Winter Wonders

Tuesday Night Tunes

N'Sync. Classic.

Relient K- I Celebrate the Day

 

Christmas at Hogwarts

Weezer- Christmas Celebration

Third Day- O Holy Night

Winter Is Upon Us....Finally

Today, down here in good ole' North Texas it finally felt like winter. If I'm correct I think the high was 42 Fahrenheit. That's a big deal for us Texans right now, because it has been hot forever. I'm happy to now experience actual winter weather. Hopefully, we don't have another 75 degree day on Christmas Day. It just makes the holidays feel strange.

It also cracks me up that we have about a three week autumn season. At last, the leaves are looking all bright and beautiful with deep oranges, shiny yellows, and dark reds. However, it won't be long till we just have naked trees.

As I was driving home in the yucky weather from teaching today, the bright leaves still stood out despite the gloominess and the rain. It reminded me of a story involving a tree.

On Sunday, I attended a bible study with a good friend and the good people of Grace Christian Church. The discussion involved the topic of change. During the study/discussion we focused on the story in Luke about Zaccheus (Luke 19:1-12).

It seems like a simple enough story. This little dude with a crazy awesome name and bad reputation climbs up a tree, simply so he can see Jesus over the crowd. Jesus sees Zaccheus. Jesus tells Zaccheus, "Hey let's grab some grub at your place". Zaccheus and Jesus go to Z's house together. Zaccheus is a changed man. The end.

After listening and adding to the discussion, here are some things I remembered from the study as I drove past the beautiful trees.

Zaccheus took great initiative to see Jesus. He climbed an entire tree. Most of the time that's not an easy task, plus people were probably put out by what he did. Chief tax collectors should not be climbing trees. Yet, Zaccheus seems to urgently want to see Jesus. Out of all people, we don't know why Zaccheus is so eager, but in the end  meeting Jesus changes Z's life around. Zaccheus eagerly put effort into climbing each branch in order to be changed. After he put in effort, after Zaccheus seeked Jesus; Jesus met his efforts and called Zaccheus down from the tree.

Zaccheus becomes a new man in Christ. New. Changed.... similar to the autumn leaves.

Anxiousness can overcome a person when climbing a tree. We just want to get to the top. I'm sure Zaccheus felt quite anxious as he climbed to see Jesus. His eager climbing and anxiousness was finally met by seeing Jesus and Jesus calling his name.

Similar to Zaccheus...
We strive. We wait. We seek. We prepare.
...Then Jesus arrives. He is born. 
We are changed.

This season, as many of you anxiously await the birth of Christ, strive to let Christ change you.

 source: We Might Need This

Those Christmas lights
Light up the street
Down where the sea and city meet
May all your troubles soon be gone
Oh Christmas lights, keep shining on

I hope everyone can find some light during this holiday season. 

The Season of Waiting

http://www.weekofcompassion.org/updates/2011/11/30/the-season-of-waiting.html

i know i'm failing but i'm trying hard
i swear i'll be there when the tears start
before the sky comes falling and the seas part
i'm gonna learn to love you with my whole heart

Shout Out to My Middle School Homies

http://www.good.is/post/is-sixth-grade-the-key-to-ending-the-dropout-crisis/

Love Thy Neighbor....

source: Democracy In Action

Yes!

Typically, I never ask for anything or want anything during ANY holiday, but man oh man, I would LOVE this CD for the Holiday season.

The only people who ever get anyplace interesting are the people who get lost.

Henry David Thoreau

No, NBA?!?

Soooo it looks like America will not witness an NBA season this year. Boooooo! 

I'm upset because

1. I won't get to watch basketball games.

2. The multimillion dollar players are being super selfish.

As the player's union continues to demand for more money, the paychecks of the behind the scenes employees decrease. Think about how many people each arena employs. Think about the economy of the areas surrounding the arenas. Think about all the people effected by this greed. 

I realize many people do not care for the NBA. They argue the players all act like super stars and only play hard during playoffs. Well, in this instance of the players being greedy, I can see where NBA haters form those opinions. 

I truly love watching NBA games, but right now, I'm one annoyed and disappointed fan.

I love watching sports, but it's times like these that I have to question the values of professional sports organizations. 

On a good note: I guess this means the Dallas Mavericks= Two Year Reigning Champions!!!

I really enjoy this opinion article on the whole issue.

Road Trips

As I sat in the backseat, on the way to and on the way back to San Antonio for a volleyball tournament this weekend, I became filled with joy sharing a road trip with new friends and old friends. There's something special about taking road trips with anyone. Whether you have know the other people or person for a long time or it's the first time you are traveling with the other passengers, road trips have the potential of bringing the best out in people. Everyone is forced to sit in a tiny space with not much to do for a length of time. Some people might hate road trips for this very reason, but I think there's something spiritual to them. I've found people open up, talk about deep things, talk about stupid things, and just try to make the best of the trip through conversation. Of course, creating the perfect playlist adds to this experience. (One time my best friend, Caroline, just put any song that mentioned the road or driving into a playlist. Quite, entertaining. haha).  I've gotten to know friends on a whole new level, laughed until having to pull over for a rest stop, seen new sights, listened to beautiful music, thought about random things while watching scenes fly by; all while simply sitting inside a car on a road trip. My favorite is hearing stories, telling jokes, and discussing life with the other people in the car. It's a moment where community is uninterrupted, except for the occasional rest stop.

Support Susan G Komen

I wish North Texas had more of an Autumn...

 

http://dustnolonger.tumblr.com/

Patience

Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.
Harriet Tubman

If patience is worth anything, it must endure to the end of time. And a living faith will last in the midst of the blackest storm.
Mohandas Gandhi

  

The keys to patience are acceptance and faith. Accept things as they are, and look realistically at the world around you. Have faith in yourself and in the direction you have chosen.

Ralph Marston 

Let nothing disturb thee; Let nothing dismay thee; All thing pass; God never changes. Patience attains All that it strives for. He who has God Finds he lacks nothing:God alone suffices.

St. Teresa of Avila