Sunday May 23, 2004

Just got in from my first trip to Rita's this year! Dad and I ventured out and he got lime (to make his tongue green) and I got blueberry (bc it has lil blueberries in it and it makes your tongue really blue)! It was such fun. We just sat in the car and listened to Kenny Chesney! What a great end to an amazingly lazy day!!!
I found a bookmark today that would have been so great to have during the fall 2003 school year, but finding it now, it makes me smile and be thankful for God preserving me through that time. It goes as follows:

DON'T QUIT
Don't quit when the tide is lowest,
For it's just about to turn
Don't quit over doubts and questions,
For there's something you may learn.
Don't quit when the night is darkest
For it's just a while til dawn.
Don't quit when you've run the farthest,
For the race is almost won.
Don't quit when the hill is steepest,
For your goal is almost nigh;
Don't quit when you're not a failure
Until you fail to try ~Jim Wolf

It's really a great feeling to have stayed at a college for more than a semester, and not only be content with the school and my life, but to love it and long to get it started back up. Don't get me wrong, the days of floating on a floaty and sleeping in Katie's pool are priceless gifts each and every time, but this year has been such a huge accomplishment!
Also, people say "I feel so close/distant from God lately" and I have to say I'm in a funk (no Katie... I didn't say the dreaded word that we must never say). Maybe starting class at 8am will help get back into the routine. Waking up early and having time for devos was great, but with my lack of any kind of regimented schedule, you'd think I'd have more time for devos, but like the saying goes "idle hands do the devils work" and not that I've been behaving badly, but I haven't been praying or studying like I should. It'd be great to be able to say that God just isn't there, or that He's just distant now, but that'd be falling into a trap that the devil has set up. That Lucifer, he's a sneaky one, but we still all fall for his dastardly little tricks don't we? Rather, the blame must lay fully upon my shoulders. Christ is ever-present and it is not He who separates Himself. Why does He keep taking me back after everything? Arrogant, selfish, demanding, rude, callous, lustful, uncaring... And those characteristics could describe me on a good day. But like Mr. Peck said today, we all need to rebooted into the Spirit-OS (Operating System). Jesus continually wants us to be booted up with Him at the center. So, that is the goal of the week: pack my bags and get back on track, and have the Spirit-OS!