Lately...

So I was writing a blog last night, and then Mozilla crashed and I was too lazy to start over. To those of you that know me well, you know right now is a hard time for me. I have decisions to make and, well, you know the other things. Anyway, there is this band, Modern Life is War. And they have some of the best lyrics of any band. And I know they aren't talking about Jesus in this song, but this song has always given me a lot to think about every time I listen to it. It's incredible. Actually read the lyrics, I know posting lyrics is generic, but come on it will take two minutes.


Modern Life is War - By The Sea

We were young, numb, and violent all at once. We were always smashing
glass but it was never enough to make us feel OK. Are we normal boys?
Is this the normal way? We've been dragging dead weight across Midwest
towns. Killing our times with our frowns. Alone in the crowd four
years down feeling torn and beaten down. Alone in the crowd four years
down, our hearts were beating to this sound. Me and you: we never got
much sleep those nights. There was too much turmoil too deep inside.
Lost in the dark without our pride...there was a light at the end of
that tunnel, but we chose to shield our eyes. Could It be? Are we
seeing clearly for the very first time? We've been to the edge and we
know what it's like to want to die...and that's something we won't
glorify. We'll leave those miserable times behind. How far can I go?
I'm rising from the depths of my own hell. I don't need another tragic
tale. I need the strength to walk the other way. I found conviction in
my ever changing mind. I grew up tied down and bleeding on the inside,
but I know I was a victim of my own device, and I want to live to see
a brand new life.

Anyway, I think it's an awesome picture of seeing light and choosing to turn away from depression and the things you don't want.

Top 10 Albums

Welp, Dave's list sucked. So I had to make my own, better list.

(No order)

Modern Life is War – Witness

Against Me! – Reinventing Axl Rose

Cursive – the Ugly Organ

Brand New – Deja Entendu

Saves the Day – Stay What You Are

mewithoutYou – Brother, Sister

Modest Mouse – The Lonesome Crowded West

Refused – The Shape of Punk to Come

Brand New – The Devil and God are Raging Inside of Me

Alkaline Trio – Goddamnit

You know....justice

So I think that "My favorite punk LPs" was a little screwed up. I've listened to the Art of Drowning more than Black Sails. Reinventing Axl Rose is not really my favorite punk album, I just consider Against Me! my favorite punk band... and the others, not right. Who cares. I'm leaving it as is.

I just wanted to share to every one that reads this that God is good. Sometimes it may not seem so when we are caught in our sin. Sin can come in so many undetected ways, often in our obsession with other things besides God. Or our ignoring of God. I'm learning that God wants us to follow him always. As in he always is wanting us to follow him, and he is wanting us to follow him at all times. God loves us more than we can understand and we need to accept that and be transformed.

ANDREW

Only when you are truly procastinating....

Is when you do stuff like this. So today and last night I have been spending a lot of time looking up new music to check out and buy, looking at top punk band lists and what not. So I figure - I'll do one of my one. Here is about 30 minutes of my wasted time:

MY FAVORITE PUNK LPs

(the order was rushed, get over it)

1. Against Me! – Reinventing Axl Rose

2. Refused – The Shape of Punk to Come

3. AFI – Black Sails in the Sunset

4. AFI – The Art of Drowning

5. Rancid - …And Out Come the Wolves

6. Choking Victim – No God’s, No Managers

7. Leftover Crack – Fuck World Trade

8. Modern Life is War – Witness

9. Alkaline Trio – Goddamnit

10. No-Cash – Run Your Pockets

11. Alkaline Trio – Maybe I’ll Catch Fire

12. Alkaline Trio – S/T

13. Leftover Crack – Mediocre Generica

14. Streetlight Manifest – Everything Went Numb

15. Refused – Songs to Fan the Flames of Discontent

My all night downtown adventure....

So I went on an adventure this morning, or sort of night, because I had not slept yet. I hung out with Lucas, Forrest, Gabe, and Jeff last night. It was super fun I thought. I got home around 1 and went online. Wasted tons of time on Myspace, Facebook, and whatever else... Talked to Becca online some, read Jeremy's blog. So I had the random urge to get an energy drink come 2:30 AM, so I went and got that from the Shell down the street. Then one thing leads to another, it's 4:30 AM and I realized sleep was the last thing on my mind. So I decided why not go see the sun rise somewhere? Anyway I am not going to try to explain my logic in doing this, but I decided to head downtown, maybe talk to some people , get some coffee, see where God takes me.

SO if you want to read my log of this, I am going to copy it directly from my real, hand-written journal, edited for public viewing.

BEGIN JOURNAL:
Leaving - 4:55 AM

Riding the MAX to downtown Portland. I never slept tonight. There is an old quiet homeless guy next to me, should I talk to him? I want to, but I am afraid what would I say? What will he say? At 42nd.

5:40 AM

I'm at Starbucks in Pioneer Square. I never talked to that guy... I met "Robert" on the MAX. He had a Bible and I asked him where he got it because it looked like a Gideon Bible but I was not sure... He said he got it in jail. So we got to talking a little. He believed that he could prophecy and stop and start spiritual warfare. He believed the U.S. was Jerusalem and Portland was Mt. Zion and Saturday Market was where Jesus' clothes were auctioned off...wow. He believed the Rose Garden had something to do with the Garden of Eden. I figured why not test his abilities? I asked him if he had a prophecy about me or could see insights about me. He said no but he would pray. So right there on the MAX he grabbed my hand with both of his and started to pray, not really sure about what. In the middle of it, he started to pray in tongues, and at that point I said, "My stop is next..."

6:21 AM

Oh, and "Robert" claimed to be an angel. HOW did that slip my mind?
"I'm an angel getting my wings back."
Then some weird stuff about him being there before the fall, during Lucifer's fall. Odd...

I'm back in Starbucks. So the last 40 minutes included me giving "Miyoto" some change, riding around on my bike. I saw tons of girls in their early 20's walking around by themselves which did not seem safe.
It must have rained a ton over the night. There were huge puddles everywhere. A cool crisp breeze was nice, and all the leaves from fall. I rode through China Town (which got sketchy fast), up to 10th, down Burnside, and tried to get into Stumptown, which opens at 7.
Just when I thought I was done meeting strange people, I ran into "Trey" and "Fast Freddie" while locking up my bike.
"Have you seen a little bike?" - Trey
"No, did your bike get stolen?"
"No, do you want to see it?" - Trey
"Sure..."
"Oh, do you like cookies?" - Trey

Then I met "Fast Freddie" and they both mumbled something about the cop seeing them and how they needed to go. I said "Peace." They said, "No, war. This is war."

7:11 AM

Becoming uneventful. In Stumptown (lame I know, not creative). Ate sausage egg Mcmuffin from McDonalds because I got freaking hungry.

END JOURNAL ENTRY

Interesting huh? So in Stumptown I read I Corinthians 1-7. I got really tired and figured it was time to go home. I listened to mewithoutYou on the MAX and then rode back from the 82nd stop. Went to bed at about 8:20 Got up at about 2:00.

I am glad I went into the town and talked to people, observed people, and prayed for people. As random as this is, I feel like this was a step towards me being more missional in my life and intentionally reaching out. Maybe next time I do something like this I will actually talk about Jesus instead of justpraying to him and praying for others through him.

I want to learn to be more like Jesus always... I want to learn to need less and give more.
"If I come without a thing, I come with all I need"

Andrew

Pulp Fiction

I watched Pulp Fiction for the like 4th or 5th time. I guess the word "fuck" is used 265 times...

First post!

So this is a blog... I don't really intend to waist time on this thing. I have a journal. This thing is more for thoughts that I have that I want to share with more people than myself. I want people to know what's up with me and I want to encourage people.

Things have been great for me recently it seems. I have had a ridiculous amount of homework. I have been reading Ephesians once a day, and I feel like it just has so much to say. I am really hurting not being involved in a church right now. I mostly hurt from it because I feel like I am wasting time not serving like I could. I know I am not really wasting time, like I am doing well in my homework and stuff. But I think this year I have really struggled with reaching out to people, making that extra effort to call friends or talk to new people here at Multnomah. I don't want my life to be just reaching up to God to change me, but I want it to be about helping and serving others too. I need to just get over it and decide to get involved in Red Sea. I need to talk to people here at school. I need to not sit in the back at chapel and do homework. I need to get involved in a ministry. I need to call friends I have here and be their friends better.

Thanks for reading! Read Jude 24-25 and think about it.
"Lord I could never show you anything as beautiful as You" - mewithoutYou

(don't mind my mewithoutYou stage!)

-ANDREW