Pennsylvania Trip

I spent the last week staying at my grandparents house in Pennsylvania. Actually it is more than a house. It is former funeral home coverted in to a bed-and-breakfast. Which is ironic in itself. Anyways, it is in a village called Numidia. The village consists mostly of 1 main street. It is a slower atmosphere than Greenville. It's very relaxing. My granparents attend a small baptist church(a little less conservative than us). They were putting together an "orchestra" to play along with congregational sing for their Christmas Eve candlelight service. My grandma volunteered my sister and I. The "orchestra" ended up consisting of an oboe, a bassoon, a guitar, a tenor sax, a mandolin, a piano, an organ, synthesized strings and brass, a trap set, and on 1 song a flute. But the funny thing was, it didn't sound that bad. Except the drums(but that was because of the drummer). Also while we were in Pennsylvania, we went to see Sight and Sound. It is the "Christian Broadway." We went to see a Christmas show. They put on these huge, elaborate shows. Their theatre seats 2000+. We were walking in the lobby before the show, fighting through the crowds, when we heard, "Batdorfs!" We turned to look, and who did we see? Mr. and Mrs. Nic and their kids. Anyways, that's about all I have time for at the moment.

The Spirit-Controlled Life

I know this is way before my 2 week normal posting time. I just re-discovered this. It is something that a friend of mine sent me and I really appreciated. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

The Spirit-Controlled Life

It’s quiet. It’s early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming.
In a few moments, the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calmness of solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met.
For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day’s demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I am free to choose. And so I choose.

I choose love . . . no occasion justifies hatred; no justice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.

I choose joy . . . I will invite my God to be the Lord of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical.

I choose peace . . .

I choose patience . . . I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I’ll invite him to do so. Rather than complaining that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray.

I choose kindness . . . I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. I will be kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And I will be kind to the unkind, for such is how God treated me.

I choose goodness . . . I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I boast. I will confess before I will accuse.

I choose faithfulness . . . Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word; my loved ones will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their parents will not come home.

I choose gentleness . . . Nothing is won by force. If I raise my voice, may it only be in praise. If I clench my fist, may it only be in prayer. If I make a demand, may it only be of myself. I choose to be gentle.

I choose self-control . . . I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will not rule the eternal rule my present world. I choose self control.

~~~~LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, AND SELF-CONTROL~~~~
To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail I will seek His grace.
And the when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.

A Lighter Subject

Well, as has been pointed to me, I am past my "post by" date. So here goes nothing . . . I noticed while looking at my last couple of posts, that they have taken a rather serious note. Not that there is a problem with that, I just thought that I would use this one to catch y'all up on my life. Over Thanksgiving break, I went to Florida to visit my relatives. On the bright side, I got to meet my new aunt. On the not-so-bright side, my step cousin was sick, so I didn't get to meet him. :( Also on that same side, my non-step cousin becomes more of a punk every time I see him. Anyways, apparently the popular thing to do at the moment is to post about friends, so I'll follow the tradition. Over the last couple of months, my friend groups have grown alot. To those of you who I didn't know very well and now do (of the people who will be reading this, mostly figureskater and elimelech), I have really enjoyed getting to know you guys better. I totally had you guys pegged as alot different then you actually are. Shows that you really can't judge a book by its cover. To those of you who I already knew well, it has been a fun semester. Hopefully next one will be even better. We definitely need to have a few more parties. I know, next one is at my house . . . Oh yeah guys, check out randomoboe's blog. She actually posted.