Well, I was inspired to write a letter to the editor, and have come out of “hiber-blogger-nation” to share my thoughts to the (-2) who still check it every once in awhile! Enjoy…

I think Matt Snyders found exactly what he was looking for when he attended a T.E.C. weekend. I guess it is true, you get what you are looking for. Mr. Snyders went in with a cynical outlook about a ministry and used that cynicism to ridicule a ministry, and individuals in a way that seemed disrespectful.

I am not involved in the Catholic version of T.E.C., but I am involved in (and have been for 15 years) an ecumenical T.E.C. ministry. I was one of those lives that was changed, and I feel for the better. I was saddened to see Mr. Snyders go such great lengths to tear down a ministry that some may get a great deal out of.

I’d be interested to hear what Mr. Snyders actually got out of the weekend, since he left that personal side out of the article. I suppose there wasn’t room for ridicule AND personal response in the article.

Well, thank God for free speech, and for free will to choose respect over ridicule.

Amen.

P.S. I did see all the “hell” breaking loose through his words. I can’t believe all the craziness and debauchery that he wrote about?! Well hey, it was a catchy title (albeit misleading).

Flash forward to April, 2007, enter Adrian “All Day” Peterson. With the list of injured secondary players of opposing teams listing “broken ankles” increasing, AD is proving he may be the best individual, game-changing player in the NFL. One of my favorite moves happened this past Sunday with the Lion’s Kennoy Kennedy becoming the latest victim.

Enjoy…

If I hear it one more time today, Death will…you get the picture.

I sat on-hold today at work for 16 minutes, decided I would put it on speaker phone, then hung up the receiver and hung up the line. Yes, I called back, and sat on-hold for 59 more minutes before someone finally picked up to tell me they couldn’t help me (even though I know she could have).

Now, I’m sitting on hold again with Comcast…it’s only been 10 minutes so far.

Top 5 things to do while on-hold:
5) Message Bob even though it says she’s “Busy.”
4) Go to the bathroom (with phone still in the other room).
3) Change my bandages (see previous post).
2) Analyze the crazy nightmare I had last night where I was attacked with a toothpick by a former roommate who was trying to move back in while throwing ice all over the floor.
1) Catch up on my blog!

Last stop (and I thought last $ spent for the day) was IKEA for me to get a bed.

As I was wrapping up constructing the bed, I was cutting the plastic ties off the slats when I decided my hand looked like a slice of cheese. I managed only a few drops of blood on the carpet and actually cleaned them up before heading to the ER.

2 hours and 4 stitches later, my hand throbbing and my wallet empty, I was off to bed.

All along I had my bed, my desk, my dresser, my filing cabinets, my books, my printer, and probably an alligator (if I ever would look under the be) all crammed in a 10×12 room. Well, I’m graduated, and finally decided I was done with meandering souls in my living quarters. I’ve done a few upgrades like new windows a few weeks ago. And I decided it was time to swap the 80′s doors and trim for updated stuff along with painting both bedrooms. That is finally (almost) done after a week of sleeping in my living room/kitchen (see, with everything I own in those two rooms, the only place for 6’5″ of me was with my head in the living room and feet in the kitchen).

What do I get to do this weekend? Stretch out and finally have an actual bedroom and an actual office. Maybe I’ll throw some pics up later this week so you can see the amazing decorating skills of (my girlfriend) me!

Now for that hallway, bathroom, kitchen, and living room.

I did get a chance to go backstage and meet Keith (but not Nicole). I’ve been backstage a couple times, and you can usually tell when someone is genuine, and he was. We didn’t get individual photos, but the group thing works…

We met Keith, took the picture, then went into a (too) small and cozy room. We watched a little video about how they made the tour, which was actually pretty cool. Then Keith came in and sang an acoustic song. It was very cool. Then we asked a few questions before heading out for the show.

The downer? Only getting one pass so Jillian didn’t come with backstage. But, our seats were amazing! Overall a memorable night not just because of meeting Keith, but also going with my love!

Jillian had her wisdom teeth out this morning, and the recovery process made my week! She had the “stupid-silly” look goin great and was just-a-chatterin’ away! I would have loved to have a recorder because it was classic! The doc came by and Jillian was sharing many, many things, and he mentioned that it is the best reality TV around…especially when teens come in and decide to spill their guts with their folks right there! I can imagine…

It reminded me of one of my foot surgeries when I was coming out of the anesthesia and I asked the nurse when she was due. One little issue, she wasn’t pregnant! So, I commenced inserting my surgically repaired foot in my mouth and tried my best to talk my way out of it.

Good times, and more good times to come Saturday. My favorite musician is Keith Urban, and we’re going to his show Saturday night. Last night I got an email telling me I get to go backstage and meet the Aussie! Good times shall be had!

Finally, just so it’s official and it’s in print, I hate painting. Not the artistic type, but rather the wall type. I’m painting my 2 bedrooms and ceilings and I hate it. I sat at Menard’s for an hour looking at paint samples because I do not have the ability to imagine a color in a room. I went 1 for 2. Got one wall done with one color and decided, “No, that ain’t happenin’.”

Peace be with you.

There is a song that I have always said, “Hmm, I like this song, wonder who it is?” but never looked further.

One day, I was driving along and the song came on the radio and the words I heard answered the question that always resounds from a disaster: “Why?”

The song is by Natalie Grant and is called “Held.” I’ll post the lyrics at the bottom, but the line that has caught my emotions is, “And to know that the promise was when everything fell we’d be held.”

There’s something about remembering that we have never been promised that there would not be suffering, and that even the most spiritual people are not guaranteed miracle healing or freedom from pain.

I read something last night (as I was sitting in Chicago for a nice little 4 hour flight delay) that urged prayers to consist of gratitude instead of a plea or request. If we ask for something, aren’t we, in essence, assuming that God doesn’t know what’s best for us? If God does know what we need, shouldn’t we be providing prayers of thanks instead of inquiry? Asking for knowledge or awareness into something is different than asking for something. For instance, “God, please help Aunt Nancy be healed from her cancer” is different than “God, please help me to understand what Aunt Nancy is going through” and maybe adding “Thank you God for Aunt Nancy and the joy she brings to my life.”

Just a thought… here’s the lyrics for the song. I highly recommend you buy it somewhere (and support the artist’s you want to support)!

“Held” by Natalie Grant

Two months is too little
They let him go
They had no sudden healing
To think that providence would
Take a child from his mother while she prays
Is appalling

Who told us we’d be rescued?
What has changed and why should we be saved from nightmares?
We’re asking why this happens
To us who have died to live?
It’s unfair

Chorus:
This is what it means to be held
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive
This is what it is to be loved
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we’d be held

This hand is bitterness
We want to taste it, let the hatred NUMB our sorrow
The wise hands opens slowly to lilies of the valley and tomorrow

(Chorus) …
This is what it means to be held
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive
This is what it is to be loved
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we’d be held

Bridge:
If hope is born of suffering
If this is only the beginning
Can we not wait for one hour watching for our Savior?

(Chorus)
This is what it means to be held
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive
This is what it is to be loved
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we’d be held