Current Events

Well I haven't updated this since the beginning of the semester, which makes sense since I'm at college. However, yesterday I decided that even though college life is busy, and time is a greatly demanded commodity, I came to the conclusion that I can spend a couple minutes here and there and use it to update my family and friends on the current events of my life, and it wouldn't kill me. (Rather it would be good for me to be able to relieve some stress instead.)
 

My upper body workout bar

I decided this partly because I feel like I'm turning somewhat into a hermit, avoiding people, and simply spending my hours in the library leaning over textbooks about the arguments for and against Arminianism, and Calvinism, and the different between Predestination and Foreknowledge, or over my Greek New Testament trying to figure out the specific participle use of επιγνους in this particular sentence. So, to counteract that companionless tendency I will be updating this blog periodically just to keep me from completely hiding in my own little corner. =)

Well as for the current events, I haven't completely cut out enjoyable things. For example, I got my door frame total upper body workout bar the other day. My roommates and I decided that by the end of this semester we should all be "buff" so we all did some pull-ups, push-ups, and sit-ups. We had some good laughs cheering each other on and keeping us going. Unfortunately, the next day, my chest, arms, and stomach were yelling and screaming at me for straining them so much the night before. That whole day I was sore, especially my abs…. Ow. I was sore the rest of the week, mostly because I worked out again on Tuesday, and Thursday nights. But it was fun.

The chain and gears without the front crankset

Something else that has been going on is the bike problems that I've been having. On my way back from church last week, my bike just seemed to start falling apart. Seriously. First the handle bars got loose, so they were twisting forward and back, so I would have to hold them just right to keep my lights shining on the road in front of me, and not into the air, or my front tire. Second, the front gear shifter decided to stop working. I couldn't shift up anymore, so I was stuck on low to mid ranged gears. (Which was especially not helpful for going down hills.) Then, to top it all off, my left pedal was getting wobbly. Thankfully the Lord helped me make it back to campus, but by the time I did, my left pedal had almost completely fallen off. Praise the Lord that I was able to get back to campus without having to push my bike though. =)

On Tuesday, I drove to the Sun Shine bike shop here close to campus to see about getting a new crank set. (When I took the right pedal off, I noticed that the right crank was stripped off too.) They showed me the part that they could get for me, and said that it would be $70 for the part, plus $20 for the installation. *jaw drop* "Uh… I'll have to think about it." Sadly, I don't have 90 buck just to blow out on a single part for this bike. =(  I still had some time before I had to get back to campus, so I found The Great Escape to see if they had anything cheaper. I take my bike in, and the guy at the counter takes a look at it and takes it back and puts it up on a rack and looks at it some more. He then consults the older man who is in the back as well. Then the guy comes back up to the counter with a set of cranks in his hand which should work. He sets them on the counter and I look at them, bracing myself for the sticker-shock. He explains that these should work, and they could get them on, and have it all ready to go by tomorrow sometime if I wanted. He didn't mention the price, so I ask the alluring question, and brace myself again. "Ok, how much are these?" While pointing to the cranks. He hesitates, flips them over and reads the price tag, "Um… they are… 20 dollars. And then probably about another 15 for the installation." A huge sigh of relief escapes my mind accompanied by metal jumps for joy. "Yey! $20 compared to $70, excellent! Praise the Lord. Now my only problem is, how do I get the old cranks off?" I was planning on doing the installation myself, but my only problem is that I don't have a good way to get the old cranks off. I can do the rest myself.

My new pedals for my bike

While I was there, leaning on the counter pondering this situation, the guy said that I could do the installation myself if I wanted to. Then I replied, I'd like to, but my only problem was that I don't have a way to get the old cranks off. Then, that is when he offered to loosen them for me. Perfect! I jumped at his offer, and he pulled out a crank puller, and made quick work of those cranks. (Unfortunately I don't have a crank puller.) So, after he loosened them up, he rolled the bike back out to me, and everything was pretty much "hunky dory" (to borrow an expression from my mom). I left the bike shop very encouraged, and thanking God for not having to pay $70 for a crank set. Sure, the one that I just got, doesn't look as nice and fancy as the $70 one, but I really don't need my crank set to look like it just came from a $1499 road bike, it still looks new and very nice. I was quite pleased. I didn't get a chance to put them on until 2 days later, but I had the crank set. Now I was just waiting on the pedals to arrive in the mail from Amazon.com, the ultimate college student's mall. 

The new crankset after installation

So, Thursday comes around and I put the cranks on in the morning, and then the pedals arrive later that day and I put those on too, and then take it around for a ride back campus some, and tweak some things. I adjusted the brakes and gear shifters, and tested out the cranks and pedals to see if they are on tight enough so that they won't slip off. Now the bike is all back together, with most of the problems dealt with and running pretty nicely if I do say so myself.

Practicing "When God is Near"

So, that's mainly what I've been up to, of course I've been studying and reading my assignments until I'm red in the face, but I don't think that that makes for very interesting writing. Earlier today (Sat.) I went out and played tennis with my darling sister, and we had a lot of fun with that. I've also been practicing my guitar skills, which have been coming along quite nicely. I played my first hymn today… I guess. I don't know if you could technically called it "playing," but I played all the chords in the right order anyway, with much pausing, and referencing the chord sheet to find the correct positioning for an Amin chord, or a F#min chord, or a D7 chord, and others like those. It's going slowly, because I haven't been spending a whole lot of time on practicing, but it is coming none the less. I am certainly able to do much more with my guitar than I was during Christmas break.

Overall, things have been going ok. But to be honest things have been really rough, especially classes. I am constantly struggling to keep somewhat on top of things, and still having a hard time with that. I am making it a priority to get more sleep, so I haven't been getting up at 5:00 in the morning to study (even though I feel like I need that time), but I don't ever sleep in, even on Saturdays and Sundays. On the weekends I still get up at either 6 or 7, so that I get do my devotions and then get straight to my school work. Because if I don't get ahead over the weekends then there is no possible way that I can make it through the week and get everything done. (I've discovered that the Study hall is very quite between 6 and 9 on Sunday mornings. =) )

Some of the books I have to read for class

I guess I try not to let on, (so this will be a breach of character for me) but I've been really stressed with school these past 2 or 3 weeks. I feel like there isn't enough time to even come close to doing everything that I need to do. With Greek, there is still a huge amount of material, such as case usages, that I still don't have a grasp on. And other classes, such as Preacher Boys, we are talking about current events and swings, and we have huge amounts of reading about the church marketing movement, and other current movements like that. Which wouldn't be too bad, except that the text book, is so hard to read and get anything out of. Dr. McAllister told us to try to not get bogged down in it, and try to get the reading done in about an hour. If I read it normally, it probably would take about 3 hours, and if I read it in about an hour, then I really don't get much out of the book at all. I know that I'm not the best reader, I will freely admit that, but I still think that that book is very poorly written. (I'm planning on mentioning that I think that they should get a new textbook for next year's class, in my course evaluation at the end of the year.)

Things like that, and other classes such as Biblical Minister, with our papers and projects due every week, are just cramping in from all sides and I'm feeling more and more compressed and making it harder and harder to breath and even function. I'm going through a very difficult time right now, and I would covet your prayers greatly. I know that God is always providing for his believers. And I also know that He is using all of these things in my life for good. He has the perfect plan, and He knows how it will all come together in the end. All that knowledge is in my head. I know the truths. But if you could help by praying that I would apply those truths, and that I would believe what I already know to be true.

Trying to keep my eyes on Jesus,

-Tim