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Holy, holy, holy is the LORD God, the Almighty, Who was and Who is and Who is to come…Worthy are You, our Lord and our God to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed and were created. – Revelation 4:8,11

I am so amazingly and incredibly blessed! I’ve had an excellent weekend all in all, but tonight really tops it off. I don’t think I can even really describe it in words, but was at prayer and praise tonight at church…and it was just heavenly. Truly, worshiping God through prayer is an amazing thing!! I prayed with Shari and Deanna for a while and all I can say is that God is so good. So good to allow us to pray to Him(and He answers!!) and so good for the friends and encouragement He gives to us. I wish I could find better words to express myself. I can’t. All I can say is that my heart overflows with gratitude for the goodness of the Lord!

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Why am I writing…I don’t know!! I just thought I should, since I’m in the Christian Study Center right now, and it seems I do half my entries from here. Maybe it’s because I’m trying to escape my homework. Yep, I’m sure that’s it. Even though my homework right now is pretty fun. I need to write about a “first” of my adolescent life in either a short story or poem…I have no idea what to write about. Any ideas??

And in other news, the weekend was pretty sweet(as always!!) Last night after Prayer and Praise(in which we did NOT watch the Super Bowl…didn’t really care what happened there), me and Rob and Drew came back to our place and chilled, watching the Ten Commandments. Epicness. Yes.

Ok, I really actually want to write a long post just about the nature of life and emotions and random stuff like that…but I think instead I will pour my muse’s energy into doing my lit homework. Once I think of an idea…hmmm….

Back to staring out the window into the rain. Farewell, all!!

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Such a great day!!! I am going to sleep soon, but I just had to write a few lines on how lovely today was!! Woke up today and made some bacon and hot chocolate…and then me and Rob and Andrew just chilled at our apartment relaxing and NOT doing homework. Then for some reason I felt pretty tired…so took about a three hour nap. GLORIOUS. After that, I felt so awesome…apparently, I really needed the sleep!

Later this evening, went over to the Lebos house for Mrs. Lebo’s 50th birthday surprise party!!! It was great times(and she was indeed surprised!!). I had a most enjoyable time…meeting a bunch of the Lebos’ cousins, hanging out with tons of awesome people, drinking way too much coffee, playing Assassin, watching crazy homemade videos, making more crazy videos, dancing in the kitchen…fun times or WHAT. I am indeed blessed to have such good friends!!! God is so good to me…He always has been and I am confident that He always will be. Have a great night, all!!

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Another lovely week has begun! Well I guess it technically began on Sunday, but we didn’t have school yesterday(MLK Day) so this feels like the real first day. It’s already been a pretty sweet morning; we had a good class in Adolescent Lit(turned in my homework for that…the homework was to write a poem…WHAT. How awesome is that!) I’m also very happy today because it’s beautifully cold outside…that always makes me happy!! Oh and the coffee I made this morning was good too…I definitely needed that because I DID NOT get enough sleep last night…so waking up this morning around 5:40 felt terrible. Class was fun though so it was all worth it. I love having an early class that I enjoy going to!! I may post my poem I wrote for homework here eventually…I want to see what the prof says first!

Oh and I don’t think I mentioned it here yet…but the Gators definitely won another football championship a few weeks ago…yeah, definitely my fourth championship here during my four years. Wow. Oh and one more note on that. I WAS AT THE GAME. And it was AMAZING. We beat the Oklahoma Sooners 24-14 YES.

And now I think I shall go outside(currently in the computer lab doing homework) and enjoy some of this awesomeness that is January weather…so great to remember the God that made all of this and is so loving and gracious to us all!! What a mighty God we serve!!

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Once again I am chillaxin’ at the Christian Study Center…it seems this is my best time for posting lately!! I had a very nice early morning(Ok, 9:35 is moderately early) lit class…I love that class so much because it’s such a sharp departure from my engineering classes. Most refreshing to be talking about books and their mirroring of teen culture rather than discussing the best way to have a lean manufacturing plant(not that that’s bad of course, seeing as that’s what I’ll be doing once I step into the “real world”!) Anyways after class, I ran into Chris and Andrew…great seeing them for a few minutes! Then I meandered on over here and have been enjoying the beautiful day ever since, drinking hot chocolate out on the front porch while reading the paper…the simple pleasures of life!

Anyways, what else should I say…I don’t have class for another hour, so feasibly I could write the whole time and have the most MAMMOTH entry ever. That would be awesome. But of course half of it would probably be rambling nonsense…ohh, I know what else happened today. We got a sweet assignment in my lit class – we have to watch a short film online and then “creatively respond” to it with either a short story, poem, comic strip, or essay. Seriously. That is awesome. I have never had an engineering assignment in which I get to write a poem. Of course, a poem involving time studies and differential equations would probably be most dreadfully dull. I think I’m going to try and write a poem but if my muse won’t help me out with that, I’ll just write a short story. Anyways…enough of talking about lit!

On another note, I’ve been looping Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” on youtube while writing this…it is probably really terrible that that’s been stuck in my head lately. I’m considering buying her latest album just because that song’s so awesome…and yes, I’m a terribly hopeless romantic. I can’t help that! Well, at least most of the time..

And now I need to get ready for class in a few minutes…but I’m just enjoying sitting here sipping my coffee too much right now. I have to say, it’s so weird thinking this is my last semester in which all I have to do is go to classes and hang out with friends…I still can’t really comprehend that my college career is almost over! Even weirder is to think that I started this livejournal account more than four years ago now…when I was still in high school and so ignorant of what my college years would contain. I remember thinking about college and knowing that it would be a grand adventure, but I don’t think I really understood how life-changing it would be. I’ve changed SO MUCH since my high school experience. While high school was super fun…I think I lived my life almost in separate spheres during my high school years. I had my school life and my school friends…and then I had my church life and my church friends. I think I can safely say that I was almost a different person in each of those spheres. Thankfully by God’s grace, these past four years I’ve learned that my true identity is in Christ. These past four years, I’ve become less dependent on man’s praise while I’ve looked ever more to God and His glorious righteousness. Might I always seek to serve God and in serving Him, love my fellow brothers and sisters and the rest of the world. Might I never look to my own glory and pleasure, but always to the glory of God! All that I am is His, because He made me who I am. Sometimes I despair in myself and foolishly wonder what’s going to happen in my future…but why do I forget the goodness of the Lord? Why do I doubt His mighty Hand?

And as I really do need to get to class, let me leave you with one of my favorite verses:

Therefore prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit and fix your hope completely on the grace to be revealed to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. -1 Peter 1:13

Hopefully y’all didn’t mind this rambling post too much…it felt good to just talk and talk and talk…and remember, if anyone did read this all, you get a cookie. Made by me. Which means it is awesome.

Now I am off into the cold. Farewell to all!!

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Right now I’m chilling at the Christian Study Center enjoying a delicious mocha…and just reveling in the beauty of the day!! Cold weather has arrived again and I absolutely love it!! This morning I woke up feeling quite cold and after my shower, I enjoyed the most amazing mint-flavored hot chocolate..mmmm…

Later, I went over to the Lebos’ place for lunch and then a sweet game of disc golf with Mrs. Lebo, Laura, George and Becca. I have to say, it was PERFECT disc golf weather…or really, it’s just perfect weather to walk around outside in!! Now I have one more class(senior design) before my academic day is over. I probably should start walking there now, but I’m enjoying sipping on my mocha and looking outside at the bright blue sky and palm trees slightly dancing in the breeze…

Hope y’all are having a great day!! And now, I’m off to class.

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Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever,
For wisdom and power belong to Him.
It is He who changes the times and the epochs;
He removes kings and establishes kings;
He gives wisdom to wise men
and knowledge to men of understanding.
It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things;
He knows what is in the darkness,
and the light dwells with Him.
To You, O God of my fathers,
I give thanks and praise,
For You have given me wisdom and power.
-Daniel 2:20-23

I have quite a nasty headache right now and still feel like I’m in a peculiar mood…but…I rest in the Lord.

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I am in an odd mood. You know the kind of mood where you’re depressed and don’t know why? Well, that’s how I feel and it’s rather annoying. I first thought I’d try writing something(poetry, etc.)…but that didn’t work – my muse is utterly absent tonight. Then I thought I’d watch a movie. None of my movies appealed to me. Then I thought I’d read a book…but all the books I have that I haven’t read are for my adolescent lit class. Reading those would not help my mood any. So I made mac ‘n cheese for me and Rob for dinner.

I probably should eat that now, since it is much past my dinnertime.

But nonetheless, I am in a weird mood and I don’t like it. Maybe you don’t like reading this random personal feelings stuff…but I claim journal privileges. I shall write what I wish. Maybe I should not even post this, yet I think I shall. This is a rather interesting stream-of-consciousness writing…and while I don’t think it’s really helping me, it’s sorta fun to write something, even if I can’t be creative tonight and write something original.

When any of you(those of you that have made it this far?) are in weird spontaneous depressed moods, what do you do? It’s weird because I’ve had such a sweet day and past week and past month. I should not feel this way. I should not feel that I’ve just had a meeting with a lancer who left me horseless and bruised and bloody and dazed and confused because I didn’t even know I was in a war. Or better yet(or worse depending on your point of view), I feel like I’ve had a crossbow bolt shot through my extremely dented and faded armor which failed to protect me from the enemy who was hiding in the trees and shot me before I was even aware of his existence.

Ok, I don’t know where all that came from.

I really should end this post before I say something I regret….so end it I shall.

It’s time for dinner. Or shall I say second-dinner. And then I will pick up my sword and continue the fight.

James HoganLeave a comment

Last night in Tampa….for a while. While I miss everyone crazily up in Gainesville, I’ve had such sweet times with the fam over the break that I’m gonna be pretty sad to leave again tomorrow…and I’m also a little excited/stunned/sad to be starting my LAST COLLEGE SEMESTER this next week. WHAT. I sorta want to write a longer entry detailing some of my deeper thoughts about the past year, but I am rather tired now…had an awesome time watching Bourne Ultimatum with the fam(even though the Bourne theme is now stuck forever in my head after half of my family has been humming it for the past week…) So now, despite my valiant efforts, I am falling asleep. Think I’ll get some reading done and then sweet pillow awaits. G’night all!