Signature of Divine

• Like the new header? Well, those are the amazing cookies I baked a couple days ago. I must say, I’m extremely proud of them. Usually when I bake, disaster occurs. I’m just not gifted in the kitchen. At all. My mom was worried that I was doomed for life. But after Friday, we now know that when I leave home I could live off oatmeal raisin cookies. And mac and cheese. From the box.
• Although I am healed from my terrible head cold for the most part, my ears became clogged and have been clogged for about 5 days now. I really don’t know what to do, so I guess I’ll just have to live with it until it goes away or until I die.
• I’ve officially decided that House of Heroes’ album “The End Is Not The End” is the best album I’ve ever heard. The concept is just so interesting. The theme of the record is World War 2, but the way they incorporate it into the songs isn’t as straight forward as one might think. With each song you could really dig deeper and find some hidden meanings, if you really look. And there’s this one song, Voices, that’s pretty intense.
• Talking about that song, there’s this part at the end where they include an excerpt of a sermon by a guy named Rich Nathan. He’s the pastor at the church the HOH guys go to in Columbus, OH. Good stuff. “Your greatest sin is not the abortion that you’ve asked forgiveness for, or the adultery or whatever is that you did in your life in a past that you’re ashamed of that keeps hounding you. Your greatest sin is not that. Your greatest sin is not believing God’s word when God says you’re forgiven. Your greatest sin is unbelief. You wanna repent of something, friend? Stop repenting of sins that you’ve already repented of, and repent of your unbelief!”
• Do any of you guys have certain things you really don’t like about yourself? I have a million. But one of the qualities of mine I hate the most is my tendency to be jealous. Especially of people’s affection. It’s a part of my life that I think I tend to hide. A part people don’t know about. Well, until now. I mean it’s not so much of an outward issue. It doesn’t affect my actions toward people for the most part, besides sometimes having a bit of a weird mood. It’s just something that eats me up inside, almost. *sigh* I wish it could just go away. My life would be so much less stressful. Now that I poured my heart out to you, I’ll continue with something not as deep.
• Joel and Luke are two Australian brothers who make beautiful music together. They’re also the brothers of Rebecca St. James. Makes sense. You know, because Australian people are all related to each other.
• I’m just kidding about the Australian thing. I don’t want Aussies to get angry, even though I don’t think any of them read my blog anyway. Oh well.

I can hardly believe this day has come so soon. It was two years ago today when I started this blog. It was two years ago today that I got my first blog comment. TWO YEARS! I feel like I just started blogging yesterday…MAN, time flies when you blog. And I would have never thought that my blog would bring me to the place I am today. I never thought that having a dumb little website would be such a huge part of my life. I never thought that I’d develop so many relationships– CLOSE relationships –because of it. I cannot thank you guys enough for being here for me all this time. I do have friends in “real life”, but there have been times where you guys have encouraged me more than they have. I really want you guys to know that you are not merely “online friends” or “blog friends”, but you are just friends, period. I don’t see you as imaginary people who live in cyberspace, although people who don’t understand this whole thing might think so. Although my blog stats have actually gotten worse over these past two years, the relationships I’ve built have gotten stronger. And that is worth more than thousands of blog views, trust me.

I guess that’s all I’ll say for now, because I really don’t think a post could express how much I love you guys.
I thought it’d be fun to leave you with some stats, despite me trying to stop worrying about them so much (:

After two years:
- 298 posts [including this one]
- 15, 878 blog views [~21.8 a day]
- 1,607 blog comments [~2.2 per day]

Link Loved [condensed version]:
1. Zachary – 1065 views
2. Brody – 444 total views*
3. Annie – 256 views
4. Aly – 173 views
5. Holly – 148 total views*

*These people have had two different blogs/URLs, so I combined the views I’ve gotten from their old blog and new blog.

AND HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY EVERYONE!

I said I’d get on the ball about blogging more regularly, right? I said I’d stop tweeting as much. Well, I’ve been doing a pretty good job at the second part. But I haven’t been blogging too much either…It seems that working 8 hours a day makes it pretty difficult right? I guess it’s just because for the past four weeks I’ve been doing the same thing everyday: dealing with crazy children at summer sports camp. Nothing much to share about that.

Well actually…I thought I had written about camp already, but seeing as I haven’t, I will now. The first week, maybe even the second week, was amazing. The kids were all so good. I guess it’s just because a lot of them were new kids who didn’t know us, and most of them didn’t want to disobey strangers. I was very happy at the time, but I knew that once they got comfortable with us, we’d lose some authority. Unfortunately, I was right.

They’ve been SO annoying lately. You can try and be nice, you can be cruel, you can say things 55 times, but they won’t listen either way. Gosh, kids are whiny. I mean, I’m sort of whining now, but trust me, I’m getting somewhere! They just complain about any little thing that someone might to do them, most of them being things that really don’t matter at all. 75 times a day some kid will go up to me or another coach and go through all this trouble just to tell me that some other kid pushed/touched/talked to them. Like seriously, if it was an accident, I don’t care. I can’t do anything. Stop whining. They just tattle-tale for fun. 100 times a day the same kid will tell me they’re hot and tired and don’t wanna play. 100,000 times a day I just feel like telling them, “DUDE, everyone’s hot. Everyone is just as tired as you are. Deal with it. It’s summer. It’s sports camp. If you don’t want to play in the sun, don’t come to a sports camp.” And don’t even get me started about the fights. Over the smallest things, boys will start beating each other up and/or hurl really dirty insults at each other. I teach KINDERGARTEN THROUGH 3RD GRADE. Kids are cursing each other out at this age? Really? What is wrong with them?! Why can’t they just be nice kids?!?! We try to love them so much, but they just spit in our face. Metaphorically.

But as I think about that, I start thinking about something else. God didn’t need to create us. Yet He did anyway and loves us more than any of us can comprehend. And millions of times a day, God hears us curse Him and use His name to curse out other people. He sent His only Son to die a horrible in order to save us. And thousands of times a day He sees us murder each other for stupid reasons. All He wants is for us to want Him. And we are too busy loving other things. Things of the flesh.

God says right there in the Bible, don’t use His name in vain. Don’t kill people. Don’t have other gods before Him. Love people, even when they make you angry. Love Him with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. We know all that stuff. But do we do it? A lot of the time, no. We don’t. You’d think God would give up on us by now. Has He? NO. Does that not blow your mind? It blows mine, especially after seeing how upset these kids make me. Who am I to get so upset and feel like giving up on them?

So I won’t. I won’t feel defeated. I went into this summer with a mission. To combat the loss of innocence in the children. Sure, they misbehave. But if God can deal with us, despite all the annoying things we do, and love us the same every single day, then I should do the same thing for those kids. I will not throw in the towel. They’re only 5-9 years old. It’s not like they’re lost causes. I can still help them build a good foundation for the rest of their life. Perhaps I’ll fail. Perhaps they’ll leave camp having the same bad habits they had when they started. But I don’t want to leave camp knowing I didn’t try.

Here’s a festive video to prepare for the 4th of the July (:
This is actually a classic from a long time ago, but Rhett and Link re-released it today, in high quality (although I don’t think it’s HQ on here. Oh well)!

Fireworks Song

• So Billy Mays died, eh? Now, it I know it seems crazy that 4 very famous people died this week. But think about this –two people die every single second of the day. So is it really CRAZY that FOUR people died in FIVE DAYS? Not really. It’s ONLY “crazy” when it’s people that are a bit more well-known that most other people. So really, it’s not crazy at all. People die. It’s sad, but we should stop making a big deal out of famous people dying. We don’t even know them! Focus on those around you who could die tomorrow and go to hell. Think about your own life. You could die tomorrow, too. Just saying.
• Luckily, I’m doing a lot better, physically. I would say I’m almost all better. Still have some mucus hanging out in my head, but all the other stuff is pretty much gone. Woot woot.
• So I’ve noticed that we’re already on our 4th week of Kidz XL. Where has the summer gone?!?! Time going by quickly scares me to death, honestly. I hate it. I wish it would all slow down. I need time to process things. To relax.
• I’ve made it sort of a goal to be less lazy. I’m going to start reading my Bible everyday again [I sort of stopped after I finished the New Testament]. I am going try to write my Revelife posts on Monday and Tuesday [just for CD]. I need to get on the ball!
• Talking about reading the Bible, I’m actually going to try and read the Bible in a year. Maybe less. There’s this reading plan at the back of my new ESV. A little Old, a little New, and a little Psalms everyday. By the end, you go through the Old Testament once, New Testament twice [well, 3 times for me], and Psalms twice [again, 3 for me!]. But I’m glad about the last two. Although I’ve read both of them already, I feel like I need to read them again. And AGAIN.
• Also, my youth pastor Nic put me on a mission. I have to find Bible verses that would help someone who is scared of sharing their faith [very fitting for me, I would say. I can relate]. I would accept help! And I don’t think it’s cheating (:
• Oh another thing. I examined my life the other night. Lots of things popped up. Confidence issues. Hypocrisy. Priorities. Commitment. It was really stressful. I used to feel like I was becoming such a stronger Christian but then became unsure if I actually had taken any steps forward. It has comforted me to hear from my pastor over the past couple weeks that King David, the man after God’s own heart, messed up too. He had a good heart, but he had serious issues. However, God was patient with him and after David finally understood what God wanted him to do, he did it. And God remembered David for that. I am so very grateful that God is patient with me and IS with me on this journey. Prayers are welcome!
• “The unexamined life is not worth living, man.”

Just so you know, I AM TERRIBLY ILL. Bad, bad cold. Haven’t been this sick in years.
I need help! I am really sick of being so…sick. It’s pretty miserable. So I’ll just provide a list of questions and you can answer what you can.

How do I relieve these symptoms?:
- Nasal Congestion
- Watery eyes
- Sneezing

Are there any creams or whatever that can help treat or prevent skin dryness/irritation around the nose area, since I’ve been blowing my nose so much?

The meds are making me SO drowsy. I can’t stay awake for most of the day. Is there a way to combat this?

Thanks in advance! Hope you will be able to help me :/

Another one from the ASGART vault!
This guy is ridiculously talented.

Bent Objects: Hilarious Food Art

• First off, HAPPY FATHER’S DAY to all the fathers I know (:
• There was a really good sermon today at church. I found out some things about David and his family that I didn’t know before.
• The father’s day gift we gave my dad were tickets to the Marlins vs. Yankees game. Now you should know that I despise…uh…strongly dislike the Yankees more than any other group of people on earth. So the game could have either gone really well and satisfying or really horribly and devastating.
• THE GAME WENT REALLY WELL AND IT WAS VERY SATISFYING! We almost lost in the 9th inning, with 2 outs, but we got the last out and won it! BOO YOU, Yankees, BOO YOU.
• It’s funny though, because on Friday night, during the first game against the Yankees, my dad said that he’d never go to a game against the Yankees because even in a Marlins home game, there were more Yankees fans than Marlins fans. And apparently Yankees fans are obnoxious.
• As strongly as I feel about the Yankees, I was not an obnoxious fan. I never once rooted against the Yankees. Only for the Marlins. However, everyone else was obnoxious, at least the people around us.  From both sides, I’ll admit. And my family was caught right in the middle. Oh well. Fun time.
• I still don’t know what a land shark is supposed to be.

Artist: The Myriad
Album: With Arrows, With Poise

So even though I’ve known about The Myriad for a while, mostly because of Brody, I just realized how amazing they really are. One of the songs that I’ve grown addicted to is this very one. The thing I love about The Myriad’s songs are how they are very story-oriented. But not like cheesy stories, but intense, suspenseful stories. They’re almost creepy. Being a fan of shows like LOST that are all about the whole creepiness and suspense factor, I was instantly drawn to this song. Plus, these guy’s vocals are soooo good. He really puts emotion into it. Great stuff.

Lyrics:

They’re still out here
Amongst the trees.
They’re still out here
Amongst the trees.
Don’t let them see you.
Don’t let them see you.

The fog rolls in,
And the temperature drops about thirty degrees.
Two hundred years have disappeared
And yet the pipe smoke lingers.

The fog rolls in,
And the temperature drops about thirty degrees.
Two hundred years have disappeared
And yet the pipe smoke lingers here.

For if you make a sound
Or you turn around
They will be gone,
They will be gone.
And if you choose to run,
You’ll see the blinking eyes
And know your time has come.
You might be wrong.
Don’t let them see you.

A splash of gin
To let you know that they are near.
Two hundred years have disappeared
And yet the pipe smoke lingers.
A punch in the gut
If their intentions have not been made clear.
Two hundred years have disappeared
And yet the pipe smoke lingers here.
Don’t let them see you.

For if you make a sound
Or you turn around
They will be gone,
They will be gone.
And if you choose to run,
You’ll see the blinking eyes
And know your time has come.
You might be wrong.
For if you make a sound
Or you turn around
They will be gone,
They will be gone.
And if you choose to run,
You’ll see the blinking eyes
And know your time has come.
You might be wrong.

Don’t ever let them see you.
Don’t ever let them see you.
You might be wrong,
You might be crazy.

They’re still out here
Amongst the trees.
They’re still out here
Amongst the trees.
Don’t let them see you.
Don’t let them see you.
Don’t let them see you.

Video:

Don’t Let Them See You! by the Myriad

Rhett and Link cover a classic theme song from my childhood [and probably yours too].

Reading Rainbow Theme Song (ode to LeVar Burton)

Did you watch Reading Rainbow?