A Paradoxical Universe.

Sometimes we create for ourselves a series of paradoxes that just never seem to make sense no matter how you put them. “Why do we drive on parkways and park on driveways?”, “Why don’t chick peas come from chicks?”, and so on. One of the few paradoxes that I’ve seen in the past week has come from the religious situations at Vanderbilt University. The problem is the confliction between two private institutions, the one housing the other, and both are disagreeing on the issue of diversity and acceptance, but neither willing to compromise their values. While I recognize the right of any private organization to subject itself to its own rules it seems paradoxical to… exclude an organization simply because it wants to reserve its own right of exclusion.

Whatever the principles are, one cannot simply walk into mordor. I simply cannot understand how a university is preventing the return of a religious organization on the grounds that its exclusive. Its too diverse. That makes no sense. The purpose of the organization is for the people that fit into its category to come together and experience their passions together and share them with one another. They are recognizing the beliefs that make them diverse, but  being diverse is too exclusive. We must be diverse together. So we must all be the same in that we must all be inclusively diverse. Well I can’t make head or tail of it, so I’ll leave it at that.

Well, classes are moving along, extracirricular activities are simply consuming all of my time, so if you would just pray for me that I would be able to manage all of them and simply remember which ones I have when that would be amazing. Also, I’m starting a prayer journal as a part of E-Training, an awesome training series that is simply focused on the growth of the Christian. If any of you are interested, I can send you some of the materials and ideas of what we are doing, because its really cool, and after just 2 sessions I already feel challenged to grow more in just one week than I have before. Back on track if you have any prayers just let me know and I’ll be glad to pray for them and keep you all in and on my heart. Thanks guys!

 

----The Running Man

Amarillo Sky

I really like that song. Amarillo Sky just talks about a farmer who lives an honest life. He has all that he can ask for and he is happy with it. He prays to God to protect his crops and family, and keeps on plowing. That was my first country song (courtesy of Katie Chadwick ;D) and my second was my lifetime favorite song Chicken Fried.

Most artists generally have some sort of genre that they deal with using the sound of country music to get it across. Brad Paisley talks about everyone’s dreams in songs like Celebrity, Online, Ticks, etc. Blake Shelton talks about the good things in life and he romanticizes them. Jason Aldean refers to the redneck side of us all kinda like Justin Moore does. Carrie Underwood talks about party girl problems most of the time, and Zac Brown Band just sings about good living, the joys and the pains. Of course, each artist varies from these topics here and there.

Its kinda like the body of the Church. We are called together under the common bond of Christ, and we live out our lives in their genres with different stories signifying different parts of the body.

Anyways I’m leaving tomorrow for Nashville and when I think about it, I’ll be back in March for Spring Break, and I’ll be back in May after finals. Other than that. I won’t see most of you guys for a while. You Auburn folk I may not see until May if you don’t come to Nashville soon. I’m gonna miss you guys, and the hectic idea of real life again just kinda doesn’t sound fun, although I do feel kinda weird not working at all. O well.

Country Music and Jesus don’t really go hand in hand to often whether God is mentioned in the song or not (except God Gave Me You). And neither does my leaving. If we spent our lives looking for every possible connection to something. We may mistake something that looks like a pattern for something that’s actually just a random assortment. But that doesn’t mean God doesn’t have a purpose for it. It could be the most random addition of total opposites you’ve ever seen, but God can bring them together to be used for His good. And that is where the pattern never stops showing up. God always uses things to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Night Ya’ll.

 

----The Running Man

Funny Thing…

You know, its funny how little thinking I did while I was backpacking through the Appalachians. I had hours to myself to think about whatever I wanted and most of it was pretty trivial. Although we did have a pretty good time singing some praise songs and reading some scripture. We talked about the marvels around us, but I didn’t really do too much in depth thinking about the meaning of life or anything. But sometimes I just kinda learn to value time alone a little more. Time alone with God to think my life through and time alone to listen to and talk to God.

But do you ever find yourself not doubting God, but wishing you had some tangible or audible reassurance? Some sort of help so that when you really don’t know what’s wrong, you can be confident that something’s right. I don’t like feeling like that. I love feeling the arms of God’s love around me. Its times like that where I just break down and cry from shame and joy at the same time. Shame from being found out, but joy from knowing that God is there. Cause there honestly are times where I just feel like I need to feel something. To feel God’s love. And He pops up. Sometimes He will come through another person, but every now and then He does this wonderful thing where in my quiet times I just feel swept up in His arms and there is nothing I can do. I’m truly helpless, and it feels like the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders. It’s a feeling I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world. God is so good. Just remember that.

 

----The Running Man

I can only imagine

Hey guys so today’s post is actually my first of the new year, and it’s a post about how I spent the new year. After a great party at the Krueger’s I got home around 4 am and had to leave at 430 so that I could be at the church on new years to leave for a trip. At 520 I hopped in the car and drove to Chattanooga.We picked up Nathan Newman and drove up to the Smokies.

Day 1: We arrived at the Jake’s Creek Trailhead at around 1 and left with our packs strapped at 2. From an elevation of about 700 feet we hiked up to about 4800 feet in 5 miles (Quite a FEET if you’ve ever been hiking(haha that was a PUN)) then declined to 4100 feet to set up camp over the next mile. That night we built a fire and set up tents, but the temperature dropped down to about 10 degrees.

Day 2: We woke around 8 and went for a nice 7 mile hike rising in elevation to 5607 feet and then decreasing to around 5500 for camp. We had a shelter, but the temperature never really rose about 20 degrees. That hike took around 4 hours, a pretty good pace, and Leo, Jonathan, and I finished about an hour before the other three. After the others showed up, Leo, Jonathan and I decided to hike up to Clingman’s Dome (The second highest point on the east coast) A hike to 6500 feet over 3 miles. A VERY strenuous hike when its freezing out. But by the time we got through about 2 miles, the wind was hitting about 25mph and it was snowing pretty hard. By the time we got to the top, the wind was around 40 mph, and the temperature was around –20 degrees with wind chill. We hiked the 3 miles back in the dark and froze to death that night in –10 degree weather.

Day 3: we woke up and descended back to 700 feet over 12 miles in 4.5 hours. That’s super legit fast and we beat the other three by 3 hours because they left 2 hours before us and got finished 1 hour afterwards.

Dueces!

----The Running Man