Well...Merry Christmas

I don't really have much to say but, Merry Christmas. This is a great, but stressful time of the year and I guess I'm ready for it to be over. I guess I'll just share what I've been up to. 

Currently Reading (In order of how much I've actually been "reading" them:

-Simple Spirituality by Christopher L. Heuretz

-Speaker For The Dead by Orson Scott Card

-Jesus For President by Shane Claiborne

-Soul Graffiti by Mark Scandrette

-Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 

Listening To: 

Chris McLeod, Television Dreams

Lovedrug, The Sucker Punch Show

Drinking: 

Rwandan and Guatemalan brews from Shades of Brown

There is my life in about 10 lines. 

Rather than study....

Rather than study for a Geography test, I will write some things I have been thinking about lately. 

The most common question for the lack of belief of God, and one of the largest doubts of Christians is wondering why evil exists, and why bad things happen. 

I'm not here to give an answer. We will never have a good answer, I believe. 

However, my brother and I were discussing this and he shared something that he has conjured after hearing this question so much. I have the tendency to buy even the James Dobson argument that says that all evil will be destroyed someday. But, that's just not enough, and I don't buy the argument put forth by many Christians that we can just fix everything, because that's just stupid. 

My brother led me to the second chapter of Mark where Jesus heals a paralytic. What does Jesus do first?

1. Forgive the man's sins. 

And second?

2. Tells him to get up and walk. 

Has Jesus forgiven our sins? Yes

Are we all healed? No

We are at an in between time in our world.  What did Jesus do between forgiving the sins of the man and healing him? He was present. 

Yes our sins are forgiven and we will be healed someday, but we are still suffering. What can we do now? Be present. 

We cannot go around and tell everyone that their sins are forgiven and that's enough, nor can we heal everyone. We can be present and show Christ's presence to others through our selves and our own lives. 

We will never be able figure out the cause of suffering, but I think this is how we are to deal with it. 

Selah

Here I am, almost midnight, eating a peanut butter & jelly sandwich and drinking a glass of milk. I just finished one of the most busy days of my life, including school, two rehearsals and a show. 

And I can't leave out the fact that I have to be at school tomorrow at 730, have a music rehearsal, then performance, then perform a play that I am in, have a play practice, go to work, go to my friends housewarming party and play a show later that night. 

However, Saturday, I have to get up early, run sound for a play rehearsal, spend the afternoon setting up for church, and then perform the final and main performance of the play. 

But at least Sunday I get to arrive at my parents church at 8, practice, and play. Then, we have a family Christmas picture and I get to spend the rest of the day making a project. And wake up Monday, and start all over. 

The best part is, I am completely relaxed. I am one who is known to stress about things, but today (it's almost tomorrow), I am taking time to breathe, at least enough time to read a blog. I am learning to be still when I need it the most. 

Goodnight. 

Spencer's Top 5's

These are my top 5 FAVORITE of these different things. Not the BEST.

Movies: (This was hard because of difference of genres)

1. Garden State  (Zach Braff, 2004)

2. Little Miss Sunshine (Jonathan Dayton, 2006)

3. Once (John Carney, 2006)

4. Dead Poets Society (Peter Weir, 1989)

5. Dumb and Dumber (Peter Ferrelly, 1994)

(I have yet to see Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind, which I hear will change this list.)

Books (Fiction):

1. Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card, 1985)

2. My Name Is Asher Lev (Chaim Potok, 1972)

3. Romeo and Juliet (William Shakespeare)

4. Slaughterhouse 5 (Kurt Vonnegut, 1969)

5. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis, 1950)

Books (Non-Fiction):

1. Blue Like Jazz (Donald Miller, 2003)

2. Traveling Mercies (Anne Lamont, 2000)

3. Velvet Elvis (Rob Bell, 2005)

4. Through Painted Deserts (Donald Miller, 2005)

5. Searching For God Knows What? (Donald Miller, 2004)

Albums: 

1. The Photo Album (Death Cab for Cutie, 2001)

2. Parachutes (Coldplay, 2000)

3. In Rainbows (Radiohead, 2007)

4. Give Up (Postal Service, 2003)

5. Michigan (Sufjan Stevens, 2003)

TV Shows:

1. Lost

2. Arrested Development

3. The Office

4. Seinfeld

5. Flight of The Concords