A Place of Comfort

Well its been a long time since this blog has seen the light of day and for that me and Pim apologize. It has been a very interesting semester in school and it's almost over. Today i hopefully move into my new place of residence for the summer and God willing everything will go smoothly. Its been so long since i've posted that i really haven't the slightest clue of what to embark on whatever audience finds themselves reading this. One thing has continually popped into my mind though. This semester i found a place, a place that brings out the best in me. This place brings people together and in the context of loud music, continuous pool, and friendly conversation i find peace. I won't reveal its location or its title for safety sake, after all it is my place of solitude and if word gets out that has the potential of being stripped from me. I guess in writing this I'm trying to convey the importance of finding a place that brings out the best in you. Find a place that you feel comfortable with and use it often to bring joy to your life and the lives of others. Trust me, if you find a place like this it can become something you will remember for the rest of your life.

Love each other

Bear

Judgment

Get to know someone before you judge them.

Pim

One Mississippi

Well it's about time for another post and it seems like centuries since the last. I don't know about you but sometimes i'm just flat out lazy. I don't know why, but i do know it feels awesome. Falling asleep for me occasionally becomes a chore. A few nights ago i was lying in bed for what seemed to be eternity when my thoughts began to shift towards God. This is not uncommon, but often my thoughts drift off into other things like music, friends stories, my dream girl, my parents, my brother, politics, and the list goes on and on. This night my brain centered around God. I thought about how Christians use the word searching as terminology for non-believers and their spiritual longing. Then i thought, I know that i have found God but it is it possible to lose him in the routine of my daily life. Should we always be searching for God? I came to the conclusion that we must continue this search. It reminds me of the childhood game of hide-and-seek. God can hide in a variety of places and we get to try and find Him. When we do find him, the game starts all over again. God can be found in every situation that presents itself to us. We have the ability to see this but refuse and become blind to his qualities. We need to train ourselves to see beyond the terrible, hypocritical, devastating, exhausting, impatient, immoral things in life and just play hide-and-seek with our creator. Will you join me in this game, I'll be it first. One Mississippi...................

Lets Play
Bear

Snapple

It is an unusual situation when Bear and I disagree. Today is one of those days. He thrives on Valentine's day. There is something about it that motivates him and sparks his mood. I, on the other hand, loathe it. I get in a bad mood, and am in a state of solitude. It is not the fact that I don't have a significant other or that I particularly hate pink and purple. It's the simple fact that Valentine's day is used as a special occasion by the hallmark to urge us to do what we should be doing everyday. Loving people. Not just for couples but for everyone. I will say one good thing about Valentine's Day: it does do its intended job. People get googly eyed, and remember why they fell in love to begin with. And for those who do not have a significant other, friendly cards and candy is passed around. It is a day of great joy for many and for many who don't have loved ones, it kind of sucks. But regardless of that fact, this joy needs to be a regular practice of humanity. The kind of joy that brings actions of doing good for others, giving out candy because you love someone, and an overall sense of generosity. I miss Snapple. You know the delightfully refreshing fruity drink? It's still around, but those awesome commercials do not really air anymore. Their tagline "made from the best stuff on earth" is probably my favorite, because I love fruit. There aren't very many things that are more pure than fruit. But the kind of joy that needs to take place everyday as though it is Valentine's Day...that is more pure. It is the best stuff on earth, and it originates from best stuff in heaven.

This Is Pim. Love Eachother. Be Cool. Happy Valentine's Day.

God all the time?

Lately I've made an attempt to find God in all that i do or say. This idea was taken from a daily devotional. 2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. It's not that easy. I catch myself neglecting Gods creation and Gods created. I would encourage anyone who reads this to make an attempt at the same idea. Walk outside and look with great intent at Gods creation. Pray and thank God for your surroundings and the people who surround you. Try to find prayer in every aspect of your day. Continue until prayer consumes your thoughts and actions. It's going to be difficult, but through persistant prayer and worship maybe we can begin to change the lives of others. I think that might be considered the Great Commision.

Love Creation
Bear

tenure friends

Do you have a friend that you miss? Maybe a friend that you are so incredibly close to and have such a deep and profound love for? I am fortunate to have such a friend. It's amazing to me that this girl and I still talk. We dated for a little and after a realized love for someone else, I broke it off. Now, granted I was a young freshmen in college when this happened, but it is still a reality. It was rough waters ahead after that, and after not talking for a while we finally reconnected a couple weeks ago. It feels distinctly similar finding something you have lost. Like being years into manhood, and finding the forgotten teddy bear you cuddled with every night in your childhood. That feeling of happiness, redemption, and old feelings and memories come rushing back, and I welcome it with open arms. Back when we were in high school (she was one year younger than I) we were in an activity that brought us incredibly close. We traveled together, we talked constantly, and more importantly, the fabrics of our lives became intertwined because we had a genuine love and care for each other. We referred to each other as "tenure". It is defined as guaranteed permanent employment. It's a stretch of the definition, but you get the picture. In reflection, it is the "tenure friends" that really count. The friends that you put above everybody else in the world. Get some. Well as we are now split by the Mississippi and states away from each other, I am reminded of those times. Times of laughter, crying, yelling/jumping/screaming/fist pumping/catching/performing/blasting/WINNING. And as much as we won in the activity that we were in, it wasn't about the activity after all. It was about winning a friend. We could have lost every time we went out and at this point in my life there would be a big check mark in the Win Column. Not only winning her friendship, but the simple fact that she knows that I would die for her, travel five hours to her if she needed me, and always...ALWAYS take care of her. There is a very small number of people who come close to how much I care for her. This relationship is totally platonic, totally pure, totally loving, totally caring, totally selfless and it is definitely totally tenure.

This Is Pim. Love Eachother. Be Cool.

Home

I feel more like a stranger each time i come home. My bed is no longer my bed. The room feels empty, depressing, and lacks the memories of past events. I went back today, back to a time of less worries, when things felt hopeful. I'm not saying things are not hopeful now, it's just less evident in day to day activity. As for my travels back through time, they were interesting to say the least. I miss it. I miss it tremendously. I miss old friends and reflect on new ones. I miss a certain house that really did feel like home even though it wasn't my own. I miss dress up dinners and park dates. I miss cramming nine hundred people in my car to go reek havic on the city. I thought about all this. When my mind returned from the past, i thought about people and places i have now. I thought and i smiled. I do have a home, its a part of everything around me. My mentors words of wisdom are home. My friends and their open arms are home. My music is home. Having coffee and dessert is home. All of these things are just pieces of home. Home is a reflection of Christ. The room no longer feels empty.


Love
Bear