Dangerously long blog post!

So here I sit, on my chair with my knee leaned against the desk, eating Cheetos, while being surrounded by an incredibly messy room (I'm also wiping Cheeto cheese dust on my pants before typing). To start things off we are going to have a few rules about reading this (hopefully) dangerously long blog post:

1. No skipping through to just look at the pictures unless you're eating Cheetos.
2. Concentrate on the spiritual points without distracting yourself by music, IMing, etc.
3. Brush your teeth after eating the Cheetos.
4. Leave a comment only if your nice.
5. Rebrush your teeth after rinsing your toothbrush because there's going to be cheese dust left on it.
6. Since this post is super long, you can read a little bit now and then come back to it later. Like when you read a large book or eat a foot-long sub.

This blog post should contain various highlights between the time that I last posted and now along with other things.

Amity!!!

My sister-in-law, Amanda, had her baby! And what a great baby I am. The implications of this cute, little baby Amity have changed the course of history. Because not only am I an uncle, but my parents are now grandparents, my grandparents are now great-grandparents, my great-grandparents are now great-great-grandparents, etc. I think you get the point.

It was so wonderful on the day she was born, December 23rd. (which, incidentally, is her birthday). Earlier in the day we had some of the Bid's and the A's over to our house and we were playing monopoly. Down the stairs came my dad to tell us the news that Amanda had finally had the baby. Before I even heard if it was a boy or a girl, I had jumped over the back of the couch, ran up the stairs, kicked my shoes on, and ran over to Bear and Manda's apartment without so much as a coat on. I got there several minutes before everyone else arrived in the car. I was the first boy to hold and see her besides her father (which is what I had planned many months in advance.) Enough of the blah, blah blah. Here she is!

Some nerdy human holding Amity.

Amity during her Australian jujitsu class.

Aurora!

My brother Jeriah got engaged to Aurora Gifford on Jan. 30th.. This is really great because Jeriah's been needing to get married and Aurora struck me and a really nice, sweet, fun, loving, happy, godly girl. And you can't really go wrong with a really nice, sweet, fun, loving, happy, godly girl. She lives in northern New York and that is where the wedding is suppose to be, but they'll be living here. She's the type you can make friends with easily and fun to be around. And of course, they are both very excited! Here's a picture of the happy couple:

(Hidden message.) Jeriah got a Valentine's card from Aurora [Author leaves to grab brownie and kiss Amity, Author returns.] Ok, about this letter Jeriah got from Aurora, on the return address it said, "Aurora Gifford (Bendixen)" iiiiieeeee! And then tonight, Jeriah said that she had received his Valentine's gift, and she told him, "It's a good thing I live in New York. If I was closer I'd come and hug you!" Ho ho ho!

Christian club!

Last school year I was able to attend a Christian club at the local high school. The girl that lead it last year wasn't able to this year, so for quite a while I'd been trying to start it without success. Finally with lots of God's help and after being able to get in contact with a certain boy that attended last year, it was able to be started again! Praise God! It's amazing what word-of-mouth can do!

At the first meeting there were about five or six people that came; things were a bit awkward since it was the first one, but at the second meeting it was a lot more natural and less awkward; only two people came, but I think that's because we changed the day. Overall, I'm really excited God's allowed me to take part in His work at the school!

Holy ambition!

[Author leaves to hear Bear play his new "song" which is really a dramatized recitation. Author holds Amity for a while then hands her to his brother upon which author now hears Amity's crying.]

Recently I listened to the following sermon: http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=7200761145

It was so good that felt it was worth getting on a CD and buying batteries for a player and playing it on the way up to a ski trip with a van load of people. I'll try to summarize it here:

Scripture first!

Rom 15: 18-24

18 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed,

19 Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

20 Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation:

21 But as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand.

22 For which cause also I have been much hindered from coming to you.

23 But now having no more place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come unto you;

24 Whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will come to you: for I trust to see you in my journey, and to be brought on my way thitherward by you, if first I be somewhat filled with your company.

For many years Paul wanted to go to see the believers in Rome (vs. 23). Paul was the type of guy that could accomplish what he wanted to do. I mean look at him, he traveled all over the known world. If he wanted to go to Rome, he could. But he couldn't. Why not? Because he had an ambition, a purpose, a driving force greater than his mere desires that controlled his way of life (vs. 22).

His holy, God-given ambition was to preach the gospel to people that had never heard it (vs.20). From Jerusalem to Illyricum, it was Paul's ambition to preach the gospel. But now that was done (vs.23). Now he could go to Rome. He had fulfilled God's purpose.

So now he was saying that he would be coming to Rome. He hoped to see the believers there and be helped by them on his way to Spain by them (vs.24). He was done with his work in these parts and it was time for him to move to his next mission.

In the same way, WE NEED TO HAVE A HOLY AMBITION. (From God, not from man and our own ideas and wishes.) We need to have a powerful God-given force and purpose that drives us to do that which we don't wish to do and not do what we want.

How do we get it? Same way Paul did. Searching the scriptures and praying for what God wishes. He had a verse from Isaiah that stood as an emblem for his holy ambition (vs. 21). Your ambition may be found in the Psalms, or Phillipians, or Jeremiah. I don't know know what it is. BUT IT'S YOUR JOB TO FIND IT. It may take months, or years, but to find a holy ambition from God, is to find God's will for your life.

As for myself, I think I've glimpsed hints of what God wishes for me. I've had fleeting thoughts of being a traveling fisher. Reaching lost people in the slums of large cities somehow seems very right to me. What about you???

Maiden China

I've been working quite a lot with Photoshop on a design I'm hoping to submit to a t-shirt company for voting. For a long while I've had the thought of a pun on the words "Made in China". I had originally pictured a Asian face on the Statue of Liberty, but when that idea fell out I drew this design:

It suppose to look like a fairly traditional Asian picture in the center portion, but then you start to see it's fake around the edges. Andyman thought it looked pretty cluttered, so then I made this:

It'll probably take several more drawings before, I submit something. Any ideas people?

Matthew Whitney

For a couple weeks now we've had a twelve year old boy from Canadia staying at our house. His mom and pop went on a trip to see relatives in the Bahamas so he came to stay with us. Come to think of it we've been having a lot of people staying at our house. The Bid's around Christmas time, my brothers (but they're always here), the Homes's (they're a family with seven children from New York that needed a place to stay before moving into their new house, great time with them; I should almost do a section on them.), Aurora, and now Matthew Whitney. [Author wonders if he should change title of section from "Matthew Whitney" to "Group Home"]

Yesterday and today Matt and I have been digging a tunnel through a snow bank in the Walgreen's parking lot with shovels and stuff. Great fun. I could say more, but I'll say less.

Ending

I'm not thinking of whole lot more to say other than, "God's really awesome and he deserves to be praised!"

Oh! Maybe I could put a few different lines from some songs that I've been thinking about:

Satisfied

Poor I was , and sought for riches,

Something that would satisfy,

But the dust I gathered round me,

Only mocked my soul's sad cry.

Halelujah! I have found Him,

Whom my soul so long has craved!

Jesus satisfies my longings,

Through His blood I now am saved.

When this Passing World is Done

When this passing world is done,

When has sunk yon glaring sun,

When we stand with Christ in glory,

Looking o'er life's finished story,

Then, Lord, shall I fully know-

Not till then- how much I owe!

That's all for now!