Just a bit of me.

Sorry for the great absence, the emptiness of the collection. The lack of sententiae. That is fun to say. I think it is latin, but I don't remember. You know, you don't use it, you lose it.
I thought I would share a little of my mind, my heart, my splognon (however that is spelled, my bowels). This is the first quarter of my senior year at the purple and gold UW, and it has been an interesting and adventurous one to say the least.
I am taking a class on J.R.R. Tolkien (fun but lots of reading), a Chinese History class (they have a lot of it, and they need Christ big time), and then there is my senior seminar, Greek Warfare (even more reading and research). Tolkien is fun because I get to read is stories and we get to talk about God and Christianity in class. I even brought in some Calvanism. Chinese history is a snoozer, but it is interesting to learn about their different philosophies over the years, even though they are all vanity and grasping after wind. My senior seminar is cool, because it talks about warfare, but is a lot more work than I expected. I have a 16-20 page paper due at the of the quarter, but many projects leading to that end as we go along, which mean my days very full. This is the heaviest load so far, but it is good for me to press on and persevere, or drown.
Yesterday I had 7-8 page paper due in Tolkien, my thesis and outline in Greek, and a test in Chinese, so needless to say I was up way late. Even with that crazy load God was/is so good and faithful. He gave me the wherewithall to write a good paper (according to Leila and I think she would know), know 90-95% of the info on the test (didn't study as much as I should've), and have time to spare to finish my Greek stuff. So God is good, and all of this has forced me to depend on God a lot more, and pray more. Praise God.
One more thing about this quarter, at the beginning I heard some sad news about my Dad. I won't go into details, but it has put a strain on our relationship, and my heart. Some of you know what I talking about, and I hope you keep praying for me and especially him and his wife (my stepmom). Through this I have been increasingly aware of sin, and its destructiveness. Our pride opens a door the size of those at the Boeing plant that lets them move in 777's or 747's in and out. Pride lets everything destructive in, and when sin is in it seeks to exstinguish all light, burn out all good, and strangle all life in your heart and life. Notice too, that I equated destructiveness with sin. They are one in the same.
We need to fight sin not only in our own hearts and lives, but also in and with others. If we are Christians then we are part of family, and we cannot be indifferent to each other, we must reach out and help each other. My Dad needs my help and I am trying to give it as best as I can. I need your help. I am weak in the flesh, and so are you, so let's fight together. One thing that I have learned in my Greek class is the Spartan hoplites were the best fighters because they trained hard, and fought together. Their constant training allowed them to keep order and overcome many obstacles together. The same goes for the Athenian navy. They were the best because of their focus on training together, and much practice. All great armies/navies, and sports teams found success because they trained hard, and relentlessly, with each other.
The point is, we must train hard and relentlessly for the fight against sin and the flesh. We must do this with each other. We must learn how to use our sword properly. If you don't train hard, who is going to get my back or the soldier next to you. We can't rely on each other if we aren't all working hard to fight better. We must protect and serve one another. Our sin and weaknesses always affect others around us, one way or another. My dad's sin has been festering for years, and it is because he has been poorly trained, and has not sought proper training. I am talking about proper training in the Word, our sword. He doesn't know his weapon, he thinks he does, but it is like he is holding it by the blade or something, trying to fight with handle and cutting himself. Not much good in a battle. So train hard, press on, and humble yourself before God, or sin will invade your heart, and ruin your life and the lives of those around you.