A Short But Well Deserved Update

I know that you haven't really been seeing a lot of new content from me of late. Well, not even collected content for music Monday. To be quite honest I've just been a little busy and I haven't had time to write. That and not having a laptop or computer at home puts a crimp in my ability to create content while offline anyway. But that's not an excuse.

So just ~what~ have I been doing?

Reading, a LOT of reading. I read 2 books this past week, and when I get a chance I will post about them. I even started making notes about them hard copy so I don't forget my thoughts. But as I'm sure you already guessed, the ones that I'm reading lately are fiction. Though some of you may be relieved to hear I've also been slowly devouring a book on the mafia's past in Buffalo.

I've also been working. I've got a nice temp job right now. 5 days a week, Monday through Friday. They have me making outgoing calls which is fun. I just wish more people actually wanted to talk to me.

My weekends have been rather eclectic as to what's been going on. I don't even know where to begin. I've been doing things with my family and friends, and enjoying their company.

Some of the things that I've been up to I really wish I could have blogged about. Some of you might have really enjoyed the Wild Renaissance event that Hawks Creek is holding. Unfortunately it's a little late now for me to do a full posting about the event. This weekend (starting tomorrow) they'll be having a variety of types of entertainment. It's very educational, on flat land, and kid friendly. Also it supports the safety of the animals that calls Hawks Creek home. We attended the event on July 12th, and it was worth the time. JUST REMEMBER TO WEAR SUNSCREEN!

And did I mention? They have an awesome Draconology exhibit?

 

Anyway. Let's see, before that what was I up to? It really is hard to remember everything sometimes. Not to mention backlogging the events like this. But I feel bad leaving you out like I have been. Ah, I know what else I should tell you about. The Fourth of July.

 

Now I know a lot of you had fun things to do on the Fourth of July. Whether it was attending a party, or a parade, or maybe going on a picnic. But I got to be ~in~ a parade with some of my family and members of the church that I kinda grew up in. But it was an interesting experience for a few different reasons.

 

 

1. We did karaoke from the float. No really, we did. There were TV's on the sides and folks walked a couple of microphones down along the sides to try and get the audience to participate. (Plus look at that sky in the picture! It was a GORGEOUS day for a parade.)

 

2. There was a float full of oompa loompas to our left. As in like, a whole miniature Willy Wonka factory. It was absolutely adorable.

 

3. There was this little blue car that was neat in front of us, called a Playboy. What's interesting about this is that they weren't in production very long, but were built in Buffalo, NY. Plus there aren't very many of them around according to the website, so it was a treat to see one in person. You know, that old adage of "They do exist!"

 

4. Zombie Emergency Response Operations. I don't even know where to go o this one. Let's just say the little dark person inside of me gleefully found their participation amusing. Though, they were lacking any zombies.

 

Anyways, I think that's all that I want to tell you about for now. There were some other events that I've attended as well, but I'm sure the rest of the world has been informing you about them. Besides I need to get ready for my next adventure. I'll be sure to let you know how it goes as soon as I can.

 

Keep the magic alive, Believe in yourself.

 

Late Response

This is a sufficiently late response about a sermon that was given on 3/9. If you weren't there, don't worry. But if you were there is a chance that you would have a better idea about what my notes are about.

First off I marked most of my notes into the margins of the church bulletin so there really isn't a ton of them but I do think that they may be of interest to some of you. You know what the bulletin is, if you don't leave me a comment and your email address and I will happily send you a picture of one. My notes were written as responses seemed necessary at points. But we all know that sermons aren't supposed to be turned into question and response sessions. And they're not really an open forum discussion either.

Secondly it was the first sermon in Lent. Pastor is presenting an interesting series of sermons entitled "Red Letters (Finding Our Story In The Story Of Jesus)". Meaning the focus is on the spoken words of Jesus, as well as his actions. This particular sermon focused on Matthew 4: 1-11, and was titled "Tempted."

So what were my responses/observations? They're things I thought some of you may find interesting.

• Destiny is not certain. It is in flux due to the actions of all those surrounding you. Your choices and theirs affect the outcomes over time.
• Lent acknowledges hardship, but ultimately shows that it can be defeated.
• Change is an element of time and consciousness.
• Effort is all relevant to the amount of desire one has to acquire the change or desired result. 
• Simplicity is reflective of perspective.

Now there was something Pastor brought up that intrigued me. HALT: used as an acronym to acknowledge situations that leave people open to temptation. It shows the four states in which people should pause before making any decisions.

• Hungry
• Angry
• Lonely
• Tired

These stated of mind leave people open to temptation. Whether it's a vice or some other negative, these states of mind leave room for them to creep into your thoughts. By putting them together into HALT, it's fairly simple to reflect on them.

Now, as to the sermon the following week on 3/16. This sermon was called "Boxes" and was a reflection on Matthew 17: 1-8. The point of this particular sermon was that people try to put God into a box. But boxes aren't always big enough to contain what we try to keep inside them.

In a round about way boxes can be likened to stereotypes and expectations. Personally I found this sermon slightly distressing. It had nothing to do with Pastor, or what he was saying as a whole. It had to do with the fact that there is a lot of things going on for me right now. Sermons are supposed to do that though, not distress, but they're intended top make guests of the church and members of the congregation reflect and contemplate the content of the sermon.

I didn't take specific notes this particular Sunday. I listened in the nursery with my nephews.

Why did I find this particular sermon distressing? I feel limited lately. It feels like people only see me for what they want me to be, not everything that I can be. What they have a tendency to forget is that there is a lot more to life than just what other people expect. If we only ever did what other people expected of us, we would never achieve our full potential. So, I suppose my observation and sentiment is that no one should be boxed up.

Remember, there's a very popular old saying; Think outside the box. Life can be so much better if you do.

Alright, well that's enough on my thoughts on the sermons at church. I know not all of you really are all that religious but it doesn't hurt anything to think about the messages, since they can be useful outside of the course of religion too.