2006: The Year That Was

A few reflections on this past year.

Favorite class:
Statics, although Differential Equations was interesting.

Class that was far more enjoyable than I expected:
Spanish Composition.

Longest time spent studying for a single test:
Eight hours, for my Differential Equations final.

Number of nightmares about final exams:
Three, that I remember. The weird thing is that they all came after finals were over.

Best memories from an event:
Being able to serve as a team leader at Youth Camp last June.

Best memories from life in general:
Random, hilarious moments with my family that, frankly, can't be described--not that anyone outside the family would necessarily understand anyway.

Book that impacted me the most (after the Bible):
From a new book, I'd have to pick either When I Don't Desire God: How To Fight For Joy or Questioning Evangelism: Engaging People's Hearts the Way Jesus Did. If you count re-reading a book, then maybe Don't Waste Your Life.

Song that impacted me the most:
Jesus, Thank You. The first time we sang it in church, I thought it was a decent song. But the Gospel is proclaimed so powerfully in it! Every time I've heard or sang it since, I've come to appreciate it more. This song was also an influence in the. . .

Doctrine that impacted me the most:
I'll quote from the song: "Once Your enemy, now seated at Your table." So many times I'd open my Bible and be impacted afresh by this truth. I can't get over it. (Not that I want to.) It precludes our salvaging any pride; we cannot think that we were sinners desiring salvation. Thinking about God's love in sacrificing His Son to reconcile His enemies to Himself is utterly humbling.

Strangest thing I learned about blogging:
I'd worried about not having enough to blog about. It turns out that I have far more that I want to blog than I can get around to.

Realization that needs to bring change:
I don't pray enough.

Realization that doesn't need to bring change:
I've had the same haircut since I was around twelve.

Weirdest current fact about me:
I'm a sophomore/senior.


If you're reading this, consider yourself tagged. (Modify the questions accordingly.)

December's Quote to Ponder

"Conviction that is not undergirded by love makes the possessor of that conviction obnoxious and the dogma possessed becomes repulsive."
--Ravi Zacharias

Thought Collage

This is going to be a bit of a random post. Don't freak out. I can be random. Just ask my sisters. (Then again, don't. Some things are best kept among family.)

We have snow on the ground. Yeah, I know, I thought I was "getting older" and beginning to understand why so many adults. . . (how shall I say this?). . . don't appreciate snow. But there are Christmas lights up throughout the neighborhood and we put our Christmas tree up over a week ago and the temperature was in the 60s last week. It just didn't feel right. I guess I enjoy snow between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day--and maybe a couple of weeks into January. By then I should have had plenty of time to get in some sledding and a snowball fight or two, and snow will only mean that I have to dig my car out to go anywhere. Seriously, I only need to make so many snowmen to be able to say we officially had winter.

Also, as another unintended follow-up post (ooh, is this a trend? don't count on it), I thought I'd post a verse which relates to our need to remember that all wisdom comes from God: "Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him." (Proverbs 26:12, ESV) That's a significant statement, considering how much Proverbs says about fools. (Take 1:7 as an example: "fools despise wisdom and instruction.") When I'm able to answer someone's question or share what I think is good advice, I often feel wise in my own eyes. Hey, knowing something is inherently better than being an ignorant fool, right? Wrong. The fool despises wisdom; one who is wise in his own eyes is either satisfied with a counterfeit or desirous of the glory that only God deserves.

Finally, a question. I mentioned a number of months ago that I was thinking of posting short book reviews. The thought has crossed my mind again, so I figured I'd toss the idea out here again to gauge interest, because a large part of the reason I'd post them would be to recommend the good ones. (If you're wondering what kind of books I'd review, a couple of my more recent reads are The Cost of Discipleship and Living the Cross-Centered Life.) Don't be afraid to give a thumbs-down if you have no interest in reading reviews here.

For those of you gearing up for finals: study hard and trust God. For those of you who aren't: consider yourselves fortunate. And trust God.