The bloody dagger

Yup, that's my blood on the tip of the dagger. It extends about an inch onto the blade.

Articles, Football, and Curfew Passes

Unbelievable. Today was one of the longest days I can remember, but it was also one of the best.

Last night, I didn't have my article for journalism class done. By 12:30, I was pretty much stuck, and decided just to sit on my bed for a minute and think.

When I woke up, it was 7:10. The article was due at 9, I had to be at work by 8:30, and I couldn't see much structure at all in the way I had the article written so far. Somehow, by the grace of God, I managed to get what I think was a half-decent story finished and sent in at 8:25. I threw on some clothes, and ran to get to work on time. I made it, but didn't have time for even a bite of breakfast.

So then, after a day filled with professors saying crazy things (not to mention a few weird things I said in class), I finally reached the moment I had been waiting for for so long.

John, Hannah, Jessica Runk and I went to John's home, hung around for a little while, and then went to see John's alma mater, Robinson High School (which I have now officially adopted), play a football game. It was a great game, with the RHS Rams coming out on top, 37-21. Then we went back to John's house and, among other things, watched The Court Jester, which I hadn't seen in way too long. We had a great time (have I mentioned that John's got some great brothers?), and ended up staying late enough that John and I had to use curfew passes for the first time to get back in. We had so much fun that (as Daniel H. said earlier) it should be illegal (but I'm glad it's not).

Coming soon: A picture of the blood-stained dagger that did open my flesh. Stay tuned to DNN (DarthNaterNews), we'll keep you advised.

Friday Night Lights

Carolyn and Maggie are pretty much the awesomest directresses ever. As evidence of that fact:

Even though we weren't able to have rehearsal last night (because we had a town hall with Sen. Rick Santorum) and we can't have one tonight (because we're having a town hall with Scott Somerville about chaos theory) Carolyn agreed to let me skip rehearsal tomorrow night so that I can go home with John to watch his high school's football game! Carolyn, I don't know how to thank you!

HUZZAH!!! Friday night football, here I come, baby!

Random(ish) Musings

Just a "trainwreck stew" of leftover thoughts from the weekend:

• Got a lot of exercise this Saturday, and it felt very good. Bike ride with Hannah in the morning (gorgeous weather!), contra dance in the evening (and I even managed to have some fun! My feet however...). Oh, and I went to the LVHS homecoming game. Man, it had been way too long since I had been to a high school football game!

• I think God's trying to tell me I need to be praying for people a lot more than I am. That was (roughly) the topic of Pastor Van's sermon yesterday, then in the afternoon I talked with a friend on IM who is needing a lot of prayer, and then last night after the student worship session I stuck around for the prayer groups, and guess what message came through to me loud and clear? So please, drop me a line and let me know how to pray for you.

• I thank God for friends who are willing to "speak the truth in love," and for the gracious forgiveness of friends who have been offended.

Thank You

I am remiss. There are a few things which I neglected to mention in my most recent post, and I have been reminded of them several times since then.

First of all, thanks to everyone who helped out last night. I would like to especially thank John (aka SuperRoomate), Caleb, Jonathan (both of you), Tobin, Philip, Paul, and of course all the security guys, particularly John Crutcher. I'm sorry if I seemed kind of annoyed with the whole process, I know you guys were doing what was best.

Second, thanks to everybody for your concern. I'm sorry if I seem to tire of telling people I'm fine. I would be asking too, if somebody else was stabbed.

And most importantly, I thank God that this happened to wake us up before Tobin got stuck through the gut or some other awful thing occurred.

"My soul is too much charged with blood of thine already"

Talk about realism in a play. Maybe we've solved our stage-blood problem. Just use real blood!

See, we were practicing the fight scene between Macbeth and Macduff (myself), and, well, let's just say I don't know why we didn't realize earlier that we shouldn't be grappling with a real dagger. Yeah.

I got stabbed in the thigh, and the knife went in about 3/4 of an inch. I'ts really not that bad, but I ended up going to the ER and getting four stitches. But really, I'm fine, so don't worry. Now if I can just keep Hannah from doing anything to Bales...

Aaaah...

I made it! Praise the Lord! Not only did I live through this week, but so far the news about grades is good. Of course, I've only gotten one grade for this week, but it was my latin midterm, and it was really good! I didn't get enough sleep all week, and so this morning I was feeling dead tired. But in chapel this morning, something providential happened.

A group of high school kids was here, doing one of those things where they play a song over the speakers and kind of mime-act it out. It wasn't bad, but I didn't really get into it that much. But then they got ready to do their last song, and the guy in charge said something about the "be still and know" verse. That was just what I needed to hear. Then they did their finale, and they used two songs: "The Journey" and "Be Still and Know", two of my favorite SCC songs for when I'm tired and down.


Be Still and Know

by Steven Curtis Chapman

Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know that He is holy
Be still oh restless soul of mine
Bow before the Prince of Peace
Let the noise and clamor cease

Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know that He is faithful
Consider all that He has done
Stand in awe and be amazed
And know that He will never change
Be still

Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know that He is God
Be still
Be speechless

Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know He is our Father
Come rest your head upon His breast
Listen to the rythm of
His unfailing heart of love
Beating for His little ones
Calling each of us to come
Be still
Be still

Help, I'm drowning!

Wow, this has been some week. The kind of week that makes me thank God that I'm here, and at the same time, wonder WHY ON EARTH AM I HERE!?!?!?! I'll tell you about each in succession:

Tuesday, our reading for logic class was an essay by Ken Myers, Christianity, Culture, and Common Grace. I believe he's Reformed, but you don't have to agree with Reformed theology to agree with the point of this essay. I didn't read the whole thing (we were only assigned a couple of sections, which I did read [mostly]) but I don't think he actually gets much into theology. The question he's trying to answer is how we as Christians should relate to culture. I think he does a very good job. This essay goes along nicely with the "Faith and Reason" lecture that Dr. Bates gave here a couple of weeks ago. Anyway, all this has me thinking, where else could I be where I would get to learn this kind of stuff? I am very thankful to be here.

But, of course, it's not all so exciting. Thanks in no small part to doing way more goofing off than I should have, I've fallen behind in my classes. And Friday I realized that this week I have two exams (one on an entire book for History, and a Latin midterm!) and a logic paper. Oh, and I didn't quit chorale, and this week play rehearsals start in earnest. HELP, I'M DROWNING!!!