wisdom

"As the scriptures say, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.'
So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world's brilliant debaters?
God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish."
...1 Corinthians 1:9-20

I read this verse a few days ago, and it keeps popping up in the oddest moments. God's been trying to speak truth into my life and I've been too busy to be still and soak it in.
I tried today-to soak it in- I'm not sure what to think. This is what I've come up with so far:

-I know I've made education a huge priority...it's really important to me. Sometimes it's too important. Paul's saying that all the intelligence and wisdom I glean from school looks foolish compared to God's infinite wisdom. I work so incredibly hard to get A+++++s...and for who? My parents always gave us an incentive of a frosty from Wendy's for good grades, but that only goes so far :) If I put half the time into deepening my relationship with Jesus as I put into school, I'd be a super Christian. How much more valuable. If I studied the Word like I studied my book about neurogenic communication disorders, I would be wise in Christ.

- It's made me question getting my PhD...not that I think God would disapprove. It just makes me wonder what significant things I would be missing out on, while going to school for seventeen years. I need to sit on that one for a while....

-I don't want this verse to be a justification for laziness.

God’s created in me a desire for knowledge. I want to be sure I’m using it for His glory…

crushed

If you've ever had a child, you know what I'm talking about. That pride you feel when you see them succeed. The astonishment you experience when they "grow right before your eyes." And when they do something silly (like bite someone), there is always a slight feeling of disappointment. These have been my experiences over the last 6 years, and I wouldn't trade them for the world.

But, watching them grow up breaks your heart. I remember when I could hold him in just one hand. I remember when when he used to play in the bathtub for half an hour. I remember how much he used to love when I'd take him in the backyard, and he'd play in the grass for hours. Now, all of that has changed.

I can barely pick him up at all anymore. He barely comes out of his room. He is enormously messy, and it's all I can do to convince him to take a bath. I sure do miss the old days

I miss being there to see everything that happens. I hate having to hear about when my step mom stood on his back, and he got up and walked. I wish I had been there.

I miss going over to my grandma's house and picking off all of her hibiscus flowers (his favorite food).

I miss walking out into the backyard to see that he moved everything (ping-pong table, bikes, etc) off the patio so he could hide in the shade.

Crusher, my African-Spurred Tortoise is awesome. If you have painted toenails, he'll try to eat them. If you open the back door, he tries to sneak in. He's only 6 years old, but he weighs more than my wife. He is the coolest pet you could imagine. I recommend getting one. If you live in Arizona, they sell them at Pets Inc. in Tempe. You can bring yours over for a play date.

rules and regulations

Today my dad and I went to "Salem Boys" to wash my car. It's the type of car wash that you use quarters to buy time in the bays. You're supposed to wash your car in the bay and then drive it forward to a spot where you can dry and vacuum it. If you'd like you can even buy some awfully potent scented trees.

Anyway, after we washed my car (by "we" I mean mostly my dad), I opened the driver's side door to get in and pull it forward. My dad had a different idea. He wanted to dry it in the bay. This was clearly against the rules. I know this mostly because of the huge red and white sign that reads "NO DRYING IN BAYS." This really stressed me out. I can't veto my dad's decision, but he was breaking the rules! My dad isn't a lawless criminal, he just didn't see the reason for following that specific rule on a Thursday afternoon when no one was there. NO ONE was waiting to use the bays. In fact, we were the only ones washing our car and there were three other bays open. Nevertheless, I was stressed.

I don't know where this desire to follow even the most silly rules comes from, but it's there. You would think I had a scary childhood full of dire consequences if I broke a rule. But I didn't....not in the least bit. I am so tightly wound and I have no reason to be. Today was a good reminder that I needed to loosen up :)

The Battle Of The Blog...

So, we're sitting on the couch, and I'm like "Let's start a blog." My wonderful wife's response: "We don't have anything to blog about." After some discussion, we decided that, while it might be completely useless, all the cool people have one. So, here we are.

As we started to navigate blogger, I was getting all pumped about sweet layouts, and colorful headings and everything that is awesome. Katie says: "I like the plain background, and the normal black letters look best." At this point, I'm stressing out because I wanted this sweet blog and Katie is getting all plain on me. So, I asked the question: "Should we maybe just do our own blogs?"

I realize, now, that it probably wasn't the most tactful of questions, but it made me wonder: Is there something wrong with me? I was seriously SO stressed about not getting an awesome brown layout! Is this normal? When couples or bands make a blog, do they fight about what color the font is gonna be?

Anyways, we resolved our issues, and I've come to like the white. We've decided to give this thing a try, and I'm going to do my very best not to fret about the small things.

I leave you with this warning: If you become a religious reader of "Our Blog" (as I know many of you will) please don't hang yourself if you wake up one morning to find "Katie's Blog." I probably broke down and changed to the color of the post titles.