Constant Busyness

A shout out to Poetry, Music, and Real Life

2009-01-14T17:15:00.003-06:00

So, if you haven't heard, or haven't seen it, I've started a new blog. And I think it'll last. The new blog is replacing my facebook, which I shut down on Monday. This blog isn't gonna be updated, I don't think. So, if you want to keep up with my thoughts and life, go to www.poetrymusicandreallife.blogspot.com, and subscribe to it in the sidebar by entering your email. Once you do that, it will email you everytime I post with what I post.
Thanks for reading!

Poetry holds a place in my heart

2008-04-04T11:15:00.001-05:00

1923 New Hampshire

Dust of Snow
by Robert Frost
The way a crow

Shook down on me

The dust of snow

From a hemlock tree

Has given my heart

A change of mood

And saved some part

Of a day I had rued.

Summer is Ended
by Christina Georgina Rossetti
To think that this meaningless thing was ever a rose,

Scentless, colourless, this!

Will it ever be thus (who knows?)

Thus with our bliss,If we wait till the close?

Though we care not to wait for the end, there comes the end

Sooner, later, at last,

Which nothing can mar, nothing mend:

An end locked fast,

Bent we cannot re-bend.

Screwtape reversed

2007-05-13T07:21:00.000-05:00

My dear protégé,

The fact that so many of our young brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus are being tempted successfully in this area is disturbing to me. That they cannot control their anger when something that they desire is removed from their sight or their grasp is something that they should be able to realize is wrong, because Our Heavenly Father does not owe a single thing to anybody or anything, including you and me. If the mortals can be taught this truth that is so often hidden from them by Satan’s emissaries, that they have not done anything to deserve anything from Him, nor can they do anything that would instigate Him to give them anything, many battles we fight today for them would be easier. Unfortunately Satan constantly causes them to forget this reality and convinces them that they have done something to make Him love them. His love is unexplainable; it does not come from anything that anyone can do. He loves them when they fall, when they obey, when they are in His will, and when they are out of it.

To help them to break their habits of anger, gently assist them in thinking of the ultimate gift and sacrifice of His Son. Once they think about that sacrifice, the realization of the shallowness of their anger should hit them. They are controlled by what they want: the superficial desires that constantly pull them away from communion with God. This is the constant war that we are in. The evil one will pull them away, or attempt to, and we pull them back. If, at some point in this tug-of-war, the rope breaks, with which side will our charge join? It is your mission to make sure that the roots and foundation of this young one’s faith are strong enough to weather the fiercest storm of the devil.

One of the things that our enemy, the devil, cannot understand is that Our Father did not choose to deliver these sinners out of anything but love. Satan cannot believe that, since he does not do anything except to take away. The only reason why the Father has not once again wiped the earth almost completely clean like He did in the Great Flood (besides promising never to do so again) is because of His great mercy and everlasting love. Because Satan contains no love, he cannot understand this. If we can show the Christians how much God loves them by pointing out various ways in which He does so, it will be easier to encourage them not to blow up whenever they can’t get their way.

Another thing that we must “push” them not to do is to hate. Hate is one of the strongest things that we meet, and it can greatly hinder any advancement in maturity in our young brothers and sisters. Hate towards one person or object or idea can easily lead to anger in another area. However, hate is also one of the hardest to conquer, once it has been begun. A practical step to retake this battleground would be to have them read the account in the Bible of Jesus’ teaching on hate. Jesus teaches that it is not “okay” to hate someone, even if he have done wrong against you. “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?” Jesus’ law is a new law. It teaches a totally different ideology than that of the world. Since Jesus teaches us to love even those that hurt us, we are instructed to love everybody. It is easy to love someone who loves you, but very hard to show love towards someone who hates you or tries to make things hard for you. For humans this is even harder, because they cannot see things the way that we can. Satan tries to convince them that they hate someone or something, and if he succeeds, then the feelings that are instigated can be disastrous. Their feelings towards other people can begin to grow strained. They examine everybody they know to see if they match up with the person that they have decided they hate. Under Jesus’ teaching, they cannot actually hate any person in the world and still please God. This means that they could not hate Saddam Hussein, who killed and persecuted millions of people. However, because of the mercy of God, Christians are forgiven of their sins, no matter how many. That is the key point that we must drive home to them. We must not let them be discouraged with their failing in sin; Jesus came to remedy that. Jesus’ love is large enough to cover and wipe out any sin, and any number of them.

Try to help them to remember these truths.

Keep on in the fight,

An Easter post...

2007-04-07T12:51:00.001-05:00

I killed Jesus.

My sin put Him on the cross. He died for my sin just as much as anybody else's in the world. I'm no better than anybody else, and the guilt for my sins was laid upon me. And then it was lifted off of me by a Savior whose ability to take away our sins is so large that He could take away the whole world's. The love of our God is all-encompassing. Why should we pain Him anymore with sins we know are wrong? He hurts for us when we sin. We need to ask Him for His help to take away the temptation and the wrongs we commit. And then we can run to Him, and be enveloped in His strong arms.

I killed Jesus.

A few thoughts

2007-04-05T12:08:00.000-05:00

Due to the new influx of visitors coming to my site, thanks largely in part to my brother linking to me (thanks, Arie), I guess I'd better post again. : )

I think it's great how God can use someone that keeps falling away from Him. The prodigal son keeps walking away, and Jesus keeps welcoming the sinner back every time.
Jesus is enough. A sermon that my dad taught last month about the prodigal son is helpful in our never ending procession to and from God's side. He talked about the prodigal son, who, after receiving his father's forgiveness, departs again from his father's side, and returns to his previous lifestyle. What then? Does his father then reject him, disown him, and leave him to his own life? NO. When the prodigal humbles himself yet again, and returns to his father, his father sincerely accepts him back. No matter how many times that happens in our lives, that's the way God is with us. That's something so amazing about our God. He loves us, no matter what we do. And we can always go back to Him. Jesus' love is sweet and wonderful.

Tomorrow is Good Friday, the day on which Jesus died and was buried for the world's sins. I'm contemplating that this week. The amazing grace and love of our blessed God and Savior, Jesus Christ, is wonderful.

"For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly."

Perfectly planned, divinely inspired, lovingly accomplished. THIS is our God.

A break in the silence, and an opening of my heart...

2007-04-02T20:32:00.000-05:00

Nothing has changed, and it never will in any hugely noticeable way: God's grace and love will always be amazing, and my sin will always be discouraging. However, God's grace will never stop flowing, and never stop giving. I'm like a baby bird, with an open mouth always discharging sin and taking in God's love. Sometimes my shame will force me to close my "mouth," but God's love will pry it open again, reminding me of my absolute need for Him.

And then our love for the things of the world can take over sometimes, and God gets put on the back-burner. We start to pursue our horizontal love, our our love towards people, and our vertical love is forgotten, or ignored. We choose not to let God direct us, and we wander. And we wander, through trials and difficulty, through life, through hardship. Until God steps back into our life again...and we see God. He can't stand the people and idols we replace Him with, so He inserts Himself back into our conscious circle, and shakes us awake.

Christian Spirituality w/ Edges: Three Damning Problems with Self-Assertion

2007-03-30T13:05:00.000-05:00

Great post by the older bro...that's all. Life keeps moving, forcing me to spin with it or fall. I'm falling right now, but we'll see whether I land on my feet or not.

Christian Spirituality w/ Edges: Three Damning Problems with Self-Assertion

A great article by Jason Whitlock...

2005-12-13T12:46:00.000-06:00

News, notes, and quotes for the day:

Jason Whitlock has a great article, shown here in its entirety.

No easy decisions for Self

JASON WHITLOCK

Coaches love it when their players’ skill and effort make the important decisions — such as starting lineup, playing rotation and where the ball goes at crunch time.

If the Kansas Jayhawks were 4-4 and everybody was complaining that the Jayhawks weren’t running enough plays for Wayne Simien, and Aaron Miles wasn’t getting enough minutes at the point, Bill Self would be confident and content.

But even after Saturday’s 69-56 victory at Kemper Arena over a decent California squad, Self knows he has a difficult coaching job throughout the rest of the season. All winter, the Kansas coach is probably going to have to make every important decision on the fly — game to game, possession by possession.

That’s the typical plight of a coach blessed with a roster filled with talented players but no seasoned, dominant scorer or floor general. Self and his coaching staff won’t sleep much this season. They’ll spend countless hours studying film and second-guessing their decisions about lineups, playing time and shots.

A problem that is already bad will only get worse when sophomore post Darnell Jackson finishes his nine-game suspension and swells Kansas’ rotation to 11 players. There’s nothing wrong with being 11 deep. It’s actually a great thing when you have two or three stars and eight or nine guys in support.

The problem is Kansas doesn’t have two stars. The Jayhawks have a potentially outstanding freshman in Brandon Rush (12 points, seven rebounds) and an athletic and inconsistent sophomore in C.J. Giles (17 points, nine rebounds, five blocks).

Self doesn’t know what he’s going to get from Giles or Rush night in and night out, which accentuates the inconsistency of the rest of Kansas’ inexperienced talent, which hampers Self’s ability to determine a playing rotation.

“This could be constant for a large part of the season,” Self said when I asked him whether he had an idea when he might develop a regular rotation.

On Saturday, 6-foot-11 center Sasha Kaun took the afternoon off, playing just 9 minutes and missing the two shots he took. Freshman guard Mario Chalmers provided another 11 minutes worth of proof that he’s not a Big 12 point guard, turning the ball over six times. Senior Christian Moody, the surprising role-player star of last year’s team, looked like a walk-on in desperate need of Simien, Miles, Keith Langford and Michael Lee. Rush, KU’s most talented player, was awful in the first half. His halftime stat line read: zero points, one rebound, one turnover and 11 minutes.

What’s tough for Self is he can’t give up on Kaun, Chalmers or Moody and give all of their minutes to Stephen Vinson, Julian Wright and Micah Downs. Self can’t do it because he knows/suspects that in KU’s next game, Vinson, Wright and Downs might fall into the toilet and Kaun, Chalmers and Moody might play like Jordan, Pippen and Rodman.

All of these kids have loads of talent, and Moody and Vinson have all sorts of intangibles to offer. After the game, Vinson (six points, six assists and 25 minutes) seemed to understand Self’s dilemma better than the media members who appeared ready to anoint Vinson as “the answer.”

“I still don’t know how much I’ll be playing,” said Vinson, who predicted that Chalmers and Russell Robinson will play better in future games.

This thing is really tricky for Self and his staff. They have to figure out how to make 11 players happy, win games, enhance the draft stock of their one-and-done (Rush) and two-and-done (Giles) players and get something out of their Mario Brothers package (Ronnie and Mario Chalmers).

The easiest solution would be for Rush and Giles to become consistent and dominant. That would give this team structure and take most of the decision-making out of Self’s hands.

If that doesn’t happen, then I’d like to see Wright replace Kaun in the starting lineup and Vinson and Robinson split time opposite Jeff Hawkins in the backcourt. I want more Micah Downs and less Moody. I’d make Chalmers and Jackson (and even Kaun) wait for someone to play poorly before they get a shot at moving up in the rotation.

Mostly, I’m glad I don’t have to play the guessing game Self might be forced to play all season. He won’t be able to avoid looking foolish from time to time.

My game today is happening at six, across from the church building.

Some encouraging news on KU...

2005-12-12T18:26:00.000-06:00

Fran Fraschilla of ESPN says about KU,

Kansas finally has a quality win this season after defeating a solid California team at Kemper Arena on Saturday. While decision-making in the backcourt must be a major concern for Bill Self, one guy who continues to impress me is Brandon Rush. After opening some eyes at the NBA's Chicago Predraft camp in June because of his savvy play and off-the-charts athleticism, he continues to play with maturity and poise.

Rush, the Jayhawks' leading scorer, has been in double figures in every game but one and is averaging 13 points and five rebounds a game. More impressive, he is doing it on fewer than 10 shots a game and is shooting over 50 percent from both the field and from behind the arc. His defensive acumen could be better, as could his ball skills, because he will be a big guard at the NBA level -- someday. Patience, Brandon. Patience.

To check out the whole article, go here.

Also, Dickie V. says, about RussRob:

• I keep waiting for former Rice high school superstar Russell Robinson to break out for the Jayhawks. He came in with a big-time reputation, contributed early last season and then fell into non-factor status the second half of the season. Will he finally regain his confidence to give coach Bill Self some consistency on the perimeter?

Here's the whole article.

I have two games this week, against Overland Christian(Tuesday), and LAWRENCE HIGH(Monday.Next)!!! Should be some tough games. To check out my full schedule go here.
And click on Boy's Schedule. We're 9B.

A post after a busy few months...

2005-12-07T21:33:00.000-06:00

After I get everybody (or almost everyone) screaming at me that I need to post, they all got fed up and quit trying. And went to my xanga. Where posts were at least better than once-every-three-months. Let me list some of the things that I can remember happening in my life since I last posted. I left off after posting about my adventures of the summer, and my all-time favorite pictures taken over that span. Since then, I've:

Started up practices, and won 2 games. Which is wonderfully refreshing. 2-0!
Stood by and watched while KU dropped 3-out-of-4 games by a total of 6 points. For those of you who, like stats, KU made only 9/16 free throws. In K-State's game tonight, they made 27-32, not only getting to the line but making the shots down the stretch. I'm not saying that I'm becoming a KU fan, just showing how a team needs to make things happen in tight games. KU also needs someone who can step up and take the leadership role on this young team. My pick is Sasha Kaun. He really need to have some big games and get this young team motivated.
My church put on an Art Show and Cookie Sale, showing all kinds of art, from photographs to greeting cards. If you want to buy some art, contact me for details at PeterKUBasketball@gmail.com
I've participated in several performances of The Pastor, the story of Richard Wurmbrand, a Romanian pastor who stood firm for Christ in the face of amazing obstacles.
Been assigned to be lights director for the kid's story of Dickens at our church next Sunday. No, you're not invited.
Realized that if I want to do something, I have to organize it. Therefore, I don't have any friends. : ) Note: See my post on my xanga.
I think that's about it. If you want to remind me of something else I forgot, contest or discuss something I wrote, or pat me on the back for a post, comment.

All time favorite pictures taken by me this summer...

2005-09-03T14:27:00.000-05:00

Ok. In the very busy summer, I've managed to take some pictures. I'd like you all to tell me which picture is the best. You can rate them by letter. All right, here goes:

(a) In June my family traveled to Glacier National Park for a Vanderhorst family reunion. On the way, we stopped at Yellowstone. This is Old Faithful. On your ballot, mark down "a" first if this is your favorite.

(b)In Yellowstone, we went to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. It was beautiful.

(c)We drove by Yellowstone Lake at sunset. You could see the moon through the sunset, and it was stunning.

(d)This shot may be one of my best action shots ever. Paul threw the snowball at me, and I caught it in the air, with a great expression on his face. What do you think?
(e)After finishing the roof of our Mexican house, I got some sweet rooftop pictures. This one's of the sunset.

That's all the pictures I've got on this computer. If you want to see the pictures enlarged, click on them. Please comment, and don't forget to subcribe to my site through bloglet on the right hand sidebar.

A quick pic...

2005-08-20T15:44:00.000-05:00

I don't have a lot of time, but I thought you all my like to see me in my new three-piece suit. Don't ask what the beverage was. : )

Also, what we drank that night.
So long, my amigos! I'm off to help prepare for my church's annual "Garage Giveaway" for International Students. See you later.

I'm back from another exhausting trip...

2005-08-18T14:27:00.000-05:00

Well, I just got back from a two week marathon of a trip. Let me explain in a little more detail.
Our first destination was Ocean City, NJ, where we would gather together with my mother's side of the family for five days of surfing the waves, walking the boards, and throwing the frisbee.
: ) That was an exhilarating week. Very fun.
From there we went on to my Grandmother's house, where we were to put up a fence and clean out an attic. These things we did, and in the process gained: (1), An authentic Korean War army suit, (2), A pair of scuba diving flippers, (3), two baseballs, and, (4), a box of sports equipment, as well as some old army men, and an army blanket. After spending five days there, we set off on Thursday afternoon to travel to Baltimore, where we would spend one night with some friends of ours there.
We arrived in Baltimore after a short four-hour drive, and almost immediately headed out to a pool/basketball/volleyball sports complex, (outdoors) and spent about an hour-and-a-half there. Then we traveled back to the house, and sat down to a wonderful dinner of green beans, chicken, garlic bread, and salad. Then we went bowling. (Not to be boastful, but on my first ever bowl I got a strike. On the next I got a spare, and then a another strike. However, my efforts weren't enough to get me farther than third place). Then we went to Blockbuster and rented a movie, National Treasure, and finished that up at about 12:00. From there we played Golden Eye(James Bond) on their Gamecube until 3:00 AM, after which we hit the sack. I slept till 11:00. Then we went on a quick tour of the Baltimore harbor, which was really cool. Then we all piled into the car. We were to go on to Delaware, where we would attend our cousin's wedding. Too much to write, and not enough time. I'll write about the wedding later.

Basic Seminar-recommended to all those eligible...

2005-07-28T22:43:00.000-05:00

To all those coming to this blog: Go to the Basic Seminar. I went for my second time last week, and was enriched by many good teachings. Mr. Gothard's teaching on forgiveness and bitterness especially, for me, helped get over some things I was having trouble with. If you haven't gone yet, you should go, and if you have gone, go again. My Dad has taken every one of us, and God points something new out to him every time. Another thing that will do you good is going on a trip to Mexico. : )

Basic Seminar Busyness...

2005-07-21T11:45:00.000-05:00

The latest acquirement to my schedule has been the The Basic Seminar, by IBLP. This is a four-day program, described by IBLP as:

As the cornerstone of IBLP’s outreach, the Basic Life Principles Seminar is held in cities around the world throughout the year. Since 1964, well over 2.5 million people have attended this seminar taught by Bill Gothard.

Conflicts often indicate that we are living by our natural inclinations, which are opposite to the ways of God. The goal of this seminar is to explain God’s way of life and provide further training and resources for those who are committed to God’s best.

If you are committed to God’s best for your life, marriage, family, and vocation, then we are dedicated to serving you through this seminar and other aspects of this ministry.

I've gone once before, when I was twelve, but I wasn't quite ready to absorb and take huge steps to have a hugely successful life. Now I feel more prepared. I might tell you all more about this later.

A first post, back from Mexico...

2005-07-20T13:02:00.000-05:00

I've arrived home from Mexico, last Saturday. The experience there was powerful and full of new lessons and marvelous fun. It makes me want to go back down there right away. We built two houses in three days, and there were 42 people in the group that went down. The kids down there were sooooo cute. This is Seisei, who I spent a whole bunch of time with. He'd punch you or bite you; then, when you started to show signs of irritation, would lovingly crone, "Amigo, amigo." The kids down there really need prayer. They want love so much. I'll put some more pictures on here.