was totally stirred from the core. Looking into my own life, I can see how it was the act of not going to church that sort of put my faith into action; I didn’t believe that attending church was bringing me any closer to God’s kingdom, and He let me go down that route. And it was on that route that I discovered how absolutely powerful God is, and how much grace He is capable of, and how much in need I am of fellowship! With not much to lose, I found something new that was worth selling everything I have just to keep it.

Anyhow, pretending isn’t just for kids, and it’s definitely not just a toy ;) I wonder what the people listening to Jesus speak must have thought when He asked them, “Just pretend for a second,” before laying out some awesome parables.

I'm mostly here to leave comments on other blogs. I like hearing about other people's lives, but my own life I'm not sure has enough content for something like this. But I'll give it a try!

Heading off to study before my Trigonometry test. My order at half.com fell through, so temporarily I have to use the library texts to do my studying. But I just have to rely on God like I did last year, not because it's the only way that I can keep focused on it, but because He's the only one that even knows where I'm going after this semester; and He's a lot more reliable than half.com, haha.

Hope your day is going well,
Johnathan