A Bike Ride

Thursday after I got off work and before I did...whatever I did that evening (hey, it was a long time ago) I went for a bike ride on some paths I discovered earlier this summer, when I was walking.

It was a fabulous ride. To start it off, I found a new way to get to that part of the canal which involved going through the Indianapolis Museum of Art and under this picturesque stone bridge on the IMA's property. I'm sure I must have seen it sometime before, but I never noticed how gorgeous and peaceful it is. As I was flying under it on my trusty old bike (that has lately decided to have a loose seat that refuses to stay tight...but that is not part of this story) I had two thoughts pop into my mind. Firstly, I thought, "I gotta draw this!" Perhaps I really am an artist at heart after all, even though I haven't drawn in months and months. My second thought was, "Life is beautiful!" And as Mrs. Ragsdale's funeral reminded me on Wednesday, for a Christian, death is also beautiful, even though it's very hard for those left behind to see this truth at times. Please keep Jeremiah and his family in your prayers, by the way.

Then I reached the trail and the joy of the bike ride was in no way diminished. I discovered several things, among them a) there are more trails than I thought (way cool), b) I'm out of shape (wow you don't say...) and c) I am still afraid to go over logs (another huge surprise). Also that, even though I felt like I was miles from anywhere because I had to listen intently to hear cars, I am not alone, seeing as I nearly ran over a jogger on a particularly steep and narrow segment of the trail. Poor guy. I probably scared him nearly as much as I scared myself.

I returned dirty, sweaty and happy, as is how all bike rides should end, and not a bad ending to a blog entry about bike riding, either.

soul goal

Preparing lesson plans for Bible stories is so fun. I did it for about an hour tonight. Not to say that I have grand aspirations of becoming a kindergarten teacher or anything, but I do like working with the kids, a very good thing indeed considering how much time I have to spend with them.

It's not so simple as it sounds because you have to keep the attention of about twenty kids, and you have to get a specific point across. In the end, I've discovered that they really only pay attention when you relate it directly to one thing: themselves. This phenomonen is not unique to herds of kindergartners. Have you noticed how many people are not past that five-and-six-year-old stage where the only thing worth caring about is themselves?

Sometimes I feel like I am the only one whose sole goal in life is to glorify God. I sit and stare at the sky and wonder if maybe the rest of the world has just not caught on to the fact that God is absolutely vital. I get a disappointed twist in my stomach when people who call themselves Christians go make stupid, selfish decisions again and again. Why doesn't anyone else care what He thinks?? Can't they see what they are doing hurts His image?

But alas, much like a kindergartner, a thought of mine is only for thirty seconds or so. In ironic twists of fate, such deep musings often come when I am supposed to be doing something else for somebody else. I feel bad enough pretending I'm perfect in my head; I feel worse when I'm pretending I'm perfect in my head while my body is clearly not doing whatever task it is currently supposed to be performing.

In other news, Patrick Daniel Blue utterly rocks my socks.

Would you like to be the next sock-rocker mentioned on this blog? It's quite simple. All you have to do is build a loft for my bedroom in Shingle Paradise.

caverns and revelations

Little kids tell it like it is.

Jordan: I'm gonna be happy when it's time to go home today.
Miss Sara: Oh, really, why's that?
Jordan: I get to play Playstation!
Miss Sara: You wanna know what I'm gonna do when I get home?
Jordan: What?
Miss Sara: Laundry!
Jordan: Man, that sucks!


I rode a horse...

for about eight hours in one day. It was fabulous. Minus the part where I was riding an idiot horse so Amber and I switched.

I rode my bike...

to Goodwill right after it rained so I got covered head to toe in lovely mud. Words cannot express how glad I am that now there is a Goodwill in biking distance of my house. Today Amber and I even got acquainted with an employee who promised to rearrange the store into "cute" and "ugly" clothes for us. (Of course, he was just enchanted by Amber's charms and was probably trying to figure out how to get her number.)


I have decided...

that some graffiti is art. Today I was waiting for a train to go by so I could cross the tracks (someone explain to me why the these thoughts went through my brain: 1) Darn! There's no road parallel to the tracks! 2) Well, it's not a passenger train with bald guys to freak out so I guess it wouldn't be much fun anyway...) Anyway, the cars had graffiti. Some of it looked like vandalism. Some of it was very well done. And those artists I admire.

Random stuff I heard on the radio driving home today...

What hurts the most/is bein so close/having so much to say/and watching you walk away

(very overplayed...but I crank it up every time anyway)

"I don't know why everybody thinks he's so sexy; I think he just looks greasy."
--female dj
"And his wife looks like she'd put cold feet on you at bedtime."
--male dj

I'm haunted by the bluest eyes in Texas

(Hopefully me next year...not that I need to haunt anyone, but the blue eyes in Texas part)

I used to brag about my freedom/how nobody could tie me down/then I met you

thoughts I shared at 7:30 am this morning

If anyone thinks himself to be religious, yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless. This is pure and undefiled religion in the eyes of our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
From the amazing, living God (more or less...I memorized this chapter so I typed it out instead of finding a Bible, so a word or two might be wrong ;-))

I used this passage for devotions for the other interns this morning because it reminds us why we're here. Even though the Eastside families aren't usually widows or orphans, we are helping the needy, which is what James is getting at. I like being at camp, but sometimes when things are hectic it's easy to forget that I am here for one Person and one Person alone. In fact, I am here, as in here on earth, for Him alone, too. That's why it is so important to be separate from the world in everything I do. That's why James doesn't only say that we need to be nice to people. We must also show them Jesus by who we are and what we do.

Keeping oneself unstained seems impossible. I slip up so often. I fail to consider others' feelings. I do things without thinking --or fail to do things I should do --and end up hurting people. I am selfish. I think I can handle things and just make a big ol' mess of them. Yes, being unstained is impossible.

That is why Christ died on the cross. I am not the only one that finds the task of perfection unattainable (I even mess that up and get all perfectionist and crazy! Help!). Christ is the bridge between sinful man and holy God.

Questions? Consult the Bible.

In case you're wondering, my life is going fine.