I've been watching so many different movies lately. I've been reading a ton of sci-fi and other fiction. I'm online a very good portion of the day. All in all, entertainment has me in its grasp.

Every so often, I overdose on this stuff, letting it seep into my brain and if worse comes to worse, letting it come between me and God. When that happens, I know it's time to take a break and fast from this stuff.

that said, tomorrow I go on a media fast. No Internet beyond checking my email, no movies, and no fiction books. If you need to get ahold of me, you can always email or call me.

First off, why no comments on the last post? I thought it would generate some discussion about anger and the war that can go on in a person's soul.

Yesterday was strange. I got to work for four hours in the electronics department. Supposedly I was supposed to be trained, but the lady in charge didn't know that and the manager never responded to our pages. So I tried to pick up what I could from following her. I think I learned, but If I'm going to be by myself in the department next week, I'm going to be clueless. I'll probably be calling for help quite a bit. Besides that, I'm not too happy with the amount of hours they are giving me. I'm only scheduled for 8 hours next week. I can't live on that!

Blockbuster interviewed me on Wednesday and they are going to call me on Monday and tell me if I get the job. I'm hoping so, 'cause maybe they'll give me more hours.

After the shift, I went home and relaxed for a bit. Called my dad and we had a great conversation. Touched on all types of topics. One of these days I'll probably write some observations about those topics.

Leanna was having a party at her new apartment and so I left around 5:30. Well, I went to safeway to pick up some soda and chips, but after standing in line about 7 minutes, I realized that I didn't have my wallet. Oops! Went home and grabbed it. Headed out, deciding not to grab anything and got on the freeway. Coming to the Delta Highway, I heard sirens and saw a police car coming up on me. I tried to pull to the side, but that led me into the exit - where he was headed. I was confused... He zipped past me and I continued on, this time totally turned around from where I wanted to be. Knowing that there was a Wal-mart up there, I continued north on Delta. Got some Tootsie Rolls and Cheezits. Finally got back on the Beltline headed to Springfield. I missed my turn, so took a tour of an obscure apartment complex. I finally got to the apartment!

I knew Kay was in town, but I hadn't seen her in probably a year and a half or two years. That was cool. She seems to be doing good. Then, after we all chatted for awhile, Brandon and his brother headed out to get pizza and drop Kay home. Then they got back, tracy and geno arrived and we played Balderdash (great game, I'm adding it to my list) and then watched Timeline (which I had never finished, so it was good to watch it). I think I got home around 2am...

So yeah, yesterday was most definitely an interesting day.

The forces stood on opposite sides of the valley. The wind whistled through the trees as the soldiers stared at each other. The tension had been brewing over several days as the army in black slowly acquired more forces. The white army stayed steady, but the commanders knew that their soldiers were slowly losing nerve.

If you stood in the middle of that valley and looked up at the black horde, you would see monstrosities of all shapes and forms. Goblin-like creatures wielding great curved swords, harpies with wicked claws, werewolves running back and forth in front of the army, orcs with battered armor all straining to get across the valley. As gruesome and gross a sight that is, the worst part is the expression of anger on each face. Standing in the center suddenly doesn't seem very safe.

Looking to the white army, you see a line of grim men. Their armor and their shields gleam in the summer sun. Each one holds a sword that shines brightly and they are ready to use it. However, as you look deeper into the army, you can see movement. The men are restless and are starting to move towards the rear of the line. The army hasn't broken up but they are feeling the strain of staring at the army of Anger for so long.

This standoff can end in two different ways: One, the army of Anger may start to disipate and
have their numbers decline until the army is finally disbanded. The other scenario is that this standoff may end and the armys of Peace and Anger will meet. The warriors of Peace are by far the stronger, but if the numbers of Anger keep growing then the battle will be close. There will be blood spilled in this valley.

What will be the outcome? Only time and circumstances will tell.

Me in Florence

Me in Florence
Originally uploaded by jcforgod.

Okay, so I've been thinking about getting a bunch of wallet sized prints of a picture of me to include in resumes. These will get sent out eventually to different churches and districts. I don't want the typical portrait, because I think those are boring, but I need one that looks nice. I really like this one, but am thinking, because of the hoodie that it's too informal. What do you think? And are there any other pics of me on my flickr that would be better in your opinion? Thanks.

Spoof of crocodile hunter and star wars. Quite funny.

The Married Couple

The Married Couple
Originally uploaded by jcforgod.

The happy couple! this is why I went to Washington. Click on picture to access more of this weekend pictures.

Those audioposts went over well. *grins* I wasn't sure how they would come out 'cause of the noise of the car, but they weren't bad. I ended in the middle of a sentence 'cause they have a limit on time. I started another one, but they hung up on me. That's when I decided it wasn't worth it to type in my phone number yet again while driving.

Instead, I called my mom, Stephen, Chelsea, and Brother David. That kept me occupied for quite some time. I made my trip in 5 1/2 hours, amazingly with only the first stop for gas. It was nice to go to bed.

Unfortunately we're going through a heat wave, so sleeping isn't all that comfortable.

Orientation was good. I got a lot of information about the store. Probably should have had a note pad, but at least I got some material to look at. I'm scheduled for further training on Wednesday and Friday. After Friday, I should drop down into the normal schedule and be able to work. I'm hoping that I'll get a lot of hours, but not really holding my breath.

Not much else happening. I'll be uploading wedding pictures soon to my Flickr.

Mr and mrs wright and their first dance. Heidi is now married!

I had an interview today at Picture People. I got there early, and that impressed them. However, I did run into a sign on the way in. That was embarassing. The lady at the counter smiled, and approached me: "Hi, you must be JC. It's okay to run into signs on your interview." I smiled, rather sheepishly and said something about being glad. We sat down and started the interview process. She had asked me to bring three items that describe my personality.

The first item:
A collage of some of my friends and some of my other photography. I had gone to Wal-mart this morning and made 28 prints of pictures I liked. This was the result. She liked the kitty, Joey's hiding, the tree and Isaac, and commented on the wedding pictures. I used this to describe my love for people and the friendly part of my personality. Plus the fact that I like photography.






The Second Item:
A pancake turner. I used this to describe my creative side and that I enjoy creating, especially cooking. I told her about the stir fry that I made the other day with just throwing things together. She mentioned that she liked seeing that I actually used it.














The Third Item:
Duct tape and my duct tape wallet. This was my wierd and wacky side. I told her that I wasn't afraid to do things that could be considered strange and odd. The duct taped pants and back pack were mentioned. She didn't blink an eye when I was talking about this.

We talked a bit about the store and who it served. She told me that they're looking for daytime/morning people 'cause most of her workers are teachers or students who need evening shifts. I told her that wouldn't be a problem, since I think Shopko wants me on the evening shift (that's conjecture though). It's nice to be graduated and able to work mornings. She concluded with saying that this is a two to three interview process and that I passed the first interview. She'll call references and then get back to me.

I felt pretty positive and this would be a really cool job to work at. *shrugs* We shall see.

In other news I'm traveling tomorrow. ShopKo's new employee orientation is on Sunday (one time only, I was very clear that I couldn't work Sundays) and so my planned trip to Washington had to change. I was intending to head up on Friday, stay the night with Josh and Britt, go to the wedding on Saturday, attend Josh's church on Sunday, and then travel home in the afternoon. Well, that's not going to work, since orientation is at 8:30 in the morning.

The new plans are that I'm leaving tomorrow morning sometime, traveling to Northgate to vist with Josh and Britt, and staying the night with them. Then Friday morning I'll head over to Poulsbo, spend the day with Heidi and the rest of the RI people that will be there, spend the night there, and help out with the wedding stuff Saturday morning. Then, the wedding is 3:30pm and I hope to get away around 6 or 7. Should be a great weekend, even though it's sounding hectic to me right now. *grins*

If I have any energy left after the traveling and orientation, I'll go to CCG and Worship. Otherwise, I plan on sleeping.

For Anna. We were talking about when we co-led a vbs class. Can you believe that it's been six years?



Yeah that's me... I look so young...

Phantom Meet the World - The World Meet Phantom

Meet Phantom
Originally uploaded by jcforgod.

My friends picked up a stray cat awhile back. She turned out to be filled with babies. After 8 weeks or so, we finally were able to pick up our new kitten. She's almost pure black except for that little white spot. I think we got the best of the litter 'cause she's extremely friendly, explorative, and cuddly. She's slept with me the first night (kicked out 'cause I couldn't sleep) and has a habit of climbing on me and going to sleep when I am in the recliner.

Unfortunately she's on trial. We're determining if we're allergic to cats or not. If we are, after a month, we'll find someone to adopt her, but if we don't come down with allergies we'll pay the pet deposit and have a kitten in our lives! *grins*

All in all we've gotten a lot of laughs the last few days. Be sure that these aren't the only pictures that'll get posted.

Oh, and btw, if anyone wants to sponsor a pro account on Flickr for me, I won't complain! *grins*

Something BJ said prompted me to think. Why do I want to study? Is it because I have been a student for too long? This is something that the teachers at EBC were constantly pushing this last school year - be a life long learner. Take your time and use it to further your knowledge of God's World and Him.

I have realized something about myself: One, I do desire to continue learning, to delve deep into subjects and concepts. Two, I have problems doing it on my own. This leads into a problem I've always had: Self determination. I have issues meeting goals that I set for myself. This can lead to apathy and procrastination. But I still desire to push my self, to stretch the limits and to learn as much as my brain can hold.

So picture this: I'm like the lazy grasshopper and the industrious ant (to reference Aesop, at least I think that's Aesop...). One side of me is lazy and enjoys dilly-dallying (as my dad would put it) my time away. This side is obcessed with reading novels, watching movies, and eating. He puts other worlds before the real one. Then there's the ant side of my personality. This guy wants to succeed, he knows that life is fleeting and that time is something to be valued and used wisely. This is the side that enjoyed school, that enjoyed reading those textbooks. This is the side that really wants to learn Greek so that he can teach it to others. This is the personality who could possibly sit down and write a book sometime in the future. This is the side that takes the time to call friends and who cares about listening to their problems. Most importantly this is the side of me that delves deep into God and tries to get closer and closer to Him.

It's like a dichotomy (isn't that a good word?) in my soul. Come to think about it, it is. There's a battle between my human, selfish, soul, and the spirit of God. The grasshopper in me is just thinking about himself, but the ant in me thinks about others.

I want to be the ant.

I've been productive so far today. I washed three loads of laundry. That was good 'cause I was running out of socks. I also washed all our knives from our knife drawer. Why? Well, because I made the mistake of leaving the valve open on the smoothie maker when I poured the juice into it. Yeah, big mess. I thought it was just the floor, but the drawer had a pool of Strawberry-Kiwi juice in it. So the knives are clean and I'm about ready to organize the drawer. I still need to mop the sticky kitchen floor, but that'll come after I get some other things done. Oh, I also vacuumed.

I need to call Picture People today. Yesterday, while taking my 3 hour nap, I received a call. Listening to the voicemail, it was Janell at Picture People and she wanted to set up an interview. I need to call her soon, 'cause she said to call today after one. I'd like to interview either this evening or tomorrow.

I'd really like it if I could get to work at both Shopko and Picture people. Even though the scheduling will be a headache, I do want the monney and PP would be a great job! well, we shall see.

I've been so bored. The last three days I have watched five movies, read four or five novels, and done little else. I did have a good time on Wednesday talking to a couple of good friends.

Yesterday we had BBQ hamburgers. I tried some new seasonings: Garlic Powder and Ginger for three of them (which I didn't taste but the others told me were great!) and Curry in mine. I really, really, really liked it.

We stocked up on meat again. I plan on London Broil, Beef Brisket, and Steak in the next week. Yum!

I really need to sit down and start planning my study after College. I don't want to get in the habit of wasting my free time away in other worlds. I can fall into that way too easily.

Woot!!

I have a job! I went in and did the drug test just a few minutes ago. Dependant on that, I'll have the job. Of course the only drugs I've had the last 24 hours were allergy medicine, so I think I've got it!

So after they get the results, they'll call me and set up an orientation day.

Suppose I should tell you that I'll be an Electronic's Department guy in Shopko.

After almost a month of looking I finally have a job! I'm very happy!

Quote

mhm
Originally uploaded by kate face.

I totally agree with this.

Random thoughts:

• I almost didn't go to church today. I woke up and went back to sleep several times this morning. I eventually got up and started to get ready around 9:30. I was still rather reluctant to go, but I realized that I needed to worship my God with others. So even though I didn't feel like going, I went. This started me thinking about why we go to church every Sunday. Do we go because we feel like it? If I was led by my feelings, I wouldn't have gone today. Do we go because of a religious spirit that says that we're heathens if we don't go to church every sunday? I hope I don't do that. Why do we wake up early and spend three or so hours with a bunch of people, singing and listening to a guy talk?
  
  I often think there's several elements to why we meet together. One is that we're supposed to keep meeting together, "not forsaking the fellowship of believers," and serving each other. Another is the unity that comes from worshiping with others. Worshiping God in set period of time allows us to get closer to Him.
  
  Then there's the awful fact that some people are just Christians during that three hours. They don't "live Christianly" as Nancy Pearcey puts it. Church should be much more than a weekly or twice a week activity. Our lives, in our jobs, in our recreation, in our families, should be filtered through Christ. Be a "Little Christ!"



• Another thing going through my mind is servanthood. Pastor Tony talked about John 13 today and Jesus washing the disciple's feet. He laid the foundation and background about this being the job of the lowest servant in the house and how Jesus washed the feet of all his disciples - the ones who were just arguing about who would be greater - and the one who would betray him. Jesus set an example for us of humility and where leadership really starts. Pastor then asked the question "What would foot washing be like for us now?" It'd be like going to a person's house and before the meal, cleaning their toilets. It'd be us putting others and their needs ahead of our desires, wants, and status.
  
  That struck me. In my life, where do I need to serve? What foot washing, toilet cleaning, do I need to do? I can't tell you that right now. It's going to take a lot of looking inward and outward for me. But what about you? Are you arguing about status or position? Are you proud that you're Manager, or district leader, or the pastor of a 3000 person church? What would footwashing look like for you?



• I looked up love during the music and came across the love passage in 1st Corinthians chapter 13.
  

  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

  
  
  I want to be like that. I want people to look at me and say "JC is Patient, JC is Kind, JC is not self-seeking, etc." This is what Christians should look like.

First off, pray for Rebecca. She's going through some tough stuff.

Pray for Isaac and Heather as they prepare to move to China in September.

Pray for Michelle as she is in China.

Pray for Samuel as he prepares his mind and his heart to return to the States after a year and a half in Taiwan. Also pray as he's doing some sort of camp right before he flies out.

Pray for Madras New Life Fellowship as it goes through some transitions in eldership. Continue to pray for God's Spirit to win out in Madras.

Pray for Christ Fellowship as we continue to meet in a new building. Pray that God will use this church and His people to bring new children into His flock.

Pray that my brother and I will get jobs ASAP!!!!

This has been rather a boring fourth. I woke up for devotions at 5:40. Brian, Reese and I are reading the epistles of John and just finished with 3rd John. It's been a lot of fun meeting with them this year and I hope we continue it for a long time. Then I dinked around for awhile, made a smoothie, cleaned my room just a bit, and then had the soup I made yesterday for lunch. In the afternoon, David and I threw the frisbee around, came back and watched three episodes of Andromeda. I then went to the store, bought some groceries, and came back to David cooking steak on the Foreman. That was good. This evening I have filled out an application to Toys R' Us, finished addressing thankyous, and talked to my mother.

In other thoughts, who in the world invented fireworks? I'm extremely annoyed at them right now.

Wow! Wow! - These are paintings, not digital. I'm totally impressed. My friend, Sarah, is interested in learning this style. I think she should go for it!