Day: Graduation?

So I'm graduating tonight... Do I feel different? No not really. It still doesn't feel like I've graduated yet. I mean... Idk. I just feel like its not different yet. I don't think I will really feel the actual affects of being out of high school until the first day of college when I live at the school and don't have to sit in the same building for 7 hours a day. I just have been through summer so many times between years of school its hard to know this one is different. I could really use a drink right now. You know what I want? Tickets to the Zac Brown Band Concert. We will see how that goes... haha

So last night was Monday night wasn't it? We heard the coolest speaker ever last night. His name was Fran Shocca? I don't know how to spell his last name. But he's the coolest speaker. He talked about so many different things. Most of it was addressed to the seniors graduating and headed off to college next year. He addressed so many different fears that I've had this year regarding college next year. He spoke about so many different things and the one thing that he continually focused on was the traditional idea that your friends determine who you are.

 One verse he referred to was Amos 3:3 (honestly this man sounded like he had the whole Bible memorized haha he was great) but Amos 3:3 said, "Can two walk together unless they are agreed?" Basically two people can meet on the path of life and enjoy each other's momentary presence, but they cannot walk along the path with one another unless they share the same values. With that in mind who do you hang out with? Well I guess you don't have to answer haha. Another thing he talked about was what you want to be said about you at your funeral. How do you want people to remember you, and if you could hear your own eugogoly (Zoolander), then what would you want to hear? Always something to think about. But I mean of course this isn't the only thing that this guy talked about, but I just don't have the time to go into it all. He was a great speaker. Amazing. So yep. Graduation is tonight hope you guys come to my house afterwards. Later!
---- The Walking Man

Day: Orienteering

So today I went orienteering. Doug gave me a little bit of instruction but basically there was a map, a big one. Of a portion of Oak Mountain State Park. It had thirty points on it with little clues on what each of the points looked like when you got in the area. It was tough. I took 170 minutes and found 22 of the 30 points. Doug, however, took 88 minutes to find all 30 of them. I feel like a loser. Except its Doug. Can't compare to him haha, but wandering around in the woods for a while is a difficult issue ha. Especially because if you are lost, you don't know it really. At first you think you've moved slightly to the left or to the right and so you run over there. Then realize that's not right either but you think you got closer so  you keep going. Turns out, you completely missed the point and you are now lost. And the best part is, there is no, "You are here." point on the map. You get lost, and you have to just walk until you find a landmark that you can identify on the map. The topography (altitude part of the map) doesn't really help either. So many ridges and valleys, its tough haha.

We kinda get like that in our faith sometimes. We start off really well, but we go off the path, start saying, "hey that looks like where we are supposed to be!" and instead of checking our map to see where we are going, we end up lost and without any idea what happened and completely lost. Then you know what happens? You find the landmark. The only way to find your way back is with a landmark. A friend must turn you around, a partner must tell you that you have gone off the path. He or she can guide you back to the path and keep you going where you need to go. But sometimes we think we are still going in the right direction and we ignore the landmarks we see. That's when God has to do something drastic to get your attention. Something drastic is something that just drops you to your knees in humility.

I saw a really cool picture the other day. It was almost heartbreaking. A guy kneels down and prays to God thanking Him for some great things and praying for protection and good circumstances. He gets up and begins walking away when a pebble hits him in the head and he cries out, "WHY GOD WHYYY? WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME?" He turns around and is abruptly confronted by a man. Not just any man, but a colossal man. Its Jesus. He turns his head as He stands with his arms spread receiving blows from boulders and giant rocks that would have hit the man. He then says, "O I'm sorry, did I miss one?" We completely miss the big picture. We take one little hit and freak out that God isn't protecting us, when instead, its something minor that He let go just so we could know that He's still there. That's He's still there taking every giant blow just for us. So don't miss the big picture, or you could end up off the map ha. later.

---- The Walking Man

Day: Make Your Move Concert

Well so I went to this benefit concert for the tornado victims last night. I spent 30 bucks to help those people and got to see third day, tenth avenue north, trevor morgan, rush of fools, and laura story. Along with speakers like David Nasser and Rick and Bubba. pretty awesome and I got this really cool picture while Third Day was playing. I like it haha. But I did get to meet rush of fools and laura story. AND LAURA STORY OFFERED TO BUY ME A PANCAKE :)) haha.

So today was my last day of high school. What can I say? How can I make it worthwhile? This world around me, its shifting oh so fast. Ha you want some advice? Do I need to tell you what the secret is to getting through high school? Did I use some trick? I mean shoot, I don't care that much about high school to be honest with you. People all around are crying and hugging and writing in each other's year books, but I, I just feel relatively unattached to most of these people. It all stopped after my sophomore year. I almost had to leave and go to Oak Mountain (which quite honestly would have sucked) then I came back and seeing these people was just kinda boring now. People change throughout high school. Do they change in college? Of course, but which way, only time can tell.

I'm want to say I will only become more mature. That's the only thing that will change about me. But I'm going into college and all kinds of things will happen I can't control. But my goal, no my standard, my... expectations for myself. Many people say I don't want to lose my faith and my firm religious roots, yes I agree that is important, but what I want for myself and for all of you going into college isn't that you will hold fast, but that you will continually grow stronger and stronger in the Lord and you will grow closer to Him. I don't want you to stay the same, cause contentness leads to boredom and boredom leads to sin. Don't be bored, stand fast in the Lord, and always, ALWAYS grow closer and closer to Him. :)
---- The Walking Man

Day: Rebel

So this is sorta a steal post from my good ole friend Rachael Luther out of South Carolina, well the idea of it. Her posts are much shorter and stuff. I prefer to elaborate alot ha, explain myself. So you break the rules? Like to fight against authority? You want to be noticed and fight against the stupid rules that have been put in place over you. Right, have fun with that. Today I took my AP English Exam. I think it was probably the most fun exam i have ever taken. I enjoyed the 2 hours I had to just write. It was almost fun except the second prompt was kinda stupid. They say you can't talk about the multiple choice, I think thats cause they give different questions to everyone to fight cheating and to make some people fail. So if I failed the AP Chemistry one, thats why. haha.

The song "Everywhere" by Tim McGraw is on my ipod right now. I kinda like it. The funny thing is that its a really old song. I think someone said it was produced in the 90's? I doubt that so I'm gonna look it up right now. Wow. The song came out in 1997. That's pretty crazy that I didn't hear it until a month ago. I like country music. Liking country music is a pretty different thing around here. I honestly didn't think I would encounter so many people here that didn't like country but o well. Ha. It's America by Rodney Atkins. good song ha.

So you want to be a rebel? Here's what you do. You follow the rules. You read the Bible. You love everyone. Everyone in today's society thinks that being a rebel means sex, smokes, alcohol, motorcycles, and babies. It attracts attention right? Maybe with your parents, but that's the norm for society. Everyone has sex, smokes, drinks, rides motorcycles, and has babies. You walk into your brand new baby that you picked up to stand out (Yeah that's where babies come from you know? You pick them up at Sam's Club.) Anyways you walk into Walmart feelin all cool because guess what? Youre gonna stand out cause you got a baby. You walk over to the fruit aisle cause you want something scrumptious for your baby to eat at home. Maybe some cut up skinned grapes.(who takes the time to do that anyways?) You lean over, pick up the grapes and see a friend of yours down the aisle. O she will think I'm such a rebel when she sees my baby. You quickly wheel your cart over to her and nonchalantly lean over the kiwis with her and see her with surprise. O you have a baby!! She says. Then she turns around. And whips out HER OWN BABY! OH NO! You don't stand out anymore! You look around, EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN BABY!!!! What are you gonna do? You can't take the baby back! Oh me oh my! You turn and see this one girl without a baby. Hmmmm you think to yourself... She must know what to do, she was smart enough not to get a baby. She stands out like a sore thumb here. I'll ask her. Next thing you know she's teaching you the gospel and you've repented of your selfish mistakes and desires to stand out. PRAISE GOD.

StAnd. loVe hIm. Opt to Rebel against society.
---- The Walking Man

Day Long Time

No more days.. haha its too hard to keep up with. I hit 79 non-consecutive days and then I blew it. Its been a while since I've posted because I haven't had much to say. Recently though, I've seen some stuff that has blown my mind. The tornadoes that have come through here have been awesome. No I don't mean the American wow dude thats awesome kind of awesome. I mean the "this is the raw power of God" awesome. God is all-powerful. He can create all kinds of wonderful beauty and He can destroy it in an instant. The definition of sublime is something that is powerful and majestic. This is the power of God. It is the fear we should hold for Him. When you see the devastation caused by the tornado there is also the beautiful work and outpouring of love that comes from the rest of it.

Many people think beauty is found in the things of man. The creation of symmetry or organization creates a sense of peace that overwhelms the crazy human mind and gives him or her a peace of mind that is simply beautiful. But to do this they alter their environment. God created everything and in the book of Genesis and it says several times that God saw what He had made, and it was good. But people try and alter it and cover it and rearrange it so that it isn't so confusing to them. If you see a series of wooded hills and someone tells you its more beautiful than the greatest piece of architecture or the most beautiful painting. You start looking for order or a pattern or something that distinguishes it to make it beautiful. The fact that you can't find that in the hills starts to drive you crazy so you rearrange it, set criteria for whats beautiful and tell them they are wrong.

The devastation caused by the tornadoes is awesome. It is sublime power created by God Himself. They are beautiful, not because they present the disorder that God creates, but because it shows the wonderful unison and organization that God put into people to work together for the glory of God. God created order along with disorder, the fibbonaci sequence? its the spiral pattern you see on shells. But its a mathematical formula too. Its a series of numbers that just beautiful. Its amazing. And if our God is with us, then what can rise against? Our God is so big He's so Big He's so BIG! ha later
---- The Walking Man