Brainwashing and music

Okay, stop looking at me like that. I know it's a weird title, but it's the best I could come up with. If you can think of a better one after reading the post, feel free to let me know.

I'm not really sure where to start. School is going okay, but then again it's not okay. The academic part is fine (as far as I know). But as time goes on, it becomes more and more evident that, at the heart of the university, it's not about teaching kids new things in their particular field of study—it's a battle over their minds. What they really want is to control your mind by forcing you to believe what they want you to believe. For most students, this isn't new, and they probably would think I'm crazy (no comments!) if I told them this. But since I have been raised so completely different than them, I can see it. And I can feel its affects. Sometimes I come home absolutely exhausted, mentally and spiritually, and I have no idea why! Then I realized that the minute I walk on to campus, I am engaged in a war over my mind. Sometimes it's not blatant, but it's still like someone is trying to wrap their hands around me and control what I think. I guess they figure if they pound their ideas on me long enough, I'll fit into their mold of what I should be. And I've finally come to the realization that I absolutely cannot win. Not on my own. I have to totally and completely rely on God to fight and win for me.

The other part of the title is sorta hard to explain, unless you have the love and passion for music that I do. During the day, I listen to music all the time—yes, including when I'm doing homework. And I love listening to my brothers practice the piano, or plunking around on my guitar. But a few days ago I actually sat down at the piano and started playing. It was the first time I've touched the piano in several weeks. All of a sudden, it felt like all the stress and frustrations of the last weeks just totally melted away. Like I said, I listen to music all the time, but I'd forgotten how much playing music affects my very heart. The passion within me is something I could never fully describe, but when I play, it's as if God is reaching down and pulling all the junk out of my soul and filling it with His peace and comfort. And it's like that any time I hear good, pure music (my faves would be piano or guitar solos), but it's strongest when I'm playing. Hopefully, that won't be a lesson I soon forget.

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Labor Day Weekend

We had a fun, anything-but-relaxing, long weekend. Friday night Carl had a football game, and Saturday we went down to visit my grandma (Mom's mom). On the way, we stopped visited with some friends, whom we hadn't seen in probably close to two years. That was really fun, and it was a very sweet time of fellowship. Saturday night, all of Sunday, and some of Monday we spent at my grandma's, which is always a great time. We went over to the golf course and hit balls on the driving range, and putted on the practice putting-green.
The biggest thing, though, was the Veterans Memorial Park on Main Street. I got a lot of pictures of it, and it was cool to see that put up.
Anyway, here are pictures of our weekend.

This is the reason the Memorial meant so much.

I'll try to fix the orientation of the picture later. Notice what war it was.

This is a mural that has been around for a long time; this is one of the town's "claim to fame."

Golfing.

Thanks, Robbie, for helping me take this picture.

I love this picture. My camera rocks!

Up and runnin'

I finally have my computer almost back to full use. That being said, here's an update of our lives.
We went to the Cities last weekend and had an absolutely fabulous time! We had lunch with some very dear friends of ours, which, in my opinion, was definitely the highlight of the trip! We hadn't seen them in over a year, so it was great to hang out with them, and see their beautiful little girls. Thanks, Audra and JP, for a wonderful time!



Later Saturday afternoon we went back to the hotel, and my aunt and a couple of cousins came over. We had a good time talking while the kids swam in the pool. It was really fun to watch my cousin's little boy play with the "big" kids in the pool!
That night we were able to go to Maranatha, which was another huge hit. :-) I absolutely love being a part of that church, and as always I can't wait to go back.
Sunday afternoon my uncle came over for lunch, and we had a great time talking--and playing with our cousins, of course!

I got through the first week of school pretty well. I ran into a couple of friends, one of whom was homeschooled and is a Nursing major. That has been really good, 'cause we've been able to hang out a bit and go to class together. I also met someone that is in three of my classes--and she's hoping to be a Nursing major, too. A couple of my classes are pretty big--well, not big compared to most schools, but big for NDSU, and big in comparison to two of my other classes, which each have around 20 kids. Two of my classes have nearly 400 students, and one I would guess has at least 200.

In other big news . . . drumroll, please . . . HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL IS BACK!!! I absolutely love HS football--WAY more than pro, and probably more than college. Even bigger news . . . Carl is starting Varsity as a sophmore! He starts on kick-return, onside kick-off and onside kick-return (I think that's right). He also subs in a lot on defensive line for a couple of the seniors (one of the reasons that he doesn't start is that if he did he couldn't play JV). He got a lot of playing time last night, which he loved and we loved watching. And we won, by the way 7-0. Anyhow, here are some pictures. Carl's number 60. Oh, and we're the white jerseys.

Carl's the kid in the middle trying to block a pass.

Quick update

Well, school starts tomorrow, and the closer it comes, the more I think, "What have I gotten myself into?!" :) Actually, I'm getting excited, too. I'll be able to see friends that I haven't seen in years, and see them more often! The part that has me concerned is a couple of the classes. One reason is that it is really hard--and I do mean really hard--to get into Nursing school at NDSU. I'm gonna be working my tail off day and night to get in. However, I've finally gotten it through my head that I'm just going to do my absolute best and leave the results up to God (I know that's how it should always be, but it's hard to leave it in His hands sometimes). The other reason is a bit more complex. I'm taking Psychology (yuck!) this semester, and I'm not looking forward to having to listen to all their humanist, socialist, materialist propaganda. I've never been one to keep silent about my beliefs and opinions (just ask Hannah!), so it might be hard not to get into trouble in class. But, I trust God to bring me through, and maybe it'll be an opportunity to witness to my classmates.

We had an absolutely fantastic weekend, but unfortunately, at this point I can't post any pictures. We had a bit of a scare last night when my computer almost contracted a nasty virus, and so it's out of use until my dad can fix it. When it's up and running, I'll post more about that. All I'll say right now is that we had a fabulous time hanging out with friends and family.

Back off government!

"That government is best which governs least."
~Thomas Paine

Braces

Yep, it's true. Last Thursday I finally had braces put on. Robbie will be getting his off by December, and Carl had his put on this past March. Why the wait for me? Well, a certain graduation/recital may have something to do with it. Anyway, my family's been bugging me to post a picture of my braces, so here it is.



Not much else to report these days. I've been putting in a lot of 7 or 10-hour days at the daycare, and while it can be tiring at times, it's been a lot of fun. Carl started football practice today, so he's happy. Of course, it's the hottest day of the summer, and that's the start of practice--as usual! Still, he's excited and we're excited to watch him play again this year.
This picture is actually from last week or the week before. We were sitting at the table eating supper when Robbie noticed this sitting on the power line in the neighbor's backyard. We see 'em all the time out in the country, but in the middle of the city? Not so much. Apperently, there's a nest of them a few blocks away.

35 reasons not to sin

1) Because a little sin leads to more sin.

2) Because my sin invites the discipline of God.

3) Because the time spent in sin is forever wasted.

4) Because my sin never pleases but always grieves God who loves me.

5) Because my sin places a greater burden on my spiritual leaders.

6) Because in time my sin always brings heaviness to my heart.

7) Because I am doing what I do not have to do.

8) Because my sin always makes me less than what I could be.

9) Because others, including my family, suffer consequences due to my sin.

10) Because my sin saddens the godly.

11) Because my sin makes the enemies of God rejoice.

12) Because sin deceives me into believing I have gained when in reality I have lost.

13) Because sin may keep me from qualifying for spiritual leadership.

14) Because the supposed benefits of my sin will never outweigh the consequences of
disobedience.

15) Because repenting of my sin is such a painful process, yet I must repent.

16) Because sin is a very brief pleasure for an eternal loss.

17) Because my sin may influence others to sin.

18) Because my sin may keep others from knowing Christ.

19)Because sin makes light of the cross, upon which Christ died for the very purpose of taking away my sin.

20) Because it is impossible to sin and follow the Spirit at the same time.

21) Because God chooses not to respect the prayers of those who cherish their sin.

22) Because sin steals my reputation and robs me of my testimony.

23) Because others once more earnest than I have been destroyed by just such sins.

24) Because the inhabitants of heaven and hell would all testify to the foolishness of this sin.

25) Because sin and guilt may harm both mind and body.

26) Because sins mixed with service make the things of God tasteless.

27) Because suffering for sin has no joy or reward, though suffering for righteousness has both.

28) Because my sin is adultery with the world.

29) Because, though forgiven, I will review this very sin at the Judgment Seat where loss and gain of eternal rewards are applied.

30) Because I can never really know ahead of time just how severe the discipline for my sin might be.

31) Because my sin may be an indication of a lost condition.

32) Because to sin is not to love Christ.

33) Because my unwillingness to reject this sin now grants it an authority over me greater than I wish to believe.

34) Because sin glorifies God only in His judgment of it and His turning of it to good use, never because it is worth anything on it’s own.

35) Because I promised God he would be Lord of my life.

~Found on the Rebelution Blog

Quote to ponder

"Grace doesn't create loopholes in the law--it eliminates the law, because it requires relationship."
~Bruce Harpel

Fun tag

Normally I don't do tags, but this one looked like fun, and it'll give y'all a little glimpse into my life. I'm not going to officially tag anyone, but if you want to do it, let me know so I can see your answers!

~Favorites!

What is your favorite animal? Lion.

Who is your favorite author? C.S. Lewis.

What is your favorite instrument? The piano, though I love a good guitar solo, too.

What is your favorite sport to watch? Football!

What is your favorite sport to play? Three-way tie between baseball, basketball, and volleyball.

What is your favorite movie?
Sound of Music.

What is your favorite classic literature book?
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

What is your favorite store? Uh . . . probably a Christian bookstore.

~~~~~
Would you rather...?

Would you rather buy a new book or re-read one? Depends on the book, but probably buy a new one.

Would you rather spend money or save it? Save it.

Would you rather go on vacation to the beach or the mountains? The beach!

Would you rather play an instrument or listen to it? I can't decide.

Would you rather be indoors or outdoors? Outdoors.

Would you rather have your room painted lime green or purple with pink dots? Lime green (pink and purple? YUCK! Though lime green isn't exactly pretty, either).

Would you rather live in a cave or in a tree house? A tree house like in the Swiss Family Robinson!

Would you rather have a cat or a dog? A dog (not only do I despise cats, but I'm allergic to them).

Would you rather host a get-together or go to one? Probably go to one; it's a ton of work to host!

~~~~~
About you!

Do you have any siblings? Yep, two younger brothers.

What year were you born? 1990.

How many times have you moved in your life? Twice.

How long have you been a Christian? Since I was 3.

~~~~~
Totally random

Christmas or Thanksgiving? Christmas (though this year it might be Thanksgiving, as it sounds like there will be a wedding in the—extended—family that weekend . . . )

Words or pictures? Words.

Iguanas or turtles? Iguanas (except for the time that a friend's iguana nearly gave me a heart attack! I didn't know it was in the bathtub until it moved!).

Randomness or sense? Sense.

Books or magazines? Books, definitely books!

Summer days or winter nights? Summer days (who here in the tundra actually LIKES winter?!).

Screaming monkeys or running bears? Running bears. I've heard screaming monkeys, and they're obnoxious!

Jane Austen or Charles Dickens? Charles Dickens—no contest there!

Scotland or Ireland? Ireland.

Running or walking? Walking.